Integrity Chapter Now 'East Tennessee/Knoxville '

Spectial to the ETNE
A gathering of Integrity members, including two from Kingsport, gathered recently for prayer, lunch and an energetic meeting of brainstorming and planning.

The Rev. Ken Sherfick, Integrity member and priest associate at St. James Episcopal Church, led the group in Noonday Prayer. Lunch and fellowship followed before the group divided into three brainstorming groups. These small groups worked with such energy that it was difficult to pull them away to reconvene as a whole.

During the general planning session, decisions were made to:

• Resume Integrity life as a chapter rather than move to network status
• Identify the chapter in the future as Integrity East Tennessee/Knoxville, noting that at present there is no other chapter in the diocese
• Encourage Integrity at-large members to designate Integrity East Tennessee as their local chapter, thus providing much-needed funds and energy for area efforts
• Encourage Integrity Circles, citywide or congregational, in other areas of diocese
• Renew regular worship, including three special Eucharists, an Advent Services of Lessons and Carols, and participation in the Annual Thanksgiving Service of gay Christians and friends
• Renew regular fellowship activities (which participants stated they profoundly missed)
• Invite the Rt. Rev. Charles vonRosenberg, to celebrate Eucharist at a (belated) chapter birthday celebration on April 16.
• Consider offering a Eucharist for Human Rights during Pride Week in June as an act of evangelism in the larger gay/lesbian community, with the hope of extending such outreach to the Tri-Cities and Chattanooga in the future.
• Seek to reach out to persons of other denominations, particularly potential Dignity members and Lutherans Concerned.
• Encourage diocesan dialogue on issues of Human Sexuality
• Thanksgiving Service with the Metropolitan Community Church, He Is Ministries, and other congregations with GLBT members
• The strong support, participation and membership of many heterosexual persons in the diocese were noted as extremely heartening and to be further encouraged.

All Integrity meetings are open to all, and participation does not imply a particular sexual orientation. For further discussion of or information about Integrity (or issues of faith and sexuality), contact Convenor Nancy Mott at 637-8801.