Second Stone #30 - Sept/Oct 1993

Second Stone #30 - Sept/Oct 1993

30

1993

Sept/Oct 1993

AMERICA'S GAY & LESBIAN CHRISTIAN NEWSJOURNAL · •· ., ;..
"We need to become more assertive and
active. {We are now] a community of
prophets across the country; we need to
become a prophetic community ... "
-Author Robert Goss
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT GOSS, AUTHOR OF
JESUS ACTED UP:
. A GAY A_ND LESBIAN MANIFESTO
Jesus as a
political
activist
BY ANDRE A L. T. PETERSON
''Jsus did act up," argues former
Jesuit priest Robert Goss , not only in his
new book entitled Jesus Acted Up: A Gay
'
and Lesbian Manifesto, but in pers on as
well. "God's reign ," he continues, "is
absolutely political."
In fact, Goss maintains, what
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Summer's conferences were a
streetcar ride away
By Jim Bailey
£ very summer I look forward to making a conference trip or two with a
bundle of copies of Second Stone clutched under my arm. For business
purposes, I'm there eagerly anticipating meeting that potential reader and
looking all about for possible story ideas. But beyond that, and more
importantly, conferences provide the opportm1ity to meet fellow pilgrims and
share a few moments of inspiration and encouragement, I have very fond
memories of the first conference I attended to represent Second Stone; the
UFMCC's 1989 General Conference in St. Paul. We had not printed too many
editions of Second Stone al that time and the wonderful response received from
the MCCers gave us great encouragement and made us feel like there was
indeed a future for the publication. And just last week I received a note from a
woman I remember meeting at that conference. She had recently had a letter to
the editor published in a Minnesota newspaper and she was kind enough to
send me .a clipping.
I started watching Second Stone's calendar last spring for some new conferences
to attend this summer. I had not been to a Dignity/ USA or P-FLAG
convention, so those looked promising, and I thought the AIDS National
Interfaith Network conference would be a good opportunity. (And so much for
that trip out of town - they were all going to be held in New Orleans, which is a
break, I suppose, during this financially tight summer. Still, riding the
streetcar downtown didn't seem quite as grand as ... oh, well ... )
I met Robert Goss at the Dignity/ USA convention. His new book, Jesus Acted
Up:A Gay and LesbianM anifesto,i s reviewed in this issue and he is interviewed
as our cover story. He held a workshop at the convention and shared some
thoughts on Jesus as a political activist. I think you'll find the interview and
re':'iew interesting and, as always, I would like to have your feedback.
The P-FLAG convention is just wrapped as we send this issue lo press. I was
able to attend four workshops and came away with some good ideas for future
issues. It was great to see Beverly Barbo again. Longtime subscribers will
remember that she wrote a book, The WalkingV ,,:01mdeadb,o ut the AIDS death of
her son. She conducted a workshop for others who have suffered such loss.
There is a tremendous ammlnt of interest among members of P-FLAG in
spiritual issues as well as religious right issues. Only at two UFMCC
conventions have more copies of SecondS toneb een carried out by attendees.
We have made it through another long summer. Publications supported by
paid subscribers take a beating during these months when readers are engaged
in summer activities and many subcriptions lapse. Between now and the end of
May, SecondS tonew ill send out over 90,000s ubscription appeals to prospective .
readers. Do you know any folks who should be on our mailing list? Just send
us their names and addresses - five or 5,000. The "g" a1,d T' words do not
appear on the outside of our mailings and, with the exception of periodic trades
with Open-Hands, we keep our mailing list to ourselves. Thank you for your
support!
SECOND STONE Newsjoumal, ISSN No. 1047-3971, is published every other
month by Bailey Commumcattons, P. 0. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182.
Copyright 1993 by Second Stone. a registered trademark.
SUBSCRIPTIONS, U.S.A. $15.00 per year, six issues. Foreign subscribers add $10.C)O
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~DITORIAL, send-letters. calendar announcements, noteworthy items to (Department
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SECOND STONE, an ecumenical Christian newsjournal for the national gay and
lesbian community. ·
PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Jim Bailey
CONTRIBUTORS FOR THIS ISSUE: Rev. Dr. Buddy Truluck, Gayla M. Worrell,
Andrea L. T. Peters.on.Michael Blankenship, Brian McHugh, Rev. Richard B. Gilbert
127Sec ondS tone-Septemb/eOrctober,1 993
•-~
Contents .............. ................
r2·n From The Editor
~~J No fun conference trips this summer
[]] Commentary
Brian McHugh on community at a pivotal moment
[!J News Lines
[]__] Dr. Mel White joins Cathedral of Hope
1--1 ·110Co1ver Story
Robert Goss on the political Jesus
Project Tocsin report
The California religious right has a far reach
l·:1r3nG od remembersy our name The Biblical basis for the AIDS quilt
On Video
Network Q, Love Makes a Family, Belinda,
and Rev. Jane Spahr's story
In Print
Wayne Muller's Legacy of the Heart reviewed by
Rev. Richard Gilbert... and Robert Goss'
Jesus Acted Up reviewed by Gayla Worrell
Calendar
i-- -~ 1181 Noteworthy
-~
~-, 1191 Resource Guide
.Comment T ....................................... ,. .............................
The privilege of being at a moment of truth
By Brian McHuqh
Guest Comment I t is not often that we have the
gift given to us to be alive at
- a pivotal moment in history.
And this is even truer for the
history of theological thought, since
theology has a reputation for dragging
its heels in the whole area of
openness.
But we are I think al such a
moment, ·even if the "moment" will
be some time in unfolding and coming
to its resolution.
It has happened several times in
the life of the church. New Testament
limes was one of them. How exciting
it must have b.een (for those who
were aware of the significance of it) to
see Christianity break the barrier of
the Jewish world and the Gospel
extended to the so-called Gentiles. I
often wonder if even St. Paul grasped
the breadth of what he was
instigating! And there is Peter, in
that wonderful sermon, saying almost
with awe, that all who do good are
acceptable to God.
There was the moment at Nicea,
when uniting "symbols" we forged.
There was the moment when Martin
Luther under~tood . that salvation
could not be earned.
And we are now on the beginning
edge of righting an appalling injus tice
and excising a cancer that has
infected the Body of Christ for far too
long and severely inhibited the
effectiveness of the church's witness
Hairdo heaven
and credibility for countless millions
of people.
The fear and condemnation of
homosexuality has taken on a proportion
far beyond what the nature of
homosexual orientation and scriptural
reference can support. Homophobia
is the scapegoat for the dark fear that
human beings have of sexuality in
general - a dark fear that has in my
opinion been both scandalously
ignored and wickedly fostered by the
Christian church. It has occasionally
been remarked that I talk about
sexuality too much. I do so because I
deeply believe that until we come to
understand and integrate a healthy
theology of sexuality, we shall remain
driven by ignorance and fear, and
not by the light that Christ sheds on
the mystery of human nature,
The arguments and counterarguments,
the opinions and beliefs,
the different theological perspectives,
are far too complicated to discuss
here. My purpose is rather more
simple: to give a shout of rejoicing
that something that has engendered
. so much divisiveness, ignorance, hate
and intolerance, might just finally"be
coming into the light of God's Truth,
there to be healed.
Little signs that love is winning out,
even . in the church, are hearteningly
beginning to appear. A Vestry in
New Jersey has called an openly gay
man, with his partner, to be their
' Rector, 0simply because he wa<i the
The fear and condemnation of homosexuality
has taken on a proportion far beyond what
the nature of homosexual orientation and
scriptural reference can support. Homophobia
is the scapegoat for the dark fear that
human beings have of sexuality in general ...
Getting to the root of 'big hair' and religion
By Michael Blankenship
Guest Comment
What exactly is the connection
between "big hair" and religion?
I was watching one
of those "Christian TV" channels
the other night and I have to say
it was one of the hairiest experiences
I've had in a long time. Christian TV
is neat. Where else could you get
hours and hours of beautific buns and
beehives, and a vast assortment of
prayerful pompadours? It's like Cosmetology-
World gone berserk! When
you see these · walking furballs don't
you wonder what mysterious devices
make. these .coiffures seemingly levitate
in mid:air? I guess only their
hairdressers know for· sure .
This television experience left me
with a great number of questions .
Like, where did Richard Roberts get
lhat skunk stripe in his hair? And
how do they get the rest of his hair jet
black without affecting the stripe?
Could it·be that Ernest Angsley we,irs
a bad toupee, or is his scalp naturally
that loose?
And I always love .the reruns of the
Happy Goodmans featuring the lovely
and eternally voluptuous Vestal,
looking for all the world like Marge
Simpson. What exactly did she store
in the gargantuan headgear? A picnic
basket? Last week's laundry?
Was it inflatable? Could bullets from
a machine gun penetrate that helmet?
Just how much stock did she own in
Aqua 0 net? Did she need a neck
brace on windy days?
Of course, lo get lo the root of the
matter we must first realize that this
situatio;, is an outgrowth of St. Paul';
fuzzy thinking on the subject of hair.
He tells us quite plainly that •·a
woman's glory is her hair." I guess
that means that we should never
listen to Sfoead O'Conrior music
again. She's certainly a woman ·
known for her honesty and superb
talent, in addition to her billiard ball
hairdo, but according to Paul she still
has no glory. Paul speaks with
authority about women's hair, as if he
was the Vidal Sasson of Palestine.
Perhaps Bishop Spong was correct in
his assumption about Paul. But, Paul
also speaks with equal intensity about
self-restraint being a sp'ititual gift,
and the only restraint exhibited by
these fundamentalists is a taught hair
net.
Doesn't it make you wonder where
in the world Paul came up with the
strange, absurb notion-that somehow
connected hair with spirituality?
Could it be ... Samson? Samson's ·
glory was definitely in his Jong hair,
that is until the devilish Delilah did
the Curley Shuffle on his head. But
Paul flatly rejects Samson's powerful
tresses and creates his own rules for
men's grooming.
Paul has left men with the curious
admonition that it is "against nature"
for them to have long hair. What
could possibly be unnatural about
long hair on men? It's a good thing
Paul never saw any of today's heavy
metal bands, who without benefit of
best person we saw to be our priest."
And m our own Episcopal diocese, St.
James' in North Providence called
Alcide B~rnaby, an openly gay priest
m the diocese, to be their Rector.
What happened, of course, is that
these people came to know people as
people, saw what mattered, and were
· • touched by that wonderful love of
God and by the spirit of truth. That,
at least, is how I see it.
The going will be tough for us - the
church, I mean. We will have to fight
the demons within us, and we will
have to endure everything from the
fear to the hate of countless centuries
of a theological perspective that we
now know simply to have been
wrong. But what resilience,'and what
a credit to some Christians, that they
are not afraid to acknowledge that we
haven't always gotten everything
right and can repent and move on!
No church is anywhere near perfect.
And there will be anger and anguish
among us, never fear. But I for one
am excited to be a Christian of the
Episcopalian branch! We have come
down so often, I think, on the side of
the Gospel in all its glory. We seem
to sense what is holding us in the
bonds of sin and death, and battle our
way through to the "glorious freedom
of the saints in light."
Hang on to your hats! But be glad
t.o take .in a deep breath of the
refreshing water of life! I look
forward to the day when we don 't
have to talk about sexual orientation .
It will just be.
wigs, have naturally long hair ...
naturally ugly, too, but that's beside
the point. And TV preachers have
long hair too, only theirs is stacked
like hay to enhance the size of. their
heads.
I really don't think Paul had any
special spiritual or scientific knowledge
that related hair to spirituality .
· Paul himself says that his rules for
dressing and hair care are "traditions"
which he "handed on'' to the e,>rly
church. It's hard to believe that
within 20 years of Jesus' death, Paul
was creating a whole new set of
religious "traditions" to take the place
of all the old religous "traditions"
Jesus had broken.
So women, bring on the buzz cuts,
and guys, let those ponytails gallop!
Whenever we break a tired , old,
worn-out religious tradition, we are
being just like Jesus!
Excerpted from The Blue Ridge Banner
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.l\!cond S1011e-Sep1ember/0c1obcr, 1993 W
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NewLsi nes
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CathedroaflH opeg reetsP opew ithle tter
t.THE LARGEST GAY and lesbian congregation in America welcon1ed Pope John Paul II
to World Youth Day in Denver with a letter calling for an end to Vatican rejection of
Gays and Lesbians. · "Forty percent of our own members are former Roman Catholic
Christians who find themselves without a spiritual home because of your current
p_~licies discriminating against ga_y and lesbian peorle," said the letter from c;athedral of
Hope in Dallas, Texas. Senior l'astor Michael Piazza and Cathedral Dean Dr. Mel
White urged the Pope to open his arms "to all of God's children including gay and lesbian
believers who would worship and witness with you" .and warned that gay and lesbian
teenagers often suffer lonely rejection. "Even as you celebrate World Youth Day, you are
rejecting hundreds of thousands of your best and brighest young people," the letter said.
"Because you are unwilling to deal forthrightly with the new biblical, pastoral,
psycholog1cal and scientific data about homosexuality, you are advocating an anti-gay
policy that leads to the suffering and death of God's children in your care.
StonewaCllo mmuniFtyo undatioevne ntto benefiNt GLT F
t.THE STONF:WALL COMMUNITY Foundation has chosen the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force Pol_icyI nstitut~ to be one of five c01~munity organizations to ~~nefit
from its annual fundra1smg event in New York City. NGLTF was s~l~ded for its Fight
the Right" campaign to battle Right Wing anti-gay referenda. The Stonewall Community
Founcfation is a nonprofit organizationf founcfed in 1989, that is dedicated to increasing
charitable giving within the gay and lesbian community. ·
iapti:.;otso oosaea yr ightasb, ortion . · . . .
/ LlSOUTHERN BAPTISTS ended their annual convention m June by passmg resolutions
/ condemning homosexuality and abortion. Meeting in Houston,. the 17,000 del~gates, or
I messengers, repeatedly singled out a fellow Baptist, President Clmton, for .cntic1sm of his
support of abortion and gay rights. A resolution was endorsed that, among other things,
saicf government sl,ou!d not give special legal protection to homosexuals or "unp05e legal
s;:mctio~s against those who believe homosexual conduct to be immoral."
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[4J Second Stone-September/October, 1993
Gaya ctivistdso n'mt ournsl ainM exicacna rdinal
t.ROMAN CATHOLIC DIGNITARIFS may have mourned the slaying of Mexican
Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo, shot to death May 24 during a drug-related battle,
but gay rights activists weren't shedding any tears over the slain prelate. In 1991,
Posadas Ocampo heired lead an effort that forced the International lesbian and Gay
Assoc_iation to cance its 13th annual World Conference in Guadalajara. The slain
archbishop at the time said allowing the ILGA conference to be held in Guadalajara
would be "a slap in the face of the city's dignity." Posadas Ocampo also endorsed
newspaper ads opposing the conference of "homosexual corrupters" that compared Gays
and [esbians to satanists and drug addicts. Pedro Preciado of Guadalajara's Gay Pride
in Liberation Group said of the cardinal's death, "There will be no tears from us over his
death." - Outlines
Catholilcln iversifrye jectgsa yg roups
6BOTH THE STUDENT government and St. John's University officials rejected the
request of the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Alliance to becon\e a sanctioned university
organization, holding that the group is inconsistent with the religious values of the
S(hool. A second group is facing vocal opposition from students at the country's largest
:.:- ;ilh.:llic university, and is unlikely to gain official recognition. - Soutlu:ru. Voice
GaysL, esbianasr e" expendabslea,y" sA rchbishop
6ARCHBISHOP THOMAS DOLINAY, head of the Pittsburgh Byzantine-Rite Archdiocese
within the Roman Catholic Church, believes that Gays and Lesbians belong on
"the list of expendables," and that St. Patrick would be "strongly tempted to lead them
over the precipice" into "a dump somewhel'e far from civilization," as legend has it he rid
Ireland of snakes. Dolinay made the comments in a letter about the ·controversy over a
gay Irish group marching in New York's St. Patrick's Day parade. The letter was quoted
1n «. recent issue of National CatlwliLR.· eporter. - Southern Voice ·
Groupw orkfso r" fag-freAe"m erica
6ANTI-GAY FLIERS daiming "Death penalty for homosexuals is prescribed in the
Bible," are being left on the windshields of cars in Colorado Springs and Denver by
STRAIGHT (Society to Remove All Immoral Gross Homosexual Trash). The group,
wh05e motto is "Working for a fag-free America" uses the same p05t office box address as
the Denver chapter of the KKK. ·
Methodist-affiliautneidv ersistya ysn ot og ayg roup
./\OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY students gave a resounding no vote when the Gay,
Lesbian and Bisexual Alliance asked for recognition from the student senate. The 15-9
vote was seen by some as based on religious bias at the United Methodist affiliated
,chool. Members of Sigma Theta Epsilon lobbied on campus against recognition of the
Allian~e. Sigma is a national Christian fraternity. - Stonewall Union Reports
Findp etitiosni gnerast g uns howsh,o mophoabdev ises
6THE AMERICAN FAMILY Association of Florida and its political arm, the Family
Action Council, have been showing the anti-gay propaganda video, The Gay Agenda,
throughout Florida, using it to stir up conservative Christians with the worst
stereotypes of Gays and Lesbians. Many of the stops on the tour are hosted by David
Caton, well known to the Tampa community as the admitted "ex-porno/sex addict" who
coordinated the reversal of gay-positive fegislation last year. On May 25 about 50
activists from NOW, ACT UP, and the Lesbian Avengers filed up and down the sidewalk
in front of the Bethel Temple Assembly of God in Tampa. Several demonstrators carried
signs indicating that their Christian faith and sexual orientation were not at odds.
Caton spoke to !he shell-shocked audience after the screening, as did the Rev. Benjamin
Sykes, a black minister from Tampa. Organizers handed out packets containing multiple
copies of an anti-gay petition as well as ad_vice on h0w to fina signers. Gun sl-iows were
said to be one of the best sources for willing signers 1 art shows the least productive.
- Gazette
Kansapsa stowr hob lessegda ym arriagleea vems inistry
8.A PASTOR WHO BEC.Alv1E involved in controversy after officiating at a ceremony
uniting two gay men has left the ministry. The Rev. Bob Lay, pastor at the Salinas
Sunrise Presl5yterian Church, told his congregation that, "I am no longer a pastor in the
Presbyterian Church (USA)." The ceremony for the two gay men took: place in January,
and the following month a special disciplinary committee was appointed to investigate
whether Lay had' violated church law. 1n April, the committee said Lay had not acted
inappropriately. Lay said that his decision to leave the ministry came atter many hours
of soul-searching and that the past few months have been stressful. - Southern Voice
SoutherBna ptisCt onventiorenj ectass sauoltn C linton'csh urch
t.A SOUTHERN BAPTIST Convention committee turned back an effort to unseat
messengers from President Bill Clinton's home church during the SBC gathering this
summer. Members of the Credentials Committee rejected a motion by Bo Mammock of
Florida to U)1seat he messengers because the church members "due to their lack of action ...
are by their silence supportmg Bill Clinton's endorsement of the homosexual lifestyle."
Pastor Rex Horne of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock said he was embarrassed
and angry about the matter, citing his church's long leadership in Southern Baptist life
and his stand against homosexuality. Hammock stood by his motion, insisting Immanuel
has failed to deal with Clinton, who he said should recant his views or be
disfellowshipped. - The Baptist Mes:;age
E:x-gamyi nistrsye tsu pp rayelrin ein r esponstoeg ayp ride
1\THE REUGJOUS RIGHI responded to plans for the 1993 Atlanta Lesbian and Gay
Pride celebrzif.ion by setting up n telephone prayer line. Kapatauo Ministries, founded by
self-avowed "ex-gay" Joel Afman to "cure" homosexuals, sent out a letter asking people to
,-;:,rayerfully address this issue." Caven also announced 'that the_group needed money to
pay for a full page ad in the Atlanta Journal/Constitutiotno offer hope for "those who
.;'.:::-i.1ggwlei th t"he issue of homosexuality." - Southern Votce
T News -Lines T @I ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Unitarians affirm gay rights
t:,.Af3 A DEMONSfRA TION of its ongoing commitment to affirming the rights and dignity
of all Gays, Lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons, the Unitarian Universalist
Association presented numerous workshops and events during its recent 32nd annual
General Assembly, held in uptown Charlotte, North Caro1ina. More than 2500
congregational representatives of the over 200,000 Unitarians in the United States and
Canada met to share ideas and strategies for upholding their denomination's liberal
principles offreedom and (?leranc~ in the face of increasing social and political pressure
from !he rehg1_o~s nght. The r~hg1ous nght has targeted g_ay, lesbian and bisexual .
people for_poMical persecution, said the ,!{ev. Dr. Wilham F. Schulz, outgoing UUA
president m his address to the assembly. Our sisters and brothers are dying for the
sentiments of their hearts, and we Unitarian Universalists are saying with !he most
unequivocal of voices, 'This cannot continue!"' Fulfilling a 1987 commihnent to rrotest
anti-gay laws, the annual meeting included a vigil to mark its opposition to North
Carolina's sodomy Jaw. The UUA passed a resolution six years ago that whenever the
denomination's .General Assembly meets in a state with such laws it must hold a protest.
- Q Notes,.Outlmes
Broaden agenda, fundamentalists urged
L'.CONSERV AT!VE CHRISTIANS should tone down their rhetoric on abortion and
lesbian/ gay rights and develop a broader agenda, says one of their leaders. "We must
promote policies that personally benefit voters, such as tax ·relief for families, education
and crime," said Ralph Reed, executive director of Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition.
Reed's comments came during two days of workshops in South Carolina, sponsored by
the coalition, addressing how to lobby elected officials, run for office and organize at the
grassroots le vel. - Southern Voice
England church votes on sexuality create joy, confusion
L'.THE ANNUAL METHODIST Conference, ineeting in Derby, voted on two resolutions
regarding sexuality during an all day debate on June 29. London's Lesbian and Gay
Cnristian Movement reported passage of a resolution which "affirms and ·celebrates the
participation and mirustry of Lesbians and gay men in the church," rroposed and
seconded by Rev. John Cooke and Rev. John M. Simmonds, which gained significantly
more votes than a "traditionalist" motion which also passed. "The passing of Resolution
47 (313 to 217 votes) is a historic, joyful step forward for the Methodist Church," said
Rev. Neil Whitehouse, spokesperson for the LGCM Methodist Caucus. "It is the first ever
clear ruling on the status of lesbian and gay Methodists," he said. "Our church has
broken ranks from other denominations and has chosen a new and positive approach."
The resolution also called upon "Methodist people to begin a pilgrimage of faith to
combat repression and discrimination, to wori< for justice and human rights and to give
dignity and worth to people whatever their sexuality." It is unclear about how the
differences between the two motions will be interpreted. For some they point towards
the eventual official blessings of lesbian and gay relationships. For others, who do not
agree with Resolution 47, they will wish lo enforce celibacy on lesbian and gay
Methodists, but this will be difficult given the failure of Motion 20 to draw any
distinction between sexual orientation and .practice.
MCC church attacked, police apathetic ·
L'.MCC OF THE VALLEY has been under attack by homophobes and church leaders say the
North Hollywood Division of the Los Ang_eles Police Department's Hate Crimes
Office has not responded to the situation. On July 18 the church janitor found a sign
leaning against the front of the building which read, "$10 four (sic) gay lifes reward." On
July 28 vandals broke and entered through one of the rear windows. Every locked ctoor
.was broken off its hinges. Very little of value was taken, and money was even left laying
on the floor in clear view. Tlie vandals actions indicated a keen mterest in the church
records and files. On August 3 a white ranel truck sped through the church parking lot
three times endangering and frightening church memoers who were repairing damage. At
·about the same time, occupants of a. maroon car drove by the church and shouted
"faggots." That same evening, at at time when groups were gathering for meetings at the
church, a maroon car drove by and a gun shot was fired. The police refused to respond
when summoned by witnesses. "We have tried repeatedly without success to get the hate
crimes office to investigate," said Rev. Dr. Sherre L. Boothman, pastor of MCC in the
Valley. "They keep telling us these violent acts, which all occurred within a week and a
half and without any other obvious motive, are not hate crimes. I do not know what else
. to call it when someone offers a $10 reward for murdering gay and lesbian people and
then a series of harassing events occur.
Racketeering suit filed in priests' 'sex ring'
/:;.REV , GARY HAYES, a 40 year old Catholic priest from Henderson, Ky., and two other
men filed a federal racketeering suit against tlie National Conference of Catholic Bishops,
the U.S. Catholic Conference, two New England dioceses and 12 other defendants,
charging they "conspired to create a sex ring of children that could be sexually alfused by
(them]" during the 1%0s and 1970s. The civil suit is believed to be the first class-action
case against a church using the Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act,
which is typically used to fight organized crime groups. Hayes and co-plaintiffs
Terrence S'mith and Steven Stolar, lioth of Millville, N.J., claim church officials and
groups conspired to cover up complaints by them and other boys between the ages of 12
and 16 that they were being molested by two priests. -Outlines ·
Baptists attemot to get summer course at USC cancelled
.!'.LEADERS OF THE South Carolina Southern Baptist Convention called on the
University 'of South Carolina to cancel a summer graduate course on the impact the
Christian right is having on public education. The course was taught by an openly -gay
professor, 0~. James Se~rs, wh,o was the target of th~ Co~vention's criticism l:iecause of
his sexual onentation. Doesn t look hke the course ,s gomg to be taught from a neutral
standpoint," said Rev. Jim Oliver, pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist <;:hurch in Roebuck. "It
sounds like they're trying to put Christians in a doset." . Conservatives said the selection
of a gay professor 1s an affront to them. USC officials did not cancel the course. _
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Second Stone-September/October, 1993 ['[J
·Huge church drops Colorado site
t.THE 1997 GENERAL CONVENtion
of the Episcopal Church, one of
the 25 largest conventions in the
United States, will be held in Philadelphia
instead of Denver, which was
the likely choice for the 1997 convention
prior to the approval of Amendment
2 by Colorado voters in November.
Following that vole, Episcopal
officials seemed . willing to locate
the convention elsewhere. Indeed,
the planning committee voted in
March to drop Denver from the list.
Philadelphia and Orlando were the
other candidates, but both presented
problems in accommodating the huge
convention, which about 10,00ff
people attend. Almost as soon as
Denver was dropped, it was added to
the list again.
Integrity, the lesbian and gay
justice ministry of the Episcopal
Church; immediately mobilized to
strongly oppose locating the convei1tion
in Denver. The Episcopal
Church went through a wrenching
experience holding its 1991 convention
in Phoenix before Arizona
approved a Martin Luther King, .Jr.
holiday. Integrity raised the specter
of the church facing the same
difficulties in 1997.
Moreover, there were even less
favorable circumstances in Colorado.
In Arizona, state Episcopalians had
gone on record favoring a King
holiday. In contrast, Colorado Episcopalians
meeting in February specifically
declined to call for the repeal of
Amendment 2, although they
approved a resolution opposing gay
bashing. This distinction was pointed
out in a pre_ss release by Integrity
which received widespread attention
in the Church. Church leaders
contacted Integrity leaders who
reported that gay and lesbian
Episcopalians did not consider that
any compromise which involved
going to Colorado to be acceptable.
Members of the planning
committee visited Denver in early
May. In large fart because of the
clear message o Integrity, however,
Denver remained "unacceptable" to
the committee. In June, the decision
was ratified by the Church's Executive
Council. ,
Opposition to Lancaster MCC fading
CONTROVERSY JS swirling around
Vision of Hope MCC's effort to purchase
a building in Mountville, Penn.
"It's been tense, but miraculous!" said
Rev. Mary Merriman, pastor:
Strong local opposition, which then
aroused strong local support, resulted
in massive coverage in the local
press, including such headlines as
"Vision of Hope is not a true Christian
church," "All the homosexuals want is
a Mountville church," and "Sickened
by criticism of gay church in Mountville."
"At first glance, it might seem -scary
but as you look within, especially at
some of the letters to the editor, there
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ttfll Second Stone-September/October, 1993 LU ·
has been an overwhelming measure
of support, unlike two years ago
when one of our local bookstores was
bombed twice and the Klan came to
town," Rev. Merriman said.
The story began in April, when
Vision of Hope MCC, meeting in a
Unitarian church in Lancaster, announced
plans to purchase a United
Church of Christ building in nearby
Mountville . About 25 angry residents
and property owners attended a
borough council meeting to demand
that the city stop MCC from coming
because, as resident Connie Mancuso
told the press, "Mountville won't be a
nice town anymore."
After studying the issue, the
borough council said in May that it
has no legal authority to stop Vision
of Hope MCC from locating in Mountville.
Some of the town's religious
leaders issued a message of compassion
and acceptance to their local
congregations, and neighbors directly
surrounding the church said they had
no qualms as long as there were no
public displays of affection on
Mountville sidewalks. ·
At the next borough council
meeting, nearly 100 people crammed
into the hall to debate the subject.
Rev. Merriman made a statement in
which she quoted Rev. Martin Luther
King, Jr., "Either we live together as
brothers and sisters or we die
together as fools."
· Neighbors who once held a prayer
service for Vision of Hope's "deliverance"
are now joining the church in
an educational effort to address the
myths surrounding lesbian and gay
people. Vision of Hope has held discussions
with three of the five
churches in Mountville and the
executive director of the county council
of churches wants to meet with
Rev. Merriman about a dialogue .
MCC was scheduled to close the deal
on the property on July 28 and hold
its first worship service in Mountville
on August 22. - Keeping in Touch
American Jews increasingly conflicted
over homosexuality
THE CONFLICT . OVER homosexuality
within American Judaism has
not made as many headlines as the
debate among Christians on the issue,
but it is _no less intense throughout
the various branches of the faith,
according to a cover story in the Jewish
magazine Moment (June). Such
recent incidents as the resignation of
the dean of the rabbinical school at
the Jewish Theological Seminary
when he was accused of sexually
harassing a male student has brought
the issue of homosexuality to the
Conservative Jewish institution. The
battle over and eventual exclusion of
a gay Jewish synagogue's participation
in New York's Israel Day Parade
also showed a growing split among
Jews on the issue. While Judaism has
traditionally condemned homosexual
activity as outlawed by the Torah and
Talmud, such liberal bodies as the
Reform and Reconstructionists are
allowing homosexual rabbis, as well
as blessing gay and lesbian partnerships.
But even in such liberal quarters,
there is dissent: a recent survey
of over 350 Refo~m synagogues found
that only seven had changed their
bylaws to signify that homosexuals
are welcomed. "Very few congregations
would accept an openly gay or
lesbian rabbi. The subject is still
avoided in religious schools," says
researcher Rabbi Sandy Seltzer.
Younger rabbis are likely to be more
open to such developments than the
older ones, reports Alice Sparberg
Alexiou.
As American Jews have
been strongly involved in
past civil rights causes,
many now support the
gay rights movement.
The battle is just shaping up in
Conservative Judaism. While supporting
civil rights for homosexuals,
the denomination .recently rejected
admitting openly gay students to the
rabbinical or cantorial schools. A
Conservative movement in California
represented by the University of
Judaism is pressing for a more liberal
attitude on the issue than the
Conservative Jewish "establishment"
in the East. Although Orthodox Jews
are clearly opposed to homosexual
lifestyles, there are now unpublicized
"support groups available for
Orthodox Gays and Lesbians." But
Orthodox psychologists say they also
have many homosexual Orthodox
patients trying to change their sexual
orientation, sometimes, they claim,
with success. The conflict in most
branches of Judaism on the issue has
led to the increasing formation of gay
and lesbian synagogues (or
"chavurot") - there are now 32 such
congregations in the United States.
Alexiou forecasts that Jews will
increasingly move away from their
traditional opposition to homosexual
lifestyles. As American Jews have
been strongly involved in past civil
rights causes, many now support the
gay rights movement. There is a
greater willingness to accept homosexuals
within families than there was
ten years ago, she writes. "It is a
product of the growing level of
t.heological and personal comfort of
Reform, Reconstructionist and other
Jews with homosexuality and perhaps
also a sign of the growing assimilation
of American Jews away from
Orthodox viewpoints." .
-Reprinted from Religion Watch
United Church of Christ reaffirms inclusive
stance towards Gays, Lesbians
ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE 19th
General Synod of the United Church
of Christ con(irmed the Synod's stance
that the UCC should be an inclusive
church that · welcomes gay, lesbian
and bisexual Christians into its
membership.
Past biennial meetings of the
Synod, which speaks .to, but not for,
the UCC's 1.6 million members and
6,300 churches, had endorsed civil
rights for Gays and Lesbians and
affirmed the ordination of Gays and
Lesbians to the ministry .
The 1993 Synod met July 15-20 in
conjunction with the General Assembly
of the Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ). The first ever common
gathering of the two churches'
representative bodies included joint
worship, workshops and meals, plus
separate business sessions.
President Clinton's "don't ask, don't
tell" policy regarding Gays in the
military drew a sharp rebuke from
the UCC's Synod hours after the
President's announcement on July 19.
Delegates voted by a wide margin to
direct its leadership to "strongly urge
the lifting of the ban against Gays
and Lesbians in the military" and
assist congregations of the United
Church of Christ in educating themselves
and engaging in advocacy for
the civil rights of Gays and Lesbians."
Later, hundreds of delegates from
both churches demonstrated their
opposition to the President's policy .
They stood in a silent line stretching
750 feet from the General Synod hall
to the building's entrance. The demonstrator's
mouths were taped shut to
symbolize the silence imposed on
homosexuals by the administration's
plan.
The . presidents of both churches
denounced the new policy in a joint
statement released the same afternoon.
"Gay, lesbian and bisexual
citizens who wish to serve their
country in the armed forces should be
able to do sci, like every other citizen,
without any restriction," said UCC
President Paul H . Sherry and Disciples
General Minister and President
C. William Nichols.
In related actions, UCC Synod voted
to:
•Support passage of a federal gay
and lesbian civil rights law to "end
discrimination in employment, housing,
public accommodations, and .
federally assisted opportunities." _The
resolution also called for repeal of all
state "sodomy laws" and supported
"domestic partnership laws designed
to provide greater justice for Gays
and Lesbians."
•Endorse a predominantly gay and
lesbian church's application for
"observer status" in the National
Council of Churches; In November
1992, the NCC denied status to the
Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan ·
Community Churches. The Synod
directed the UCC president .to "lodge
the strongest possible protest" with
the NCC "concerning the continued
exclusion" of the church . But delegates
rejected a provision that would
have called on the UCC to "prayerfully
and seriously review its membership
in and its financial support
of" the NCC unless the council
reversed its decision by 1998.
• Defeat a resolution that called on the
church to "lead gay, lesbian and
bisexual ·persons away from their
sin."
• Affirm that the UCC is "united in
Christ despite ... differences and
disagreements" over a 1991 General
Synod resolution "that supported the
"gifts for ministry of gay, lesbian and
bisexual people." Delegates called on
members of the church "to accept one
another in the face of differences · of
conviction, show respect for one
another as sisters and brothers in
Christ, and act in ways that will build
up the life of the community ."
There are more than 100 openly
gay and lesbian ministers in the
UCC. About half are serving UCC
congregations.
Inclusion of Gays and Lesbians in
the church also figured prominently
in Sherry's biennial address to the
Synod on July .16. The UCC, he said,
should be "a safe space, a sacred
space, a community of embrace." He
told delegates about a lesbian "who '
wanted to thank the United Church of
Christ for helping save her life."
After two attempts to commit suicide,
the woman had "begun to see her
way to the future" through "the
affirmation" of a UCC congregation.
'That woman, that pastor and that
congregation are on the way to the
Promised Lan1," Sherry said.
The United Church of Christ, with
national offices in Cleveland, and the
1-million member Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ), with general
offices in Indianapolis, have shared a
unique ecumenical partnership since
1985.
Pope asked to address gay and. lesbian youth
A NATIONAL CATHOLIC organi zation
devoted to promoting justice
for lesbian and gay people within the
Catholic Church asked Pope John
Paul II to speak about lesbian and
gay youth in his address to those
assembled for World Youth Conference,
August 11-15 in Denver.
The invitation was made publi.c in an
open letter to the Pope whi~h·
appeared _ August 11 as a paid
advertisement in the Denver Post.
The letter is_ signed by 911
individuals and organizations including
four Catholic bishops, Thomas
Gumbleton, Detroit, Charles Buswell,
Pueblo, Colo., John Fitzpatrick,
Brownsville, Texas, and Juan Arzube,
Authorizes possible Colorado boycott
Christian Church reaffirms
support o·f gay rights
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY of the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ),
a denomination of one million
members, meeting in St . Louis July
15-20, reaffirmed its continuing
support of gay rights, commended St.
Louis for its anti~discrimination
statutes, and urged "the enactment of
laws at all levels of government
which will ensure the civil rights and
civil liber.ties of all persons,
regardless of sexual orientation." The
resolution also calls upon "members,
congregations and other manifestations
of the Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ) to advocate, support,
and maintain the passage of such
laws and work to change discriminatory
laws, policies and procedures
where they exist."
In other action, the church
authorized its General Board to
change the location of the denomination's
1997 assembly from Denver,
Colorado, to another state if Amendment
2 in Colorado is still in effect by
the July, 1994 meeting of the General
Board. Delegates also elected lo the
top office of the denomination, the
position of General Minister and
President, Dr . Richard Hamm, whose
position in favor of gay rights and full
inclusion in ordination and ministry
was an issue to some conservative
delegates. He was elected by a
delegate vote of 3,720 to 310.
Los Angeles.
"We ask you lo be mindful that
some of the young people you
address will be gay or lesbian," the
letter said. "Because of societal pressures,
many of them are denying .or
hiding their sexual orientation from
parents and friends, resulting in
division and alienation in family life
or even suicidal feelings. We ask you
to speak _words of encouragement and
healing to these young people."
The letter also asked the Pope to
cond emn bigotry and dis_crimination
a0ainst lesbian and gay people and
■ "Maybe We're •
Talking About a
Different God"
A half.:.hour documentary on the Rev.
· Jane Spahr and her call to the Downtown
Church in Rochester, protested and
brought to trial.
defend their human and civil rights.
Greg Link, director of New Ways .
Ministry, said the Iheme of the Pope's
1993 pilgrimage is "I came so that
they · might have life and have it ·
more abundantly" (John 10:10). "How
can lesbian and gay youth have life
more abundantly?" Link asked.
According lo Link, the letter was
hand delivered to the Vatican Nuncio,
Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, on
July 15, to be forwarded through the
diplomatic pouch to the Pope in
Rome. The placement of the letter in
the diplomatic _pouch was confirmed
by the Nuncio's office on July 27.
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Second Stone-September /October, 1993 \ 7 !
Episcopal leader attacked by right wing
for speech at Integrity's convention
THE 1993 NATIONAL Convention of
Integrity, the lesbian and gay justice
ministry of the Episcopal Church,
held July 15-18 in San Diego, has
again generated charges of bias by
the church's largest right wing organization
against one of the church's two
top leaders.
The principal speaker at the
convention was Mrs. Pamela Chinnis,
elected in 1991 as the first woman
president of the House of Deputies,
which together with the House of
Bishops sets policy for the Epis~opal
Church at its General Conventions
. held every three years. Chinnis has
lo'ng been known as an advocate of
greater inclusiveness in the church
and her. speech continued that
tradition.
of Deputies lo show sud1 a clear bias
and to act upon it."
lnteg -rity, however, claims that it is
not primarily an advocacy group . In
over 65 chapters in the United States,
plus affiliated chapters in Australia
.and Canada, the primary focuses are
worship in a supportive environment,
emotional support and counseling,
spiritual nourishment and Christian
education, and service to the Church
and the lesbian and gay community.
Through Integrity 's evangelism, thousands
of Lesbians and Gays ,
estranged from the Episcopal and
·other churches, have returned to worship
and fellowship. EURRR, in contrast,
is solely a lobbying organization.
·
Mrs. Chinnis is opening up the
-committee structure to Lesbians and
Gays who have heretofore been
excluded, according lo Integrity . Dr.
Louie Crew, Integrity's founder and a
Deputy from the Diocese of Newark,
said, "During the tenure of her pre- .
decessor as president of the House of
Deputies, the Very Rev. David
Collins, openly lesbian and gay
Integrity members were blatantly
excluded from all committees and
commissions of the church, even the
Joint Commission on AIDS and the
committees whose primary focus was
on gay and lesbian issues." Collins
was and remains an active EURRR
member and is 011, the steering committee
to plan EURRR's first national
convention to be held in June 1994.
The Most Rev. Edmond L.
Browning, Presiding Bishop and Primate
of the Episcopal Church, was the
principal celebrant and preacher at
last year's Integrity convention held
in Houston. He also was attacked by
EURRR after his appearance at the
Integrity convention .
The preacher at - the convention
eucharist was the Rt. Rev. Douglas E.
Theuner, Bishop of New Hampshire
.and chair of the Episcopal Church's
Commission on AIDS. lri the House
of Bishops he has been an outspoken
advocate for lesbian . and gay justice
and has an openly gay priest as his
principal assistant.
The Louie Crew Award for
outstanding -service to Integrity was
presented to Sisler Brooke Bushong,
C.A., a I_ong-time Integrity member,
twice president of Integrity /New
York, Integrity's largest chapt er with
300 members, and founder of· the
National AIDS Memorial sponsored
by Integrity and located at the
Cathedral of St. John the Divine in
New York City. Episcopalians United for
Revelation, Renewal and Reformation
(EURRR), based in Solon, . Ohio, issued
a press release attacking Chinnis
for her remarks and accusing her of
"stacking committees with members
who are so clearly biased ." ·
During her speech Chinnis _ said,
·"After my election as president of the
House of Deputies, both the.Presiding
Bishop and I intentionally appointed
more Integrity members to interim
bodies. More members of Int'egrity
have been elected as deputies to the
next General Convention, and I shall
certainly appoint them to Iegisl~tive
comrti'ittees of-the 1994 Convertlion.
But I need your help in this. I need
you to tell me about the persons I
don ' t know."
Presbyterians struggle over gay/lesbian issues
Although all deputies are not yet
known, it appears that approximately
12 openly lesbian and gay Integrity
· members have been elected by their
dioceses to serve at the 1994 General
Convention. About one third of the
850 deputies will be appointed to the
26 legislative committees so it is
inconceivable that committees can be
"stacked" with Integrity members .
The Integrity conventi'on's theme
was "Where there is hatred, let us
sow love," a quote from a prayer by
St. Francis. Integrity's president ,
Bruce Garner, an Alternate Deputy to
General Convention from the Diocese
of Atlanta, said, "Apparently the
EURRR representative at our convention
just didn't get it." The convention's
focus was on enhancing personal
spirituality and strengthening
Integrity chapters to minister to the
lesbian· and gay community in
Christ's name .
EURRR's executive director, the
Rev. Tod Wetzel, said, "I sense no
concern for balance, much less diver- ·
sity, in President Chinnis' remarks
regarding committee appointments. I
hear only a concern for winning the
_battle. Showing a bias is understandable
and appropriate for an advocacy
organization such as Episcopalians
United or Integrity. It is inappropriate
for the President of -the House
[8J Second Stone-Sept~mber/October, 1993
THE TURMOIL WITHIN the Presbyterian
Church (USA} over what role
Lesbians and Gays should play in
church life came to center stage at the
church's General Assembly in
Orlando.
Despite pleas from Gays and
Lesbians within the church to repeal a
ban .on openly gay clergy, the
church's Committe e on Human Sexuality,
which has been studying the
role of Gays in the church, decided
instead that what Presbyterians
needed was still more study.
The committee recommended a
three-year, churchwide look at the
role of- sexuality as it relates to
membership, ministry and ordination
within the church . Butthe committee
also recommended that closeted Gays
and Lesbians within the church,
including clergy, would be able to
participate in the study without fear
that their sexual orientation would be
used against them. ·
The study came at the request of
more than 30 regional church groups
• some opposing the ban and some
wanting the church to take an even
stronger stand against the integration
of lesbian and gay Presbyterians into
church life. But some gay activists
were not pleased by the committee's
recommendation, which keeps the
ban in place for three years while the
study of the issue continues.
"We feel we are being sold down
the drain again," said Rev . Howard
Warren of Presbyterian ACT UP.
Rev . Jane Spahr, the lesbian
minister whose appointment as pastor
of a church in upstate New York was
revoked last year by the Presbyterian
Church 's top judicial body, said the
church should lift the ban on gay
clergy, then study the issue .
"Let's study together, but let's
rescind this rule that keeps us
divided," she said.
What happened to Spahr last year
has helped galvanize gay and lesbian
Presbyterians . Though parishioners
called her to be the pastor of a church
in Rochester, N.Y. knowing full well
that she was openly lesbian, a church
court ruled that she could not take the
post because church law does not
allow Gays and Lesbians to serve as
ordained ministers unless they
· "repent of homosexual practice."
In 1991, the General Assembly,
overturning the report of a task force
that recommended that Gays and
Lesbians be ordained, affirmed past
church statements that declared that
being gay or lesbian "is not God's
wish for humanity."
Rev. David Lee Dobler, newly
elected as moderator of the church (its
top leadership position), said he
thinks that the church should take a
moderate stand, expressing compassion
toward Gays and Lesbians but
keeping the ban on them serving as
clergy.
"I believe that the middle will hold
on this, " Dobler said. 'There are
voices on the edges that our Lord and
we need to hear, but we don 't have to
be driven by them."
One of those voices belongs to Tom
Edwards, one of the authors of a
document called the Princeton Declaration,
signed by a group of Presbyterians
who believe the church should
be less tolerant of Gays and Lesbians.
"For 205 years, the Presbyterian
Church has maintained a clear
Biblical witness," Edwards said. "If
we set this aside, the Presbyterian
Church will say the authority of_
scripture is secondary. The world
will decide and tell us what is right.
And that's a very scary thing."
By only two votes, the Assembly's
Committee on Social Witness Issues
and Policy refused to ask sessions that
sponsor Boy Scout units as part of
their youth programs to merely
examine the policy to exclude boys,
young men and leaders on the basis
. of sexual orientation . At the same
time, the committee recommended
and the Asse~bly agreed to condemn
the anti-gay constitutil ;mal • amendment
in Colorado and similar efforts
in other states and urged a complete
end to the anti-gay ban in the U.S.
military.
Efforts to ban same-sex unions
conducted by Presbyterian ministers
in Presbyterian Churches were
turned back.
During the General Assembly's
stay in Orlando, Presbyterians for
Lesbian and Gay Concerns held a
spirited worship service, complete
with the singing of "She'll Be Comin'
Round the Mountain."
Lisa Larges of San Francisco told the
audience that it was not enough for
the church to welcome Gay s and
Lesbians while refusing to ordain
them.
"As a church, we cling to the false
hope that we can offer love without
justice," she said.
During one· assembly session, a
group of protestors stood in front of
the stage carrying a cross. And
although the church didn't change its
stand, delegates did give a group of
supporters a standing ovation after
they made an impassioned plea for
the delegates to reverse the clergy
ban .
- Associated Pre,s and More Ligltt
Update
Dr. Mel White named dean of Cathedral of Hope
Former Falwell
ghostwriter
switches camp
WHEN IT COMES TO the religious
right .and Gays and Lesbians, the
attitude in both camps is "it's them ·or
us." But the line is not so finely
drawn anymore . One of them, one of
their best, became one of us this
.summer. On June 27th, Gay Pride
Sunday, Dr. Mel White was installed
as the Dean of the Cathedral of Hope
Metropolitan Community Church.
With over 1000 members, the Dallas
church is the world's largest church
with a primary outreach to lesbian
and gay peopl e.
'Today, I give up my place of
privilege as a prosperous, uppermiddle-
class, middle-aged, white,
slightly balding, pretend -heterosexual
male," he said to · those gathered
at the cathedral for his installation.
"And I say to my fri ends on the
religious right, 'I am gay, I am proud
and God loves me without reservation."'
Having written speeches for Oliver
North and having served as a
ghostwriter for Jerry Falwell and Pat
Rober tso n, White carries an impressive
resume as he assumes his new
position in the gay community. Over
the past 30 years, White has earned
critical acclaim as a best selling author
and prize winning filmmaker.
Amon g his accomplishments are 53
motion pictur e and television documentaries
including "Deceived: the
Jonestown Tragedy," "In the Presence
of Mine Enemies," and 'Tested By
Fire," which won a dozen American
Film Festivals. Tested By Fire was his
best selling first book which was
about the life of Merrill Womach, a
successEul Spokane, Washington, businessman
and entertainer who was
burned and badly disfigured in a
plan e crash. The book documents the
sources of one person's strength in a
time of physical and psychological
suffering. After his impressive debut
as an author, White went on to ghostwrite
16 be st: selling books for
religious celebrities including Billy
Graham (Approaching Hoojbeats), Jer ry
Falwell (Strength Jot· tile Journey), and
Pat Robertson (America's Dale with
Destiny).
White grew up in Santa Cruz,
where his father served in public
office. He graduated from Warner
Pacific College in Portland, Oregon in
1962 and married a longtime girlfriend.
The marriage produced two
child ren. He realized early in his
marriage he had an attraction toward
men but it was 17 years later before a
psychologist helped him confront his
homosexuality. In 1980 he joined All
Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena,
Calif., where rector George Ragas
urged him to come to terms with
being gay . In 1984, at a Palm Sunday
service at All Saints, White met
Gary Nixon, his life partner, and
White divorced his wife. White and
Nixon now live in Dallas. His ex-wife
is supportive. "I still love her," White
says. His parents, Carl and Faythe
White, are devotees of Robertson's
700 Club and continue to struggle
with their son's revelations.
From the beginning of his career in
media, White has searched for stories
that would inspire and inform in the
struggle to be human . He directed
two docum entary film crews in Vietnam
during the last two years of the
war, trying to document the s piritual
dimensions of that war on those who
were its victims.
White has produced and directed
television specials in Africa, Asia,
South and Central America on everything
from literacy, famin e and
tropical medicine to political uprisings
and freedom movements. He has
written and filmed st~ries in India
and Hawaii on Han sen 's disease and
the spiritual dimension of being an
outcast. His book, Ma,garet of Molokai
is the story of the last leper to leave
the Kalaupapa peninsula . and a
fascinating analogy for the current
AIDS crisis.
Last year White wrote to his
colleagues and informed them of his
homosexuality. On abandoning his
long time career and taking a position
at Cathedral of Hope Whil e said,
'This is the moment of truth for our
community. The religious and political
right ar e mounting an incredible
campaign of hate and disinformation
against us . Our freedom, our human
rights and even our lives are at stake.
I
I
l Dr. Mel White, Dean of the Cathedral of Hope
The Catlledral of Hope has a wonderful
opportunity to lead the way . If
we sit out this revolution, it will be a
disaster , but if we mobilize our forces,
with God's help, we can help heal the
nation."
two primary tasks . First, to 9se my
skills and experiences to help my gay
brothers and lesbian sisters who are
suffering across this nation and
around the world. Second, to help cut
off that suffering at its source, the
"The front lines of a war against us are
forming before our eyes. Will we take
our place or will we stay safely in the
closet and watch others fight and die
on our behalf?"
Former colleagues Falwell and
Graham hav e not responded to
White's letters. Falwell told the Los
Angeles Times that White is "just a
nice guy." "He is quite artistic and
imaginative, and very talented, :'
Falwell said. Pat Robertson wrote to
White only to say that hom osexuality
is a sin .
Mobilizing the forces for White
starts with forming Circles of Hope, a
national ministry to Gay s and Lesbians
living in citiQS and towns across
America where there is currently no
organiz~d, proactive lesbian and gay
presence.
"As Dean of the Cathedral, I have
religious right," tie said.
White said that the religious right
believes in theocracy instead of democracy
a nd that rather than having
the separation of church and state that
eventually th e power of the government
will be in their hands.
"As in the days of segregation, the
misuse of God's word by Christian
preach ers is at the hea rt of the
injustice and discriminati on that we
face .. The front lines of a war against
us are forming before our eyes. Will
we take our place or will we stay
safely in the closet and watch others
fight and die on our behalf?" asked
White.
Second Stone-Seplcmhcr /Octobcr. 1993 ml 9 I
_ j
.................T... .............C .o, ..v.S.e..tr.o. .r..y... .......T... ............. .
Robert Goss
Jesus the activist
From Page 1
specifically took place in Jesus' "stop
the temple action" ,vas a response not
only to money changers in the
temple, but against bankers - who left
many in a permanent state of indebtedness,
and against a patr .iar~hial
system founded and perpetuated
through the exclusion of entire classes
bf people.
confusion his falling in love with this
man, Frank, caused.
The two left the Jesuits, but
"carried on a ministry of two ."
Leaving the Jesuits, he recalls, was
tough, but he has no regrets. 'The
Society of Jesus gave us a spirituality
we have lived to the utmost for the
last 16 years."
Jesus. Frank had encouraged him to
turn from their joint business venture
· and resume his doctoral work in
religion at Harvard . "And I did,"
says Goss. He began to see the
"apparent discrimination against
Frank because he was HIV [positive]
and general homophobia." ·
It was his anger at such
'The Romans," Goss e.xplains, "co
opted the temple aristocracy into their
power structure. What Jesus did was
intrude into sacred space ... Jesus was
not apolitical. He was not a zealot,
but he was an activist. He ·espoused
by his actions - associating with sinners,
prostitutes, ta.x collectors, people
with no hope of salvation - a political
idea."
Goss' commitment to "the retrieval
of Jesus as the Queer Christ," (i.e., a
Christ who identifies with the marginalized
and oppressed "queer"
community) undergirds his theology
and seems to guide his life's course.
Just what this means is fairly simple.
Jesus, on the cross, is the symbol of
liberation for all oppressed people, for
all society has thrown away, for all
historica\Ly rejected by "the church,:
His vision is simple: he likens it to the
end of the movie "Longtime Companion"
when "you will be reunited with all you
have lost. My vision of God's reign is a
cure and reunion while being reempowered
to action, to civil disobedience."
- Througli 'the cross, God "said 'no' to
oppression!
Proclaiming a "queer Christ"
doesn't mean (pro)claiming that Jesus
was gay. Goss really has no intention
of proving anything about Jesus'
sexuality - except, perhaps, that it is
unlikely that Jesus was asexual (by
orientation, not practice).
Goss joined the Jesuits in 1970
because he felt very strongly called to
the ministry and to be a priest. In
1976 he was ordained. "I loved the
fesuits," says Goss. '"They taught me
how to love men." In fact, he met
and fell in love with another Jesuit,
who became his lover. Goss required
more than a year to sort out the
"God's 1ove was very present and
prevalent in our love-makii1g and in
our hospitality, welcoming people
into our house. [This is] something I
cherish," he says. And after a brief
pause, "He was my best friend."
When, in 1990, Frank was
diagnosed with HIV, Goss began to
wake up to the reality of a political
QUOT ABLE
''There are six admonitions in the Bible against
homosexuality, but 362 admonitions against
, heterosexuaalc tivity. Now, I don't mem;t o
imply that God doesn't love straight people -
only that they need more supervision.
-LynnLavner
lfilJ Second StoneoSepte~ber/October, 1993
discrimination and homophobia, however,
that spurred him on. "[I'm]·
tired of apologizing for who I am.
We need to take a real activist [stand].
There's no reason Christians can't be
at the forefront of activist organizations,"
he says, pointing to the
presence of Christians at the forefront
of the black civil rights movement.
Religion "has been hostile to us.
Act Up, Queer Nation perceive
religion as the enemy," he says, but
he wasn't willing "to throw away the
historical Jesus. Christianity is not
our enemy. We need to build, give
the tools for many of our faith
communities to develop - to challenge
heterosexism and homophobia in our
church."
Gay men, in particular, Goss
stresses, . "need to uproot misogyny
because homophobia is rooted in it.
We need to become one hundred
percent feminist-identified and committed
to the full liberation of wonwn
- equality and gender parity in our
society.
''Power ·relations," he continues,
"are grounded in patriarchy ... based
on the submission of women. We
need to really uproot that power
structure." And "we need to coalesce
with other groups struggling for
liberation. If we get our civil rights,
we will not be free - not until
everyone is free of oppression:"
"We even have to liberate our
oppressors," he adds. The religious
right, he says, is so "hateful and
unfree."
Roman Catholic theologian Daniel
McGuire, professor of moral theology
at Marquette University, responded
to Goss' book by saying that
"Outrageous prejudice calls for outrageous
protest! Liberation theologies
are not new to the Catholic church,
nor is Goss' theology especially
unique. It shares commonalities with
a number of other 'sibling' liberation
theologies - Latin American, Black,
and feminist among them."
What is unique is that Goss'
theology is based on "queer" experience.
"Queers" are placed - or
"re-"olaced in churrh histnrv. (;oss
numbers "queers" among the outcast,
the marginalized of Jesus' day and
ours, and he points out that the
"queer" of today is equal, perhaps, to
the Samaritan of Jesus' day.
It is easily overlooked that the
Samaritan stories would have been
looked on by early Christians with
disfavor at least equal to that of 20th
century Christians reading similar .
stories in which the homosexual is set
apart and embraced, rather than
shunned.
Goss is a firm believer in "the
concrete witness of your life." And
his witness is to the reality that
spirituality in general, Christianity,
in particular, and [homo]sexuality
need not be mutually exclusive.
His vision is simple: he likens it to
the end of the movie "Longtime
Companion" when "you will be
reunited with all you have lost. My
vision of God's reign is a cure and
reunion while being reempowered to
action, to civil disobedience."
Ultimately, says Goss, "we need to
become assertive and active. [We are
·now] a community of prophets across
the country; we need to become a
prophetic community. ,'Look," he
says, '.'at what such communities
did... toppled the Roman Empire.
With thousands of sud, justice communities,
we will topple homophobia,
end misogyny, and hopefully, maybe
end racism."
It's a tall order , but it certainly
could happen.
See In Print, Page 16.
A eulogy
at a service
for one who
died of
AIDS
A well-known figure lost a
young beloved son in an
absurd accident: drove off the
- road into a river - perhaps a
few drinks, perhaps too fast, perhaps
asleep. Whatever. A pious neighbor
bringing food to the wake said to him
by way of comfort, "I do not
understand the will of God." At
which all the suppressed anger and
resentment hidden so carefully, broke
out, and the son's father tore into the.
hapless woman, "Indeed you do not
understand the will of God. You
think God arranges accidents and
tragedies? Absurd horrors? You
think He is the agent behind so much
misery?"
Is He? Easily asserted. Easily
denied. Most of us assume that in the
end God is in charge of this world,
everything somehow is in His
'lJifl's Prayer
dominion. And since His dominion is
one of love, we can assume that love
is the answer, even when that answer
emerges with great difficulty from the
ashes of disaster.
Primitives I knew and love were
docile to the world's Jaws in the death
of the old, the infirm. The death of
the young shattered them. Since
poisoning was an aspect of earlier
life-ways, the answer to sudden death
was always the same: poison. Someone
poisoned him. Even when ii was
obvious that tliis was not the case, the
answer remained. It was easy to Jive
with . It was an answer, however
inadequate. It worked .
Human kind is good at faith in a
Savior . Someone to bear our bur.
dens, suffer our pain, bear our cross.
We are always on the make for a
I asl@ti (Joi for strtngtli, tliat I miglit ac/iieve;
I was maae weat, tfiat gooi migfi.t 6e ac/iievei in 111£ ...
I asl@ti for fita[tfi, tliat I miglit tio greattr tfiings;
I was given injinnitg, tfiat I mifJlit io 6etter tliings ...
I as/@( for riclies, tliat I migfit 6e fi.appy;
I was given poverty, tfiat I mi/flit 6e wise ...
I asff!i for power, tliat I mitf lit Ii.ave praise;
I was given wea(!l£Ss, tliat I miglit feam patience ...
I asf(si for al{ t!iings, tliat I mifJli.t enjoy ufa;
I was given Jjfa, tfi.at I migfi.t enjoy a[{ trnngs ... _
I got notliing tfi.at I asf(si for - 6u.t eve,ytfiing I fi.ai liopei for ...
.M11wst l.espitt myself, my u.nspo/(!n prayers were answereti.
'Ifie £orii;!J{imseff Is in our aar(!teSs; a[{ is £igfi.t .iefore !Him..
'I1i£ n!qlit of pain a.nti fta.r fait.s a.way in :His presence.
Sed;;,!His far.e, anti trust aCways in !J{is Cove.
-'Int pniyer mu[ at tlie fantral of 'Bilt 'llr6an, fourufer of 'Ilie
!lltzl'timore Aliematwe newspaper.
savior, an answer to our riddles. If
you are Boston Irish, the memory of
Yankee contempt in a past generation
· is not yet laid to rest. The Irish were
scum to the Yankee, and treated as
such, a generation or so ago. When I
was a seminarian, no black could get
in a seminary. Or even a Catholic
college for that matter. The SVD built .
a seminary and trained excell!ml
black priests. The bishops, the pastors
, the people would not have them.
The first of them became a monk
here, perhaps with a broken heart.
The Polish, years ago, were so
shabbily treated that a group left the
Church and formed the schismatic
Polish Catholic Church . The Germans,
at the hands of the Irish
bishops, were perilously close to the
same.
Would you choose of purpose and
with intent to be Hispanic today,
Mexican, Latin? We need someone to
pick on. To crucify. We need someone
to hang from a tree, as was the
custom just a few years ago. The
custom has an Irish name: Lynch. Do
you know what it is like to be gay?
Today? Yesterday? Do you know
what it is like to have the finger on
you, guilty and cursed? We go on
making Saviors of anyone who will
bear it, and on those who will not. It
is my generation which will live
forever with the Jewish Holocaust.
Not to mention Stalin and his kind.
Have you ever lived in a small town
■
and known the vicious human
tongue?
We put Christ to death here and
ask his forgiveness for ii . And we
receive it. And so are wounds
healed, sores dosed, hurts assuaged.
And more important, lessons learned .
For it is in forgiving that we are
healed . When wo do not forgive we
are doomed to .. do again what was
done to us. What was done before.
What we did. That we may learn at
long last the lesson so hard to learn!
And in the process discover Christ.
For the mystery is that when we do
another to death in one way or other,
as we did Christ, the one we do to
death becomes Christ. Christ dies in
the Black, the Hispanic, the poor, and
the plague ridden. This is the horror
and the glory. You Jay the whip on
another's back and then discover
whose back you whip.
We are all together in a mystery of
life and death, of suffering and pain.
Of glory in an eternal resurrection.
That is what this Mass, every Mass, is
about. This death, every death. This
laying into the earth of one who will
rise ... Who will rise ... Who will rise.
Every once in a while the Heavens
open and we see the glory to come.
Usually such moments come only at
the price of enormous pain and
sorrow. Like now . Like now.
Reprinted from Communication newsletter,
P. 0. Box 60125, Chicago, IL
60660.
..
■
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shine for someone
you love.
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■ ■
Second Stone-September/October, 1993 [I}
PROJECT TOCSIN:
Common Cause
report tells only
organization is one of approximately
30 policy organizations affiliated with
Focus on the Family in as many
states. CRI promotes the concept of
"gatekeepers" - putting their people
in control of Jaw, media , entertainment,
education, government, etc.
Traditional Values Coalition,
$30,000. .
Voucher Initiative? Is it for reasons of
education reform or do th ey have
religious motives? . Perhaps they
agree with R. J. Rushdoony when he
says, "Education is thus always a
religious concern.. . not only is
education a totally religious subject,
but the curriculum, its ~ontents, and
its methods are all religious ... to all
children to be in humanistic schools is
to be unequally yoked and to serve
two masters." half the story Chalcedon, Inc., $500,000. Howard
Ahmanson Jr. sits on the board of this
organization which is hea.ded by Rev.
Rousas John Rushdoony, the leading
proponent of Reconstructionism in
America. Also on the board 1s
Wayne Johnson, once an aide to
former California state Senator H: L.
Richardson.
The Capitol Commonwealth Group
tries to hide behind an agenda of
being only business people interested
in a better business climate, lower
taxes ·and less government regulation,
but, their real agenda is the
overthrow of the secular civil government
- to be replaced with a
theocracy ruled over by religious
magistrates handing out God's justice
and mercy as interpreted by them.
THE ·FAR RIGHT HAS experienced
no better success than in California,
where right wing candidates have
won political power, where afflue?t
business people have pumped big
money into special interest groups,
and where church-sponsored voter
registration drives have enlisted the
support of the masses for theocratic
causes.
In their escalating battle against
gay rights, right wing leaders are
well organized and committed . . Ai~d
they don't hesitate to bankroll their
movement.
On July 7, 1993 Common Cause of
Sacramento issued a report authored
by their policy analyst, Kim Alexander,
about the political contributi.
ons of the Allied Business PAC. The
PAC received contributions only from
four men; Howard Fieldstead
Ahmanson, Jr., Senator Rob Hurtt, Jr.,
Roland Hinz and Edward G. Atsinger
m.
Before the Allied Business PAC was
formed in May, 1992 the group was
caJJed t-he Capitol Commonwea/th
Group . It was made up of Ahmanson
and Hurtt. They were joined by Hmz
and Atzinger in March of 1992 , The
two made contributions of $31,125
each to Family PAC which had been
used by Ahmanson and Hurtt during
1991 to make contributions to several
candidates in special elections.
When the contributions are totaled,
as listed by Common Cause, the sum
is $2,241,121 which makes the Capitol
Commonwealth Group the largest
contributors to the 1992 elections.
This is $902,807 more than the
$1,338;314 contributed by the California
Medical Association.
This is only half the story, however,
because there is at least an additional
$1,664,307 in contributions to conser-
. vative foundations and think tanks
which have given CCG their plan of
action. Since 1987 Ahmanson and
Hurtt have made contributions to:
Capital Resource Institute ~f Sacramento,
$799,317. Founded in 1987 by
Ahmanson, Hurtt, Preston Hawkins,
Rob Martin and Peter Henderson, this
Claremont Institute, $234,000. A
Reconstructionist think tank whid1,
until the beginning of 1993, shared
office spac.e with CR! and the Western
Center for Law and Religious Freedom.
Western Center for Law and
Religious Freedom, $60,000. Records
at the Office of Charitable Trusts indicate
the Center is not so much
interested in religious freedom as in
reproductive rights. The majority of
cases in which they had an interes t
had to do with that subject .
The Reason Foundation, $41,000.
According to the Sacramento Bee, this _
group came up with the plan for the
Sd1ool Voud,er Initiative which will
be on the ballot in November.
Why is Capitol Commonwealth
Group so interested in the School
John Birch Society •
David Dhillon
X Larry Bowler
Phillip Hawkins
Cook Barela
Perhaps we can find another part of
their hidden agenda in a quote from
R. J. Rushdoony, ''The [biblical) law
here is humane and also unsentimental.
It recognizes that ·some
people are by nature slaves and will
always be so. It both requires that
they be dealt with in a godly manner
and also the slave recognizes his
position and accepts it with grace."
This idea comes from Calvinist
teaching that God ordains our
position in life be it prince or pauper.
Provided by Project Tocsin, P.O. Box
163523, Sacramento, CA 95816-3523,
(916)374-8276, (916)374-TCSN.
X Ted Waggland
Ron Stauffer
X Doan Anda!
Alan Ebanstrin
X Jim Kelly
.Steve-Baldwin
Barbara Alby
Brad Parton
X Kathleen · Honeycutt
Connie Younkin
Jim Ellis
Dan Van Tieghem
Alan Guggenheim
Dick Oaleke
X Birney Richter
Raymond Haynes
X Gi Forguson
I Barbara Keating Edhf
XBIII Morrow
X Bill Hoge
X Curtis Pringle
X Dan Lungren
X = -45% winner,
Project Tocsin's flow chart of their interp~etation of California's Religious Right rm Second Stone-S.;;;~ember/October, 1993
God
Remembers
Your Name
The Biblical basis for the
Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt
BY REV. DR. BUDDY TRULUCK
H
. ave you ever said, "I know
your face, but I can't remember
your name!"? A popular
song severa l years ago was
"God Calls Me By My Name." God
remembers . "Are not five sparrows
sold for two cents? And yet not one of
them is forgotten before God ... " (Luke
12:6) When you make the effort to
remember important details about
other people, like their names, you
are folfowing the pattern set by God .
On November 27, 1985, during the
annual candlelight march commemorating
the murders of Mayor George
Moscone and Harvey Milk, San
Francisco's first · openly gay supervisor,
mourners covered the walls of
the old Federal Building wjth
placards of the names of people who
had died of AIDS. The many different
sizes , shapes and colors of
cardboard reminded Cleve Jones of a
qutlt and inspired the idea of an
.AIDS memorial quilt. ·
My first contact with the Names
Project came several years ago in
Atlanta. My dear friend, Daniel, was
a tailor and had begun to work on a
number of quilt panels. He invited
me to go with him on a quilting bee.
When I first saw a panel, I was struck
by the large size. · I had imagined
small panels, like the ones in quilts
my grandmother made. I asked why
it was so big. Daniel said, "It is three
feet by six feet, the size of.a grave ."
I can still remember the emotional
impact of that statement like it ju st
happened. The Names Project quilt
often produces a powerful and uncanny
emotional effect whenever it is
experienced. To remember is to
reflect the image of God who remembers.
Memory makes us human.
Remembering the course of human
and natural history is what education
is all about. The Bible is a book of
remembering. The Bible is also a
"names project."
From Adam, meaning "dirt" to
Jesus, meaning "savior," names in the
Bible help to tell the story of the acts
of God in salvation history. God
gave to Moses the special name of
God in Exodus 3:13-15: "I Am," which
is based on the Hebrew verb "to be."
This is called God 's "memorial name."
Usually this naine is written Yahweh.
It is the name of God that recalled the
activity of God and expressed the self
revelation of God lo the people. Jesus
frequently took the title of "I Am" to
identify with God in .the Gospel of
John. God gave Jesus the "name
which is above every name that at
the name of Jesus every knee should
bow."
' . When Simon confessed Jesus as
ruler and savior, his name was
changed to Peter, which means
"rock ." Joseph was also called
Barnabas, which means "one who is
called · alongside to help another."
Names . The Bible is full of names.
Long lists of 'begats" alo1.6 with great
eloquent . names of individuals who
earned their names by their deeds.
God is called by many names and
titles. A Christfan missionary was
confronted by a Moslem who said,
"You have so many names for God
that it is confusing. We have one
name for God, Allah, but how do you
know what to call your God with so
many titles like Father, Savior, King,
Holy One, etc .?" The missionary
thought for a moment and replfed, "I
guess we simply call God by the
name of what we let God do for us in
our lives."
One effect of the Names ·Project has
been increased teamwork and
cooperation between various gay and
lesbian groups. In many cities, just as
in Atlanta, Lesbians and Gays had a
history of internal conflict in various
projects. The annual Gay Pride
parade and rally, the Gay Center, the
churches, AID Atlanta and countless
political and support group efforts ·
had suffered from open war. between
various gay · fac.tions within the
gay /lesbian community. The Names
Project brought them all together in a
cooperative and productive effort.
The showing of the Names Project
quilt in Atlanta on Memorial Day
weekend in 1988 also brought many
straight Christian s into sympathetic
fellowship with the gay /lesbian
community . The attitude that I heard
most often expressed by both gay and
straight people at the quilt showing
was reverence and even awe for the
love expressed in the quilt and by the
p~ople showing and visiting it.
When Lazarus died, Jesus went to
the tomb of this friend the disciples
called "he whom you love." Jesus
wept. The reaction <'Jf the crowd was,
"Behold, how he loved him!" My
response and the response of multitudes
of others to the public displaying
of the Names. Project Quilt
has been tears and a ·new depth of
experience and understanding of
love. The Names Project is basically a
labor of love and a unique expression
of remembering and respect. It took
Gays and Lesbians to think of such an
effective framework for handling
grief. It is dramatic, effective therapy.
I was a Southern Baptist pastor in
several states for over 20 years in
churches from about 50 members to
one- with over 2,000. In all that time
of pastoral ministry in countless
funeral services and other means of
comfort for bereaved people, I never
witnessed anything as healing and as
effective as a means of working
through grief as the making, assembling,
and showing of the Names
Project Quilt. Gays and Lesbians are
pioneers in a new approach to handling
the grief process. The rest of the
world can learn great lessons from
them . If only people in the churches
will set aside homophobia and the
misinformation and hate that some
so-called Christian anti-gay activists
are spewing, the world can learn
from · the gay /lesbian community
better ways to deal with suffering,
loss and grief,
· At the end of the quilt showing in
Atlanta, the crowd went outside and
released hundreds of balloons which
saHed up and out of sight . Counselors
for the quilt display were
taught the great importance of helping
people let go of emotional baggage
in the grief process. In
Philippians 3:12-14, Paul talked about
Jetting go of the past and pressing on
with hope in the future. ·
For many panel makers, the
hardest part of the Names Project was
giving up the panel in the presentation
ceremony. It was hard to let go
of something that represented so
much love . .All who witnessed the
closing ceremony of the panels being
given up to become part of th e
national memorial qu ilt wer e
profoundly moved. Tears flowed.
Hugs were given and received. Love
was there.
· Often the best expression of love is
silence. Just being with someone as
they cry, remember, and let go can
bring healing and hope. A young
woman who had made a panel for
her brother was at the quilt showing
in Atlanta in 1988. She was there
with her husband to present the
panel. I stood with her and listened
as she told me· about her brother and
how she made the panel. She asked
if it was okay for her to pin onto the
panel the "Be a Buddy" button that
her brother's friend "Buddy" had
worn. She had just been given the
button. She stooped down and
pinned it on. We stood and looked at
the panel. We both felt the tears
running down our faces as we stood
there in silence for several minutes.
What would you have said in those
moments? It seemed best to say
nothing. Being there was enough.
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RENAISSANCE HOUSE, BOX 533-SS VILLAGE STAOON, NEW YORK, NY 10014-0292(212)674-0120
Second Stone-September/October, 1993 [11].
Videos ........................................................................
Rev. Janie Spahr's story on video
"FOR US TO finally reclaim ourselves,
to say 'yes' to ourselves, had to
be a spiritual experience ... there had
to be a God working with us," says
Rev. Jane Spahr during an interview
segment of "Maybe We're Talking
About a Different God: Homosexuality
and the Church," a new
video which chronicles the painful
ordeal of Spahr's overthrown call to
serve a Rochester, New York .congregation.
Jane Adams Spahr was chosen over
several other candidates by an
impressed· nominating committee
from the Downtown United Presbyterian
Church . The congregation
overwhelmingly approved the nominating
committee's choice. But the
fact that Spahr is an open lesbian did
not set well with church hierarchy
and the protest that followed eventually
was successful in thwarting her
call.
"I didn't really know the meaning of
homophobia until · I joined the
[nominating] committee," said Jack .
Network Q monthly video magazine
Network Q is television from "a
slightly different perspective." The
monthly video magazine says they
are "one year old and still too queer
for cable."
A new two hour program is
available every month for sub scribers.
In addition to film and book
Love Makes a Family
DURING THE PAST decade Quaker
meetings have been seeking to
understand and accept lesbian and
gay families. · "Love Makes a Family"
is the story of the affirming and
transforming power of love.
In 1973, a lesbian couple asked the
Quaker meeting in Hayward, California
to celebrate their marriage.
Since that time, Quaker meetings
have engaged in intense discussions
of whether they will treat same sex
couples exactly the same as they treat
heterosexual couples when offering
celebrations of marriage . Because
Quakers make decisions by consensus,
the entire community has
been involved in these discussions.
· During the years that followed,
lesbian and gay Quakers have been
quietly assuming an open and equal
role in many Friends meetings and
organizations. In the process, a new ~J·i·t 11,i!lli) \
-; -.-•- ...i :-.·: ·- ·, -~~ r··
. -- .. , sfu- •, . ·-, ', .... .,. -- ··' 11' ' .... 't ._ \
~e
, . ~{af!i~!~~--
On 100 beautirul acres with
pool; hot tub, skiing and more.
lnnkecpm Judith Hal\. and
Grace Newman invite you to
write or call for a brochure.
[ 14 j Second Stone<September/October, 1993
... ·- .
reviews, the programs features travel
news, comedy, and interviews with
people like Urvashi Vaid, Brian
McNaught, Mar-vin Liebman, and
Gus Van Sant.
Subscriptions are $16. 95 per month
or $199 per year for 12 videos. For
information call 800-368-0638.
understanding of "family" has
emerged.
"Love Makes a Family" provides a
new vision of families. It demonstrates
that families are not limited by
gender, number, or sexual .orientation.
Some of the families in this video
have children; some do not. Some of
the fam.ilies· live in complex, blended
family groups. Others consist of a
single individual who has neither a
"spouse" nor children, but an
extended circle of friends and loved
ones who form that person'sfamily.
"Love Makes a Family" is a moving
portrait of the affirming, transcending,
and transforming power of love.
For information on this · video, write
to Love Makes a Family, Inc., P.O .
Box 11694, Portland, OR 97211.
The video that
Jesse Helms
wants us all to see
'That gay parade ... I wish every
American could see it," said Senator
Jesse Helms. Well, every American
can see it! The San Francisco Gay
Pride parade is available on video
tape through . K. C. Frogge, 223
Granada Ave ., San Francisco, CA
94112. It is the largest gay pride
parade in the nation. Filmed at the
beginning of the parade route from
the judge's grandst<1nd, each participant
is captured at his or her
energetic best.
Norton. "I asked one of the people on
the committee what did they mean
and they told me. So apparently I had
•a wee bit of that."
The video demonstrates how
homophobia can give way to
acceptance. "Janie is so much more
than that," says one woman.
The scenes of the church trial are
wrenching. Spahr is shown silently
shakin_g her head and squirming as .
attorneys representing those who
protested the call rattle off myths
about homosexuality, linking Gays
and Lesbians with child molesters.
"How we're described is malicious
and violent/ says Spahr, "It's an
aching sadness... . We're talking
about... we're people. And we're in
your families ... We make love, and
we make_ pea~e, and we make meals,
and we hve ...
For information on this half hour
video, which comes with a discussion
guide, contact Leonardo's Children;
Inc., 26 Newport Bridge Rd.,
Warwick, NY 10990. .
" ~·,
"""-'
.w ' 'IJ . . ,. } .""' ,
,· ~ ... , . .. ;,
Belinda Mason, subject of a video directed by Anne Lewis Johnson
Belinda
A NATIVE OF easterD Kentucky,
Belinda Mason was, as she says, "a
small-town journalist, a young
.mother, a reliable Tupperware party
guest" until she became infected with
the HIV virus in 1987. She decided to
go public with her condition and
spent the rest of her life as a powerful
advocate for AIDS prevention, education,
treatment, and human rights.
In this video, simply titled
"Belinda," she talks about her own
experiences dealing with AIDS and
the support she found within her
rural community . "AIDS.is less about
dying than about choosing how lo
live," she says. Included is • a presentation
she made with her pastor to
members of the Southern Baptist
Convention. "People ask . me if I
think AIDS is a punishment from
God. I can't pretend to fathom what
God is thinking, but maybe we
should look at AIDS as a test, not for
the people who are infected, but for
the rest of us," Mason said. She also
comments on her role and responsibilities
as a national spokesperson for
people with AIDS, saying "one Bush
· administration insider, when asked to
explain the President's decision to
bestow a coveted seat on the National
Commission on AIDS on me,
observed that I was 'palatabie' - like
mashed potatoes and gravy." Funny,
· down-to.earth, and nev-er self-pitying,
"Belinda" speaks with a moving
eloql!ence of the need for a collective
response to AIDS which is not
crippled by racism, homophobia, fear
or ignorance.
For information o'n this video,
contact Appalshop Film and Video,
800-545-7467 or write to 306B Madison
St., Whitesburg, KY 41858.
T In Print T .................................... . •_ ................................... .
Legacy of the Heart:
The Spiritual Advantages of a .Painful Childhood
.By Rev . Richard 8. Gilbert
Contributing Writer
Wayne Muller, author. Simon and
Schuster, New York 1992
T his book is about adults (all
adults, in many ways), who
carry particular scars (challenges)
that are burdens from
childhood, barriers that may be
thwarting personal spiritual _ growth,
but which await healing from within
through one's spiritual journey. It is a
book for all of us as we search out that
spirituality which keeps us connected
in a world, in our own stories, in our
own families, in our own searching,
when we ofen feel so very disconnected.
Legacy of the Heart starts with
invitation/ affirmation. We have
scars. We have opportunities lo grow
and heal through self discovery on
our own journey. The book becomes
a pathway that brings together in a
most surprising and entertaining way
In Print, briefly ...
Chosen: Gay Catholic
Priests Tell Their Stories
There have always been gay priests
in the church, but attitudes toward
!hem and understanding of their
situation has varied over the
centuries. This book, by Dr. Elizabeth
Stuart, will move many readers and
scandalize others. In it, British Roman
Catholic priests and seminarians, who ·
als9 happen lo be gay, share
thoughts, feelings and experiences
about being a gay man in a church
which condemns homosexuality as
"disordered."
-From LGCM, Oxford House, Derbyshire
St., London E2 6HG U.K
Uncle What-ls-It
Is Coming to Visit
Michael Willhoite, the author/illustrator
of the controversial-children's book
Daddy's Roommate has completed
this new book which is the story of two
children awaiting a first visit from their
gay uncle, and of. all the people who
try to tell the children what "gay"
means before he arrives.
-From Alyson Publications
Personal lette1rs sought
for new book
Personal letters t,illing others about
positive HIV status are sought for a
bcok tentatively tilled "Moving to the
Moon." The anthology is being compiled
by Meg Umans, who edited Like
Coming Home: Coming-out Letters,
published in 1988. Deadline for submissions
is December 31, 1993. For
information write to "Moving to the
Moon," 2447 E. Coronado Rd.,
Phoenix, Al. 85008.
the paths of psychology and the paths
of spirituality. The two do not have
to exist in conflict, but can work
together. In other words, words
about mercy, simplicity, nonattach ..
ment., isolation, intimacy and forgiveness
are not "owned" by those
pastoral or those clinical, for we are
whole people who can come through
life's experiences and burdens lo our
common health and spiritual wholeness
through that which is both
psychological and spiritual. They are
partners, not adversaries.
The book begins with an invitation
to "reawakening," to discovering
afresh issues and needs within you
that may be hurting you, or at least
holding you back on your journey,
and which can become openings in
the thick walls we build around
ourselves to shed light, hope and
peace .
The book starts where so many of
us find ourselves daily . "When we
are hurt as children, we can quickly
learn to see ourselves as broken,
handicapped or defective in some
essential way." I hear that over and
over in the stories of patients I visit
and people I counsel, and I know my
counselor/ spiritual advisor hears
those words from me. They become
slavery, chains that .enslave us, like
weeds in the garden, choking off our
breathing in the essentials to life and
growth . The "garden" which is our
story can be cultivated, can be
weeded out, or at least made more
manageable .
These painful scars send out
tangential statements and actions that
shoot forth from us like stinging ar rows
or pointed bullets. They really
are not outward, but are inward,
issues and dynamics that point to our
inner soul and beg for release, for
healing, for connectedness. The
author then reminds us, "Seen
through this lens (the family pain of
our past) , family sorrow is not only a
painful wound to be endured, analyzed
and treated. It may in fact
become a seed that gives birth to our
spiritual healing and awakening ."
The book then begins a remarkable
journey of both moving us into our
-stories, into our hearts, and yet
leading us to that emergence which
becomes new life, new freedom, new
growth. It is not just a therapy issue.
It is the use of many resources, many
traditions, that connects to our spirit
(spiritual journey) that brings us to
the new freedom we all seek. We
watch the shackles of these painful
enslavements falling away.
Then the word of hope,
You are not broken; childhood
suffering is not a mortal wound, and
Wayne Muller, author of Legacy of the Heart, is a therapist and graduate
of the Harvard Divinity School. He is founder of Bread for the Journey,
a nonprofit organization serving families and communities in need . He
lives with his wife, Christine, and two children in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
ii did not irrevocably shape your
destiny . You need not remove, destroy
or tear anything out of yourself
m order to build s omething new .
Your challeng e is not to keep trying
to repair what is damaged ; your
practice instead is to reawaken what
is alr eady wise, strong, and whole
within you ...
(and, the hope ... )
Your life is not a problem to be
solved but a gift to be opened. Just as
the pain, hurt, and suffering that
came to you as a child were powerfully
real, so is the tangible resilience
of your spirit equaHy vital and alive .
This book will help you reawak en
that inner strength and discover a
reliable sense of safety, belonging
and peace .
Oh how I wish I had read this book
earlier in my life. Of course, I may
not have been ready to hear the
wonderful words of reawakening and
life that I now can hear and acqu ire
for myself . I hope you will allow this
book to bring that awakening into
your spiritual story .
Rev. Richard Gilbert is the Director of
Pastoral Services at Porter Memorial
Hospital in Valparaiso, Indiana.
QUOTEABLE
"The entire onus against homosexualihj is because of religion. For
Lesbians and Gays to go to church is like running into a house on fire.
Gays are flocking into churches like thet;thfnk it will do them some good
and it won't. If thet/ re going in there to find God or individual
salvation, it's a waste of time ...
- Madalyn Murray O'Hair
. r.-;i Second Stone-September/October, 1993 LliJ
In Print . . . . . ~ ........ . . · ..... . . . . . . . . ~ .
Jesus Acted Up: A Gay and Lesbian Manifesto
By Gay la M. Worrell
Contributing Writer
Robert Goss, author. Harper San
Francisco, 1993. $19.00.
'' I engage in a queer battle
for the politics of Christian
· truth and a battle for sexual
justice," states Robert Goss
in the introduction to Jesus Acted Up:
A Gay and Lesbian Manifesto. In this
provocative book, Goss presents a
"queer" liberation theology that challenges
the homophobia found in institutionalized
religions.
In the first few chapters, Goss presents
a well rounded history of gay ·
and lesbian oppression, the gay ·and
lesbian civil rights movement, and
the homophobia of institutionalized
religions. Citing examples of homophobic
oppression in society, Goss
constructs the social organization of
homophobia. Although· well known
among · gay men and Lesbians, Goss
presents a concise and accurate history
for those unfamiliar with the
experience.
Included in this history are writings
by gay men and Lesbians on the subjects
of silence, invisibility, and homophobia.
Excerpts of Erik Marcus' Making
Histo1y: An Oral Histo1y (Harp.er
Collins, 1992) and conversations with
participants give a brief history of the
Stonewall riots, recognized as the start
of the modem gay rights movement.
Also included are examples of discrimination
faced . by gay men and
Lesbians in employment, health care,
and within their churches. From
excerpts of writing by Judy Grahn,
Julia Penelope and others, Goss
demonstrates the profound effect that
living in a closeted silence has.had on
the spiritual lives of many gay men
and Lesbians. Goss discusses the
formation and activism of such groups
as ACT UP and Queer Nation . The
liberation of coming out, both
personally and publicly, is shown
through examples of activism by
A TRIBUTE
to the
GAYS AND LESBIANS
of
THE QUEEN CITY
of
CHARLOTTE,
NORTH CAROLINA
~ru Second Stone-September/October, 1993
these and other groups over the past
two decades.
One of the most controversial ideas
in current liberation theologies is that
of Jesus as a sexual being. In 'The
Sexuality of Jesus," Rosemary Ruether
calls for a restoration of sexuality to
the traditional image of Jesus. Both
she and Malcolm Boyd claim that
Jesus was a sexual being and that His
sexuality was controlled, not by
power, but by friendship. Goss states
that it is only natural for gay and
lesbian Christians to reclaim Jesus as
a gay friendly, "queer Christ," much
as African American Christians have
reclaimed Jesus as the "black Christ."
Although specific information regarding
Jesus' sexual practices has been
lost, Jesus' known actions are neither
heterosexist nor homophobic. This
reclamation . affirms and uplifts the
sexually oppressed.
A queer liberation theology is
·, .
liberation of more than just the gay
and lesbian community. By fighting
for liberation of all oppressed groups,
gay men and Lesbians seek a totally
egalitarian restructuring of social and
cultural deployments of power.
Oppressed groups , need to link
experiences, expanding the horizons
of liberation and provide energy and
commitment to the project of human
liberation, Thus, the liberation of one
becomes the liberation of all.
Goss repeatedly demonstrates the
methods by which various institutions,
specifically the Catholic and
Protestant churches, have silenced
gay men and Lesbians. By implicating
homosexuals in the breakdown
of traditional "family values," the
church enforces a form of compulsory
heterosexuality. The silence of the _
gay community has only . helped to
enforce the attitudes of intolerance
al)d fear found within most organized
religion.
In contrast, Goss shows that the
scriptural examples used to promote
fear and intolerance can also prove
just the opposite. By interpreting
these biblical passages to show Jesus'
embrace of that which was outside the
· cultural norm, Goss explains why the
current atmosphere of fear and intolerance
toward gay men and Lesbians
goes against biblical teachings. Goss
shows that Jesus used the symbol of
God's reign to speak of liberation, not
oppression. The parables of the good
Samaritan, the prodigal son, · the
vineyard workers, and the great banquet
all symbolize the transformation
of society into a radically egalitarian
age where social power and hierarchical
attitudes becpme irrelevant.
Thus, sexual, social, religious and
political distinctions also become
irrelevant.
Goss also uses these examples of
institutional interpretations to answer
the question of whether gay men and.
Lesbians should continue their
involvement with the church. By
remaining in a homophobic spiritual
environment, gay men and Lesbians
internalize the oppression found in
these settings . This is especially true
of those in the clergy or administrative
positions. The internal:
ization of homophobia continues the
institutionalized homophobia that
those gay men and Lesbians in the
church often claim lo be fighting
against.
For gay men and Lesbians who
work from within these institutions to
elicit change, they must speak out for
their rights as Christians. Goss advocates
a day of coming out for those
within institutionalized religions. If
the larg e numbers of gay men and
Lesbians who hold clerical and
administrative positions within most
churches were to announce their
sexual orientation at the same time,
the result would be a radical change
within the institution of organized
religions. The same holds true for
congregational members of most
churches.
Through a deconstruction of the
social construction of homophobia and
the oppressive theology of institutionalized
Christianity, Goss reaffirms
the gay and lesbian Christian experience.
Goss advocates for Jesus the
liberator as opposed to Jesus the
oppressor. When viewed as a liberating,
radical, dissident, queer, Jesus
becomes a liberator of the gay and
lesbian community instead of an
oppressive tool of institutionalized
Christology, With this liberating theology,
gay and lesbian Christians can
rejoice in a kingdom of God where
love, rather than power, governs
human relations.
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..............
TIie Jo/lawing announcements have been ·
submitted by sponsoring or affiliated
groups.
Parliament of the
World's Religions
AUGUST 28-SEPTEMBER 5, a major
interfaith gathering with many of the
·world's religions represented.
Exhibits, performances, lectures and
presentations, interfaith dialo~ues,
children's programs and meetmgs of
specialized groups . The Council for a
Parliament of the World's Religions .
says "All are welcome to gather in
Chicago in 1993 to listen to one
another, to be challenged to find new
\vays of living together, anc! to seek
new visions for the future ." For
information write to: Parliament of
the World's Religions, P.O. Box 1630,
Chicago, IL 60690.
4th Annual
Rhythm Fest
SEPTEMBER 2-6, a celebration of
women's music, art and politics to be
held in a new location in the Blue
Ridge Mountains near Asheville,
North Carolina . For information
contact RhythmFest, 957 N. Highland
Ave., NE, Atlanta, GA 30306,
( 404)873-1551.
First International
TEN Conference
SEPTEMBER 3-5, The Evangelical
Network, based in Phoenix; Ariz.,
holds its first international conference
in Vancouver, B.C., under the•
auspices of Liberty Community .
Church. Sessions and workshops will
addr ess such topics as "Healing the
Hurts We Don't Deserve," Handling
Your Hormones," "Coupling Concerns
for Gay Christians;: "Mourning
Song," and 'The Skilled Caregiver."
The weekend will climax with a
communion service and the lighting
of an AIDS vigil candle . For information
contact #201-6380 Clarendon
Sir., Vancouver, B.C. V5S 2J9 Canada;
(604)321-4633.
QUOTABLE
"Many are called bttt
few getup."
-Oliver He?ford
P-FLAG Annual
Convention
SEPTEMBER 3-6, The 12th Annual
International Convention of Parents
and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
will be held in New Orleans Labor
Day weekend al the Sheraton Hotel ·
on Canal Sireet "Celebrating Family
0 New Orleans Style" is the theme. A
variety of workshops will be offered.
Featured speakers include Congressman
Gerry E. Studds and Mitzi
Henderson, P-FLAG president and a
leader in the Presbyterian Church's
More Light Churches Network .
Entertainer Lynn Lavner will kick off
the conference with a Friday night
concert . For information contact New
Orleans P-FLAG, P.O. Box 15485,
New Orleans, LA 70175.
Affirmation
National
Conference
SEPTEMBER 17-19, Affirmation: Gay
and Lesbian Mormons holds its 15th
annual . national conference. Gay and
Lesbian Mormons as well as their
supportive.family and friends are
invited to attend. For one weekend
each year, gay Mormonsfrom all
over the United States·and several
foreign countries meet to celebrate
being gay /lesbian as well as their
Mormon heritage. This year, the San
Diego chapter of Affirmation is
hosting the event at the Kona Kai
Resort on San Diego's Shelter Island .
Keynote speaker is D. Michael
Quinn . A highlight of the we ekend
will be the harbor cruise. For
information c~ll (619)283-8810.
AIDS, Medicine
and Miracles
Sixth Annual Conference themed
"Unity in Diversity: Sharing Our
Gifts" at two locations: JULY 8-11,
Berkeley, Calif ., and SEPTEMBER
23-26, Rhinebeck, New York. Retreat
leaders invite all for a time of learning,
play, tears, inspiration and joy.
The conference is a forum for an array
of expert opinion and for the wisdom
of people living with HIV. There is a
balance of presentations, workshops
and creative experienc es ranging
from medicine to music . For information
contact AIDS, Medicine &
Miracles, P.O. Box 9130, Boulder, CO
80301-9130, (303)447-8777 or
(800)875-8770.
Tour of Israel
SEPTEMBER 22-0CTOBER 8, Royal
Menoral1 Adventures coordinates a
tour of Israel for gay and lesbian
travelers, escorted by Bible·.student
and previous Israeli resident Daniel
Mark. $2850 per person, sharing twin
accommodations . Contact Royal
Tours; 1742 E. Broadway, Long
Beach, CA 90802, (310)983-7370.
National
Coming Out Day
OCTOBER J.1, Take your next step.
Call (505)982-2558 for information.
Advance'93
OCTOBER 18-24, Advance Christian
Ministries sponsors its annual
gathering featuring a pastors' and
ministers' fellowship, School of the
Prophets study courses and the
Advance Weekend, filled with
preaching, teaching and worship.
Over 250 are expected to attend the
largest, most established, and continuous
evangelical conference of its
kind. The location is a campground
near Houston . For information call
(214)522-1520.
BMC Women's
Retreat
OCTOBER 22-24, The Brethren/
Mennonite Council is planning a
fun-filled gathering for lesbian, bi, or
supportive straight women at scenic
Bradford Woods Retreat Center, 20
miles southwest of Indianapolis. Cost
is $45 per person. For information
contact Kirsten, (312)761-4868 or Kris,
(317)923-1830.
Call to Action
Conference
OCTOBER 29-31, Ever since Call to
Action opened the 1990s with "A Call
for Reform in the Catholic Church"
the group has continued a commitment
to "reinvent the Churcl1." The
CT A a1mual conference is evolving
into a national congress of persons,
communities and organizations
working to give birth to a church
where priesthood and ministry are
rethought, women assume their
rightful place, collaboration replaces
patriarchy, and Catholic social
teaching demands an outward
mission to transform social structures.
Over 2000 people are exp ected to
attend the conference, to be held in
Chicago at the Hyatt Regency
O 'Hare. For more information contact
Call to Action, 4419 N. Kedzie,
Chicago, IL 60625, (312)6Q4.a0400.
National Skills
Building
Conference .
OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 3, the
largest gathering of front line AIDS
workers in the country . Sponsored
by the AIDS National Inferfaith Network,
the National Association of
People with AIDS, and the National
Minority AIDS Council, the gathering
is the only national management
training conference designed to help
community-based organizations
become more effective. The Hyatt
Regency in New Orleans is the setting.
Attendees will have the opportunity,
at extra cost, to attend the
Project Lazarus Halloween party, a
costume-mandatory fundraising
party. For information contact
National Skills Building Conference,
300 Eye St., NE, Ste. 400, Washing- .
ton, DC 20002-4389.
RE-imagining/
Churches in
Solidarity with
Women
NOVEMBER 4.7; A global theological
conference by women for
women and men. Re-imagining
God, creation, Jesus, church as
spiritual institution , arts/ church,
language/ word, ethics/work/ ministry,
community, sexuality/family,
church as worshipping community.
Featuring many presenters including
Mary E. Hunt and Virginia Ramey
Mollenkott. The Mi1meapolis Conv '!!n- ·
lion Center is the setting. Contact
Rev. Sally Hill, 122 W. Franklin
Ave., Room 100, Minneapolis, MN
55404, (612)870-3600, fax
(612)870-3663.
Gay Religious
Leadership
Meeting
NOVEMBER 9-12, The Lesbian, Gay
and Affirming National Leadership
Meeting is an opportunity for national
officers from all of the lesbian and
gay caucuses and the affirming congregation
programs to share ideas.
The Sheraton Inner Harbor in Baltimore
is the setting. The meeting is
held in conjunction with the National
Council of Churches' General Board
Meeting. For information contact
Rev. Kit Cherry, (213)464-5100.
Creating
Change 1993
NOVEMBER 12-14, The National
Gay and Lesbian Task Force has
announced that keynote speakers for
its sixth annual Creating Change
conference, to be held in Durham,
N .C., will be Mab Segrest, Dr.
Franklin Kameny and Dr. Marjorie J.
Hill . For information on this ·
conference contact NGLTF, 1734·14th
St., NW, Washington, DC 20009,
(202)332-6483.
Second Slone-September/October, 1993 [iz]
T Noteworthy T . . ·• ........... .
UFMCC elects three people
of color to top leadership
t.THE UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP of
Metropolitan Community Churches
has elected three people of color to its
Board of Elders, its highest governing
board . Rev. Darlene Gamer (If Falls
Church, Va., Rev. Hong Tan of
London, England, and· Mr. Larry
Rodriguez of Los Angeles were ele.cted
to the seven -member Board of
Second Stone will run your 30
word classified ad in our next
3 issues for the price of 1 !
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classifieds reach readers in eve,y state and
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must be pre-paid. 20 word minimum. Each
additional word, 35¢.
Ads may be faxed to (504)891-7555.
Ads billed must be paid prior to publication.
For help call (504)899-4014.
No sexually explicit ads.
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Coming Out
means telling the truth
about our lives ...
a family value
we can live with.
~ -· Please give generously to the most
effective campaign
our community will ever wage.
NATIONAL COMING OUT DAYOCTOBER
11
PO Box 8270, SANTA FE, NM 87504-8270
505-982-2558
Your contn1>ullon Is tax-deductible
................................... . -· ................. .
Elders July 23 in Phoenix, Ariz., at
the UFMCC's General Conference
which .nearly 1,200 people attended .
Rev. Tan is the first elder of Asian
descent and Rev. Garner is the first
elder of African heritage. Their election
marks the first lime in the
· 25-year history of the fellowship that
all the elders elected were people of
color. "We're going to have a
denomination that looks like the
world," said Rev. Tro¥ Perry,
UFMCC founder and moderator.
''This election reflects UFMCC's continuing
commitment to fight racism
and create a global church to serve
Lesbians, gay men and their supporters
around the world."
Disciples of Christ regional
body passes gayaffirming
resolution
. t.THE 139TH ANNUAL Meeting of
the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ) of Northern California-Nevada
held at Asilomar endorsed by more
than a two. thirds majority of the
voting delegates a resolution which
affirms and welcomes lesbian women
and gay men fully into the church
and church leadership . Much of the
leadership in persuading the regional
church to take s.uch a stand came from
First Christian Church of San Jose.
"Four years ago, this congregation
called me to be its minister with the
For your convenience
you may now FAX:
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SERVICES
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clear understanding that I am an
openly gay man," said Richard
Miller. A year ago, at the 1992
assembly for the region, a similar
resolution was tabled in favor of an
alternative motion calling for a delay
in the vote and the appointment of an
ad hoc committee to promote study
and dialogue on sexuality.
Rev. Shawver heads new
AIDS agency
£\REV. RENNE SHA WYER, former
Associate Pastor of King of Peace
MCC in St. Petersburg, Fla., has been
named to head a new Pinellas County
AIDS program, Metropolitan Charities
AIDS Services. The goal of the
program is to create a safe, positive
environment for people who are
living with AIDS.
Rev. Ken Coulter dies
£\FUNERAL SERVICES for Rev. Ken
Coulter of Dallas were held May 16th.
Rev. Coulter was founder of Grace
Fellowship in Dallas and New
Orlea_ns. He pastored the Dallas
church for the past nine years.
Rev. Jerry Felix Russell passes
t.REV . JERRY FELIX RUSSELL,
founder of Shammah Christian
Fellowship in Chicago, died on May
22nd. Rev. · Russell worked with
Sylvia Pennington during her
ministry and was active in Advance
Christian Ministries.
MCC's Rev. Larry Dunlap dies
LI.REV. LAWRENCE CHARLES DUNLAP,
Minister of Music at River City
MCC in Sacramento, passed away on
July 7 after a lengthy battle with
complications with AIDS. He was the
former Senior Pastor of Emmanuel
MCC in Spokane, Wa., and had been
actively involved in a number of
UFMCC congregations around the
Los Angeles area. He was born
March 26, 1955 in Wallace, Indiana.
Lesbian Christians
plan gathering
t.A COMMITTEE has recently been
formed consisting of lesbian Christians
from across the United States to
plan for a National Congress for Lesbian
Christians in -1995 to be held on
Bulk Copies Available
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
OF THIS ISSUE OF SECOND STONE
For church /group distribution , conferences, bar ministry, etc .
10 copies· $13.50 • 25 copies· $29.50 • 50 copies· $45.00
100 copies • $67 .50 includes postage and handling
Limited quantity of back issues available FREE;
add $5.00 postage for every 50 copies.
Send-your pre-paid order to Second Stone,
P.O. Box 8340. ·New Orleans, LA 70182
the West Coast. A survey for those
interested in planning, participating,
and attending is now being conducted.
For information contact the
National Congress for Lesbian Christians
Planning Committee, P.O. Box
814, Capitola, CA 95010 or call
1-800-861-NCLC between 6:30 p.m.
and 9:30 p .m., Pacific time;
Computerized AIDS Ministries
Network up and running
t.CAM, THE COMPUTERIZED AIDS
Ministrie; Resource Network' is now
available. It is designed to provide a
medium through which proless10nals
may obtain current information and
resources to assist in ministering to
persons impacted by HIV. CAM also
provides services that will help those
engaged in HIV/ AIDS ministries to
interact with one another . The CAM
Network is a project of the Health and
. Welfare Ministries Program Department
of the General Board of Global
Ministries of the United Methodist
Church. Callers can access CAM
through a personal computer by
dialing 1-800-542-5921, which is toll
free. The computer must have a
modem, a telephone line for the
modem, and communications software.
A "CAM User Packet," which
includes a manual and a diskette with
the communications program,
CILINK, may be requested by calling
(212)870-3909.
All God's Children.
plans video ministry
.!'.ALL GOD'S CHILDREN MCC in
Minneapolis . has recently started a
video ministry in which they are
taping key worship services, seminars
and other special events . The
church is seeking producers who are
certified on public access equipment
to help with at least one program per
year. For information call (612)
824-2673.
Lesbian and gay parents
meet in Orlando
iiMORE THAN 340 lesbian and gay
parents and their children gathered
,. in Orlando, Florida over the July 4th
weekend for the Gay and Lesbian
Parents Coalition Intemational's 14th
annual conference. ·Founded in 1980
as a coalition of gay fathers support
groups and redefined as a lesbian
and gay parenting organization in
1986, this year GLPCI achieved the
goal of equal participation by men
and women. ·
Teenagers _ and older children
attending put on their own conference
and by the end of the weekend, the
65 young people present had
officially changed their organization's
name from "Just For Us" to "Children
of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere"
(COLAGE). One particularly wellreceived
workshop · was a panel
SEE NOTEWORTHY, Page 20
[ 1s·: Second Stone-September/October, 1993
Resource Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...............
Listings in the Resource Guide are free to
churches, organizalions, publications and
community services. Send information lo
Second Stone, Box 8340, New Orleans, LA
70182 or FAX lo (504)891-7555.
National
EVANGELICALS CONCERNED, c/o Dr. Ralph Blair, 311 East
72nd St., New York, NY 10021. (212)517-3171. Publications:
Review and Record.
CONFERENCE FOR CATHOLIC LESBIANS, P.O. Bo, 436
PfanelariumS\n., New Yor~ NY 10024. (607)432-9295.
RELIGION WATCH, P.O. Box 652, North Bellmore, NY 11710. A
LUT~E~Ai:s~~c~~N~ iNoRiH1-ME~c~'.9
~, 10461,
Fort Dearborn Slafion, Chica90, IL 60610-0461. PtiJication:
The Concord
PRESBYTERIANS FOR LESBIAN & GAY CONCERNS, P.O. Box
38, New Brunsl',ick, NJ 08903-0038. Publicalion: More Ugh!
~~~~SAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPCLITAN COMMUNITY
CHURCHES 5300 Sanla Monica Blvd, #304, Los Angeles, CA
WrHW~~f~E~~~~i~~~ter~ 'l'li::N AND GAY
CONCERNS, BOK 65724, Washingon, DC 20035. Pu~icalion:
8~11
f ~~e CHURCH COALITION FOR LESBIAN / GAY
CONCERNS, 18 N. College, Athens, OH 45701, (614) 593-7301.
Publication: Waves
SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS KINSHIP INTERNATIONAL, Bo,
3840, Los Angeles, CA 90078, (213)876-2076. Publicafion:
Connection
RECONCILING CONGREGATION PROGRAM, P.O. Box 23636,
Washington, DC 20026, [202)863-1586. Publicalion: Open
Hands
Box 7331, L.olis\iDe, KY l{J257. (502)893-0783. ,
FEDERATION OF PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF LESBIANS
AND GAYS, INC. P.O. Box 27605, Wlshirgon, DC20038. Send
$3.00 lor packel ol informafion.
NATIONAL GAY PENTECOSTAL ALLIANCE (also Pentecoslal
Bible fnsfilufe [M°inisferiaf frainingl) P.O. Box 1391,
Scheneclaclj, NY 12301-1391. (518)372-6001. Ptblicalion: The
Aposlolic Voice.
DIGNITY/USA, 1500 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Ste. 11,
Washington, DC 20005. (800)877-8797. Gay and lesbian
Catholics and their friends.
MORE LIGHT CHURCHES NET\\ORK, 600 W. Fullerton Pkwy.,
Chica90, IL 60614-2690, (312)338-0452. Resource packel, $12.
Publicafion: More Ugh! Churches Ne!v.ork Newsleller
METHODIST FEDE AA TION FOR SOCIAL ACTION, a
PsT¾~tf~r~1~11~~1l~~~)~j3_~}sI_kpJ;~/~~~~:ia!ti~~
Bullelin.
Alabama
BIRMINGHAM • THE ALABAMA FORUM, P.O. Bo, 55894,
35255-5894. (2(!;)328-9228.
Arizona
TLCSON • Corne,sfone Fellov.ship, 2902 N. Geronimo, 85705.
(&>2)622-4626. Rad:l Schaff, Pastor.
MESA • Boundless Love Community Church, 431 S. Slapley
Dr., 85204. (602)439-0224. P,J. Fousek-Gregan, pastor. Sunday,
10roam
TUCSON • Casa De La Paloma Arx,stolic Church, 1122 N.
Jones Blvd, P.O. Box 14003, 85732-4003. (602)323-6855. Rev.
Margaret ."Sano( Lewis, pastor.
California
INTEGAITY,.INC., P.O. Box 19561, Waslirglon, DC20036-0561, SAN LUIS OBISPO - MCC of !he Cenlral Coasl, P.O. Box 1117,
[718) 720-3054. Pu!>icafion: The Voice of I nle(Tity . Grover City, 93483-1117, (805)481-9376. Surday, 10:30 a.m. Rev.
ECUMENICAL CATHOLIC CHURCH, P.O. Box 32, Villa Grande, Randi A Lesler, Paslor.
CA 95486-0032. Holy Spirt Church, Easl Moline, IL, SACRAMENTO • Koinonia Chrislian Fellowship, P.O. Box
(309)792-6188. SI. Michael's Church, Russian River, CA, (707) 189444, 95818. (916)452-5736. Tom Rossi, Pa~or. ·
865-0119. Publicafion: The Tablet SACRAMENTO. THE LATEST ISSl1:, P.O. Box 160584, 95816.
LIVING STREAMS, P.O. Box 178, Concord, CA 94522-0178. (916)737-1088.
~o"s0
~1/icf~t~fgRFAITH NETWORK, 300 I SL, NE, Sle. m=~~~Olta~~~i~t1i':~t~~ss1T%t:~oo~~ i~/:oos.;,t,
~1::ftA'.1~~r~i;~· (800)288-9619, FAX (202)546-5103. (213)656-8570. PtiJication: ET New;
NATIONAL CENTER FOR LESBIAN RIGHTS • 1663 Mission SI, ~~[i~1iifg56~t~~a;~9c~%~~!e~I
6
Vallejo SL' 1125•
~1~1
~Jtn&'~~t~
0p~~~i)r°3
coAUTION, PO Box 50360, :~i::~!ii\~?n?.: PG~y ~~d 4~Wci~~~~1°'i~~l5)~;~~8g'
WashinQion, DC 20091. PtiJicalion: Nelwork Publication: Our Slories.
THE \M1NESS, Published l>f ihe Episcopal Church Pu!>ishing SAN FRANCISCO • The Parsonage, 555-A Caslro SI.,
Co., 1249 Washington Blvd, Sle. 3115, Delrrnf, Ml 48226-1868. 94114-0293. Publication: T~ parsonage New;_.
(313)962-2350 .CONCORD. Free Ca\hclic Aposfola1e ol lhe Redeemer, 1440
INTEANA TIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN ARCHIVES, The Nalalie Delroil Ave, #3, 94520. (510)798'5281.
CBaArney Edwa_ (21r3d)8ca54'!"'02n711e_r~~~:!0Bul. tfn 38100, Hof~ SAN FRANCISCO • DIGNITY, 208 Dolores SI., , 94103.
90038 (415)255-9244. PL.i>icafion: Bridges.
COUPLES Nev.sletter, Published l>f TWT Press, Inc., P.O. Box GLENDALE. Divine Redeemer MCC, 346 Riverdale Dr., 91204.
253, Braintree, MA02184-0003. Sunday, 10:45 a.m., Wed, Fri., 7:30 p.m. Rev. Stan Harris,
WOODSWOMEN • Adventure travel for women, 25 W. pastor. Publication: From Mary's Shrine.
Diamond Lake Rd., Minnearx,lis, MN 55419, (800)279-0555, APPLE VALLEY. Light of the Desert Church, Inc., P.O. Box 247,
~lB~~ltF<
5
J~~;/5~\he magazine for Christian 92307. (619)247-2572. Sunday, 6:30 p.m. Non-denominational
Ferrunisls, 3801 No. Keeler, Chica90, IL 60641, (312)736-3399. Chrislian church.
CHI AHO PRESS. A special mrk of !he UFMCC Mid-Atlantic SAN JOSE· Hosanna Church of Praise, 24 No. 51h SI., 95112.
Dislricl. Publisher of religious books and maferials. P.O. Box Publication: Celebraling His Life; Sharing His Love
7864 G lhersbur MD20898 (301)670-1859 OAKLAND. · Fr..-Calhclic Aposlolale of the Redeemer, 3649
COMM~ICATl~N MINISTRY, INC.-Diaiogue and suw,rt MaybelleAve.,8,94619(510)530-7055
griiup for gey and lesbian Calhclic clergy and religious. P.O. · RIVERSIDE-Community of Chris! 1he Life Giver, P.O. Box
Box 60125, Chica90, IL 60660-0125. Pubhcal,on: Commurnca-51158,92517(9ll)781-7391
~MEN'S ALLIANCE FOR THEOLOGY, ETHICS ANO RITUAL, BLYTHE - Gods Garden Growth Genier, 283 N. Solano
8035 13th SI., Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301)589-2509, FAX (619)922•0947-Bro. M~hael W. Tucker, pasfor. ·
(301)589-3150. Ptblicalion: WATEAv.!leel. SAN JOSE , Fi,sl Chrislian Church, 80 Soulh 51h SI., 95112.
INTERNATIONAL FREE CATHOLIC COMMUNION, P.O. Box (408)294-2944. Aic!-.rdK. Miller, minister.
51158, Awe,side, CA 92517-2158 (909)781-7391 Pwlicafion: The COSTA MESA. Evangelicals Concerned SoUlh Coasl, P.O.
-Free Catholic Communicant · . Bo, 4308, 92628-4308 (714)222-4933. Bible sluc!f, fellowship·
INDEPENDENT CHURCH OF RELIGIOUS SCIENCE, 4102 Easl meetings, prayer grol.1'6, social aclMlies.
D~1~eres~'.&~Ncg. ~~l~fmn-m~TISTS '- Box P:s~~D cf:~1
~;,P.~n~~~ni~m1r:sch ~~ay J~
2171, 256 So. Robertson Blvd., Beverty Hills, CA 90213. Schexnayder, (510)834-5657, exl. 3114.
f~~j~~~fciN : Gax & Lesbian Morm_ons, P.O. Box 46022, Los SAN JOSE • Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples, c/o Firs!
Angales, CA90046. (2l3)255.7251. Christ~n Church, 80 So. 51h St, 95112. (l{J6)294-2944. First Sun
AF Fl AMA TION,IJniled Melhodsls for Gay & Lesbian Concerns, Also GLAD Northern Gali!., Third Sun., 4:00 p.m., Univ. Christian
P.O. Box 1022, Evansfo~ IL 8:)204. Church, Berkeley.
ST. TABITHA'S AIDS AP OS TOLA TE, Chrislian AIDS Ne!v.ork of
the Merican OrthoOOx Calholic Church of St. Greg:,rios, P.O.
Box 1543, Morterey, CA93Sl{J. (l{J6)899-0731.
THE i\OMEf\lS PROJECT, 2224 Main SI., Little Rock, AA 72206.
(501)372-5113. v\obrkshops on women's issues, social justice,
racism and homophobia. . . .
EMERGENCE International: A Community of Chnsllan
Scientists S~rting lesbians and Gay Men. P.O. Box 9161,
San Rafael, CA94912-9161. (415)485-1881. Ptblicalion: Emerg:,I
GAYELLOWPAGES • P.O. Box 292, Villag:, Sin., NewYor~ NY
10014. (212)674-0120.
WOMEN'S ORDINATION CONFERENCE, P.O. Box 2693,
Fairlax, VA 22031-0693. (703)352-1006.
GAY LESBIAN AND AFFIRMING DISCIPLES ALLIANCE, P.O.
Box 19223, fndanapofis, IN 46219-0223._ (319)324-6231. _For
members ot lhe Christian Church (D,sciples of Chnsl).
Publication: Crossbeams.
NEW DIRECTION Magazine for gay/lesbian Mormons, 6520
Selma Ave., Sle. AS-440, Los Angeles, CA 90028.
~~)4~~•· Box 83912, Los Angeles, CA 90083-0912.
NEW WAYS MINISTRY, 4012 29th SI., Ml. Rainier, MD 20712, f;~a2
~
7
-
56
{c!n:u~ay~~:_t{:"~o~~~~\~1lc· ~~,~h~ 1h8
HONESf'{ Sotnhe;n tplisf Aclrocales for E<11al Aighls, P.O.
Colorado
DENVER· Evangelicals Reconciled, P.O. Box 200111, 80220,
(303)331-2839. Coloracb tlJrings: (719)488-3158.
DENVER - Evangeli~als Concerned/ Western Aegioil, P.O.
Box 4750, 80204. Mication : Tli:Cable. · -
Connecticut
HARTFORD· MCC, P.O. Box 514, O&J16, (203)724-4605. Sl.11day,
7:00 p.m. The Meeting House, 50 Bloomfield Ave.
District of Columbia
lnteg:ity/Washington, Inc., P.O. Box 19561, 20036-0561.
(301 )953-9421. Ptblicalion: Gayspring. ·
ALEXANDRIA, VA. • St. Cynl's Eastern Christian Fellowship,
~~t~~h:m~~: N301, 22303, (703)329-7896. A Byzantine
WASHINGTON - MCC/DC, 474 Ridge SI., NW, 20001
(202)638-7373. Rev. Larry J. Uhrig, paslor. \\llness Praise
Ministries Musical Evange\,s\ic T earn, Dale Jarrell, D1reclor.
Florida
CLEARWATER • Free Calhcfic Church of the Resurrection, 303.
N Myrtle Ave., 34615. (813)44i3867.
WEST PALM BEACH • MCC, 3500 45th SI., #2A, 33409.
(407)687-3943. Sunday, 9:15 & 11:00 a.m. SelVices also in Fl.
Pierce, (407)687-3943 and Pl. SI. Lucie, (407)340-0421.
FOAT MYERS • SI. John the Aposl\e MCC, 2209 Unity al !he
corner of BroaclNay. (813)278-5181. Suooay, 10:00 a.m., 7:00
p.m. Rev. James Lynch. ·
~Ji1~~J~7;:~:~1- ::l~'. fa•:: ~~&i ~1!0
A
5it ~~eFre~
C. \Mlliams. Sr., pastor.
CLEARWATER . Free Calholic Church of the Aesurfection,
P.O. Box 3454, 34615 (813)442-3867
JACKSONVILLE • SI. Luke's MCC, 126 Easl 7th SI., 32206
· (904)358-6747. Sundly, 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 7 p:m. Rev. Franky• A.
\Mile, pasfor.
KEY VIEST • MCC, 1215 Pelroria St., 33040. (305)294-8912. Sun ..
9:30 a.m., 11:00a.m Aev. Sleven M. Torrence, paslor.
Georgia
ATLANTA • SOUTHERN VOICE, P.O. Box 18215, 30316.
(404)878-1819.
ATLANTA· Alf Saints Metropolitan Communily Church, P.O.
Box 13968, 30324. (404)622-115,1
Hawaii
KAHULUI • 80TH SIDES 1¥:JW Newsleller, P.O. Box 5042,
007:l2.
Illinois
CHICAGO· OUTLINES, Published by Lambda Pibficalions,
3059 N. Solitpcxl, 60657. (312)871-7610. FAX (312)871-7609.
U)uisiana
BATONAOUJE-Dig,ily, P.O. Box 4181, 70821. (504)383-&llO.
NEW ORLEANS - Jusf For The Record, gaynesbian cable TV.
Box 3768, 70m.
NEWOALEANS-Vieux Carre Mee, 1128 SI. Roel, 70117-7716,
(504)945-5390. Sunday, 10:00 a.m.
Maryland
THE BALTIMORE ALTEANA TIVE, P.O. Box 2351, Ballirrore, MD
21200. (301)=1. FAX(301)889-!xi65.
Massachusetts
CHERRY VALLEY· Morning Siar MCC, 231 Main SI., 01611.
(508) 892-4320. Pibficalion: Morning Siar \\llness.
SHREWSBURY • Aposlolic Church in Christ, P.O. Box 4258,
Turrpke Sin, 01545 (508)752-0453. Rev. Mart< DeBrizzi, paslor.
Michigan
DETROIT. CRUISE Magazine, 19136 _,d North, 48203.
(313)369-1901.
FUNT • Redeemer MCC, 1665 N. Chevrolef Ave., 48504-3164.
w~~l~:~~:~~~~r, t:~;:r.Rev Linda J. SI oner, Pasfor.
ANN ARBOR • Huron Valley Community Church meels at
~fi/i~l~~¥ 4u~~~~1J;:n Ad, Ann Arbor, 48105-2896.
DETROIT • frtegily, 980 \Milmore, #205, 48203.
GRAND RAPIDS· Belhef Chris\ian Assent>fy, 920 Cherry SE,
P.O. Box 6935, 49516. (616)459-8262. Rev. Bruce Aoller-Plelcher,
pastor. Plblication: Bethel Beacon. Television: Channel 23, tsr 15-~~ /Lansing· Ecclesia. Affirming church meefs al
People's Church, 200 W. Grand River. Sundly, 8:15 p.m.
ANN ARBOR • Tree of Life MCC, meels al Firs!
Con(Tegalional Church, 218 N. Adems, Ypsilanti. P.O. Box
2598, 48106. (313)665-6163. &may, 6:00p.m
CETR"OIT • Men of Color Mofivafional Grol.!) meets Tuesdays
al 7:00 p.m. al SI. Mallhew's and SI. Joseph's Episcopal
ChLXch, 8850 W:xx!.Yard (313)871-4750.
Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS· EQUAL TIME, 310 E 38th SI., Room 207, 55409.
(612) 823-3836. Ptblishedby l.averdar, Inc.
MINNEAPOLIS· All Gods Children Melropolilan Community
Church, 3100 Park Ave. S. (612)824-2673. Pu~ication: The
Disciple.
Mississ ippi
JACKSON • SI. Slephen's Uniled Community Church, 4872 N.
~iK~ot~i.i~rllrJ~~?~:id:e'.
1
~
71
:~. 7737,
:>Il'2fl4-7737, (001)373-8610.
JACKSON· Phoenix Coalifion, Inc., P.O. Box 7737, 39284-7737.
Coonselirg selVices. (601)373-8611l'(&l1)939-7181.
New Jersey ~iiiJ°i~ ;J~asis, 707 Washingon SI, P.O. Box 5149,
SUSSEX • The Loving Brolherhood, P.O. Box 556, 07461.
(201)875-4710.
New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE • MCC, 2402 San Maleo Pf. NE, 87110.
(505)881-ooaa
SANTA FE • THE GATSBY CONNECTION, 551 W. Cordova,
Sle. □.I:. 87501. (505)986-1794.
New York
NEW YORK· lnlegily, P.O. Box 5202, 10185-0043. Ptblication:
Oullook.
ROCHESTER • THE EMPTY CLOSET, 179 Allanlic Ave.,
14607-1255. New York Slate's oldesl gay newspaper.
ALBANY • Community of SI. John, Cnnslian Orthodox Churc~
P.O. Box 9073, 12209. (518)346-0207. Father Herman, CSJn,
Guardian. PtiJlicalion: Metanoia.
NEW YORK • AXIOS, Easlern and Orihcdox Chrislians, P.O.
Box 756, Village Sin., 10014. Second Friday, 8:00 p.m.,
Communitv Center, 208 West 13th St.
SCHENECTADY - Ug,lhQuse Aposlofic Church. 38 Col_umi,;a
SI., P.O. Box 1391, 12301-1391. (518)372-6001. Rev. 1'1111,am H.
Garey, pastor.
LONG ISLAND/NEW YORK - ln\ernalional Free Calholic
Churcll'Good Shepherd Church, P.O. Box 436, Cenlral Islip,
11722, (516)723-0348. Rev. Msg. AooertJ. Alfmen, paslor.
LONG ISLAND· Long Island Assn !or AIDS Gare. Inc.,-P.O. Box
2859, tt.mlirgon Sin., 11746. (516)385-AIDS.
PLA TTSBUAGH • Si. Ma,Ys Ecumenical Calholic Church, P.O
Box 159, Chazy, 12921. (518)566-7745. Rev. Fr. Mic!-.~ Frost.
North Carolina
CHARLOTTE· Melro!na Sv.iicltxlard, (704)535-6277. P.O. Box
11144,al220.
'MLMINGTON • SI. Jude's MCC, 507 Casile St. Sunday, 6 p.m
& 7 p.m. Wed (104'.). Kalhi Beall and Bud'.!/ Vess, min,slers.
\l\1LMINGTON • GROW Community Service Corporafio~ P.O.
Box 4535, 28406. (919)675-9222. YotAh outreach: ALI\,£ for rf'/,
lesbian, bisexual youtli.
RALEIGH • Raleigh Religious Nelmrk for Gay and Lesbian
EQJally, P.O. Box 5961, 27650-5961. (919)781-2525 .
WNSTON-SALEM • Piedmont Aeligous Netll<lrk for Gay and
Lesban EQJalily, P.O. Box 15104, 21113-0104. (919)766-950.1.
GREENSBORO - SI. Mary's MCC mee!s a! Unilarian Church
3001 Monlery Dr., Sun., 4:00 p.m., 700 p.m.; Mon., 8:00 p.m.;
Wed, 7;30 p.m. Rev. Chrisline Oscar, pasfor. (919)272-1606.
DURHAM • Dignify/Triangle, P.O. Box 51129, 27717
(919)493-8269. Gay, fesbian and bise,ual Galhclics, friends.
Ohio
DAYTON • Communily Gospel Church, P.O. Box 1634, 45401
(513)252-8855. Penfecosfaf, charismafic meets Surday, 10:00
a.m. 546 Xenia Ave. Samuel t<ader, Pastor.
COLUMBUS • Melropolilan Community Church, 1253 North
High Slreel, 43201. (614)294-3026. Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
Publicafion: The Beacon Nev.s.
COLUMBUS· STONEWALL UNION REPORTS, Box 10814,
43201-7814. (614)299-7764.
Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY - Holy Trinily Ecumenical Caiholic Church,
232~ N. MacArthur, P.O. Box 25425, 73125, (405)942-2604. Fr.
Marty Martin, paslor.
Oregon
PORTLAND • American Friends Service Committee Gay and
Lesbian Pro11am, 2249 E. Burnside, 97214, (503)230-9427.
Conlact Dan.
Pennsy lvania
ALLENTOWN • Grace Covenant Fellowship, 247 N. 101h SI.,
18102. (215)740-0247. Bryon Ao\\e, Pastor. Them Ritter,
Minister of Music.
South Carolina
COLUMBIA-Lulherans Concerned, P.O. Box 8828, 29202-8828.
(803)791-1099. Third Friday, 728 Pickens SI., use: PtiJication:
The lrll)l'imatur. .
Tennessee
NASHVILLE· Dayspring Fellowship, 120-8 So. 111h SI., Box
68073, 37206. (615)227-1448, Pwlical~n: Son S11ine.
.NASHVILLE • lnlegify of Mi(jjle Tennessee, Inc., P.O. Box
121172 37212-1172 (615)383-66'.JB. N:Mslelter. .
Texas
DALIAS • Vlllile Rock Community Church, P.O. Box 180063,.
75218. (214)285-2831, (214)327-9157:Sunday, 10:30 a.m Jerry
Cook, Pastor.
~~:.i~~1~~: P.O. Box 190351, 75219-0351. (214)520-0912
AUSTIN • Joan wakeford Ministries, Inc., 9401-8 Grouse
MeaooNln., 78758-6348, (512)835-7354
DALLAS • Silent Harvesf Ministries, P.O. Bo, 190511,
7521~11. (2t4)$0055.
MIDLAND • Holy Trinily Communily Church, 1607 S. Main,
79701. (915)570-4822. Rev. Glenn E. Hammell, Pasfor.
Publicalion:Trinity Tribune ·
DALLAS • Holy Trinity Community Church, 4402 Roseland,
75204. (214)827-5088. Rev. F'rederick Wrighl, Pasfor.
Publication: The C!-.rtot
~:;l~Nri13iT~~t ~in'£"~, ~~~8~.~-"bh~is 'tl~e:,
1
Pastor.
HOUSTON • Houston Mission Church, 1633 Marshall, 77006.
~0~~6~~ a~~Me!~~tfo~~~i ~a~~~alur, 77007.
(713)861-9149. Rev. John Gill, Pastor. Plblication: The Good
New.; 1i?~faiz°1:~~~~~tl,';; IH, PO Box 66821, 77266.
HOUSTON - Kingdom Communily Church, 614 E. 191h SI.,
77008. (713)862-7533(713)748-6251. Scrday, 11ro am.
SEE RESOURCE GUIDE, Page 20
Second Ston.,.September/October, 1993. ~
Classifieds ............................. ......................... . ............. .
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CHI RHO PRESS. Send for your copy of
The Bible and Homosexuality by Rev.
Michael England for $5.95 or I'm Still
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Steve Pieters for $8.95 and receive a free
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I ----------------- - -------------------- - ----------------------' GAY ·USED BOOKS wanted. Please share
your read books. Thanks. Tom, I 116 Marble
NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102.
PASTOR WANTED - Small flock seeks
pastor, leader, preacher. We are Bible-based,
Christ-centered, and believe the Christian
walk must not be compromised. Letter and
resume ·to: Freedom in Christ Evangelical
Church, Box 14462, San Francisco, CA
94114. l 2 193
PASTOR NEEDED for evangelical Christian
c0ngregation primari ly of African American
gay men and lesbians. Ideal candidate has
minimum three years pastor or associate
pasto r . experience, a B:A., preferably in
religious studies or from seininary, and
experience in lesbian/gay/bisexual/transsexual
ministry . Send resume, cover letter,
references to Faith Temple, P.O. Box 28494,
Washington, DC 20038-8494. 12/93
REMEMBER THAT MARDI GRAS visit that
made you want to stay? Second Stone seeks
Editorial Assistant with good interviewing
and writing skills to work with us here in
New Orleans. 5-10 hours per week means
you can attend school or work full time in
the Big Easy. Salary/housing deal. A strm,g
commitm ent to Second Stone and the readership
we serve is essential. For information
write to Second Stone, P.O. B'ox 8340, New
Orleans, LA 70182.
A SMALL NON-DENOMINATIONAL com-·
munity ·church in beautiful East Texas is is
need of a pastor to lead its congregation. The
church's primary ministry is to people of
alternate life styles. The candidate must be of
high moral character, professionally trained,
and ordained. For r urther infonnation please
send letter of inquiry to Saint Gabriel
Community Church; 13904 CR 193; Tyler,
TX 75703 or call (903)581-6923. 2/94.
iji= ri ends/Rel at io n·s h-i p-s -.
EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN GWM, 41,
·seeks friends to share faith and fun; perhaps
relationship. Please write so we can begin our
friendship. Thanks!' P.O. Bo< 68005,
Rochester . NY 1461 R 2/94
GAY PEN PALS sought by gay Christian
white male, 5'8", 180 lbs., into rail travel,
correspondence, gardening. elc. No inmates,
bi's or sympathizers, just Gays of any age.
Write to WHB, Box 251. Wilmington, DE.
I 9899-0251. 12/93
r201 Second StoneeSeptember /October , 1993
Ii - .
CHRISTIAN GWM, 42, would like to
correspond (11pen pal," as it were) with
Christian gay and lesbian contemporaries (40
to 55). James R. Bates, 28E. 16 St., #301,
Indianapolis, IN 46202 2194
GWM, 42, 6 ft., 150-lbs ., good looking,
intelligent, into camping, massages, pillow
fights, basic wrestling, history and other
good things. Looking to start a relationship
with. a straight appearing guy, in shape
physically, 19 -38, 5'7" to 6'8", 130 - 195
lbs. and AIDS free. You must be willing to
move to Southeast Kansas to live and work.
The right guy will be rewarded. Interested? If
you've been looking for just the right guy to
meet and start a solid, honest relationship
with then send your photo along with a letter
about yourself to Gary Rine, 508 South
Ninth, Indep endence, KS 67301-4207
12/93
IF YOU-HAVE READ "The Aquarian Gospel
of Jesus the Christ 11 by Levi, I am interested
in corresponding and discussing. \V. Courson,
P.O. Box 1974, Bloomfield, NJ 07003.
MESSIAH COLLEGE ALUMNI (Grantham,
PA) are you interested in forming a lesbi a n/
gay alumni group? If so please call Susan
Bailey, 703-820-0483; Julia Lowery, 717-
697-8347.
CREMATION URNS: Introducing the
Lambda Pride Um . Celebrate Life with an
um that reflects personality and style. Call
for free brochure. Lifestyle Urns
1-800-685-URNS. 8195.
,Q,r g_a,n,i-z.a~f1 o,n,s . . - .. ~"".'J
. -
THE LOVING BROTHERHOOD has served
the spiritual gay community since 1977. We
do care! TLB, P.O. Box 556ST, Sussex, NJ
07461. 2/94. .
Vid -eos · '
"MAYBE WE'RE TALKING About a
. Different God" A half-hour video docu
·mentary on Rev. Jane Spahr, and her call to
the Downtown Church in Rochester, protested
and brought to trial. Shows how
confusion and fear can be transformed into
understanding and compassion. VHS tape
and discussion guide. Send $32.35 to
Leonardo's Children, Inc., 26 Newport
Bridge Rd., Warwick, NY !0990. 12/93
RESOURCE GUIDE,
From Page 19
LUBBOCK · Lesbian/Gay Alliar<:e, Inc., P.O. Box 64746,
79464-47 46. (805)791-4499. Pt.tfoalion: larrbdl Times:
Vermont
ESSEX JCT • Resurrection Apostolic Ministries, P.O. Box 162,
05452. Sr. Michelle M. Thomas, pastor.
Virginia .
ROANOKE· MCC o_t the Blue Ri<\:je, P.O. Box 20495, 24018,
(703)366·0839. PL.tJtcat,on: The Blue Ri~ Banner
ROANOKE · BLUE RIDGE LAMBDA PAESS, P.O. Box 237,
24002, {700)8m,3t84.
FALLS CHURCH · MCC of Northern Virginia, 7245 Lee
Hg,way, 22046.
.FALLS CHURCH· Affirmation Gay & Lesbian Mormons, P.O.
Box 19334, 2232().9334, (202)828,3096
FALLS CHURCH · Telos Ministries, P.O. Box 3390, 22043.
(703)560-2680. Baptislgotp.
Washington
SEATTLE GAY NE'Ml, 704 E. Pike, 98122. (206)324-4297. FAX
(200)322-7188.
SEATTLE· Grace Gospel Chapel, 2052 NW 64th St., 98107.
(200)784-8495. Surday, 1100 a m. & 7:00 p.m., Wecllesday, 7:30
~l~i-i~o ~a~~:;t~r 505 McMmay, 99352 (509)943-3927. ·
Open and afllrming congregalion.
TACOMA · Hillside Community Church, 2508 South 39th SI.,
98«19. (200)475-2388.
West Virginia
M0RGANTO'M<I · Freedom Fell01',Ship Church, P.O. Box 1552,
26505 (304)292-TT84. Ja~ce Mam, IW!Ship coord
International ,
LONDON - Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, OXlord
House, Dert:r)'shire St., Lonoon E2 6HG, U<, 071-739·1249.
~=~ ~,:;!'~~~s;M~n AIDS, c/o #201, 11456 Jasper Ave
NOTEWORTHY, From Page 18
discussion by Florida high school
students from straight families on
their views of Lesbians and gay men.
Next year's conference will be held
in New York City as part of t'1e
Stone';Vall 25 festivities on Friday and
Saturday, June 24th and 25th. More
information about the 1994 conference,
themed "Family Values," is
available by writing to GLPCI '94,
P.O. Box 2553, Church St . Stn., New
York, NY 10008-2553.
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