2022 Conference
June 9-11, 2022
2022 Conference
One in Christ
June 9-11, 2022
Salt Lake City, Utah
Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel
150 W 500 S, Salt Lake City, UT, 84101
President’s Message
My beloved brothers and sisters,
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, I welcome you to the 2022 North Star Conference. Please know that you are among friends who love you dearly and who share your desire to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. Please know that you have all been prayed and fasted for in the hopes that you will walk away from this conference with more hope, connection to others and a deeper relation to our Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Parents. Working through the challenges surrounding sexuality and gender within the context of faith can be a challenging and overwhelming journey at times. Know that there is hope and that you are not alone as you strive to walk this path. Also know that no matter what or wherever your journey takes you, your Savior Jesus Christ will be with you every step of the way. The theme for this year’s conference is “One in Christ.” My experience of same-sex attraction has enabled me to truly come to know my Savior and become more united and one with Him, which has become the greatest blessing of my life. Our individual and collective experiences here at this conference and within our North Star Community can all bring us closer to Him and to one another as we all seek to become “One in Christ.”
The Conference Committee and North Star Leadership have spent hundreds of hours diligently seeking the Spirit of the Lord to make the conference what it needs to be this year. I encourage you to take advantage of the amazing keynote addresses that will be given and the wide variety of breakout sessions that will address more of the specific needs of each demographic. Also, take time to sit and listen to another person’s story. There is power when we take the time to sit and listen to one another and I challenge all of us to take that time with others during this conference. Know of my deep respect, admiration, and love for each and every one of you. And more importantly, know of our Savior’s love for you. Know He is walking this path with you and that you are never alone when you are with Christ.
With love, warmth, and blessings,
Spencer Thompson
President, North Star International
Leadership
Board of Directors
- Jeff Bennion, Board Co-Chair
- Becky Mackintosh, Board Co-Chair
- Bree Borrowman, Secretary
- Blake Smith, Treasurer
- Brigit Adams, Member
- Bennett Borden, Member
- Kurt Francom, Member
- Michael Goodman, Member
- Sarrah Hurst Groves, Member
- Tember Harward, Member
- Rosa Chacon Lauper, Member
- Ty Mansfield, Member
- Monica Phillips, Member
(Current List of Board Members)
Executive Committee
- Spencer Thompson, President
- Liv Mendoza Haynes, Executive Vice President
- Jeff Case, Senior Vice President
- Miranda Stewart, VP, Marketing & Communications
- Erick Hacking, VP, Regional Communities
- Rebecca Silva, Co-VP, Online Communities
- Jennyfer Gaede, Co-VP, Online Communities
- Jeni Davis, Co-VP, Community Events
- Jarry Lozano, Co-VP, Community Events
- Meghan Decker, VP, Director of Content
(Current List of Executive Committee Members)
Conference Committee
- Brent Ebmeyer, Co-Chair
- Courtney Ebmeyer, Co-Chair
- Becky Mackintosh, Youth Track Chair
- Brigit Adams, Logistics Lead
- Denise Smith, Registration Lead
- Monica Phillilps, Program Lead
- Vaughn Armstrong, Socials Lead
- Kathi Hacking, Volunteers Lead
- Debby & Robert Jackson, Bookstore Leads
- Lana Garfield, Mentor Lead
- Dana Hudrlik, Webmaster
Conference Program
Keynote Speakers
Shannon Rants
Friday Morning
Jenny Oaks Baker & Family Four
Friday Afternoon
Jared Halverson
Saturday Morning
Panel Discussion
Saturday Afternoon
Friday
7:30am - 8:45am Registration/Munch & Mingle Breakfast
9:00am - 10:15am Opening Session
Conducting: Spencer Thompson
Hymn: Did You Think to Pray, #120
Musical Number: Make Us One, by Spencer Stevens
Keynote Speaker: [Presentation] Shannon Rants
10:30am - 12:00pm Breakout Session 1
- Wasatch: Cultivating Resilience in Mix-Orientation Marriages via Relational Self-Determination
Presenter: Blaine Hickman & Isadora Melo
Target Demographic: Couples, Married, Spouses - Powder Mtn/Solitude/Sundance: Research-based Insights into Flourishing as a Latter-day Saint Sexual Minority
Presenter: Tyler Lefevor & Ty Mansfield
Target Demographic: General - Deer Valley: Building Enduring Faith as a Transgender Saint
Presenter: Miranda Stewart
Target Demographic: Gender Identity/Trans - Brighton/Alta: Evolving from Limiting Anxiety to the Great Calm
Presenter: Beth Young
Target Demographic: General - Snowbird: Creating Healthy Female Friendships
Presenter: Tera Brown
Target Demographic: Women - Sidewinder: Parents of Gender Identity – Connecting with Each Other for Support & Understanding
Presenter: Russell Gaede
Target Demographic: CLOSED DOOR: Parents of Gender Identity/Trans Children
12:15pm - 1:15pm Lunch
1:30pm - 2:30pm Breakout Session 2
- Wasatch: Influences of Gender
Presenter: Scott Kingry, Shannon Rants
Target Demographic: Gender Identity/Trans, General - Powder Mtn/Solitude/Sundance: Creating Safe Spaces for LGBT/SSA Saints
Presenter: Meghan Decker
Target Demographic: General - Deer Valley: Naming & Caring for Male Body Shame
Presenter: Pieter Valk
Target Demographic: SSA Men - Brighton/Alta: Building & Maintaining Connections with Your LGBTQ+ Child
Presenter: Bennett Borden & Becky Borden
Target Demographic: Parents - Snowbird: Life in Recovery: Dealing with Pornography & Addictions
Presenter: Anjanette Mickelsen
Target Demographic: General - Sidewinder: Spouses
Presenter: Tera Brown
Target Demographic: CLOSED DOOR: Spouses of SSA Men, Spouses of SSA Women
2:45pm - 3:45pm Breakout Session 3
- Wasatch: Finding Belonging & Community as a Gay Man in the Church
Presenter: Bradley Stoker
Target Demographic: SSA Men - Powder Mtn/Solitude/Sundance: Lessons Learned About the Savior Through My Experience with Same-sex Attraction
Presenter: Curt Galke
Target Demographic: General - Deer Valley: Creating Supportive Relief Society Environments
Presenter: Jenn Curtis & Sara Holmes
Target Demographic: Church Leaders, Women - Brighton/Alta: More Than Just a Sex Talk: Teaching Sexuality in the Electronic Era
Presenter: Christy Kane
Target Demographic: Parents - Snowbird: Becoming Wiser from Our Why’s: Vital Lessons Learned Through Staying in My Marriage
Presenter: Mary Thompson
Target Demographic: Couples, Married, Spouses - Sidewinder: Finding Peace & Coping with Gender Dysphoria
Presenter: Miranda Stewart
Target Demographic: CLOSED DOOR: Gender Identity/Trans
4:00pm - 6:00pm General Session
President’s Address: [Presentation] Spencer Thompson, President, North Star International
Musical Keynote Performance: [Presentation] Jenny Oaks Baker & Family Four
Hymn: Be Still My Soul, #124
Saturday
7:30am-8:45am Registration/Meet & Greet
9:00am - 10:15am General Session
Conducting: Brigit Adams
North Star Choir Performance: Conducted by Cecil Sullivan
Keynote Speaker: [Presentation] Jared Halverson
10:30am - 12:00pm Breakout Session 4
- Wasatch: A Christ Centered Approach―Helping Church Leaders Minister to our LGBTQ+ Friends & Family
Presenter: Michael Goodman
Target Demographic: Church Leaders - Powder Mtn/Solitude/Sundance: Being Peaceable Followers of Christ: Parents and Disciples
Presenter: Janae Monson
Panelists: Tiffani Porter, Lana Garfield, Wendy Eldredge, Joan Bennion
Target Demographic: Parents - Deer Valley: Self Care 101 for Spouses
Presenter: Maryann Broberg
Target Demographic: Spouses - Brighton/Alta: Viewing Your Same-sex Attraction as a Superpower
Presenter: Garrett Ferguson & Spencer Thompson
Target Demographic: SSA Men, SSA Women - Snowbird: The Lord Looketh Upon the Heart (1 Samuel 16:6-13)
Presenter: Bree Borrowman
Target Demographic: General - Sidewinder: Recognize & Stop Codependency
Presenter: Shannon Rants
Target Demographic: CLOSED DOOR: SSA Women
12:15pm - 1:15pm Lunch
1:30pm - 2:30pm Breakout Session 5
- Wasatch: Finding Committed Community in Singleness
Presenter: Pieter Valk
Target Demographic: Single - Powder Mtn/Solitude/Sundance: Ministering to Our Transgender Members: Panel Discussion for Church Leaders
Presenter: Bennett Borden
Target Demographic: Church Leaders, Gender Identity/Trans - Deer Valley: Building Community―Bringing All Unto Zion
Presenter: Erick Hacking & Tember Harward
Target Demographic: General - Brighton/Alta: Finding Strength in Christ: The Light That Leads Us Through Our Wilderness
Presenter: Annalee Kelly & Monica Phillips
Target Demographic: Parents - Snowbird: Owning Your Sexuality in a Mixed Orientation Marriage
Presenter: Heidi Applegarth
Target Demographic: Couples, Married, Spouses - Sidewinder: Delighting in Sexual Complementarity: Fulfilling the Divine Purpose of Sexuality with Your Wife (Closed Door)
Presenter: Pret Dahlgren
Target Demographic: CLOSED DOOR: SSA Men, Married
2:45pm - 3:45pm Breakout Session 6
- Wasatch: Navigating the Journey of Faith
Presenter: Jared Halverson
Target Demographic: General - Powder Mtn/Solitude/Sundance: Navigating Marriage as an SSA/Bi-Sexual Woman
Presenter: Jenn Curtis
Target Demographic: SSA Women, Married - Deer Valley: Thriving as Single Men in a Family-Oriented Church
Presenter: Blake Fisher
Target Demographic: SSA Men, Single - Brighton/Alta: Connection: Our Ultimate Superpower
Presenter: Jordan Jackson
Target Demographic: General - Snowbird: Understanding Various Journeys of Transgender Saints
Presenter: Victoria Adam, Lee Bennett, Lucas Jones
Target Demographic: Gender Identity/Trans
4:00pm - 6:00pm Closing Session
Conducting: Ty Mansfield
Musical Number: Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone), by Jeff Bennion & Tanya Bennion, acc. by Vaughn Armstrong
Keynote Address: [Presentation] Becky Borden, Panelist: Meghan Decker, Joseph Stith
Hymn: Lead Kindly Light, #97
Sunday
9:00am-11:30am Post-Conference Sharing Session
Conducting: Brent Ebmeyer
Opening Hymn: I Am A Child of God, #301
Closing Hymn: How Firm a Foundation, #85