Giving Tuesday >> Advent Giving
Giving Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy
It’s just like the queer kids to do things differently. That’s part of queerness: to take something and look at it through a different lens. The Rev. Tyler Heston presents queerness as “the disruption, transgression, and dismantling of heterosexuality as a normative system.”
Regarding systems: AllianceQ is committed to dismantling and divesting from white supremacist structures and practices. Are you familiar with our priorities and values?
About Giving Tuesday: In 2021, we queered Giving Tuesday. We took Giving Tuesday and looked at it through a different lens. Our lens is our faith, an embodied faith. We expanded–imagine that!–we expanded upon the traditional meaning and practices of Giving Tuesday.
From Kindful: “Giving Tuesday is often described as a global day of giving or a global generosity movement, and is held each year on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. Since the first annual day of giving in 2012, nonprofits in the United States have raised more than $1.9 billion. In 2019, nonprofits in the US raised more than $500 million dollars online alone.”
Described as a generosity movement, it can seem like a call for cash alone.
From GivingTuesday.org: “Giving Tuesday is a movement that unleashes the power of radical generosity around the world. Giving Tuesday reimagines a world built upon shared humanity and generosity. Our global network collaborates year-round to inspire generosity around the world, with a common mission to build a world where generosity is part of everyday life. Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts, and everyone has something to give.”
AllianceQ believes we have hope, peace, love, and joy to share.
We are Advent people. Our Advent Giving Project is a call for new and renewed action. How will you share hope, peace, love, and joy? Beginning November 27, we are featuring and collecting Advent + Christmas messages from queer Christians. You’ll hear from Elijah Burton, Rev. Luther Young, Jr., Evan Stanfill, Erin Gresham, Jeff Tobin, and others.
Where do you see and experience hope? Peace? Love? Joy? We want to read and see how you are embodying your faith. Send brief stories and/or photos of how you are giving and receiving hope, peace, love and joy. Send to Advent@disciplesallianceq.org. Post your stories and pics on our socials. Search for and use #AllianceQadvent
You Are A gift.
You have gifts: special talents, abilities and resources. And yes, AllianceQ desires your gifts; we are learning how to employ your many gifts, how to facilitate and support volunteering, how to engage more deeply with members. But most importantly, You Are A Gift and we long for you and the world to experience hope, peace, love, and joy. We are striving for Affirmation, Love, and Liberation for ALL. <<That is a gift of Christmas, of Christ with us.
In this season and beyond, may you know the all-encompassing love of God through Christ Jesus. Know and embrace that you, your body, you are divine. You are made of the “colors of hope” and together we are “shaping a new reality: a brighter future, a more just and inclusive world.” – from Colors of Hope: A Devotional Journal from LGBTQ+ Christians
Join us in our Advent Giving Project through a range of actions and consider donating to help our ministry continue sharing God’s love with all.
Send us stories and/or photos about giving and receiving hope, peace, love, and joy. By sending your material, you acknowledge that you are the author/owner and consent to the use of your material by AllianceQ in its publications and social media.
Read our EDM’s reflection on everyday gifts. (It’s an old post but one of Melissa’s favorites–and there’s a cute picture of one of her kiddos.)
Watch for Advent + Christmas messages from queer Christians. Each message will be linked here, posted on our YouTube channel and on our socials.
Give
Donate money. Make a financial contribution to AllianceQ. Also: this Facebook fundraiser is specific to the Advent Giving Project and there are no fees for online contributions.
Hold a Facebook fundraiser of your own. Use this link to set up your fundraiser: https://www.facebook.com/fund/AllianceQ/
Invite three people to make a financial donation to support our ministry. Invite one person?
There are so many ways to give hope, peace, love, and joy.
Encourage someone to sign up for our mailing list.
Encourage your church to revisit its O&A statement and complete a current congregational assessment. Ask us for the assessment!
Encourage your church to begin the welcoming journey. Be in touch about the process.
Pray for our ministry and for LGBTQ+ people, especially our transgender siblings and youth.
Share our social media posts.
Share our resources! For example, this one-page Building an Inclusive Online Worship Experience. This video: Non-Binary Conversations. Or this video: Transgender 101: The ‘T’ in LGBT.
Learn about gender diversity and God’s gender-full self. Model the use of pronouns.
Engage with Disciples Justice Ministries who are giving hope, peace, love, and joy all year long.
Give a good book to all the good people around you
Order Colors of Hope: A Devotional Journal from LGBTQ+ Christians. The devotional journal would make a great gift for others and your purchase supports queer authors and AllianceQ.
Advent Giving Messages
-A Message of Hope from Elijah Burton (November 27)
-A Message about Giving Tuesday and Everyday Gifts from Rev. Luther Young, Jr. (November 29)
-A Message of Peace from Evan Stanfill (December 4)
-A Message of Love from Erin Gresham (December 11)
-A Message of Joy from Jeff Tobin (December 18)
-Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from AllianceQ (December 30)