Learning to Lead SSA Saints | An Interview with Brent & Bruce Ebmeyer

Brent Ebmeyer has been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints his whole life and served a mission in Argentina. He and his wife Courtney married in 2004 and have five children. A year after they were sealed in the temple, Brent shared that he experiences same-sex attraction. It took them to the brink of separation, but through consistent communication, compassion, and love they have been able to find hope in their future together. Bruce Ebmeyer is Brent's brother. He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Carolyn, for 30 years and they have eight children. Born and raised in the church, he has served in various callings including full-time missionary, stake high counselor, stake Young Mens president, bishop, and is currently a stake president. He owns and operates a transportation company, and likes to work and travel. Highlights 3:55 Brent's experience sharing his same-sex attraction with his wife * Thought it meant he would be leaving the Church * Experience finding the North Star community 5:55 Bruce's experience finding out about Brent's SSA 7:45 How Brent got to the point of coming out to his wife and later to his family * Realization that his wife was willing to go through this with him 12:45 Bruce's experience after finding out * His wife got closer to Bruce's wife as she needed more support * Realized he was wrong and it was not a choice * Opened his heart to understanding as he interacted with people at the North Star conference 19:00 Brent's testimony of the gospel and the cognitive dissonance of also acknowledging his SSA * Realizing the "why" of this experience is to help others * Turning a struggle into a blessing by sharing with others 24:20 Bruce's recognition that sharing with others is vital to helping leaders serve church members experiencing SSA 28:40 What kept Brent in the Church was the power of his testimony that he could fall back on 30:45 We don't know why we have these trials, but we can work together to get through them 31:30 The experience at the North Star conference * Leadership sessions available online this year and are still free for church leaders * Gaining knowledge is gaining power and losing fear Links northstarlds.org