What Is Community?
The LGBTQQPIA community. The isolation of queer and trans folks in rural areas. Community needs. Community priorities. Isolation of queer youth.
These are words and phrases that come up in almost every conversation about what it means to be queer and trans. The themes of community and isolation cause arguments about who gets to decide and who has it worse.
These themes come up in the Christian story as well: what makes Christian community? Can you be a Christian in isolation?
In this month’s magazine, Brian and I reflect on how themes of community and isolation have come up in our own lives. What are the struggles of community? Can there be something good about isolation?
Spit & Spirit Issue 7: COMMUNITY (ISOLATION)
This issue is 40 pages long and features thoughtful articles, prayers, and reflective pieces, all in an elegantly designed PDF. This COMMUNITY (ISOLATION) also features interviews with Mark Van Steenwyk, author of The unKingdom of God and co-founder of The Mennonite Worker, and Rachelle Mee Chapman, life coach and spiritual director specializing in care for creative souls.
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Table of Contents
Discovering Community // 5
Returning Home,
an interview with Mark Van Steenwyck // 8
Start What You Need // 12
A Queer & Trans Monastic Order // 16
Dive Deeper Into Faith // 18
Take Community Where You Find It // 19
A Prayer // 21
A Hermit’s Life For Me // 23
Seeking Soulcare,
an interview with Rachelle Mee Chapman// 30
The Gift of Community // 33
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What are people saying about SPIT & SPIRIT?
The writing in Spit and Spirit has a powerful prophetic voice and a compassionate pastoral presence. I read as an ally to learn from and support my queer friends, a pastor who wants to minister better to all people, and as a fellow human being wrestling through life and faith.
When I read Spit and Spirit I am moved, challenged, and encouraged. I find fellow travelers on the journey. I see my own experience through a transformative lens. The redemptive power, love, and justice of God is so clear in this ministry. God’s work is being done here, folks! It’s very exciting to see.
Spit and Spirit is like a warm blanket, a kiss from a lover, a hug from a friend, and a shove off the plank into a sea of gratitude. It broadens the definitions and labels we place on ourselves in the queer community and I am so glad it exists.
I’d just like to say that I absolutely love this first magazine. I love that it makes being queer central and tells stories of people who wouldn’t change that part of themselves. I love that it includes an atheist. I love that it doesn’t just say “I went through the shadow of doubt, but now I love Jesus more” but instead tells the story of people who went in other ways. These different stories struck me as honest without trying to manipulate. And they spoke truth to my experience.
So thank you. I look forward to what comes next.
Becca B.
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