Sunday, August 30, 5:30 pm
Contact Sonny Graves, [email protected]
First Church Berkeley UCC is hosting a series of four sessions to build the spiritual community, connections, and practices by and for gender diverse* and transgender* people. The Christian lineages and the churches we are a part of can offer nourishment, growth, and liberation through faith-community. At the same time those same lineages and churches can be a place of reigniting harm, isolation, and oppression for gender diverse and trans people.
What does it mean to find good grounding in God’s unconditional Love, in ourselves, and our gender diverse communities? What do we need to be held by, and what gifts do we bring to a spiritual journey in this aspect of who we are? How can we give ourselves and each other permission to reclaim, reimagine, reinvent, revision, reject, restore, remix spirituality and religion – and draw on the resources of those already doing so beyond institutional Church? What are our tools to be aligned in our values, our transcestors, and our empowerment so we can participate in the Christian tradition and church for the ways it feeds us individually and collectively… while also maintaining healthy boundaries against harm?
If you are interested please come hear more for the vision for the four sessions, share what you need and hope for, and sign up to participate through a listen-talk time on Zoom with the facilitator Sonny before the sessions begin. Contact Sonny at [email protected].
A little more about the facilitator: Rev. Sonny Graves (they/him) is a white, Queer, Transgender pastor ordained in the United Church of Christ. Sonny first joined the UCC through FCCB and always calls it, “my home church.” Sonny has experience working in trans justice, chaplaincy, spiritual direction, and worship both traditional and contemporary. Next to Sonny’s Bible on the home altar you’ll find other spiritually powerful tools such as tarot decks, plant allies, artwork, shells and flowers, spells, and glitter. If you want to chat about the series please feel free to reach out over email [email protected] or by text/phone (612)352-6554.
*Gender Diverse and transgender means anyone who identifies beyond, or beyond in addition to a cisgender identity. If you’re not sure please contact Sonny for a clarifying conversation.