Oriented to Love: A Dialogue about Sexual and Gender Diversity in the Church
A Call for Applicants
CSA is now accepting applications for participants in the May 2021 Oriented to Love dialogue around the issue of sexual and gender diversity in the church. It will take place virtually, Friday and Saturday, May 14 and 15, 2021, 11am-6pm Eastern, on each of those days. (See in-person dialogue dates/cities below. We encourage you to submit an application for any dialogue at this time. There is a place on the application for you to indicate which dialogue you prefer, and we will do our best to accommodate your choice.)
The two main requirements for participation in this dialogue are an open heart and a committed faith in Christ. We need the group to be as diverse—in terms of theology, sexual orientation, gender identity, age and ethnicity—as it is small. Since this conversation will focus on how believers approach and understand sexual and gender diversity in the church, our shared faith in and reliance on Christ will bind us together and make our efforts more productive and long-lasting.
Why dialogue?
The goals of this dialogue are NOT to:
- strike theological stances,
- debate each other about various Scripture passages, or
- agree with each other.
The goals ARE to:
- help LGBTQIA and heterosexual/cisgender Christians of all stripes come to the same table, regardless of our theological understanding of the issues;
- listen to each other’s stories and in doing so get to know and understand each other;
- ask hard questions in a circle where everyone agrees to be brave and the conversation is being carefully and lovingly held;
- to discover what God is doing in and through LGBTQIA Christians and how the church can be the church for LGBTQIA people as well as heterosexual/cisgender people;
- to discover what committed Christians, both LGBTQIA and heterosexual/cisgender, have to offer and teach each other within the larger body of Christ.
Who should apply?
We are especially looking for:
- LGBTQIA Christians who have been hurt by the church but still love and long for a home in the church;
- Traditionally-leaning heterosexual/cisgender Christians who are wrestling with how to love LGBTQIA people well;
- Christian parents of LGBTQIA people;
- Faith leaders who long for deeper insight into issues of human sexuality and gender and how they impact the people they serve;
- any Christian who wants to understand how to live in unity and love with those who hold different theological understandings from their own (in other words, people who disagree with them), particularly in light of the topic of sexual and gender diversity.
We ask that you be 21 years of age before applying. If you are selected, we ask that you bring your authentic self to the event and come fully committed to the spirit and goals of the dialogue. You will be required to participate in some pre-dialogue reflection work that will help prepare you and others for our time together.
Application information:
If you are interested in participating in this dialogue, you are a lover of Jesus, and you can embrace the goals stated above, please fill out the online application form. (If you prefer, the application is also available in Word document or PDF format; complete and save it before sending it to Kristyn Komarnicki (via email, by clicking on name at left), or by postal service (Att’n: K. Komarnicki, Oriented to Love, CSA/Sider Center, 1300 Eagle Road, St. Davids, PA 19087). Regardless of how you submit it, the information in your application will be kept completely confidential. Application deadline is March 5, 2021.
Twelve participants will be selected from among the applications we receive, and all applicants will be notified of their status no later than March 15, 2021, so that selected applicants can plan.
Cost:
There is no fee to apply. Upon selection, participants will be asked to pay a minimum (subsidized) fee of $250. (The actual cost of the virtual dialogue is approximately $650 per person. If you, your church, or organization is able to pay the actual cost of participation, we encourage you to do so, so that we can continue offering the program to as many people as possible. Thank you!) (A limited number of partial scholarships are available; please indicate your need for a scholarship when you submit your application.)
All upcoming dialogue dates/cities:
May 14-15, 2021: VIRTUAL dialogue (application deadline March 5, 2021)
July 22-24, 2021: Chicago, IL (application deadline April 22, 2021)
Sept 30-Oct 2, 2021: Philadelphia, PA (application deadline June 29, 2021)
January 21-23, 2022: Malibu, CA (application deadline October 20, 2021)
We hold about 4 dialogues a year. In addition to the above cities, we’ve gathered in Nashville (TN), Cincinnati (OH), Orlando (FL), Dallas (TX), and Portland (OR) and are always exploring new cities. Feel free to apply and specify which region of the country best suits you, and we’ll do our best to match you.
