GATHERED HERE

June is a struggle in my head and heart. I was raised in a lesbian household in the 80s and 90s. Pride has never been glitter and fanfare to me, even rainbows seem a little foreign. I was raised on potlucks, pink triangles, tattooed Labryses, and amazing bookstores. I was raised by strong women with steel-toed boots, short spiky hair, and the most wonderful roars of laughter. I don’t think I can make you understand how pride feels. I would rather fist fight a TERF than drink beer in the park,...

Your Name is Wrong One of the names I go by is the result of a system error. In high school, the roster would cut off letters of long names. Instead of cutting off the last few overflow letters, it did its trimming from the beginning. So, I was often subjected to substitute teachers calling the roll and trying to figure out who in the classroom had a three letter verb for a name. I actually adore the name it gave me. It’s the primary word I use to think of myself. But WHAT THE HECK? Why on...

Goldie, her name was Goldie. I know very little else about my Grandfather’s sister. Only her name, that she died very young, and that my grandfather loved her very, very dearly. Having been born into a family of Katies, Jennifers, Sarahs, and Michelles, the idea of a name like “Goldie” delighted me. My grandpa would mention her, and instead of listening intently, noticing his sadness, and responding with any profound childhood wisdom, I would ask, in disbelief, “Was her name really...

Hi Folks! I want to let you know what this is, what's happening, and what we can do right now and tell you the answer I found to a big question I’ve been asking lately. What is Gathered Here? Gathered Here is a Congregation Management System that meets the values, needs, and intentions of progressive faith communities. What's happening? Collecting information about needs, wants, and dreams for this system. Refining the values that brought me to the project. Creating processes for the...

Hi Folks! I want to let you know what this is, what's happening, and what we can do right now. Because this is my very first note to you all, expect to hear “more about that later” for pretty much everything I write about today, because there is a TON more for you to know about this whole thing, but it’s really important that I keep things accessible, so we’ll start with the big pictures and I’ll tell you the answer I found to a big question I’ve been asking lately. What is Gathered Here?...