 Dear Harmony member,
On behalf of the Harmony Board of Directors, I am pleased to inform you that the proposed bylaw revisions were passed by a vote of 69 in favor and 2 against with a total of 71 respondents. This satisfies our bylaw requirements concerning bylaw revisions. I have included a clean copy of the newly approved bylaws for your review below, and the Board will be providing an update concerning our path forward with elections in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! With gratitude, Parker Johnson (he/him) Harmony President
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Last month, Harmony partnered with Beyond the Walls for the second year in a row to plan a fully affirming worship experience for Queer/LGBTQIA2S+ individuals and allies. Hundreds of individuals joined this online gathering from around the world, taking part in meaningful sharing, singing, and the Sacrament of Communion. While many have felt the comfort and support of their friends, loved ones, and congregations, this is unfortunately not the reality for many - if not most - of our Queer siblings. In fact, according to the Transgender Law Center, there have been 139 reported anti-trans murders in the U.S. since 2017. The U.S. ranks third in the world for trans homicides, after Brazil and Mexico. In addition, 2020-2021 has been a particularly terrible year for proposed anti-trans legislation in the U.S. With this in mind, Harmony’s Board of Directors decided to collect donations during the June 27 Beyond the Walls service for the benefit of the Transgender Law Center, the largest trans-specific, trans-led organization in the U.S. The Transgender Law Center advocates for trans rights, health, and dignity through precident-setting litigation efforts. Thanks to your generosity, $1,279 USD was raised during this service. Harmony has decided to match the first $1,000 USD for a grand total of $2,279 USD. Funds were sent Tuesday, July 6, 2021, to the Transgender Law Center along with a letter from Harmony Treasurer Michele McGrath (she/her) and President Parker Johnson (he/him) thanking them for all they are doing to support our beloved trans siblings. This would not have been possible without your support. Thank you to each of you who made a contribution! With gratitude and appreciation, Your Harmony Board of Directors See official notice below. (Clicking the image will open a downloadable PDF.)  Harmony Chaplain Linda Stanbridge and Member-at-Large Tyler Marz joined with Harmony’s Apostolic Ally Robin Linkhart to chat about Harmony, Pride Month, and more  Celebrate PRIDE month with Harmony! Catch up on all the latest news and coming events as Harmony continues to blossom and grow in advocacy, education, and resources for LGBTQIA+ in Community of Christ with a shared vision of full participation.
 This year, Harmony is selling Pride 2021 t-shirts to commemorate not only the Queer/LGBTQIA2S+ Rights Movement but most recently our community's tenacity, courage, and resiliency throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. These are tough times, and the marginalized have disproportionately struggled. This shirt is for all those who identify as Queer/LGBTQIA2S+ and our allies. The purpose of this campaign is to promote the good work being done by organizations like Harmony and is therefore appropriate for anyone - whether they are associated with Harmony or not. All proceeds will go toward Harmony's mission to provide advocacy, education, and resources to Queer voices* in Community of Christ with a shared vision of full participation.** How It WorksOur vendor for this campaign is Bonfire, a t-shirt printing company based in the United States. Harmony has developed a design that can be printed on a variety of styles such as t-shirts, tank tops, and a hoodie. Please see full details below:
Click the button below to get started. We can't wait to see our global Harmony community wearing these shirts and spreading a message of resilience and hope! *The term Queer is being reclaimed by some who identify as LGBTQ+ and is used as an umbrella term for the LGBTQ+ community. We use the phrase “Queer voices” to describe all person, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI), who have the courage to use their voice to speak for justice for the marginalized in the Queer community.
**Full participation in the life of the church pertains to all members, without exception, ensuring each person is fully eligible to participate in the sacraments, priesthood, all levels of church leadership, as well as any other benefits and responsibilities guaranteed to church membership according to the Membership Manual.  June is Pride Month, a time to intentionally practice self-love, immersing yourself in communities of love and support while remembering the sacrifices made by those who have gone before us, paving the way for the progress we enjoy today. With the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions around the world to keep us all safe, most Pride events were cancelled in June 2020. While this was an understandable and necessary sacrifice, we mourned the loss of an opportunity to experience the blessings of our diverse community. Thanks to science, we could potentially see some in-person Pride events scheduled in some parts of the world; however, due to the long-term isolation, inequitable distribution of vaccines, and personal health concerns that might exclude already marginalized individuals in the Queer/LGBTQIA2S+ Community, we are hosting a virtual Pride mixer event on June 6, 2021, at 4 p.m. CDT. DETAILS: 🎟️ Current Harmony Members (Not a current member? Become a member today!) 💵 FREE 📅 June 6, 2021 ⌚ 4 p.m. Central Using the Kumospace platform, we will host a virtual pride mixer to foster a sense of community, connection, support, and fun! While this is mostly an unstructured event, we will also share in a toast and a fun scavenger hunt activity. SIGNATURE COCKTAIL/MOCKTAIL OPTIONS: Note: We understand each Harmony household will have its own views on the consumption of alcohol for of-age individuals. We invite you to adjust any of the below recipes to fit your needs, taste, and comfort level.
Other beverage ideas: water, juice, soda, mimosas, champagne/prosecco, wine, beer, etc. Your choice! What to Expect: All current Harmony members will receive a link to join this virtual event. Upon arrival, you will be prompted to grant access to your device’s webcam and microphone. Once this step has been completed, you will be welcomed into our special Pride-themed space (pictured below). All attendees will be shown as a circular video feed and will navigate throughout the space using the arrow keys or by clicking and dragging.  Our special Pride-themed event space. Around your avatar (webcam feed) will be a secondary, surrounding circle representing your spatial audio range. You can hear anyone inside this circle and they can hear you. Anyone outside the circle is out of “earshot.” Here is a quick tour of the platform offered by Harmony President Parker Johnson. We hope you will join us on June 6, 2021, for this event. We can’t wait to see you there! If you aren't a current member of Harmony, it's not too late to join! Become a member today! With excitement, Your Harmony Board of Directors Today is Pansexual and Panromantic Visibility Day! Harmony stands with its pan siblings around the world. Your identities, attractions, and experiences are valid and help to enrich us all. You are loved! Interested in learning more? The LGBT Foundation has a great article on the subject!   The Salt Lake City Community of Christ Congregation has teamed up with Harmony to make space for some discussion on the oh-so-important topic of inclusive language!
We all know inclusive language is important, but how can we implement it in meaningful ways? Join us on Saturday, March 27 at 2 p.m. MDT for a Facebook Live event with Salt Lake City Pastor Carla Long and Harmony President Parker Johnson where we take your questions and respond to real-life situations you, your congregation, your mission center, your camps/events, etc. have encountered. The event will be streamed to Harmony's Facebook Page here. Attendees will take away a better understanding of how they might incorporate inclusive language and policies into their lives, congregations, and mission centers. To our members and supporters,
The Harmony Board proudly presents our 2020 annual report for your review. In an unprecedented year, we are excited to publish this unprecedented report; an overview of our collective achievements, metrics, and stories throughout the 2020 calendar year. Last year was terribly disruptive for all of us - pushing nearly everyone to their limits with isolation, job insecurity, fear, political division, and more. And yet, in the midst of such uncertainty, Harmony’s mission, vision, and purpose resonated with so many and became a virtual thread connecting all of us around the world. This report reflects the remarkable worldwide support the organization received from each and every member, supporter, donor, Queer/LGBTQIA2S+ person, and ally. On behalf of the Harmony Board of Directors, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your support is not only personally meaningful to us, but most importantly, it is saving Queer/LGBTQIA2S+ lives and changing hearts around the world. With gratitude, Your Harmony Board of Directors The Harmony Board of Directors and Finance Committee are excited to announce the unanimous support for the Proposed 2021 Budget. Many of you raised insightful questions and comments. Your careful consideration of this budget document was energizing for the organization’s leaders, a tangible measurement of your commitment and support for Harmony’s mission and vision.
With the 2021 Budget now approved, we are excited to move forward with a financial document that truly visualizes our missional focus. Thank you to all those who participated in this vote. We appreciate your investment in and support of this great cause.  Did you know Community of Christ appointed Apostle Robin Linkhart, a member of the Council of Twelve, to liaise with the Harmony Board of Directors? Apostle Linkhart is a wonderful ally, support, and minister, and her advisement to the Harmony Board of Directors has been (and continues to be) incredibly valuable.
Apostle Linkhart regularly attends Harmony Board Meetings as a support to the organization. The Harmony Board of Directors wishes to thank Apostle Linkhart for her support of the Queer Community. As opportunities for collaboration arise, Apostle Linkhart provides the Board of Directors with the details of the opportunity. Examples of past denominational advocacy include advising on inclusive language, national conference policy documents, camp/event registration forms and housing recommendations, youth programs, inclusive content development, and more. She also acts as a Latter-day Seeker support as individuals sharing a Restoration Heritage with Community of Christ encounter the blessings of Harmony's community. |
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