AllianceQ is eager to welcome you to Louisville, KY, and to send you out with renewed energy for widening and deepening your welcome of every body. The 2023 General Assembly is the 10th anniversary of our church’s resolution to “Become a People of Welcome and Grace to All.” (GA-1327)
Plan to connect with us and our justice ministry partners in the exhibit hall, in workshops (plural!), at our dinner banquet, after session, affinity gatherings (just a few–we’re emphasizing CONNECTION), through worship, and more. We need your help! Let’s see how we can work together! Sharing your interests is not binding. Fill out this General Assembly Planning Team Interest Form.
Register for our events when you complete your General Assembly registration. Stay tuned for scholarship assistance for the assembly and for our dinner banquet. Our dinner banquet sells out in advance and we anticipate the same in 2023 with our special guest Ms. Penny Cost!
AllianceQ is hosting several formal and informal activities
AllianceQ Banquet: Art and Activism in the Kindom on Saturday, July 29, from 5-6:30 p.m.
The greatest artists evoke some personal or collective change. Whether it was poet activist Audre Lorde breaking down walls of injustice or disco singer Sylvester redefining the binary, their art changed the world.What is art? The beauty–and sometimes the challenge–is that you decide what constitutes art. Gilbert Baker included turquoise and art in the original Pride flag, highlighting the brilliance of LGBTQ+ art as activism. At this banquet: drag as art and activism. Dinner features a state of the movement address from Alliance leaders and a moving performance and keynote from a drag queen minister–Ms. Penny Cost! It is Ms. Penny Cost’s mission to create spaces for deep, divine conversations around queerness and spirituality. Ms. Penny Cost prays “that the tomorrow which we are all creating will be made more just, more equitable, and more inclusive, by each of our actions today.” Join us as we illuminate our rainbow colors and paint every corner of the world with beauty, hope, healing, and love. The dinner banquet will highlight and celebrate Open & Affirming ministries and recognize instrumental leaders in our movement.
AllianceQ Art and Activism After Session on Saturday, July 29, at 8:45 p.m.
Join LGBTQ+ people and allies at an informal social for connection and creative expression. An opening performance features an encore from our dinner’s drag queen minister along with scheduled and open mic artists. Spoken word and song. You’ll find an affirming space for fellowship and fun. Much of the session is unstructured.
Building Justice for the Whole Kindom
Workshop with Disciples Justice Ministries on Monday, July 31, at 8:45 a.m.
Disciples Justice Ministries (DJM), a partnership of the church’s justice ministries, will host an experiential workshop that invites participants to “flip the table” on norms, policies and practices that exclude and marginalize persons and communities. Through a variety of activities, participants will come away with an understanding of the work of our varied Disciples Justice Ministries as well as the intersectionality of DJM’s work–our joining to address the historical roots of injustice and human rights abuses.
Kindom Language: What’s the difference?
Workshop on Tuesday, August 1, at 8:45 a.m.
AllianceQ will introduce “kindom language” as a framework for shifting institutional language and practice to “grow in the embodiment of God’s generous welcome for transgender and gender-diverse people and their families.” There’s “inclusion” and there’s “expansion.” What’s the difference? “All are welcome” is inspirational and aspirational. “Come sit with me” is invitational. “May I sit at your table?” is actionable. Kindom language generates action. Participants will be provided with an assessment tool to discern their use and embodiment of kindom language. This experiential workshop will progress from word to action, engaging participants intellectually and physically. Explore and celebrate difference with AllianceQ.
AllianceQ urges you to participate in these activities
NBA’s BIPOC Mental Health Roundtable
Art, Activism, and Resistance Workshop hosted by NBA Peer Group
Gender and Sexuality Workshop hosted by Rev. Chris Furr and Peer Group
Black Renaissance hosted by National Convocation
Register now: https://ga.disciples.org/
