Do you have knowledge or lived-experience to contribute to Awaken 2025?
In 2017, Diverse Church NZ hosted our first Awaken Conference, celebrating takatāpui, MVPFAFF, and rainbow people of faith and those who love and care about them across Aotearoa New Zealand.
In April 2025, we will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) for our sixth conference. We are looking for people who are passionate about topics of interest to our diverse community that would like to present a workshop at Awaken 2025. If that sounds like you, we would love to hear from you in the form of a written abstract.
Awaken Conference is a safe and respectful space for conversation. As you prepare your submission, you should consider the beliefs and values of Diverse Church. We expect all presenters to promote the following values which we believe foster healthy relationships across the spectrum of theological belief.
We believe:
- In a God of Love
- That all people are beautifully created in God’s Image
- That rainbow people of faith have unique gifts to share with the church and the world
We value:
- The way of Jesus
- The beauty and diversity of God’s creation
- The pursuit of justice, equity, and inclusion
- All expressions of sexuality, gender identity, and sex
- Allies who support us
Some topics to consider
The following provides some suggestions however we are open to receive any submission related to faith and rainbow identities
- Faith, Gender Identity, & Sexuality: Exploring representation of rainbow identities and ‘queering the norm’ through scripture, delving into inclusive theology and spiritual practices, navigating life as takatāpui, MVPFAFF, and LGBTQIA+ people of faith
- Gender-expansiveness: Sharing your lived experience as a trans/gender-diverse person within faith spaces, exploring gender-expansive theology, ways the rainbow community can be allies to trans and gender-diverse people
- Decolonising Faith: Indigenous perspectives on intersections between faith and identity, sharing your lived experience as a takatāpui, MVPFAFF, or indigenous person within faith spaces
- Equity, Allyship, & Intersectionality: What does active allyship look like? How do we understand and honour intersectionality within faith spaces (sexuality, gender, ethnicity, disability, age, variation of sex characteristics)?
- Healthy Relationships: Healthy communication and conflict management in relationships, creating relational equity, valuing and expressing healthy sexuality in the context of faith
- Coming Out: Keeping yourself safe through the process of coming out, living authentically as who God created you to be no matter where you are on the journey
- Safety, Boundaries, & Care: Supporting yourself when times get tough, strengthening your wellbeing, setting boundaries and holding your ground when they are compromised
- Parents, Families, & Allies: Educating and supporting those with takatāpui, MVPFAFF, and LGBTQIA+ whānau and church members as they navigate what it means to love those in the rainbow community well
Submitting a Written Abstract
A useful abstract will be no more than 200 words and include the following components
- A clear statement of the question or issue to be addressed
- A summary of the position to be presented and an indication of key conclusions
- An indication of key sources of information to be drawn from, such as key writers, research, personal experience, and/or biblical exposition
In addition, you should provide:
- Your name, pronouns, and how you are connected with the rainbow community
- Background information on church, academic, and professional affiliations
- Relevant experience or qualifications
Send your submissions to awaken@diversechurch.co.nz by 1 September 2024 (but we’re always keen to hear from you, even if you can’t make the deadline!)
