“Open and Affirming” Link Removed by MMN/Chicago MVS Labels Themselves a "Safe Space"

 For the second time in the last year, Mennonite Missions Network (MMN) has deleted parts of a welcoming statement from a unit's description. Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) is a program of MMN. The first edit to a unit’s page was to the Fresno unit. In that case, the volunteers living in the MVS Fresno unit updated their webpage to have a welcoming statement that would include the lgbtq community. MMN deleted the welcoming statement, and made a policy that MVS units could not designate themselves as lgbtq supportive. The statement was deleted off the Fresno MVS page without notifying the Fresno unit’s volunteers, local program coordinator, or supportive congregation.

While volunteers couldn’t designate their unit as lgbtq welcoming, the supportive congregation(s) of the MVS units had more flexibility. Tonia Martin, the MVS director at the time, told me over a conference call that the supportive congregations could designate themselves as affirming of the lgbtq community. CCMC followed MMN’s guidelines and edited their congregation’s description to include the phrase “open and affirming.” For those unfamiliar with this phrase, it can be confusing. To reduce the ambiguity, CCMC had MVS link “open and affirming” to Brethren Mennonite Council’s Supportive Communities Network (SCN) page to show it meant to be publicly supportive of lgbt people.  Less than a month ago I reported thisexciting news.

Late last week, I learned that the link to SCN was removed. The reason MMN gave for the removal of the link was that MMN policy only allows “partnering congregations and agencies” to be linked from a MVS unit page. As with the changes done to Fresno’s unit page, the Chicago MVS unit and CCMC did not find out there was an issue with the link to SCN until after the link had been removed.

MMN continues to find ways to try to silence lgbtq people and their allies. The statement that Brethren Mennonite Council (BMC) is not a "partnering agency" is particularly frustrating. BMC is actively partnering with current MVSers, MVS alums, and the congregations that support the MVS units. Once again, the work BMC is doing to nurture an environment of welcome and embrace of lgbtq people has been disregarded. This is work that MMN and Mennonite Church USA should also be doing. While they remain silent, lgbtq people and their allies raise their voices.

While CCMC’s voice was edited on their MVS unit’s MMN webpage, their lgbtq inclusion task force for the MVS unit was already working on putting up a revised description of the unit on CCMC’s website. On the page, they have designated their unit as a “Safe Space” for lgbtq. Below is their “Safe Space” statement.

Safe Space

The Chicago MVS Unit strives to be a Safe Space that welcomes and celebrates people of any sexual orientation or gender expression. To that end, we seek to create a community that:

• fosters respectful conversations;
• cultivates relationships, understandings and practices that enable its members to be allies for and accountable to each other;
• allows for all persons to explore, live into and live out of the fullness of their identities without needing to defend or edit who they are;
• does not tolerate the marginalization of its LGBTQ* members; and
• receives ongoing support and accountability from Chicago Community Mennonite Church, as an outgrowth of the congregation’s public affirmation and welcome of LGBTQ persons.

*lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or queer (including intersex, Two-Spirit, asexual, allied)

Let me know what is going on in your MVS unit! I’d love to report how you are creating a welcoming and embracing place for lgbtq people!

Back to Madison!

Dates March 9-10

I returned to Madison, Wisconsin to visit the MVS unit and their supportive congregation. I spent most of my time hanging out with Taylor and Ted, the two current MVSers. I was thankful for their excellent hospitality! Both are returning for a second year at Madison, which will make it easier to continue conversations about lgbt inclusion in MVS.

The MVS unit hosted a potluck for my visit to their house. Current participants of Madison Mennonite Church came over with dishes of food to share. I spoke about my current work with the MVS program to make it more inclusive towards the lgbt community, and gave a general update on BMC. Madison Mennonite members shared that they are taking several of their Christian education hours to explore lgbt topics and to address ways that the church can continue to reach out in its welcome of lgbt people.

On Sunday, I led one of Madison Mennonite’s education hours about the transgender community to promote more awareness. I recognize that, of the members of the lgbt community, transgender people are often left out of the discussion. When people speak about lgbt rights, they often are just speaking about gays, lesbians, and occasionally bisexuals if they are in a same-gender relationship. I spoke to the church about the basics of gender, gave definitions of groups under the transgender umbrella, and gave ideas that the church could use to be more welcoming of the transgender community.   

In other news, Chicago Community Mennonite Church (CCMC), the Chicago MVS unit’s supportive church, has put together a task force to address lgbtq inclusion in their MVS unit.  They have worked to make their welcome more visible to prospective volunteers. They edited the Chicago MVS unit’s webpage to include the phrase “open and affirming” to describe CCMC.  The words are linked to BMC’s Supportive Communities Network webpage, which lists CCMC as a “publicly affirming” congregation for lgbt people. In addition, The Task Force is working on a welcoming statement for their MVS unit. It will be posted online!

Send an e-mail to kaleidoscope@bmclgbt.org to let me know what’s going on in your unit and if you would like me to schedule a visit.

Trip to Elkhart, IN

Date January 12, 2013

I recently met with two members of Jubilee House (aka the Elkhart Mennonite Voluntary Service Unit), their local program coordinator, and members of the unit’s two supportive congregations. A primary reason for my bus tour of volunteer houses for Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) is to make sure that lgbt people connected to MVS are in a safe environment that is open and affirming of them being lgbt.

There was a considerable amount of caution in our conversation together. Caution can be fine if it is done to be sensitive to support those that are potentially vulnerable, but several voices in secure positions were uneasy about what I would report on this blog. This sort of nervousness didn’t promote confidence that this was a welcoming environment. A particularly strong voice present was especially concerned about what I would say and held a perspective of resistance to welcome shared by others in the church I’ve encountered before.  This perspective would say they are open to inclusion, but then say things that distract and sometimes sabotage the conversation of welcome and safety for lgbt people.

One of the voices present shared that volunteers with conservative theological backgrounds have felt excluded and are leaving the MVS program. I don’t know if these conservative volunteers are not welcoming of lgbt people, but that seemed to be what was implied. This objection to a visible welcome of lgbt people equated those that feel excluded because their theology is threatened with lgbt people that feel excluded because of who they are. These two aspects of exclusion are not equal. Someone may feel uncomfortable when their theological perspective is threatened, but someone concerned about their safety is worried about their physical and mental well being. Even though there is a growing number of people and communities (including MVS unit congregations) that are declaring themselves as open and affirming of lgbt people, they are still the marginalized voice in the Mennonite church. Lgbt people and their allies are explicitly excluded by Mennonite Church USA policies and practices.

In addition, these two aspects of exclusion don’t need to be mutually exclusive. For example, one reason I chose not to apply to Mennonite Voluntary Service was because of its affirmation of the Confession of Faith, which has a section that implies heterosexual marriage as the only valid marriage. At the same time, limiting romantic relationships to a man and a woman is not supported by my theology that God blesses both heterosexual and same-gender unions. Those with conservative theological perspectives are not the only ones that have felt exclusion. I know of many MVS alums that felt excluded because they were lgbt and/or allies of lgbt people, and other people that chose to go with open and affirming Christian volunteer organizations because of the exclusion of lgbt people in the MVS program.

Mennonite agencies like Mennonite Mission Network (MMN), which oversees MVS, participate in the exclusion of lgbt people. MMN claims to have chosen not to address “issues of sexuality,” and says, it “is best addressed in congregational and area conference settings rather than in the context of mission.” Although not explicitly stated, “issues of sexuality” means gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. This claim of not addressing “issues of sexuality” is a statement in itself. When people or institutions choose to remain silent, they are not demonstrating neutrality; they are choosing the privileged voice. Just because a voice is dominant does not mean it is right. Also, directly above MMN’s statement of neutrality on the topic of sexuality is a statement saying MMN affirms the Confession of Faith. Historically, this document has been used to dismiss lgbt people in the church.

MMN chooses not to include gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other queer words in its Organization Information documents. One of MMN’s organizational values is diversity. It has a list of groups that it includes in its definition of diversity, but the lgbt community is missing. In MMN’s “personal witness” in its “lifestyle expectations” there isn’t a commitment against gender identity discrimination, sexism, and heterosexism. By saying nothing about lgbt people, MMN sends the message that being lgbt person or an ally is shameful. MMN may not be attempting to send these messages, but their silence doesn’t stop people from interpreting their silence as exclusionary behavior. MMN is not the lone part of the church that excludes lgbt people, but as the face of Mennonite Church USA’s mission ministries, they have the power to promote inclusive change in their programs.

Another reason for resisting welcome of lgbt people given by this voice present at the meeting was the “stigma” attached to people and institutions that were open and affirming of lgbt people. It was said that lgbt inclusive churches were seen as a “one topic” church. I responded that welcoming communities do not see themselves as a “one topic” church. Rather, it is those that are not open to welcome that have given them this designation. Welcoming communities are also active in other social justice and faith concerns. For example, they advocate for peace, reconciliation, and the welcoming of all people. But this begs the question of why being labeled “lgbt welcoming” is considered bad? Others gave the Anabaptist’s their name, which means “re-baptizers.” It was considered a stigmatizing word back then, but now it is proudly stated as a part of Mennonite (as well as the Church of the Brethren) heritage.

Thankfully, this was only one voice in the group. Nobody else seemed as resistant to welcome, and would challenge his statements in a respectful manner. The two current members of the house and several others encouraged more visible inclusion of lgbt people in the program. The conversation served as an introduction to what welcoming lgbt meant and included other productive conversations. Most in the room agreed that they need to have something to say to prospective volunteers about where the communities are in the process of welcoming lgbt people. This would be a statement that I suggested they would share with all their prospective volunteers, so an lgbt person looking into being in the house doesn’t need to be out to them to know where the community is. I think this would be a good idea to implement in all the houses. We ended the meeting with requests for continued conversation with how to welcome lgbt people. It may take some time, but I’m hopeful that the Elkhart unit can grow into being more welcoming.

-Reuben Sancken

Visit to Chicago MVS House

Dates October 20-21

On my way back from a “Safe Zone” training at Bluffton University, I made a short visit at the Chicago MVS House.  Like my visit to Madison, I was welcomed with great hospitality! I was met at the bus stop by Katie Vanderheide, a current member of the Chicago MVS unit, who escorted me to the volunteer house. Upon entering the house, among the typical assortment of random objects and posters in volunteer houses, I found rainbow decorations. Katie told me they were put up during the lgbtq Pride in Chicago. By how openly the volunteers spoke about lgbtq inclusion and the rainbows in the house, I knew this was a welcoming place!

I had the privilege of chatting with each of the five members of the unit. I learned that four of the current residents of the unit were in their second year in the community. Two of them were “associate members” volunteering at their placements through a Nazarene program. It was clear by their engagement and treatment by the MVSers in the community that they were full participants in the unit. The MVSers were all active in their host congregation, Chicago Community Mennonite Church (CCMC), which is also a member of the Supportive Communities Network (SCN). I’m thankful that they brought me along to attend Sunday worship at CCMC. An invitation of welcome was given freely during the service and extended to everyone to participate in the church community. Welcoming lgbtq people was named specifically in the sermon given by Ron Adams, the guest preacher. Ron is the pastor of Madison Mennonite Church, which is also a member of SCN and host congregation for the Madison MVS House.

Reuben with members of the Chicago MVS lgbtq
inclusion task force (Center:Hannah, Right:Katie)

During my visit, I went to a coffee shop to chat with Katie Vanderheide and Hannah Klaassen, the local program coordinator for MVS Chicago. CCMC has put together a lgbtq inclusion task force for the MVS unit, which includes Katie, Hannah, Megan Ramer (pastor at CCMC), and two others from the CCMC community. The task force hadn’t met as a group yet, so our conversation was focused on brainstorming various ways CCMC could work to make MVS more lgbtq welcoming. There was concern for a good and sustainable process when working with MVS. Within the MVS program, host congregations play a significant role in the life of their MVS units. The local leadership, made up of participants of the host congregation, is responsible for the long term vision of the unit. Also, local leadership helps in facilitating the organization of the unit and works to make it a healthy and safe environment. Both Katie and Hannah spoke about the importance of making CCMC’s welcome of lgbtq visible to any perspective volunteer applicants to the Chicago unit. They wanted regular discussion about lgbtq inclusion and annual “safe zone” training.

After dinner, I left Chicago to return to Minneapolis with renewed energy and hope! It’s really exciting to see and hear about the work being done by current MVSers, alumni, and their supportive congregations to make MVS a welcoming place for lgbtq people!

Visit to Madison MVS House

Dates June 9-11

I began my journey by traveling to the state known for its cheese. I was met by Joe at the Megabus stop on the University of Wisconsin campus. We went to the Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) house, where Clayton was waiting to greet me. Both are members of the Madison MVS unit and friends from my years at Goshen College.

L to R: Clayton, Reuben, and Joe

I was impressed during my stay with the hospitality of the Madison MVS house. They planned a balance of fun activities and time to relax. On Saturday, we chatted about our experiences with volunteering, while we toured Madison and enjoyed several outdoor events. Sunday, we spent the morning playing disc golf. Disc sports are important to the Madison community, which has multiple ultimate leagues and disc golf courts.

Early Sunday afternoon brunch, the unit invited members of the Local Leadership Committee and other members of the church to have a conversation about lgbt inclusion in MVS. I brought them up to speed about the events that had taken place with MVS, and was impressed by their understanding of the situation and valued their suggestions and comments. Recently, they had updated their description on the Madison MVS webpage by linking the words “open and affirming” to their homepage to explain what these words meant to their congregation. “Open and affirming” is a phrase used to describe a congregation’s public invitation of welcome to lgbt people. They wanted me to return in the fall to lead“safe zone” training for their congregation, MVS unit, and members of the community. “Safe Zone” training is a service Brethren Mennonite Council provides, which includes education on how to make a welcoming place for lgbt people. They told me about other efforts they were doing to reach out to welcome lgbt people, including having more conversation with the other units. I encouraged them to continue to have these conversations.

It was great first visit to a MVS unit, and I gained more respect and understanding for the program. While there is still need to change some of the policies and structure of the MVS program, it gave me hope to see that MVS Units like Madison are actively working to be more welcoming.

Contact Reuben at kaleidoscope@bmclgbt.org to learn more about this project and arrange a visit to your unit!