cofchristcousin

I will keep you in my prayers in your struggles with addiction, and in your striving to build a faithful life. I am sure that pleases God, and he is with you every step. Stacie

i'm not lds, i'm from Community of Christ. We have faced this, i think it was in the 1970's. We had polygamists from the Sora people of india asking for baptism. We baptized them, allowed them to stay in the marriages because it would have been devastating in that culture for the women who no longer had a husband. The women would not have been able to sustain themselves as divorced women. They were not permitted to take additional wives, beyond the ones they already had. Our church was challenged in inspired counsel to carry the burden of their sin. On your list, we were somewhere between 2 and 3. Stacie

Hi Abraham, thank you for your warm thoughts, and hopes for better relations. We have our own zealous/eager ones, so I understand. I think our groups have collaborated on some worship and historical events in recent years and on the institutional level things are much better between us. This is what I've heard about a donation from the LDS for our Temple. It shows more of that cooperative relationship that is good for everyone involved. The LDS church did not make a financial contribution toward the construction of the temple in Independence and the Community of Christ did not contribute financially to the construction of the new Nauvoo Temple. However, both churches swapped land in order to make both temples possible. The RLDS church owned some of the land that the Nauvoo Temple is on and the LDS church owned some of the land that the Independence Temple is on. My understanding is that it was a straight swap and that money didn’t change hands.

Hi Dale! I had a feeling you might be at this site. I wondered if there were other Community of Christ folks that might visit here. Good to see you! Stacie

No, i'm further east, 2 hours from kirtland. I am considering being a volunteer in Nauvoo or Kirtland for a season, when things resolve a little bit with my family situation. I have not been to Nauvoo yet.

Sure, I'll just paste the wikipedia stuff at the end of the post. I think Gala is something different than Affirmation. Gala is not a ministry of Community of Christ, but it isn't rejected either. There are many Community of Christ leaders who are members of Gala. Nearly everyone wants to stop the mistreatment of gays, and have us be a part of the fellowship. Community of Christ and Gala can work together towards those ends, even if we differ on gay marriage and Priesthood. GALA (Gay and Lesbian Acceptance) is a non-profit Missouri corporation that is an association of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons and their family and friends that are connected with the Community of Christ. Informally organized in 1984 by Antonio A. Feliz and formally organized in 1987, GALA's stated purpose is to "affirm the dignity and worth of all persons without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation".[1] The organization publishes a newsletter, offer regional retreats and workshops, and sponsors an annual international retreat. Although GALA is not formally affiliated with the Community of Christ, most of its members have a connection to the Independence, Missouri-based church.[2] The organization sends representatives to Community of Christ jurisdictional and World Church gatherings and conferences. GALA also sponsors the Welcoming Committee Network, an organization that assists LGBT individuals' participation in the Community of Christ.

Community of Christ policy is not all that different than the LDS. Currently, only celibate gays may be ordained, and our Priesthood may not marry same sex couple in countries and states where it is legal. Virtually all efforts and programs for dialog have failed. A few areas where I'm noticing our denominations are different: We have no counsel on masterbation. I think most people realize it's a personal matter. If it became a source of addiction or obsession then the person would be supported and guided to get appropriate health care. The degree of acceptance of gays mirrors the culture where the church is found. In some areas the people are impatient for full affirmation and equality in marriage and Priesthood. In other countries gays and their allies might be stoned. I live in the midwest and single, and I am accepted in my congregation. I preach regularly, plan worship services, play the piano and whatever else might be needed. My Apostle and some others know about me outside my congregation. I have been in worship services in our Independence Temple and the Kirtland Temple. I have some awkwardness and some fear sometimes outside my congregation. In the past 2 years I have had periodic harrassment, a couple of email suggestions about stoning, and one act of violence, so I'm careful. Ok, I'm starting to ramble. Bottom line, There are policies in place that do not allow gay marriage or priesthood if you are in a relationship. Same as LDS. Stacie

Hi everyone, thank you for the welcome! I think nearly every family will have a loved one with alzheimer's. It runs deeply on both sides of my family. We've been caring for one grandparent or another for 23 years. There are frustrations, but there are also joys and laughter. These kinds of forums help me pass the long quiet times. I will see you in the threads. Stacie

HI, I'm Stacie and I'm a Community of Christ person for 29 years. I am a full time caregiver for my mom and grandmother who both have alzheimer's. Mom is in late stage, grandma is just beginning. I moderate on a board with a Community of Christ focus and frequently encounter LDS there. I don't know any in real life. My ministry interests are in the areas of addressing conflict and diversity via dialog, worship planning, and whatever ways I can think of. I'm the Communications officer for my Mission Center (a geographic area of about 20 congregations) and worship planner for my congregation. I look forward to learning more about you guys in the different discussions. Thanks, Stacie