Rocky Mountain Conference
United Church of Christ
QueerSpirit 2008

When: October 24 – 26. 2008 Where: Holladay United Church of Christ
2631 East Murray Holladay Rd
Cost: $35 early bird special, Oct. 21 Salt Lake City UT 84117
$55 regular cost, Oct. 22 or later

Registration: follow the QueerSpirit link from the front page

Bringing the Whole Self

The QueerSpirit retreat is hosted by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community of the Rocky Mountain Conference for the wider church community. It is an opportunity to integrate the unique perspective of GLBT persons into the broader life of the church.

What would it mean to truly bring the whole self – the physical, spiritual, and sexual being – to church? Through a weekend of discussion and reflection you will be invited to explore the ways in which we are liberated to and constrained from bringing the whole self to community. We will begin with the core idea that each person is primary and precious, a beloved child of a loving God; we understand that each of us is a whole and holy physical, spiritual and sexual being. Often, we are asked to leave part of ourselves and our lives at home – when we go to work, church or into the community. For this weekend, we invite each person to bring the whole self.

Workshops will cover topics such as: What does it mean to be embodied? To be a physical person? To be physically male or female? To identify your gender as female or male? To be a whole and holy sexual being whose gender identity and biological gender may or may not be the same? In what ways does being female influence and impact a person’s experience of the world? In a world in which female sexuality is often treated as inherently suspect, can men and women truly communicate? In a world in which being male is treated as a position of privilege, can men truly hear and honor the female experience and share their own experiences of being gendered? Can those who are cisgender and transgender learn to honor one another’s experiences and honor one another as whole, holy beings?