I wasn’t able to attend the convocation at Vanderbilt, and I would appreciate those who did sharing some of their impressions or experiences. I think this online group could be more of a dialogue and less of a posting of announcements and new clips if folks made more of an effort to participate.

Since we are scattered over a large area, not everyone is able to attend monthly meetings. This not only is a “safe place” to discuss issues and concerns but also to share insights and successes in bridging the gap with those who talk inclusion but practice exclusion in the church.

Fourteen months ahead of the election, I’m surprised how much politics dominates the news as though there was nothing else to fill in the blanks between car wrecks and murders. The N&O is unusual in that it has a weekly section devoted to religion that is primarily local church news and announcements. In the gay community any conversation about religion is almost a social taboo.

I recently made a trip to the mountains with a group of friends to escape the unusual heat and to enjoy the beauty of nature. We left on a Sunday and interrupted our usual pattern of attending church, but sometimes I wonder if it is more of a habit than an act of worship. I believe in ritual and a formal service, but I sometimes find myself not thinking about the church until the next week. I’m struggling with making a commitment for another year of bible study every week. It has been educational, and we have formed a small group who has gotten to know each other in a way that isn’t possible in a large church. I was very involved in one of the ministries of the church in the past but haven’t found a place in recent years. I guess I sort of took RUM-NC to be one of my ministries, but like a lot of other volunteer projects in which I’ve been involved it seems to ebb and flow. Are we needed anymore?