Greetings and Gratitude from Wisconsin

[jhager]

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to take a minute a write to say Thank you to everyone in the forums for the love and support you have shown to me and so many other people.

My name is Justin Hager and I was a member of the 2007 Equality Ride. when times got tough i knew that I could always hope and inspiration by visiting these pages even though I never posted myself. Thank you so much for that.

Anyways, again my name is Justin, I'm 21 and I officially live in Madison, WI, although I spend large blocks of time in Superior, WI (Duluth, MN) and Northfield, MN (Minneapolis, MN) I own a mobile DJing company, so if any of ya'll are form Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, or Iowa and are in need of a DJ, give me a call and I'll give you a good rate just for knowing what Soulforce is I'm excited to finally be posting and hope that I will become a regular member of the forums.

Again thank you so much and may God Bless you all with great gifts.

-Justin Hager
justin@equalityride.com
608-658-5336

[dsdrane]

Great to have to with us, Justin!

A million thank yous for all you and the other Riders accomplished this year. To say that I am honored and proud to be associated with you and this organization is an understatement.

[Daniel]

Hey Justin,

If memory serves (and it may not!), didn't I yak with you in NYC at G? I got to meet several of the Riders when you pulled into town- before you went off to Boston. You guys are a real inspiration!

That's why we're here.

Hope to see you around the joint!

[jhager]

Unfortunately No, I was on the West bus about 2000 miles away, but that doesn't mean that we can't advantage of this opportunity and being a new conversation.

Thank you btw for all your support and words of encouragement. i have been looking through the Equality Ride Prayer Forum and have noticed your words of support regularily.

stay in touch and God bless

-Justin
justin@equalityride.com
608-658-5336

[Sherrie Z]

Hello Justin!

How nice to see your post here ... I especially appreciated your blog report from FPU ... because Fresno Pacific is my alma mater! : )

I was so excited when I discovered that the Equality Riders would be visiting my school this year. I graduated from Fresno Pacific in 1976 when it was called Fresno Pacific College (now University). Thank you sooo much for the wonderful work that you did there, and on the entire ride.

Directly due to your visit there, through an interesting series of events that I can't divulge here (to protect the identity of a Soulforce ally and FPU employee), I am now in touch with an "underground" effort there to support the aims of Soulforce. Your influence there will continue.

When I was a student at Fresno Pacific, the campus was much smaller, and there was a higher percentage of Mennonite students. The students I hung out with were mostly the more relatively liberal ones, and though we (as activists on a variety of social issues) were a minority, I felt then that we were generally at least respected and often supported by many of the students and faculty.

Of course Mennonites in general are usually very conservative on issues related to gender and sexuality. But when I was at Fresno Pacific, while LGBT issues were very rarely even mentioned, I felt that I had quite a bit of support for my then controversial vocal support of feminism. I have heard over the years from those who were still in touch with the school that after that time, there was a shift towards a more conservative outlook there, as had also been occurring within the wider church communities that the students came from.

In the years following graduation, though I had moved to Chicago, as I became vocal in my support of gay rights (as it was called then, the description of "LGBT" came later), several persons related to Fresno Pacific came out to me. I also discovered that there was a Mennonite organization that was supportive of LGBT concerns (BMC -- Brethen/Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests: http://www.bmclgbt.org/). At any rate, I know that your visit there must have rescued many LGBT students who are as yet unable to come out.

I'm sure that "many seeds were planted" during your visit there, and that this is just the beginning. Thank you for your willingness to be the inspiration behind the occasion of the first time ever that Fresno Pacific openly discussed LGBT issues as a community.

Love & Hugs,

Sherrie Z

[antonyh]

Great to have you join the forums. You all made a powerful impact. Good job.

[BrentRichards]

I also got the chance to meet the East Riders, glad to make your acquaintance now. As I told the East Riders, you guys are all on my permanent heroes list. (I keep one. In crayon. On a wall.)

[Zerbie]

Hi Justin,

Great pleasure to meet you. Thanks for all you do for such an important cause.

[Montanna]

Greetings! Thanks so much for your efforts. Montanna

[nervezapper]

I work 2 blocks away from your last stop at Bethany Lutheran College. I said prayers for all of you on that day.