by Jodi Robinson

As I sit here tonight writing this (overdue) blog entry a million and one thought are flitting around in my head! How can I pin each of the amazing moments of this past week down long enough to share them? Being the orderly person I am, I would normally work from the latest date to the present but after the wonderful ruling from the Supreme Court today, I dare say, I will throw caution to the wind and start with today!

The Rulings - As Robin carefully maneuvered the Mini Winnie through the streets of Shawnee, Kansas we both waited impatiently for the ruling. Suddenly we were barraged with a flurry of calls, yells, Tweets and posts. Our hearts were filled with joy at the good news! It was all we could do to calm ourselves down long enough to safely drive to the Crossroads Church parking lot where we shared a group hug with the rest of the AWAB board members! I can not think of a more fitting group of people to celebrate this amazing and historical day with.

AWAB Day – Anyone who knows me well, knows I’m a weeper. I cry when I’m sad, when I’m scared, but most of all when I am filled with joy. Although this may seem like an endearing trait to some, it can also be problematic when you are put in charge of taking the photos at an all-encompassing and emotionally uplifting service like the one I experienced at Crossroads Church in Kansas City this past Sunday. If some of the pictures I posted on Facebook that day seemed blurry it is because my eyes were filled with tears most of the day. From the warm greetings, high-spirited music, enchanting dance, to the heartfelt benediction, the people of Crossroads drew me in and made me feel like family. After the service we shared a wonderful BBQ and then on to screening of “God Loves Uganda”.  That night as I fell exhausted into my bunk, I felt deeply grateful that this kind of extraordinary day is part of my job.

The Wedding – I have already established that I cry easily so you can only imagine how deeply touched I was to attend Kim and Katie’s wedding at The Equality House last Saturday. Putting aside all the media hype and hoopla surrounding The Westboro Baptist Church was easy for me. This sweet couple touched my heart as they prepared for their wedding on my very own daughter and son-in-laws’ first year anniversary. Standing in the basement of the little rainbow house the space echoed with all the same activities and emotions that I experienced last year. Moms fussed with flowers while Dads paced. Bridesmaids helped with last minute touches while children fidgeted.  We all hurried into our places and the grand march began. And despite the sensationalism and the historical statements, in the end, all that really mattered was that two people stood before God and promised to love one another.

So as you can see we have been very busy. This past week has been filled to the brim with sentiment, prayers and amazing undertakings. As we head into the second half of the Jubilee Tour I am filled with anticipation. What could the Good Lord possibly have in store for us next?

by Jodi Robinson

After announcing our intent to visit the Equality House in Topeka, KS we were asked by many – “Why we would you want to include a stop at The Westboro Baptist Church on our revival tour?”  Some even suggested that we would only be adding to the already steady stream of undeserved publicity that has surrounded the hate speech and actions of this “church”. Others worried we would be putting ourselves in harm’s way.

So let me offer a point of clarification.  AWAB is NOT visiting WBC or Rev. Fred Phelps.  We ARE visiting The Equality House. We are committing ourselves to a joyful day filled with peace and fellowship.  This is a true and important extension to the core reason we have embarked on this tour. We want the world to know that there are many Baptists in this country that embrace the teaching that everyone is a beloved child of God.  This little house painted in the vibrant colors of the rainbow is not a political statement. It is not a media ploy nor is it a protest. It is a proclamation of peace. We are supporting Planting Peace in its efforts to move people’s attention away from hate and towards love and acceptance.

During yesterday’s stop at Kirkwood Baptist Church in St. Louis, MO I was given a true gift that washed away any misgiving I may have had about our stop in Topeka today.  A beautiful and expressive person I will call “Gray” had learned of our dinner and fellowship plans at Kirkwood via Twitter. "Gray" called the church to make certain that the tweet was legit.

I was so proud to not only to be in a position to answer these questions with a resounding YES!!! But to have the privilege to witnessing the compassionate members of Kirkwood welcome "Gray" into their open arms and embrace this person without hesitation was an embodiment of the Living Jubilee!  "Gray’s" testimony and Kirkwood Baptist Church’s unconditional response only deepened my belief that this tour is crucial and timely.

Although Topeka may seem like the most sensational stop on our tour I do not agree! Is it an important one?  Of course! If by loving my enemy in this very public way I am able to reach just one person who is seeking a church that will welcome and love them exactly how God created them I am proud to do it! And whatever attention we get only helps us spread the Good News of God’s Love that much more!

Who knows what we will encounter at this stop. What I do know is that every stop carries with it the responsibility to do everything we can to advocate for love and acceptance of the LGBTQ community.  I am proud to be a part of this tour because I am afforded an opportunity to raise my voice and be a witness to God’s inclusive love for all, even the members of the Westboro Baptist Church.

by Robin Lunn

I never knew how many decisions one had to make when you travel around in an RV.  Before we left my niave understanding of RV life was filled with assumptions about how far you can go without water, power, and the oh-so-important dumping station! (In case you don't know what a dumping station is, this the the place where we dump the waste holding tanks of the camper.) We have had to really think about when and where we stop at a campground as this has taken on far greater importance as we make our way west.

This awareness has made me think more deeply about the decisions that we are awaiting from the US Supreme Court as regards the Prop 8 and DOMA cases heard earlier this spring.  I have begun to realize just how little people know and understand about the limitations that same gender couples face because of our second class status when it comes to family law.  Even among our most progressive communities there is little awareness about the impact that our lack of federal protections has on our lives.

This was brought home to me most powerfully when a legally married lesbian couple had to go through a second parent adoption process because they knew that if they left New England there would be no protections for the non-biological mother in the eyes of the law.  Not being in the child bearing part of life anymore this was a shock to me as well and I was again reminded that I live in a separate and unequal no persons land as a tax paying citizen in these United States.  

We fight for the word "marriage" and yet it is the legal and communal rights that we seek, not simply the dresses and tuxedos, cakes and ceremonies.  We want the right to NOT think about the layer upon layer of decisions that come with the institution of marriage afforded to opposite sex couples.  We want water and power and those all important dumping stations!

So as we await the Supreme Court's decisions on Prop 8 and DOMA this month (and not with a little irony that it is both PRIDE and WEDDING month!) remember that welcome and affirmation includes the right to NOT make decisions too.

By Jodi Robinson
 
     When I began this journey I was worried I would be extremely homesick.  After all, leaving behind my family, friends and home, not to mention a plethora of very noisy animals, was just a tad bit daunting.  As with any new adventure that expands a person’s spirit while stretching the boundaries of personal comfort zones I was both enthusiastic and apprehensive. Luckily, Robin and I were blessed with a little home away from home in our Mini Winnie. I have to admit the 31 foot RV did not feel little when I was driving it for the first time but it does serve wonderfully as a warm and inviting place to settle in at days end.

    This morning we got ready, packed up our house and drove to Cumberland First Baptist Church here in the outskirts of Indianapolis.  We were met with such warmth and joy that it felt more like a home coming than a visit. Even without the beautiful signs of inclusion adorning the walls of their halls and sanctuary (though there were many) it would have been abundantly clear that Cumberland’s congregation is truly welcoming and affirming!

    From the beautiful opening music - “Ode to Joy” played by Rev. Wyatt Watkins on the violin - to the closing benediction given by our very own Rev. Robin Lunn, the service was filled with both comforting, familiar traditional elements and energized, progressive components; each portion functioning as a building block for the next. We were inspired, entertained and brought together with amazing music, stories from Dr. Seuss, a witness of the “why” of inclusion and a rethinking of what is means to be The Living Jubilee.

    So after an incredible service, a wonderful question & answer forum, and a yummy lunch with new friends we hopped  into our house and drove back to the campground leaving us time in this beautiful day to reflect on the experience and imagine the next.

    Although I do miss all the familiar and dear parts of my life I never expected to find such a profound feeling of home at each stop.   

By Robin Lunn

Two nights ago we were at our third stop on the Living Jubilee Revival Tour; University Baptist Church in Columbus, OH.  We shared a delightful fellowship time with desserts and iced beverages.  It was a warm and breezy evening after a stormy few days here in this part of the US.  The gathered body was small but so welcoming with people from UBC and the United Church of Granville.

The night before, as we were settling in for the night, Jodi and I were talking about the new stop planned for Topeka, Kansas on June 20.  You see, we will be visiting the Equality House, the rainbow witness to love that is directly across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church.  We were wondering how we might invite others to join us on this part of the tour.

Jodi came up with the idea that we could bring them notes and prayers from the different stops along the way.  I added that we could invite anyone who desired to send us a note to show them our love and compassion.  We went to sleep thinking about this plan and wondering what the Spirit might show us before we hit Columbus.

During the Revival program there is a place for prayer and ritual and we incorporated the idea of writing notes to the Westboro Baptist Church community right along with the signing of the banners that has become an important part of the tour.  The thoughts expressed toward Westboro at UBC in Columbus included…

As I read these messages I was reminded again about the command in Leviticus 19:18, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”  We had talked about this at University Baptist & Brethren Church in State College, PA on Wednesday night.  Pastor Manzinger from First Baptist in Williamsport, PA had raised this text and then reminded us that Jesus took these words and added in Matthew 5:43-48….

I believe it is this call to be “perfect” that Jodi was responding to and that this tour is all about.  Our Heavenly Parent, who loves us all no matter what, is perfect in this way and as followers of Jesus we too are called to this same calling.

So on June 20, we will bring our prayers of love and peace to Topeka, Kansas and deliver these blessings to the community of Westboro Baptist Church.  We invite you to send your blessings as well and join us in seeking this perfection, which is what being the Living Jubilee is all about. 

At least that is what I believe.  

As a part of our Tour we are naming days after those who helped make this trip possible.  Sadly, the internet gremlins didn't like our posts the last few days so we are making a three day Thank You this morning.

On Thursday, June 13, it was David Farmer Day!



Yesterday, June 14, it was Old Cambridge Baptist Church Day and Meg Hess! 


Today it is Mary Passage Day!

by Robin Lunn

Yesterday, Jodi and I kicked off the Living Jubilee Revival Tour at Old Cambridge Baptist Church in Cambridge, MA.   It was a fitting place to being as OCBC is celebrating their 30th anniversary of being Welcoming and Affirming this year.  It is also PRIDE weekend in Boston so we were filled with a celebratory feeling all around.

What made this send off particularly amazing was the invitation offered at the end of the worship service.  Pastor Meg Hess invited everyone to move into the parish hall and walk the labyrinth together.  This symbol of pilgrimage was offered as a way for us to share the Living Jubilee Revival Tour together and for the prayers of the gathered community to go with us.  

For me it was a very powerful moment of walking the coming journey and thinking about all of the places we will stop, sensing the people we will meet, feeling held and blessed and surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses that is AWAB as we embark on our Revival of Love.  As I encountered each person along the path there were prayers and blessings given.  The gift of this intentionality was unexpected and I felt so filled by the time I exited the labyrinth that it was hard to not feel the Spirit among us!

My heart is full and I am ready for the journey ahead!  May this pilgrimage be willed with grace and peace and love.  And I hope to see you along the way.

Peace - Robin

by Rev. Robin Lunn, Executive Director of AWAB

Last year I had a dream, a vision really, of driving across country in a RV sharing the good news of the ministry of inclusion within the Baptist community that is known as AWAB, the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists!  In this vision the word “revival” was very present.  I was curious about this since I am a true-blue New Englander with no real experience in revival meetings, speaking in tongues, or being slain in the Spirit.  But as I prayed I felt AWAB was being called to hit the road in the summer of 2013 and bring our message of inclusion to as many Baptists as we could.   Little did I know this vision would give birth to the Living Jubilee Revival Tour, the 30-day, 3500-mile trip across 15-states which begins June 10, 2013. 

But “revival?” Really?

In the 20th century revival meetings have been defined by a charismatic encounter with the Holy Spirit with alter calls, speaking in tongues, and people being slain in the Spirit.  Now I don’t want to besmirch anyone’s experience but I do want to suggest that there is a older experience of revival that I think is worthy to be reclaimed – one that is grounded in the word revival which means “to live again.”

For too long the ministry of inclusion within the Baptist traditions has been bullied by those who can not or will not see the Spirit’s leading in the lives of believers who happen to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.  For too long churches that seek to welcome all people regardless of sexual or gender identity have remained closeted for fear of the persecution that too often follows when a church comes out.  For too long the church has been gripped by fear and is not free to be fully and wholly alive, hiding their lights under a bushel to avoid being discovered. 

I wondered what the AWAB community is being revived to and for? 
Why revival now?  For what purpose? 

This is when my vision became a full-on, 3-D revelation with costumes, smoke machines, and extras.  (Ok, I’m exaggerating a bit but you get the picture.)  What I saw was the image of the New Heaven and the New Earth with lion and lamb, gay and straight, believer and disenchanted returning to their roots and discovering that God’s Love is for all whether you want it or not!  And the most exciting part was the image that Love is what we are called to come alive to; not judgment, not fear, not any human understanding of who is in and who is out. 

Once I connected the dots I understood why revival.  I understood why, in AWAB’s 20th anniversary year, it was so important that we publicly celebrate our member churches; communities that have given it all to be Love in the world. I understood why, when so many people flinch when they hear the word “Baptist” a revival and homecoming is so important for all welcoming and affirming believers that are weary from the years of struggle.   I understood why, because there are so many gay Baptists who want to come home to their tradition and celebrate weddings, baptisms, and all the rituals that mark their lives of faith. 

It is time for a Revival. 
It is time for Jubilee.

So if you see us somewhere along the road between Boston and Kansas City, Memphis and Milford, come say hi!  If you are in a city where we are having a revival celebration, come join in the fun!  And above all, please pray for us and that this vision of Love might bring a Jubilee for all!

by Robin Lunn, AWAB Executive Director

In one week Jodi Robinson and I will hit the road on the Living Jubilee Revival Tour!  I am both exhilarated and a little scared at the thought of this impending road trip.  30 days driving, sleeping, eating and sharing the Good News in this 31 foot RV is a lot to take in!

But with every phone call and email from the people we are meeting along the way I am reminded of the vitality and poignancy of this opportunity to do some welcoming and affirming evangelism across this amazing country of ours.  There are so many people who have yet to hear that there are welcoming and affirming Baptists in the world.  And there are so many churches who don't know that they are not alone in living this ministry of inclusion!

From State College, PA where we will share a meal and the revival program with the community at University Baptist & Brethren Church to Kansas City where Crossroads Church will host our AWAB Day at the ABC-USA Mission Summit, we will surely discover many more W&A Baptists than we knew about before we left.  We may also encounter people who are fearful and angry.  God's Love is not easy for some people to receive.  However, I know that whatever we encounter our home on the range will surely help us feel safe and at ease (even if we do get a little home sick from time to time.)

So stay tuned for more pictures of the camper as we get her ready for the tour!  We'll post the great signs we want everyone to autograph as we travel around.  We will be posI hope this helps you feel like you are with us along the way.  Perhaps I should say "Mi Casa, Su Casa!"  

See you on the road!

So the last time I lived for an extended period of time in something this small I was 20 years old!  Now a 30' RV is not exactly cramped quarters but it isn't the same as living in a house with town water and sewer, and unending electrical supply, and a 36" flat screen TV!   Nonetheless, this will be home for Jodi and me for 30 days starting June 10!   

There are still a few stops that we need to work our(and we do apologize for our premature posting for some of the stops that are still up in the air.)  I forget how challenging it can be in the different parts of the country for churches to host something like this.  It just shows me how far we still have to go and how needed this trip really is!

So, we are in the final days of planning and preparation with 16 days until our kick off of the Tour!  June 8th is Pride Weekend in Boston and AWAB will have a great presence there at the Interfaith Pride Service, in the Parade, and at the Festival.  The following day we will be at Old Cambridge Baptist Church (no camper!) kicking off the tour with worship and a celebration of OCBC's 30 years of being officially Welcoming & Affirming!  (Yes, they were W&A before AWAB was.)  At the end of worship we will be blessed on our journey by walking the Labyrinth and having all those with us come symbolically along with us to Kansas City and Back.  What an amazing way to begin the tour!

We hope to see you along the way and if not, please pray for us and all whom we meet as we travel from Boston to Kansas City and back.  Please pray that our collective ministry of inclusion will be lifted up and that the we would be able to shower God's love on as many people as we can, even those who disagree with us.