« Jan. 9 Reflection: Hopes, Fears, Expectations

Anna Amey

Reflection

6 replies
Kathryn Smith KT NS Reagan Green DC
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This E-term I have the honor of working with Reverend Henry Gibson, a pastor at Highlands United Methodist Church. I am really excited about getting to gain new experiences working with churches. I feel comfortable working in new environments and with our social media-based project. However, I do feel nervous about relaying information about the LGBTQIAP+ community to an older congregation on apps like Facebook and Zoom. Since I am only an ally, I've been gathering advice on the project from friends who are in the community, which has helped! I think I'll be great at creating graphics for our Open Table project and with the help of Rae, making everything accessible for all people and all generations. 

During my time working with this church, I hope to grow in my confidence in my calling. I hope to become a pastor in the Methodist church after college and seminary and the more experiences I have, the easier it is to define what I'm interested in. In addition to growing individually, I hope to gain more knowledge about the LGBTQIAP+ community. Including becoming the best ally I can be as a student, friend, sister, and as a minister. 

At the end of this month, I hope to have a firm understanding of how to best help the Methodist church continue welcoming the LGBTQIAP+ community in the most hospitable way possible.

6 replies
  1. Post by Driscoll Crabbe
    Re: Reflection
    A part of the work I am doing is preparation for community outreach for JCMP, I can relate to the awkward challenges that come with outreach.
    1 reply
  2. Parent of this post↑ Reply to DCDriscoll Crabbe from Kathryn Smith
    Re: Reflection
    I would love to hear more about your experience with this, Driscoll. What has been awkward for you, and how have you overcome it? Do you have any advice to offer Claire? 
  3. Post by Reagan Green
    Re: Reflection
    Hello! I’m so excited to be working on this project with you! As a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, and a Christian, this is always been an extreme passion of mine, so I can’t wait to see what this project is for us! Also, I’m super excited to hear the descriptions of the amazing graphics you will make. I’m also nervous about reaching out to an older community, but I think with our combined talents, we can do great things 
  4. Post by Natalie Santiago
    Re: Reflection
    Hi! I find it interesting that you are comfortable in new environments because most people aren't. I think that it is a good quality to have and can serve to be beneficial to you in this internship and in the future.  I do agree that it may be difficult to connect with an older community, but finding creative ways to do so can be might be helpful. I like that you mention "becoming the best ally you can be," because it is important to be an ally and provide that support to the LGBTQ+ community. There needs to be more allies, so I think that you are doing important work here!
  5. Post by Katherine Tucker
    Re: Reflection
    Hey there! I can definitely relate to your apprehension of spreading awareness about the LGBTQ+ community in the church to an older generation because it's such a massive, yet important challenge. I just wanted to let you know how necessary your work is as I have a sister that is a part of the LGBTQ+ community and has not always felt welcome at our Methodist church in my hometown. Positions like your internship can literally change lives and bring so many people together regarding a topic that is so divisive in the church. I wish all the best to you during this month and can't wait to see what you achieve with Highlands!
  6. Post by Kathryn Smith
    Re: Reflection
    This is another great reminder to always listen to people who are in the community you're serving!
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