Celebrate the birth of our Savior by joining in friendship and love around The Hearth wide and warm. We will eat, laugh, and sing the songs of the season.

Everyone is welcome. Invite your friends. The more the merrier!

The event is in person only — there will be no Zoom link.

Please sign up here to bring Chili, Cornbread or Sweets

And please RSVP so we know how many to expect.
Thanks!

When Will Ferrell finds out his close friend of 30 years is coming out as a trans woman, the two decide to embark on a cross-country road trip to process this new stage of their relationship. This film is an intimate portrait of friendship and transition.

Will & Harper is a film that embodies the beauty and simplicity of sincere, meaningful exchanges between friends in unfamiliar spaces. 

Join us to watch this touching film with Will Ferrrel and his long time friend who has recently transitioned as they embark on a cross-country road trip exploring what this transition means. It’s also a film about human journeys toward greater love and acceptance, which we can ALL relate with.

Hearth is showing this film to help us all understand people in the trans/nonbinary space better.

Following the movie, we plan to hold a discussion and a light social where we can continue to deepen connections and explore questions the film raises.

Please join us and invite anyone else who feels a desire to know more about complex gender journeys. Our best defense against hate and prejudice is to take advantage of every opportunity to learn more about these complexities.

There won't be a Zoom link for this Hearth fireside, but we encourage you to get together with some friends to watch Will and Harper on Netflix and have your own watch party and discussion.

Note: This movie is rated R for some rough language.

Please RSVP.

We are heartbroken by the recent policy changes regarding treatment of Transgender members of the church. Join us for a candid discussion of these changes, ideas for providing better support for those who are suffering as a result of the changes, and providing feedback to church leaders regarding this policy.

“Willing to mourn with those that mourn; and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places…” and with all people.  This promise in the baptismal covenant has been continually on my mind over the last few weeks as I have witnessed the pain of so many beloved children of God since the recent changes in the Handbook regarding Transgender members of the church. 

Transgender people are some of the most marginalized by both the church and larger society. Let’s focus on how we can help them directly, and how we might be able to influence change in these new policies—how we can advocate and importune for them to receive the same privileges all of God’s children enjoy.  

This Hearth will be an opportunity to discuss, to listen, and to learn; and also to create an action plan for some things that each of us can do to provide feedback and advocacy.

The Menlo Park Stake President asked to meet with us a couple nights ago to discuss how this policy is affecting us and those in the Hearth community. We were able to talk about the hurt, anger, and confusion we feel about the new policy. He listened carefully and openly, asking questions and working to understand our feelings and those of our community affected by this. He has been asked by the local Area Authority Seventy to gather feedback about the policy change. In response, we’re asking you—our beloved Hearth community to provide feedback that we can pass along to church leadership (Collectively and/or individually and anonymously if you prefer). 

How has this policy affected you and people you know? How has it affected your relationship with the church? In what ways should the policy be re-written to better serve these precious children of our Heavenly Parents?

This is an opportunity to learn how to expand our ability to love without conditions. We each have the ability to love where we stand and make a difference.

Please join us for an evening of discussion and advocacy on this most important and tender issue. 
If you are unable to attend, but would like to provide feedback on the policy, please email Jeff@wises.net.

Come hear the amazing story of Rhea Clevenger who describes herself in these words:

"I’m a lesbian and a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where I now teach Sunday School. I almost died 8 years ago in addiction. I’m a recovering addict and alcoholic. I got clean and sober August 1, 2015. Then I turned my life over to Christ and took on the sacred covenants of the LDS Church. I was baptized March 31, 2016.

"I’ve been with my partner for over 24 years, and we have a 16-year-old son. I own two small businesses. I’m a boxer fighting in the Masters Division. I have 6 Championship Belts. I’m almost 61 years old.

"I embrace being a strong gay woman in society. I turn to Christ for everything. I am full of the light and the love of Christ. My strength comes from the love of Christ. Heavenly Father fills me with so much love that with it I can accept myself the way I am. I keep my covenants, and I’m a strong member of the church. I love the person I am and the light that shines in me.

"I am a lesbian and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and they love me just as I am."

The Hearth is joining with the Faith Matters Foundation to present a special fireside with popular author and thinker Terryl Givens.

Terryl Givens is the Neal L. Maxwell Senior Fellow at Brigham Young University’s Maxwell Institute.  Terryl has written and edited over 20 books; including All Things New, The Christ Who Heals, The Crucible of Doubt, and The God Who Weeps which were all co-authored with his wife Fiona. He was previously a professor of literature and religion at the University of Richmond. Terryl enjoys speaking to Saints around the world.  His mission is to help everyone–no matter where they are in their journey of faith–come closer to Jesus Christ.

Please join us for this special evening with one of the great Latter-day Saint scholars of our day.

Steve Young — Hall of Fame quarterback, successful investor, philanthropist, gospel doctrine teacher, author, and great friend of the Hearth. Steve will be speaking on his newly released book The Law of Love in Action. 

“The law of love is loving as God loves, seeking another’s healing, expecting nothing in return.”  

In his first book, The Law of Love Steve talked about the law of love in different settings — in football, in business, in the church, and in relationships, but he explains where his heart was first opened up to it. “My exploration of the law of love really started with our LGBTQ+ siblings… For many years I have listened to people in tears tell Barb how much it meant to them that somebody saw them — really saw them and heard them. Her allyship made me think and caused me to really dive deep. My wife power washed the cultural barnacles off my boat…My experience with my LGBTQ+ siblings was the beginning of seeing others in a deeper way.”

“When we bring long-suffering, gentleness, meekness and love unfeigned to our relationships — that’s when the magic happens.”

In this new book, Steve draws upon the experiences of a wide variety of people as they implement the law of love and see it in action in their own lives and varied situations.  The stories Steve shares are amazing and powerful examples of how "loving as God loves" changes us and those around us.

Come learn more about this more expansive world view where “the magic happens” in this entertaining and thought provoking evening. We hope that you can be there to share it with us.

A major cause of tension in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and LGBTQ space is due to inconsistencies we all have about what we hold as truth, what we believe, and what we experience as reality. Let’s lean into this tension together and see where we can create more harmony and peace. 

Clare Dalton (she/her) is passionate about creating a safe space for everyone at the intersection of LGBTQIA+ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When she came out as gay in 2021, Clare worked for the next two years to navigate her faith and her orientation within her career with Seminary and Institutes to show her colleagues, her students, and local families that when Christ told everyone to, “Come, follow me,” He really meant it. 

She has been a keynote speaker at the 2022 Arizona LDS LGBT (ALL) conference and a featured guest on the Listen, Learn & Love podcast with Richard Ostler, and the Questions from the Closet podcast with Ben Schilaty and Charlie Bird. Clare is on the advisory board with Gather and was a speaker, presenter, and moderator at the first Gather Conference in 2023. 

Since leaving her career with Seminaries & Institutes, she has been instrumental in creating the Gatherings curriculum to foster scripture-based LGBTQIA+ conversations and hosts a monthly Instagram Live on @gatherconf 

In April 2024, she will be on the executive committee to present the first regional Gather Conference outside of Utah in Mesa, AZ. 

Please note the date change to March 24

In Part 1 of this two-part Hearth, Bob shared a powerful description of his experience growing up in a homophobic and transphobic culture and being challenged by his Christian discipleship to undergo a sea-change to become an ardent Ally. In the follow-up fireside coming up on March 10, Bob will share his observations about how Latter-day Saints can participate in “the restoration of all things” by being open and receptive to forging a better, more practical, and more spiritual way forward in opening their hearts, homes and congregations to their LGBTQ brothers and sisters and all others who seek fellowship with us. Bob is a religious scholar and a devoted LGBTQ+ ally who has been learning from and ministering to LGBTQ Latter-day Saints for half a century. 

Until his recent retirement, Bob was Visiting Professor and Director of Mormon Studies at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He is the co-founder and Vice-President of the Bountiful Children’s Foundation, and co-founder and president of FastForward for the Planet, a new non-profit initiative designed to unify the faiths of the world in addressing climate change and earth stewardship.

Bob has published widely on Mormon and Religious Studies. His most recent publications are A New Witness to the World: Reading and Re-reading the Book of Mormon (2020) and Why I Stay2: The Challenge of Discipleship for Contemporary Latter-day Saints (2021).

Bob has served as a bishop, member of the Baltic States mission Presidency, high councilor and Institute Teacher, currently he and his wife, Gloria, are engaged in interfaith work in Marin County. He can be reached at bobrees2@gmail.com.

Bob is a religious scholar and a devoted LGBTQ+ ally. Until his recent retirement, Bob was Visiting Professor and Director of Mormon Studies at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He is the co-founder and current Vice-President of the Bountiful Children’s Foundation, a humanitarian organization that addresses malnutrition among Latter-day Saint and other children in the developing world. Most recently he co-founded and is the president of FastForward for the Planet, a new non-profit initiative designed to unify the faiths of the world in addressing climate change and earth stewardship.

Bob has published widely on Mormon and Religious Studies. Together with a group of scholars, writers and others, he is working on a major publication on the intersection of the Church and the LGBTQ+ community titled “All Are Alike.”  His most recent publications are A New Witness to the World: Reading and Re-reading the Book of Mormon  (2020) and Why I Stay2: The Challenge of Discipleship for Contemporary Latter-day Saints (2021). He just finished co-editing (with Brent Rushforth) a collection of essays in honor of Eugene England. Currently he is working on a book, Realizing the Restoration.

Bob has served as a bishop, member of the Baltic States mission Presidency, high councilor and Institute Teacher, currently he and his wife, Gloria, are engaged in interfaith work in Marin County. He can be reached at bobreees2@gmail.com.

Allison Dayton started the Lift and Love Foundation to support LGBTQ individuals and their families in the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Allison lost her brother, who was gay, to suicide at the same time her 17-year-old son was coming out. Looking for resources to help her family, she couldn’t find anything that embraced her religious beliefs and the reality of her son’s identity. Lift and Love fills that much-needed space supporting thousands of individuals and family members as they navigate their unique journeys of protecting their identity or that of their precious children and integrating their new reality into their devotion to Jesus Christ. Allison is a frequent writer and speaker and was honored to speak at this year’s BYU Women’s Conference. In 2022 she moderated an LGBTQ Conversation Circle at the UN Women’s Conference. Allison and her husband, Kenn, live in the foothills of Salt Lake City, Utah. They have three grown children, a son-in-law and a granddaughter, Georgia, who rules their world.

Tyler is a gay man who was raised in a wonderful loving Mormon home. He served in the San Francisco Mission, worked extensively with the EFY program, and completed his undergraduate and graduate education at both BYU-Idaho and BYU-Provo. 

The challenge of realizing his queer identity while actively participating in the church led to some of the most painful experiences of his life. However, through these circumstances he experienced the spiritual and transformative power of paradox and was led to identify higher truths that brought him home again to the intelligences of love and beauty. He would love to share more about this journey with you.

It’s been more than 10 years since their son Talmage rocked their world when he came out as gay. Join us in person or online to hear the heartwarming story of their journey of love. 

Katherine and Jeff consider having a gay son to be one of the great blessings of their lives. They have worked to share this perspective as they have hosted the Hearth firesides in their home since 2015 in an effort to promote greater understanding, love, and inclusion for the LGBTQ community within and around the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Jeff and Katherine have a wonderfully big family with 7 children and 20 grandchildren and are active members of the Church.

My name is Jerry Chong. I’m a gay active member in the West Stake in Calgary. I currently serve as the Just Serve Communication Specialist, Family History Consultant and Temple Ordinance Worker and Assistant Shift Coordinator at the Calgary Temple. I stepped into LGBTQ advocacy within the church as a result of the November 2015 policy change regarding children of LGBTQ parents and baptism and other rules affecting LGBTQ members.

I have reached out to stake presidents in Calgary as a resource for discussing and learning about lgbtq members of the church. Since 2015 I have met with eight of our nine stake presidencies in Calgary to talk about lgbtq inclusion and sensitivity training. I have led bishops training in three stakes and stake wide auxiliary leadership training in the Fish Creek Stake . It has been a positive experience for all who have been in these conversations.  I have felt the need for a visible role model in our gospel community and hope to be the role model I needed when I first joined the church in 2004.

The Hearth is thrilled to announce our next guest speaker, Tara Lipsyncki!

Mark your calendars and join us as they present: An Open Dialogue Surrounding Transphobia and Hate Speech.

May 21st at 6:30pm pacific time. You won’t want to miss this!

A little bit about Tara:

Tara Lipsyncki (They/Them) is above all else, a proud transgender activist. With hundreds of published interviews and panel discussions on the topics of drag history, anti-trans legislation, First Amendment rights, body autonomy rights of minors and women, and more, Tara has been on the frontline of queer advocacy for over a decade. Since relocating back to Salt Lake City, UT from San Francisco, CA in 2019, Tara has worked tirelessly to bring diversity and inclusion to the forefront in the queer nightlife and entertainment communities. From being part of ARTEL talent in 2020, the first exclusively PoC and Trans owned and operated collective of queer artists in Utah history, to recently being the founding President of the non-profit The United Drag Alliance, an all Trans lead group bringing financial assistance to struggling members of the LGBTQIA+ community through the art of drag, in 2023. Coming from an extensive professional performance background, including skating professionally on Disney on Ice, Tara also has received professional recognitions including a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate for Drag Queens on Ice in 2018, Miss Golden Gate 2019, Miss Gay Pride 2021, and Miss Gay USofA Newcomer West Coast 2021. 

In Person at: 98 Moulton Dr, Atherton, CA 94027

Via Zoom: Info will be provided in a future email and to all who RSVP

Time: May 21, 2023 06:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

RSVP  https://www.ldshearth.org/rsvp

If you plan to attend in-person but find yourself feeling unwell, then you can switch to attend virtually.

We're looking forward to seeing you all!

Ruth Campbell (she/her) is a queer woman who loves nature and people.  She dislikes PB&J sandwiches and hates transphobia. She loves street tacos so if you have recommendations please pass them on.  Ruth has been an active supporter of Hearth since its earliest days bringing some of its yummiest treats and greatest ideas.  Come hear her talk about her story and the stories we create and hold about others.

Come hear Ruth speak and celebrate The Hearth’s 8th Anniversary!

In Person: 98 Moulton Dr, Atherton, CA 94027

On Zoom: Look for the link in the newsletter or RSVP to get the link the day before the event

RSVP: https://www.ldshearth.org/rsvp

Steve Young — Hall of Fame quarterback, successful investor, philanthropist, gospel doctrine teacher, author, and great friend of the Hearth. We are very pleased to welcome Steve on February 26th. Steve will be speaking on his recent book The Law of Love. 

“The law of love is loving as God loves, seeking another’s healing expecting nothing in return.”  

In this powerful book Steve talks about the law of love in different settings — in football, in business, in the church, and in relationships, but he explains where his heart was first opened up to it. “My exploration of the law of love really started with our LGBTQ+ siblings… For many years I have listened to people in tears tell Barb how much it meant to them that somebody saw them — really saw them and heard them. Her allyship made me think and caused me to really dive deep. My wife power washed the cultural barnacles off my boat…My experience with my LGBTQ+ siblings was the beginning of seeing others in a deeper way.”

“When we bring long-suffering, gentleness, meekness and love unfeigned to our relationships — that’s when the magic happens.”

Come learn more about this more expansive world view where “the magic happens” in this entertaining and thought provoking evening. We hope that you can be there to share it with us.

February 26, 2023 at 6:30 pm (PST)

The Annex

(In the back parking lot behind the LDS Chapel)
1105 Valparaiso Ave, Menlo Park, CA 94025

A Zoom link will follow in the reminder email
RSVP HERE: https://www.ldshearth.org/rsvp

If you plan to attend in-person but find yourself feeling unwell, then we ask that you switch to attend virtually. A link will be provided in our reminder email and newsletter.

We're looking forward to seeing you all!

We are delighted to hear from Paul Nephi Price, a married gay man who is an active member of the church.  We hope you can join us to hear Paul share his journey.

As an active member of the Berkeley 1st Ward, Paul Price uses his time in Sacrament Meetings to remember and acknowledge his profound love and gratitude for our Savior and to remember those in his life who accepted and loved him unreservedly as a gay Latter-day Saint, particularly his late parents.

Paul has been with his husband Bruce for 29 years, and a member of the local  Berkeley ward since 1998.  For several years after moving into the ward, his attendance was mostly in the shadows, enjoying the hymns and taking the Sacrament but not engaging in any way with his fellow ward members, in an attempt to preserve and protect his membership in the church.

In 2009, in order to heal the wounds left by Proposition 8 the previous year, President Dean Criddle of the Oakland Stake was inspired to reach out to those who had left or  become less active.  The Berkeley 1st Ward under Bishop Matt Marostica befriended Paul and with loving encouragement brought him into the Ward family as a fully active member.  For over 10 years Paul has been choosing and conducting the hymns for Sacrament Meeting, one way to contribute to this most important time of every week.

Paul was born and raised in the Bay Area, his baptism in Menlo Park in 1966 remains to this day the happiest moment of his life so far. Coming of age in the 1970's, Paul was aware and appreciative of the political leaders in nearby San Francisco who were working to end discrimination against gay people.  During the same era, he was hearing some beloved church leaders express condemnation against homosexuality.  Early on Paul learned how to respectfully disagree with his leaders on this issue, and continued to admire and to love them.

Paul attended BYU and in 1978 transferred to UC Berkeley, where he met his first partner, Steve, who sadly passed away from AIDS in 1992.  Paul's parents did everything possible to comfort Paul in this time of grief, as they had before with the loss to AIDS of several of his friends in the 1980's.  When Bruce and Paul became a couple in late 1993, the entire Price family was thrilled and supportive in every way.

For over 40 years Paul has worked in retail near Union Square, always enjoying the variety and beauty of San Francisco and its incredible diversity of people.

Paul’s testimony has always been intact throughout his life, but being able to openly attend church and be part of a wonderful ward family has brought him a perfect  brightness of hope, which will be with him for the rest of his life.

RSVP HERE

https://www.ldshearth.org/rsvp

Hearth Christmas Caroling and Chili

December 11th at 6:00 pm (Note the earlier hour)

Sadly, there will be no Zoom link. In person only.

98 Moulton Dr., Atherton, CA

Come join us in friendship and love around the hearth wide and warm — to sing carols and celebrate the birth of our Savior. 

Sign up to bring some chili or a treat to share. Here

We look forward to being together for this special evening.

Although we won’t be having Hearth in person this month, we are excited to send you this notice from our friends at Utah Hearth. They are having the wonderful Ben Schilaty speak on Sunday. It is always great to have an opportunity to hear from Ben.

*Please note that the time listed is Mountain Time. To attend in person or to get a zoom link register at liftandlove.org

Our next live event will be Chili and Caroling at the Hearth in early December. Details to follow soon.

Please join us for a thought-provoking evening with our good friend Meghan Decker. She is a perceptive deep thinker who will discuss her journey of understanding her own sexuality and the insights she has gained talking with over 40 queer LDS women. Her vulnerability in her book Tender Leaves of Hope: Finding Belonging as LGBTQ Latter-day Saint Women really touched my heart, and I look forward to hearing more from her.

-Jeff Wise

About our speaker:

Meghan Decker is a respected writer, speaker and gay Latter-day Saint. She is co-author of Reaching for Hope: An LDS Perspective on Recovering from Depression, which has provided insight for thousands of readers who experience depression. Her new book, Tender Leaves of Hope: Finding Belonging as LGBTQ Latter-day Saint Women, shares her own experience and amplifies the voices of scores of LGBTQ women who are seeking to hear God in their lives. She has been a stake Seminary and Institute teacher and she continues to engage with her church as an active member. She and her husband David have five daughters and fifteen grandchildren, and they enjoy gathering to explore, eat, and trade book recommendations.

Please RSVP. We look forward to seeing you in person at 98 Moulton Dr. Atherton, CA or on Zoom. Link to be sent to those who RSVP.

Christian identifies as a gay member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Christian has lived in San Francisco for 10 years and works in finance and community development.  He enjoys being active, social, traveling, eating, and finding new adventures.  Christian grew up in Orem, Utah as a member of the church; served a mission in South Korea; attended Brigham Young University; lived in New York; then work brought him to San Francisco.  

Christian will share his unexpected journey and will share a few insights on navigating church doctrine and family relationships.  

Attend either in person at 98 Moulton Dr. Atherton, CA or stream it online. RSVP to let us know how you’ll be attending. Streaming link to come a day before the event.

Guy grew up in Provo (with a few years in Bangkok), went to BYU for undergrad and grad school (like his BYU professor dad said, “Why would you consider anywhere but the Lord’s University?” …though full scholarships helped, lol), served a mission in Sweden, taught at the MTC, etc. and finally came out after graduation and a year of volunteer service for the church in rural Nigeria. Not wanting others to go through their years at BYU alone as he had, he started a gay mens’ support group upon graduating. He taught ESL and ran refugee programs in Utah many years until moving to SF (as, only half-jokingly, a “gay refugee from Utah”).

Trey grew up in Virginia and moved to Colorado as a teenager where he converted just shy of 18. He was supposed to attend William and Mary, but due to his family’s opposition to his choice of religion and as an act of rebellion he went to BYU instead. He went on a mission to Korea where he taught the deaf (Korean sign language had to be a marketable skill, right?). After a lot of struggle, he finally came out in 1990 when he started grad school (molecular biology) in Rochester, NY. 

Guy and Trey knew each other at BYU as both were involved in a small student peace and human rights group there, worked on symposia together, etc., had much respect for one another but weren’t close friends yet.  Neither was out to anyone nor even knew of ANY LGBTQ person all their years at BYU.  Seriously!

They met again when Trey was speaking at Sunstone  in SLC in 1996, while finishing his PhD in New York, and started dating long distance.  Still active in the church, yet out, Trey was called to a church court, both attended, and he was excommunicated after sharing that they were committed to a life together and raising a family (though he was called in at first because of his innocuous Sunstone talk). At first devastated after 20 year of dedicated sacrifice and service as a convert, having at one point been both disinherited and even denied the priesthood for his tiny bit of African ancestry (yep, really, blond and blue eyed Trey!), he was able to move forward from that experience and they’ve been together ever since, having adopted two beautiful daughters and created a rich and full life together, marveling at times at the progress made yet the challenges that still lie ahead. 

They love, deeply respect ans appreciate the LGBTQ+ LDS/Mormon community and have agreed to share their experience and insights.

RSVP

https://www.ldshearth.org/rsvp

David Bingham is a gay member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He’s a Creative Director of brand design. He loves to explore, create, be active outdoors, and enjoys a good innuendo. David was raised in the church but he left when he came out at age 19. He returned to, or came into, the church 36 years later. 

David will share the unexpected path of his journey and what he has learned along the way — especially that love is the answer to just about everything.

https://www.ldshearth.org/rsvp

Sadi grew up in Arizona as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints surrounded by a big family. She got married at 19 to her then husband and had 3 kids. She got her bachelor’s degree in special education and is often found singing country music while making dinner. After 11 years of marriage and being a stay-at-home mom, she got divorced and has since remarried a wonderful woman, Quinn, and has become an EMT. Sadi has had unique experiences that have led her to trust God and know that diversity is divine.

RSVP HERE

For our March meeting we are excited to tell you that The Hearth has been invited to join in with our friends at Peculiar for a Zoom presentation from Tom Christofferson speaking on the theme of Forgiveness.

When: March 13 at 6:00pm PDT.  (Please note the time adjustment from the 7 PM Mountain time to the 6 PM Pacific Time)

Where: There are two options:
1. You’re welcome to come to the Wise’s home to watch the Zoom broadcast with us and then discuss it over delicious treats.  The address is 98 Moulton Dr., Atherton.
2. Join from wherever you are using the Zoom link included in the most recent newsletter

*For this particular meeting please RSVP only if you are coming to watch at the Wise's house. 

Tom Christofferson is a good friend and one of our favorite people.  His ability to connect with people with great warmth, love and empathy is combined with a sharp insight and deep thought about things that are really important. He is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is the author of "That We May Be One: A Gay Mormon's Perspective on Faith and Family" and "A Better Heart: The Impact of Christ's Pure Love", both published by Deseret Book.

Tom has enjoyed a career in institutional asset management and asset servicing with global banks, being based in Europe and the United States.  He has served on numerous corporate and non-profit boards with organizations that assist homeless families, the long-term unemployed to re-enter the workforce and that provide resources to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer people.

Peculiar was co-founded by our friend George Deussen and is an organization dedicated to "inspire, educate and empower parents and families from faith based communities to unconditionally love and embrace their LGBTQ+  children".   You can learn more about Peculiar and the great work they do at ThePeculiar.org

We are looking forward to spending this evening with these special people.
The Zoom link will be included in the monthly newsletter.

Date Changed to February 6th @ 6:30pm Pacific Time

Dear Hearth Community,

March 9, 2015, we held the first of what came to be known as Hearth firesides. Lots of people squeezed into our home that night, filling it with love and the spirit. It was a powerful evening that touched many hearts. Church leaders were sitting next to people who hadn’t been inside the church for years. We learned from one another and felt of each other’s spirit and love.

It’s now been almost 7 years since we pitched our tent at the intersection of LGBTQ and LDS and declared that we would reach out with a firm loving embrace — and hold onto both — celebrating and affirming both communities.

These (mostly) monthly firesides have blessed and enriched our lives beyond measure. They’ve blessed the lives of so many people who have come into our home or more recently into our Zoom space. Sometimes life (and Covid) has interfered with the regular rhythm of our gathering. You are in our hearts and our souls, but when we don’t gather, we feel the loss and miss your presence.

We’ve missed having Hearth in December and we’ll miss January, but we are looking forward to gathering once again on February 6, 2022.

All of us involved with Hearth wish you and yours a New Year filled with love and warmth.

“Here the hearth is wide and warm.”

With Love,

Jeff Wise

Our Speaker will be Brooke Anderson:

Brooke is a lesbian, author, and Latter-day Saint. She served a mission in Tucson, Arizona, and is currently attending Brigham Young University for her masters in Linguistics. Her personal journey in the LGBTQ+ community started later in life and includes a brief marriage to a man and subsequent annulment. She recently authored a book "Through My Lens: A Lesbian Latter-day Saint Perspective" as a way to share her story and is grateful for the support she has received in response to her openness. She enjoys rock-climbing, writing, and playing with her pet rat, Cali. Brooke will be speaking on shifting perspectives.

As of now this Hearth event will happen on Zoom and a link will be provided in the reminder newsletter as well as to those who RSVP. If we do decide to have an in-person option, we will update that here as well as let you know in the reminder newsletter.

RSVP HERE

https://www.ldshearth.org/rsvp

Join us as we gather around the Hearth either in-person or via Zoom for an evening of expressing gratitude. Come spend an evening together sharing our feelings about those things we are grateful for. It has been a difficult time since we were last able to gather in-person, but it has also been a time of great blessings. Let’s spend an evening focused on the blessings we have received, whatever they may be.

In person at 98 Moulton Dr., Atherton, CA 94027 and on Zoom with a link to be provided later.

COVID — We will be following all state and county directives requiring that masks be worn indoors. Those who are unvaccinated are encouraged to participate via Zoom.

We are pleased to introduce our next guest speaker - John Gustav-Wrathall

John Gustav-Wrathall is a former president and executive director of Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Family and Friends, and is founder and cochair of Emmaus LGBTQ Ministry, whose mission is to foster church-based ministering to and with LGBTQ individuals and their families in and adjacent to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is also the author of numerous articles and books on the subject of LGBTQ individuals in organized religion. Though excommunicated, he retains a testimony of the Church and of the Gospel, is active in his south Minneapolis ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and remains happily married to his husband of 30 years.