Advent 2021
Having queered Giving Tuesday, AllianceQ is “Giving Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy” in Advent and always.
Watch weekly Advent messages: Week 1 Hope (Dr. Steven Blinder), Week 2 Peace (Rev. Melissa Guthrie), Week 3 Joy (Dr. LaTayna Purnell), Week 4 Love (Elijah Burton)
Watch for “Queering the Gifts of Epiphany”
“AllianceQ would love your gifts—on Giving Tuesday, sure. We would love your gifts, your time and your service, your affirmation, every day. The time you invest in our mission makes a significant impact.” Executive Director + Minister Rev. Melissa Guthrie shares about everyday gifts in this reflection.
She writes, “Every day there are gifts in ordinary, everyday graces and places.” The reflection is from 2019, when Guthrie was new to AllianceQ.
Two years later Guthrie says, “Our deepest gifts are hope, peace, love, and joy. I find hope in the increasing Open & Affirming nature of our Church. We are prophets, pastors, and peace-makers sharing God’s expansive love. And LGBTQ+ individuals are living fully as their divine selves. What joy!”
There remains much work to do. Won’t you lean into Advent, support the ministry of AllianceQ, and help give hope, peace, love, and joy?
We will be highlighting 2021 accomplishments in our annual update but no report, no statistic can capture our impact.
We celebrated 12 new Open & Affirming ministries in the first half of 2021. The first half of the year! More ministries proclaim and embody an O&A identity each month. Is your faith community an Open & Affirming ministry? If not, why not? We will journey with you! If yes, how are you living into your O&A identity? We invite you to revisit your commitments.
Virtual Pulpit Supply materials were used 309 times by 157 different faith communities in the first six months of the year. Six sermons used this widely! Has your church used the Alliance VPS resources? Have you listened in? Eleven sermons available immediately; December’s sermon available December 20. Please check out the free sermons from LGBTQ+ leaders and allies. (UPDATE: See the latest news about Virtual Pulpit Supply!)
And — did you read our National Coming Out Day testimonies? This personal experience from October S. who is a member at Rockbridge Christian Church in Columbia, Missouri, begins to illustrate our impact: ‘I can finally live my life and love others as my whole, real self… I love growing and learning in faith and service with my congregation. Being part of this community eventually gave me the courage to come out to my immediate family — and, as of National Coming Out Day 2021, the rest of the world.’
Every gift — of finances, time, prayer — every gift makes a world of difference. We are giving hope, peace, love, and joy.
Advent Week 1: A Message of Hope from Dr. Steven Blinder (November 28)
Advent Week 2: A Message of Peace from Rev. Melissa Guthrie (December 5)
Advent Week 3: A Message of Joy from Dr. LaTayna Purnell (December 12)
Advent Week 4: A Message of Love from Elijah Burton (December 19)
Give. Serve. Pray. Flip tables of injustice. Transform the story.
Adopted from GivingTuesday.org:
GivingTuesday celebrates giving of all types — some may choose to give a financial contribution to their favorite cause (AllianceQ!) or a fundraising drive (maybe… this AllianceQ Facebook fundraiser), others will opt to reach out to neighbors, start an advocacy campaign, donate goods or extra supplies, share gratitude with frontline workers and those keeping us safe. If you can show generosity and share kindness, you have something to give!
How you can give hope, peace, love, and joy
Make a financial gift now: https://tinyurl.com/AllianceQadvent
Donate to the AllianceQ Giving Tuesday and Advent Facebook fundraiser.
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 three people 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. Sign up for a Building an Inclusive Church Toolkit Training or be in touch about the process.
Give time and pray in support of our ministry.
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.
Become aware of gender diversity and learn about God’s gender-full self. Model the use of pronouns.
Are you a member? Become a member with AllianceQ.
Be in touch to share your story, ask questions, or explore more ways to get involved.
You could also preorder Colors of Hope: A Devotional Journal from LGBTQ+ Christians.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing God’s all-encompassing love with all: during Advent and always. Thank you for giving hope, peace, love, and joy.
