First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck

On Saturday, July 11, from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, the community is invited to a reading, conversation, book signing, and social gathering for Search for a Blessing: A Gay Man’s Journey from a Mennonite Missionary Childhood to the Streets of AIDS Activism, a new LGBTQ+ memoir co-authored by Daniel Shenk and Joyce Maxwell.

The event will take place at the First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck, Social Hall Building, located at 154 South Mill Road in West Windsor. Books will be available for purchase, and refreshments will be served.

Daniel Shenk’s story is both personal and historical. Raised in a Mennonite missionary family in East Africa, Daniel eventually left that world and found his way to New York City. There, he fully claimed his identity as a gay man, built community, and became part of the grassroots AIDS activism of the 1980s and 1990s.

His memoir explores family, faith, rejection, care, transformation, and the long road toward acceptance. It is also a reminder that LGBTQ+ history is not only told through national movements and public figures, but through families, churches, friendships, communities, and the lives of those who chose to show up during moments of fear and crisis.

Cynthia, Daniel’s niece by marriage, also wrote about part of this family story in The Advocate&nbsp;in an article titled “Hard family conversations spanned decades until change arrived at the 11th hour.” The piece reflects on difficult conversations within Mennonite families, the pain caused by exclusion, and the possibility of change even late in life.

You can read Cynthia’s article in The Advocate&nbsp;here: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.advocate.com/voices/mennonite" rel="nofollow noopener">https://www.advocate.com/voices/mennonite</a>

One line from Daniel, quoted in a May interview with Virginia’s Daily News-Record, captures the importance of this work: “The best way to deobjectify a person or a group is to tell their story.”

That is exactly what this event offers.

At a time when LGBTQ+ stories, books, and histories continue to face political and cultural attacks across the country, opportunities like this matter. They give us a chance to listen, to learn, to honor the courage of those who lived through difficult chapters of our history, and to recognize the families and communities still working through what acceptance, love, and belonging truly require.

The event is free and open to the community.

Local Event: Search for a Blessing: Reading, Conversation, Book Signing, and Social Gathering

Mercer County

West Windsor

New Jersey

Search for a Blessing: Reading, Conversation,...

On Saturday, July 11, from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, the community is invited to a reading, conversation, book signing, and social...

Search for a Blessing: Reading, Conversation, Book Signing, and Social Gathering

Daniel Weiss

New York City Metropolitan Area

Dan is an elected member of the West Windsor Township Council.

Sarah Salvadore

Princeton

East Windsor

Lawrenceville

Middlesex County

South Brunswick

Hopewell-Pennington

Bucks County

Dino Ciliberti

Philadelphia Metropolitan Area

Yardley

Pennsylvania

East Brunswick

Somerset County

Alexis Tarrazi

Hillsborough

Monmouth County

Sara Winick

Manalapan

Carly Baldwin

New Brunswick

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Search for a Blessing: Reading, Conversation, Book Signing, and Social Gathering

JUL

11

4:00 PM

First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck, S Mill Rd, West Windsor Township, NJ

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