First of all, I’m moving.  

I’ve been living in the State College, PA, area for two years and although I’m glad for the experiences I’ve had here and the friendships I’ve made, I never saw this as a permanent stopping point and I’ve known for awhile that I would need to move on… I guess that’s a common reality in this town as it’s full of very transient people and in the time that I’ve been here I’ve said good-bye to a lot of them.  Still, I won’t be gone for good as there are too many people here who I care about and I imagine this will be avery lovely place to visit.

I will be moving to Indianapolis sometime during the next two months, once I’ve figured out my financial situation and the logistics of getting my few possessions there.  (The nice thing about having lived in a van prior to moving here – I have no furniture and what I own will probably fit nicely in two packed cars)

Why Indianapolis?  Well, first of all it’s a city.  I’ve enjoyed the rural environment of State College but I miss being near “things.”  My work situation here has never been satisfactory and though I’ve had the very distinct pleasure of finding myself in an amazing GLBT community, it’s still a small conservative town that limits a lot of true self-expression.  Plus, I think a city will present a great opportunity artistically as my experience this weekend showed when I attended a couple of gallery exhibitions.  I also see this as a good move spiritually as I continue to find myself drawn into ministry within the GLBT community and I expect there will be a larger community to draw from in a more urban place.

Add to that the fact that I’ve got a friend from college, Maggie, who lives there and is well-connected in  the design community of Indy (she’s consistently offered me opportunities over the last two-plus years to use my talents) as well as a burgeoning romance (not Maggie) that has felt some of the strain of time and distance... I think I would be doing myself an injustice if I don’t give it a try.

One last incentive is the relative close-ness to Michigan and the family and friends who I still have there.  No, don’t expect that I’ll be visiting every weekend, but the possibility of a few more occasional weekends north do seem realistic at this point and I’d like to be a bigger part of my godson’s life as he’s getting to the age where he’ll notice if I’m there (or not there as the case has been)…

The other exciting news that was hinted at in a post from a few weeks ago is that I’m beginning the application process to get my 501(c)(3) status that will make me a tax-exemptnon-profit ministry.  This ministry will be based out of Indy and it means that I’ll be able to begin applying for grants, receiving donations from private sponsors and engaging in fundraising efforts, all in the pursuit of full time ministry.  This is a goal I've had for years but I never exactly knew the shape of it before.

And what will this ministry be called? Affirmation: Tolerance is NOT Enough.

The goal of the ministry will be to help mainstream Christian churches to become welcome and affirming to the GLBT community while working to break down stereotypes on both sides of the divide and stimulate active outreach into the GLBT community.  It’s my hope that the result will be churches filled with people hungry to know the Lord and GLBT people who are renewing or investigating for the first time their desire to be close to Christ.  I'm also adding a new category on this blog called "Affirmation" that you can click on to see the latest posts involving the ministry.

There’s still a long way to go and I’m learning something new every day during this process, but I ask for your continued prayers as I press forward.  I also welcome questions and input as I value the stretching that those things bring… and I’ll continue to update as new things happen and God works His will in and through me.

Peace of Christ,

K.