42 20 2500 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Us_9HQhu6r8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Favorite Experience at Second Stone Subject The topic of the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Jim Bailey talks about his favorite experience while working on Second Stone. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Second Stone Interviews Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vAC7KTvlnW8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The End of Second Stone Subject The topic of the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Jim Bailey talks about the end of Second Stone. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Second Stone Interviews Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pijJ0oJnsNY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Community Response Subject The topic of the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Jim Bailey discusses the communities response of Second Stone. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Second Stone Interviews Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5eyAmwpR8Iw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource What Were the Early Years Like? Subject The topic of the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Jim Bailey discusses the early years of Second Stone. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Second Stone Interviews Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BPaJFRR-SdE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource What Were Your Hopes for Second Stone? Description An account of the resource Jim Bailey talks about his hopes for Second Stone when it started. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Second Stone Interviews Subject The topic of the resource Second Stone Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OE9xKPmjne8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Introduction to Second Stone Description An account of the resource Jim Bailey talks about the genesis for Second Stone and why he started the publication. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Second Stone Interviews Subject The topic of the resource Second Stone https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/7178f39ac087b9efb88aff75fafd0fa5.jpg 2d5b472a3639403d9df778f97327e58a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Newsstand Publication Announcement Description An account of the resource Announcement of Newsstand Publication, January 2nd, 1995. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Media Organisations/Publishers Part 5, Correspondence, 1993-96. 1992-1996. MS Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement: Other Organisations HCA/LGCM/7/43/f1. London School of Economics Library, Hall-Carpenter Archives. Archives of Sexuality and Gender, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EQCOIY397218067/AHSI?u=kans96975&sid= AHSI&xid=20c2fd45. Accessed 29 June 2020. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/36d075a6557e2735e9c92cf7e506a23b.jpg 41567a6e267fe1240524d06843f45358 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d113287a649fb1cd20682492a8322085.jpg 41567a6e267fe1240524d06843f45358 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Publication Year The year the issue was published 1989 Publication Date The date the issue was published March-April 1989 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Advertiser Call in Second Stone Description An account of the resource An early call to advertisers in Second Stone. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "The Second Stone." Second Stone, March-April, 1989, p. 6. Archives of Sexuality and Gender, https://link.gale.com/apps/ doc/LBMKPG090079068/AHSI?u=kans96975&sid=AHSI&xid=6232c59d. Accessed 29 June 2020. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/81027ae4c638a4c8ec894c3466207bd7.jpg e2917a6d226aa3761e61d50d382ab8d5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Volume Number The volume number of the issue 16 Issue Number The number of the issue (within a volume) 24 Publication Year The year the issue was published 1996 Publication Date The date the issue was published December 22, 1995 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Article in The Front Page publication Description An account of the resource An article about Second Stone's early success in The Front Page, written by Wayne Hoffman and published in 1995. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Hoffman, Wayne. "Gay Christian Publications Cast the Second Stone." The Front Page, vol. 16, no. 24, 1995, p. 13+. Archives of Sexuality and Gender, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/YNFTIP795973456/AHSI?u=kans96975&sid= AHSI&xid=6c44a702. Accessed 29 June 2020. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e899f21c9436b528ee365986527f7943.jpg 9b3dbe0645bec515df1d0114dfaa852f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Issue Number The number of the issue (within a volume) 117 Publication Year The year the issue was published 1989 Publication Date The date the issue was published October 1989 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Evangelicals Together Newsletter Description An account of the resource An early ad for Second Stone as published in the October 1989 issue of the Evangelicals Together Newsletter. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Actions and Events 1987-1997. Action: Federal Building AA89.1006 1989: Documents 1989, 1. 1989. MS ACT UP Los Angeles Records: Actions and Events 1987-1997 Box 5, Folder 44. ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives. Archives of Sexuality and Gender, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/NBGKTG855761771/AHSI?u= kans96975&sid=AHSI&xid=c14300ef. Accessed 29 June 2020. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/05aeaef8a29f09487f7d48ca8d62e2a7.jpg 5df08289d3ba6680b5f706e5fdbb700c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Publication Date The date the issue was published December Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource On Being Description An account of the resource An Early ad for Second Stone as published in the December issue of On Being. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Subject Files, 1970-2000. On Being: Sleeved, 1987-1994. 1987-1994. MS Twice Blessed Collection: Subject Files, 1970-2000 Box 7, Folder 14. ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives. Archives of Sexuality and Gender, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/AXGWDJ512981006/AHSI?u=kans96975&sid= AHSI&xid=6f5deb23. Accessed 29 June 2020. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/07353651d5572d036518d7a73ea5fbcd.jpg d340b55a4209ca49dadf0929078f3ddb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery Description An account of the resource Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery (one of a set of 12 scenes from The Life of Christ). Flemish, Leuven; Panel; Glass-Stained. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/c5956aadfdc145b1babf56da02b66bb3.jpg ee9038b052b5d8dbaf44ea4be966fe2e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Photo of Jim Bailey, circa 1989 Description An account of the resource Photo of Jim Bailey, circa 1989. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Jim Bailey's Personal Collection https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/4ea6b4e492e2bfd2e1faa901616dc9bf.jpg c80c790011a0f69298e90997ec645904 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Photo of Jim Bailey, circa 1988 Description An account of the resource Photo of Jim Bailey, circa 1988. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Jim Bailey's Personal Collection https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e86c4aaae6edefafbc9fb2e342b169a0.jpg c93b3578492e64804d9bee211a0fd76b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Photo of Jim Bailey, circa 1990 Description An account of the resource Photo of Jim Bailey, circa 1990. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Jim Bailey's Personal Collection https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/b6ac4518e1a2f02f537ac0547a4b2107.pdf e27ad3494318e07f11f5227f3c7536e6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Issue Number The number of the issue (within a volume) 59 Publication Year The year the issue was published 1998 Publication Date The date the issue was published Jul/Aug 1998 Text Any textual data included in the document SECOND STONE PO Box 8340 New Orleans , LA 70182 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED TIME DATED MATERIAL II.I. ., 1 .. 1 .1., 11.1.I ,. I .,,,,I II SERIALS DEPARTMENT GRADUATE THEOLOG ICAL UNION LIBR 2400 RIDGE RD BERKELEY CA 94709 Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID New Orleans LA Permit No. 51 I - lssue#59 UVlNGINTHEEM8RACE0F A loVI NG ANDJUSTGOD July/August 1998 GayC atholicssa ye x-gaya ds don'tr eflecct hurchte achign Dignity /USA calle d the mid-Jul y advertising camp aign supporting ex-gay ministries "misleading and destructiv e, and not representative of Catholic teaching ." Full-pag e newspaper adverti sements appearing in the New York Times . the Washington Post and USA Today and pai d fo r by conse rva tive Chri stian groups say that homosex uals could change their sexu al ori entati on by accepting God's love. "The message in this ad campaign is mi sleading and wrong. These groups arc telling lesbian s and gay men that God's love is exclu sive. The truth is that God's love is inclu sive and knows no bounds," says Charl es L Cox, Executi ve Dir ec tor of Dignity /USA . He said , "Onc e again, we are seeing the words and spi rit of Chri st's message misused by the radical right , Their message is plain and simple . You canno t be a lesbian, a gay man, a bisexual or a tran sgendered person and be a person of faith. Like the advertisements and the sponsors' campaign , they are wrong." Dignity/USA President Robert F. Miailovich said, "The ads stand in stark contrast to the spirit and messageo f the U.S. Catholi c Bishops' I 997 letter Alw ays Our Childr en. The letter, though imperfect , tells us: 'God loves every person as a uniqu e individua l. Sexual identity helps to define the unique persons we are. One component of our sex:ual identity is sexual orientation. Thus, our total per sonbood is more encompassing than sexual orienta- SEE CATHOLICS, Page 9 Interfaith Working Group calls f or religious response to ads THE EX-GAY ADS that appeared in mid -July in major publications were called "the Normandy landing in the larger cultural war" by Robert Knight of 1he Family Research Council. The In terfaith Working Group bas called on gay -affirming mini stries to respo nd to the ex -gay ads . The group hop,·11 10 enlisl 1,000 gay-friendly coogrcgatio ns aro und the country to contribute $63 each to take out a full page ad in USA Today later this year which would list all the congregations , with contact numbers for gay and lesbian people to call . The group has a signup page at http ://www.libenynet .org/iwg/conlllcl.h 1ml. UCC minister says ads ofter 'false hope' CLEVELAND, Ohio - "fa -gay ministrie s," promoted in national newspaper ads placed in mid-July by the Christian Coalition and other religiou s-right groups. offer "false hope." says an expert in lesbian. gay . bisexual and transgender ministries with 1J1e United Church of Christ. In a statemen t released July 16, the Rev. Dr. William R. Johnson of Cleveland, a UCC minister with the United Church Board fm Homeland Ministries , criticiz ed full-page ads that appeared in the New York Time s on July 13, the Washington Post on July 14 and USA Today on July 15. "Tens of 1bousands of lesbians and gay men, and hundreds of fonner victims of such 'therapies' who learned the hard way, know that sexual orient ation SEEF ALSEH OPE, Page 9 Perty:' Here'st het ruth... a nd I'm nota fraitdo telli t' REV. TROY PERRY of the Universal Fell owship of Metropolitan C01mn unity Chur ches issued a statement in response to ex-gay newspaper and magazine ads paid for by 15 far-right groups including Alliance for Traditional Marriage. American Famil y Associat ion, Center for Reclaiming America. Christian Coa lition, Concerned Women for America, and Coral Ridge Ministries . Perry said: "I am today adding my voice to religious leaders and human rights activists across the US in condemning the false and misleading full page ad in the July 13 edition of the New York Times promoting so-called 'ex-gay' ministries. "My 30 years of experien ce in ministcriug to gay s, lesbi ans, bise xuals and tran sgendcred persons have convinced me beyond any doubt that God's creation is filled with infinit e variety and diversity - and that this variety and diversity arc innate parts of God's plan. This plan , includes every one of God's gay and lcsi bian children. "The ad carries a bold head line proclaiming , 'I'm living proof that Truth can set you free . ' As au open ly gay Christian, I, too, can make that claim , as can hundred s of tl1ousa11closf deeply spiritual gays and lesbians witl1 whom I have ministered , served and worshiped SEE TRtrrH , Page 20 .: :::::·:, ,::::.:: •:,:•·:» ..i•.:.~.:• ·■ ..•: •.:,:•·~:: ~·:::::::::,:,~::~::~~::::: ;:~.;.,~-~•;: ;>,~I.,'I,.:;:~■1 ~!;ttti;,i~ • Prayer •1'he Bible •Words & Deeds It makes sense Prograinaitton fisn dg ay An untold number of the state's l1omeless adolescents are on the streets because they've been rejected by their families and are reluctant to be placed in similarly unsympathetic foster homes ... foster{xlrenfotsr g ayy ouths BY ALEXIS CHIU WORCESTER . Mass. - Some are victims of neglect. Others are abused. No · child who circulates through the state's Depart.me.at of Soci al Servic es has it easy. But teenagers who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or confu sed about their sexual orientati on have an especially tough time, say those whose job it is to place them in foster homes. among the first of its kind in the nation: activ e recruitment of gay, lesbian , bisexual and tran sgeuder men and women along with "heterosexual allies" - to be foster parents for gay kids. "We agree I.here's definitely a need to provide them with safe homes," Kuffour said. larly unsympathetic foster home s, said Albert Toney III, 31, a former W orccster police officer. "Just because they 've come out, some are thrown out and ph_ysically or verbally abus ed on their way out the door," he said. Toney should know. He and his male partner of six years have cared for six foster children , three of them gay teens. One was a 16-year-old whose parents adopted him through DSS - and then kicked him out when they found he was gay, Toney said. Toney, director of the Safe Homes project for gay teens, is working with DSS to help them find home s where tl1eir needs are understood . "DSS tries to place African -American children in African-American home s, Hispan ic children in Hispanic home s," he said. "For gay kids. why not put them in a gay hous ehold where sexual orientation isn't an issue, where they SEE GAY YOUill , Next Page "Adole scent placem ent is the most diffic ult placement in all of DSS," said Benetta Kuffour, the department' s Central Massachusetts foster care liaison. " If you add gay . lesbian and transgender youth, you're adding another whammy." The program, which started in Boston with a pilot program three years ago and is getting und erway in Central Mas sachu sett s, also offers a relevant twoweek addition to an erjsting DSS training course for prospective foster parents. No one knows how many of the young people in DSS custody face issues rel ated to their sexuality . An untold nwuber of the state's homele ss adolesc ent s are on the street beca use they've been rej ected by tl1eir families and are rel uctant to be place d in simi- 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' books were a turning point in ~riter' s life That's why the department is expanding a campaign they believe could be CAMPBELLS PORT , Wis. - Writ er Rochelle Pennin gton thinks the search for inspira tion and insight drew people by the millio ns to her works. "Renewal • Restoration • Reconciliation" Midwest SpiritQuest 1998. September 4-6 • Ramada Inn• LaPorte Indiana Pastor Randy Duncan and Dan Wright of host church New Life Comm unity Church of Hope in Michigan City, Indiana, in vite you to a Labor Day Weekend of praise, worship, special music and exciting fellowsh ip! FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 7 p.m. Pastor Randy Duncan with evangelist Jeff Ferguson, songwriter/minister from Nashville, Tenn. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 9 a.m. Dan Wright, raised Mormon, now a born-again Christian: Pastor Gyongyi LuclVig, Hungarian lesbian minister from Kalamazoo, Mich.; Jerry Montgomery from Valparaiso, Indiana. a 80Cial worker and mother of a gay man; Susan Duncan from Porter, Indiana, a singer/ musician and former wife of a gay minister; Rev. Dave Farrell from San Antonio and Rev. Todd Farrell from San Francisco. father and gay son; and Tony Teso from Portage, Indiana, a Christian living with HIV. ' SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 7 p.m. Pastor Greg Coats from Chattanooga, Tenn., associate pastorhnusic minister: Pastor Dolly Hamby from Hope For All Ministries in McDonald, Tenn. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 1 O a.m. Evangelist Doug Clanton from Casa de Cristo Church in Phoenix, Arizona SPECIAL MINISTRIES: Rev. Bob Ellis, artistic expression Gospel artists and musicians: Glenn Baker Derek, Denee and Jenny Duncan Janice Lacount New Life Singers MSQChoir Joe Johnson Robert Morgan and more ... For further Information call (219)778-2803 or (219)778-9332 or write to P.O. Box 9212, Michigan City, IN 46360·9212, lnnulife@netnitco .net 2 JULY•A tJOUST 1998 Pennin gton worked as a quot atio ns speci alist and writer on the "C hicken Soup for the Soul" series and "Life's Little Instruction Book." There appea rs to be an intensified public hunger for meaning and awareness as the tum of the century approaches, Pennington said. "We're busy. very fas t-paced and don't have time to read the great big books. We still like to be inspi red , but in a lit tle bit of time," she said. Pennington, who lives in Campbellsport with her husban d Les Pennington and their children, Nicholas, 16, and Erica, 12, said the Chicken Soup books were a turning point in her life. "They put powerful infonnation in very short pieces of literature," she said. She currently is working on more "Life's Little Instruction" books with H. Jackson Brown. One book is "Life's Little Instruction Book of Quotations." The other is "Life 's Little Instruction Book for tl1e Loving Parent ." The Reporter of Fond du Lac has · started publishing a new column by Pennington called , "Insight and Inspira tion." ft invites readers to take a break from work and reflect on life, Penning ton said. She hopes the column will touch people aod inspire tl1cm to send it to a friend or family member. (AP) t I •. GAY YOUTH, From Previous Page can have a role model and where it's a safe environment?" Toney said gay foster children often are teased or abused by other foster children in the same household. Studies DAYTON , OHIO CO:tvnv1UNITY GOSPELC HURCH P.OB. JX1 6.34• D\YIONO, H4 S401 DISCOVER YOUR DESTINY! ALL ARE WELCOME meets: 546X eniaA ve. Dl)'tOn, Ohio SundaylOam E-MAIi.; RevSamueJK@aol.rom V1Siot ur Web Site! http:/ M\\W.oomeaoLcom/re.s'.lll1UeJk 937-252-88.55 REV. SAMUEL KADER, PASTOR NATIONAL So[ufarity Sunday October 4, 1998 "Let us work together to end verbal and physical gay bashing!" Solidarity Sunday - P. 0 . Box 701592 San Antonio , TX 782 70-1592 BruceSJ @AOL COM KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI Come share your ministry with us at. ... r:s Abiding Peace Lutheran Church S090 NE Chouteau Trafficway Kansas City, MO 64119 (816) 4S2-1222 Caring for People and Creation (Ncrth of the River) Sunday Worship: 10:30 am Sunday School: 9:00 am blip :/ /www .sound.nct~/pickle have suggested gay teenagers are more likely than their straight peers to be suicidal or to abuse drugs and · alcohol. Toney now is recruiting applicants for potential foster parents and mentors . The 12-week training class will begin this fall, and those who successfully complete the course and pass a home study will be eligible to take gay youths into their homes. It wasn't always so easy for non hetero sexual parents in Massachnsctts. In the mid-1980s, then-Gov . Michael Dukakis banned state-sponsored gay fo ster parenting after hearing a report that a child had been placed in tl1e home of a gay couple. After a heated public debate, Dukakis backed down and the policy was scrapped . But the debate was still alive as recently as last year , when a Belmont man claimed his right to religious freedom was violated when the state temporarily placed his 14-year-old son in the care of gay foster parents. The man, whose name never was made public, said his Catholic beliefs were incompatible with the foster par ents' homosexuality and took the case to the U.S . Supreme Court. The court, without comment, turned away the argu ment. Toney, too, is quick 10· turn away Distribution of Second Stone in s01ne co1n1nunities is sponsored by our Outreach Partners. We invite you to visit thetn for worship. SAN DIEGO , CALIFORNIA fl.-,.,.,_ I~~\ l I \ l 1m~ . ·,s\ I 3960 Park B d, Suite E l J San Diego,CA 92103 f 619-542-1ss1 I Sunday Worship : 10:00am - Thursday Study: 7:00pm SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA Come Celebrate With Us The New life In Jesus! (Luu 15:11) Non-Denomlno1tlono1• IB ible Centered Sunday Services - 10:30 am at The Bflly Defrank Center 175 Stockton Ave .• San Jose. CA Pastor David Harvey • (408) 345-2319 hltp://www.lodC?SYs.conv'celebrntc/ MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA Pastor Randy Duncan S1D1da y Service : 11 :30 am ...A caringc hurchf ora hurtingw orld whereE VERYONE1s welcome! • Full Gospel • Chri31 centered • Bible based P.O. Box 92 12 Michigan City, IN 46360-9 212 (219) 778-2803 • (21 9) 778-9332 Email : inn ulife@nc:tnitco.nd. NATIONAL We can make a world of DIFFERENCE! Society of the Franci scan Secvant s of the Poor (Ecummical, lnclusiw) 113 Pavo nja Ave . - 335 Jt:rsey City NJ 07310 E-mail: sfsp@bellatlantic .net Nearly 35 million Americans Jive in hungry or "food insecure" households ... There is still no cure for AIDS ... HomO"...exuality remains a "hot-button" issue in many churches ... St. Fra11cis wrote i11 llis rule of 1221 "All the brothere are to preach by their works" Consider joining us as an Associate or Vowed Mem6er ... and help make a difference ! criticism of the unorthodox program for gay teens. "If you can find them a safe place where they can be themselves, then this is a wonderful program," Toney said. "For them to be derailed in life just because of who they love, it's ridiculous." (AP) SAN BERNARDINO , CALIF First Congregational Church An Open & AHlrmlng Congregation Unbed Church of Christ Welcomlng Everyone. lncludlng Lesbian. Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Persons established 1867. Is theologlcally liberal blbllcaffy based, socially progressive, and actively Involved In the communny. Worship on Sundays at 10 a.m. We are loeated at 3041 N. Sierra Way. San Bernardi/lo (haff block north of 30th. St./Crosstown Freeway 909/886-4911 MEMPHIS , TENNESSEE HOLY TRINITY COMMUNITY CHURCH Sunday Olrfstbn Educ.idon- I 0:00 a.m. Sund.iy Worship er Holy Commun lon- 11 :00 a.m. Wednesday Program-7:00 p.m • Come join us at the lord's tablewe're savinga seat fory ou! 1559 Madison Ave. 9 Memphls, TN 38104 90 I / 726- 9 443 e-mail: holytrfnltyc c@Juno.com The Rev. Timot hy Meadows, M. Div., Pastor LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA FIRST Cm.JGREGATIONAL CHURCHl LONG BEACH UNITED C HURCH OF CHRIST . . • An Open and Affirming Congregation We welcome you to Worship in a nurturing environment, 241 Cedar Ave• long Beach CA 90802 562) 436 -2256 • Fax (562) 436-301 ://users.eol.c;om/ revme k{index..html SECOND STONE 3 FAITH IN DAILY LIFE Spiriot fA mericang ospels ingingin spirinEgu ropeans BY MA TI KOHLMAN LONDON - By the end of the concert, Anna Ludvigsen had worked up a good sweat, clapping to the rhythms and swaying ann-in-ann with her neighbor s to the beat · It wasn't a rock concert this London student was attending . She was among 1,000 people dancing in the ai sles to the gospel tunes of Queen Esther Marrow and the Harlem Gospel Singers . "It was very participatory," Ludvigsen, 24, said. "It's very entertaining as well as got a message across." . Her words are musie to the ears of Queen Esther, one of Ilic many singers finding Ilic international scene a fertile ground for music mote~ in Ilic Soutliem black communities of the United States. And just as jazz and blues did generations ago, gospel is reaching beyond its American roots of churches in big cities and the South. Not that gospel is suffering at home. The entire gospel genre, which includes Christian rock acts like Jars of Clay and Bob Carlisle, is tl1e sixth-biggest musical category, behind pop and ahead of classical. The Recording Industry Association of America said gospel accounted for 4.5 percent of all music sales in 1997. Gospel music has become so mainstream that Queen Esther was picked as the headline performer July 7 at the Montreal Jazz Festival, where past acts like Pat Metheny have played before 150,000 people . Queen Estlier sings a traditional fonn of gospel music associated with her idol, Mahalia Jackson . Newer stars opt for a more contemporary take. One of its most successful stars, Kirk Franklin, borrows from rhytlun 'n' blues and hip hop to give his music a younger edge. His protege, God's Property , went plati num with a se lf-titled album that debuted No. 3 in Billboard a year ago. Whatever the form, gospel groups are playing before sold-out audiences in Man's faith will live on in temple model he ~rafted WINSTON -SALEM - Bill McGehee raced against age. and cancer to find a spot for the 240-square-foot model that he built to teach people the importance of Jesus. McGehee, 7 9, invested his faith, five years of his life and $54,000 to building a detailed model of Jerusalem's Herodian Temple Mount. But he was ready to term his project a failure because he couldn' t find a site large enough to display it. Fully assembled, it is as big as some small cars. 1n July, McGehee's search finally ended. He will donate his model to GardnerWebb University in Boiling Springs. "He has really devoted part of his life to what I think is a very significant project," said Fred Horton Jr., the Albritton professor of I.he Bible at Wake Forest University. McGehee didn't start on the model until Ilic winter of his life. Soon after McGehee and his wife retired here, Virginia McGehee learned that she had liver cancer. She died in 1986. In 1991, McGehee learned that he had cance r. first of the colon and lymph nodes, then of the prostate . By then. he had become fascinated with Temp le Mount. He 8aid he didn't focus on the temple 4 JULY•AUGUST 1998 to take his mind off his loneliness or the cancer; it just grew out of his interest in archeology. During tlie next several years. McGehee made more than IO trips to Israel to study the ruins of the temple. He tracked down Alec Garrard of England, who had made his own model of the temple. Garrard sold McGehee a copy of his blueprint and pem lission to duplicate it. McGehee began work on his own model in 1993. He also absorbed volumes of infom1ation about the temple and ancient Hebrew culture. "The guy has taught me as much as any seminary professor I've had," said tlie Rev. George Robinson, who retired in June as senior minister at Centenary United Methodist Church. McGehee said the model is a crucial teaching tool because the temple was the site of so much of the action in the Old Testament, as well as where Jesus studied Judaism, had his bar mitzvah and overturned the tables of ihc moneychangers. "This temple isn't anything, but it represented so many things Jesus said and did and make s it easier for us to understand Jesus as a hun1an," he said. "The more you know about him as a human, tJ1e more you Jove him as the son of God." (AP) concerts from Barcelona to Berlin. Even Pope Jolm Paul II has tapped his toes to tl1e soulful voice of Queen Estl1e.r, who opened and closed a papal show last October before 300,000 people. "ln America, gospel music among the African-Americans is part of their life. It's like eating and sleeping," said Queen Estbe r, which is her birth nan1e. "In Europe, it's a tlclicacy for those that don't hear it all the time. They like tlie culture. They like the music . So they appreciate it more." She has firsthand knowledge of just how much that appreciation has grown. She started annual European tours in I 992, sometimes playing before only a few hundred people on small stages with a sheet as a backdrop and 10 lights. The smallest venue on her latest winterspring tour was London's Hackney Empire, where actor Ralph Fie1mes had played Hamlet. Queen Estlier offered . a cross between a rock concert and a Broadway play, complete with rich lighting, a colorful backdrop and a cl10- reographed choir. "This is a technical show. It's a level above gospel shows," she said. "The feedback from older people , they probably would be saying, 'Well you're a sellout to Ilic devil."' Bitt it's not a churchgoing crowd going to this gospel. "I don't follow it religiously,'' said Zen Saipaia , a 32-year -old Polynesian man who lives in south London. "But I think it's very entertaining and very soulful." Bob Garland, a 45-year-old British percussionist, wanted to sample what he called a tlierapeutic music style tbat had even inspired a gospel singing group in his town of Hemel Hempstead. "It's another type of world music and, iu a way, a bit closer to home than a lot of those styles out there." Crowds certainly find a lot of familiar songs, from traditional melodies like • "Yon Are My In spira tion" .to footstamping pieces like "Sit Down You're Rocltin' the Boat" and "Walkin' on Sunshine ." Queen Esther's roots are deep in traditional gospel. She was disco vered by Duke Ellington at the age of 22, and toured with musical greats from B.B. King to Bob Dylan . An invol vemen t in the civil rights movement introduced Queen Esther to Mabalia Jackson. The two later sh'ared the stage and Queen Esther even wrote and starred in a short-lived Broadway musical about Jackson. After tlie Montreal performance and another world tour starting in September that will take her lo Japan, Queen Esther may bring her act back to Broad - way. "I don't want to go back to the states until it is really tiptop shape," she said. "I don't find your mainstream American s going to gospel musi~. fr~ mostly A~rican- Americans. I tlunk 1f what we re doing was presented to them, they would like it" (AP) "In America, gospel music among the African-Am ericans is part of their life. It's like ea ting and sleeping. In Europe, it's a delicacy for those that don't hear it all the time. They like the culture. They .like the music. So they appreciate it more." FAITH IN DAILY LIFE Something is missing BY CATHERINE GROVES FOR MANY MONTHS. increasingly acute has become my knowing of what I've known for years, perhaps the whole • of my lifetime, and oftentimes with the same sense of urgency: something is missing in my life. That something is a core element, key and basic to wellbeing - and most decided! y a sbapeshifter . Let me jump in quickly before any might leap to my rescue. In the course of my life, I've discovered my Higher Self. channeled Divine Mind and dived into the oceanic depths of the All. I've found religion and the Good Book and salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. I've herbed. vitamined, fasted, feasted , and even Shaklee'd. I've been romanced and I've been married and I've mothered children . I've launched myself into social actions and climbed the ivory tower. I've served and I've be.en served. All these expe riences have broaden ed who I am and, indeed , comprise my very fiber. And not a one of them is 10 my point - although, in a way, they make it. I suspect I am not alone in-sensing something missing. In fact, I would say it's common to most people, felt for part or all of their lives. As with hunger. gratification, sorrow or success, the inte nsity of the sensa tion comes and goes. One individ ual, quite dear to me, is foreve r seek ing , almost desperately pinni ng hopes on this answer or that per son, this job or that place, but seldom finds a moment's calm in the achieving . Another has marked a single, unattainable ideal as the thing missing and never ceases clutching after it. Still others seem oddly unto uched by any sense of lack ; perhaps the wise ones,' their inner life appears to be a simple matter of extracting from the moment whatever is needed to reestablish a comfortable balance . But I know my own shapeshift er best and of it I will speak. At times it feels as if the thing missing is freedom , the fr eedom to str etch the wings of my mind and spirit. I am clipped short by many exig enci es and circumstances . Simply . I do not find the time to spend on deepe ning a pace of fre.edom. Im lead, I snat ch moment s of a quasi-freedom mar ked by i ts sense of fl eeti ngn ess. Still. the time-loc k of my situatio n seems equally true of others who choose to live responsib ly. Even so. that what seems missi ng is a mere conseq uence of the facts of my life makes no less pressing the plight. At other limes, the lack takes the shape of a belief - a central magnetic truth to which my faith could moor. I am deeply attracted to beliefs and ideas, and so I study them minutely. Yet my passion for understanding the ways and means of belief tends to empty their content for me, melt their spell upon me. What entices another's mind leaves , me unmoved . If others are captivated by the fire of the conlent, I see only cool, lucid waters of the process. But sometimes, oftentimes, would that I could trade clarity for the thrill! The most fixed shape of my shifter in recent months seems to be my lack of connection to flesh and blood others, the loss of any viable community . And it has occurred to me that the exact form of this shapcshifting phase could be a significant other. Bluntly, my sense of something missing might be most neatly filled by someone with whom to share my life . It seems I buck against every natural instin ct and societal nonn in my choice to remain solitary . At times ii hardly feel s like a choice at all. More often these days, it smacks close to feeling unwanted, uncho sen, left out. One would think that having decided to be solit ary, I'd be reliev ed to find that indeed I am! Ironical ly. however, without occasions for seeing a choice anew, without the chance to choose what I have already chosen, being solilary feels more as if it were a condition that has happened to me than an option I have myself embraced . No, I am not wholly content with the choice I've made, nor do I know it to be one I will honor long into my future. It's longevity notwithsta ndin g. at least for now my decision remains: I will not partner again. I suspect part of my logic has to do with wounds from an anguish -filled marriage. I mistook what shouted a11 signs of being hell on earth for the hope of its opposite - and that's one mistake I will not make again . As I am unable to fully gra sp how I was able to be that blind to all portents of misery ahead, it is possible I would make a simil arly sightl ess stum ble again were I to allow myself the occas ion to do so. And so, I have opted for the obvious : if I refuse to endur e an other rel ationshi p like the one I endured and if I cannot wholly trust my abil ity to disce rn the inner nature of anoth er. I wi ll abstain from suc h invo lvements entirely. When I was younger, I responded to loss quite differen tly. Then it seemed a clearc ut, even if tremulous, course : out SEE MISSING, Page 9 Since 1988, a friend for the I Journey. THANK YOU FORA · DECADE OF YOUR LOVE, PRAYERS, AND SUPPORT. SecoSntdo ne THE STONE THAT THE BUIWERS REJECrED BECAME THE CORNERSTONE- Mark 12:10 SECOND STONE 5 FAITH IN DAILY LIFE After coming out FonnerU nitedP entecostμali storfindns ewm eaning THE REVEREND Randy Dw1can of LaPorte , Indiana, thought when he returned home after an eight month period of time to "come out" and "find himself ' in the gay Christian communities of Phoenix and Seattle, tltat it was to pack up and relocate . Little did he know as he drove back to his Midwest habitat.what God had waiting on him iu Northwest Indiana. "All of the exits seemed to be blocked," Duncan said, and "the doors of new ministry and opportunity in the gay community began to open very wide!" Duncan said he never dreamed that he would be starting a church for people like himself in North west Indiana . "But, God secs the big picture and, thank God, I hav e alw ays tried to listen." After being back in Indiana after his divorce was final and he was all alone, lite forme r Pentecostal mini ster ~ gan meeti ng and talki ng with gay people in lite area . A fellow who had once visited the LaPorte church tltat Duncan once pastored with hi s wife conta cted him while Duncan was in Seattle and invited him to minister to a small group of lesbian and gay Christians meeting in the Oak Park section of Chicago. But, upon Duncan's arrival back in Indiana, he found out that the man and his partn er had relocated ju st 30 miles from Duncan. These men began to pray about God's will and on November 2, 1997, t11e first service of New Life Community Church of Hope was held in Pastor Duncan's home near Michigan City. "We started with seven guys and have now grown to approximately 22 people," Dunc an said. "Some come with skept ici sm, others come hopeful. But, almost alw ays people le ave the service having felt love aud acceptance and greate st of all, the ~vonderful Spirit ofGod ." Duncan , who was rai sed in tlte ~rec Will Baptist Church in Arvin, Califor nia, becam e involved in tl1e Apostolic Pentecostal church as a young teenager. He was the only se lf-d e scrib ed "Pentecost al-hol y roller" in his family so he got te ased about that. Then, to complic ate thin gs, he reali zed he was gay and j ust knew unless he stayed Ce lebra te Solidarity Sunday, Octob er 4, 1998. J oin the more than I 00,000 who did last year! · Wear the ribbon. Pray the Soli darity Prayer God , You are th e Creator and Lover of all. You wish us to live in so lidarity with each oth er and to rejoice in our diversity. We pr ay th at Your lesbian, gay, bisexual , transge nd er and strai gh t childr en experience j ustice, enjoy peace and spr ead Your love th roughout the world. We pray in the name of J esus, who welcomed all to His circle of friends. Amen. Let us work together to end verbal and phy~icaJ gay bashing! For lnfonna tion on how to par ticipate : Solidarity Sunday A proje ct of Di gni ty / USA P. 0. Box 701592 San Antonio, Texas 78270-1592 Brua:S.Jla AOL COM, MTDudd,✓a AOLCOM, Fax - (210) 545-6906 National Coordinators Marwuic Duddy and Bruce S. J:in.tfcr. MD Dignity/USA, 1500 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 11 Washington, DC 20005 www.dignityusa.org / e-mail: Dignity@aol.com Telephone : (202) 861-0017 or (800) 877-8797 6 JlJLY•AUOUST !998 "delivered" he would bum in hell. "For many years I hated myself and had a hard time believing God really loved me because of all the negative and downright hateful things ministers would say about homosexual s from the pulpit," Duncan said . After years of suppres sion and strug : gling a seri es of events led him to Mel White's book, Stranger at the Gate. "I felt at times it was me telling lite story as I read along," Duncan said. "I felt every emoti.on and tears rolled down my face as I read White's story of struggle and finall y , reconciliation ... It played a big role in my being able to finally consid er that God made me i;ay and that He might jn st love me as I a:rn. 0 Now nearly two years after reading that book and beginning to meet gay Chri stians for lite first time, Duncan is more happy and at peace with God titan ever. Duncan had been out of the church for a period of time during his college years and experienced "gay encow1ters" and even had a couple of relati onships. But, feeling all along that it was all sinful, he said hi s hear t lo nged to return to church where he wanted to use his musical talents and sing in the cboir. So, he returned to church and marrie d a Pen tecos tal pas tor 's daughte r au<l hoped the "gay thi ng" was all behind him . Duncan recalled a 11encli11g , al o ng with his wife . a nati onal music ministry conf ercnce in Jackso n, Mississippi, hosted by Lanny W ~lfe and the Jackson CollcP, e of Ministrie s. At the con fe rence, buncan took note of the many gay people involved as clinicians , musician s, and singe rs. It tot ally baffled him . On the way back home as he laid in the back scat of the car while his wife and mother-in -law drove, he asked God for the first time, "Why? .. . Why hasn't it gon e away ? ... Why, even after being spirit-filled , haven't these feeling s left?" Duncan said, "If God ever spoke to me, He spok e to my heart and said, 'Someday , you will be able to help people just like yourself." ' Duncan said he lived with that message for many years during his struggles wondering just what God meant. He got involved witlt an ex-gay ministry for a time in California and thought that that might be what God was speak i ng to him about. But, he said, tl1at didn't work for him or the other s seeking help. But. now, Duncan says he knows without any doubt that what God was saying to him nearly 20 year s ago , is coming to pass before his very eyes. " I thought when I finally took tltis last ma sk off and came out , that my mini stry would be o ver," Duncan said. "But , now I see clearly that it has only ju st begw1!" . Duncan says he is now partnered wtlh a wonderful man he met al a church concert in Phoe nil( during hi s coming out time there. Dan Wri ght , a fonner Mormon, who was excommuni cate d ~hi _le servi ng his two year missionary sunt m Ecuado r, has now moved to Indiana , and is assistin g Duncan in the day to ~y ministry of New Life Com murnt y Church of Hope . Ed. Note : This Labor Day week end , Sept. 4, 5 & 6, Pastor Randy Duncan and New Life Communit y Church of Hope will host Midwest Spirit Ques t '98 at lite Ramada Inn Confer ence Center in LaPort e, Indian a. For furtlt er information reader s may conta c t the church office at 219-778 -2803 . GAYELLOPWAG Er INFORMITNHGE L ESBIAGNA tB ISEIUA&L T IWIS&ENDECROEDM MUNISTIYN CE19 73 All editlos~ nowI ncludeI SEPARAWTOE MENS'SEC TION Comlepeig a-yfirendr~es ouracnebdsu sines:s aecscammodatiboenrSsb, ,o okstordeesn, tistds,o ctorlsa,w ye, rs ther~as1tsm esl elYicpesri,n teorsrg, anizatmioendsir,ae , l~iogurso u,p hselpU ne&sH I/VAIDrSe sources. ~ brokedno wbnyS lat&eC it. yInde&xf ista ccepshso 1n1e.s Ut PDAATNEUDNA LL. Y USA/CANAD: $A16 by first classm all lttcludesa ll statesa ndp rovincesn, ational headquarterso f organizations, mall order companies, etc. SOUTH/SOUTHEMRNID WEST:$ 10b y first class mall AL,A R, AZD., C, OE, Fl, GA,H I,K S,K Y, LA, MO, MO,M S, NM, NC, OK, PR, SC, TN, TX, US Virgin Is, VA, WV. GREATERN ORTHEAS$1T0 b y first classm all CT,D C, OE,M E, MD, MAN, H, NJ, NY, OH, PA,R I, VAV, TW, V. Find us at gay-friendyl stores like LAMBDRAIS IN8G0 0-621-6969 A DIFFERNET LIGHT8 00-343-4002a ndm anyo thers For ana pp:Jcatioton b e listed( noc harge)c, ummte ditionsa ndp rtcesm, allingla bels,e tc., pleases enda self-adrdesseds tampeedn veolpet o RenaissancHeo use,P OB ox 533-S,S VillageS llltlon, NewY orkN, Y1 0014 212•674-0120Fu : 212.,.20-112G6 AYEU.O_WPAGESj@uno.com http://gayellowpages.com FAITH IN DAILY LIFE Lighten up Monk has a ministry of mirth BY JEFF DONN PETERSHAM. Mass. - When Brother Craig isn't praying in the hushed solemnity of his monastery, he's often cracking one-liners. Though he prays and meditates five hours a day as a monk, Brother Craig Driscoll has found time to write a book on the funny side of life and fashion his own Roman CaU1olic "mirth ministry." Just for laughs, he speaks at churches, libraries and religious conferences about Ute power of humor to elevate the spirit. He recently began writing a humor column, "Oh, Brother!" for Grit, a secular family magazine. "I just believe that God wants people to lighten up," he said in a recent interview. "People are so stressed and tense and angry." A native of Fitchburg, Driscoll has been wisecracking since he was a like. In high school, he gravitated toward comic theater and dreamed of a career in acting. But a religious retreat turned his aspirations upward, and he eventually studied theology in Rome . Never ordained as a pries t. Driscoll, 39, founded the Monks of Adoration monastery 14 years ago in Petersham, a central Massachusetts town in the wilderness of lhe giant Quabbin Reservoir. A self-confes sed bad cook, he says his ~rotherhood never considered making Jam or some other food, as some monasteries do to help support themselves. But he knew how to write. . He started on aust ere, erudite topic s, hke the life of soon- to-be -ca nonized Edith Stein and "the coming chastisement." But two years ago, he took a more secular tum and wrote a book on dieting, "Love Yourself So ... Hate the Weight." Telling how he lost more than 110 pounds, it gained him a modest celebrity and set him on the path of selfhelp writing from a Catholic perspective. His speaking jobs had long revolved around "very Catholic topics" iliough. Then, about two years ago, he was giving a talk and felt high anxiety around the room. OK, so it wasn't Saul on the road to Damascus. But Brother Craig bad his own vision: He glimpsed the potential force of humor to ease troubled spirits. "I discovered after you say a few sentences, what can you say? Then I started using humor on them," he said. ''Humor Helps!: The Benefits of Hwnor, Laughter and Being Funny" was published in June by Woodbridge Press. In the 159-page work, Brother Craig preac hes that "God wants you lo laugh and be happy." He also lampoons everything from game shows lo his own life as a monastic yuckmcister: "My ambition is to be the world's funniest monk. Okay, the competition isn't tough, given all that silence." A fellow brother, John Raymond, took goofy ·photographic portraits of Brother Craig for the book. One shows him in his monk's hooded habit, wearing a Groucho Marx mask and holding a banana like a cigar. Brother John says that monastic life can actually heighten comedy because it stands out so boldly against a backdrop of quiet, sobriety and rout ine. "Probably, under the circumstances, things become funnier," he says, adding that "it's probably essential in some ways to close living too." Brother Craig says that be has shaped many of his ideas of what's funny from comic writings, like those of SJ. Perelman and Woody Allen. He likes humor columni st Dave Barry and sometimes seems to echo his style of rapi d-fire, throwaway lines. He tries not to let the monkeyshines get too wild, though. "I certainly don't do any risque humor. I don't do any insu lting humor," be adds. "I do humor on life." He says that religions faith f recs a person to laugh wholeheartedly, even in the face of so much human suffering in the world. "If you don't have faith, then you're probably nuts to laugh," he says. "Henny Youngman put it very well: He tried being an atheist, but he gave it up because there were no holidays." Ba-da-bing and back to the chapel he goes. Here are some excerpts from Brother Craig Driscoll's book, "Humo r Helps!": When you pray, be cheerful, be humorous, be funny. Tell God jokes and funny stories ... Now don't tell me that God already knows the punch line. I know He does. But He wants lo hear the joke from you, in your owo words. I once got my habit caught getting on a train. One woman suggested, "Why don't you tie up your dress?" I told her that if I did that all the time it might become a habit. Brother Contracticus ... bas a good heart - by which I mean he's never had a bypass . Anyway. here I am - a monk and a kneel-down comic. And once, a young man in an airport "When you pray, be cheerful, be humorous, be funny. Tell God jokes and funny stories ... Now don't tell me that God already knows the punch line. I know He does. But He wants to hear the joke from you, in your own words. " said, "I just wanted to meet you. I've never met a monk before. You're iu such an unusual profession." So I asked him what he did - he was a lawyer who didn't charge! In a way, being a monk is a lot like being a comic. Both take a lot of faith and prayer. I actually believe I'm funny, and I pray that the audience will laugh. My idea of trauseendental is an ocean liner . "Humor Helps" can be ordered from Woodbridge Press at (800) 237-6053. (AP) A VOYAGE TO THE LAND OF THE '"ti Tbe King'., manicuriJt.,, :r /Vii.u1J..·bi..·/J11"m ,uuJ > K61111111l.ml<'pm, ".V ::0 hm•e6 a11! tJ1•erJYIo u' II )> 1•witth eir F,gyptia11 0 Jtpiift-htr,J ~1co1•eirntJ :r. 196-tw, lurrt hey art• IJ\ buriuJt ,iqtther i11a rilual 11.lllOlI~Y,vlt' fl'i!d _ft,m,.a rrirJ ,·1111ple.,. z ~ n r- Ei1tert,1u1u.~,,q·b ,,larJ C: art m,qag,J to br,i{q 0 ttJW eth e le,qadtJo f z ,·1dl11rytJ,m t'll<'Otmfer. C"I n Marcb 17-29, 1999 ► 12 ll(qht,, im·ltu>,i\1/ n 5-ni'ght ,,nil ,·m,:•e ::x, 1111the&J&11. 0 u11m,·l,,i,1J 1/ 9~ , I b.• .././•1'/lt1.,iel{I1Jil/l'1r1,'14,,1.,',lrd t'bl Panorama ,;, th.·r ,,-1;·,,·,1/n i•, .... ~,,.1 ',}_vl•l1,f·rt 1r 1'.'"'·"'·'· C: 888-677-2632 >< 0 111,m~,,,.(,. I <, 'f,T,I ::0 AH31SVNOW S,3NIH3H1VJ 'lS SECOND STONE 7 MANNA BY REV. DONNAE . SCHAPER ~gourkeel We need to be guided by something more than the need for guidance. WHEN JESUS CAME into people's live s, they felt appreciated. They felt noticed. They felt like they mattered. He did not issue awards, or patronage, or monetary gifts. He issued apprecia tion. He issued comfort. He issued a sense of belonging lo life, and to God, and to living by a deep keel. A deep keel is what a big sailboat needs: ii needs more tlianju st a little one. Jesus did not belittle the need for wine at weddings, or com on the Sabbath, or workers to get paid for picking grapes. He did not make nonnal life and food look ridiculous on behalf of a large and grandiose spirituality. Instead he honored "things" sacramentally: he showed tl1eir connection to a deeper keel. It is hard to even imagine Jesus as tired. We know him as frustrated, and grieving, and angry. But tired he wasn't. He simply rested in the one he called his heavenly Fatllcr . . If we want to feel less tired, all we have to do is deepen our keel. We need to be guided by something more than the need for guidance. We ueed to befriend Jesus' message and his witness to rest in God. It is important to remember how simple the appreciations are tJiat are our own responsibility. It is not our task to save or appreciate tile whole world. We only • do our small part. Heavy water becomes light, wit11 mauy hands and hearts. Yoke: Easy. Burden: Light. Weariness creeps us on us much too often. FA TIGUE CAN BE a friend. It is also a part of our holy way. When Julia Ward Howe wrote in the last century that she was "tired, tired, tired, way down into tile next century," she was talking about the struggle to abolish slavery . Now, many of us can identify with that statement but we are not talking about so obviously grand a mission . We are talking about the sl1rinking economy, lengthy commutes, and a near Sabbathlessness. My aunt used to do 24 claims a day as an insurance agent; now she is required to do 70. She is not alone in overwork. Many just want to "get throu gh the day." We want to "make it" through the day. Weariness creeps up on us much too often. Even at breakfast some of us are tired. By lunch we need a nap. \Vhcn both men and women now start our second shift at home, we are often quite bleary eyed. We let the children watch the television because we know they want "off'' time as much as we do. We tum on to tum off. One good way to tum off is to remember the promises of God. We will get tired! And we wilJ also get untired. We will get beyond weariness. Even tile youtlis will faint But then they will walk again. We do not become weary in well doing. THERE ARE PLENTY of reasons for increased fatigue. The causes include the need for two or more incomes to support a household, increasing stimuli for more expensive lifestyles, a desire for college educations, and a myriad of oilier interacting economic , political, social issues. None of lhese will be changed by words. They can and should be humanized! We humanize ourselves and our fatigue by using words. Words are well doings. They are mighty beginnings for humanizing tile world of work. We can use wise words to befriend fatigue. In this strategy, we welcome its waming . We accept our limits . We can' t do any more claims than we can do! We are, after all, human beings, not human doings. Befriending fatigue as a welcome warning is a way to live beyond tired into time. Now time is the destination. 8 J ULY •AU OUST 1998 Being tired is a result of packing too much into too small a unit of time. It is like a size 14 woman wearing size 12 jeans. The fit is not quite right. Bulges occur. the bulges cause fatigue. When we move from tired into time, we wear tile right size day. We acknowledge our limitation s. We sec tl1e overweight nature of our lives. We slim tliem down. We w1clutter them. We forgive ourselves excess. We make plans for less excess. We become comfortable again. We may not change the direction of the economy but we change our own directions. We do not become weary in well doing! Whatever lies before me is not blocking my next step: it is my next step . MOST OF US LIVE in packed time. We are living on too many levels at once. \V c are worrying about what we didu' t do yesterday or what we must get done by tomorrow. We are not here . We arc not borne in here. We are "there,"in anxiety. The anxiety makes us tired. If we accept our fatigue as a warning, we can make fatigue our friend. If we listen deeply to it, we may even hear the call from God. That call includes refonning our economy. and our own personal life. Both arc implied when fatigue is our friend, not either. We may be tired now, but we don't need to be tired forever. Failure anal ysts say things fail from the interaction of difficulty, not just one thing. Just as we will nol be less tired by onJy one strn tcgy. so we will nol be released from fatigue if our job dehumanizes us. Some attention to tl1c economic reality is necessary for the spiritual strategics to work. Also, we need to be part of a commwlity of spiritual strategy. We can' t do it alone. How do we bef ricnd fatigue? We slop doing some of the things that make ~15 tired. We remove some of the obstacles in our way. Maureen Brady says the sp1r· itual strategy well when she says, "Whatever lies before me _is not blocki~g my next step: it is my next step." We get beyond our fatigue usmg person-fnendly strategies. We do not get over fatigue by making ourselves crazy gcttmg beyon<l i I. God can be counted on to show up at the bottom of the bottom of the bottom of trouble. T. S. ELIOT SAID, "You bring me news of a door that opens at the end of a corridor, swtlight and singing, when I had felt sure tllat every corridor only led to another, or to a blank wall." Those who have made friends out of tlicir own trou• blc know what he means. We have come to know the dark places within us and we have seen tlieir doors and windows. I have become intimately acquainted with tl1e bottom of my stomach. It opens! But not until it is ready to open . Pain takes its own good time. But God, whom Eliot is addressing here, can be counted on to show up at the bottom of the bottom of the bottom of tile trouble • and there to open a door. Folk wisdom tells us that "God never shuts a window not to open anotlicr." I remember being in a church once where all the windows were open and a service was being conducted . A gusty wind blew up on both sides of the church . The ushers shut all the windows, all very quickly. Air pressure opened one back up! The whole congregation smiled . We knew tliat God uses air pressure to make a point. Even tile stress and pressure of our lives may carry God. The Rev. Don11aE . Schaper is Associate Co11ferec1e1 Minister with the Massachusetts Confere11ce of the U,rited Church of Christ. fALSE HOPE, FromPagel cannot be changed," Johnson said. "Indeed the more truthful 'ex-gay' counselors privately tell their clients what they rarely acknowledge in public - that they cannot change a gay or lesbian person's same-gender attractions." He said the ads seemed timed to coincide with a political effort to overturn President Clinton's executive order banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in federa l agencies and to oppose the Employment NonDiscrimination Act. "Such organizations cannot afford for the fact of tl1e innate nature of sexual orientation - be it heterosex~11. bisexual or homosexual - to be widely accepted," "Indeed the more truthful 'ex-gay' counselors privately tell their clients what they rarely acknowledge in public - that they cannot change a gay or lesbian person's same-gender attractions." MISSING, FromPageS with the old, in with the new; if you fall off the horse, jump back into the saddle; pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again; when one door shuts, another opens. Though nagging was the inkling that I was not pausing long enough to recognize how I used replacement as a means of shoring myself up against my shapeshifter, replacing seemed inevitable, even necessary. I could not bear that pause. It seems , as I look around, that we never quite leave the fairy -tale aura of childhood. At times this looks cultural; other times, psy chological; but, most often, just plain human . Our social glue is the assumption of a happily-ever-afte r story against which we measure the pity of lives that fall short of it. Yet the reality of having attained a something once missing seems to me much more gray a matter , an uneasy tension between rainbow promise and steel-toned fact. But what else could one expect of a · shapeshifter? The dream of freedom to Wlfurl one's inner wings pales with awakening to a world where a true sense of freedom is contingent upon a balance between structure and soar . As in fine writing the free flow of rich imagery, unbounded in expressiveness and depth of meaning, comes not in abandon but mindful of fonn, so too in life. Beliefs. too, are such that they rein the power of psyche and spirit in a directed focus upon a singular truth. But how quickly they fall apart or , worse, become those errors to which we cling. when taken out of their conte,;t! Most of us know, at least in the quieter moments of our live s, that much of what we believe is not so in all ways, but nonetheless fiercely do we_ clutch our beliefs to us, even in the face of their poverty . The freedom to e,;pre ss and e,;plore; fresh ideas to stir the imagination or ignite a sense of infinite meaning ; human connections to make real our heart's hope for a God who wears skin - these are as much a part of being human as breathing or eating. Without them we are the less, poorer every bit as much as if we were denied nourishment , sleep or shelter . I do not trivialize their cruciaJ role, even if a shapeshiftiog role, in the very fabric of our lives, in my life. Unquestionably , something is missing in my life. But before rushing to name this shapeshifter one more time, prior to relinquishing this most acute lack and embracing the balm of a named focus, I think I will let this shapeshifter just be. The discomfort is yet an easier pill to swallow than the remedies I've gulpedd own in the past. Catheri11e Groves is editor of The Christia 11 New Age Quarterly. from which this article is repri11ted. Johnson said. He noted that the American Psychological Associa ,tion and the American Medical Association have repudiated the claims of ex-gay ministries. Johnson, whose title is Minister for CATHOLICS, From Pagel lion. Human beings see the appearance, • but tlie Lord looks into the bean."' Always Our Children goes on to say "it is appropriate to understand sexual orientation... as a deep -seated dimension of one's personality and to recognize its relative stability in a person." Miailovich also said, "Always Our Children reminds parents of homosexual persons that they should respect 'a person's freedom to choose or refuse therapy directed toward changing a homosexual orientation. Given the present state of medical and psychological knowledge , there is no guarantee that such therapy will succeed. Thus there may be no obligation to undertake it, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns, has been an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ since 1972. He was the first openly gay person ordained to the Christian ministry in modem times. through some may find it helpful.' "And that is the truth," Miailovich said. "Too many people have gone down the change therapy road only to experience even greater pain than when tl1ey first came out as gay or lesbian. The groups supporting a change -campaign instead of helping people · live integrated lives are hurting women and men who have struggled, in some cases for years, to integrate their se,;ual orientation witli their faith. To say that lesbians, gay men, bise,;u,1.sl and transgendered persons cannot have a relationship with God is misleading and destructive. To say that hom.ose,;uality is a sin is wrong." The Un Time-Management Book Sabbath Sense This is your in vitation to pack your spiritual baggage and move to the neighborhood cal_led ENOUGH - enough time, enough rest , enough play. The reality of "sabbath" as a day of rest and been A Spiritual Antidote for the Overworked by Donna Schaper $11.95 paperback 6X9 128 pages ISBN 1-880913-25-9 lost amidst ou r to-do lists, day-organizers, Available in bookstores and en dless err ands, but the sense of sabbath, or ca ll as spiritual leisur e, is very much needed in lnnisfre e Press our time -starv ed world. \ • Turn not-enough time into ENOUGH time; • Unify fragmented time through RITIJALS; •Weave a pattern of SACREDNESS into your life; •DECLUTTER, simplify, and slow down. 1-800-367-5872 to order. l Jless lnnisfree - SE CO ND ST O NE 9 Caliof mia-RlcifUicn itedM ethooists declarec hurch' welcomingt'o all people BY JIM JOHNSON MORE THAN l,600 United Methodists attending the 1998 session of the Califomia- Pacific Annual Conference have pledged to make tl1eir local churches "welcoming" to all people without regard to sexual orientation. The conference's new directional statement came after several days of spiritual discernmen t in which delegates tried to understand God's will regarding homosexuality. The conference, which met June 17-21, includes 407 churches in Soutllem California, Hawaii, Saipan and Guam. The choice of the word "welcoming" represents a new way of identifying how a conference is approaching tlie issue of homosexuality . More common terms adoptedb yotberconferencaens di ndividual churches are "reconciling" (accepting all people into the life of the church) and "transforming" (reflecting the t,elief that homosexuality is a sin but that God can "transfollll" gays and lesbians). United Methodists in tl1e CaliforoiaPacific conference have debated the issue of gay and lesbian participation in tlie life of the local church for several years. Al the 199'7 conference session, delegates agreed to a yeac-long study of whether the conference would declare itself "reconciling" or "transforming ." What was different about this year's action was that conservatives and liberals , gays and lesbian s, lay and clergy, I young and old stood up to affirm the direction of the annual conference. People on both sides of the issue felt they could suppo rt the idea of havin g a "welcoming" conference or congregation . By not using the labels "reconciling" or "transfonning," they ■ By not using the labels "reconciling" or "transforming," they avoided saying they accepted or rejected a particular sexual orientation. ■ avoided saying tlley accepted or rejected a particular sexual orientation. Using the new approach of discemment, conference members were asked to commit personally to "affinning all members as Christian in spite of individual differences, and to consider all members as a part of tlie body of Christ while working to determine the will of God.'' Creech back in North Carolina OMAHA, Neb. - The Rev. Jimmy Creech, who created a rift in his First United Methodist Church in Omaha by performing a union ceremony for a lesbian oonple last fall, has left Nebraska to return to North Carolina. Creech, who was not reassigned to the Omaha church by Nebraska Bishop Joel Martinez, stepped down from the pulpit June 7. "It is important for me to step aside and let tllc church go,'' Creech said. Creech will take a leave of absence from the Nebraska conference of the United Methodist Church and spend the summer with his family at a Ocracoke Jshmd off the coast of North Carolina . 10 JULY•At/GUST 1998 He said he and his wife intend to clean cottages and take other odd jobs while on tl1e island . Theo, he said, he will move the family to Raleigh, N.C., where he lived before taking the Omaha appointment in July 1996. He said he is uncertain what he will do while in Raleigh. Creech was ousted from the Fairmont United Metliodist Church in Raleigh after marching in a gay rights parade in l 990. Creech said he has no regrets about pcrfonning the union ceremony or the resulting fallout. He said he is proud of the couple he united and the integrity they have shown. (AP) Creechr evealsre rnaikable stoiy of' oourageouws' omen NEW YORK - The United Methodis t pastor who was subjected to a church trial after pcrfonning a same-sex covenant service said it was the two women he blessed "who were Intl y courageous ." As preacher at the June 28 Gay Pride Sunday service at Riverside Church in New York, the Rev. Jimmy Creech spoke both about the women themselves and his belief that "the church needs to be with every couple who choose to make such a commitment." Creech received a warm welcome at Riverside, an interdenominational, multietlmic congregation with 2,400 members and affiliates. The Riverside Church Council endorsed same-sex civil marriage in April 1997. He described tlle ceremony he conducted last September for the two women he calls Mary and Martha and the journey that brought tl1em to that point. Mary grew up in a Mon11on family, married and had a daughter, and stayed in tl1at unhappy marriage until "she could no longer Jove and be true to herself," he said .. Martha, raised a Roman Cat11olic, had t11ree children with a husband she considered her best friend but finally could 110 longer live with the internal conflicts she felt about her sexuality. After she left the marriage, she joined a support group .and found friend ship with a gay man who also agonized over leaving his wife. They introduced tl1eir spouses to each other and the spouses later married . "The former husband has remained very supportive and very affinning," said Creech about Martha's spouse. Previously, "God had been to diem an enemy , an opposing force in their lives," he added. But after accepting their sexual orientation, they learned tl1at God had not rejected them . Mary and Martha were ab le to cast off their self-hatred "and embrace the gifts that God had given tl1em," he said. The covenant ceremony occurred after Mary and Martlia had been together for several years, once they had accepted God's love for them, love for themselves and their love for each other. "It was a triumph of love over fear," Creech explained . (UMNS) United Methodist Churc ,h close to schism, many say BY JULIA McCORD IN THEIR 214 years in America, Methodists have fought, separated made up. The denomination was tom apart in the mid-1800s over the great moral issue of the era -- slavery. · The Southern and Nortllem wings of the church were reunited in the late 1930s. And in 1%8, a merger with the Evangelica l United Brethren created today's United Methodist Omrch. Now the 20tll-century love fest is threatening to unravel over a new issue, homosexuality. The issue has deeply divided the 8.5 million-member denomination , so much so that as the millennium draws near Methodists are talking openly of schism. Emotions over the issue were on prominent display in Kearney, Neb., during the ecclesiastical trial of the Rev. Jimmy Creech for conducting what he called a covenant ceremony for two women in his Omaha congregation in September. ''To a lot of United Methodists today, homosexuality is a very serious issue," said Charles Yrigoycn, general secretary of the General Comm.ission on Archives and Ilistory at Drew University in Madison, NJ . "I don't think it's possible to say whether it will divide the church. Some think it will, or could. Others don't. . .. It's the most serious moral issue the church has grappled with in the last couple of decades." The court's decision to acquit Creech caused a sensation, but it has done little to resolve the controversy over homosexuality . Nebraska Metl10dists remain in an uproar, as does Creech's church - tlle 1,900-member First United Metl1odist Church in Omaha. The "s" word - schism - was openly discussed by 23 theologians and bishops from both the liberal and co nservative wings of the church who participated in two rec ent dialogues on theological diversity. Participants met in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 20 and 21 and again in Dallas on Feb. 19 and 20. Two of them - the Rev. J. Philip Wogaman , President Clinton's pastor in Washington, and tlle Rev. Gregory Stover of Sharonville, Ohio - attended the Creech trial. Wogaman testified for Creech. In a document titled "In Search of Unity," participants said issues related SEE SOIISM, Next Page NATIONAL NEWS TwoB aptisct hurchesst andf.i nn in acceptancoef g ays BY SALLY MACDONALD SEATTLE - Two of this city's most historic Baptist churches - Seattle First Baptist and University Baptist - may be ousted from their denomination because they welcome lesbians and gays in the pews and the pulpit. The American Baptist Churches of the Norlhwest took steps toward doing that by considering -resolutions that w.ould limit approved sexual relationships to "one man and one woman in a monogamous marriage relationship" and allow churches to be dismissed for ~ejecting "basic Christian beliefs and practices or Baptist distinctives." University Baptist has a gay copastor, the Rev. Tim Phillips, and both Seattle churches belong to a national group of 31 Welcoming and Affirming Baptist churches. The group pledges to welcome lesbian, gay and bisexual members, support same-sex partnerships and advocate the same rights for homosexuals as hetero sexuals. ·n1e congregations of the two Seattle churches have voted in favor of tl1ose SCHISM, From Previous Page to homose .xuality represent a fwtdamental challenge "so deep as to harbor the danger of explicit disunity or schism" within the church, the group said. , Underlying the controversy, the group · said, is a basic disagreement over the· authority of Scripture and divine revelation. The group reached no consensus about whether unity can be maintained given such division s. "Compatibilists," both liberal and conservative, believe that the Methodist umbrella is big enough to accommodate sharply opposing points of view, the statement said. "lncompatibilists," it said, "do not believe that these divergent judgments can he housed indefinitely within the same denomination. They believe that the church is faced with a difficult choice many will want to avoid but which cannot ultimately be ignored." The group recommended that the Methodist Council of Bishops take the lead in fostering theological dialogue within the church and prepare a teaching paper 011 the authority of Scripture and divine revelation. John C. Green, director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics in Akron, Ohio, said good leadership is policies. If they are ousted from the denomination - a process tl1at could take years - tl1eir ministers could suffer financially and, in an extreme event, the churches could lose nonprofit tax status. The two churches are among Seattle's oldest. First Baptist was established in 1872 by 11 pioneers who met in homes at the start. Its building on the comer of Seneca and Harvard streets on Capitol Hill was completed in 1912. The church has about 900 members. University Baptist, established in 1902, has about 100 members. The American Baptist regional board pas sed a resolution last fall saying its member churches would not recognize the ordination of any pastor who is a practicing homosexual. Phill ips, hired in 1996 to pastor University Baptist with the Rev. Anne Hall, said the resolution litnits his ability to minister. "This action is not one of love ," Hall wrote members of the church afterward. "It sounds like and feels like an action of reprimand and insult." "The momentum for Ibis is fear," paramount during decisive moments such as these. "When people have fundamental <lisagreements, leadership is critical," he said. "If the situation isn't carefully managed, the conflict will spill over into other issues." Green and James L. Guth of Funnan University in Greenville, N.C., recently published a book, "People Called Methodists," that underscores the differences in Mctliodist thinking about homosexuality. According to opinion survey data in their book , 51 percent of Methodists and 53 percent of Americans say gays shonld have the same rights as other people. But only 40 percent of conservative Methodists agree, compared with 64 percent of liberal Methodists. Other data suggest that Method ists sup port preventing discrimination agains t lesbians and gays in the workplace but would balk at guaranteeing them the right to marriage and ordination, Green said. 'The church wants to be supportive of all people, including gays," he said. "The Christian lradition, on the olhcr hand, identifies certain aspects of homosexuality as sinful, and Methodists want to support that, too." If history is any guide, open debate and a flex.ibility by church hierarchies in Phillips said. ·'People are afraid of either homosexuals themselves or what homosex uality means. But I can't help but believe if Jesus were here now , he would be most present to people like me who were most excluded from the church." Until now, the denomination could · remove a church from membership only if tl1e church requested it or was inactive for two years. Resolution s such as tlie ones considered pave the way for major cliange in a denomination tl1at bas prided itself on allowing congregations to interpret tl1e, Bible as the spirit moves tl1cm. "We're alarmed by the fact lhat they are putting together a credo to conformity," said the Rev . Rodney Romney, pastor of Seattle First Baptist. "It isn't historical. The purpose of the Baptist movement was to allow for diversity and autonomy to exist. We Baptists have always lived with diversity." Siit American Baptist churches already have been rejected by regional organizations over the homosexuality issue - four in the Bay Arca and one each in allowing for local and regional interpre'.'. tations of rules can help avert schism. For example, the Catholic Church in the 1800s raised serious moral questions about slavery and forbade participation in the slave trade, but it stopped short of banning slaveholding by mem- . bers, said Bryan LeBeau, a religious historian at Creighton University. "As a result, it was able to survive as ooe body," l..eBeau said. In contrast, Methodist bishops of the era were afraid that a public debate over slavery would cause schism, said Yrigoyen, the Methodist historian. They successfully suppressed discussion of the issue at the church's 1836 and 1840 general conferences, or legislative gatherings. But at the next general conference, in 1844, the issue boiled over. In a general conference lasting three weeks, the longest ever, abolitionists targeted a prominent Georgia bishop who bad never traded in slaves but had inherited some through marriage. The bishop refused to emancipate his slaves because to do so would have violated a Georgia law. As a result, abolitionists forced the general conference to oust him. Soutberu Melhodisls immediate! y drew up a plan of secession. The dissi - Alaska and Ohio. And while none has gone on to be dismissed by the national organization - a process that could take up to two years - the resolutions signal deep divisions in the denomination, • which has 1.5 million members nationally. If a church should be ousted by the national body, its ministers would 110 longer be recognized as ordained American Baptists and be ineligible for the denomination'$ pension plan. The congregation would have no support in finding a pastor and the church might lose its nonprofit tax status. On the other hand, Romney pointed , out, the denomination would lose about $80,000 a year that Seattle First Baptist sends to the mission program - some of which comes back to the Northwest 'region. "l suppose I'm naive about this, but I'm really not deeply disturbed by it," Romney said. "I would be sorry to see it happen, but it will not change one bit the way we do what we do." (Seattle Times) dents organized the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in Louisville, Ky., in 1845. They elected two new bishops and authorized a new hymnal and Book of Discipline detailing the church's laws and administrative guidelines, and they immediately started arguing with the Northern church over the division of assets of a church publishing house, a conflict that eventually was settled by the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1939, the Northern and Southern churches and the Methodist Protestant Church joined to create the Metl1odist Church. On the issue of homoseitualit y, at least, Methodists are talking and have been for more t11an two decades, And that fact counse ls against pushing the slavery comparis on too far, said Green, . of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics. "We've had many votes on this issue (homosexuality), 11 Green said. "The issue has been aired regularly. One side keeps losing. That's the difference. One of the reasons for the slavery split was that the issue wasn't discussed tmtil no compromise was possib le. "Methodist leaders hope discussion and debate will lead to consensus . It hasn't happened yet. 11 (Omaha World Herald) SECOND STONE 11 NATIONALN EWS Presbyterialena deru rgesg aysl,e sbiantso persevere BY JERRY VAN MARTER CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Jack Stotts, recently retired president of Austin Pres- . byterian Theological Seminary, urged tl1e Covenant Network of Presbyterians to persevere in their efforts to make the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) more inclusive during his keynote speech at the organization's inaugural General Assembly luncheon June 15. More than 4.50 persons turned out for the luncheon, including a dozen of the 17 foaner moderators who have endorsed the Covenant Network's call to a more inclusive church. Current moderator Douglas W. Oldenburg also greeted tl1e gatllering and indicated that he, too, will sign on to the network's call. The Covenant Network was formed last summer to advocate in the presbyteries for tile passage of Amendment A - the commonly called "fidelity and integrity" amendment - to "The Book of Order." The amendment was defeated, 114-59, by the presbyteries, but Stotts pleaded with the audience not to give up. "I have had a lot of dreams tl1at did not come tme," he said, quoting a favorite author, "but I have had enough dreams come true tllat I still believe in the dream." Stotts said the proper relationship between unity and diversity "is a human issue and promise ... and is symptomatic of the same issues in American society." He described the tension between seeking unity and seeking diversity as "an w1dergroW1d current that sometimes creates turbulent waters on the surface - like now." In such times, he added, African-American Presbyterian clergy vote to support inclusivity BY JOHN GREGG CHARLOTTE, N.C,. - In its annual preGeneral Assembly Conversation, held in Charlotte, N.C., on June 10-11, Semper Reformanda (Always Being Reformed), voted enthusiastic aJJy to endorse the challenging open Jetter from AfricanAmerican leaders in the denomination, and to support Overture 98-65 from the Presbytery of National Capital which ask.s General Assembly to implement the recommendations exth e open letter . Specifically, the open letter and the Overture ask the church to convene "a special conference oo ~The Nature of the Unity We Seek: in our Diversity,' to be held within six months following the adjournment of the 210th Gener al Assembly (1998). " The open letter and the Overture further recommendth at: . " (I) the conference include person s who represen t the broad diversity of the Presbyt erian Church (U .S.A.) a t this point in time, (2) the disc ussion foc us on an info rmed analysis of the ~odem history of ec clesi as tic al co nflict s within the Reformed tradition and their resolution, the nature of and need for j ustice in church and society, the meani ng of the love and grace of Jesus Christ in Reformed theology, and the values and contrib utions of our various diversities io light of the unity already given to us; ml (3) the report from this conference, 12 J lJ LY • A U OUST l 9 9 8 with accompanying docume ·nts, be pray,erfully received by the 211th General Assembly (1999) as advisory and ministerial counsel for all members and congregations, We also call upon sessions, presbyteries, synods, and theological institution s to consider seriously undertaking similar conferences prior to the convening of the 21 Hh General Assembly ( 1999)." In the discussion before the vote, memben of Semper Ref onnanda made it clear that a conference on ''The Nature of the Unity We Seek in our Diversity" is exactly the topic for discussion that should engage all Presbyterians who would try to serve within the church with creativity, integrity, and love. Semper Refonnanda is an organization of Presbyterians , which has four emphases: Maturing in Gospel understanding, appropriation , and expre ssion; Working to correct systemic injustice in church and society ; F.ncouraging com munities of prayer /study/action/reflection; and strategizing and action with Pres byterian groups that share our mission . Gro up s tha t now participate in SR(ABR) are: Chautauq ua Presbyterian Renewal Group, Presbyterians for lesbian and Gay Concerns, Presbyterian Peace Fello wship, Presbyteria ns for Restoring Creation, Voices of Sophia, and The WitherspooSno ciety . unity and diversity become "opposing virtues." Stotts warned tllat when the two virtues are out of balance, "the dark side of unity is exposed, which is imperialism, . and the dark side of diversity is exposed, which is the loss of identity." He offered three theological principles for finding balance between unity and diversity: Unity precedes diversity - Stotts cited Gal. 3:28 and said oneness in Christ "is a costly unity because it means giving up our enemies;" Unity presumes diversity - Stotts said that unity without diversity is uniformity, which is static "and even worse, boring." Unity in Christ is dynamic, he added; Unity presupposes reaching out to tl1e margins - Stotts said "being conscious of our center is to be aware of tile margin ... to draw from the strength of the weak." Fonner General Assembly moderator Robert W. Bohl, who is co-moderator of the Covenant Network with John M. Buchanan, also a fonner General Assembly moderator, was equally insistent that those seeking greater diversity in the church continue their struggle . Saying he had "never borne the brunt of so much vicious mail'' because of his . support for Amen dment A, Bohl said, "We must find a way lo be faithful... We're the church, remember that, and we will not allow ourselves to victimized and villainized." Growing more combative, Bohl said "the issne here is not so much ordination standards as it is control , domination and ultimately, the destruction of the church as we have known and loved it. We must not let this denomination become captive as the Southern Baptist Convention has become captive to those who systematically exclude and purge from leadership those who disagree with tl1em." "I don't know how," Bohl said, "but God will show us a way to be together in this church, to be a church that is open and inclusiv~ of all people ." Covenant Network executive director Pamela Byers of San Francisco announced plans for a networksponsored national conference, Nov. 5- 7, 1998, in Denver. Rep. Barney Frank speaks at Cathedraol f Hope MCC DALLAS - Religion should not be used to attack people for their sexual orientations, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank said Jtwe 21 at a gay and lesbian church service at the stan of Gay Pride Week. Frank, who is gay, gave his first public response to reoe.nt comments by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott that les bians and gays should be helped "to learn to control that problem." "You do have people who are trying to use religion as a stick to beat other people with - particularly, for 9001er eason, gay men and lesbians," Frank, DMass., told a service at the cathedral of . Hope Metr opolitan Community Church. · Lott , R-Miss ., made his remarks while taping an interview for "The Ann sbOng Williams Show" on the America 's Voice television netw<Xk . During their interv iew , Will iams asked Lott if he consi ders homosexual ity a sin and Lott replied , "Yeah, it is." Lott added : "You should still love that pers on. You should not try to mistreat them or treat them as outcasts. You should try to show them a way to deal with that problem, just like alcohol ... or sex addietioo ... or kleptomaniacs." Asked about Lott's comments, House ~ajority Leader Dick Anney, R-Texas , said the Bible considers homosexuality a sin and "I abide by the Bible." Ann ey said he and his wife had read relevant sections in the Bible that morning and "I do not quarrel with I.he Bible on this subject." Frank said some people interpret the Bible selectively . "It also says that you're violati ng the 10 Commandments if you work on the Sabbath or if you take the name of the Lord in vain," Frank said. "It says that if you're divorced and remarried. you're doing something terrible." Frank also said Armey and Lott were respooding to frustrated religious conservati ve s, who ha ve threat ened to dese rt Republicans in the November congr essional electiom and beyond . "The y have said , 'We'll sit out the next elec tion ; we'll mak e you lose , "' Frank: told The Dall as Morning News . "But the probl em is their agenda is one that the general public does n't like." Frank was introd uced by the Rev. Michael S. Piazza, who drew la ughter when he said, "All week long, we've been given theological lessons by politicians in Washington . We thought we would give a politician from our side his say." (AP) NATIONAL NEWS _G_ ayc ouple's union blessedI llF .pisco!cEe remony BY DEEPTI HAJELA FAIR LAWN, New Jer sey - In a state that does not legally recognize same-sex unions, Jon and Michael Galluccio came as close as they could to getting married. Standing before fami ly an d friend s during a weekly worship service at The Episcopal Church of the Atonement on June 21, the men made the ir vows to each other and exchanged rings. "When we first came out 16 years ago, first fell in love, this wasn't an option ," sa id Jon Ga lluc cio, who chan ged his name earlier this year from Jon Holden. The coupl e had alre ady taken a big step toward family life by jo intly adoptin g a 2-year-old boy, in a case that prompted a landmark chan ge in state ado ption la ws las t December. As a result, New Jersey became the first state in th.e country to allow gay or unmarried couples to jo intly adopt. A settlement reached after the two brought a class-acti on lawsuit required the state Divis ion of Youth and Family Lutheran commission says safety for women more than physical CHICAGO - Conversatio n centered on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) being a safe place for women, particularly for lesbians, when the 12-mcmber steering committee of the ELCA Commission for Women met here March 20-22. "We took some time to look at our focus area of safety and what that really means," said the Rev. Ann M. Tiemeyer, New York, steering committe, , chair. The commission's mandate is to "assist t~e ELCA to realize lite full par ticipallon of women, to create a safe euvironment for women and to advocate j ustice for women in the church and in society." For its 10-year history the commission has been involved in harassment and domestic violence issues. Tiemeyer said the "safe environment" that the commission works to create is more tlmn a place of physical safety but will give women the freedom to discuss their theological perspectives. "It's the safety of being able to have your whole being recoguized as part of God's gift 10 the world," she said. "As we challenge the church to cha nge, we don't necessarily create safety," Tiemeyer noted. The sleering committee concluded lliat it must risk its own safety to "offer it as a gift for others," she said. Tiemeyer is pastor of St. Jacobus Lutheran Church, Woodside, Queens. The commission participated earlie r in an exercise in "moral deliberation" in which it convened about a dozen women for a confidential conversation about what it means for the ELCA to be welcoming and hospitable to lesbians. The steering committee reviewed a videotnped report from tlial conference. The steering committee can1e to the conclusiou that the personal experiences of Christians must be considered while reading such sources as the Bible and the Luthcrmt Confessions for dire ction. "If we share our stor ies, we get at how those sources become important in our lives," said Tiemeyer. "Moral delibera tion has to start with the stories." Another focus of tl1e Commission for Women is to enable the ELCA "to foster parl11ersh.ip between women and men." The steering committee continued its discussion of Promise Keepers, who recen tly sent letters to some Lutheran congregations asking for contribu tions. "We want to find a way to hold up the value of men experie ncing and discovering spiritua lity and suppor t amongst each other. We know that's incredibly importan t," said Tiemeyer . She said Lutheran Men in Mission, the men's organizatio n of the ELCA. is providing "similar types of experiences with a theology and a community that we support." ''The Rev. Richard Jensen, a professor of homi letics at ll1c Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, gave the committee a presentation 011 Promise Keepers. He outlined the promises tlmt the organization is asking men to keep to God, their wives and to their families. "If all men did this, the world would be a better plac e," Jensen said, noting that Promise Keepers has had a very positive impact on millions of lives. On the other hand, Jensen said, Lutheran theology is based on the fact that people cannot keep all U1eir promises. "God keeps promises," he said. "fhe nature of the gospel is at stake in Utls conversation," said Jensen. The love of God is not given on the condition that we keep promises or live by social structures described in the Bible, he said. (ELCA News Service) Service s to scrap its policy barring joint adoption of its wards by gay or unmarried couple s. The settle ment talks began af ter a judge approv ed a petition by the couple to adopt 2-year-old Adam Gallu ccio, .a foster child the two men had cared for since he was 3 month s old . The Galluccios also plan to adopt an 18-month-old foster daughter. Holden, 34, and Gal luccio, 36 , were rai sed as Roman Catholics but became Episcopalians four years ago , saying the Prot es ta nt de nomination was more acceptin g of thei r sexual ori entation. (AP) Second MCC is target of bomb threat LOS ANGELES - In late May, for the second lime in a two month period, a congrega tion of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches was the target of a bomb tltreat. Metropol itan Commmtity Church of Bournemouth, England received anonymous bomb threats which are under investigation by local police. Fundamentalist religiou may have played a role in the bomb threats. According to the Rev. Neil Thomas, senior pastor of MCC Bournemouth, a local fundamentalist church recently condeinned the MCC ch urch. Tensions were further heightened when three members of the fundmnentalist church moved their membership to Metropolitan Comm wlity Church. The Rev. Troy D. Perry, founder and moderator of UFMCC said, "These llireats are still another reminder of the impor!ant work we have yet to accomplish on behalf of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgcndered persons. This marks the second bomb threat again st UFMCC congregations in the past two months . Over the past 30 years, more than 20 of our churches have been victimized by arson or firebombing." "I caJJ upon all people of goodwill to uphold the Rev. Neil Thomas and the congregation of Metropolitan Commu nity Church of Boumemoutl1 witlt their love and prayers during this ,lime," Perry oow1 In April, the 3000-membcr Cathedral of Hope Metropolitan Comm unit y Church in Dallas, Texas, the world's largest predominantly gay and lesbian congregation, Wi1s the larg~t of a bomb threat posted on the l11teme1. Tbe threats ue under investigatio n by tl1e FBI. Lutheran organization decides against gathering for gay youth CHICAGO - The youth of tl1e Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will "pursue a dynamic, interac tive, open and welcoming ministry" with gay, lesbian and bisexual young people, but will "exclude the possibility of a gathering" for homosexuaJ and bisexual youth to precede tlte triennial ELCA Youth Gathering in the year 2000. The board for the Lutheran Youl11 Organization (LYO) met here March5-8 . At its 1997 convention, members of t11e L YO passed a resolution to ask the church to "investigate the feasibility" of an event for gay, lesbian and bisexual youth. Two other events that usually precede the gathering are the Defiuitely Abled Youth Leadership Event (DAYLE) and the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE). "We've found that planning this gathering is not feasible because we could not detcnnine how to create a safe environment for gay, lesbian and bisexual young people who decide to attend. Because of this we felt that plann ing a gathering like this may not be the best way to do ministry," said Meredith Lovell, board member from Elliwll City, Md. Lovell is a member of the task force organized to address the resolution . ''The specific suggestion for a gathering is not feasible but there arc other things 10 do," said Jay McDivitt. board member from Loveland, Colo. ''The intent of the resolution was to ,dck-start the youth organization into doing ministry with gay, lesbian and bisexual young people," he said. "The youth organization is not going to shut up about doing this ministry," McDivill said. "We will continue to organize and re-envision how we can pursue this ministry," he said. At its meeting last fall the board acted to designate l 998 as "A Year of Prayer" for homosexual 1md bisexual youth. (ELCA) SECOND STONE 13 NATIONAL NEWS Dignity/USAB:i shop;d ilutinga ffirmingm essageto gays WASHINGTON, D.C. - Leaders of Dignity/USA say they are "very concerned" by the latest efforts of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and its Committee on Marriage and Family Life to dilute the message and spirit of Always Our Children: A Pastoral Message to Parents of Homosexual Children and Suggestions for Pastoral Ministers. On October 1, 1997, the U.S. Catholic Bishops' Commillec on Marriage and Family Life released Always Onr Children, and at that time Dignity/USA stated that they "welcome the pastoral le(ler ... it is a positfve step and we commend the bishops for their improved sensitivity to the issues which confront parents and their lesbian and gay children, but all is not perfect." "Today, however, our hope has been replaced with conccm and fear that the pastoral sensitivity that once marked Always Our Children may have been replaced with a dogmatic, legalistic approach in the Church's ministry to homose xual persons," said Charles L. Cox, Dignity/USA Executive Director. "The original version of Always Our Ouldren was not perfect, and the latest revision makes it even more imperfect. E.ach of the changes represents a capitulation to the conservative voices in the Church," he said. D' gnity/USA President Robert F. Miailovich said, "When Always Our Children was first released, Dignity / USA expressed our disappointment in 'the bishops' continued distinction between homosexual orientation and activity.' Today it seems that the bishops have decided that a pastoral message that encourages sensitivity and open dialogue is too risky for our Church." What makes the revisions particularly distressing to Dignity/USA is the fact that Always Our Children, now to be in its third printing, has been well received by the faithful and viewed positively by many Catholic families with homosexual children. Last November, the bishops' office said they had over 500 letters in support of the state ment and hardly any against. For years families have struggled with the reality of their love for their homosexual children and the teachings of the Catholic Church toward their children. Commenting on the substance and spirit of the revisions to Always Our Children, Miailovich said, "It seems that the hand that had once been outstretched to the families of Florida-Catholicsl aunch ministryt o gaysa mid·p rotests BY DEREK L. KINNER JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - ln a major break from traditional practice, the Catholic Church in Northeast Aorida launched a new ministry for gay men and women - with the pope's approval. While about 300 gays and lesbians attended Mass inside Jacksonville's Assumption Catho lic Church, a smaller gathering prayed outside and held signs protesting the event The Diocese of St. Augustine became the second Catholic diocese in Rorida, and the 36th in the nation, to start a gay and lesbian ministry. The move doesn't mean the church has changed its stance. The new minis try is simply an outreach program, Bishop John J. Snyder said during a Mass to start the ministry . Snyder said he broached the subject during a recent 20-minute audience with Pope John Paul II. He said he told the pontiff he planned to follow the chun:h's teachings but wanted to reach out to lesbians and gays and lbcir families. Snyder said the pope sat quietly for a few moments, then said, "We all need · redeemingd,o n't wer ' 14 JULY •A UOUST 1998 The bishop said the ministry's purpose is to bring gays and lesbians back to the church. "I fully realize we are not going to keep everyone happy, especially those on either end of the spectrum," Snyder said. "We want brothers and sisters to be part of the church and to have an active role," he said, adding that he remains "fully committed to upholding the teachings of the church." Kathleen Bagg-Morgan, the diocese's spokeswoman, said the diocese, which covers 17 counties in Northeast and Central Aorida, has begun reaching out to gays and lesbians in an effort to ,acrease understanding and compassion tbroughont the community. "We're not focusing so much on the sexuality of this as we're focusing on the human being," she said. Snyder , during his homily, said the church is making strides at reconcilia tion. "We have taken steps," he said. "We L,c: oot yet where we need to be. "I believe that ultimate judgment belongs to the Lord." (fimes-Union) lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans gendered persons has become less loving and more threatening." Miailovich also raised the question as to why a document that in the words of Committee chairman Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien "was well received" was revised. Miailovich said, "It is regrettable that the American bishops, who only last October felt free to release Always Our Children on their own, now feel compelled to consult with the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) on these matters. The sad part is that the changes reveal the philosophical and pastoral tensions within the hierarchy. The document's new tone of voice has the potential on the one hand for dis suading some persons who are in need of the Church's ministry from approaching their local priest. And yet on the other hand, the document may be still viewed by some as not strict enough to enjoy conservative support. These conservative voices have shown their power by getting the CDF to intervene and pressuring the bishops to make certain changes. Let us sec now if they will make good on their revised conunitrneut to ministry." Dignity /USA leaders say they remain committed to seeing that the original message and pastoral sensitivity of Always Our Children is retain ed · and fully implemented. Their hope is that the work started because of Always Our Children by bishops, priests and pastoral counselors will continue. Dignity/USA has invited the U.S. Catholic Bishops to recall their offer of an "outstretched hand" and meet with them to discuss how to proceed with implementati ~n of Always Our Children. California Catholics aggressively courting gays and lesbians_ SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The San Dernardino Catholic Diocese is aggrcssi vcly courting lesbians and gays in a dramatic turnaround from years of condemning a gay lifestyle as the surest route to eternal damnation. "We are telling them they are to~ly welcome," said the Rev. Howard Lincoln, spokesman for the diocese and a priest at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Rialto. "All forms of prejudice are a fundamental act of disobedience against the Lord who creates us .... II is profane to assume God values the souls of homosexuals less than heterosexuals. " The diocese, which includes Riverside and San Bernardino counties, set up a special committee in February to examine the needs of lesbians and gays and now wants to establish a pennanent office of gay and lesbian affairs. "We think there are gay people sitting in our pews suffering in silence who don't feel part of the congregation," said Joan Gonzales, chairwoman of the diocese's newly fonned Ad Hoc Comrnittee on Ministry to Gays and Lesbians. "We want to open the doors lo every one. We want support groups for gays and lesbians. But we are going to go slowly ," she said. A committee member, the Rev. Patrick Kirsch of Our Lady of the Snows in Phelan , said: "If we don't reach out, we are alienating a whole population. " The change came in September when :the National Conference of Catholic Bishops released a lengthy statement snying people don't generally choose their sexuality but arc given it by God. "By itself. therefore, a homo sex ual orientation cannot be considered sinful, for morality presumes a freedom to choose ;" the statement said. The bishops called for compassion and love for lesbians and gays along with an eud to stereotyping. There was skepticism. Many priests tell homosexuals see~: ing counseling "you don't belong here, said Charles Cox, eitecutive director of Washington-based Dignity USA, the nation's largest organizatio n for gay, lesbian and transgcnder Catholics. For the past eig ht years, the Rev . Peter Liuzzi has directed the Ministry with Gays and Lesbians for the Los Angeles Archdiocese . He frequently counsels parents of gays who ask, "Will my child go to hell?" "I ask, does he feed the hungry, docs he clothe the naked, docs he grow in justice and compassion each day?" said Liuzzi, noting most of his work involves education about church teaching and directing lesbians and gays to parishes that are accepting of them. "We have hundreds of gays and lesbians attending church every Snuday, but most gay people who are Cat1101ic are alienated," Liuzzi said. "We try to tell them that they can come back." Lincoln noted that the church does not support sex outside of marriage, and since gays and lesbians cannot marry , celibacy is required. (AP) C'hurch votes to keep gay minister MONTREAL - Members of a Presbyterian congregation near Montreal have voted to keep their gay mini ster despite a threat of expulsion by the denomination's national leadership . The secret ballot was held Jooe 28 - coincidental ly celebrated as Ga y Pride Day acros s North America - at St. Andrew 's Presbyterian Church in Lachine, Quebec . The brea kdown of the vote was not di scl osed by the thr ee church official s who count ed the ballot s - they simply announced that a maj ority of the 90- member congregation had voted to keep Darryl Macdonald as their mini ster. The Presbyterian Chur ch of Can ada has re peat edly ordered the congregation to fire Macd onald over the past three years. Th e cong regation refused, insis ting Macdonald was an effec tive, cari ng preach er, and that his homosexuality was irrelevant. Earlier in June, the parish was given a final ultimatum by tl1e church's highest court to find another minister or be expelled. "When it came time to cast that ballot, it was really difficult," said Suzanne West, 34 , a St. Andrew's churchgoer for six years, "It was hard for me to look around and see the people armmd me . People were cryin g." . Macdonald, who was not at the meeting, had said pre viously tl1at the dispute was about more than homosexual ity. "It' s the que stion of tl1e Presbyte rian Chur ch pulling more stock in its rule s than it does in the membership's beliefs and con viction s," he told The Montreal Gaze tte. (AP) Sexualitym ostv olatileo f toughi ssues faci~g LambetCh onference BY DA VIDSKI DMORE WH EN NEARLY 800 Anglic an bishops gath er on the grou nd s of the Univ e rsi ty of Kent and Can terbury Cathedr al this summer for the 13th Lambeth Confe rence they will be bringing more tbau their vestments . Most will also be carting a satchel brimmi ng with cultural , political and theolog ical conce rns - some more volatile tlian others. Al t11ough intema tion al debt has been gi ven top bill ing by the co nfer ence organizers, it is likely to be upstaged by simmering issues o f fait h and orde r, such as the role of gays and lesbians in the church, es peciall y in the ordain ed mi nistry . At the last conference in 1988, the ordination of women pushed other issues to the wings, promp ting a protest from African bishops who felt their concerns over human rights, poverty, debt relief and evangelism were being shortchanged . Those issues are back on tlie agenda , along with the keynote issue of 1988 - structure and accountability in the Anglican Communion - but are just as vulnerable to being shunted to tlle periphery as they were in 1988. Bishop Duncan Buchana n , bishop of Joh annesb urg in the Church of the Provi nce of Sou thern Africa, predicts that sexuali ty could be the scene-stealer , Like the ordina tion of women to the prie sthood and episcopate 10 years ago, homosexuality "wi ll throw its shadow pretty much over the present confer ence ," said Buchanan . The pressure to put sexuality at center stage is coming from several direction s. The conservativ e wing of the Episcopal Church in the United State s, represeut ed by snch organizat ions as the Episcopal Synod of America (ESA) , the American Anglican Coun cil (AAC) and tlle lrenaeus Fellowship of Bishops, is among t11c mo5t persis tent. All thre e organi zatious l,av•? endorsed the Kuala Lumpur statement on sexual morali ty, which opposes the ordination of non-celibate gays and lesbians and the blessing of same-sex unions. The ESA also has called for the establishment of an independent ''orthodox province of the Anglican Communion" within the bowidaries of the Episcopal Church. Siding with them are several primates iwd bishops oflnird World provinces in Issues concerning women, gays threaten to tear apart global assembly Church council splits on' inclusiveness ATHENS, Greece - A doctrinal rift is threatening to pull apart the World Council of Churches, the global assembly formed 50 years ago to unite Christianity . Ironically, the di spute between the council's dominant Protestant denominations and its Orthodox Chri stian members involves issues that touch directly on the council 's mission of inclusion: ordination of women and acceptance of lesbians and gays and other ostracized groups . Orthodo x leaders, supported by other conservative churche s, are demanding the council backtrack on such liberal reform s. The dispute threatens even greater di vision s - including a closer ecumenical bond between the Orthodox church es and the Roman Catholic s, the · only major Christian church not a full member in tlle 330-chur ch World Cowicil. "Thi s is a clear signal that tlle Orthodox are no lon ger satisfied ," said the Rev . Hilar ion Alfe yev of the Russian Orthod ox Chur ch's ex ternal relat ions department. The di vis ions also reflect the forces reshaping Chri stiani ty as its nearly 2 billion belie vers prep are to celebrate 2,000 years since the bicth of Jesus. "This is a real ity sweeping the human famil y," said the Rev. James Morton , bead of the Inter faith Center of New York. "The context has changed - people are now in terested in a broader canvas." But the Orthodo x churches , whose 350 million follow ers account for about 25 percen.t of the coun cil's membership , believe the group has already grown too diverse and inclusive , They have decided to boycott World Council -sponsored prayers and religiou s celebrations and to abstain from voting, They also threaten to snub some discussions at the World Co uncil 's eight h assembly, to be held in Decembe r in Africa , Asia aud Sout h Ameri ca who have advocated a strict biblical interpretation of sexual moralit y and joined ilieir North American coun terparts in cal ling for grea ter accountability for bishops operating outsi de "the historic faith," Meeting at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in February 1997, about JO bishops and church leaders from the SOL ·1,em Hemisphere issued a stateme nt calling for "a clear and unambiguous" teaching of the biblical wider.1tanding of human sexual ity which . iliey said, prohibit s sc;,.ual expre ssion out side of marriage, and Harare, Zimbabwe. The decisions - initiated by the Russian Orthodox Church - were made during a rare meeting of a number of Orthodox churches in the Greek city of Salonica on May 1. They have not been fully ratified by the churches but appear certain to be adopted . "We don't want to dissolve the coun cil, but to restructure it," said Father Geo rge Tetsi s , envoy to the council envoy for F.cumenieal Patriarch Bartholomew I, tlle spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians . A spokesman for the Geneva-bas ed council, John Newbury, acknowledged the Orthodox move would have "ve ry far -reaching implications. " The Orthod ox are not alon e. Conservative African churches have also threatened a boycott of the Hara re assembly if the council all ows gay groups to parti cipate, The Orthod ox church es also are seeking a greater voice in the council , which they maintain is steered by Protes tant values. Many Orthodox churches, particularl y in Russia and Eastern Europe, perceive Prot estant mi ssionary work as a threat to tlleir cong regation s, whose connection with tl1e Orth od ox chur ch was eroded durin g de cades of Comm unisr rule. Orthodox leaders also are wary of possible Roman Catho lic encroachment in the form er Sovie t bloc - so urin g Patriarch Bartholomew's efforts to mend a nearly 1,000-year division between the two church es. But tile cri sis in tile World Cow1cil of Churches could help bri ng Rome and the Orthodox closer. Rev . AJfeyev noted a proposal for a "family of chur ches" between tlle Orthodox and the Roman Catllolic s, who par1icipa te in only one World Council committ ee, dealing with doctrinal issues .'(AP) declared as "unacceptable " the ordination of non-ce li bate gays and lesb ians and blessi ng of same-sex unions . The following September at a co nference in Dall as organize d by the AAC and Bishop James Stan ton of Dalla s, 45 bishops - over half of whom were from Third World provinces • reaffirmed the Ku~a Lumpur statement and called for greater acco untability and disciplin e for those "who chcx,sc beliefs a.ud pr .... uccs outside tlle boundari es of the his1ori l' faith," The Standing Committee of tl1e Pro\'- SEE LAMBETH, Page l 9 SE C OND ST ONl 15 .... I Grollllbdr okenfo rl abw here HIVp ioneewr ill seekc ure NEW YORK - Tossing a spadeful of dirt, the president of Queens College symbolically began work on a new AIDS research complex. · College President Allen Sessoms dug into the campus turf June 23 to start construction of a $30-million laboratory · to be heac,ted by one of the discoverers of mv. "My coIJeagues and I are impatient to start work in these facilities ," said Dr. Luc Montagnier, the Fr ench c odiscoverer of the virus that causes the fatal immune deficienc y disease. " It will save many lives ." Jay Bargmann, a senior executive of . Rafael Vinoly Architects , said he would "g uarantee that work on AIDS research will begi n in this building 30 month s from now" in the year 200 l. Unti l then , Mon tag nier and his team will work in a temporary laboratory on the camp us. "We are very opt imistic about Ecumenical & Inclusive _,'1.,':N1 I(! I•, \· 1 .. -~fl \, ~ .' -.~!h.M ,\· l",t ,.. -;i -· 1, . fl, .-1, I . l f ! ' I ~ I! (. '. l'Jl' . I 'H? improving treatment by bolstering the immune system of patients and about our ultimate goal, a vaccine to prevent infection by the AIDS virus," Montagnier said. He added that it looked like a 10-year job . In addition to combating AIDS, Montagnier has said he expected secondary benefits from the research in the form of treatments for cancer and, eventually , multiple sclerosis . Montagni .er, whose research bas been at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, is talcing up a chair at Queens College endowed with $3 million by Bernard Salick , a graduate of the school who became a physician and then a medical entrepreneur. .. . The new facili ty will be call ed the Salick Center for Molec ular and Cellul ar Biology, with space for a staff of 70 and labo ratories for virology , immunolo gy, molecular genetics and vaccine developmen t. The building, lookin g out on a reflectin g pool, will be cre scent-shaped and mo stly one story. New York. City and state are contrib uting nearly $20 million to the project . The res t is being raised privat ely. (AP) We are a Christian community of men and women from various Catholic and Protestant traditions involved in minstries of love, compassion and reconciliation. We live and work in the world, supporting ourselves wid our ministries and are inspired by the spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare. We are not canonically affiliated with wiy denomination. ~ Kl~DGE For more information or a copy of our newsletter, Footsteps, please write us: V ocntion Dirtetor PO Box 8340 New Orlenns, LA 70182 Mercy of God Community 16 JULY•AlJOUST 1998 Sisterly Conversati ons '98: Cunent Concerns of Lesbians of Faith Vil'ginia Ramey Mollenkott September 18 - 20 Agai,6 1998 : Being Whole , Being Home For young adulta 18 · 30 Brad Colby and Grace Fala Octobe r 23 - 25 For f urther Information, contact: KIRKRIDGE, 2495 FoK Gap Rd. Bangor, PA I 8013 (610) 588-1793 www.kirkridge .org Located on the beautiful Klttattnny Ridge of eastern PA. 85 mUes from NYC and Phlla. Kansasg irlr eceivens ational awardf orA IDSs ervice WICHITA , Kan. - A 14-year -old girl whose mother and uncle died from AIDS and whose father has the di sease will receive her second national award for work in AIDS education this summer. Jamie Morales , of Wichita, is one of 20 winners of the 1998 Metropolitan Life Foundation/National AIDS Fund Caring Counts Award. It honors 12- to 18-year-olds whose work exemplifies volunteerism and community service in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Jamie received $200 and a plaque dur ing the Caring Counts Conference July 15-17 in Washington , D.C. She has been giving presentations about AIDS for six years , and she estimates she 's spoken to 5,000 people . Last May , she was one of 10 national winners of the Prudential Spirit of Communit y award . It is design ed to laud young people who take it upon themsel ves to improve their communitie s. Jami e speak s about AIDS to school . group s, church group s, health professional s and "whoever calls ." She talks about her parents' fight with AIDS and her uncle's and godfather' s deaths from AIDS. Jamie is not infected with the AIDS virus. She started giving AIDS presentations when she was 8. Her legal guardian is an AIDS educator and Jamie had accompanied her to programs . In her Caring Counts application, she wrote; " I wanted to get involved because I know what it is lik e. Not being infected but being affected . I did not want anyone to have to go through what I did in order to learn about this disease." Study finds connection between men's self-esteem, unsafe sex SAN FRA NCISCO - Young gay men la cking self-e steem arc more likely to fall prey to AIDS becau se they engage in unsafe sex more often than other gay men , a new study say s. Th e Univer sity of Californi a study, presen ted in June at the 12th World AIDS Confer ence in Geneva , surv eyed 302 young gay me n in Santa Cruz , Santa Barbara and Eugene, Ore. The participan ts, ages 18 lo 29, were asked to res pond to three statem ents: I · am glad to be gay; My gay male friends are good at helping me solve pers onal problem s; and : At time s, I think I'm no good at all . Those who respond ed to the first two ques tions affirmati vely, and negatively to the third , were more likely to practice safe sex , sai d Uni vers ity of Califo rnia, San Fran cisco re searcher Craig Waldo, who helped conduct the study. Waldo said tha t am ong those men "who accept themsel ves as gay the most," 30 percen t bad engaged in unsafe sex . That contra sted with 46 pe rce nt amo ng those who '.'accept them selves the leas t as gay," he said . The conclusion drawn by Wald o: Young gay men who are comfort able with their sexuality are more psychologically health y and more likel y to practice safe sex. " It's a good idea to help gay men ac cept th emselves because it makes them less risky sexual ly," be said. "As time passes , if they get more support for their identities, it will ultimate ly have a favorable effect on their health ." But some warn that high self-es teem doesn't ensure the practice of safe sex . , "My general impression is that it's a lot more compl ex than tha t," said Ste phen Le Blanc, an ac tivi st with ACT UP Gold en Gate. Le Blan c said he knows at least two "ve zy we ll -e du ca ted, financiaJJ y we ll off, prof essionall y successf ul gay men" who have contr ac ted HlV via uns afe sex. In ·some cases , a partner doesn't real ize he's ca rrying the vi rus ; in oth er s, a par tner may be lying. . "Th e ' par tner lying ' business I've heard about many times from many people. A lot of unsafe sex ~ urs in loving relationship s," Le Blanc said. In a separ ate but somewh at related study conducted by UC researchers and prese nted at the confere nce , the psychol og ical well-being of HIV pat ients was lin ked to their lik elih ood of seriously treating the di sease . In that study, 727 pa tients in seven U.S. cities were survey ed. Patients who felt they were part of a communit y and invo lved in their own care were more likely to take medication, k~ep medical appointm ents and follow their caregi ver's advice. In con tras t, patients who fee l detach ed from their sU1TOundings or depre ssed are more apt to disreg ard medical trea tment, the study found . "The ps ychological well-being of HIV patients plays a ro le in the ir adherence to treatment," said Willi am Holzemer, the study's lead investiga tor . Holzemer's study surveye d a cross section of HIV patients aero~ the country, more than 75 percent of them men . Among its other findings : Neithe r age nor gender are factors in whether peop le take their medicine. LOS ANGELES - The Universal Fellow ship of Metropolitan Community Churches has receiv ed a $50,000 grant from the Gill Foundation . The grant will be used by the rapidly growing organizati on for operational expcn ~es. According to the Rev. Eld er Troy D. Pe rry, found e r and moderator of UFMCC , "We arc honored to receiv e this grant from the Gill Foundation . Th is grant comes at an important time in the life of UFMCC as we prepare for our 30th year of service , COJ1tinue to expand our global technology base and pr epare for the dedicati on of the UFMCC World Cente r in 1999." "We know tha t typi ca l first-time grants from the Gill Foundation do not exceed $ 15,000 ," said Perr y. "So this first-time gr ant in the amou nt of $50 ,000 speaks to the important work UFMCC continues to carry out around the world ." - The Gill Fmwdation was founded in 1994 by Tim Gill, founder and chairper son of Quark, Inc., a Denver-based com puter softwar e company. The Gill Foundation supports non-profit organi i.ations which pu rsue ju stice and equality for gay men and lesbians . Church&Or anizationNews Gay friendly adult care facili ty opens Ari zo na Parac le te Ministr ies has announced the ope ning of an adult care facilit y th at is God -ce nter ed and gay friendly. The fac ili ty open ed in May in Phoenix al 1821 E. Avalon Driv e. The home can accommoda te up to ten res idents at a time. It offers a pleasan t superv ised setting. The needs of those who need some extra care but aren't ready for n traditional nurs ing home are addressed. The ministry is a member of The Evangelical Network . For informa- Events American Baptists Concerned National Retreat AUGUST 2-5, Isis Oasis in Geyserville, Calif. is the setting for this retreat for sexual minority Baptists and their supportive friends for a time of fellowship, worship and relaxation. Cost is $225. For information con tact American Baptists Concerned, P.O. Box 130792, St. Paul. MN 55113, (925)439-4672, ambaptists@ao l.com. Simply Divine: Rites of the Gay Male Spirit AUGUST 21-23, Ken White and John Linscheid at Kir1cridge Retreat and Study Center, 2495 Fox Gap Rd .. Bangor, PA 18013-9 359, 610-588-1793. Facilitators say: ·we will gather again for the third · lion contact Arizon a Paraclete Minis trie s, Inc., P.O. Box 86758, Phoenix, AZ ~-6 758, (602)265-0587. Call for testimonies Lead ers of Bethel Evangeli stic Ministries are in the process of compiling a book of lesbian/g a y Chris tian testimonies and have issued a call for papers of four to six pages. E.ach chapter will be a - story of how a gay, lesbian, bisexual or tran sge nderc d perso n came to know Christ. For informati on, write to Bethel Evangelis tic Mi nistries, P.O. Box 1778, Interl achen , FL32 148. year to seek the divine in the midst of our mountaintop gay community. We will share our stories of gayness, of love and illness, of dreams and aspirations, and of personal or spiritual breakthroughs and accomplishments. Creative protest, drag, double entendre, camp - all testify to a rich gay tradition of responding playfully to both opportunity and oppression.• Led by Ken White, Director of Continuing Social Work Education at Temple University and John Linscheid, a contributing editor to The Other Side magazine. Both have been helping gay friends create rituals to mark significant passages in their lives for the last ten years. Fee, $230. Midwest SpiritQuest SEPfEMBER 4-6, The Ramada Inn Conference Center in LaPone, Indiana is the set- SEE EVENTS, Page 20 PLGC celebrate years of leadership BY JOANNE HINES CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Snrrounded by walls hung with hundreds of colorful stoles, Presbyt erians for Lesbian and Gay Concern s held their annual service of reconciliation coinciding with the General Assembly of the Presb yterian Church (U.S.A.). Recognition and celebration of the leadership of the organiza- · ti on was the agenda of the day. After the introduction of the mostly new board for the next year , speakers Chris Glaser and Janie Spahr spoke about how the past 20 years' di scussions revolvin g around th e ordination of gay and lesbian person s has affected their · mini stry . While proclaiming that the 20 year old ban on ordination has had a positive effect ou the PC (U.S.A.) because more light has been shed on the issue, both spok e of their journey s of hurt and hope. Chris Glaser remembered that he had been brought as a candidate for ordina tion -exac tly 20 year s ago to the da y. While understanding that in many ways he has been identi fied as a professional victim, he spoke eloque ntly that neither his life nor his ministry ended with the denial of his ordination. He is now a successful author and the founder of the Lazaru s Project. While determined to work within the Presbyt erian Church for change, he has proclaimed a "Eucharistic fast," refusing communion ubtil change comes about. He applauded the sacrificial effort of unde rstanding parents and friends and church es whose open hands and arms embrace an open and inviting membership. Janie Spahr remember ed the time of · early days in her famil y and in the church . Ordained before 1978, she was allowed to keep her ordination when she came out, but could only serve in a specia lize mini stry setting . She remain s fervent in her determin ation to work for: inclu sivity in the PC (lJ. S.A.) , that all · may freely serve. Both speak ers pleaded for all Presbyterians to remember that lesbian , gay . bise xual and transgender Presbyterians are not "an issue," rather they are real person s. _ The evening end ed with the presenta tion of the Inclu sive Churc h Award to Chris Glaser and Janie Spahr. Names l\!Ial<ln News UCCL/GC presents awards The Southern California/Nevada Conference Chapter of The United Church of Christ Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgende red Conc erns made the following award presentations on June 13: JOHN ELLINGTON , a seminarian at The Cla remont Schoo l or Theolog y. was presented with The MARGARET J. JACOBY Scholar ship. Ellingtou is a student -in-care of the Central Association and the Clar emont Congregational Church, UCC. BILL and BE'ITY COLE received the HOWARD and DONNA SELL Award . The Co les were in strum ental in the ado ption of the Open and Affirmi ng Reso lution at First Con gregat ional Church of Long Beach, and are longtime supporters of the ONA program and workers for justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and traosgendered persons throughout the United Church of Christ IRVINE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST in Irvine, Calif .. received the ELEONORE and OLIVER POWELL AW ARD for demonstrating a visioo of' • inclusi veness in livin g o ut lhei,- mis. sion in the local communi ty. .Pastor who led :church's gay rights efforts retires THE REV. HAROLD PORT ER. 65, preached his last sennon at Cinci1mati's Mount Auburn Presby terian Church on Jwte 7 and was scheduled to retire July 3 I. He is a Presbyt e rian minis ter who led his chur ch to the forefront of the de nomination' s ga y-rights move- . meat. Porter hopes to become a missionaryat -lar ge , speakin g and lobbyi ng on behalf of gay rights within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). In the 15 years he has been senior pastor at Mount Auburn Pres byterian, Porter has become a oatiooal spokesman for ordination of lesbians and gays. About 20 percent of Mount Auburn Presbyterian's UiO-member congregation is gay. Under Porter's leadership, the church bas refused to abide by the denomination's ban on ordination of lesbians and gays in clergy and lay leader ship positions. SF.C"'OND STONE 17 -· One More River to c~ Onb eingb lacka ndg ay Bool<s BY LARRY ROOD KEITH BOYKIN can write! One More River to Cross is both a candid, warm, real personal memoir and a report of current research and public policy on African- American . g/l/b/t issues. The prose is engaging and the research is fascinating. fear from each other than from a raci st, xenophobic, misogynist, and heterosexist society." If blacks and gays arc both oppressed, is the oppression the same? Well, yes, and no. By the time an AfricanAmerican, has arrived at work in the morning, she may well have confronted clear expressions of racism two or three times already. For gay and lesbian people, such an unplea sant journey to work is far less likely . We can choose when and where to be out. However, for the lesbian woman or gay man forced to and gays. Soon after leaving the White House Boykin was invited to speak to a national gay organization. · When he told them he had left the administration and was writing a book on black/gay issues, and that this is what he would like to addre ss , he was uninvited . The group didn't think black/gay issues were of sufficient interest to warrant their attention. There is indeed massive homopho bia in African-American communities. However, in some recent surveys, there is evidence that this is less prevalent than in straight white America. The ■ gro ups, and individuals have shunn ed black individuals and issues. Frequently, white lesbians and gays do not feel called upon to enlist in the fight against racism. In fact, the cau ses are inseparably linked . Either we all have justice, or we don't. And unles s white lesbians and gays can embrace racial ju stice as a critical issne, we will continue our fragmentation and weakness . We must forge and maintain ac ti ve, working alliance s. Throughout One More River to Cross, Boykin weaves his own mem oirs, anecdotes from other black gay and ... there are clear differences, but both racism and heterosexism do fundamental damage to their victims. ■ Boykin was a spe~ial assistant to the president in Clinton's first administration and now is executive director of the National Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum. Since coming out as a 25- year-o ld Harvard Law student, he has been all over the country and gives the reader a first hand report. He makes clear that the so-called "family values" coal ition has as its targets blacks, Hispanics, women, and gays. " ... they hope to divide these oppressed communities by convincing us that we have more to "live a lie," the experience is disempow- . ering, dishonest, an d psychol ogically powerful tradition of the extended black destructive. So, yes, there are clear dif- family means that individual s frequently lesbian leaders, and academics, to make an absolutely fascinating book . The reader discovers the beaut y and truth of being black and gay in America. II deserves all five stars . ferenees, but both racism and heterosex- arc not "shut out" and isolated because ism do fwidamental damage to their vie- of sexual orientation. However , they titns. also aren't supposed to talk about it. There is considerable racism in the Because skin color is always visible white gay community. Time after time and racism is omnipre sent , many black Boykin documents instances where Reprinted from Presf?yterians for Lesbian/Gay Concerns' More light lesbian women and gay men feel more white gay social gatherings, political Update. comfonabl e among straigh t African - --------_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-__-_.." • "_•._ •__-•_-..__.. . _ ;;_. _______.;._ _.-. -._.-.., Americans than among white lesbians • ExcitingA rticles& Features • ColorP hotosT hatT ake YouT here • InformativeM onthlyD epartments • USA& WortdwidDe estinations • ExclusiveT ravelU stlngs OURW ORLiDs t he recognizedm onthly magazine for travel enthusiasts. Unlike other publications. you'll find everything you need to know about gay and lesbian travel in our 56-page, all-glossy format - including color photography. It's all here: from New York lo L.A.; London to Moscow; Thailand to Tahiti; the Caribbean to the Amazon; and Key West to Alaska. So don't be left. out, join 50,000 other readers ond subscribe to OURW ORLDm agazineb eforyeo u go! 1 year (10 issues) $35. Send check, money order, or VISA, MasterCard to: OUR WORLD, 1104 North Nova Road, Suite 251, Daytona Beach, FL 32117 Tel: (904) 441-5367 Fax: (904) 441-5604 Internet: http:Jtwww.ourworldmag.com Money-bade.,.- Finl..,. Nia in S WNb in plu, .....i,,p. . OulliclUo SA-, d USMS( auiiaooo)t U5'70 (1imln) 18 JULY • A U O lJ ST I 9 9 8 I The Erotic Contemplative Reflections on the SpirituaJ Journey of the Gay/Lesbian Christian By Michael B. Kelly A Soc VOLUME STJMUL US FoR LIVING, LOVING AND PRAYER: I) Our Experience (75 min) 2) Revisioning Sexuality (80 min) 3) Exodus and A wakening (75 min) 4) The Desert and the Dark (88 min) 5) Libei-atiou (84 min) 6) The Road from Emmaus (63 miu) Six volume video ser $199 Audio casserte tape set $99 Order through: EROSpiritR esearchI nstitute P. 0. Box 8340 New Orleans LA 70182 .. The Eroti c Cont empla!ive is the most powerful and insightful study of gay sph·ituality that I know of. I have watched "The Road From Emmaus" (tape G) three times and still find new riches." •· JoHN J. McNEIL, PH.D., author of The Church and the Homosexual. '·In my theology classes , both gay and straight seminarians benefit from Kelly's integration of sexua lity with Christian mysticism: · -· R OBERT Goss, PH.D., author of Jesus Acted-Up. "An excellent resou rce ... a worthw hile investment." •• BoNDINGSa, publication of New Ways Ministry. "The Erotic Colllemplative video course has h~lped gay men and lesbians who grew up as Christians move toward healing the wounds of the past." •• JOSEPH KRAMER, M.Dtv., EROSpirit Research Institute. "This work should be considered essentia l to anyone serious about their sexua lity/spirit uality and mandatory for anyone who in any way acts as a spiritual director for gay and lesbian people."-· More Light Update. Mon: dculilcd information about each video is nvoilablc upon m1uesl . Also avnilnblc in Pal • the Europeao/Austrathmfo rmal. Cnlifomin residents add 8.25% salc.s tW!. U.S. ship11inltc hnrge: S5.00. lntcmn1ionul shipping charge: $35.00. I!) 1997. EROSpirir Rcscnrch lnstilulc. Safety tips may protect delicate sensibilities Dear Editor: • I To Bible -thwnpers who fear exposure to gay people results in sudden conversion to homosexuality. I offer the following safety tips. l. A void the mall or any specialty shops (especially antiques stores, flea markets and auctions) . 2. A void the ballet, concerts, museums, festivals, pageants and the theater. 3. Avoid schools, restaurants, bars, gyms and heaJlh clubs. 4. A void going to the movies or renting a video. 5. A void hairdressers, fashion shows and interior designers. .LAMBETH, FromPage15 ince of Southeast Asia not only endorsed the statement but said that it would not regard itself in communion with any province that did not endor se it. The ESA bi shops wrote to Archbishop Moses Tay in May, "rejoicing in the reports which have come out of the recent mee ting of Anglican primates in SECOND STONE Newspaper, ISSN No. 1047-3971 , is published every other month by Bailey Communications, P.O. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182, secstone@aol.com. Copyright 1998 by Second Stone, a registered trademark. SUBSCRIPTI ONS, U.S.A. $19 per year. Foreign subscribers add $10 for postage. All payments U. S. currency only. ADVERTISIN G, For display advertising information write to P.O. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182 . Classified advertising information is found on the classified page. We reserve the right to refuse any ad for any reason. EDITORIA L, Send letters, event announcements, church and organization news to Second Stone P.O. Box · 8340, New Orleans, LA 70 182 or via e•mail to secstone@aol.com. Manuscripts to be returned should be accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. Second Slone is otherwise not responsible for the return of any material. SECOND STONE, a national ecumenical and evangelieaJ Christian newspaper with a specific outreach to gay. lesbian and bisexual people. PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Jim Bailey 6. Avoid health-care professionals or anyone in a uniform. 7. Avoid professional ice shows, race tracks , basketball, football, baseball, etc. 8. Avoid listening to pop, jazz, classical or any other type of music . 9. Avoid books , magazines, computers and television. 10. Avoid your neighbors, the workplace and your friends. And one more lhing: Do be careful at church. Si11cerely, UsaSmarr This letter originally appeared in The State newspaper. Jerusalem" where "you made it abundantly clear to the American primate that you felt his province should be expelled from tl1e world-wide Anglican Communion should the Americ an church fail to reverse its ipso facto acceptance and endorsement of the ordination of non-celibate homosexuals and the blessing of same-sex unions." Tb.cir foray has drawn counter fire from several liberal bishops. most notably from Bishop John Spong of Newark who, in a paper sent last fall to all Anglican prima~s . characterized conservati ves as "uninformed religious people" whose literal interpretation of the Bible "has become one of embarrassment to tl1e cause of Christ." His statements led to a cau stic exchange of letters with the Archbi shop of Canterbury George Carey who scold ed Spong for his "hect oring and intempera te tone." In return , Spong took Carey to task for not being equally criti cal of the host ile lan guage in both the Kuala Lumpur and Dal las statements whic h, he cont en ded, were " not j ust intempe rate but offens ive, rude and hosti le." Thou gh Spo ng and Carey adopte d more cor dial rhetoric in subsequent letters, the prospec t of fire fights erupting in the pl enaries and sectio n meetin gs remains a serious concern for Bnchanan. As cha ir of the Lambeth Conference subsection dealing with human sexuality, he will be responsible for refereeing disputes, and ensuring that all views are heard "There arc some people who would want to say that the question of homosexuality is not fundamental to the faith. Other people would say it is .. One of my jobs at Canterbury is to try to balance the whole lot of it," said Buchanan. That will be a difficult assignment, he admitted, given the impassioned stance of both sides and the ambiguous evidence each puts forward, whether from science or scripture. The only way through, he said, is to approach the issue "with a degree of grace and love, and be able to hear each other even if we don't like what we are hearing ." That is the process the Lambeth Conference adopted 10 years ago when it grappled with the issue of women's ordination. Faced with potential schism over the impending election and consecration of women bishops in some provinces such as the United States, the bishops created a framework for maintaining communion between provinces on opposite sides of the issue. The result was a monitoring group appointed by Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie (named the Eames Commission after its chair, Archbishop Robin Eames of the Church of Ireland) that was charged with ensuring that provinces remain in communication with each other and committed to a process of open reception that str es ses courtesy, tolerance and mutual respect. Bishops and dioceses that support the ordination of women need to recognize "that within a genuinely open process of reception there must be room for those who disagree," stated the Eames Commission in its final report to the Primates Meeting in 1994. The approach has been remarkably succe ssful according to a study by the Eames Monitoring Group, the successor to the Eames Commission . All but four of the communion's 32 self-gov erning provinces responded to the monitoring group's survey. and all responses endorsed the principle of open reception. Some bi shop s are suggesting the same process be applied to the equally volatile iss ue of se xualit y - and Carey has sent clear sign als th at he woul d se ri ous l y co nside r such a move. Whether the co nference chooses a study process ove r an ex plici t doctrinal statement like Kuala Lumpur will depend on a co al ition of conse rvati ve U.S. and Third World bishops. Several primates, nota bly Tay of Southeast Asia and Maurice Sinclair of the Southern Cone, have made it clear they wilJ lobby for ~ge of the Kuala Lump ur sta tement. Others, including Archbishop David Gitari of the Church of Kenya, are adopting a more conciliatory posture. Many African bishops regard the ordination of gays and lesbians and blessing of same-sex unions as a complete denial of biblical truth, but acknowledge that the Lambeth Conference as a whole needs to study the issues in greater depth, Gitari said. While he might support a resolution on Kuala Lwnpur, Gitari said he would also back the formation of a commission to study sexuality under the same guidelines used for women's ordination. An Eames Commission study also has the support of Spong. His position is not to force the rest of the Communion to accept the ordination of gays and lesbians, he said, but merely to prevent the Communion from rendering judgment on his diocese, where gay and lesbian clergy are welcome. "I am seeking the absence of a negative prohibition. That is all I am seeking," said Spong. The situation is analogous lo the debate on polygamy at the last Lambeth Conference, which largely reversed a 100-year-old ban on permitting polygamists to join the church, he said . While upholding monogamy as ordained by God, the 1988 resolution allowed the baptism and confirmation of polygamists on the condition they not marry again as long as their present wives remained living. Spong voted for the measure out of pastoral concern for the women, be said, who would have been divorced and likely forced into prostitution if the ban bad remained in effect. While willing to make accommodations for the cultural realities in east Africa, Spong isn't ready to put polygamy on the same pJane as ordaining gays and lesbians or blessing same-sex unions. "I think that polygam .y is a better alternative for Kenya and Uganda than the rigorously enforced Victorian monogamy given the cultural realities," he said. "But I think those cultural real ities ought to be addressed ." For Gitari there is no comparison given that the Bible acknowledg es and acce pts polygam y in some inst ances but doe s not condon e homose xuali ty. Said Gi tari : "We don't say_ that having more than one wife is ideal . We say it is part of the fallen na ture of man, and we app roach it from a pas toral point of view." If social sta bility is enough of a con cern to warran t an acco mmod ati on of po lygamy. Lambe th should show the same tolerance to his diocese's ministry to gays and lesbians, sa id Spong , highlighting the issues of cultural differences that under lie many Lambeth discussions. "I am not going to say to the province of Uganda that they have got to take the same attitude toward gay people that I talce," Spong said, "but they arc not facing my reality." (ENS) SE C-ON D STONE 19 ... BOOKS/PUBLICATIONS "WONDERFUL DIVERSITY,• "Heartily recommended,• "Philosophically intriguing," "Excellent.• Why do rev iewers highly esteem CHRISTIAN*NEW AGE QUARTERLY? Great articles and lively columns make this bridge of dialogue between Christians and New Agers as entertaining as it is substantive. Subscribe for only $12.50/yr. Or sample us for $3.50. CHRISTIAN*NEW AGE QUARTERLY, P.O. Box 276, Clifton, NJ 07011-0276. BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH andlor build a business. Perfect part time home based business. Free information 1-888-571- 7808. 12/98 GENERAL INTEREST THE EROTIC CONTEMPLATIVE Video/Audio Course. Essential education for gay/lesb ian Chri st ians and their ministe rs. www.erospirit.org /tec or 800- 581-3303. 10/98 .EVENTS, FromPage17 ting for this Labor Day Weekend gathering hosted by New Life Community Church of Hope. Organizers promise a conference packed with wonderful speakers, preachers, and singers bringing pertinent subject matter and information use-' ful to gay and lesbian Christians. There is no registration fee. For information contact New Life Community Church of Hope, P.O. Box 9212, Michigan City, IN 46360-9212, (219)778-2803, (219)778- • 9332, innulife@netnitco.net. 5th Annual NACDLGM Conference SEPTEMBER 17-20 , To be held in Rochester, NY, The National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries sponsors its annual conference 'themed "Imaging Justice" for those in ministry with gay/lesbian Catholics and their families. Panelists include Bishops Gabino Zavala and Matthew Clark with presenters - Midge Miles and Fr. Richard Peddicord . Twenty workshops will be offered. For informati o n contact NACDLGM, 433 Jefferson St., Oakland, CA 94607, (510)46 5-93 44 , (716)465- 9344, NACDLGM@aol.com. TRUTH, From Page l ove r the pas t three decades . Ancient spiritual truths, libe ra ted from person al bias and societ a) prej udice, can bring libera ting freedom to all people, regar dl ess of sexual orientation . "The l ist of the ad's sponsors reads like a 'Who's Who' of right-wing intol erance. We should be reminded that no group bas a lock on 'The Truth,' and 20 J lJ L Y • A U G U S T I 9 9 8 G~NERAL INT.EREST , THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC Church of America offers an inclusive, gay/lesbian affi rmin g spirituality and admission to Holy Orders or incardination for qualified men and women through non-residential study. Valid apostolic lines, nontradit ional relig ious life, emphasis on establishment of parishes and missions. Send letter of interest and $6.00 donation (payable to "OSJD") to cover cost of our 40 page NCCA Handbook including canons and other materials. Office of The Primate, 166 Jay Street, Albany NY 12210. (518)434-8861. Email NatCathCh@aol.com. NCCA Web Site http://membe rs.aol.com /NatCathC h. CANT GET TO CHURCH? We'll come to you by audio cassette of our weekly worship. Send request and donation to Holy Spirit Fellowship, P.O. Box 91272, Long Beach, CA 90809. Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons Conference SEPTEMBER 4-7, Affirmation, an intema- 1ional associalion or gay a nd les bia n Mor mons, will hold its 20th annual conference in Portland, Ore. Keynote speaker is Chris Kimball, a law professor and multigeneration Mormon with a genealogy that includes past church president Spencer Kimball. For information, write to P.O. Box 80654, Portland, OR 97280-1654, or call (503)288 -2037, or visit the organization's web site at www.~ffirmation.org. Open Door Conference OCTOBER 30, Clergy, youth workers, counselors, and others involved in ministry may choose four from among 19 workshops to be offered at Assisi Community Center in Rochester, Minn . Keynote speaker is Will Fellows, Author of "Farm Boys: Lives of Gay Men from the Rural Midwest.• A large resource fair will be offered and the • Shower of Stoles" project will be displayed. Sponsors include 12 national and regional religious organizations and other s. For information call (507)280-0648 o r e-mail: opendoor conference@juno .com. should be sk eptical of any group which combine s th eir cl aim s of ' tru th' with intolerance , shame. control and political agendas. "My atte ntion was especial ly draw n to a line a t the bottom of the a<l which read, 'If you real ly love someone, you'll tell them the tmt h. ' "We ll , here's the tmth for God's gay _HOW TO READ R2R: Listings are in alphab etical order by state, then _by city . If a mailing address is given in a listing the zip code appears in the listing. NNG = No name given. S=single, C=committed . G=gay, L=lesbian, T =tran sgendere d, B=bisexual, S=straight. M=male, F=femal e. Age, religiou s affiliation, occupation, contact information. CALIFORNIAD,O VVNEY THEODORCER ANFORDS,G M,6 7, UFMCC, RETIREDP,O B OX 13079, 0240-030576, 2-928- 4489. CALIFORNIALO, NGB EACH BRUCEB ENNIN,K SGM5, 1, CATHOLICJO, B COACH/WAITE3R1,8 T EMPLEA VE# 7, 90814. CALIFORNILAY, NWOOD JOSEPHE STRADAS,G M3, 7, HOLYS PIRIT FELLOWSHIHPO, MECARWEO RKERP,O BOX5 2,9 02625, 62-626-17.7 6 CALIFORNIAP,A SADENA BARRYD IXONS, GM4, 0, WORLDWIDCEH UA GOD,T ECHNICAWL RITERd,e c4th@aol.com FLORIDA, BRANDON ROBERTM ORGANS,G M3, 6, PENTECOSTAU APOSTOLICF,L IGHTA TTENDANT/MINISTER, 2023 CATTLEMADNR .,3 35118. 13-651-15.0 5 FLORIDA, INTERLACHEN REV0. . RODGE,R CLF, 56, NONDENOMINATIONMAILN, ISTE,R POB OX1 778, 32148. REV. BARNIEW ENTWORTTHF,, 54,N ONDENOMINATION, MAILNISTERP,O B OX1 778, 32148. SR.Z ECHARIASHH, SC, LF,5 6, INDEPENDENTC ATHOLIC HURCHP, RIESTR/ ELIGIOUSS ISTERP, OB OX1 7783, 2148. ILLINOIS, OAK PARK CARLE RICS, GM,4 3, EPISCOPALI,A CNOMPUTERIN STRUCTO3R1.5 S . LOMBARADV E., 60302g, linda@usa.net KENTUCKY.PADUCAH G.G.,S GM,6 3, UNITEDM ETHODISRTE, TIRED EDUCATO6R2,4 N. 34THS T., APT.E ,4 2001- 4275. and lesbian children, and I'm no t afraid to tell it God lo ves you as you are. God created you as you are, and God' s crea tion is go od . To deny the ess ence of who you are , your gayn ess , leads only to inne r turmoil and e moti onal co ufl ict. To em bra ce yo urself ju st as Go d as cr ea ted you is the path of ernotiona ) whol e ness and spiritual health . The true message of the Holy Scrip tur es is affi rming and accepti ng of gays and les bians. "T hank God that in spite of the intolerance shown by groups such as the Christian Coalition, the American Fam _ il y Association. and the Family LOUISIANAG,R ETNA RICKEYP . HEBERT, SGM, 49, CATHOLIC, MAILC LERK5. 162 NDS T., 70053. NEW HAMPSHIRE, MANCHESTER RODS, GM,4 2, INSURACNE UNDERWRIT,E R hotnho925@8aol.com. NEW JERSEY, RAHWAY· REX BUTTERFIELSDG, M, 28, CATHOLIC, WRITER/POELTO, CKBAG R2751240,7 065. NEWY ORK, NIAGARAF ALLS CHANCELLOCR. ROBERTS,S1G1,M ,3 4, PENTECOSATU APOSTOLIC(NGPA), PASTOM.EGAALS ST., 1646N IAGARAV E., 143057, 16-284-45.0 9 NEW YORK, ROCHESTER DAVID, SGM, 45, EVANGELICACLO, UNSELORP, O BOX6 8005, 1461.8 716-234-0549. NEWY ORKY, ONKERS JOHN PRATHER, SGM, 71, EPISCOPALIAN, COMPUTESRP ECIALIS, 7T BELLP L,. 10701, 914-964-0379. RHODEIS LANDW, AKEFIELD ELWYNT AYLORS, GM,6 3, BAPTIST, CHURCHO RGANIS, T151P ONDS T,0 2879· 40334. 01-783-5072. TEXAS.DALLAS BRO.B ENJAMI+N0 .C.t.CGM4,4 , EACA, SPIRITUAL FORMATION, DIRECTOR BKINNOV@la.coom9, 72-271-0874 TEXAS, SAN ANTONIO AL EISCHS, GM,5 3, CATHOLICS,O CIAL SERVICESP,O B OX1 27547 8212, MOCHICA@FLASH.NET VIRGINIA , RICHMOND EDH ARRISS, GM,6 3,C HRISTIANR,E TIRED, WORKF ORN ON-PROFI3T1.5 STRAWBERRY ST,2 3220-341820. 4-354-8804. edbharrisj@juno.com. MICHAEKLE ITHH ALL, SGM,3 9, BAPTIST, PROGRASMU PPORT/SCREENWRI2T2E0R1, FOURTHA VE., 23222. WASHINGTON, SPOKANE DIANES, F, 42, PROTETSANTC, LERICA, L cabin@ior.com. WISCONSINM,E NASHA RICHARDR OLLERS, GM,6 2, CATHOLI,C RELIGIOUBSR OTHER5,2 2S ECONDS T, 54952b. dikroller@aol.com. Research Cowic il with their far righ t political agendas, there are also thousand s of houses of worship in ev ery faith tradition whi ch welcome and affirm gays, le sbia ns, bi sex ual s and tran sgen dered persons . "As a spiritu al lead er, I welc ome inquiri es from gays and les bians see king to integrate the ir spirituali ty and sex ual ity, and who wish referra ls to GLBT frien dly h ouses of wo rship . I will be glad to provide referrals to all inquirers, whether they seek accepting Chris tian houses of worshi p as in my own faith tradition, or seek other affinning faith communities ." Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone #59 - Jul/Aug 1998 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d66a3fef82145c9fec845f9f42fdb9fc.pdf eda9c41abb016ea29a4366314a71cd0e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Issue Number The number of the issue (within a volume) 58 Publication Year The year the issue was published 1998 Publication Date The date the issue was published May/Jun 1998 Text Any textual data included in the document SECOND STONE PO Box 8340 New Orleans, LA 70182 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED TIME DATED MA TERI.AL ll,l,,,l,,ll,,,lll,,,1,1,,,,,111 . SERIALS DEPARTMENT . GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION LIBR 2400 RIDGE RO BERKELEY CA 947~D Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID New Orleans LA Permit No. 51 I ... · Visit a Second Stone Outreach Partner See pages 12 and 13 for information about our Outreach Partners. Dislribwin11 1111h ese ci lies provided h_vS eco11dS 1011'es 01ureachParmers: Davton, Ohio San Jl{r.;e,C alifornia Kansas Cit, ·, Missl)uri Williamsbu-rg; Yirginia Michigan City, Indiana San Diego, California Memphis, Tennessee Long Beach. California lssue#58 UVI NG l NT HEEMBRA CE OFALo v 1NGA NDJ USTGO D ·May/J une 1998 Bishops issue pastoral letter on same-sex unions Gay Methcrlisstes nd m~etobis . oral le tter A PRAYER THAT THE United Meth- 111 a much-aw ait ed pas t 8 . odist bishops and pastors co ntinu e to issued April 30, the Council of /5 h~ps shepherd the whole flock was dispatc hed addr essed the pain Unit ed MCI iod•sts Apri l 26 to tbe denomination's Council ac ross the country have expressed as a of Bishops. resu lt of a rece nt chur ch trial over a The message came from Affinnation, same -se,c union in Nebraska - They also an unofficial United Methodist caucus said they will proclaim and defe nd the doctrine, order and missi0 11 of the church. suppor ting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgcndcrcd concems. Affinnacion 's national council met April 24-26 in Miuneapolis. In its greeting to the Council of Bishops, who met during the last week of Apri l in Lincoln, Neb., Affinnation said, "We pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide and inspire your deliberations in the coming days, that you may lead and nurture a church in which all God's people arc truly welcome and all pastors continue to shepherd all one htuidred of the flock." Morris Aoyd, Affirmation spokesper son. said the council welcomes any effort of the bishops "to find a path all United Methodists can walk together, despite important differences in under standing God's will" During their week long spring si:ssion, the more than 100 active and retired bishops from around the world decided not to request a special ses~ion of the denomin a tion' s top lawmaking ho<ly to deal with the issue of same-sex unions . On March 13, Nebraska pastor Jimmy Creech was acquitte d by a jury of his peers of being disobedien t to church law after he perfonned a same-se){ union ceremony at Firs t Un ited lvfethod ist Chu rch in Omaha. A key questio n in the trial was whether the Social Principles, which include the prosc ription against same-sex unions, were guidelines or church law. The principles arc contained in the denomination's governing Book of Discip line. but they arc in a differe nt section from the main body of law. After tlie verdict, several groups asked the Council of Bishops to request a special session of the General Conference to make the church's policy against same-sex unions enforceable law. The General Conference is the highest legislati vc body of the United Methodist Church . It meets every four yeari;. and its next gathering will be in the year SEE MElHODISTS, Page 19 MCC won'th onors tate0 011 • ons ame-secxe remomes BY JAY REEVES OI Rr>HN G II AM , Ala . - The U FM CC affiliated church here will continue having conunitm ent l:cremonies for gay and lesbian couples , despi te the Legisla ture's ban on same-sc:,. marri ages in Alabama. Rev. Marge Ragona of Covenant Metropolitan Community Churc h in Binuingham said she perfonns 15 to 20 of the union ceremonies for gay couples ruumally, and lawmakers' actions won't stop her. The Legislature, responding to a massi \'c lobbying campaign b) dmrch ,:rroup .s. a .&ri',-~1.I 1\1 1n l 27 lo 1>1, u ., -au uc ~'-·~ marriages and 110 1 recognize 1ho,c f n, 111 olhcr sta les. even lhough no olhcr slate c urre ntl y allows gay marr iages. Gov. Fob James said he would sign the bill. "I do n't think they have the right to tell clergy what ntes they can do and can't do," said Ragona, who has pi:rformcd the ceremonies in Alabama for SEE ALABAMA, Page 19 March on Washington set for April 30, 2<XX) WASHINGTON, D.C. - Organizers for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community's fourth March on Washington announced the event will be held on April 30, 2000. The March aims to articu late the con cems of the gay and lesbian community and focus the nation's attention on the quest for equality in all aspects of life. "We expect one million of my gay. lesbian, bisexual. and transgendercd sisters mid hrothers and our enlightened allies to stand on the Mall and call uixm our nation to live out the promise of equality under the law." said 1111R: ev Troy D. Perry. long -time gtl) activi :.t and founder of the Uni versa! Fellowship of Metropolitan Commwtity Churches. Organizers have taken sti:ps to begin incorporation of a non-profit entity to handle planning, production and financial arrangements. Efforts are underway to make sure tltis is a democratic process where all segments of thi: conununity are represented. 'The Millennium March promises to continue its bold commitment to all people of color," said Martin Omelas Quintero . e:\ccuti\·e director of the Latino l..aliualo , Lesbian, Gay. Bisexu - SEE MARCH, Page 17 • Prayer •The Bible •Words & Deeds ~y gayC atholipcr iest n:Ngntso p rotesht iss hunning BY NANCY ARMOUR SOUTH BEND, Ind. - When the invitations to say Mass and hear confe ssions stopped coming, the Rev. David Gani ck didn't think anything was amiss. He was on sabbatical, after all, and figured it was simply an over sight. But his reminders that he was still al the Univ ersity of Notre Dame went u'nanswered. Then, in the fall of 1996, he discover ed his nameplate had been removed from the confe ssional at the Basilica of the Sacted Hean.on campus. He was being shut out, and Garrick says there could be only one reason: He is an openl y gay priest. At a university that has come to symboli ze the Roman Catholic Church in tl1e United States. "I was devas tated. The word devastated would not be too strong," Garrick said. "I could not continue here under those circumstances ." In protest, he resigned his position as an assistant professor of communic ation and th e ate r, eff ect ive at the end of the school year. Wi th that mo\·e, Garr ick renewed the controve rsy at the university over the rights and place of gays and lesbians. "I f cit tl1at I had a strong moral reason for resigning in protest, and that more good would come out of that than my just trundling along pretending this hadn't happened or saying, 'I'm pretty upset about th.is,'" said Ganick, a Notre Dame graduate who has been a full-time professor since 1992. "I wanted to make a public statement and get people's auention." The Rev. John Jenkins, religious superior for the Holy Cross order at Notre Dame, denies Garrick's duties were limited in any way. Garrick was never an official part of the Campus Ministry staff, which handles most of the priestly duties at Sacred Heart. Like other Holy Cross priest s oo campus who aren't part of Campus Ministry, Garrick could volu111ecr for Mass at Sacred Heart or hear e-0nfessious. And Jenkin~ insists Garrick was never 2 MAY•JIINE 1998 discriminated against because of his sexu al orientation, which Garrick am1ounced in an April 1996 letter in the school newspaper. In fact, Jenkins sa id he and others strongly urged Garrick not to resign. "Fath er Garrick has alway s had and - continues to have full facultie s to preside at the Euchari st and hear confe ssions, wherever he is invited ," Jenkin s said in a written statement. But Garrick said tl1e Rev. Richard Warn er, dir ector of Campu s Ministry , advi sed him in Januar y of complaint s about Garrick' s preaching. Warner, a clo se adviser 10 Notre Dame's president Rev. Edward Mall oy, has declin ed to comment. No matter what tbe truth, Garrick' s resignation is a sign that the uni versity's very public debate over homosex ualit y is far from resolved. Th e turm oil began in 1995, when Gays and Lesbians at Notre Dame and St. Mary' s Coll ege, a student group fonned nine years ea rlier, was banned from meeting on campus as an w1sanctio11ed orga nizat ion. When the group asked for offi cial recogni tion, administrators refuse d, sayi ng its philosop hy conni cted with church teachi ngs about homosexuality. In tl.1c wake of Garrick's resignation, the Faculty Senate voted April 8 to again ask administrators to modify the university's nondiscrimination clause to include sexual orientation . A similar vote in May 1996 prompted the university to publish a statement of inclusion. yet stopped short of amending the nondiscrimination clause. "I had no way of knowing whether this· would be a stone dropped into an empty well or what. It turns out the well is full, and it's made a splash," Garrick said. "That gives hope. People arc paying attention . Smdents are conccmcd . Faculty are conccmcd ." As a private university, Nolfe Dame has no obligation to include gays and lesbians in it~ nondiscrimination policy or do anythin g that would conflict with church teaching . The Catholic church continue s to teach that homo sexual activity is wrong but some bishop s recently admitted in a church document tltnt sexual orientation is not a mallcr of choice. That's not tme, said Dc1mis Moore, spoke sman for the uni versity. Garrick , he point ed out , preached at the Uasilica several times after he came out and said Mass at some residence halls recently. Garrick isn't sure where he will go when he leaves Notre Dame, but said he That is why th~ univer sity should holds no bitterne ss toward the un.ivcrsihave embraced Garrick, rather than shut ty. In fact , he is encouraged by the suphim out, said John Blandford, a doctoral y ort he has received from student s mid student and fonner co-chair l!J~3: w in1il1. y cnt group . " fhe track record of the leader ship is "David , in a sense, should -tie the : · very poor . I3ut the aw;ikcni ng conposter child for the uni\'crsity because sGU)usness of the student s and fac ulty is he embod ies chur ch tcaching /~~fi fJ '<~lcfndcrful. Inspirin g: · he said . acknowledging orientati on but living a "I believe it will help Notre Dame , chaste life," Blandford said. 'That' s basi- the Notre Dame tliat I know imd love, to cally the sum and substanc e of church speak the truth about gay people. _ leaching . What's intere sting is the uui- "You j ust need to go get some fresh versity couldn't e\'en hanclle his oricnta - air ," he said. "So that' s what I'm going tion ." , to do ." Aged resn'tkeepw omanfr om answerincga llt o,minister BY SANDRA SUTTON MIDLA ND, Mich. - At a time when many people are thinking about slowing down, the Rev. Dori s Lyon has found her callin g. At age 65, she decided to enter the mini stry . Now, 2 1/2 year s later, she lea~s Sunday w?rship at Pleasant Valley · U1utcd Meth~1s t Church, as pastor. It started w. ith a late -ru'glit conversation, Lyon said. "I went to bed and the Lo d . d lk.i ,, r start e ta · ng to_ me, she said . "It wasn't m tl1oughts, 11 was a ,,oicc." Y Lyon said she was told ·to b ecome a minister a, nd le. ad a small rural ' h 1 1 c urc 1. She wasn t eas1 y convinced. "I said, ' Lord, you have got 10 be ki 1_ ding. I'm 65 years old.• But it didn't 1~1 me get to sleep until 2 in the momin o .. She telephoned Janet Lamer, ,thc s:~ior pastor at Gordonv ille United Methodist Church, where she was a member. With Ms. Lamer's guidance and the.help of a supervi sing elder, Lyon bec~e a minister. She serves in the Central District of the West Michigan Conference. She waited for an assignment. Lyon asked for a church like tl1e one Ilic Lord described to her. Eventually, she was telephoned and told about Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church. ·111e little chapel, a few miles outside St. Louis, was being served by the same pastor who led a Methodist church in Shepherd. But district administrators had decided to break that relationship, so a new pastor was needed for Pleasant Valley. Because the church has no parsonage, the caller was concerned about how far the chapel is from Lyon's home Her eyes twinkle when she recalls 1hc con - versation . "I told her i t wa s probably IO or 11 miles (from home). No t that I was e;,;cited, you \U\dets\an c\, but af\er \ bung up, I got in the car . It's 13 112 mil es ," Lyon said . The little white clapb oa rd church was founded in 1895. and tho ugh s0111e things have been upd ated during the past centur y, much of the original stmcture and its content s remai n. The doors ins ide the vestibule are original, as ar e the Gothi c-a rched window ope nings and a few chairs with deep ro se -colored uphol stery and elaborately car ved frames. Th e pews have detail s like de ntil moldin g an d hymnal holder s that blend metal aud wood scroll work. When Lyon came to the church for the firs t time , she felt right at home. "My first reaction was one of awe," she said. Ple asan t Val ley Unite d Metl1odist Church is in the middl e off arm cow1try. The roadway is speckled with large farm houses where desce ndants of the community 's founders sti ll live. It's just the type of church commtlll· ity Lyon was seeking, the kind of place were everyone knows everyone else. Lyon finds the one-to-one contact at a small congregation rewarding. "If I have someone gone (from a worship service), I know it and I can drop a card or visit," Lyon said. She also is pleased witb the bond she aud church members arc developing . "When I came in, 1 was 'Reve rend Lyon,' then I bccmnc 'Pastor Lyon' imd now I'm 'Doris,"' she said. "I prefer being one of them.•· SEE AGE, Page H! FAITH IN DAILY LIFE Call to Renewal says 'come to the table' Groupo fferso p);X)rtuntoi tfyig ht! X)Verty iny ourc ommunity BY JIM WALLIS THE CALL TO RENEW AL Coordinating Committee recently held a two-day retreat to review-our activities over the past two years and to discuss the next steps ahead. We made a series of important decisions that could significantly foster the cooperation of churches on the urgent agenda of welfare refonn and strategically strengthen the voice and role of the faith community in the public discussion of how really to overcome poverty. . Call to Renewal has successfully convened new Christian Roundtablcs on poverty and welfare reform, both at the national and local levels. The "table" has become the metaphor and the identity of the Call; rather than creating a new organization, Call to Renewal is a new table around which many organizations, churches, and individuals who want to work in a common mission to overcome poverty can come together. Call to Renewal will not seek to duplicate existing efforts. but to join and extend all of our efforts in new and effective partnership s. To move millions of poor families off of welfare and out of poverty will require nothing less than new civic partnerships involving every sector of our communities, including congregations, non-profit organizations, business, and government on all levels. Elected officials, in particular, are looking to the faith commwtity to offer a central leadership role. Religious congregations and faith-based non-profits are well situated to play that leadership role and indeed, the gospel requires it. Yet poverty is not only material - our society also faces a poverty of the soul for which renewal is needed. The following covenant is based in our desire for that renewal. We arc committed first of all to personal renewal, to ground ourselves in prayer and in the Word of God. We are committed to congregational renewal, to live and serve our communities as the body of Christ. We are committed to societal renewal. to recognize our interdependence in seeking the common good in our commtmitics. We therefore covenant together to work for a national and grassroots mobilization to create the conditions, relationships, networks. preparation. and training for a faith-based movement to overcome poverty. The moral crisis is already mohili:,.ing people around the country, but we believe a broader corporate commitment is needed to fully realize this opportunity. There is a new openness in the churches for community ministry, and a new willingness in our society to hear tl1e voice of the church. Our mobilization will have three major components: A national voice and message: In our coming together, we can strengthen our impact on our society by giving a unified voice to our ministry. National and grassroots organizing for action: All across our country, churches · and ministries are serving their communities. We can unite these efforts for joint action. Policy development: There is a new moment of opportunity to forge new civic partnerships between govcmmenl agencies, business, and the churches. We can develop and implement new policy ideas, including use of Ilic new "charitable choice" provisions, to realize IJ1ese possibilities. The Call to Renewal will use a "f cderatcd" structure, including: A national board made up of national constituency and church leaders, together with regional representatives: The board will offer strategic direction, common goals . and events, and guidelines for action. A national roundtable made up of national churches and organizations who affiliate with the Call: As in our two meetings in 1997, the national roundtable will work to share infonnation and coordinate the efforts of national churches and organizations . Local roundtables in each community made up of the local churches and organ izations who chose to affiliate: These local roundtables will have great flex iJ? ility to determine their own strategics and actions consistent with the national direction. Individuals who join Call to Renewal: We will develop a "pledge to help overcome poverty" by which individuals can become members; pledging themselves to prayer, giving of time and resources, judging economic and political choices by h,ow they impact those in poverty. At all levels, we commit ourselves to: Renewal and revival: Recognizing that ''unless the Lord bui(ds the house, those who build it labor in vain" (Psalm 127: 1), we believe that renewal is fundamental to our efforts. For example. we discussed the creation of a Call to Renewal "School of Evangelism," which would work to train and educate young evangelists with a concern for the poor. Education leading lo action: Education and training, the sharing of resources and tools, between and among our various ministries can inform and strengthen our individual and joint actions. Local initiative and action: We · believe that the best solution s to problem s are usually found in initiatives closest to the problem. We are therefore committed to initiating and strengthening community mini stries at the gras sroots level. Communication and networking: We will communicate throughout the federated network through the Call to Renewal newsletter, web site, action alerts, policy papers, and other means to share ideas and successes. National policy action: There may be times when a wufied national action by the network is necessary, in relation to governmental actions, corporate abuses, or other issues. We will provide the infonnation and coordination for that action. In all of our work, we will develop tangible, measurable goals that are: preachable, practical, understandable, and doable . We want to make a difference in the lives of families and communities in real, measurable ways. A beginning goal will be to sharpen our focus on welfare and poverty, committing ourselves and our congregations to help families move from welfare to work with dignity in community. During 1998 and 1999, we will commit to engage thousands of congregations and church-based organizations is assisting tens of thousands of families lo move off welfare into work, dignity, and community. Through our covenant together, we will work toward that day when our society can proclaim, as Acts 4:34 tells of the first church, "There was not a needy person among them." For information contact Call to Renewal, 2401 15th St. NW, Washington DC 20009, (202)328-8842, Call_to_Renewal@convene.com. Martin Marty leads discussion on religion in a pluralistic society BY SHEILA MULROONEY ELDRED MINNEAPOLIS - Most of the hundred Minnesota leaders who gathered in late April for a symposium on faith in a pluralistic society agreed with theologian Martin Marty that religion merits more public discussion. "I've studied people killing people in the name of God,'' said Marty, au ordained Lutheran minister aud longtime professor at the University of Chicago. "Given thal , it's better to bring religion out of the shadows. Most Americans make moral decisions based on religion." The event brought leaders from various disciplines togeth er to debate what role religion should play in the arts. business. education. govenuueot, heallh care, law, media, nonprofit orga nizations and advertising. Responses were consistently in favor of more religious discussion in the public realm: In a computerized survey conducted during the symposium, 63 percent said they thought religion should be a greater part of public debate. And 85 percent said religious beliefs should afTccl business decisions. Among participants who identified their religious affiliation, 34 said they were Protestant, 18 were Roman Catholic, four were Jewish and 21 said lhey were "other," including atheist. - - The symposium was design ed by Marty and Minnesota Public Radio as part of Marty's three -year Public Religion Project, fw1dcd by the Pew Charitable Tmsts in connection with the University of Chicago Divinity School. Marty, father of Mim1csota DFL gubernatorial caudiclate John Marty, promotes efforts to bring religion "out of the shadows" and into public discussion, mostly through publishing. Even in areas where separation between church and state bas been clearly defined, like education and tl1e law. participants said they hoped to promote more discussion of religion. "It's critical to accelerate dialogue and build an enviromnent where we can talk about religion in schools," said Jeanne Kling, president of the State Board of Education. She said she hopes such discussion would avert destruction that can result when talk is stifled. Chuck Samuelson, executive director of Minnesota Civil Liberties Union, said he opposes organized religion in public life. fearing religious wars. But he said public discussion talking about religion could be beneficial. (AP) SECOND STONE 3 FAITH IN DAILY LIFE 'PromiseK eqxT' couplek eepsi nternebt uzzing~ th gcxxnl ewsf or gays BY DEBBIE WOODELL THEY ARE, Barbar a Purdom notes, what a petfect Promise Keepers family should be. Husband , stay-at-home mom , two children . White. Middle -class . Protes tant. And in a world where so much preached in the name of God brims with hate, they are a godsend to the gay community . When many in the publi c, including medi a, still equate religion with conservative politics , Barbara and Chris Purdom are spreading the gospel that a Liberal reli giou s tradition embrace s gay men and lesbian s and welcome s. them fully into the religio us communitie s of their choice. The two are the key forces behind the local Interfaith Working Group, a looseknit coalition of religiou s organizati ons and indiv iduals that advocates and demonstr11tes for gay rights. The Purd oms pretty much do every thing out of their own home, and out of the goodness of their hearts . "We' ve real ly heard some horror stories [from gay peopl e] , relating their church experience s," Barbara recalls. ''Those people have been stung by organized religion." The Purdom s, members of Tabernacle United Church, became devout supporters of the gay rights movement after congre gational discussions in the early 1990s about becoming a More Light congregation, a designatio n that marks a church as welcoming of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people. ''Telling people , 'You can't serve your church because you're gay' was something we didn't want to buy into," Barbara said. "We' re not going to restrict who can ser ve the church they love and they go to." For Chri s, ga y right s was not something he gave much thought to. "I think a lot of tim e, if you 're straight, yon don 't hear those gay pas sages [in the Bible] ," he said. "When we started talkin g about it ~t Tabernacl e, I thought of it as a fre espeech issue - you can be ordaine d if you don't talk about [being gay] ." Subsequent di scussions led him to conclude that a chur ch that had been part of the Sanctuary movement to provide a haven for Cen tral Amer ican re fugees should not be dri ving away other peo- . ple . 'The idea that the chur ch would kick ■ "The idea that the church would kick people out was unbelievable." ■ people out was unbeli eva ble, " he said. From such modest beginnin gs have come a growi ng pr es ence - at le ast loc ally - in tl1e deb ate o ver God and gays . Scripturatrla, nslatioonpse ne x-atheist''ws indowto Christ' T he IWG ha s held press confer ences and prov ided spe aker s on such issues as dome stic partn er benefits for c~ty workers . IWG hel ped run a sessio n on gay marria ge and has part icipa ted in gay pride events and marches . BY JOSEPH ROSE CLE ELUM, Wash. - When he wants a smoke, George Blaisdell· rolls his own cigarettes. When he reads the Book of John, the process is somewhat the same. Blaisdell prefers to translate the New Testamen t's fourth Gospel from Greek. He tl1en jots down his own observations of what the text says abo ut the life , death and resurrection of Jesus Chri st. "You can't go too slow," said the 53- year-o ld lock smith and forme r atheist. who learne d Greek in co ll ege ... Every word is a window lo Christ." Many early Bible trans lators were great reform ers who laid down their lives to give the Scriptures to the public . But with all due respect, Blaisdell finds English versions "tenibl y supetfi cial." It took the great precisio n of Greek, the ancient language in which the New Tes tamen t was first composed, to stir Blaisdell's soul. He found Jesus in the words. "It was, simply, awesome," he said. "I felt the winds of the Spirit moving over my waters." Jack Chan, this mountain communi ty's Presbyterian pastor, once studied the New Testament in Greek. He understands its power. "When you get into the original languages of the Bible ... you get a broader understanding of what the Scriptures are saying," Chan said. "You begin to think the way the people thought iu that day and age." Take, for example, the opening verse '1 MAY•JUNE 1991! in the King Jame s version of John's Gospel: "In the begin ning the Word alreadywas." . Blaisdell spent days contemplating the sentence. referring to Greek-Hebrew dictionarie s and praying for guidance. He came up with this: "Within the Godhead the divine intelligence has always been ." "Godhea d," Blaisdell said. "T hat could symboli ze the Trinity . But I think it involves much more , lik e ange ls and miracles." Looki ng back, Blaisdell believes God guided him to tl1e Book of John . Blaisdell was educated in Greek and philosophy at San Diego State Univer sity. Over the course of several years, he constantly "bumped into" referen ces to the Gospel in literature and in conversation . Last year, he search ed out a copy of the Greek versi on of the New Tes tament. "I wanted to see for myself what John bad to say," he explain ed . "Along the way, I discovered I was a Christian." Akin to spiritu al poetry, translating the Scripture often requires Blaisdell to stop and think hard. In many ways, he shows the dedication of a monk. His monastery is a house built on what used to be a junk yard in a woodsy area north of Cle Elum. Against a backdrop of aging books in the house, beat-up Subarus outside and a small zoo of domestic animals everywhere, Blaisdell spends hours at a time with his study guides and Greek New Testament. "The key that unlocks many of the words is prayer," he said, "for God alone gives meanin g." One verse can res ult in seve ral pages of hand -sc ribbled inte rpret atio n in his spiral notebook. "For th us lov es the Fat her the cosmos," he recited. 'That's 'For God so loved the world."' Four Greek words mean love .' The mos t com mon in the Book of John : "phil os," broth erly love , and "agape," div ine love - pronounced a-ga-pay. The first hal f of the book deal s with wate r , the secon d half with blood . "I love the metaphors ," Blaisde ll said. The Book of John, be said, is as relevant as anything else to human need and aspiration . At the same time, th0 ugh, he has begun exploring the Greek versions of the New Testament 's other books. . Despite the renewed sense of spiritual tty • Blaisdell said he still does n't know · wheth er to spit or swa llow w·hen it come s 10 organi zed religio n . For too lo ng. Chri Slians were merely Bibl e lhumper s and hypocri tes in his eyes. "I've j ust awake n from an cxtrao rdi?, 3;"ly dar~ period of my life," he said. 1 m n_iov10g toward the social aspect. But with my atheis tic background I'm shy about churches." • Until he finds a church tha t feels right, Blaisde ll considers himself a "Bible Christian." "I'm realizing the Spirit blows where it will," he said. "We'll see what happens."( YakimaH erald-Republic) All along tl1e way, IWG knocks down barriers. 'T he media [are] very much into rbc concept of the religiou s right and ever;bod y else," Chri s said . ''The y never showe d anybo dy pra ying on tl1e other side." . Adde d Bar bara: 'Th ey need ed this dichotomy ." The Purdoms also have toppl ed some barri ers betwe en the gay and religious communities. Chris wa s viewed with suspicion when he attended Fight the Right Network meeting s otherwi se popul ated large ly by memb e rs of ACT UP a_nd Gra ssroots Que ers and other gay aclivists. "But tho se susp icio ns eve ntually went away," he said . IWG 's newslett er , "Kee ping the Faith, " is four pages j ammed with informa tion about the ga ys-an d-religion struggle gleaned fro m the "hundreds" of articl es Chris has access to eac h day. About 330 people, clergy and lay, rece ive the newsletter, which also lists key upcoming events and suggests plans of action to co unt eract an tigay religious forces. But beyon d the strong sense to do ·good, the Purdoms have a bit of a selfish motive to their work . "We're trying to raise our kids," Barbara said, "and make it a better world for them ." So far. they've kept their promise. (Philadelphia Daily Nl}Ws) FAITH IN DAILY LIFE Technologhye lpsc htrehes interactr,e acho ut BY JILLCALLISON , SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Missionaries can now e-mail fami l y members from thousands of miles away and receive an almos t instant response. Parishioners no longer write out a check for the offe ring plate but rely on au tomatic withdrawal from a bank account to fulfill church pledges. Members of a church bitten by the flu bug don't have to miss the Sun day morning service. They can watch their pastor deliver the sermon over their computer. Techno logy is changing the way churches interac t with thei r members and reach out to others. Record-keeping is handled e.Jcctronical ly. Contac t is made through e-mail. Bible studies are online, providing not only information for tl1e user's personal growth but also a list of contacts for churches. "In a little more than a month, we've had 1,300 peopl e stop by," pastoral intern Dan Wollman said , ref erring lo · computer "hits" on the homepage he oversees at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls . There arc blips along the way. For one thing, technology comes slow in the church - because of a lack of computer skills and a general reluctance to change. And even the most devoted fans of technology acknowledge that cyberhookups would never replace the fellowship that comes from being surrounded by other worshipers in a sanctuary . "God says go to church, and it's a commandment, and people are in sin if they don't," said Jeff Gilbert, who puts a North Dakota church service on the Internet each week. "What we do across the Internet is help those who cannot make it or want another service, but we're not a repla cement for church. Absolutely not. " Gilbert set up the system that pennits every service offered by Dakota Baptist Church in Minot , N.D., to be broadcast over the Internet. People at home can see the pastor in a 3- by-4- inch box on the compu ter screen and hear him speak. The church deci ded to prov ide the audio and video broadcast for members who were ill or those who had moved to an area where tl1ere was no chwch. "We strongly advise that if someone has a church in that area, and they can make ii there, they do not log on," Gilbc: rt said "My pastor is not their pastor. If they have a local church, they should attend it." Randy Sorenson of Connecting Point in Sioux Falls helped Dakota Baptist set up the audio-visual site. He said technology offers churches a variety of ways to reach out, but many churches aren't up to date. "Pas tors and church sec retaries are not accus tomed to using the technology like they are in schools," said Sorenson , a professional network engineer. At Our Savior's Luthe ran, Wollman started an online Bible study late last November, in time for Advent. "The goal was first of all to provide an online devotional presence, trying to target an audience that wouldn 't normally com_e to Bible study in a home or at church," said Wollman, a student at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. At a Huron business, techno logy is making it easier for missionaries in other countries to correspond with fanulies, with church sponsors and with each other. Marvie Tschetter of Basec.N et is establishing a Web site, Mission]. dedicated to missionaries . More churches are getting involved with the Internet. Tschetter said. When searching for appropriate domain sites, she typed in the word "missionaries" and received more th.an 1.1 million responses. In anotlter area of computer technology, Christ the King Catholic Church has been offering automatic withdrawal for parishioners' offerings since last September. Office manager Lynda Wuebben said she isn't sure how many of the 1,100 members are using the service, but it's growing in acceptance. "People were excited about it," she said. "We get a couple of new people every month who register at the church, and they think it's a wonderful idea ." Wuebben said some people are hesitant to use the service because they are concerned about the appearance of not putting an off ering in the collection plate. One man said he wants his contribution to be a reminder to others that they should be giv ing to the church , too. Tschette r also knows churchgoe rs who arc skeptic al of technology. She think s that the Internet has gotten more negative press than positive . "But as it becomes more and more availa ble and more common, the churches will see this as a good avenue," she said. (Sioux f-alls Argus Leader) Since 1988a, friend for the·journey. Subscribe toda','! INDIVIDUAL SUBSCRIPTION . [ ) 3 yrs, 18 issues $45 [ J 2 yrs, 12 issues $32 [ ] 1 yr, 6 issues $19 [ ] Envelope mailing add $2 per yr [ ] International, add $10 per yr Your Name _____________ _ □ NEW Address.__ _ ____ ___ ___ _ □ RENEWAL SUBTITTAL City, State, Zii>+-4--•------- 6/98 GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS Please fill in the section above, entering your name as you want it lo appear on gift cards. All gift subscriptions are mailed in envelopes. 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Supply old address label here and print new address in top section "Individual Subscription" HOW TO GET YOUR ORDER AND OTHER INFORt\M TION TO US MAIL: Mail completed form to P. 0. Box 8340, New Orleans . LA 70182 FAX: This form may be !rimmed at its border and transmitted by FAX. Dial 504-899-4014. Press 3* when prompted or at any time during the message. When you hear the tone. begin transmission. E-MAIL: Send a message supplying the data reques ted to secstone@a ol .com SecoSntdoe n THE STONE THAT THE BUILDF.RS REJECTED BECAME THE CORNERSTONE·,' iifark 12: JO SEC'OND STONI::. 5 FAITH IN DAILY LIFE Forg aysi n theB lackc hurch,i t's 'Don'ta sk,d on'tt ell.' BY DONNETTE DUNBAR TO SOME, IT counts for naught that some of the most dynamic and influential ministers and gospel musicians produced by African-American churches have been gay. Or lhat gays and lesbians have -emerged nationally as a political and social force. Or that, traditional- 1 y, black churches actively support causes related to human rights. In black churches, the approach regarding homosexuality often mirrors lhc military's policy of "Don't ask, don't tell." While not monolithic, black churches by and large consider homo sexuality a sin. Gay members occupy an ambiguous position in their congregations. They often are the leading musicians and soloists, yet acknowledgment of their sexuality is taboo. "h's a cultural thing for us," said Merrit Smilh, a black entrepreneur who volunteers as an HIV/AIDS educator. "The issue is so complex for us, because our sexuality has always been degraded. It's a sensitive subject.'' Now, however. in part because of the impact of AIDS on the African American community, there is a nationwide push for black church es to begin talking about sexuality . Nationwide, though black s make up only 12 percent of the U.S. populati on, they account for 35 percent of AIDS cases, according to the Federal Center s for Disease Control in Atlanta. There still exist s in hlack cullure a perce ption that AIDS is God's punishment for homosexuality. And in March, more than a dozen black churches were among the sponsors of an advertisement in The Omaha World-Herald that condemned same-sex unions, citing several verses from the Bible. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, senior pastor at Trini ty United Church of Christ in Chicago, in a widely circulated scnnon titled "Good News for Homosexual s," cau tioned black ministers against tl1e misuse of scripture. "Racists tried to use or misuse certain texts taken out of context to justify holding black folks in chattel slavery," he said. "Just as we study those scrip tures carefully and put them up against the whole cowiscl of God. we need to do the same with the Scriptures on homosexuulity . Whether they are in Leviti cus, Cori nthians. Romans or Genesis, we need to study tbe text in context ." Some black minister s said they stnigglc to find the right spiritual and theological position on homosexuality . 6 MAY•J U NE 1998 "I'm not so naive as to think that every person in my church is a heterosexual," said the Rev. 1-1C. harles Farris, pastor of Bethel AME Church. "But I ca1mot go against the will or the word ' ofGod." Bryan, 37, said God made him who be is. "I didn't ask for this (to be gay). I'm a child of God, and I shouldn't be condemned for who I am." Steve, anoth er black gay male, said he feels the same way. That's why he stopped going to Salem Baptist Church, one of Omaha 's largest African : ■ But he labeled as hypocritical churches that "attack homosexuality and excuse fomication ." But as long as a person doc s not admit to or boast about being a homosexual, he or she can function in a lcadershi p position at the Seventh-day Adventist Omrch, Roundtree said. Not at Pilgrim Baptist Church, where the Rev. Nigel McPher son is pastor. "If I knew about it," he said, "they couldn't serve in any responsible position ." The Rev. Larry Mcnyweathcr-Woods, pastor of Mount Moriah Baptist "Racists tried .to use or misuse certain texts taken out of context to justify holding black folks in chattel slavety ... Just as we study those scriptures carefully and put them up against the whole counsel of God, we need to do the same with the scriptures on homosexuality ... " American congregation s. He now attends Fir st Central Congregational United Church of Chri st. wrhe message from the pulpit was that it (homosexuality) was an abomination in the eyes of God , that if people who were gay didn't repent we would all go to hell," Steve said. Steve said black churches and AfricanAmericans, of all people should be sympath etic to lesbians and gays. "I think it's a case where the oppressed have become the oppressor," he said. Unlik e Steve, Brian , conti nues to attend St. Jolm AME Church. ''We all have sins, and no 011c here is perfect," Brian said. "Sexuality is a private affair. I don't think it's an issue the church needs to discuss. because what people do in their bedroom is their own business ." • Some black ministers now say homosexuality is no more sinful I.ban stealing. lying or adultery . That positio n, however, runs counter to what other clergymen - and many church members -bel ieve. For example, the Rev. Reuben Roundtree Jr., of Sharon Seventh-day Adventis t Church, said that the homosexual who wants to repent is embraced. ■ Church, has stmggled with the issue of homosexuality for several years. "The hypocrisy of the church," said Menyweather-W oods , "is not being able to deal with who we are and the reality that in spite of ourselves , God can still use us . I' ve seen God use gay people j ust as he has heterosexuals." But , Men yweather-Woo ds said, 'Th ose who I minis ter to view it as wrong. An d I must deal with my congrega tion until ano ther leve l can be reached." Some clergy. such as Mcnyweat herWoods, say accepta nce by ehurch mcmbers will never arrive unless black churches begin to address issues of sexuality in general. "Sexuality ought to be addressed, but we still ha\ •e some social and theologi cal hang-ups that we have to overcome " he said. ' Harvard professor and theologian Cornet West said dealing with issues of sexuali ty is a challenge for black church es today. "Black folk have been dcfiued by means of our bodies and (by) the percep tion of us as primarily bodily," West said in a speech lhrcc years ago 111 a training and leadership confer ence on HIV /AIDS at Howard University in Washington. D.C. "Attack s 011 black beauty and black intelligence made it very difficult for us to be able lo organize arollJld issues relating to the body . So we would hide it and conceal it and let it flow and keep the focus on the source - that white supremacy." Pemcssa Seale , director of The Balm in Gilead Inc .• in New York City, an AIDS organization that takes its name from a spiritual hymn about healing, said hlack churches have never failed to speak out on other political or social issues before . "The black church is the center of communication in the black community, and because the church has been silent, it must take some responsibility for the epidemic of this disease (HIV / AIDS)," Scale said. "Wh at would have happened if the church had mobilized itself 15 years ago? The ignorance of some black churches is fueling the epidemic in our communities." It also creates hatred, Bryan said . "Black people arc more deeply rooted in religion," he said. "They cling 10 old values more than any other group. And we tend lo be more unforgi"ing ." And, Bryan said, because black church es have a disproportionate membership o[ women, he believes tl1ere is a lot of resentment toward gay men . "Many black women have diffi culty finding African -Americ an men, and when they see a gay man it's ju st one more person who is not avail able ," he said. "So it' s one more str ike agai nst us ... The black chur ch will be the last lo embrac e gays, if ever." But Scale said lhe gay revolution has already started in black churches. 'Th e hlack church will have to address this iss ue," she said. "It won't happen overnig ht. It will be a revolution within the pew. Gays active in the church will begin to stand up and say to the churc h that it mus t embrace them for who they are. Aud the church will have to say , 'Yes, this person is gay, but look at the contributions they have made to my church.' "There is only one body of Christ, period," Scale said. "And that body is made up of all of us - Caucasians, Latinos and gays . Black churches that condemn homosexuality are no t being tn1e to the ministry and the truth of Jesus Christ." Menywealher -Woods snid he is hope ful as well . "I believe," he said. "we will reach a point where the black church can teach without hesitation and reservation on scxuality ." (C)mnha World-1-lcmld) FAITH IN DAILY LIFE Case dismissed for lack of evidence Nop roofg iventh att heB ible.c ondemngsa yr elationships BY DR. REMBERT S. TRULUCK SINCE MY WEB SITE on "Steps To Recovery From Bible Abuse" at http://www.truluck.com was published on the Internet on September 14, 1997, I have received e-roail letters almost every day e:itpressing appreciation for help that people have received . I also regularly receive mail asking me to give the proof or the evidence that the Bible does not condemn gays and lesbians. My careful response is to say that the question is backwards . The real issue is: "Where is the proof that the Bible condemns gays and lesbians?" Perhaps a more basic question is: "What does Jesus say about homose:ituality?" Nothing! Jesus is the ultimate authority for Christians about everything . If Jesus had nothing to say that condemns homosexuals, there is no reliable Bible witness against gay, lesbian , bisexual and trans se:itual people. That should settle the issue. Why doesn't it? Careful and honest examination of the six Bible passages used to cond emn lesbians nnd gays are fow1d not to be talking nbout homo sexuals but about heterosexuals. There is no hint of homosexual orientation or same sex romantic love in any of the passages. Ther e is not enough room here to give the det ails, but you can find U1e basic arguments in my web site and in the books by John Boswell, Daniel A. Helminiak , and others. 1 did not include material to answer the "clob~r passages " again st gays in the web site at first. Many oilier people alre~dy have done a fine job of demonSlratm~ the truth about these passages. ~ y marn c?ucem in all of my ministry m the le sbian and gay comm unity has been to focus on tile positive message of God's unconditional love for all people as revea led in Jesus Christ. All of us need encouragement and a boost to our self es teem . E:itperiencing God's love helps us to feel good about ourselves. And tliat is good news ! The basic facts in the Bible case against lesbians and gays are based on passages in Genesis 19, Leviticus 18 and 20, Romans l :26-27, I Corinthians 6:9, and I Timothy 1: 10. No passage is taken from the four Gospels to base charge s against homosexuals on the life or teachings of Jesus. Charges against homosexuals based on the teaching s of Jesus must be dismi ssed for lack of evidence. The Genesis 19 story depends on a distorted interpretation of the Hebrew word "know" to build an anti-gay case. The word means "know" and docs not mean "have sex wiili" as some translations insist. No Jewish teachers said that the sin of Sodom was homose:itnality or even sexual until after tile time of Christ. The tru.e message of tile story of Sodom is that a small minority of peo- ■ No passage · is taken from the four Gospels to base charges against homosexuals on the life or teachings of Jesus. ■ pie who are different and have to be hidden behind clo sed doors ("the closet") for prot ection from an ignorant , fearful 01omophobia), angry (like fw1damentalist attacks on gays) mob are God's true messengers (angels) and need and receive God's prot ection . The real meaning of the story is the rever se of what homophobi c bible bashing preachers and teachers have made of it. More people hav e cond emned me beca use of my teac hings on Lcviticns than any 0U1cr passage. The use: of Leviticus and U1e label of "abomination" as a weapon against gay and lesbim1 people becomes ludicrous and absurd when the whole body of lega l req uirements in Levi ticus is e:itrunined objec tively and honestly. Nobody today tries to keep even a fraction of the legal requirements laid down in Leviticus. Jesus has brought an end to tile Law as a means of pleasi ng God. as Paul said in Romans I0:4 and in many other places. In Leviticus as elsewhere, tile law is aimed at heterosexual s who engage in cullic ritual se:it act s and not al homosexuals who love each other and express that love in physical affection and se:it. Romans 1:26-27 is the ne:itt favorite weapon against gays after Leviticus. The passage is filled with difficulties in translation. Words are used here that Paul does not use anywhere else and familiar words are used in unusual and unclear ways. The conte .xt of the passage makes it clear that Paul is talking about some kind of idolatrous worship . What we know about the "mystery religious" in and around Corinth at the time tliat Paul wrote Romans from Corinth fits the description in Romans 1:26-27. Paul did not write about homosexuals or about se:itual orientation in any of his letters . Romans 1:26-27 is about heterosexuals who enter into tile sexual religious frenzy of fertility cult worship and demonstrate tliat Uiey have abandoned God and God's purpose for their Ii ves. The final two passages in I Corintlrians 6:9 and I Timothy 1: 10 use a word that is "male bed" in Greek and is of uncertain origin and tmclear meaning . It was not translated as "homose xual" · until the Revi sed Standard Version in 1946. It does not mean homo sexual. We are 1101 sure what ii means. My personal opinion is that it refers 10 male pro stitute s with female customers, which was a common custom at the time, but tliat is a guess . The word tran slated "effeminate" literally means "soft" or "pliable" or "without courage and weak ." It has no . sexual implicati on in tl1e original language and is not used with any sexual significance in the rest of the New Testament. Clear eviden ce that the Bible condenms homosexual sexual orientation or rej ects homos e:itual s simpl y docs not exist. How did so many relig ious people st.ray so far from the truth about gays and lesbians? Where did fundamentalist homophobic Bible study jump off the tracks of tn 1th and love? When Jesus ceased to be tile guide to w1derstaucling and usi ng the Bibl e! Jesus showed many times tliat the Bible had been distorted and incorrectly used to hurt and condemn people. Jesus touched, ate with, and called as disciples the very people that the religious leaders called unclean ("abomination" accorcling to Leviticus) . Jesus offers no evidence at all against gays and lesbians as the true children of God . The whole religious arseuaJ of oppr essiv e and destructiv e weapon s hurled at gays and lesbians is separated from Jesus and the Spirit of Jesus and has no valid place in honest and objec: live Bible study . Where is tile Bible proof that God condemns, hates and rejects homose:ituals? There is none. The whole elaborate homophobic system of condemnation and rejection is based on "smoke and mirrors" that have created "evidence" that docs not reaJly exist. I don't have to prove that the Bible docs not condcnm homosexuals, because the biblical charges against homosexuals do not stand up under careful and objective examination and are "dismissed for lack of evidence." I encourage you to go to my web site at http://www.truluck.com and read tile section on the "Six Passages Used Against Lesbians and Gays," print it out, study it, and pass it on to others. Read .and study the entire web site. It contains a great wealth of information . It will take time and discipline to cover all of it. The author may be reached at rembert@slip.net or at PO Box 24062, Oakland, CA 94623. - -..-....~ - 'K K-IRI<ffiEEI The "picket. pray and play " pl ace wiLh ecumenlcity at its heart. Gay, Lesbian and Christian: Many Rooms Virginia Ram ey Moll enkott , John McNeill, Christin e Smith and Melvin Deal June 11 - 14 Fathers and Their Adult Sons and Daughters Sidn ey B. Simon June 26- 28 Victims No Longer : A Men's Abuse Recovery Weekend Mike Lew July 17 - 19 Simply Divine : I Rites of the Gay Male Spirit John Linscheid and Ken White August 21 - 23 f"orf urther information cun1t1.:c 1 KIRKJUDGE 2495 Fox Gap Rd. Bangor, PA 18013 (610) 588 · 1793 www.klrk.rldge.org \ u mlltd 1111t ht bt11tuiful Kitwtlnny Ridge of tll.ftern PA. 85 mi.fm m NYC 1111Pdh ilu. SECO i'ID S iO NE 7 MANNA BY REV. DONNA E. SCHAPER f, · why a simple hands grace, from the. children's first Sunday School, suffices to praise the nameless for our food and our evenings. "God, be above us. God below us. God be inside us. God be all The alltliority to know God , around us. And God be with our friends." Normally what happens next . ' ' WE CAN KNOW GOD by tradition. \ · works . It works by transformation. . Or experience. Or reason. -Or all thr\e i Warren 's hope is much less dialecti- . I prefer the combination and the blend. cal. Or fluid. For him, what we do is · That 's why I, who love Jesus the , getdecperontothebandofGod'shistor- · Christ, married a Jew, who doubts that \ ical activity. We move from disobeJesus is Christ. His religious authori- 1 dience to obedience. We become more ties and mine often engage in personal i ourselves or more our "better" selves. I · warfare. I often don't ha.ve the energy for that self . I may say that everything is going to I .. centering in history righteousness. He turn out alright and he may say the I · rarely has the courage of the tomb. Of : same thing: we rarely say the same course, we surprise each other. I have thing at the same time. My faith is seen him transform overnight in :. often based in the future, his in the past. response to the suggestion of a doctor; I · My hope is often based in a serious, have sruci:-~;~ healso hard ~ -it is he · death dueli~g transf~rmation, hi~ is who prays that great prayer "pry her off .. often based m becommg more stauon - dead center ." Still, the authorities and · ary. more obedient. His faith is often i the way we know God are fundamentally . based in stubborn rigidity, mine in 1 different flighty fluidity. One is not better than. the other so · . is a long theological conversation about who our friends are. This is the Jewish part. I find the dialogue most amusing . Usually one of the kids will offer that so and so may once have been a friend but is no longer. Warren then advocates · maintenance of the relationship and I · advocate change. The grace is simple, as graces should be. It is also a good compromise. The motion of the grace is its grace for me. I don't need the name of Jesus but I am desperate for the sense of motion which comprises my faith. Warren's sturdiness is exemplified in the word, "Be" - which is probably why we taught them 10 the children in the first instance. Theological analysis of one's table grace is near enough to the absurd to manage what is going on in our family with God. We are trying not to fight. We are blending. We are mixing. We are compromising what many think can't be compromised. We are leaning on different authorities of experience: I call these civil wars "the battle of the world views." He insists I am overly pessimistic and (his favorite word) "apocalyptic." I insist that he is overly pessimistic and "cynical." I don't see his hope; he doesn't sec mine . I see his hope as in sufficiently strong to. wage war with my despair. He sees · miue the same way. If Jesus did not die . on th.e cro ss and raise on the third day, of course, be would see my tran sform ing pushes as umeliable . My favorite · definition of the gospel is that it is the permission and commandment to enter , difficulty with hope, borrowed from the Canadian theologian , Douglas Hall. We go into a kind of tomb. We come out of a kind of tomb. That's how hope : and reason, and tradi ti.on to know the much as thoroughly different from the sameGod. other . When we fight, as couples do, ' we fight the battle of the world views. I advocate change or immersion in the dif-. ficulty as gateway to .renewal. He advocate s more deeply entering the experi- . ence and staying there and surviving . We also pray differently than I ever thought I could pray . We have to stay · clear of the edge s and incorporate the overlaps. If God is both present as a transforming and lransfonned one, as a Messiah and as an historical moving, living, acting being, one whose mark we are not to miss, then we must pray to a kind of totally stable, totally chang- . ing God at the same time. Long ago it became clear that in my home, I could not pray to Jesus. That's I never thought Jesus would want me to hang on too tight. That's the gospel I hear from him, consistently. We can have what we let go of. We can be rich if we can be poor. We give to get. We lose our life to gain it. We relinquish, not hold. 8 MAY•JUN E 1998 Along the way, we are marrying a Jewish historian and a Christian apocalyptic: the one believes in a radical eternal, the other in a radical discontinuity. Both may tell the story of God . Christians find that comforting; Jews do not. I would be lying if I said this battle of the world views was easy. It is not. It is . ofte.n horrifying . , What we think about God and where God can be found is such a life forming pattern that intimates can find plenty lo quarrel about anywhere. Their paths can di verge. When paths diverge, we are oddly on our own with · our God. We are out in left field while our friend is out in right field, defending our God. Alone. Would this isolation cause me to recommend that we marry our "own kind?" No. That would be too easy. God would be shrunk. But are different authorities among intimates hard on !he • intim acy? You bet. Harm is not done to God; oddly we search more vigorously for God when we differ with our best friend on where God can be found. But it is bard to remain friends without constant confirmation of one's world view. The very absence of that confir mation can help religious authority along: we must develop our own spirit ual and intellectual muscles. In the nearly constant self-explanation that .• occurs within an interfaith marriage, a new authority develops that is simultaneously dialogical and independent. Religious authority is aided by the modesty afford ed it by the knowledge that there is a right field - and that you have no idea how to gel to it. Religi ous authority is aided by knowing thal God speaks differently to different people. When someone we love and respect constantly emerges in a different place, we have no choice but to reverence that place. It is not us. It is different. It is. genuinely different. We become religious open-.ended-ness - right but not completely right. This open-ended-ness, this lack of a closed universe, Ibis rubbed raw door at the bottom of our heart, becomes our religious authority. It is not relativism - because what happens in interfaith settings is not relativism at all. It is instead the nearly constant and flawed move to win points for your side. To show the virtue and benefit of transformation over continuity. for example . We fight for these things because we believe in them. We fight intim1,1tely, llol on a soapbox. The opening in our heart, our cosmos, our worl~ view ~els rubbed raw - and it also lets m the wmd. It scabs over from ti.me to time only to get rubbed raw again. As Wendel~ Ben:>' s s about marriage itself, mamage is ~!w illingness to gel Jost i.n tJ_ief orest !lnd the necess1 ·ry to go out into tbe clearing again. Even after you have become afraid of the light. J. F rbes of The Riverside C. hurch lDl o . . k bo t . N y orlc City tells the JO e a u lll cw . "Do you . bis father ridin~ an . rurplan~ and hold really believe this thing can y . ?" "I'll tell you !he truth, son, I you up• • h d n on never d1.d Pu t all my we. 1g. t owt h • ,.__ 1 e " When rehgiou s au on- t.J.Wl p an . . . ties war intimately . we become b 1e ~sdl and mercifully incapable of putUng C y . all our weight down on our own ce.rb - tude. .f Downcast Mainers tell us that 1 you want 10 sink fast you should hang on to the anchor. And that is how I feel about my Christ. I never thought Jesus would want me to hang on too tight. That's the gospel I hear from him, consistently. We can have what we can let go of. We can be rich if we can be poor. We give to get. We lose our life to gain it. We relinquish, not hold. Thus, my very absolute faith in letting go and being open, in not putting my weig ht down too fully anywhere. The gospel. in my little kernel of it, is the freedom to float And float, I do. In my experience, change is inevitable but growth is optional. Like many other modem people, I have noticed that what used to be call the cert ainty of the components of the atom are no longer so at CONTINUESN EXTP AGE MANNA The authority to know God From Previous Page all. These things are, furthermore, not a still or fixed point but rather a motion, a bit like what I imagine the trinity. An interrelationship of moving matter. Why would I need the authority of a fixed God? Would that not be blaspheming the atom and the golden rule, simultaneously? (Yes, I do accuse my spouse and best friend often of blaspheming the atom.) The authority of my religious experience is an experienced place. I call this place the wowided door, or opening, or crack where the air and light comes. That wounded door is the religious authority of me confronting the other and myself, simultaneously. At that ne,ms or node, I experience Jesus and who and the way he was. A simple experience may help. One day I was on the podium of an extraordinarily tedious, yet joyful church service in which the local clergy had been gathered by the local African-American church to give God orders on the abolishment of racism. We called these orders "prayers." Another policeman ha~ shot another black teenager "by accident." We had to gather. We had to pray. We couldn't help ourselves for turning our prayer s into orders. We didn't trust God so much as need God. Our need snuck into our language. One after another of us prayed. Then we sang. Then we prayed some more. I had _a feeling that most of the 500 people 1n the congregation were still with us. All of a sudden I got this great ~ge to leave. Just leave. I had already given God my orders, done my part, lamented my lament. I was no longer needed _except as another pair of ears. My chair 011 the podium was in the back row. I might not be noticed . So I left. I walked out the side door behind the organ and behind the altar. It was dusk. What the poet John Keats called the luxury of twilight enveloped me: I was part of pu!llle air. Even better, I was part of clear air as opposed to the dank air of scared prayer. I was wearing my black liturgical robe which seemed appropriate to the occasion. I w1buttoned the black robe once I got outside. No one was there but me. The parking lot was full, the church was rocking to another hymn, but I was free. I was alone. I was out. I ran to my car with the robe, waving beyond me and had the feeling that I might have just escaped God. I might be free of God. I might be free. These are the only few minutes in my life that I might have been free of God. Otherwise God has been a constant companion, nndge, heart beat, iil!!er voice, best friend. The strangeness of my little escape startled me. In the startle and the twilight, I realized how I feel about church as religions authority. Church has not always contained God for me. More often, God has been in the streets, or the garden, or literature. God has been in laughter and liberations, like skipping the meeting that was pompously discussing God. But God has never been "not there." That night in the parking lot I experienced the God who was not there as freeing - only to learn later that it was the church that was driving me crazy. Like the authority of the temple, the church's authority had begun to shrink God. I had no doubt that God had become free, had squeezed out, but I had real doubts about whel.berI could know God within religious structure alone. That night, God came in the luxury of the twilight. In the racing robe. In the absence of God. New revelations are needed. I have In the startle and the twilight, I realized how I feel about church as religious authority. Church has not always contained God for me. More often, qod has been in the streets, or the garden, or literature. God has been in la ugh ter and liberations ... no problem looking for them in the parking lot. Or in the eyes of my puzzled Jewish husband. I have this urge to look "elsewhere" for God rather than by rounding up the usual suspects. That urge is an urge for authority . It is something that feels deeper (watch Warren's faith enter) than even magnificent African-American worship or great table prayers , each of which are sites where I can usually count on God. When I rush to the openings, I am looking not just for God but for more God, for deeper God, for God eternal. I know God because I an, an escape artist. I work the raw openings. Most people find this kind of flexibility infuriating. For me, it gives pennission to skip out of services. My faith is in the . hallway as much as the sanctuary. My fluidity is directly related to the fundamentalism of my youth. It grounded me enough to fly. Fundamentalism gave·me religious ground, religious equity. From there, I have religious experience. Religious authority comes from reason and experience and tradition. Reasoning through my experience as I stand in left field and my best friend stands in right has often brought me to God. Surely religi ous institutions have also brought me to God. I have asked God more tl1an once how long I have to stay in the institutional church which drives me nuts. The answer has this odd ring. "Seventy times seven." It is the same answer Jesus gave when asked how often we have to forgive our neighbor. I am stuck, in the church, standing at its door. I am stuck in in interfaith marriage, waving at my partner from right to left. There is no center field in this game. God comes in experience at the open door. God comes as we pass through , waving. The Rev. Donna E. Scltaper is Associate Conference Minister wit11 the Massachusetts Conference of tlze United Church of Christ. Her new book is "Tlte Sense In Sabbatl1:A Way To Have Enough Time," In11isfree. The Un Time-Management Book Sabbath Sense This is your invitation to pack your spiritual baggage and move to the neighborhood called ENOUGH - enough time, enough rest, enough play. The reality of "sabbath" as a day of rest and been SpHm,al \111,.1 • ., lost amidst our to-do lists, day-organizers, and endless errands, but the sense of sabbath, as spiritual leisure, is very much needed in our time-starved world . • Turn not-enough time into ENOUGH time: • Unify fragmented time through Rl1VALS: •Weave a pattern of SACREDNESS into your life: • DJ:"CLl/TfE"Rs, implify. and slow down. A Spiritual Antidote for the Overworked by Donna Schaper $11.95 paperback 6X9 ll8 pages ISBN 1-880913-lS-9 Available in bookstores or call lnnisfree Press 1-800-367-58 71 to order. l Press lnnisfree - SECOND STONE 9 Creechlo sesjo bi n spiteo f acquittal OMAHA, Neb. - The Methodist min ister who performed a lesbian marriag e and then survived accusation s he had broken church rules must look for a new job. The Rev. Jimmy Cree ch was told May 5 he would not be reappointed after his stint a t Fir st Unit ed Methodi st Church in Omaha ends in June. Creech said Bishop Joel Martine z told him he has been unable to lead his con gregatio n, which has lost a "signi ficant number" of parishioners who opposed the union cerem ony he perfo rmed in September. "He felt that I am not going to be able to bring about a reconcil iation," Creech said. According to Chris Weedy. Creech • s wife and co-work er, the bishop cited several reason s for not reapp ointing Creech : the con tinuing deterio ration at First UMC, Creech's inabilit y to reconcile difference s with the peopl e who op~sc d lhe commitm ent ceremony, not follo wing the bishop' s guidan ce (in doing the covenant ceremony and in not acce pting the conditi ons offered befo re the trial) , and finally the "deteriora tion in the Nebraska conference." Mar tinez reportedly offered Creech three alterna tives: that Creech ask for another appointm ent in the NE confer ence, that he find ano ther appointme nt in another couf erencc, or that he take a leave of absence. Creech said he had not made plans regarding his fu ture. Methodist clergy are appointed for one year at a time. (Liz Gauger, AP writ~r, and Mel White) Hundredss ign newspapera d in support of Creech OMAHA, Neb. - More than 300 people • inclu ding U.S. Sen . Bob Kerrey, DNcb. - signed a newspaper advertiseme nt lihowing support for Rev. Jimmy C:reech's ministry at First United Meth- 1:>dsit Church . Members of the church took out the <Id in the April 11 editions of the Omaha \Vorld-Herald. Those who signed the ad illso included several ministers and rabbis. The ad appeared two weeks after more than 100 Omaha-ar ea churches con demned same -sex unions in a WorldHerald adveniscme nt . "This was planned before we ever heard about that," said church membcf Deb Kenney, who organized the ad. "We wanted to show we're not a one-i ssue church, and to demonstrate that we have lots of program s and activities." (AP) GAYELLOWPA GES™ INFORMITNHGEL ESBIAGJAI, iB, ISEXU&A LT RANSGENDCEORMEDM UNSITINT C1E9 73 Alle ditionns ow IncludeI SEAPRATWE OMENS'SE CTION Compgleatye• fllerneds~ou racnedbs u sines:as ecscommosd,ba atsiro,b nookstodreens,t isdtosc, tso,lr awye, is therapImmels~, printe,o rrsganizatsio,m ned,i rael~logorso uphse,lU p nel sII V/AIDrSes ources. Listisnb grokedno wbnyS ta&teC ityI.n del xfi sta ccepshso nUes. 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Find us at gay-frlendlJs toresl ike LAMBDRAI SING8 00-621-6969 A Olff ER ENT LIGHT 800•343-4002 and many others For an appllcaUon to bel lsted( noc harge}, curront editions endp rlcso, mallnlg labels,e tc.,p leases end a sell-addresseds tampede nveolpet o RenaissancHeo use,P OB ox 533-SSV,i llageS tatoin, NewY ork,N Y1 0014 212-674-012F0a x:2 12-420-112G6A YEilOW_PAGES@unjo.com http://gaylleowpages.com 10 MAY•JUNE 1998 Lutheranc hurchwidoef fice hasg ayd iversityw eek CHICAGO - "Gay, Lesbian and Straight People: Working Toget her" will be the theme at the churchwide off ices of the Evangelical Luth eran Church in Amer ica during five days in June. The staff will focu s on reflecting divers ity in an inclusi ve workplace . The effort is organized by the ELCA's Inter -unit Staff Team on Div ersity . Evelyn B. Soto, co-coo rdinator, said the goals are to celebrate the gifts of gay and lesbian people iu the church and to edu cate the staff on the history of lesbian and gay people. Another goal. is "to demonstrate that the churchwide office is a welcoming and safe place in the spirit of the resolution pa ssed at the 1995 Chur chwide Asse mbly ." Th at action affirins "that gay and lesbian pe opl e, as individu als created by God, are welcome to partici - , pa te fully in the life of the cong regations" of the ELCA. The week will includ e worship and lunchtim e speakers, book discussions and video presentations. Topic s will include defining tem1s of gender identity, minis try with gay and lesbian people, bibl ica l and theolog ical impli calions, issues for the fam ilies an d friends of gay an d les bian people, and welcoming gay and le sbian peo ple in cong regational life, Soto said . "We are part of a church that is working on being welcomin g ," said the Rev. Robert N. Bacher , exec utive for administration . "Our chur ch is engaged in conversation and dialogue. These activities are a part of our commitm ent to cont inuin g to discuss issues related to human sexuali ty, inclu ding homo sexuality ," he said. The Rev. H. Geo rge Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, told the March 6 meeting of tl1e Conference of Bishops, "We are planning some time toge ther in June under tl1e theme .Q f workin.o .to o.e.t her, lookin g at our rel ations hips with gay and lesbian co-workers." Anderson said the plans reflect a Im Churchwide Assembly action expressing supp ort for the Emplo yme nt NonDiscrimination Act and affinn iug the churc h's advocacy "in support of Jaws barring discrimina tion against indivi duals on the basis of the ir sexual orientation." (ELCA News Service) New owners of controversial landmark allow MCC service there BY DIANA WALSH AFfER YEARS OF controver sy. the 103-foot Mount David son cross was ilhuni natcd on the evening of April 11 for the firs t time under its new owners . More than 300 people tumed out for Easter eve service s under the concret e cross. Church member s illu mina ted it in rainbow colors at sunset, then switch ed to the soft white lighting requested by a group of Armenian Americans, the new owners who bought the cross last year. " fh ey said they wauted every one to use this cross and they kep t their word," sai d the Rev. Jim Mitulski of the Metropoli tan Community Church, who presided over the hillt op services. 'Th.is is our rainbow light over San Francisco." Last year the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower cour t rul ing tliat found tliat ci ty ownership of the cross violated the California Constitu tion, which prohibits giving prcfcreuee to any religion. The Council of Armenia n American Organizations of Northern California then bought the cross and a 011e-U1ird acre patch of land that surrotl1lds it for $26,000. Under tem1s of the lcgal settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Jewish Congress, tl1c cross, which stands atop San Francisco 's hig hes t mount ain . can be illumina ted on ly two night s a year. After it was dedicated by Franklin Roo sevelt in 1934. the cross had been ill uminated ev ery night until 1974. From 1974 tl1rough the late I 980s, it was lit only Easter week. Faced with growing legal problem s over tl1e cros s, tl1e city recreation and park departm ent eventually cut back to lighting the cross j ust a few hours 011 Eas ter befo re pulling tl1e plug alto ge ther in 1990. TI1e muni cipal monwne ut had been dark eve r y nig ht since - excep t one. Shortl y after the Supreme Court ml ing and the cros s' fa te seemed uncert ain. Mitulski's Metropo lit an Community Church defie d city policy by li ghting the cross in rainbo w colors on Easter eve last year . Thi s year Mitulski seemed thrilled to have the bless ing of the cross' new owners. "Our concern was that this cross wouldn't really be available to eYeryone, includ ing gay peop le," be snid. The landmark's legal problems, however, arc not complete ly over. A group of atheists who want the cross torn down have fifed another suit agninsl The City and the new owners. (San Frnncisoo fa:aminer) NATIONAL NEWS Gay~ byterians reactt o affirmatioonf OOoiln g ayc lergy NEW YORK - The nation's largest Presbyterian denomination has rejected a proposal to overturn a 10-month-old church law that effectively bars ordination of open gays and lesbians, The New Y ode Times reported. The controversial Amendment B, adopted last June, states that any person ordained as a minister, elder or deacon must refrain from sexual activity outside marriage. In a series of votes since October, a majority of the 2.6 million-member Presbyterian Church (USA)'s regional bodies turned down a broader statement that would have asked ministers, elders and deacons to "demonstrate fidelity and integrity in marriage or singleness and in all relationships of life," church officials told the newspaper. "W c are truly disappointed, but not surpri sed that Amendment A has failed," said Scott Anderson, Presbyterian s for Lesbian and Gay Concerns comoderator . "Amendment A was a much needed theological and polity correction of the so-called "fidelity and chastity " requirement for ordination and leadership with the PCUSA. Our disappointment arises out of a profound concern for our denomination." "We recognize that what is taking place within our denomination is similar to the takeover of the right wing conservatives within the Southern Baptist denominatiou," said Rev. Laurene M. Lafontaine, PLGC co-moderator. "The reality is that Amendment A would not have changed the denominational policy on gay and lesbian ordination, yet opponents of Amendment A made it out as a referendum for gay and lesbian ordination which was simply _ not true, yet rallied the votes." Gay cleric is nominated to replace Newark Episcopal bishop BY ROBERT D. McFADDEN AN OPENLY GAY cleric bas been chosen as one of five nominees to succeed the Rt. Rev. John Spong as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, N.J., djocesan officials said. If eventually elected, he would be the first openly gay bjshop of the 2.5 millio n-member Episcopal Church in America. The nominee , the Rev. Gen; Robinson, 50, has been a top official of the Diocese of New Hampshire for more than a decad e, is a founder of and coun selor for AIDS organizations and sup port groups for gay and lesbian youths. and has led racism-educa tion projects and raised funds for low-income housin g. Robinson is Canon to the Ordi nary of New Ham pshire and exe cutive secretary of the Province of New England . He was nominat ed by a commi ttee that considered 70 candidates to succeed Spong, who is schedul ed to reti re in less than two years. Bishop Douglas Theuner of New Hampshire said of his executive assistan t: "He has worked for me for nearly 12 years. His colleagues in New Hampshire have great confidence in him . He is a very worthy candidate, and I am delighted with his nomination.« In a statement to the diocesan n01niruiting committee, Robinson noted that he was the divorced father of two daughters aud lived in Wear e, N.H ., with a partner , Mark Andrew . a program manager for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Asked what risks he had taken for his fnith, Robinson wrote: ftl answered God's call to acknowledge myself as a gay man. My wife and I, in order to keep our wedding vow to 'honor each other in the name of God.' made the decision to let each other go. Risking the loss of my children and the exercise of my ordained ministry in the church was the biggest risk I've ever taken, but it left me with two unshakable things : my integrity and my God ." Spong has led movements to bring blacks, women, gays and lesbian s into the full life of his church. and the choice of successor is widely regarded as critical to the future of the diocese and the . church. The process of selecting a succe ssor to Spong is to be lengthy and complex.. In Jun e, a 600 -member convention of clerics and lay lea ders will be held to elect a successor, but lhe person selected must be approv ed by majoriti es of the standing committees and bishops of the 110 Episco pa l dioceses across the nation. The pe rson selected would be con secrated bishop coadjutor next Nov. 21. The title confers th e rank of top assistant 10 the bis hop with an automa tic right of succession. Spong, long regarded as a maverick in his church, was elected coadjutor in 1976 and became the diocesan bishop in I f/79. He has said he will retire on Jan, 31. 2000. Reports from throughout the denomination indicated that the alternative proposal, Amendment A, had failed by a 2- to-l ratio in balloting by the denomination's 173 presbyteries . The Rev. Jack Haberer, a Houston minister who is moderator of the Presbyterian Coalition, which supports Amendment B, said the voting showed the "center of the church" believed that "sex . belongs inside a marriage, and we want our leaders to model that." Despite the current climate within the PCUSA denomination, More Light Churches Network and Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns are joining their efforts. "At our re spective board meetings in February both organizations decided to merge and form a stronger and more unified organization," said Rev. Dick Lundy , co-moderator of MLCN. "By January 1999, we will have hired a staff person to do organizing and education within local Presbyteries throughout the denomination. We are very ex.cited about the possibilities." PLGC and MLCN will continue to work for the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons within the Presbyterian Church (USA). "We recognize that this is a lifelong justice movement to which we are committed," said Rev. Lafontaine. "This church cannot truly be the church of Jesus Christ until there is the full inclusion of all God's children ." Church court will rule on ordination of gay Presbyterian deacon FORT LAUDERDALE, Ha. - Second Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale is dubbed "The Sanctuary" by its members. These days it's a battleground in a nation al fight between factions of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. splil O\'er the ordination of homosexuals. The Fort Lauderdale church. which has a history of championing civil rights and women's ordination, stepped into the debate when it ordained Dr. Ray Whetstone as an eld.er. Elders are elected officers who govern the church. Whetstone is a 39-year-old optometrist and committed Christian who sings in the choir, quotes Scripture, visits the sick and organizes his life around his church. He's also gay and in love with the church worship director . That has pitted him again st fellow Presbyt erian, retired Navy Lt. Cmdr . Ron Wier, 64. who is so outrag ed that Second Presbyterian ordai ned an openly gay man that he's taking his congregation's. leaders hip to church court . "Our Genera l Assembl y has said 'Tho u shalt not ordain a homosexual' and they did it anyway," said Wit:r, a divorced former elder at Second Presbyterian. "Bottom line: You follow the rules or you're breaking them ." To Whetstone, the matter isn't that simple. "For a long time I thought God couldn't love me because I was gay," said Whetstone. "Eventually. I realized I was putting up the barrier, not God. I know Jesus loves me .... I'm not going to back down now for anything. " The legal case is set to go before the supreme court of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. on August 7. Whetstone lives with his longtim e partner, Wesley Pennington, a classically trained pianist. owner of an ad agency, and worship director of Second Presbyterian . The two moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1990 and immersed themselves in church choirs, committees and spaghetti fund -raisers . Friends at church knew they were a couple, but Whetstone and Pennington kept their relationship lowkey. Whet stone was ordained without controversy as a deacon, a service job . But when, in December 1995, he sought to become an elder and help govern the congregation , Wier balked. He cast the lone dissenting vote when elders voted on ordaining Whetstone. A South Horida Presbyterian judicial commi ssion, acting on Wier's appeal , ruled last year , in a 4-2 decision, that Whet stone's ordination was '' irregular" but that they lacked the auth ority to overturn it. Wier appeale d, and a regional ju dicial commission for Presby terians in Aorida, Georgia and Alabama reached the same conclusion in November. Wier's ap,pea l now goes to the church's high est court. ''We shoul dn't be ordaining people who live in what we call sin. and that goes for bomoseimals, adulterers, robbers and the whole bit," Wier said. T~ Presbyterian Church U.S.A . is headquartered in Looisville, Ky. (AP) SE COND STONE 11 Welcome! IF YOU FOUND this copy of Second Stone at a gay pride event , a P-FLAG meeting. or some other event or loca tion, there 's a Second Stone Outreach Partner in your area . The y arc a Chri stian church or organi za tion with a spe cific outreach to gays and lesbian s. \Ve encourage you to visit them for their next se.rvicc or meeting . In the mean time, you may be asking some questions like the ones that follow . When I told my church pastor I was gay, I was referred to an ex-gay program. What's that all about? An ex-gay program cannot change your sexual orie ntation. Ex-gay pro grams may be effective in redir ect ing a heterosexual perso n who has expe rim ented with homosex ual activi ty back to he terosexual rela tions hip s. For n gny or les bian perso n, howeve r, an ex-gay minis - NATIONAL We can make a world of DIFFERENCE! Society of the Fra ncisca n Servants of the Poor (Ecummical1l,1 c/1v1es)i 113 Pavoni a Ave. - 335 Jersey City NJ 07310 E-mail: sfsp@bellatlant ic.net Near ly 35 million Americans live in hungry or " food insecure" househo lds ... There is sti ll no cure for AIDS ... Homosexuality remains a "hot- bu tton" issue in many churches ... St. Fra ncis wro te in h is r11le of 1221 "Al l the brothers are to preach by their works" Consider joining us as an Associate or Vowed Member ... and help make a difference! WILLIAMSBURG , VIRGINIA BEA VEN'S TABLELAND. CHURCH of WilliamsburgV, rrginia P.O. Box 2674 WilliamsburgV, irginia2 3187 (757) 887-3719 rcvadcUcOaol.""'1 http://mcmbm.aol.com/RcvAdell•IHTC.blm Services held: Sunday at 1:30 P .M Williamsburg Regional Library Please call for further information. ALL ARE WELCOME AT TH.E LORD'S TABLE. 12 MA Y • J UN E I 9 9 8 OUTREACH PARTNERS try can only teach one how to "net as if' hetero sexual, often with painful results. Remember that most ex-gay church counselors are heterosexual and cam1ot speak from the experience of being gay. Also , any psycho logi st or psyd1iatri st who offers " trcauncnt" for homosexuality is not following guidelines established hy the Ameri can Psychologi cal Associ ation or the American Medical Associat ion. After all the rejection I got from my church, why should I even care about God? Your church may have rejected you, but God never has. God • s nature is lo draw you closer to Him, not to rejec t you. The church is admi nistered hy pastors, bisho ps, lay peop le , co mmittee s; peop le like you and me - someti mes com1ected with God at work among us, and sometimes not. Sometim es the people who run the church, beca use of fear , selfi shness or othe r reasons, are not able to fo llow as God leads. In the pas t, the church failed to speak out agai nst the Holocaus t and slavery . At some poin t in the futur e, the church' s prese nt failure to affinn gay and lesbian people and its failure to speak out against the homophobia that leads lo disc rimina tion and violence will be seen as a terri ble wrong. Does this mean I shouldn't go to church? Absolutely not! (It mean s the chur ch needs you probably more than you need the chur ch.) lltere is a place for you in a church in your neighborhood . Th ere are man y Christian church es and organizations around the country that have a spe cific ministry to gay and lesbian peopl e. Even in the mainstream denomination s gay and lesbian people have promin ent, althou gh sometim es clo seted , place s in the chur ch as pa stors. youth leaders . choir mas ters, Jay leaders, and so on. Many main stream churches across the co untry have moved in to pos itions of welcoming and affinniog gay and lesbian peo ple . How do I know that God doesn't reject me? Even if you've neve r set foo t in a church or tho ught much about God, you were created by a loving God who seeks you out. If there's a barri er between yourself and God , it is not God's respons ibility . .Blackaby and King in "Expe riencing God" say there are seven realit ies of a rel ationship with God : I. God is always at work around you. 2. God pursues a continuing Jove relationship with you that is real and personal. 3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work. 4. God speaks Distribution of Second Stone in some con1n1unitics is sponsored by our Outreach Partners. We invite you to visit the1n for worship. DAYTON, OHIO COMMUNTIY GOSPELC HURCH P.OO. OX16 34• D\YION0, 0 45401 DISCOVERY. OURD ESTINY! AU ARE WELCOME JlleelS: 546 Xenia.Ave. Qlyton,alio SurmylOam. E-MAIi.; RevSamuell<@oolL'Om Visit our Web Sill'.! htq:x/,/w\\w~ 937-252-8855 RI::V. SAMUEL KADER, PASTOR KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI Come share your ministry with us at._. ~ Abiding Peace Lutheran Cbur~h 5090 NE Chouteau Trafficway Kansas City, MO 64119 (816) 452-1222 Caring for People and Creation (Nc:r1ho f the Riffl') Sunday Worship: 10:30 am Sunday School: 9:00 am http ://www.soundnet/---pickle hy the Holy Spirit throu gh the Bible, prayer , circmn stmtces, and the chur ch to reveal Him self, Hi s purpo ses, and His ways. S. God 's invitation for you to work with Him alway s lea ds you to a cri sis of beli ef that requir es faith and ac tion . 6. You mu st make maj or adj ustments in your life to j oin God in what He is doing . 7. You com e to kn ow God by expe.rience as you obe y Him and He accompli she s His work t.hrough you. But can I really be gay and Christian? Sexual orien ta tion - eith er gay or stra ight - is a good, God-g iven part of your being. A homosex ual orient a tion is not a sinful state. ll1 e Bible does con demn some sex ual activi ty; when someone gets used or hurt ra ther than IO\•ed , and when a covenan t with a loved . one is broken ,thro ugh infidelit y. The CONT INUES Next Page MICHIGAN CITY. INDIANA Pastor Randy Dwican SIDlday Service: I I :30 am ... A caring church far a hurting world ,.,hen EVERYONE 1s we/came l • Full Gospel • Christ centered • Bible based P.O. Box9212 Midtig11nC ity, IN 46360-92t 2 (2 I 9) 778-2803 • (219) 778-9332 Email: innulife@netnitco.net SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA ~.,_.,._ ~ \ l His • • ·es\ I 3960 Park D d, Suite E l J San Diego,CA 92103 f 6t9-542-1ss1 I Sunday Wonhip: 10:00am - Thunday Study: 7:00pm FROM Previou s Page Dible support s commitment and fidelity in loving relation ships . Doesn't the Bible say homosexual activity is a sin? The word "homosexual" did not even appear in any translation of the Bible prior to 1946. Daniel Helminiak in his book What the Bible Really Says About Homo sexuality says: The sin of Sodom was [not homos exuality .] Jude condemn s sex with angels, not sex between men . Not a single Bible text clearly refe rs to les bian sex ... Only five tests surel y refer to mal e-male sex, Leviticu s 18:22 and 20 : 13, Roman s 1:27 an d I Corinthi ans 6:9 and I Timothy l: 10. All those texts are concerned with so methi ng other tha n homosexuality ac tivit y itse lf ... If people would still seek to know outri ght if gay or lesbian sex in itself is good or evi l... the y will have to look elsew here for an answ er ... The Bible ne ver addre sses that question. More than tha t, the Bible seems deliberate ly unconcerned about it. I would Hke explore further . What can I do now? While the re are man y good book s and videos available, there's somethin g powe rful in bein g "where two or more are gathered." You may wan t to check out a mini stry in your area with a specific outreach to gays and lesbians, incl uding Second Stone's Outreach Partne r. The worship style may not be what you're used to, but the point is to connect with gay and lesb ian Christians with whom you can have discussions about where you are. Or you may want to try a variety of churches in your neighborhood, even those of other MEMPHIS , TENNESSEE HOLY TRINITY COMMU NITY CHURCH Sunday Christian Education- I 0:00 a.m. Sunday Wonhlp & Holy Communlon- 11 :00 a.m. Wednesday Proaram-7:00 p.m. Come Join us at the lord's ublewen> saving ii seilt for You! 1559 Madison Ave. tMemphls, TN 38 I 04 901/726 ·9443 e•mall: holyn1nlcycc@Juno.com The Rev. Timothy Meadows, M. Div., Pastor OUTREACH PARTNERS denominations. ([here is no "one true church.") There are gay and lesbian people in almost every church and God, who is alwa ys at work around you, will connect you to the people you need to know - if you take the first step. Wouldn't it just be .· easier to keep my sexual life a secret? Some gay and lesbian people who arc Tobecome aSecondStone Outreach Partner in your comm unity, call (504)899-4014, e-mail secstone@aol.com, or wri te to P.O. Box 8340, N ew Orleans LA 70182 SAN JOSE . CALI FORN IA Come Celebrate With Us The New life In Je,us! (wu/S:11) Non-Denominational • Bible Cent.red Sunday Servlc.es- 10:30 am at The BIiiy Defrank Center 175 Stockton Ave .• San Jose. CA Pastor David Harvey • (408} 345-2319 http://www.lodesys .com/celebrate/ happy, whole and fully integrated may have to be silent about their sexuality because of their job or other circumstances. (fu e day will come when that is no longer the case .) But a gay or les bian person who cannot integrate their sexualit y with the rest of their being faces a difficult struggle indeed . To deny one's sexuality to oneself while in church or at work or with straight friends , and then to engag e in periodic sexual activity is not a self-lo ving , esteem -building experien ce . An inabilit y to weave your sexuality into the fabric of your life in a way that make s you feel good about yourself and allo ws you to develop relationships with others is a cause for concern and should be discussed with someone skilled in gay and lesbian issues. NATIONAL LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA So[ufarity Sunday October 4, 1998 FIRST CONGREG:ATIONACLH URCHi~ LONG BEACH UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST · ._ _,.l An Open and Affirming Congregation "Let us work together to end verbal and physical gay bashing!" Solidarity Sunday - P. 0 . Box 701592 San Antonio, TX 7827 0-1592 BruceSJ@AOL. COM We wefcom~ you t? worship in a nurtunn9 environment. 241 Cedar Ave • Long Beach CA 90802 562) 436-2256 • Fax (562) 436-301 http ://u sers. ao\.com( revmek/ind ex..html May/June 1998 Outreach Partner Fund Report Second Stone's Outreach Partner program helps local ministries make Christ known in their communities . Participating ministries are assisted, when needed, by the Outreach Partner fund. As of April 18, 1998, the Outreach Partner fund: 1998 EXPENSES Jan /Feb issue - 622.50 Mar/Apr issue - 768.50 May/June issue: Abiding Peace Lutheran Church - I 15.00 Society of the Franciscan Servants of the Poor - 60.00 Heaven's Tableland Church - 60.00 His Life Ministries - 60.00 Commun ity Gospel Church - 60.00 Holy Trinity Community Church - C,0.00 New Life Community Church of Hope - 87.50 Celebration of Faith Praise and Worship Center - 115.00 First Congregational Church of Long Beach • ll5.00 Total 1998 Expenses - 2123.50 1998 CONTRIBlff IONS Balance forward - 1133.99 Abiding Peace Lutheran Church - I 15.00 Anonymous subscriber contributions - 55.00 Patricia V. Long - 2S.00 Society of the Franciscan Servants of the Poor - 60.00 Abiding Peace Lutheran Church - 115.00 Holy Trinity Community Church - 60.00 His Life Ministries - 30.00 Celebration of Faith Praise and Worship Center . 235.00 Community Gospel Church • 30.00 New Life Community Church of Hope - 60.00 Total 1998 Contributions 1918.99 RJND BALANCE (204.51) SECO ND ST O NE 13 -. NATIONAL NEWS Utahs ociawl Olkerdsi scourag'ere μirat:ivteh' erapy SALT LAKE CITY - Some therapists contend "unhappy" gays and lesbians can abandon their "lifestyle" through socalled reparative or conversion treatment, but a Utah social-work group says they shouldn't try. In a unanimous affirmation of a 2- year-old stance by its parent group, the Utah chapter of the National Association of Social Workers has adopted a policy discouraging reparative therapy. The group's state·-board found there is insufficient scientific data supporting the treatment. "Social stigmatization of lesbian, gay and bisexual people is widespread and is a primary motivating factor in leading some people to seek sexual orientation changes," the policy states. "Discomfort about working with this population may lead to inappropriate, ineffective and even damaging interventions by social workers." Board president Joanne Yaffe said the action came after it received an anonymous complaint, redirected from the national committee. "They told us they knew of Utah social workers who were practicing reparative therapy and asked us what we were goingt o do abouti t," she said. The state chapter's action was criticized by such groups as Evergreen International and LDS Social Services. ·· "The church's licensed professional counselors take the position that there is substantial evidence that individuais can diminish their unwanted homosexual attraction and make changes in their Jives," said Mormon church spokesman Don Lefevre. "The church and these professionals are supportive of a person's right to seek assistance in doing so." The American Psychological Association in August also passed a resolution opposing reparative therapy. Reparative or conversion therapy attempts to change homosexuals to heterosexuals, and has existed for more than a century. F.arly practices incorporated electric shocks, castration, lobotomies and aversion therapy. Today, therapists instead use psychoanalytic, cognitive or behavioral therapy techniques to attempt to diminish same-sex attraction. Critics contend the therapies have a 60-70 percent failure rate, but suppcrters insist there is ample proof that homosexuals can change, or at least curb their behavior. NASW board member Shirley Coit, a Brigham Young University social-work professor and Evergreen International board member, said there is a distinction Celebrate Solidarity Sunday, October 4, 1998. Wear the ribbon. Take the pledge. lavite your &ieads and loved ones to join with us. Th e Solidarity Pledge I will work for civil and human rights for all people, including gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders. Civil rights are not special rights. I will seek to stop jokes and unkind language about anyone, including gays, lesbians, bisexuals and tran sgenders when spoken in my presence. Words that hurt and bigotry are not Fwmy. · I will speak out against any slander, debasement, lies or dehumanization of anyone, including gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenden1, including when spoken by political or religious leaders. Violent speech leads to physical viole nce. I will work to stop physical violence against anyone, including violence against gays, lesbians, bisexuals or transgenden1. Violenc e against aaypenon is violen ce against all peo ple . Let us work together to end verbal and physical gay bashing! For Infonnation on how to participate: Solidarity Simda.y -A pro j ect of Di gni ty /1.JSA P 0. Box 701592, Sao Antonio, Te1u 78270-1592 Brucr6.Jlil·•aol. com, MTDudd\-r.i•aol,com. Fas - {210) 545-6906 Notional Coordinators- Marianne Dudd.y ond Bruce S. Jsrstfcr, MD Ofgnly/USA 1500M assachulltAtl ve. NW. Suite1 1, WaahingtonO, C 20005 ....... .d l!Jlil)u<a.11r1f e-mailD: ltnll)--'""'°l.cn111 Tt!Ophooe· (202) 881--0017o(r8 00) 877-8797 14 MAY • JUN E 199 8 to be made between reparative therapy and what she calls "lifestyle-change" therapy. "Reparative therapy assumes people are broken and in need of repair. I don't believe that," she said. "But I will help people who want to live as heterosexuals. They have a right to choose." Evergreen E,~ecutive Director David Pruden said NASW made itself "vulnerable when, as an organization, they become the arbiters of lifestyle decisions . What happens if something goes wrong because they have affirmed a certain lifestyle?" Pruden said about 40 percent of the people served by his organization report they abandon homosexuality activity entirely and about 30 percent report they diminish their sexual behavior. (AP) Toriy Campolo: Gays and lesbiansm ust choosec elibacy BY DA v1o ·w. VIRTUE TONY CAMPOLO, sociology professor, international evangelist and author, urged gays and lesbians to choose celibacy at a gathering of United Methodists in West Chester, Penn., recently. The 62-year old evangelical social activist and pastor to President Bill Clinton, told an audience at West Chester United Methodist Church that he would never forget Roger, his gay West Philadelphia High School class~ mate who was tawited so ruthlessly by hisp eersth at he finallyh anged himself. "If 1 was a Christian, I would have stood with Roger , I wou.ld have befriended Roger. In the end that's why they hung Jesus on the cross, you know, because he loved the wrong people." But Campolo's story doesn't mean he condones gay se~. In fact, he believes it's a sin, and quotes Scripture to back that up. He urges his gay and lesbian friends to choose celibacy. "We do not choose our orientation, but we do choose our behavior," he said, adding: "Being a Christian is not always easy." Campolo's wife, Peggy, disagrees with him strongly. She interprets Scripture differently, and believes the key to attracting gays to the church is to accept them as they are. "People Jive in closets because they're afraid to admit who they are," she said shortly after Campolo gave his speech. The Campolo's came to West Chester not so much to debate gay acceptance as to show a potent issue and still stay happily married. Like the Campo~os. the Eastern Pennsylvania Mctbodi! 15 hope to stay united while openly discussing how to minister to gays and lesbians in their midst. "I don't know of a denomination that isn't being tom apart on this issue." Campolo says. "This upsets . me, because I believe people can have differing opinions without divorce . And we haven't gotten a divorce - yet," he added, to laughs. Campolo suggested that Christian gays sb.ould approach homose,mality much as Alcoholics Anonymous members have approached alcoholism: not as a shameful label but as an inclination that must be struggled with one day at a time. Cathedral of Hope MCC target of internet bomb threat DALLAS - The Cathedral of Hope Metropolitan Community Church. the world's largest predominantly gay and lesbian congregation, was the target of a bomb threat posted on the hltemet. The threat, received shortl y before Holy Week by The Dallas Morning News, is being investigated by the FBI. The Rev. Mike Piazza, senior pastor of the congregation , said the church . would continue to operate oonnally. "Our stance is that we need to release this infonnation so our members know (and) cau make their choice. We're going to have services, but people have a right to know what they arc coming to," he said. Piazza also noted th.at last year's bombing of an Atlanta gay bar and more recent bomb attacks on abortion clinics have forced the church to view all threats witl1 concern. The threats have affected attendance, but all services are being held as scheduled. SEE BOMB THREAT, Page 17 NATIONAL NEWS Formerp residenot f statec onventionle avesB aptisct hurch COLUMBIA. S.C. - Flynn Harrell says turning his back on the South Carolina Baptist Convention which he headed a decade ago was not really a case of him leaving the denomination. Rather, he says, the Bapti sts left him . Harrell, the convention's pre sident in 1987, said his move to the Presbyterian faith CaJDC after more than a year's strug gle and almost 20 years of observing the Baptists ' political shift . That shift toward more conservative views created what Harrell call s an atmo sphere of "extremist secnlar politicization" that he no longer could over look. "In good con science I can no longer remain a Southern Bapti st," Harrell said. "My denomination has left me in doctrine , in wor ship , in exclu sion of other Chri stians , in deni al of the gifts of women in mini stry ." At le ast one national Bapti st leader said Harrell's decision is part of a trend. "I have said from time to time that I think the most overlooked dimension of the takeov er of the Southern Baptist Convention has been the hemorrhaging of Baptists out of the denomination, " said Stan Hastey, executive director of the Alliance of Bapti sts. The Alliance , based in Washing ton, D.C., is one of several moderate groups . fonned since the conservativ e takeover of the Southern Bapti st Convention in the early 1980s. " It signal s an enormous loss for the Bapti st movement in general when people like Flynn and (bis wife) Anne make decision s such as the one they've made recently," Hasley said. Harrell , who served for 21 years as the st ate Baptist s' first finance offi cer , announc ed his deci sion in late January . He no long er was working for the stale convention when he made his deci sion, Baptists urged to preach abstinence, against homosexuality ' BY BRIAN HICKS CHARLESTON, S.C. - It was a seminar basically abou l the joy of 0 0 1 having sex. The Southern Bapt ist Convention's EUucs and Religious Liberty Commission met here during the first week of March, asking its members to go into their communities and preach the values of abstinence and the sins of homosexu ality . "We live in a wicked, wicked society," Michael Johnston, who mi1ustcrs to people "struggling wilh homosexual ity," told the group. His proof: He is a "fonuer homosexual," and has HIV. Perhaps as draniatic as the message is tl1e widerlying struggle of a fiercely conservative religious group trying lo get out its anti-gay message while fighting an image of intolerance and extremism. "We want to be compassionate people," said Dwayne Hastings, communications director for the commission. "While the Bible speaks very strongly against homosexuality , we're not saying we don't like people. It's a hate the sin, love the sinner sort of thing. We don't want it to come out in a hc.m10phobic way." But walk into this seminar at tbe wrong second and its purpose could be, well, misconstmed . For instance, lhere Wa8: A- "formet" homosexual" talking ab o ut atte ndi ng services a t n ch u rch where the pas tor was a "well -known homophobic bigot." A magazi ne distrib uted by the commission featured a back page advertisement with two Mickey Mouses holding hands and hawking a video on the evils of Disney and its "homosexnal agenda ." A slide show about sexually transmitted diseases that includ ed graphic photographs of geni talia. While the seminar addressed pomogrnphy, premari tal sex and sexually transmitted diseases , the main topic was homosexuality. Johnston, who now is host and producer of a radio show that monitors homosexual activity, said that instead of coode1111ungth e practitioners, introduce them to Jesus. It is a recurring theme for tllis semi nar. co11ve11th e sinners. Johnston s,ud that to treat people any otl1er way than as lost souls is hypocritical. "Dear Christian ladies, you can't look a homosexual in U1e eye aud tell them they are in sin when you are sitting home watclling your soap operas that glorify fonucation and adultery," Johnston told about 150 people. "Dear Christian men, you can't look a homosexual in the eye and tell them lhcy arc in sin when you have your dirty littfo magazines and videos hidden away in the closet, or your secret lilllc Intcmct site." (Cluirlcstou Post and Courier) and had not worked there for several years. He also has been a president of lhe Southern Bapti st Histori.cal Society and chairman of the Southern Baptist Business Officers' Conference . His wife is the only woman elected as presid ent of the state Baptist Historical Society. Harrell said he is convinced his decision to leave was the right one for his spiritual life . He said he and his wife have been warmly accepted into her former denomination and membership al Shandon Presbyt erian Church (U.S.A.) in Columbia . "Everything that I have received has been supportive, " said Harrell, who now works as a con sultant on separation of church and sta te issues. "F or the most part, other Baptists ... they understand ." Carli sle Drigger s: executive director and treasurer of the stale Bapti st Convention , said he met with Harrell before his public announcemen t. "We prayed together," Drigg ers said. "I wished him well , of course , but he has to make his own decision as everybody does about where to go to church ." "I have many ~ond erful memories of Baptist people and churches ," Harrell said . "Until the day I die , I will have a sadness for what happened to the Baptist denomination ." (AP) SoutherBn aptisttsa keo n Monnons'c laimt o ·Christianity BY KRISTEN MOULTON SALT LAKE CITY - The decades-o ld debate 'o ver Mormonism 's claim to Christianity is gai ning decibels as the Southern Baptist Convention prepa res to brin g 20,000 members inl o lhe Mor mon heartland. The Baptis ts say they hope for polite discuss ion when they gather here for their annual meeting in Jwie. But they have launched a campaign beforehand to educa te their members about the doctrinal underpinnings of The Church of Jesus Ouist of Latter-day Saints. Mormons, the Baptists claim, share family and ethical values with mainstream Christianity, but their fundamental doctrines are beyond the Christian pale. And the Baptists have produced a videotape and companion workbook to butl!Cesst he argument. . For their part, Monnon church leaders arc taking unusual pains to stress the faith's Christian bonafides as they steel their own flock for the invasion. They decline to comment on the video or be interviewed about the tl1eological jousting. But twice in February Mormon apostles delivered what were billed as "major addresses" defending the church as explicitly Christian. The speeches by Elders Boyd K. Packer and M. Russell Ballard to Mormon college students were unusually pointed, though consistent with the modem church's apparent push for au acknowledged place in mainstream Christianity. Those who would make films about Mormon beliefs, Packer said, are "uninformed and unfair" if they portray Latter-day Saint s as outside the Chris tian fol d. He did not refer to the Southern Baptist video - "The Monnon Puzzle" - by name. Ballard, speaking at Utah State Univer- sity . off e red a po in l-by -poiot rcbullal 10 !hose "w ho claim we are n o r Chri stian s beca use of our belief in these revealed truths." At issue are Mormonism's fowidation beliefs: That church founder Joseph Smith was visited in the 1820s by God and Jesus Christ, who told him that all existing churches were apostate; that Christ restored bis true gospel through Smith, together with propheti c and priesthood authority to perform ordinances necessary lo full salvation. Smith's fourteen successors in the Mormon presidency down to current President Gordon B. Hinckley have continued to claim they hold the earthly keys to that authority . Bible-based Christian groups also contend Mormons are not Christian because they rely on works of scripture besides the Bible . Chief io the Monnon scriptural canon is lhc Book of Mormon, which Smith said he translated by divine inspiration from ancient gold plates given him by an angel. "Either Joseph Smitl1 was the Lord's instrument by which the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Chris! in its fullness was accomplished. or he is 001." Ballard said. "There is no possible compromise of this doctrine ." Other points of differenc e concern Monuon beliefs that God and Jesus are r, SEE MORMONS, Page 17 SECOND STONE 15 ..,. Priest fears breakup of Anglican Church BY BOB HARVEY A NEW BRUNSWICK priest has launched a national grassroots campaign to save the Anglican Church of Canada from what he fears will be a breakup over the ordination of gays and lesbians. Rev. George Eves, one of the organizers of the church's growing and conservative Essentials movement, says "all hell will break loose" if liberal bishops such as Bishop Michael Ingham of Vancouver follow through on hints that they will ordain practicing gays and lesbians. In "Two Religions, One Church," a new book published with the help of his congregation in Saint John, Eves says the real problem is not homosexuality but the growingg ulf betweenc onservatives who believe in what they see as the Bible's prohibition on homosexuality and liberals such as Bishop Ingham who place more emphasis on reason and experience, seeing ordination of gays as a matter of justice. The issue could split the church, he said. "People like Michae l Ingham call people like me a bigot, and people like me are calling him a heretic," Eves said. "We have two competing religions. That's what's controversial. It's not a very nice thing to say, but we can't just sleepwalk into the next millennium." Eves blames the church's growing liberalism and what he sees as its disregard of the Bible for many symptoms of crises in his denomination: falling attendance. aging congregations, the "feminization" of the church and resulting lack of young male Anglicans and the growing gap between a socialist- • ExcitingA rticles& Features • ColorP hotosT hatT ake YouT here • lnfonnative Monthly Departments • USA& Wo11dwldDee stinations ., ExclusiveT ravelU 1tlng1 OURW ORLDis the recognizedm onthly maguine for travel enthusiaslSU. nlike other publications,y ou' II find everything you need to k.nowa bout gay o.ndle sbian trove! in ow-56-page, all-glossy format - including color photography. It's all here: from New York to L.A.; London to Moscow; Thailand to Tahiti; the Caribbean to the Amawn; and Key West lo AlaslcaS. o don't be left out, join 50,000 other readers and subscribe to OURW ORLDm agazineb eforeyo u go! 1 year (10 issues) $35. Send check, money order, or VISA, MasterCard to: OUR WORLD, 1104 North Nova Road, Suite 251, Daytona Beach , FL 32117 Tel: (904) 441-5367 Fax: (904) 441-5604 lntern81: http://www.ourworldmag.com Money-bid(I(U ltalllilt f:11-1 ...,..,, ...ic. 11 pal-,o nvelap. OoullidoU SA- d US$45\f udaoo)0 t US170(• """',I) l6 MAY•JllNF. 1998 leaning hierarchy and a conservative laity. He published the book himself with the aid of $12,000 in loans from members of his congregation and has sent copies to Anglican bishops, theological students and all 300 delega tes to the denomination's coming national synod meetings in Montreal. . 1994 Essentials meeting, which drew 700 evangelical, charismatic and other conservative Anglicans to Montreal to restate their adherence to traditional beliefs. · The book is also being dis tributed through Anglican bookstores. Inclu ded with the book is a tear-out letter to be mailed to synod. delegates , urging them to_ take three steps: Support bishops in their current ban on homosexual ordinatio n and the blessing of same sex unions; call an inquiry into the crisis in ~e church and find ways to resolve it; and restate the church's adherence to the traditional Christian beliefs set out in the Bible. Eves hopes delegates will receive hundreds, if not thousands, of letters before the meetings. The book has only been out since mid-March, but he says he has already been charged with trying to hijack the agenda of what looked like a dull meeting. But he says his hope is only that Anglicans will "start being honest with each other, and admit we have a problem. "This is a defining moment in our history. Either we deal with the crisis or we will just fade away." Eves was the founding chairman of Barnabas Ministries. a national outreach to evangelical Anglican priests across the country. J:Ie also helped organize the Eves said that conference was aimed at the church 's elite. He says his book is aimed at the rank and file, who have been intimidated from participating in what, until now, has been primarily an academic theological debate. So far, the reaction to Eves' book has been cautious. . It includes liUlited e1idorsemeuts by his current bishop, George Lemmon, and Archbishop Harold Nutter of Fredericton. Both stop short of endorsing all Eves' views, but commend him for challenging the church . Rev. Tom Robinson, the current chairman of Barnabas Ministries. says he was surprised by the book's humor, but agrees with Eves' analysis of the crisis. "A lot of people will choke on it, but others will say 'thank goodness somebody has written this thing."' The Very Rev. Peter Coffin, dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa, is a delegate to the general synod, and said he received the book but has not read it. But he said it is "ludicrous " to say there are two different religions within the denomination . "We're not going to split over homosexuality . It's not going to be like the United Church. We're going to be really guarded in our conversations," Dean Coffin said. (1be Ottawa Citizen) Scotland: Primus says agree to disagree on gays THOSE WHO DISAGREE with ordaining gays and lesbians shouid not oppose those who do agree with it, the Bishop of Edinburgh, the Most Rev. Richard Holloway, has said. In an interview published in the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement's spring newsletter the bishop said, "I would not force people to accept my attitude, for instance, to the possibility of ordaining gay people in stable sexual relationships. If they say, 'I just can't get my head, and my heart, and my mind round it,•, then I say. Peace. "But please do not oppose those of us who can get our heads, and our beans, and our minds round it. Let's try and live in some kind of balance here. "And I think one of the ways social evolution happens is by precisely reaching that kind of tolerance ." The bi shop , who is Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. predicts that the Lambeth Conference this swnmer will achieve a "holding operation , in which we will appoint some kind of long-tenn study group to look at the issue, which tuight be the very best thing." He would welcome as a result the setting up of a "genuine ly representative commission that included gay people, gay tbeologians, some of the more fluent and open-minded conservative theologians." be said. Dut it would have to exclude "the absolute intransigents, because they by definition don't think there's anything even to negotiate." There was "nothing really in scripture ahout the gay issue," the bishop said , "but it is a big issue for people who have almost nbsoluti i.cd scripture ." (Anglican Communion News Scr\'icc ) Mormon faith yet an9ther 'puzzle' for Southern Baptists FromPagelS separate within a godhead that includes the Holy Ghost , that both have bodies and that grace and good works are necessary for salv a tion. Mormons also believe that men and women eventually can become "gods and goddes ses." Traditional Christianity believes in the Trinity - that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit arc one god; tliat God is spirit; that grace alone leads to salvation and that men cannot become gods. Most believe the route to heaven is through Jesus, not thro9gh a single church. Monnon church spokesman Arnold R. Augustin said Ballard and Packer chose their own topics, and wanted to equip members with ways of responding to those who deny Mormons' claim to Christianity. The church has no plans to focus resources on the Southern Baptists' scheduled convention, Augustin said. But the fact that top Mormon leaders would publicly discuss the argument both swprised and delighted Baptists and others who want the doctrinal differences laid bare. "I've not seen this level of response before," said John Constance, an evangelical Chri stian and owner of Intermountain Book in Salt Lake City. Demandfo r "The Mormon Puzzle"i s on lbe rise - Constance just ordered 50 more copies - and he sees the summer convention as an opener for a debate many main stre am Chri stian s in Utah have longed for. "It ought to create some intere sting di scussions ," Constan ce said . "The vide o has spar ked something that is going to be useful in the dialogue ." Other denomination s, too , ha ve chal leng ed Morm ons' claim to Chri stianity . In 1995 , the Pre sbyt erian Chur ch in Ameri ca issued guid eline s saying Mormons are outside the "hi storic apostolic tradition of the Christian Church ." About 45,000 c.opies of "The Mormon Puzzle" video have been sold since July, nearly 38,000 of them for distribution to Southern Baptist churches, said Philip Roberts, director of tJ1e lnterfaith Witness Team for the convention's North American Mission Board, which hacked ll1e video production. Roberts said Southern Baptists wanted an objective look at the differences between Monnonism and Bible-based Christianity . That's why they used religion experts from Mormon-owned Brigham Young University and faithful Monnon families to explain U!e faith's tenets. "We're not antagonistic toward Mormon people, but they have more than 50,000 Mormon missionaries, many targeting Baptist people every week of the year in all parts of the world," Roberts said. ' Sandra Tanner, an ex-Monnon who appears on the video, said she bas sold hundreds of copies of the video through her Utah Lighthouse Ministry in Salt Lake, which also sends out newsletters critical of Utah's predominant faith. For years , many Christian denominations have had a "li ve and let live" atti tude toward Mormonism, she said, but the video "has refocused attention that yes, that are some differences. It's helping both sides think through how to articulate their beliefs better." Tanner said public discussion is necessary because in the past 20 years, the Mormon church has increasingly moved toward mainstre am Chri stianity while minimizing it_s unique difference s. She points to the 1978 revelation lift ing a controver sial ban that had pre vented black men from holding the Mormon priesthood and changes in 1990 ridding the Mormon temple ceremony of BOMB THREAT, From Page14 The Interne t threat contained condemnat io ns of lesb ians and ga ys and claimed, "You think Oklahoma City was bad, wait until you see this." The Rev. Troy D. Perry, Mod.erato r of the Universal Fellowship of Metropoli tan Community Churches, to which Cathedra l of Hope MCC belongs, said "We strongly condemn these threats to our consti tutional rights to worship and free assembly. Over the past 30 years , more than 20 Metropolitan Community Church congregations have been target s of the hate crimes of arson or firebomb ing, and many more have faced threats to both worshipers and property. "I cal l upon all peopl e of goodwill lo uphol d the Rev . Mike Piazza and the congreg ation of Cathedral of Hope Metropo litan Community Church with their love and prayers during this time," Perry. added . "I salute the church for keeping its doors open to gay, lesbian , bisexual and transgendered persons. The Scrip tures declare that 'perfect love casts out fear .' Through their boldness and love, our members and friends in Dallas are communicating the message that we don't have to be afraid anymore." reference s to other religions being led by Satan . Tanner sees the current debate this way: "The. church is not being honest to the world about its real theology ... and the Southern Baptists are calling them on it." Mike Gray, pastor of Southeast Baptist church in Salt Lake City. said it is necessary for Southern Baptists to confront the issue because Mormons believe they have a lock on religious truth. "If we give them the title Christian, MARCH From Pagel al, and Transgender Organization. "I am hearing from Native Americans, Asians, African Americans, Latinos and Pacific Islanders who arc ecstatic about participating." Organizers also expressed their support for the "F,quality Begins at Home" . actions on all 50 state capitals set for 1999. 'The F,quality Begins at Home actions enjoy the full and enthusiastic support of the organi zers of the Mill ennium March," said Elizabeth Birch, executive director of the Human Rights Cam paigu . "It's imperative that we focus our energies as a movement at both the state and federal level. These two events will complement each other as together we build the momentwn to achieve equality in the next century ." "I am glad to see both of these events moving towards a more collaborativ e proce ss," said Jubi Headley, executi ve director of the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leader ship Fomm . 'Thi s is a positive sign of progress ." "Our greatest hope as a movement lies in our commitment to work togethe r for social chang e. Our passion for ju stice and our pledge to lift up ever y voice has th.e potential to transform town hall s, state houses, and our nation's capit ol," said Kerry Lobe l, exec utiv e direc tor of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "I remain hopeful that the Equality Begins at Home actions and the Mi11enuium March will help build our grassroots movement at the state, local and national level," said Dianne Hard-Garcia, executive direc tor of the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby of Texas and co-chair of the Federation of Statewide Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendcred Organizations. "I believe that working together these actions can strengthen the slate and federal organizations that fight daily to end discrimination ." -then they take it and it's theirs. Where does it put the rest of us?" He said Monnons can't have it both ways - to claim, as Joseph Smith did, that other religions arc abominations, and yet now claim to be part of that Christian community. "It's sort of a woe-is-me attitude," Gray said. "It's almost like , 'Ignore our history and ignore our teachings, wrap your arms around us.• "The lines are very, very clear and they drew them." (AP) "Now that there is a growing consensus to gather in Washington, DC, in April, 2000, let's decide how that time can be used, not just to inspire each otl1- er, but to change the 1ninds and hearts of friends and foes alike," said Dr. Mel White, noted author and UFMCC's Minister of Justice. "Let's use the 'soul force' teachings of Gandhi and King to guide us. Their co1amiunent to the principles of militant nonviolent resistance lo injustice gave moral authority to the civil rights movements that they led . What a wonderful opportunity we have to rediscover !hose principles as we prepare for this new miJJennillln ." THE OTHER Side Strengftohr t hejo urney Books on topics of interest to you are available by mail from The Other Side. Browse our catalog ~-or special order just what you are looking for. We deliver! l -800-700-9280 www.theotherside.org SEC'OND STONE 17 AIDS activist's life was a lesson BY DA VE CUMMINGS PLYMOlITH, N.H. - Among the hundreds of greeting cards on Louise Traunstein's dining room table in Plymouth recently was a manila envelope. Inside the manila envelope was a stack of papers. On the first of those papers was a short note from one of the thousands of people whose life Steve Traunstein touched before. April 24, when Louise's son died of AIDS 10 years after discovering he had the HN virus. "To tell the truth, I'm glad I got to meet you," wrote the high school student. "You ... look normal, not weird." The first reaction upon reading, perhaps, is a chuckle, or maybe a scowl in response to words that might seem trite, meaninglessu,n enlighteneodr just plain juvenile. Bnt in the world of Traun stein, who lived his final years in Gilford, words like these were his triumph. "Rea ding this probably made him realize be was accomplishing his goals," said Leslie Traunstein, her brother's elder by a year . "Teachers can stand in front of a classroom and lecture forever, but there's no way we can get the message across like that. Here was Steve , who seemed to be healthy with everything going for him, and in reality he was about to die. "Kids think that nothing can hann them, that they don't have to be careful with drugs and sex, but he was able to get across the message that tl1ey really do." Traunstein lived a part of his 47-year life as a heroin addict and one who practiced unprot ec ted sex, habits that ultimately served as his death sente,. ~ But he also served as a messenger - of hope, of strength, of faith, of spirituali ty, of life - and that will surely serve as his legacy. "He always had time to spend speak ing with me about my situation, even when he was at odds with his own mortality, " said Jo Donna Sherman, a 37- year-old North Carolina disc jockey who met Traunstcin 24 years ago , when he wa:J o counselor at a drug rehab in Con- 18 MA Y •JUNE I 9 9 8 necticut. "He went through hell, but he was always able to find heaven for someone else." Traunstein' s battle began in his teenage years, and by the age of 17 al Boston English High School, he was addicted to heroin. At the age of 21, he approached his parents and told them they needed to be made aware of what was happening in the world around them. "He told us about a storefront in Brighton (Mas s.) where people were meeting to give lectures on drug education," Louise Traunstein said. "He told us we needed to go out and learn ." '.fhose storefront educators would soon turn into the counselors at Project Turnabout, a residential drug rehabilitation center in Hingham. Not long after his conversation witl1 mom and dad, Traw1- steiu chec ked himself in, tltus beginning a pattern of helpin g and being helped that would last for the rest of his life . While at Turnabout, he became a cowiselor . A year later, he checked himself into another trea tment center, Vitam, in Norwalk, Conn., and he was again a cmmselor by the time he left. "Each time he went into a rehab situation, he would eventually talce on the role of therapis t," Louis e Traunstein said. Traunstein seemed to have reached a spiritual plateau by the time he reached Plymouth State College in March of 1973. While there, he opened I!. home for transcende ntal meditation before gradua ting summa cum laude with a psychology major and minors in philosophy and political science. "He was absolutely at peace," said his mother . But it wouldn't last long. Traunstein slipped back into recreational drug use that would eventually lead to his rock bottom. Despite the slippery slope of destruction he was on, he continued his work at Vitam and led as constructive a life as possible. · But by the spring of '86, he was Iiv• ng in a dumpster in Boston. He made television that winter . "We got a call from a friend who said they'd seen Steven on tl1e news," Louise Traunstein said. "His quote was, 'It's hell ·to be homele ss at Christm as.' Our friend just said, 'Steven' s safe."' The family was as supportive as possible, and eventually , Traunstein came around . He checked himself back into Turnabout in 1988, graduating in March of 1990 after successfully completing the 18-month program. That was th.e good news . The bad was that he'd tested positive for HIV. But Traunstein refused to let the virus win. After one more slip into substance abuse in early 1991. he fotu1d the clean and sober life for good in March of that same year . That' s when the mission · really began in earnest. • Traunstein, who had since moved to the Lake s Region, teamed up with another HN -infected man, Blake Morris of Brndford, Vt., and together they founded LIFESPAN - Living lnfonned Frees Everyone Support Positive Action Now - and began to spread tlteir message to anyone who would listen . ''The . message was that AIDS is a dis~ ease of tu1derlying causes," said friend Dick Utell, a co-developer of the Challenge Course, an early intervention substauce abuse program . "It's a disease founded on our own behaviors and tlte choice s we nialce. If we know that, there's certainly the possibility for us to prevent being exposed to tl1e vims." "The pr ogram was about getting students to love and cherish themselves so they wouldn't put themselves at risk with the virus," said Sue Walsh, assistant director of Plymouth State's Office of Counse ling aud Hwnan Relation s. "They really loved his prese ntation s. They could really relate to him." By the end of 1992, LIFESPAN had completed 87 programs at nine colleges and 16 school districts . But there was other work to be done . Traun stein worked close ly with Utell on the Chai- AGE, FromPage2 Lyon said the people at Pleasant Valley United Methodist had been told that the larger Shepherd church was breaking away, and the future of the smaller chapel was injeopardy. "I'm sure (Pleasant Valley members) kuew it was a case of 'Ei ther you take this gal or you lock the door.' What I realized when I came here is the door doesn't need to he locked - the area needs to be worked," Lyon said. She believes the potential exists to build an active, if small. congregation whose viability won't be questioned in the future . That's her goal . Not a lot of new ministers arc women in their 60s, and Lyon said it has posed some challenges. One engaged couple wanted to be married at Pleasm1t Volley , . but didn't want a woman to pcrfonn the lengc Course, eventually incorporating an clement dealing specifically with HIV and AIDS . He worked as a student assistance counselor at Inter-Lake s High School, earning himself an entire: page in tlte I 997 yearboo k for his guidance after the di seas e forced him to retire in the spring of I 996. Wrote one former Inter-Lak es student, "AIDS took Steve's health . His body doesn't fit our image of him, but as you all know, nothing can kill Steve Traunstein's spirit. His spirit is in all of us, it is in me, I CAN FEEL IT!" And even while a pa tient at Lakes Region General Hospital, where he spent much of his final 14 months, Traun stein served as a counselor for those with substance abuse problems. By all accounts , be was an inspiration. "He made the choice to live with AIDS, as opposed to just dying with it," said Utell. Next to the pile of cards on that same Plymonth tabletop was a recently-publi shed book of poetry called " Harvest of Seasons " by Russ Traunstein, Steve's father. Inside that book, on page 7 1, is a poem entitled, "Lament ," which Russ wrote in 1996, anticip-atin g that he would outlive his son. The final stanza reads : Wind clatters though stalk and brittle limb. Like us, it sobs: We are stripped and num b, and wonder whetlter spring will eve r come. . Russ died last August following unexpect ed comp licatio ns during heart surge ry. His son saw him once during his hospital stay in Hanov er - the day before Russ died. The father died three month s sober in Alcoho lics Anonymous. (Concord Monitor) ·ceremony. They asked if a male 1ninister could be broug ht into the church for their wedding . Lyon refused. '1 have been assigned tlte church with all the authority that comes witlt that," Lyon said. Fellow pastors stood behind Lyon. The couple went to another church to say their vows. But Lyon said others who may have been leery about tlteir church being led by a woman have softened. "One man took me aside one day ... and whispered in my ear, 'You're a keeper,"' she said . Before becoming pastor, Lyon was told Pleasant Valley had an average attendance of 10 at Sunday worship services. That average has increased to 17 since Lyon was a'lsigncd pastor . (Midland Daily News) Gay Methodists send message to bishops From Page1 2000 . In light of the bishop s ' statement, Nebra ska Bishop Joel Martin ez said he would act against any minister who per fonued a same-sex cer emony, just as he did in tl1e Creech case. Contact ed by telephone , Creech said he was plea sed the bishop s did not bow . to pre ssure to call a special Gen eral Conf erence, but instead chose to wait until the Judici al Council had mled on legal issues raised at his trial. Creech , who contend s that t11e prohi bition against same-se x union s is not binding on Methodi st pastor s, also said the bishops showed "lack of leadership" by not speaking out again st "the persecution of gay s, lesbians and bisexuals." The Rev. Doug William son, a ALABAMA, From Page l more than a decade . "As far as I'm con cerned it's business as usual. We' ve got three this month ." Th e legislation does not contain any criminal pen altie s for clergy or jud ges who solemni ze gay relationships. But a leader of lhe Gay and Lesbian Allian ce of Alabama said be was saddened hy the Senate's 30-0 vote for final approval. "It's not going to change a thing. It's just going to make gay and le sbian people fee l like they're second-glass ci t.izcns," said David White, Birminghamarea coordi nator for the organ.iz.ation. The sponsor of the bill agreed the Legis lature cannot stop a gay relati onship. "Dul we can keep it from becom ing the moral , right way ," said Rep . Phil Crigl er, R-Irvington . Sen. Bill Armist ead, R-Columb iana, has been trying to pass ilic legislation for three years. He credited its passage to court decisions in oilier states iliat may clear the way for legali zation of samesex marriages and to a huge lobby ing effort by church grou ps, particularly the Mormons, to stop such vows from having legal standing in Alabama. The church groups ran ads in Sunday newspapers and spent tl1e wee kend before the vote calling legislato rs before they met for the final day of ti1e lcgislati ve session. So far. no state has legalized same-sex marriages , and lesbians and gays in Ala bama have not been pushing for official recog nition of such relat ionships . But Repu blican legis lators and religious groups have been conccmed because the U.S. Constitution says marriage s per fonned in oue state must be recognized in all. 1n 1997 . Con_gre:rn passed - and ilie Nebra ska Wesleyan Univer sity religion p.-ufes sor who repre sented Creech at tl1c trial, prai sed the bi shops for their restraint. "They're trying to steer (the church) away from what I call a panic mode," he said. The bishops said that, in anticipation of a rulin g by the denom ination's supreme court, tl1ey deemed it w1wise to call a speci al se ssion at this point. Moreover, they said, "as we respond to the crisis in tl1e world , especially among children and tl1e impov erished ... a special sess ion might further distrac t us from our central mission . the church "to remain focu sed on the mission of God and our unity in Christ and to set prioriti es accordingly." The bi shops affirmed that the church' s aut11ority and unity arc "inextricably bound to our sharing of Christ's ministry and prcseuce among those whom Jesus called 'the least of these." ' The pain United Methodi sts are feeling because of ilie homos exuality and same -sex issue is a "call " for renewed commitment to doctrinal foundations , ilic bishops said. "We solicit your prayers and support as toget11cr we seek to anchor the church more finnly in our biblical and theological fouudations." Backlash over same-sex union The bishops said tl1ey will confront matters of tension with pati ence and hope. They likewi se called on the entire United Metlioclist Church to deal with matters concerning homo sexuality and same-sex union "with faithfuln ess rooted in tlie love of Christ, as revealed in Holy Scripture ·." Becaus e of the divisivene ss of the homosexualit y issue, the bishops intend to develop a teaching resource tlrnt will identify "critical doctrinal and ecclesial foundations for addressin g current and oilier issues ." (UMNS and Lincoln Star Journal) In the lett er, the bishop s acknowledged the impor tance of the issues surrounding homosexuality and the church's ability to maintain discipline, order and unity. They al so challenged Methodist high court calls special session president signed - the Defen se of Marriage Act to deny federal recognition of same-sex marri ages and allowing states no t to recognize same-sex union s licensed in oilier states. Alabama is the 30th state to ban same-sex unions, Armistead said. The legislat ion would replace au execulive order that the govern or signed two years ago to deny rec ognition to same -sex union s. (AP) SEATTLE - The United Metliodist Church's highest judicial body has called a special session for Aug. 7 and 8 in Dallas to consider ilie meaning of language related to ilie denomination' s prohibition of same-sex unions. A ques tion about the languag e was submitted April 8 to the United Methodist Judi cial Counci l by the College of Bishop s or the South Central Juri sdiction, one of five such geographic areas in tJ1e United States. "We may well hear other petitions concerning the same subject and related ones from other parties ," the council said in an April 22 statement. South Cen tral bishops have asked for a declarat ory decision from the council. Th ey want to know whether it is a chargeable offense if a mini ster violates tl1e denomination 's prohibitions against performing "ceremonies rhar cclcbr a rc homos e xual unions" and conductin g · such ceremoni es in United Meiliodi st churches. · "Great Is God's ·Faithfulness" Evangelicals ConcernedW esternR egionC onference July 2-5 - Chapman University - Orange, CA Christionr econciliationf or the Goy, Lesbian, Bi-Sexula, Tronsgender communitiesa, nd for our supportivef riends. Ke~ote Speakers cha r ie Shedd Proud father of two gay sons. Author of "Lette rs to Phillip", •Letters to Ka ren" , and "I'm Od d, Thank You God" Ma ry Borhek Founder , San ctuary - a safe plac e for 9oy ond lesbia n Christian s. Author of *Comini O ut To Parents• and "My Son Eric ' Dr. Rolph Blair Founder , Evangelicals Concerned . Author, psychotherapist and co nsulta nt to C 0 n n co n n EC ti o n t • I Registration Co nnECtion '98 - July 2-5 $275 (includes room, board , workshops , and fireworks!) Women's Retreat - July 1-2 $30 (with ConnECt ion '98) $50 (Women's Retreat only) Scholarships ava ilable . Call ECWR for more informa tion . Pa~ent Methods ch~ payabl e to ECWR Visa or Mas terCard (include number a nd exp. date) Go y, Lesbian , AIDS, and Christian organ izatio ns. Women~ Retreat: July 1 ·2 0 n '98 Send Fee, Name, Address , Phone to: Letha Daws on Scanzo ni S~ ker and au thor of "All We 're Mea nt To Be" a nd "Is The Homosexu al My Neig hbor?" We&site: www. ecw r.org ECWR Con nECtion '98 PO Box 66906 Phoenix, AZ 85082-66906 For more information ca ll: (602)893-6952 SFCOl'1D ST O N E 19 --. ..... -- ..... - .. ---- ....... _____ ···- Church&Or anizationNews MCC in the Valley celebrates 25 years NORTH HOLLYWOOD - The San Fernando Valley's only congregation in the Universal Fellow ship Metropolitan Community Churches has celebrated its 25th anniversary, after surviving threats that had a former pastor wearing a bulletproof vest and the deaths of 80 members from the AIDS epidemic . The 115-member North Hollywood church was congratulated by the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council and the denomination' s founder , the Rev. Troy Perry. The Metropolitan Commun ity Church in the Valley pride s itself on having pushed U1e once male-dominated denomination into more concern with women's issues. 'T his was o ne of the fir s t congr eg a tions in the UFMCC to strongly advocate an equal role for women in churc h life... as well as place ju st as much emphasis on women's hea lth issues as we do on AIDS/HIV," said the Rev. Jeffrey Pulli ng, pastor. Pulling, 48, is one of many UFMCC . . Ecumenical & Inclusive We are a Christ ian community of men and women from various Catholic and Protestant traditions involved in minslries of love, compassion and reconcili ation . We live and work in the world, supporting ourselves and our ministri es and are inspired by the spirit of St. Franc is and St. Clare. We are not canc,nicall y affiliated with any denomination. For more infonna tion or a copy of our news letter, Footsteps, please write us: Voca tion Dir6Ctor PO Boit 8340 New Orleans, Li\ 70182 Mercy of God Community 20 MAY•JlJNE1998 minister s who were educa ted at a mainstream Christian seminary but eventuall y joined the clergy ranks of the UFMC C. "I was the first openly gay seminarian at Andover Newton Theo logical School near Boston in the early 1970s," Pulling said . When it came to the requirement that he serve a part-lime internship at a local church , he said, "they didn't quite know what to do with me ... I found an MCC co ng regation by that point and was able to do mr field education there." The North Hollywood church has long been active in the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council , participat ing in the council 's annual winterti me homele ss project, cler gy council and Martin Luther King birthda y observ ances as well as tl1e North Hollywood Food Pantry . Des pit e th e hard-won ac ce ptance in tl1e religious commu nity, tl1e congreg ation has had to contend with outside dangers. The Rev. Sherre Boothman, who pastored the church from 1989 to 199- 3, "used to wear a bulletproof vest because her life was threatened seve ral time s," Pulling saidl. The congregation, which had 300 members at its height in the early 1980s, later saw its male ranks deci mated by the 'AIDS virus . "Fun erals were being held here every week during the height of the AIDS cri sis ," Pulling said. "We're still dealing with accumul ated grief." (John Dart. Los Angeles Times) • lesbian and gay New&s Enetrtainmnte for New Orleans since 1977 Travel MovieP olice Theatre Gay History WickeSd tage Directory LesbiaVn oices Politcis QuarteSrc enes Books & more g;iym·tllfimpocuicws.com www.impectncws.com Events . Announcements in this sectio11 are provided fr ee of charge as a service to Christia11 orga11izatio11s. To have an event listed, send information to Second Stone, P.O. Box 8340. New Orlea11s, LA 70182, FAX to (504)899-4014, email secstone@aol.com. More Light C.hurches Conference MAY 22-24, "197 8-1998 : Honor the Past! Transform the Futu re!" is the theme for the 1998 More Light Chu rches Co nferen ce, to be ho sted by McKinl ey Memori al Ch urch in Champ aign , Illinois. Keyno te speaker will be Rev. Dr. Beverly Harrison, on the faculty of Union Seminar y (New York City), who was a witnes s at the 1978 Gene ral Assemb ly. Durin g lhe confere nce, McKinley Mem orial Church will be dedi ·cating a new sta ined glass window with the theme of inclu sivity, co mplete with pink triangl es and oth er sy mb~l s. '.or information , or to request a reg istration form, co ntact Richard Spro tt, 5 10-2 68 - 860 3 , ra s pr o tt @i x .n e tc om.co m o r ric hard_ spro11@pcusa.o rg (MLCN Steering Committ ee) or Tim Shea, 217 -~5 5- 34 13, tms2@juno.c om (Local Comm11_1e c Chair). Or che ck th e MLCN web sit e: htt p://www.mlcn.o rg Gay, Lesbian and Christian: Many Rooms JUNE 11- 14. Jo hn McNei l!. Vir gi nia Ra,ncY Mollenk oll, Chris tine Smith and Melv in Deal at Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, 2495 Fox Gap Rd., Bango r, PA 180 13 -9359, 6 10-588 -17 93. T hi s even t will provide the gay, les bian, bisex ual co mmunit y an o pp o rtu n ity lo sh are express ions of our uniqu e ei1periences of God's g race and love. Led by John McNeil!, Catholic priest , psychot her apist, co-founder or Dign ity and -•~n • ~f gay ev ent s at Kirkridge be ginning •~ 1977; Virgini a Ramey Moll enkoll , femini st theo lo gian and author of 10 books; Chr isti ne Smith , Pro fesso r of Preac hing and Worship at Unit ed Theo log ical Seminary in Minne sota; and Melvin Deal, lay leader in the Unit y Fellows hip , Washington, DC and founder of The African Heritage Dance Center. Fee is $300. GLAD Alliance Gathering JULY 16- 19, the Gay , Lesbi an and Affirming Disciples Alli ance (GLAD Alli_a~ce) will galher for retreat, respite , and v1S1oning al their annual GLAD Event. The setting will be the Benedict Inn, a retrca~ center in Beech Grove , Indiana , ju st outside of Ind ianapol is. Th e eve nt is open to ~II inte rested per sons, espec ially to folks m the Chri st ian Chur ch (Di scip les of Chri st). T he facili tator will be the Rev. Melanie Morrison. co•director of Leave n. a no n-p rofi t o rgani zation that provides edu catio n and resources in lhe areas of sp iritua l deve lopment. feminism. antiracism. and sexual j us lice. She is also author of 1he book "The Ur.ice or C'oming Home: Spiritualily , Sexua lily, and 1h~ . Strugp.le for Justice• published in ! 99S by The Pilgrim Press. Morrison i5 ,111 o rdained mini ster of th e Unilcd Churc h of C hrist and lea ds retrea ts for wo me n and me n acros s lhc chu rc h. For addi tiona l inf o rmat ion . co ntac t GLA D Allia nce at P.O. Box 19 223 , Ind ianapo lis, JN 462 19- 0223. Brethren / Mennonite gathering: Dancing In The South wind JULY 24-2 6, Th e Sup po rtiv e Co ngrega tio ns Networ k announ ces Da nc ing In T he Southwind : Weav ing An Incl usive Spir it, an int ernational gathe ring of Me nn o nite and Church of the Brethren congregat ions and indivi dual s who se ek to welcome gay. le sbian and bi sex u a l mem bers . T he gath ering will occ ur in Wichita , Kan sas. T he conf eren ce will build on the last SCN inlcrnali o nal galhcrin g, which became a home of lhc S pirit fo r two da ys -- an ex perien ce which e nab led many of tho se who gath ered there lo live on in coura ge and in faith . Thi s gatheri ng will be a lime 10 foc us on worshi p of the Spirit o f incl usio n held in Brethr en/Mennoni te faitli traditions . Joinin g th e cele bral ive worsh ip, will be time lo d iscuss curren t pol itica l rea llie s of co ngregatio ns and indi vidu als who have been cen sured or disc iplined due lo their stance of welcome for lesbian , gay and bisex ual perso ns in the ch urch. For more info rmation abou t Danc ing In ~he Soulhwind or SCN , co ntac t the Sup portive Co ngreg ati o ns Netwo rk, P.O. Box 6300. Minn eap o lis. MN 55-J06. Pho ne (61 _2~ 722 - 690 6. . Or by e-m a i l. SCNe two rk@aol.com . Simply Divine: Rites of the Gay Male Spirit AUGUS T 2 1-23. Ken Wh ile a nd Jo hn Linsch eid al Kirkridg e Ret reat and Sludy Cen ter, 2495 Fox Gap Rd ., Ban ~~r, PA 1801 3 -935 9. 6 10-588 - 1793 . Fec 1htat~rs sa y: •we will gather aga in fo~ lhe third year to seek the divine in th_e midst of o~r mo un taint op gay co mmunit y. We will share our sto ries of ga yness , of love and illne ss, of dream s and aspir ation s. and of perso nal or spiritu al break throughs and acco mpli shmen ts. Crea tive pro test , drag, double entendre, camp - all testify lo a rich .gay traditi on of respondi ng playf ully to bo th o ppo rtun ity and o ppres s ion.• Led by Ken White, Di rec tor of Conti nui ng Social Work E.ducalion at Temp le University and Jo hn Linscheid, a con tributi ng editor 10 The Other Side maga zine . Both have been helping gay friends create rituals to mark signifi cant passages in their lives for the last ten yea rs. Fee, $ 230. Marsha Stevens concert dates MAY 23 & _24, Christ United Evangelical Church, Co lumbus, Ohio MAY 30 & 31. MCC of lhe Hudson Valley. Albany, New York JUNE 6 & 7, Open Arms MC(' , Rochester , New York JUNE 13 &14 , New Creations MCC , Columbus, OhllJ JUNE 20 & 21. J\pp ,1h1d11un MCC, < 'harlcslun. West \' i1gin111 CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY. NEWS Prominent authors featured Evangelicals Concerned to hold annual gathering ORANGE, Cal. - Nationally renowned authors in the Christian community will address attendees at the annual Evangelicals Concerned Western Region "ConnECtion" Conference to be held July 2-5, and the Women's ConnECtion Retreat July 1-2 al Chapman University in Orange, Calif. Authors Mary Borhek, Charlie Shedd, and EC founder Dr. Ralph Blair will be keynote speakers. Letha Dawson Scanzoni will address the ammal Won1en' s Retreat which precedes the main conference. The conference will focus on providing support and guidance for gay and lesbian Christians, their friend s and families. In addition to the promised speakers, ConnECtion '98 will feature a variety of educational workshops. inspirational music, and Fourth of July entertainment. Attendee s will have an opportunity to meet hundreds of gay and lesbian Christians from around the country. Keynoter Mary Borhek, author of "Coming Out To Parents" and "My Son Eric" has been an activist for acceptance of gays and lesbians in the Christian community. She is the founder of "Sanc tua ry," a gay and lesbian group within the Moraviru.1 church. Charlie Shedd , a long time Presbyterian minister, is a senior spokesperson in the Christian community in support of openness and inelusivity. The father Church&Or anizationNews Gay and lesbian Mormons to m,eet in Portland PORTLAND, Ore. - Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Monnons will meet for its 20th annuaJ conference in Portland, Oregon Sept. 4 - 6 at the Lloyd Center Doubietrec Hotel. A Wide variety of speake rs will lead fun and informative workshops, including events focused on gay youth , seniors, trans gender . and parents of gays and lesbi ans. Also participating will be rep resentatives from Family Fe llowship, an organization of Monnon par ents of gays and lesbians, as well as Gamofit es, a suppo rt group for gay Mormon fathers. Specific workshops planned for the conference includ e: A Psychiatrist's Response to Reparative Therapy. Marriage and Homophobia, Women's Issues, Alternative Paths to Spirituality, Getting Beyond Internalized Homophobia, Countering the Religious Right. and a panel discussion on Making Relationships Work. There will also be an opportunity to attend an AIDS memorial service, where the Affirmation AIDS Quilt will be displayed, and a spiritual devotional at a nearby church. Any Monn.on event would be incomplete without festivities, organizers say, so conference attendees will be treale~ to "lots of outrageous entertainment, song. and games. nll , of course, with its own special brand of gay Mormon humor." For additional infom1atiun on this event, contucl Affirmation. (.503)288- 2037, rllun@northwest.com, www.affirmation. org, P.O. Box 80654, Portland OR 97280-1654. UFMCC pastor to be recognized by Queen Elizabeth II THE REV. NEIL THOMAS, pastor of MCC Bournemouth (Bournemouth, England), has been invited to a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on July 14. Thomas will be recognized by Queen Elizabeth II for bis mini stry to the homeles s, the abused. and the marginalized. He has been invited to attend as an openly gay UFMCC minister , along with his partner, Miles Bingham . Thomas , who will celebrate 10 years as Pastor of MCC Bournemouth in February 1999, has also been honored by the local town of Bournemoutl1. Members of bis church nomin ated him as Volun teer of the Year for his contributions to community. Thomas, the first fully co mpen sated UFMCC pastor in the European District, gives a titl1e of his time to the local community, serving on local boards and charities including the Rape. Abuse and Incest Line and other local projects that serve both the lesbian. gay, bisexual and transgendered commwlities and heterosexual community. Pastor Thomas said, ''These honors are received not for myself but for every person who has touched my life and made it what it is today. I receive these honors in recognition of God's influence and the wonderful ministry that each nnd every one has contributed to life aud work of Metropolitan Community Church of Boumemouth. " of two gay sons, he has pushed beyond the boundaries of traditional interpretations held within the church without compromising his evangelica l stance . He is the author of "Letters to Philip" and "Letters to Karen ," and a new book, "I'm Odd, Thank You God." Le tha Dawson Scanzoni is the coauthor of "Is the Homosexual My Neighbo r?" and "All We're Meant To Be," a book about biblical feminism . She is also the editor of the " Evangelical and Ecumenical Women's Caucus Update," and is an adjunct faculty member at Old Dominion University. Dr. Ralph Blair , founder of Evangelicals Concerned, Inc., has supported the integration of evangelical Christian faith and homosexuality since the mid- 1960' s. A psychotherapist in New York, Blair edits two national ly distributed publications, the " Record" and "Review." He currently serves as a consultant to leaders of national gay, lesbian, and HIV /AIDS organizations . Evange li cals Concerned is a nonprofit Christian organization positively uniting the gay, lesbian , bisexual, and transgender communities . It's missiou is to provide a safe place to deal with issues of reconcil!ation, integration , and · maturation of spirituality and sexuality. EC has member groups in citie-s including Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York. Philadelphia, and other smaller communities around the country . EC groups hold weekly Bible studies and socials, and annually host regional retreats as well as the annual ConnECtion conference. The fee for those who preregister for this conference is $255 which includes room, board, all workshops and keynotes, and a fireworks extravaganza . Registration at the door is $275, with confirmation required prior to the event. The registration fee for the Women's Retreat is an additional $30 when attending the maiu conference, $50 as a single event. Scholarships are available for those in need. For additional information , contact ECWR ConnECtion, P.O . Box 66906. Phoenix AZ 85082-6906, (602)893- 6952, www.ECWR.org . Retreat center for gays opens A 22-ACRE RANCH transformed into an ecumenical spirilllal retreat for gays and lesbians - thought to be the only one in the country - opened in Leona Valley. Calif., by ho sting the first known national multidenominational conference of Christian ministries to the lesbian and gay populace. The retreat center - developed by Catholic laymen James L. Colburn and Kevin S. Reese, partly as a tribute to their previous partners lost to AIDS - has been received benignly by this small ran.ch and farming community northeast of Santa Clarita, they said . Aud they surmise that the more culturally conservative Antelope Valley to the east may be unaware of their center's existence. The message of tl1e Rancho AmMccer Retreat Center and its inausural conference is aimed at countering what is experienced as an antagonistic climate in the gay community, where "we have felt constrained to apo logize for being Christian," said Colburn, the retreat's principal founder and a fom1er set decorator for television. In a keynote talk. Episcopal priest Malcolm Boyd spoke out for the first time against "a minority of antireligious zealots in the gay movement" who have created a distorted publi c image in most media "of gays as nonspiritual, anti-religionist hedonist s." Gays who are moral churchgoer s are being maligned, Boyd said during his remarks. "Our profession of faith within the gay movement has too often led to our being treated as second-class citizens and falsely stereotyped as hypocrites and accomplice s in social oppression." said Boyd, author of 25 books and poet in residence at Los Angeles' Episcopal headquartel'S. Colburn and Reese said that Rancho Amanecer (amanecer means "dawn" in Spanish) will provide a comfonable setting for gays and lesbians. "They can be themselves," Reese said. "Their se~ual orientation is a nonissuc." Recalling his arrival in Leona Valley. Colburn said he tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. "I thought I covered my tracks pretty well for the fust year and a half," be said. But he later learned that a number of townspeople knew be was gay even before he completed purchase of the property . "One time the postmistress. an older lady, took my hand and said, 'It's so nice to have you boys in the Valley. "' he said. (John Dart. Los Angeles Times) SE :"'OND <:TO NE 21 Rev. Jimmy Creech interview on video . Videos FOR THOSE who would like, to know more personally the straight Methodist pastor who dared perform a same-sex commitment ceremon y in spite of a warning not to from his bishop , Rev, Mel White has produced a video about Omaha's First United Methodist Church pastor Jimmy Creech . On March 11, Creech was placed on trial to determine if he had violated the integrity of the church for blessing with God's grace the relationship of two women in his congregation who had shared their vows of love and fidelity with one another. "I have to tell you," Rev. Creech explained, "that the integrity of the church was violated when the church decided to prohibit the celebration of the love and fidelity of two people regardless of their gender , regardle ss of their sex." Just weeks before the trial, on February 12, lesbian and gay Americans celebrated Freedom To Marry Day, to help rai se public awareness of the 1,047 rights and protection s withheld from same-sex couples who are denied the rights of marriage by their nation and the rites of marriage by their church . At a national press conference in Los Angeles on that day, Jimmy Creech shared the deeply personal story behind his evolutionary journey from neutrality to full support and total acceptance of God's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenderedchildren. The costly convictions of Jimmy Creech expressed in this deeply moving pretrial interview with White will help change minds and hearts in the current I / The Erotic Contemplative Reflections on the Spiritual Journey of the Gay/Lesbian Christian By Michael B. Kelly A SDC VOLUME STIMULUS FoR LIVING, LOVING AND PR.AYE R: 1) Our Experi ence (75 min) 2) Revisioning Sexuality (80 min) 3) Exodus and Awakening (75 min) 4) The Desert and the Dark (88 min) 5) Liberation (84 min) 6) The Road from Emmaus (63 min) Six volume video set $199 Audio cassette tape set $99 Order through: EROSpirit Research Institute P.O. Box ~40 New Orleans LA 70182 "The Erotic Contemplativ e is the mos t powerful and insightful study of gay spirituality that I know of. I have watch ed "The Road From Emm aus" (tape 6) thr ee tim es and still find new riches." -- Jm1N J. M o'IEIL, PH.D. , author of The Church and the Homosexual. "In my theology classes, both gay and straight seminarians benefit from Kelly's integ~ation of sexuality with Christian mysticism." •· ROBERT Goss, PH.D., author of Jesus Acted-Up. "An excellent resource ... a worthwhile investment." •· B oN DJNGS, a publication of New Ways Ministry. "The Erotic Colltemplative video course has helped gay men and lesbians who grew up as Christians move toward healing the wounds of the past." •• JOSEPH KRAMER, M.D1v., EROSpirit Research Institute. "This work should be considered essential to anyone serious about their sexuality/spirituality and mandatory for anyone who in any way acts as a spiritual director for gay and lesbian people." - More Light Update. l ~ore 1lc1uilcd" '. fo;ma1mn ubout c:ich vid.:o i~ availab.lc upon requc>t Aho avai_loblicn Pal - _the f.uropcan/Au_ , tralhm for=i Co.hfomm reside nts add 8.25% sales tax U.S. ~luppmg charge ~5.()0. lntcrnwional ~hipping ch:trgc-~ 35.00. ~ 1~7. ER~~ I Kc~:_0rch ln1111utc. _ _ 22 MAY•JUNF.1998 / controversy over same-sex marriage that is dividing churches, homes, and f arnilies across tl1e nation. "The Trials of Jimmy Creech," a 28- mi oute video int erview with this remarkable man is available from Soulforce Videos. ($10, P.O. Box 4467 , Laguna Beach, CA 92652, RevMel@aol.com, www.rnelwh.ite.org, www.soulforce.org) Mel White and his life-partner, Gary Nixon, work together in an interfaith justic e ministry based on the prin ciples of militant nonviolent re sistance to injustice taught by Gandhi and King. In 1997, White re ceived the ACLU's National Civil Libertie s Award for his efforts to apply these "soul force " principles to the struggle for ju stice for sexual minorities . The production and low cost distribution of videos like "The Trials of Jimmy Creech" 'is an educational outreach of White and Nixon's interfaith justice ministry. The donation requested for their not -for -profit videos barely cover the costs of duplicating, packaging, and mailing. Other Soulforce videos include: "The Rhetoric of Intolerance," a prizewinning 28-minutc open letter video to Pat Robertson in which White reviews and responds to almost 40 of Robertson's most misleading statements, not just about lesbians and gays, but about the Constitution, the Bill of Right s, separation of church and state , Muslim and other minority Americans. It is a frightenin g look, with a calm, thoughtful response , to the false and inflamma tory rhetoric of America's leading fundamentalist Chri stian . "How Can I Be Sure That God Loves Mc, Too?, " a 24-minute video taped live before an amazing congregation in Spring Lake , Michigan. Thi s is White' s response to those who would misuse the Biblical record to condemn lesbian, gay, bisexual , and transgender ed people. Patrick Bristow, who played Peter on ABC's Ellen, said of this video: "This simple, brilliant, theologically grounded sennon may do more for gay rights than many political actions have done. I mshed to show it to my mother." Gay chorus reconfs Kawarsky's 'Prayerfso rB obby' Music BY KEN KEUFFEL, JR. IN 1982, A 19-year-old gay man from suburban San Francisco leaped from a freeway overpass into the patll of an 18- wheel truck. For four year s, Bobby Griffith had struggled to reconcile his homoseiLuality with his fami ly's conservative religious beliefs. It was not to be. To the bitter end, Griffi th's moth er, Mary, prayed to God to "cure" her son of his "i llness." All Bobby ever wanted was accept ance . Instead, he developed feelings of self-loathi ng over not fitting in. Those feelings inevita bly drove him to suicide. In time, Bobby's story - and his mother's attem pt to come to terms with it - attracted the attention of Leroy Aarons, a former reporter and editor who founded the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Associatio n. Bobby had kept voluminous joumals, and Aarons twned them and interviews with Mary into a 1995 book titled "Prayers for Bobby." This book. now in paperback. received favorable reviews in such publi cations as The New York Tim es, the Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle . As so often happens , one work inspires another in a different medium . J.A. Kawarsk y, a gay Pennsylvani abased composer, was looking arotmd for material on which to base a future vocal work . In "Pray ers for Bobb y ," he and librettist Kendel J. Killpack found it. "Praye.rs for Bobby : For Love and for Life" is making its way throu gh the large and growing network of this country's gay and lesbian choruses. It's been performed in such ci ties as Tampa, Fla., Columbu s, Ohio, and San Jose, Ca lif. It's been recorded by the New Jersey Gay Men's Chorus and the Cha mber Choir of the Gay Men's C'borus in Washington, D.C. The music reflects 1970s pop styles tllat Bobby would have heard as a child. Narrations are accompanied by faint sounds of hymn hmcs Mary Griffith might have sung. "In the last 15 years, we (gays) have been worrying about AIDS," said Kawarsky . "Our art's reflected that. But we've ignored a significant part of the population: teenagers coming out." (f hc Arizona l)aily Stur) Imagining what Huck would say Ecclesiastical homophobia BYL EONS ATTERFIELD RIGHT BEFORE HUCK Finn decid es he'll go to hell rath er than tum Jim in as a nmaway slave, he says something deliciously ironic: "Well, I tried the best I could to kinder_ soften it up somehow for myself by saying I was bmng up wicked, and so I waru't so much to bl a me· but somethm · g ·1 us·1 de of me kept say' ing, 'There was the Sunday-school, you could 'a' gone to it; and if you'd 'a' done it tl1ey'd 'a' le amt you there tliat people iliat acts as I'd be . · en acuno about [Jim] goes to everlasting fire."' 0 theR eaEd ing th. e passage 134 years after belie lllancipafion, hardly anyone his ~es that Huck is frying in hell for re usal to betray Jim. It's Twain's ·w_a~o f reminding us that in t11e preCIVIi War South, slavery was ju stified. from chw:ch pulpit s as being divinely SECOND STONE Newspaper, ISSN No. 1047-3971 , is published every other month by Bailey Communications, P.O. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182, secstone@aol.com. Copyright 1998 by Second Stone. a registered trademark. SUBSCRIPTIONS, U.S.A. $19 per year. Foreign subscribers add $10 for postage. All payments U. S. currency only . ADVERTISING, For display advertising information call (504)899- 4014 or write to P.O. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182. Classified advertising information is found on the classified page. We reserve the right to refuse any ad for any reason. EDITORIAL, Send letters, event announcements, church and organization news to Second Stone P.O. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182 or via e-mail to secstone@aol.com. Manuscripts to be retumcd should be accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. Second Stone is otherwise not responsible for the return of any material SECOND STONE. a national ecumenical and evangelical Christian newspaper with a specific outreach to gay, lesbian and b1scxunl people P!JBL!SI lbRJEDITOR .hm Bailey ' sanctioned by Biblical autl1ority. The Bible teaches us lots of Good Things, many of them disregarded by its most enthusiastic believers . What comes immediately to mind is tl1e Sermon on the Mount in which Je sus wams against judging others and against praying 'in public so everyone can admire our piety . But tl1e Bible has been used to promote SOllle Bad Thing s - like slavery, like keeping women subservient to men, like running electricity through hlllllan bodies t1ntil tlic heart stops beating and tl1e skill starts smoking. And, of course , it's been used to ju stify our collective homophobia. A selective reading of the Bible can rcinforee almost any hangup we have. W c all pick and choose those parts that support What we're already convinced of. A recent letter to tlte editor points out verses in chapters 18 and 20 of Lcvitic~ s condemning males who lie down with other males. My own favorite Leviticus injunction comes in chap ter 19 where we're told -with equal finnness, "Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender witli a diverse kind; thou shalt not sow thy field with min- . gled seed; neitlicr shall a garment mingled of linen and woolen come upon thee." But how long's it been since you've seen pickets outside a church accusing tlie minister of being soft on crossbred cattle, hybrid seed corn or garments c.~ Pontius' Puddle mingled of linen and woolen? Now, though, there's hope that Sweet Reason cmshcd to earth may rise again in Nebraska. Not that we're going to persecute tl1osc who violate chapter 19 of Leviticus, but that we may be letting up on those who violate chapters 18 and 20. The United Methodist Church refused earlier this year to find tlie Rev. Jimmy Creech guilty for performing ·a union ceremony between two lesbian members of his congregation in Omalia. Oh sure, you're saying . They're Metl1odists and Metl1odists are so full of affable good will that they're theologically suspect . They've got so many social concerns you can't always tell tliem apart from those dirty rotten secular hum~sts who hang out at tlie Unitarian Church. So Methodists aren't your really hardline Christians. Not like we used to be in the Baptist church of which I'm an alwn. But listen to this: Even Baptists are turning to toleranc e. And they're Baptists in Texas! Yes! Not all of them, of course, but some. The University Baplisl Church in Austin got kicked oul of the Baptist General Convention of Texas for heing too friendly to gays and lesbians . The . congregation had even ordained a gay deacon - and the estimate is tbat 10 percent of the church's 200 active members are out of tlie closet. The church's pastor says "We embrace homosexual persons as persons beloved of God." Imagine a God like that. And it's not just the work of young bomb-throwing anarchists in the church. A 76-year-old longtime member, Vera Lee, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying "tlie people involved are some of tlic nicest young men and women you'd want to know." She went oq: "This is a situation we're all going to have to face - not only University Bapti st, but all denominations in all churche s - becau se it's a . reality . Someone always has to be first. II • It's probably loo much to expec t that the humane good sense of Nebraska Methodists and Austin Baptists will soon be imitated by hard-line homophobes . Still, it's a hopeful sign. And maybe sometime in tlie sweet by and by - well into the Millennium, I imagine - it'll be possible for a later day Huck Finn to point out tl1at "There was the Sunday-school, you could 'a' gone to it:; and if you'd 'a' done it tl1ey'd 'a' leamt you tli.cre that gays and le sbians ain't no more likely to go to everlasting fire ilian tliem rascals that cro ssbreed cattle, grow hybrid com and wear linen nnd wool." At which time, I invite all of you - religious folks and dirty rotten secular humanists alike - to join me in a rousing rendition of t1ie Hallelujah Chorus. This commelllary originally appeared i11t he Linco/11( Neb.) Journal Star. English professor Leon Satlerjield writes "to salvage clarity from his co11Jusio1"1 . We welcome your letters and opinions Write to Second Stone. All letters 11111st be original and signed by the writer. Clearly indicate if your name is to be withheld. We reserve the right to edit. PO Box 8340. New Orleans l.A 70182, secstone@aol.com.fax, ( 504 )899-4014. ~~ E~TRE.t'\'E M \ ~'TROST FOR oM'E. AttCrn•\ER. 'R>~\VE" OS, LORD. rr•s JOST A ~\-\A.SE WE'RE C:,,OIMG-TH ROUC:r\..\ · MORTALlTY . SECOND STONE 23 .... ... ,,. . ., . "•, ,:,v - • - - -• ...~ - -~ _._: •~c~.., •• %iii%.ti~l,:l,:~ ~:r··; ·l~t;:ii;.;dl'i~}li.:.;.Ri eaae·r·· ······ ·\(::::~:::::~~:/:i:f~i: ~~:::;~:;:;::.;i::::~i::~t~ to; ER eide r recomm ended." "Philosophica lly intri- Box-a, Bellefont e PA 16823. All BOOKS/PUBLICATIONS ~~~~f;· e:!:: 1 ~:;1s~:rN~~~;ie:~; responses answered. 4198 1111D11 I1 ~EC T CONN EC T IIIIIIIIIIII(II I QUARTERLY? Great articles and lively A section of profiles of active s u bscribers who want to meet other gay ! columns make this bridge of dialog ue bet- CAN'T GET TO CHURCH? We'll come to and lesbian . 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Residential/nonstory of love within a family, the story of residential. Explore a vocation for the Jove and devo tion between two young "Sake of the Kingdom.• Write: Brother men, the story of living and loving during Micah, O.C., P.O. Box 257, Des Moines a time of crisis. Beverly Barbo wrote this IA 50301-0257. 6/98 testament after her son, Tim, died and CHRISTIAN PILGRIMAGES _ Meet new added the epilogue after Tom, her son-inlove (Tim's partner), jo ined Tim in their better place ... To order contact Bev Barbo al 108 N. Main St., Li ndsbor g KS, (785)227-3276, FAX (785)2 27-3360. B FRIENDS/RELATIONSHIPS GWM, 26 yrs, 245 lbs, 6 ft, brw/hz l, enjoys Pop music, natur e, and learning more about Christianity. Am open minded, out for 10 years, but disc rete, currontly in prison. Seeking OW/HM 18-30 , for friendship, with like interests or not. 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CALIFORNIAD,O WNEY THEODORCER ANFORD, SGM, 67, UFMCC, RETIRED, POB OX 1307, 902400-307, 5629-28- 4489. CALIFORNIA , LONG BEACH BAUCE BENNINKS,G M, 51,C ATHOLICJ, OB COACHiWAITE, R318T EMPLE AVE# 7, 908 14. CALIFORNIAL,Y NWOOD JOSEPH ESTRADA, SGM, 37, HOLY SPIRIT FELLOWSHIP, HOMECARE WORKER, PO BOX5 2,9 0262,5 62·626-n1s . CALIFORNIAP,A SADENA BARRYD IXONS, GM, 40,W ORLDWIDCEH UA GOD,T ECHNICALW RITERd.e c4lh@aol.com FLORIDAB, RANDON ROBERT MORGAN, SGM, 36, PENTECOSTAU APOSTOLICF, LGI HTA TTENDANT/MINIST,E R 2023C ATTLEMNA DR,. 335118. 13-651-1505. FLORIDAIN, TERLACHEN REV. D. RODGERC,L F,5 6, NONDENOMINATIONMAILN, I STERP, OB OXm a. 32148. REVB. ARNIEW ENTOORTHTF, ,5 4,N ON· DENOMINATIONMAILN,I STERP, OB OXm a. 32148. ILLINOISO, AKP ARK CARLE RICS, GM.4 3, EPISCOPALI,A CNOMPUTERIN STRUCTO3R1.5 S . LOMBARADV E., 60302g, linda@usa.net IOWAW, ATERLOO JOHNB OYDS. GM,5 5.E PISCOPALI.A PNSY· CHOLOGIS. 4T12M OIRS T., 50701, 319-236- 2614. 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Title A name given to the resource Second Stone #58 - May/Jun 1998 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/f6b21efc52bbabc280d7d385c1ac6964.pdf da7ab239851c375d0dfefd54df8926ab Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Issue Number The number of the issue (within a volume) 57 Publication Year The year the issue was published 1998 Publication Date The date the issue was published Mar/Apr 1998 Text Any textual data included in the document SECOND STONE PO Box 8340 New Orleans, LA 70182 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED TIME DATED MATERIAL Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID New Orleans LA Permit No. 511 Issue #57 UVJ NG INTHEEMBRA CEOF A LoVJ NGAN DJUSTG OD March/April 1998 Pastor suspended for performing same-sex commitment ceremony returned to pulpit Milestone UMC victory KEARNEY, Neb - Rev. Jimmy Creech, suspended from his duties as pastor of First United Methodist Church in Omaha, Nebraska, for perfonning a same-sex commitment ceremony, was victoriously back in his pulpit Sunday, March 15, after being acquitted of violating the Order and Discipline of the United Methodist Church. Although found "guilty" of pcrfom1ing the samesex union, the jury found lhat he was not in violation of church doctrine. For the 400 people in altendance as the trial ended and as the verdict was read, tears of joy flowed freely. Had he been found guilty by the jury of fellow ministers, Creech could have lost his position as senior pastor of Omaha's largest United Methodist Church and be stripped of his ministerial credentials. The jury filed back into the Keamey United Methodist gym on Friday, March 13 at 6:40 p.m. A statement from the jurors was read by the Rev. Grant Story, foreman of the group: "We gathered iu prayer , in silence , and in respectful dialogue . Our vote reflects the difficulty lhc ( iencraJ Conference has exi"1Crie11ccd with this issue. We have struggled - no, agonized - together in a spirit of Jove, and our hope is that United Methodists everywhere will receive our verdict in that same spirit of love and respect." Then the j ury foreman read the numbers. The jury announced a vote of guilty of pcrfonning a same-gender service and then: "On the charge (that by performing the covenant ceremony for two women, Jimmy Creech had violated the Order and Discipline of the Uni led Methodist Church], 8 guilty, 5 not guilty." "Seconds passed, no one moved," said Mel White, justice minister of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches . "Then, together, we did the math. The United Methodist Book of Discipline requires nine votes to convict. Jimmy had been found 'innocent' by a single vote." CNN broadcast that moment live. As his people sang. Pastor Creech told !he nation quietly, "This is a victory for both sides. No one loses here." Bishop Leroy Hodapp declared the SEE MEfflODISTS, Page 8 'I can only account for my own conscience' GayL utheraJnx) Stsoari dre ing honeswt asμ ut ofhisc allign AMES, Iowa - The Rev. Steven Sabin p roud ly po int s to the han d iwork of his busy. growing congregation - hand-made children's banner s telling the story of Noah's ark, pictur es of fifth-graders clowning at Sunday school, a mission statement welcoming those from all walks of life. He talks about openness in his church, located in this community of 50,000 - some 30 miles north of Des Moines - that is home lo Iowa State University and is considered fairly liberal. But now , Sabin's fut u re :u Lo rd of Life Luth e ran Chur ch is un ce rta 111. A t the moment , he is co ntinuin g his church duties as usual despi te a disciplinary committe e's decisio n lo remove him from the clergy roster for living in a relationship with another man. "I've got a Jot of work to do around here," Sabin said. "It's great to have the SEE LUTHERAN, Page 9 'Disaffiliation' of University Baptist Church Gaym ember':A vezy encouraginsgte pi ntot hef uture' DALLAS - Because of Uni\•crsity Baptist Church's active support of gays and lesbians, the 180-membcr c;,;ecutive board of the statewide Baptist General Convention of Tex.as voted Feb. 24 to ''disassociate" itself from the Austin church. It was a move that many Texas Baptist insiders say has more to do with an ongoing feud between moderates and fundamentalists than UBC' s ministry with the gay and lesbian community. "W c cannot approve of churches endorsing homosexual practice as bibli ca.lly legitimate ," said Fort Worth pastor Charles Davenport, head of lhe committee that dr.ifted the motion. UBC's pastor's address to the board was hailed by gay and lcsbiau Baptists who allended the hearing. "A more effective aud eloquent prophet could not have been cho~~n f~r this hour than Larry Bethune, said Brian Burton. president of Honesty / Tex.as. "The eight minutes he addressed the 250 people packed in that room could only be described as holy. Larry radiated so much Jove and conviction thal his countenance glowed in that room where so much negative energy SEE DISAFFILIATION, Page 9 •Prayer •The Bible •Words & Deeds Foundero f Evangelicals Concernedan activist .sincet hem id-'OOs BY JIM BAILEY IT WASN'T UNTIL the closing years of the so -called "sexual revolution '' of the '60s that gay and lesbian people staked their claim in the turbulent, free thinking decade that permanently changed many longstanding beliefs and attitudes. By the end of lbat decade, 1he rage had reached a flashpoint at Stone wall , gay and lesbian Catholic s had begun me eting in a group they called Dignity and Troy Perry had held his first worship servi ce in Los Angeles . Prior to tha t tim e, the courag eous voi ces advocatin g for gay and les bian people were few and eve n fewer those challenging Chri stianit y's ostracism of gay and lesbian people of faith. It was durin g the 1964-65 school year at the University of Pcm1sylvania that Ralph Blair spoke out as an advocat e for gay and lesbian peopl e . Ile was serving on the lnterVa rsi ty Chri stia n Fellowship staff when he offered a be lief shocki ng to many at the time : tha t homosexua li ty isn' t inco mpa tib le with Christian faith. Becau se of this and his suppor t of gay and lesb ian Chris1ian s, Blair was not reapp ointed to the staff. Undaunted and even challenged by the snuh, 1:3a1ir emerged as an early pioneer in the Christian movement affi rmin g gay and lesb ian peop le. He is the founder of E\'a ngclicaJs Co ncemcd, a nalional eva ngelical Christian minis try with a specific outreach to gay and lesbian people. 1:or over twenty years. Blai r has taught a weekly Bihle study and edi ted F:vangct ica ls Concerned' s quarterlies, "Review" and "Record." He is a ps)c hothcrnpist in pri\·ate practice in l\lanhat tan. A native Ohioan. Blair is a graduatl' ol Bowling (jrccn Slate I lnivcrsity a11d lhl· Uni vcrsily of Southern (.'ahfonua. I le 2 M A I~ (' 11 • ,\ P I.: I I. I 9 •1 M earned his doctorate at Pem1 State in 1971, where he wrote his disserlatiou on homosexuality. Before that he attended Dallas Theological Seminary and Westminster Theological Seminary in Piiiladclphia . After serving as the Director of Coun seling at New York City Community College, Blair founded the Homo sexual Community Counseling Center in New York in 1972 and has done individual and group coun seling with gay men ever since. As the founding editor of "The Homosexual Coun seling Joumal" in the ea rly '7 0s, he sponsored day-long seminar s arow1d the nation to increa se under standing among mental health professionals of the needs of gay/le sbian people . It was at one of these work shops that Blair and an evang elical lead er began talking about the special nee ds of evangelical gay and lesbian Chri stian s. In 1975, be founded Evan gelica ls Con cern ed to addr ess tl1ose needs and to better educate lhe wid er eva ngeli cal com munit y in understanding homosex uality and Christian faith . E VANGELICALS CONCERNED is one of the few national Christian organiza tions serving gay and lesbian people that isn't mired in church politi cs and denomin a tion al issue s such as ordin ation of gays and les bians, which frees the orga niza tion to co nccntral e its ene rgy on the sp iritua l needs of i.ts mcmhcrs. "T he min istry of Eva ngelica ls Concerned is hasicHlly a Cluis tian ministry with a membership that happens to be mos 1ly gay and lesbian people," Blair said. "We do Hiblc slmlies and have conferences where the focus is not particularly on gay and lesbian issues " Evangelicals < 'onccmed emphasizes that a g:1y or lc~bian C ·1iris1ian would do well to intcgrntc thl'ir sexual identity into their spirituali ty as opposed to the other way around . "I think a lot of gay and lesbian Christian groups have the tail wagging the dog. What I see for EC is to address the needs of being Christian," Blair said. "It' S not h,omoscxt~~ty a!hal we Ii vc our lives a.rouhd~ n3'ttiore than heterosexuals Jive their li~es a.round tliat." For people who believe homosexuality casts anyone Q\l~ip~ the embrace of God, Blairis adaman' t: "Homosexuality doesn't have anything to do with it ," he said. "We ' re saved by the grace of God and that grace extends to everybody regardless of their sexuality ... and everybody, regardless of their sexuality, is a sim1er." Though issues such as ordination of gays and lesbians arc irrelevant to EC, Blair offers that the approach to such denominational st rugg les seems to be reversed. "I've always thought tl1at zeroing in on ordination is the wrong emp hasis," he said. "You are dealing with people who question the legitimacy of homosexua lity in gene ral , and then you ask them to ordain a homo sexual. The emphasis should be on full membership and participation in congregational life . It seems to me that if a denomination is queasy about homosexuals in tl1e pews they' II be even more queasy about a homosexual in the pulpit." AJt11ough recent high publicity cases such as one involving a pastor who was put on trial for performing a same-sex commitment ceremony and another pastor who may lose his pulpit for being in a relationship with another man are making it more widely known that gays and lesbians are becoming more and more involved in the church at all levels, the message . also seems to say that gay and lesbian people are not welcome. That mes sage can be changed, Blair said, as we work not only in the church but in the community at large to change how gay and lesbian people are understood. "I think that the more the general population can see that gay and lesbian people are like everybody else, except that gay people fall in love with people of the same gender, the more people understand that they' re not dealing with aliens, the more they. a.re accepted," Blair said. "The more people know us as who we are otl1erwise, ther e's a much easier cntrce for communica _tion an~ accept- ance. " ONE AREA IN which Evangelicals Concerned and its chapters have done extensive work and offer some of the SEE BLAffi, Next Page Dr. Ralph Blair, founder of Evangelicals Concerned FAITH IN DAILY LIFE Blaira pioneeirn Christian movementto affinng ays From Previous Page very best material avail able is on e:,i;-gay ministries - organizations that falsely claim to be able to change the sex ual orientation of a gay or lesbian person : Most people who experience an ex-gay mini stry ju st delay reckonin g with their sexual identity, according to Blair. "Ex-gay programs are an ever present problem because people are ignorant of what the hi story has been," Blair said. 'They present themselve s as a ministry of changing people from homo sexual to heterosexual but the fine print does not acknowledge that. Th ere 's a lot of disillusionment among people who have tried ex-gay program s, and many churches are di sillu sioned as well." AJthou gh well funded by the religious right, ex-gay ministries are not growing as rapidly as they could be, according to Blair. · "As one ex-gay mini stry falls apart, a new one rises up," said Blair. "All of the lead ers of the early days are gone now. Some of the material from early on is still out there but lhc people who developed it have long si111:c lert the movement." Many in the gay community thought the so -called "rcpara ti vc therapy" used by ex-gay programs would lose a lot of steam when the Ame1ica11 Psycholog ical Associ ation declared late last year that homo sexuality is not a mental disorder and does not call for treatment. Not so, said Blair. . ':'he people who want the ex-g ay m111s1tn es to be succ es sful are people who di smiss new thou ght in psychology, althou gh their late st material is full of inform ation from ea rly psychology ." So where docs the ex-gay myth end? "The more the general public and the church experience gay and lesbian people as simpl y their own family members and their own church members and neighbor s - and see that there is no difference - is what will put the ex-gay myth to rest," Blair said . "Ex-gay ministries can survive as long as peop le sec gays and lesb ians as ·t hem· and and not 'us' - and a lot of self-a ppointed gay leaders hip tends to sec gay and lesbian peop le tha t way too." AMONG EVANGELICALS Concerned' sprinted material, and often seen cl~ewhcre. is ii brochure entitled "What Jesus had to suy about homosexuality ." Nothing - according to the brochure, as the reader opens it up to an empty page . But in Mauhew 19:4, Jesus describes a marria ge sce nario between a man and a woman . How are we to interpret that? "The anatomy is not the important thing," said Blair. "In Jesus' <lay people did not have the underst anding of sexuality we have today. We look in vain for anything about homosexual orientation in scri pturc." Once reconciled that a homo sexua l orientation is not condemn ed by scripture there is the enduring question of how a gay man or le sbia n is to live a life of Christian faith that fully embraces their sexuality. The building and maintaining of intimate relation ships is possible , though difficult in our culture in general and in the gay community in particular, according to Blair. The "Homosexual Revolution" panel in the Open Panel series at Penn State University, 1965-66, created and moderated by campus chaplain Ralph Blair, center of photo, and including Clark P. Polak, founder of the early homophile organization, The Janus Society, far left. "The need for connec tion with auotl1er individual is a deep human need . But in our entire popular culture , we never really see sexual relationships between people other than people who have just met. We sec that kind of model more and more as equal to the desire to sustain an ongoing and deepe ning sexual relationship ." Considering that half of all heterosexual marriage s end in divorce and in a high percentage of those still intact mates say they have cheated on their spouse , is a heterosexual model of marriage the best we can do in defining our ■ near impo ssible to sustain a rel ation ship. Anything that can help to stabilize ll1e relationship is valuable. r vc been a psychotherapist all my life and I can say that homo sexuality really is about falling in love with someone of the same gender, and anything that can aid in that relationship goes to what the heart of homoscxua li1y is:· Perhaps early during the new millennium, gay and lesbian couples will have the right to enter into a civil marriage. The burden then will be on gay and lesbian couples to stay married . "Any relationship, gay or straight , is about commitmen t, not just going to the chapel. The couple needs to under stand the nature of sexual intimacy . Both gay and straight peop le put the "I think a lot of gay and lesbian Christian groups have the tail wagging the dog. What I see for EC is to address the needs of being Christian. It's not homosexuality that we live our lives around - no more than heterosexuals live their lives around that." own way of living in relationship with someo ne we love? "I don't think it's fair to call it a heterosexual model," Blair said . "Of course it doesn' t make sense to model anything that is a bad examp le. Couples must be able to Ii vc up to the ideals of marriage, but that docRn' t mean the answer lies in throwing out the ideal. There arc influences in the 7.citgcist that make it ■ emphasis on a wedding when it's all re all y about the ma rriage." Blair reca lled C. S. Lewis· comparing love to a pool : "When you fall in love, you take a dive. Once in the water the job is to swim. What often happe ns is that when th e dive is over. we look for another poo l.•· Afler over three decades of a1:tivism, docs Blair have any concern that the Christian movement in the gay and lesbian community can be strangled by the rh etoric and politics of the religious right? "I don't ll1iuk so," Blair said. "U nlik e times in history when gay m')vements have been silenced, we have a free press and ready access to inf onnation on the intem et. THE OTHER Side Strengtfho r.thejo urney Books on topics of interest to you are available by mail from The Other Side. Browse our ~atalog -- or special order just what you are looking for. We deliver! 1-800-700-9280 www .theotherside.org SECOND STONE 3 FAITH IN DAILY LIFE Forgivintgh eu nforgivabcleh allengefsu itho fo rdinaryμ :uple BY DAVID BRIGGS A FATHER MOURNS a son slain by a drug addict. A daughter turns her back on a violent, alcoholic mother. A young man is haunted by the image of his grandmother stabbed to death . A husband thinks of killing himself or the wife who abandoned him. A mini ster, a mother , a steelwo rker. and an attorney - ordinary people who lived in unendurable pain . Until they stopped it with an extraordinary act: forgivene ss. They are part of a national trend refl ected in an increa se in religiou s revivals and best-selling books extolling the virtues of forgivenes s. But their stories reveal the road to forgiveness is dilTcrent for each individual . None forgave easily or quickly . Each got there in differ ent stages, sometime s even when their tormentor s were unrepentant. But none regrets it. "The anger has total ly gone away," said Jim, the newly divorced man. "God had a plan. I still don't understand the plan. But it' s got to be something good after all he's put me through." The Rev. Walter Everell's shock al the murd er of his son, 24- yea r -old . Scott, turn ed to rage when the killer plea -bargained his way to a five-ye ar sentence. When rle1 killer, a drug addictu amcd Michael Car lucci , was sentenced, he said that although they must sotmd like empty words to the Everetts, he was sorry for wbat he had done. Evueu 's fri ends dismi sse d the rcmon.e as a ploy [or leniency , but Everett himself, a United Methodist minister in Hartfo rd , Conn ., was moved. On the anniv ersary of his son's death, he compo sed a letter to Carlucci in which he talked of his family's suffering - "the pain is almost unbe arable al times" - and said he could not accept oue person having so lillle rega rd for anotJ1er. And then he wrote : "Although words seem so trivial in some ways (yet they are all that we have now), I do accept your apology, and, ns hard as the se words arc to write, I add: I forgive you." Those words. the bearded minister would later recall , were a turning point. · "I felt a burden lifted from my shoulders . It was the beginning of healing for llll! .1 ' But ii was not the l'lld. llis marriage would fail: his wife could 1101 understand t1is forgiveness When he went lo ti II.I /1. It ( . l I • /1. P R I l- I 9 9 8 visit Carlucci a few months after writing the letter, he was enraged anew to find that the murderer had already been tran sferred from a maximum- to a medium -security prison. "Healing doesn't come immediatel y. It come s in stage s. It's a proc ess that goes on through one's life," Everett said. At that first meeting, Everett was making small talk about Carlu cci' s weight when the prisoner, who had never been forgiven by anyone before , reached over and embraced him. Both broke down in tears. Everett and Carlucc i would become friends . It was Everett's testimony that helped Carlu cci win early rele ase from pri son, and it was Everett whom Carlucci would visit while on prison furlough. In 1994, E\'erett officiated at Carlucci's wedding . They still see each other regularl y. Everett will never forget his murdered son. But if you are going to love your enemies, as Christ commanded, you first have to for give them, Eve rett believes. "When I look at Mike, I don't see a man who injured my son," Everett says. "I see a man who is forever changed by God. And I celebrate that." When her husband told her he had invi ted his morher- io -Jaw to stay wirh diem for Oui stmas , Kate was fonous. When Kate was growing up in poverty in a small Canadi an town , her alcoholic mother regularly heat her and left her alone to ca re for six youn ger siblin gs. No amount of brnises on Kate's face the following morning would elicit any remorse from her mother, who accused her daughter of lying when confro nted with the truth. When Kate started her own family 111 age 20, she never looked back. But after the birth of their fourth child, her husband made the Christmas attemp t at reconciliation. The visit was a fonnal one . Kate sen sed her moth er was oft en on the verge of telling her something, but she was cletennined not to give her mother the opportuni ty. Kate refused to accompany her to the airport with her husband " It was j ust at the moment of her walking out the door, and she said , 'Can you ever forgive all those years?' And that was all I needed to hear," said Kate, now 48, but still in tears as she relives the moment. "That point was the hegi11- 11ing of a healing process that was ;in absolute miracle. " Kate had f~mnd peace in a Hutterile religious community, where all seek to live like the early Christians, but hatred had burdened her. Given the chanc e, she discovered she wanted to forgive . "It only took me about 30 seconds to respond to it becau se in a way this was ■ "When I look at Mike, I don 't see a man who injured my son ... I see a man who is forever . changed by God. And I celebrate that." ■ what I had been struggling with for years," she said. Still , forgi vene ss came slowly . It took her years to trus t her mother to babysit her own childr en. "Th e fir st time she ever genuinel y wanted to hug me, afterw ard I just ten sed up beca use the physical contact be{Qfehabde t10111lyY iolttJI .. Forgivin g is not forgetting, and Kate would not want it an y other way. "I don't think I could ever forget," she said . Otherwise "I could not remember the miracle of forgiveness." Jim was a modern-day Job, the bibli cal embodi ment of the divine mystery of why bad things happe n to good people. When the '90s began, he had a succes sful law practice, kids in college or prep schoo l, a vacation home in Ver monr. Then he lost his mother to a long illness, and his father was kill ed in an auto accident. His business collapsed, and he lost his house. Two years ago his wife of 28 years threw him out with the dog. Like Job, Jim cried to the heavens. "I blamed God. God's given me a bad set of cards. I'd be belier off killino ,:, myself." Ile became consumed by "pure t111ad11l tcrntcd anger. to the point I even thought of killing her," the stocky ex Marine told hi~ sup port group of divorced and separated C'atholics in Hamden, Conn . What changed his life was prayer, and the realization, after his wife vehemently objected to court-ordered counseling se ssion s, tha.t his marriage was lost. At that point, "it became very easy for me 10 forgive," he said. "My anger went down by volumes that were ju st incredible," said Jim, 54. "It's given me a real inner peace ." He could sleep at night. The fury he carried with.in rum was repl aced by a sense of serenity. These days , when another driver cuts him off on the highway, he laughs it off. He went around to other people , asking forgivene ss for injuries he had done to them . He has a new job coun seling ex-addicts. With a smiling thumbs -up , Jim describe s the point at which he knew he was a changed man : when be could be polite to his ex-wife's boyfriend, whom she brought to t11eir son's wedding not long after lhe divorce. "I know where I am," be said , "and I know where I am with God and that 's all that matte rs." Four girl s lookin g for mone y for arcade games ended Bill Pelke 's life as he knew it May 14. 1985. On t11e pretex t of askin g for Bible lessons. the teen s got in vited into the home of Ruth E. Pelke, 78 , of Gar y, Jnd. TbeY bit J,er over the bead with a vase, stabbed her 33 tiiμes and fled, taking her car and $ JO. Bill Pelke's memories of his grand mother were reduced to images of her iu 11 pool o_f blo od iu the \i.\!\\\'i t% \\\ wh~rc Ins fnmi\y wou\d gather for Chn stmas or Eas ter. When Paula Cooper, the most brutal of the four, was sentenced to death, Bill Pelke ha d no prob lem at firs t. But four mont hs later, as he was wo rkino the over head crane at Bethle hem Steei, his mind suddenly flashe d back to the 15- year -old girl at her sentenci ng, tears running down her cheeks, and her grandfather wai ling, "They 're going to kill my baby. Th ey're going to kill my baby." Then , he says, he imagined his late grandmo ther wee ping for Paula Cooper, and Jesus on the cross, forgivin g his tom1en tors. At that mom ent, Pclke made his decis ion to forgive. And from then on, he says , he no longer was to nue ntcd by pictures or his butchered granchnother. "Now I could picture her as who she wus," he said. SEE FORGIVENESS, Page 17 FAITH IN DAILY LIFE Girlw hoo ncep retendetdo • be a priestn owi so ne BY STEPHEN J LEE ,GRAND FORKS, N.D. - When she was 12, Page Towne slipped up to the altar in the Episcopal cat hedral and played a priest , going through the com mun ion liturgy for her confirma tion classmates while the priest was away. In Decembe r , she was at the altar of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Grand Forks, celebrating Holy Communion as a priest for real. "That Sunday when I celebra ted my first Eucharist, on my own, it seemed like I had been doing it all my life ," she said. "It was kind of an epiphany for me: You know you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. It feels clean." Her first time through the ancien t liturgy, circa 1960 in Burlington , Vt., ended badly. The priest, who was dean of the cathedral, caught her at it and was outraged that she, a young girl, should mock the sacrament by pretending to be a priest. 'Times have changed," she said. "Girls cou ldn't even serve as aco lytes back then ." She wasn't doing ii then in a mocking way, and she aidn't actually handle lhe bread ai1d wine, Towne said. "But I knew all the words of the liturgy from sitting up in junior choir all those years. And I had this sense that this is what I'm supposed to be doing," she said. It has been a Jong trip from then to now for Tow ne, fonner general manger of the Grand Forks Symphony, and for her family. The Eucharist and the traditional Christian understanding that it is a sacred moment remain a1 1hc center of her faill1. Towne's assignment by Bishop Andrew Fairfield of th e Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota is as assistant pastor at St. Paul's , assisting the rector, the Rev. Laddie Tlucek. Towne, who has been on the payroll at the congrega tion since Sept. 1 as a deacon, now can add the functions of a priest. St Paul's decided only recently to stay in its .SO-year-old bui lding down town, despite extensive flood damage in the lower levels. "We're not only looking at our building, but also at our mission in the community and the needs of the people ," Tlu cek said. "Page will be helping on llwt." ·me diocese has received nearly a quarter of a million dollar s in flood -related donations from across lite cou ntry, Fairfield said. Much of lltat will go to people's needs and to bui lding costs, and some will pay for Towne's position . Towne is the first woman ordained at St. Paul's and only lite fourth member from lite parish raised to the priesthood, members say. The congregation is thrilled to have Towne ordai ned, having been with her for years, said Sal ly Clayburgh, senior warden, or president , of . St. Paul's . "She is an eternal optim ist, a very nurturing person," Clayb urgh said. "She is very good at help ing people discover what their gifts are, and at mentoring people ." St. Paul's, with about 350 member s, is one of the larges t of about two dozen Episcopal cong regation s, totaling about 2,000 member s, in North Dakota . Towne will spend a fourll1 of her time traveling the northea st region of the state, developing lay leader ship to help the severa l small parishes without resident priests. "AH I can say is, given her personality and her gif1s. ii didn' t come as a surprise to me." said her husband , Gary. "Her ordination gives her the acknowl edgement of the gifts she already had." The Towne s moved to Grand Forks in 1988, when Gary took a job as profe ssor of music at the Uuiver sity of North Dakota. He also is St. Paul's organist and played at Page's ordination service. They have two sons. Towne is on the cutting edge of changes in th eo logi ca l educa tion, Bishop Fairfie ld said. "We are going from a model of the expert training in the ivory tower who comes to a parish and does ministry. to a model of a parish as a mission base for evangelism and service, honoring the gifts of the members and utilizing a broad range of members for ministry," he said. Towne has worked willt abused child ren, taught music in public schools and worked the night shift in a factory putting her husband through grau,1atc school. She said she pushed God away much of her life, angry at him for the suffer ing in her life. Now, she said, she knows more of what suffering is about, and feels she can empathize better. She also has credentials as a hospital chaplain . "I really feel called to help others explore God's grace in their lives," she said . (AP) Since 1988a, friend for the journey . Subscribet oday! INDIVIDUAL SUBSCRIPTION [ J 3 yrs, 18 issues $45 [ ) 2 yrs, 12 issues $32 [ ] l yr, 6 issues $19 [ ) Envelope mailing add $2 per yr [ ) International,a dd $10 per yr Your Name _____________ _ □ NEW □ RENEWAL Addr-e-s-s-"---------- City , State, Zip+4- -------- - SUBTOfAL 4/ 98 GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS Please fill in the section above, entering your name as you want it to appear on gift cards. All gift subscriptions are mailed in envelopes. [ ) SEND NOW [ ] SEND AT CHRISTMAS . 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Supply old address label here and print new address in top section "'Individual Subscription" HOW TO GET YOUR ORDER AND OTHER INFORMATION TO US MAIL: Mail completed fonn to P. 0. Box 8340. New Orleans, LA 70182 FAX: This forn1 may be trimmed at its border and transmitted by FAX. Dial 504-899-4014. Press 3* when prompted or at any time during the message. When you hear lite tone, begin transmission . E-MAIL: Send a message supplying the data requested to secstonc@aol.com SecoSntdo ne THE STONE THAT THE BUILD ERS REJECTED BECAME THE CORNERSTONE- Mark 12:10 SEC O ND ST ONE 5 M·A·. · N .··N ·· .: ·----~A·:--,:·;·>. ~ .: . . . • 1~. J .• . .' . ' . . ,- ,. ' ,·· ... .·· , ·. . ' .... . . . ' . ·•· ....... .,. .•. -. .-·-,.~~•-a-JI t . ' . ..,. •·-;_'l..:l ,t."!JI ~. .... - .. ,~~ death on the cross . Debt is canceled in BY REVD. ~SCHAPER ·. · ' new life. . Jl . -~ Easter: Canceled debts The only reason not to cancel the debt of the two/thirds world is the hoarding and false self-interest of the already rich . The reasons to cancel it are hundre ds of thousands of childr en around the world whose parents did no,t engage the debt their cl1ildrcn will be buried in. Most debt was contract ed by.authorit arian or military regime s: the people now paying the debt did not sign up for their monthly fees. They are not respon sible for the debt they cannot, at any rate. pay. EASTER IS OTTEN dangerously misinterpret ed as merely a spiritual event. Many prefer the far-away "transcendent" God; very few worship a God who gets close. Jesus was a close God: He Jived, died, was buried, and Jives again. Where? In poor children, and weary mothers, in jails, and in the long corridors of nursing homes. In rich people who are poor inside. Jesus lives in the leftover people, the ones who are missing the living of their lives. If Jesus were to rise today, he would rise in global debt resolution. He would resolve global debt, both metaphorically and actually. He would forgive debt so that Ugandans could pay $17 per person on health care and $3 per person on foreign debt, instead of the exact opposite, as they do today. He would rise from the death of debt. If Jesus were to rise today, he would rise in the forgivene ss of sills. Tl1oswe hof ailt o takep ersonal responsibilityf or theirl ivesw ouldf ind a ready forgiveness . They would rise from the death of their debt. Resurrec tion is both theological resolution and then a physical and actual one. New life is very rea1 to those who know the cancellation of debt. Visit AA any night of the week, in any com munity in Ameri c a . You will hear th e Right-sizing: stories of cancel ed debts . These debts arc not imagined ; they arc real. So is the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus is co1U1cctcd to Israel· s Y car of Jubilee as a practical solution lo the sins of the world. Every seven years the land would be redislributed. Jubilee frees hopeles sly indebted people the way bankmptcy frees au individual. It creates new land and new time. Freeing hopeles sly indebted countries from all debt without condition is what Jesus claims to have done by his Restmcturiug Third World debt could tum the world from death to life, over night. Resurrection could be measured out in teaspoons of percentage points, nation by nation. How? Tum towards life . Christ the Lord is risen today . Think of the Alleluias! C. S. LEWIS pictured Chrisr as a lion In Christianity, there is an unsevered relationship between liturgy and political community ... Pax Christi swears that the ritual of not eating meat on Friday probably diq. more for the poor than any soup kitchen ever has. named Asian in his famous Namm chil dren' s seri es. Asian is not a tame lion. He has a way of bursting out of the spirit ual closets in which we lock him . He shows up in ghetto s and in banks. In Chris tianity , there is an unsevcred relat ionship betwe en liturgy and political communit y. Th e bread and the wine are not just symbol s. Pax Chri sti, the Catholic org an ization , swears that the ritual of not eating meat on Friday probably did more for the poor than any soup kitchen ever has . The heart and the soul are not di sco1mected from the body, nor is politic s even slightl y separated from rel igion . I think of the way E.B. White described his beloved Katherine as she aged but still knelt to plant bulbs in the November wind. "As the years went by and aoe overtook her, there was some thint comical in her bedraggled appearance - the small hunched -over figure, her studied absorp tion in the implausible notion that there would be yet another spring, oblivious to the endino of her own days. which she knew rl"ectly well was near at hand, sitting ::ere witli her detailed chart under those dark skies in the dying October . calmly plotting the resurrection." Another writer ask ed recently whether Mary was really mistaken about Jesus inth e garden: "When Mary Magdal ~ne nu.s too k Jesus for the gardener. d. w a s she 1. h altogether wrong? " If two /~lur so t e world cowitries were to nu stakc Jesus for canceled debt, would they be entirely wrong either? The new deck on the old house I REMEMBER WHEN I still hoped I migh t have those magical Marilyn Monroe numbers - 38, 24, 36. I also remember when a size 12 seemed enormous. Now I live deep and large in the Zen of measurements - downsizing, rightsizing, resizing. I am obsessed with getting to the right size. Whatever blue jeans I wear. I want them to fit just right. Getting to the right size has a lot to do with getting over the past or the way things used to be. Getting to the right size has a future as well as a past . Listen to my deck tell you why. The deck itself is inconsequential • hut what 6 MARCH•APRIL 1998 it represents is not. A heavy snow fooled April first last year, the day af ter Easter . It was so heavy that it knocked down the old arbor, built on the base of the old barn, which had constituted the old deck. Crash. The insurance people said we were only able to collect $3000 or so to repair what was clearly a $6000 project. For months, we rung our hands . Wha t to do? We looked all spring at the mess of ancient wisteria wowid around rotted poles , yellow rose bushes unable to make their annuaJ climb, for want of a hand : ;. All of a sudden the idea came : tl1e new deck could easily be half the size of the Getting to the right size has a lot to do with getting over the past or the way things used tG be. old deck. Also half the price. W c didn't have to put it on th e bas e ·of the old bam; we could elevate it above the base of the old baru . Our trusty contractor agreed and designed a new deck that snuggles the back of the house as tho ugh it was part of the or iginal design. People stop to ask who built it, so nicely does it fit. And we have a morality play in our back yard: downsiz ing. desigued well, may be the best thing to do in the year one turns 50. Or any year . Half lhe size could be as beautiful as SEE RIGHT-SIZING , Next Page When God comes close THEOLOGIANS LIKE Karl Barth argue that our language about God should begin with language about Christ. For Hispanics, the inc arna tion exemplifies the ultimate mestizaje, the juncture of divinity and humanity. Both the Gennans and the American Hispanics argue for Christ in a way that many do not. They wanted a God close up and personal. That's what Easter gives us. Humanity cmcified, humanity saved. Bloody tmth. Christ on a cross. A real cross. According to Orlando Cos tas, the incarnation forces us to "plop" and contextualize God's activity within history, preventing us from turning God into an abstract being removed from human experience. Unfortunately, American Protestants have been more than capable of turning God into a static and abstract notion removed from the immediacy of human experience. Many of us find tJ1e closene ss of God the opposite of comfort . The very intimacy of GodWithUs or Emmanuel makes us nervous. We might agree with Rilke in his poem "Where" and say, "Who is this Christ, who interferes in everything?" This matter of God being both close and far away, this matter of God showing up on earth, is not easy 10 understand. Kathleen Norris said she understood most everything about Christianity except Christ. "I often felt a void at the center of things: Christianity with the center missing." Norris uses the ima ge of quark lo explain her understanding of the Trinit y: She appeals to the central notion of community and interrelation ship within the Trinity and says that only quark s could show us the dance of such communal interrelationship at the heart of God. She shows us how God could be both very near and very far away . She shows us how God could live and die and live again. Norris says that it is Tcrtullian, the ancient curmudgeon, who brought her religious energy into the outer planetary rings of Trinitarian faith . His image is that of the Trinity as a plant , with the Father as a deep root, the Son as the shoot that breaks forth into the world. and the Spirit as that which spreads beauty and fragrance, "fructifying the earth with flower and fruit." When God comes close, we need not beafraid. When God dies, we need not be afraid. When God lives , we need not be afraid. RIGHT-SIZING, From Previous Page twice the size. And twice the size could be as beautifnl as half the size. Measurements arc a matter of the mind as well as the scale or ruler. &iougb is enough. The scu lptor Giacomctte plays with size as well, when he describes his tiny figures in this way: Wfhe smal ler I make them, the bigger they get." In this year of the new deck snuggling the old house, I also beard a rumor about the Hubb le Telescope. If you gave each star in the sky a grain of sand, and counted them all, the sand of that count would flt into a cup. If you took all the grains of sand in the Milky Way, you'd fill up a big bowl. If you used the Hubble Telescope, you'd have to use up all the sand in the world, from every beach , to accommodat e each star's need to be counted and included . My deck may be smaller but the world is larger this year. So is my perspective, my subjectivity, my changing life and self and subjectivity - what I can see may not be all there is to t11c matter. Or to matter. My therapist joins a new movie in humorous measurement, "Don't sweat the small stuff; by the way, it's all small stuff." Measurements matter - and they change. It all depends on how we see what we sec. · The Rev. Donna E. Schaper is Associate Conference Minister with the Massachusetts Conference of the United Cllurcl, of Christ. He,· new book is "Tlie Sense In Sabbath: A Way To I-lave Enough Time," Innisfree. ThematterofGod being both close and far away, this matter of God showing up on earth, is not easy to understand. The Un Time-Management Book Sabbath Sense This is your in vitation to pack your spiritua l baggage and move to the neighborhood called ENOUGH - enough time, enough rest, enough play. 'lbe reality of "sab bath" as a day of rest and been - ·- ·--- -- ·-·---- A SJNrnMI \• h d•tc r., ,w n.-, .... lost amidst our to-do lists, day-organizers, and endless errands, but the sense of sabbath. as spiritual leisure, is very much needed in our time-starved world. • Turn not-enough time into ENOUGH time; • Unify fragmented time through Rnt.JALS; • Weave a pattern of SACRED!vESiSn to your life; • DECLUTTER, ,simplify, and slow down . A Spiritual Antidote for the Overworked by Donna Schaper Sll.95 paperba ck 6X9 128 pages ISBN 1-880913-ZS-9 Availabl e in bookstores or call lnnisfree Press 1-800-367-5872 to order . l Press lnnisfree - SEC'O ND STONE 7 Methodist jury returns Creech to his pulpit FromPage1 trial ended. The audience gave Rev. Creech and his defense team , Doug Williamson and Mike McClellan, a standing ovation and members of Creech' s congregation, wearing "Support Jimmy" buttons and matching sweatshirts, stood in a large circle, grabbed hands and began to sing, "Hallelujah. Hallelujah." Following his acquiual, Creech was immediately reinstated as senior pastor of the Omaha church by Nebraska Bishop Joel Martinez. The bishop said be plans to ask the College of Bishops of the eight-state South Central Jurisdiction to ask the church's Judicial Council to rule on the language in the Book of Discipline related to the trial. The ninemember council is the denomination's supreme court. ''The church has spoken, 11 Martinez said. "We trust and honor the process. Rev. Creech is an cider in good standing with the United Methodist Church, and his appointment is to First United Methodist Church in Omaha. His suspension is lifted." The case was the first challenge to United Methodist policy on same-sex marriage, and the jury's decision could shape how the 9.5 million -member denomination interprets mies goveming its treatment of gays. The jury was made up of four women and nine men, all ministers from Nebraska. Creech testified that be was simply serving the spiritual need s of two I The Erotic Contemelative Reflections on the Spiritual Journey of the Gay/Lesbian Christian By Michael B. Kelly A SIX VOLUME STIMULUS FOR LIVING, LOVI NG AND PRAYER: 1) Our Experience (75 min) 2) Revisioning Sexuality (80 min) 3) Exodu s and Awakening (75 min) 4) The Desert and the Dark (88 min) 5) Libe ra tion (84 min) 6) The Road from Emmaus (63 min) The six volume video set is $199.00 Order through: EROSpirit Research Institute P.O. Box 8340 New Orleans LA 70 I 82 .. The Erotic Contemplativ e is the most powerful and insightful study of gay spirituality that I know of. I have watched "The Road From Emmaus" (tape 6) three times and still find new riches ." -- JOHN J. M cNEIL, PH.D ., author of The Chur ch a11d the Homosex ual. "In my theology classes, both gay and straight seminarians benefit from Kelly's integration of sexualtty with Christian mysticism.'" -· Ro eERT Goss, PH.D., author of Jesus Acted-Up. '"An excellent resource ... a worthwhile investment." •· B ONDINGS, a publication of New Ways Ministry. "The Eroric Co11te111pivlaer video course has helped gay men and lesbians who grew up as Christians move toward healing the wounds of the past." •• JosEPH KR AMER, M.D1v.. EROSpirit Research Institute. "'This work should he considered esscn11al to anyone serious about their sexuality/spirituality and mandatory for anyone who in an; way acts as a spiritual director for gay and lesbian people." -- More Light Update. l Mo~c tlcluilcd mfom. m11in1 ahou1 ~ach \'itlco is ava1lahlcu pon rcquc~I Al ~n ,1vninlhlc in Pnl • 1h,· Eurupcun/1\sutrulian lorm.,t l' ahfum,a n:,1dc111, ntl,I R 25% ,a le, lax (J S. ,h1pp1g1 1charge: S5.00. -l-ntcrnn11011,all1 p1p11g1 chnrgc Sl5 00 (I) 1997. EROSpir-i1 Rcscnrch ln~1i1urc-. - - 8 M ,\ JU ' 11 • J\ P R I L I 9 9 K . women church members. The Rev. Loren Ekdahl of Lincoln , who argued the church's side, said Creech went wrong by conducting the ceremony as if it were an official rite. "We're not talking aboul a simple prayer or blessing here," he said. In Crecch's defense, lhe Rev. Douglas Williamson of Nebraska Wesleyan University argued that the church's Social Principles, amended in 1996 to prohibit "ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions," arc merely guidelines. The Methodist case was being closely watched by gay rights activists and others. "A decision against the church's rules will not alter the rules, but it certainly will raise the level of discussions in church circles," said the Rev. Bill Lawrence, a Duke University profes sor who studies U.S. Methodists. Creech's backers included President Clinton's pastor, who testified on the closing day of the lrial. "We have to find a way to be suppor tive of these committed relationship s," said the Rev. Phil Wogaman, pastor at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington. "The church also speaks in many voices. "Gay and lesbian Christians are already in our churches if we would only open our eyes and see them," Wogaman said. "Their commitments to each oilier , to Christ, and to our Church are authentic . They number among our finest leaders. They fit nonnally and actively. They only want to be affinued for what they are ." Joe Leonard of the National Council of Churches, which represents 34 Protestant and Orthodox churches in the United States, said many congregations of various denominations are conducting same -sex ceremonies, "but often they have to do it in defiance of their denomination's policies ." "Something happened today in Kear ney, Nebraska, that made me feel hope again," said Mel Whit e. "Hope that truth will triumph, that old prejudi ces will die, that ignoranc e is lo sing its powerful hold, uot just here but across the nation and around the world. But it cannot happen without us." As the gymnasiwn- tume<l-courtroom was emptying, a young , gay, African. American from t.he Midwest who has been a victim of rel igious racism and homophobia all his life hugged Creech . TV cameras broadcast the scene. "You did it, Jimmy," the black youth said grinning up at his pastor in complete disbelief. "We did it, Roy," Jimmy replies, "together." For a moment, Jimmy Creech just held the young man. Tears streamed down both faces. Their smiles lit up the room. Then Rev. Creech added quietly, "Now the work begins ." Creech pcr fom1ed the lesbian covenanting ceremon y on Sept. 16, after Martinez told him not to. Creech said he felt the church's prohibition on such unions was "discriminatory and unjul:,t" and "because I felt it was my responsibility as a pastor to support the couple." The names of the lesbian couple, who came to Creech in April requesting the ceremony, have never been made public. The issue divided the 1,900-mcmber church and galvanized United Mell1odists across tl1e state and around the country. Creech was suspended from pastoral responsibilities from Nov. IO through March 13. He initially was suspended for 60 days by Martinez. W11c1l1lr nt suspension expired in January, Martinez extended it. Creech said he believes the statement in the church's Social Principles adopted in 1996 that prohibits homosexual union ceremonies is contrary to the biblical teachings of Christ. He contends that his actions were "consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ and with my calling as a pastor of the United Methodist Church." Creech perfonned more than a dozen such ceremonies for gay and lesbian couples while a pastor at Fairmont United Methodist Church in Raleigh, N.C. All those ceremonies occurred several years before the J 9% General Conference of Ilic UMC passed the ban, he said. Creech said be and his wife, Chris Weedy, married in 1992 in a courthouse marriage ceremony followed by a covenant ceremony in the church that did not include marriage vows as a statement of solidarity to what gays and lesbian s face . "We did it to be in solidarity with gay men and lesbians who arc denied the right to have their relation ship rec ognized as legal," he said . In part because of It.is activism on gay issues, Creech lost his position at Fairmont UMC, was unemployed for six months, then served as a social lobbyi st for the North Ca rolina Coun ci l of Churches for five years before coming to Nebraska. Creech said he will continu e fighting for the right to perf on n commi tmen t ceremonies for gays and lesbians. A Nebraska Committ ee on Investigation recommended on Jan . 23 that he face a church trial . "Disobe dience to the Order and Discipline of The United Mell1odist Church," is one of 10 offenses for which a United Methodist clergy member may be tried in a church court. The primary issue Creech wanted the trial to resolve is whe ther the church's Social Princ iples are enforcea ble law or simp l y guidance for con duct and deci sion- making . Although the trial could h;ive been closed, Creech cal led for an open trial . (United f'vkthodist News Service, Associated Press. Mel Whil e, and other reports) NATIONAL NEWS 'Disaffiliation' of University Baptist Church From Pagel and darkness abounded ." Honesty /Texas and their supporters were seated in the back of the room during the debate and vote, surrounded by members of the Convention. "A covey of fundamentali sts huddled in the row behind us looking dour and bitter," Burton said. Afterwards, Honesty unfurled its banner in the lobby and was swarmed by reporters . Burton said he sees new hope for gay and lesbian Baptists in spite of the vote. "The fact that there was a two-sided debate that went 90 minutes represents progress for the movement ," he said. "I counted around 20-25 votes against the recommendation . I wonder if the BGCr was surprised that it wasn't a quick discussion and a unanimous vote?'' After Rev. Bmce Prescott of Houston failed in an effort to soften the recom - 1~1endation by amendment, several Bapl. tst women stood and spoke against the reconunendation. Church was shunned 50 years ago for inviting blacks MEMBERS OF UNIVERSrrY Baptist Church compare this battle to past moral fights. In 1948, the church was disavow ed by the Austin Baptist Conven tion when it allowed blacks to sit in the same pews with whites. In the early 1970s, it was criticized forordaining female deacons. Hans Venable, a gay mm1 whose ordination as deacon at University Baptist helped lead lo the action, said biblical argu ment s also were made against blacks in the church. "I do see this as a very similar issue " Venable said. ' But Venable said he found hope in debate that preceded the board vote. "I have to say that there are a lot of positive outcomes," he said. "It's just been such a wonderful opportw1ity to talk about our ministry and spread the debate further about how gays and lesbians can be safe in church, where they can be loved and participate fully." David Stahl, a church member and Venable's partner of 15 years, said the expulsion could actuaJly help the gay and lesbian cause . "From what I heard ... this debate is going to continue in the BGCT churches," StaliJ said. ··They're going to go back to their home churches aud talk ahout this, and know what's right. It was a very encouraging step into the funire." The motion supported by the board asks University Baptist to remove any claim of affiliation with the convention from its literature and Internet site. The convention also will no longer accept money donated from the church for missionary progrmns. The vote arose when top group officials learned in January that the University Baptist Web site mentions its convention affiliation . The church has had a tenumL~ relationship with the convention since it ordained Venable in 199-l. The church also drew fire for sponsoring and inviting gays mid lesbians to participate in . Open Circle, a ministry for gays and lesbians . Co1iventio11 leaders insisted their vote was not a condemnation of the church's acceptance of gays. .. We commend the church for their ministry, and we feel that churches should minister (to homosexuals)." Davenport said ... But ministering to is different than an affinnation of, and we interpret (the church's activities) to be an affinnation of." Bethune said he doesn't undersiand the distinction . "I don't feel very c_ommcuded as a church for our ministry to gays and lesbians today," Bethune said. "The convention has an odd way of showing it." Bethune .said he believes the congregation will likely respect the wishes of the convention in removing any reference to thf! group from their Web site and literature. Several convention members decried the motion as a threat to the traditional independence of Baptist churches. Some church members think they'll eventually be welcomed back into the convention. "The time will come when we will be invited back in because the world will catch up with us and the world with catch up with our understanding of what is the Christian gospel." said deacon Carter Wheeland. Victim of 'political football,' says pastor THE CONVENTION'S administrative committee voted unanimously in early February to recommend the expulsion of University Baptist Church. Prior to the vote Davenport denied that the convention was trying to expel the church. The convention wanted to ,.distance itself' from the church. he said. Bethune said the disassociation of the congregation seems to say that God discriminates again st gays and lesbians. .. Gays and lesbians and their families are dmnagcd once again by hearing that God hates them," he told the Austin American-Statesman. 'They hear that the way an African American would hear. ·Love the soul and hate the color,· or a woman would hear, 'Love the woman but hate the gender.··· The administrative committee contended that any church accepting of homo sexuality is defying biblical. teaching and cannot be accepted in fellowship with other Southcm Baptist churches. SEE BAPTISTS, Page 17 GayL uthera{nX lStsoari dr eing hone5wt as~ ofh isc alling From Pagel congregation behind me." On Feb. 3, a panel of nine church members and miD.i"stesr dedd ed after a two-day hearing to remove Sabin from the official clergy roster saying he violated policy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The committee said it admires the job Sabin has done as pastor, but it could not allow Sabin's "gifts of mini stry either to outweigh or excuse" his policy violation. Either side can take the case on lo a disciplinary appeals committee, which would have the final say. Church officials declined to comment throughout the trial and did not make themselves available for interviews. Philip Hougen, bishop of the church's Southeastern Iowa Synod, brought lhc charge against Sabin in November. During a meeting with Sabin in January 1996, Hougen had questioned the pastor about his rel ationship with Karl von Uhl. Sabin said they were in a committed relationship. and Hougen unsuccessfully sought his resignation. In annow1cing ti1e decision against Sabin, Bishop Hougen said he has "pastoral concern" for Sabin, his partner. and his congregation. "I know that all concerned will appreciate your prayers," said Hougen. "I continue to pray for God's guidance and for continuing dialogue on the issue of homosexuality within the Evangelical Lutheran Church iu America." Hougen said that he feels caught between the traditional teachings of the church and a "sense of compassion for people who feel very excluded or very hurt or denigrated by the church policy ." But he called it necessary and important for the church to set and uphold stan dards for its pastors. While others in similar positions have generally admitted to violating church policy and argued that it is flawed, Sabin did not admit to any violation. He argued that the church policy is vague, violate s its own script ural teachings and does not explain what it means to be a practicing homosexual. 'The que stion is not •wink, wink, nod, nod.• what we think this is about, what this situation is," he said. "The question is, what docs the policy say. and whether or not the ELCA and Bi.shop Hougen, specifically , have pro, •en that I am in violation of the clear statements of the policy. It is my belief rhal Ibey did nor dcmonstrnlc that.'· Sabin said he doesn't plan to transfer to a new denomination that accepts gay ministers or change professions when he is officially ousted from the clergy roster April 15. "I can't really imagine being anything else but a pastor," Sabin said. The Lord of Life congregation supported its pastor through the trial, but no decision has been made to retain him in defiance of lhe national church. .. I am not surprised, but disappointed with the decision," said Thomas Chacko, president of the Lord of Life congregation ... At this point. neither the church nor the congregation has had the time to sort through the events of the past few days . The council will be meeting to decide on the next course of action." Chacko said the congregatiou has many factors to consider before its pastor is officially removed from the church. .. We have to decide what's good for Pastor Sabin and what's good for the ELCA," Chacko said. ..I feel that our clergy should be given the same rights as the members of our congregations, " said Nancy Lewis , a member of Lord of Life since it started SEEL UTHERANP, age 16 SE CO ND STO NE 9 NATIONAL NEWS UFMCC, HRC joint sponsors March on Washington slated for April, 2000 WASHINGTON, DC ·_ The nation's largest gay and lesbian political organization and the nation's largest gay faithbased movement announced plans to sponsor a march on Washing ton in the spring of the year 2000. The event will be produced by veteran march organizer Robin Tyler who brought the organizations together to fonnulate plru.uung. This will be the fourth equal rights march on Washington by the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendercd communities in the last 20 years - and is expected to the largest U.S. gay rights · march ever held . The Human Rights Campaign and the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches ar!! exploring dates in spring 2000 for the "Mi llemuum March on Washington for Equal Rights," the heads of both organizations said. Several prominent organizations have signed on as endorsers, including the National Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum, the National Latino/a Lesbian and Gay Organiuition, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Gay and Lesbian Alliru.1ce Against Dcfan1ation, the National Youth Advocacy Coalition, Parents, Families and To prctesUt niversityd'sfr isicnto allow~ ~x ceremonies Methodist church withholds money from North Georgia Conference MARIEfT A, Ga. - One of the state's largest United Methodist congregations has withhe ld its an annual $230,000 donation to the North Georgia United Methodist Conference after expressing concem about a decision to allow samesex marriages at Emory University. Leaders of the First United Me1hodist Churcb of Marietta met wit11 conference officials to discuss concerns that included the Emory decision, said the Rev. Jamie Jenkins, superintendent of the conference's Atlanta -Marietta dis-. trict. "Homosexuality is a hot-button issue iu churches today and it is a relevant issue for us to discuss," he said. The church's bulletin said the deci sion lo withhold funds was prompted by declining membership in the conference and said the money will be withheld until a church committee studies the matter. The Rev. Charles Sineath, the 5,000- member church's pastor, was out of town as tliis story was written and other church leaders declined to discuss the matter. Lindsay Davis, bishop of the North Georgia United Methodist Conference, is one of the Emory lrustees who participated in making tl1e decision to allow same-sex maniages if they are performed by au approved campus minister. Methodist churches in the conference pay into a $ 14.4 million budget to sup port administration costs, church devel opment , foreign missions and education. (AP) Weathers tymiesg ayc ruisea, nswering Bahamiabni shop'ps rayer BY JESSICA ROBERTSON NASSAU, Bahamas - Bad weather prevented a cmise ship with gay men on board from landing in the Bahamas, and clerics who opposed the visit said the stom1 was an answer to their prayers. The Norwegian Cruise Line already h,nd been refused permission to dock in the Cayman Islands with some 900 passengers who have chartered its vessel, the Leeward, 0111 of Miami. Then the Bahamas government 8tcppcd in with an invitation . But 1111: stonn quaHhed that. "The weather wa~ a great factor 10 MAIH"H•APRII. 199 1! beca use the government made it abundantly clear to us that they were going to allow that ship to come," said Baptist Di shop Harcourt Pinder. president of the Bal1amas Christian Council. "But I still feel that prayer is the weapon we should use to figh t a lot of the ills about us. Prayer fails not and history has proven that" Church leaders had taken part in a demonstration in downtown Nassau to protest tl1e visit. Another Baptist pastor, the Rev. Simeon Hall, said he got threatening telephone calls nftcr the protest. (AP) Friends of Lesbians · and Gays, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. Representatives from these organizations and others will be sought to participat e on au organizing committee whlch will help facilitate the organization and presentation of the event. "This march will set a new tone for a new century," said Elizabeth Birch, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign. "Full equality under the law will be our achievement in the new millennium ." "Together, we will solidify_ the gains we've made over the past decades and call upon our nation to live out its promise of 'liberty and justice for all,"'said the Rev . Troy Perry, founder of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. "This march will set the pace for social ju stice and human rights ." Not 'effective' for business The organizations are working closely with Tyler to produce the event. Tyler was an instrumental organizer/producer of the past three marche s on Washington dating back to 1979. "Robin's depth of experience, commmuty commitments and unstoppable energy uniquely qualify her to lead I.he organizing efforts for this historic event, "said Birch and Perry. "This is a historic time in our movement. Although we have much greater visibility and a measure of cultural acceptance, we must not be lulled into a false sense of security,' .' Tyler said. "This march will once again show the self esteem, strength and unwavering determination of the lesbian, gay. bisexual and transgender community." The last march was April 25, 1993 and attracted more than I million participants, according to the organizers. Covey apologizes for appearance at anti-gay-marriage event SALT LAKE CITY - Stephen R. Covey, author and co-chainnall of Franklin Covey, bas apologized to several businesses about his appearance at a $100-aplate fund-raising even t in Hawaii to gppose gay marriag e, The Salt Lake Tribuue said. In letters elated Jan. 29, Franklin Covey Vice President Greg Link told the companies that Covey's "appearance at the event was in fact an unfortunate departur e from our ongoing policy and we express our regrets. We especially regret that Dr. Covey's appearance at this event put you and your organi1.ation in an w1comfortable position. " Link, quoted in a copyright story in The Tribune, said that the apology had been sent 10 a handful of clients who "exp ressed interest in whether we were going 10 become active in politic s." Covey, author of ''T he Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," spoke Nov. 21 to Save Traditional Marriage '96, au organization working to pass a ballot measure in 1998 that would amend the Hawaii Constitution to give legislators the power to detennine who may marry. The Honolulu Star-DulJetin and The Tribune reported Nov. 22 that Covey told the gathering that marriage is nol for same -sex couples. "To me, that is n k!nd of natural principle for a natural law," Covey said. "And that's why I am behind this kind of movement." Link said Covey's remarks were taken out of context in a rapid-fire exchange with a reporter before his formal remarks to the gathering, which he said were limited lo principles espoused in "'The Se\'en Habits of Highly Effective Families," published iu October. Still, he said, "Our bottom line is we shouldn't have been there. That really is not our place . Our presence at a political event gave rise to the concern we were departing from that approach , and throw ing ours elves into heavily polit ical issues, which we are not." Human Rights Campaign communications director David Smith said a transcri. pt of the evening's address shows Covey "wholeheartedly" took a political stand against same-sex marriag e and "knew exactly whom he was speaking to, offering advice on how to handle the opposition." The Human Rights Campaigu asked for an apology in December. The group said that some of Covey 's clients have gay-friendly company policies. That led lo the letters of regret, Smith said. "Clearly Mr. Covey realizes (the dinner appc!llmnce) was a mistnke mid we appreciate the apology," he said. (AP) Alaska PALMER (907) Ch .. ch ol the Cownanl P.O. Box 2888. 99645. 746-1009 . HoMlld H. Bess.p astor.A Welcominga ndA ffirmingA mericanB aplistC ongegatin Arizona PHOENIX (602) . CasaD e Cristo EvangelicaCl hurch,1 029E . Turney,8 5014.2 65- 2831. EvargilicalsC oo::emedW R,P OB ox6 6906. (303)657-3593. Olive Tree Ministries, PO Box 47787, 85068-7787. 861•3424. http'JfJV.cllxl xn/olivetre. e TUCSON (5211) CornerstoFneel lowship2, 902N .G eronimo8, 5705. 622-4626S. unday. 9 a.m., 10:30a.m., Wed"esday7, p.m.P rayers ervicel astS un.o r the month6, p.m.R adaS chaff,l l'!StorC. HRISTFORALL@juno.oom. First ChristianC hUlch,7 40 E. SpeOONa8y5, 719. 624-869.5 Surt, 8:15a.m.. 10:30amP. asu NctliK aneko. FAYffi EVILLE (501) OUIl aOfo r Guaclalo.pC1a tholicC hurchP, O Box8 32, 72702-083. 2 444-960.7 Sal, 5:30p.m. at St Martin'sE piso::paSl tudenCt enter, 814 W. Maple. Fr. Joseph Paul Smhh. pastor. California IRVINE (714) IrvineU nitedC hurcho f Chris~4 915A ltonP kwy., 92714. 733-0220. An Open& Alf~mingC ongegilion, proudlyp rO!J'esSi,v inetenlionaDy inctusrie. LA CRESCENAT ( 626) EvangllicalsC oncernedW omen's MinistryP, O Box9 4302,P asaoona, CA 91109. 568-4803.e csocal@aoloo.m Wee~ Bl:lles ludies, m onthlyp otlucka ll:f raps essions. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone #57 - Mar/Apr 1998 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/df760bb7802c9d2515399f643a3df923.pdf 15342ad114c6786098869fed795e0e55 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Issue Number The number of the issue (within a volume) 56 Publication Year The year the issue was published 1998 Publication Date The date the issue was published Jaln/Feb 1998 Text Any textual data included in the document SECOND STONE PO Box 8340 New Orleans, LA 70 182 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED TIME DATED MATERJAL 11,.1.. 1. . 11. .. 11.1. , l,l. . , , , 111 SERIALS DEPARTMENT GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION LIBR 2400 RIDGE RD BERKELEY CA 9470 9 ~D Ffe 1 ? 1998 GlUUBRARY Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID New Orleans LA Pem1it No. 511 I _V i.sit a . .. Second Stone - Outreach Partner Our national directory of Outreach Partners begins on Page 11. Distriblllio11in these cities •· f provided by Second Stone's Outreach Partners: Davton, Ohio Hav-ward , California Long Beach, California San Jose, California Memphis, Tennessee Kansas Citv, Missouri Williamsburg, Virginia Michigan City, Indiana Issue #56 LI VING INTHEEMBRACEOF A Lov 1NaAN0JusTGoo January/February 1998 ''EVl-----·--g· I needt o knowI learnedfr om .watchingD isney'' BY MICHAELCATLETT RoBERT fULGIIUl\1 told the world that everything he needed 10 know he learned in Kindergarten. With apologies to him and to you, I might say that almost everything I needed to know I learned from watching Disney. I have discovered the gospel from time lo time within their celluloid frames of animation. I have heard the gospel pronounced by some unlikely characters. The gospel is not relegated to specific places and times. ff we will but listen we can hear it spoken all around us. Sometimes we hear Ilic gospel through sermons and worship services - and sometimes it's through ch.il<lren' s stories contained on VHS tapes with a mouse-eared logo. Dumbo was an elephant with huge cars Almost c11cryone made fun of the pint sized pachydcnn with the ten gallon audi tory ornaments . The other animals laughed when he tripped and fell over them They pointed winj?~ and hcaks and fi lll!crn al hi 111a nd <·alh-<I1 1111a1 freak! Tlll'y ma<lr IJmnbo feel \'cry ~ad, and he felt like he was all alone. A mouse became his best friend, and everyone knows that mice and elephants don't usually gel along. But they became friends because the mouse was willing to sec that Dumbo's liabilities were acnutlly his assets. With the whispered encouragement of his friend, Dumbo learned that he could llap his huge ears and fly. His ears enabled him to soar above those who once criticized him. No one bas ever seen an elephant fly, but then no one had ever known an elephant like Dumbo. Just because some persons are different, it docs uot make it right to make fun of them. No one should be ostracized hccause he or she is tutique. Jesus never told a story like Dumbo, or did he? Do you know the story of Zacchcus? I have no i<lcu if he had big cars, ,Ulcl I am certain he could not fly. However, I do know of a time when he climhcd up a tree to sec Jesus. I suspect that others made fun of him, 1101 only SFF DISNEY, Pagl' 2 JimmyC reechs' supporters ptt)te.5etx tendeds uspension OMAHA, Neb. - An Omaha pastor suspcmkd afl cr pc rfom 1in~ n lcsb i:u, coiu. mitment cere mony was supposed IO be back behind the pulpit Jnnuary 11. His name was even listed on a church program as preacher for the day's worship services. Instead , about 75 supporters of the ReL Jimmy Creech gnthcred outside Omaha's f-irst United Methodi st Church to protest the pastor's absence. Creec h was not at church because Nebraska United ~lcthodisl Bishop Joel Martinez indefinitely e.\tended Creeeh's suspension - al least until a statewide church conunillcc finishes its im·esliga lion. "I wish I could stand here flus morning and tell you that I understand why (the bishor.) felt it was necessary to do this, bul l can't," said William s Jenks, who JL-u the pn:,.('rccc h rally Jenks. cha i nuun of the 011rnh:1 church's srnff parish rela tions committee. said man} felt "aba ndoned, dismissed and even betrayed" because the committee mel with f,.forlincz and had "adrncatcd strongly" against extending the suspension. "Ile ga,·e us nothing we feel we can point to as a clear and conrincing reason for taking this action," Jenks said. When asked about his response to the extended suspension, Creech told 1cle, ·ision stalion KETV that the "church is infected with society' s general higotry toward this issue." Creech said he has not hccn told when he c1m return to work. (Al') A Supportive Congregations Network church Blaze destroysh istoric Indianac hurchb uilding NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. - A fire that destroyed one of this northern lndi ana city's largest churches did more than just cause millions of dollars in slmctuml damage . It also left a hole in the community. "I keep thinking about all the sacra mcnts that took place inside this building," the Rev. Susan Boyer, pastor of the Manchester Church of the Brethren, said . "Baptisms, child dcdicatwns. funerals ,md weddings The way people have met ( 'hnst in this building ." A lite on Ian 7 s\\allow,:d the roof, •Prayer •The Bible •Words & Deeds ''EverythinIg n eedt o knowI learnedfr omw atchinDg isney'' From Pagel because of his height, but because he was in cahoots with the Roman government. He was a freak, a traitor, who made his living by extracting money from his fellow Israelite s for his personal enrichment and the enri.chment of the Roman govemment. Yet Jesus convinced him that he believed in him, and his trust transformed Zaccheus' liabiliti es into assets. Jesus offered Zaccheus salvation, and when Zaccheus received that gift of trust and faith, be began to soar; he began lo believe in himself. He gave away half of his money, and whatever he had stolen from others he repaid four times over. Those who once thought him rather short were surprised to discover how tall he had become. Those who once thought his money bags much too large were befriended by Zaccheus' generosity. You've seen about everything when you see a tax collector give to the poor and repay those who have been cheated! "Today salva tion has come to your house," Jesus declared, and Zaccheus began to fly. In "Beauty and the Beast," an ugly monster, imprisoned by an evil spell, falls in love with a beautiful young lady . She had willingly taken the place of her father who was held capti vc in the Beast's castle, offering her life in place of his. At first she is afraid of the ogre. But soon she recognize s that there is more to this creature than meets the eye. She treats him with kindness, and he reciprocates. The beast became less beastly. lllltil suddenly the beauty no longer secs him with her eyes, but with her heart. She fell in love with the ogre, and her love transformed him. humnui1..ed him, and the spell was broken. The facade of the beast was stripped away and he became a handsome prince . The truth is that he was always a handsome prince. Jesus never told this story. but he did tell the story of a beast of a man who hved on 1m island, i~olatcd from other tolks. solitary because others saw him 2 JANUARY•FFBRt;ARY 199K as hideous. Often the townspeople would try to bind him with chain s. but the chains would not hold him, and he would terrori ze the countryside . again. Jesus met the man and treated him with dignity and released him from the demons that tormented him. The man was restored , clothed, and was made whole. Then everyone could see what Jesus had been able to see, that the Gadarene demoniac was a man. It was the love of Christ that transfon ncd the demoniac, the same love tl1at enabled Jesus to sec him not as a beast, but as a brother. In 'The Little Mermaid," the merpeople, those who lived beneath the sea, believed that their existence was far different from those who lived above the waler. Much of the movie dealt with the misconcept ion that each group had fonned concerning the other. Bits and pieces of human society had made their way beneath the waters, and the merpeople grossly misunders tood the purposes of the simplest of human articles. Ariel, the little mermaid, fantasized about living on the surface as a human. Her father could not understand why she would want lo live with those others. He wanted her to follow bis traditions , to embrace life as he understood it, and he could not fathom why she would go her own way, especially if her way led her out of his milieu and his control. Ariel was willing lo embrace those who appear to be different from her, and her father could not understand why. Jesus could. That's what Jesus con stantly taught and believed. It's what Jesus lived out each day. To lepers, those who suffered from a hideous disease that always put them on the fringe of society, Jesus offered acceptance, and the grace and love of God. In the homes of tax collectors, like Zaccheus, Jesus would dine and have fellowship. Rcligi, ms types would have nothing 10 do with those outcasts l'iccause they were unclean and sinners . But Jesus loved 1hem and said lhcre was no basis for !heir exclusion . "lie even cals with si1mers!" the religious leaders shouted iu order lo criticize Jesus. Jesus implied that if a pcr~on refu sed lo cal with sinners then he or she would perish from hunger because all di1mcr companions are sinners. Y cars after Jesus' death, the Apostle Paul would write that "in Chri st there is no Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free." He wrote those words because that's how he understood the kingdom of God. That's how Je~ ad lived o~L that kingdom. ~ ,. • Once a la\'fyer, a ~c~. ..~. ~J~~ how one should live~ ~ I - Jesus answered lhe man's question by posing one of his own: "What do you think you arc supposed to do?" The lawyer responded that he w,as "to love God with all his heart, soul, and mind, and love his neighbor as him se lf." Jesu s told him that was the right respon se. Then the man asked if Jesus would qualify the term "neighbor." Apparently the man hoped it would mean only those folks who were like him, or those who-he perceived were like him. Jesus' respon se was tl1c story of the good Samaritan. He did not give an edict, nor did he offer a philo sophical treatise. Jesus told a story, and asked the man to look at the story and discover tl1c gospe l in it. Through the story the man discovered that a neighbor was anyone in need. He also tcnrncd that compassion and Jove cut across racial, etlrnic, and social divisions. It was a Samari tan, the man from a race despised by the Jews, who offered to help the Jewish man in need. Jesus lold the story to point out that all of us have a responsibility to care for all of humanity ." No mail er what arbitrary barriers we may think divide us, those barrier s do not separate us from our duty, our obligation, our opportunity to demon stra te the love of God by giving and receiving compassion and grace. I don't think Victor Hugo would be enti rely plea sed with Disney 's adaplalion of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Disney used the story as the basis of its presentation, but chose not lo be strictly faithful - to the dark story - line that Hugo penned. Howe ver, the meaning of Hugo's work and the adaptation by the animators at Disney is clear: oulcasts arc people, too. The gypsies, a marg inalized people who dwell on the fringes of society. are represented by the character &meralda, a beautiful womai1 who befriends and is befriended by another outcast, Quasimodo. Quasimodo, a hunchback, was dcfonned at birth and raised within the sanctuary of Not re Dame. The man responsibl e both for the death of Quasimodo's mother, his deformity and his education is a govenunenl official who takes every opportunity to remind Quasimodo that he is differen t, that he is defonned, that he ca1rnot be accepted by society . Quasimodo rings the be ll s of the ca thedral, telling all the commun ity that the services are about to begin, that all need to come lo worship, that all arc welcome witltin lhose walls . Everyone but Quasimodo. The townspeople ridicule the hunchbac k, awarding him the honor of Chief of Fools in their ammal celebration, only to respond witl1 anger SEE DISNEY, Next Page Christian music stars reflect on WWJD movement BY DAVID BRIGGS IN A NEW BOOK lhal expands upon the growing popularity of the "What Would Jesus Do?" movement - expressed in millions of bracelets, T-shirts and other items with the WWJD iogo - Christian music stars reflect on how they respond to die question in their own Ii ves. 'The Christian life is not a painless life. It wasn't a painless life for Jesus," said composer Dana Key, who compiled the stories in the "WWJD Interactive Devotional" from the Grnnd Rapids, Micb.-bascd Zondervan Publishing House. "Pain is part of a Christian experience." The WWJD movement , which now has ils own album and Bible in addition to the popular bracelets, asks youths lo consider what Jesus would do in a broad range of situations in their lives. Some of the examples in the new devotional are self-promoting stories of lhe impact of their music, bul in others the musicians attempt to reflect on how they handl ed incident s in their own Ii ves that chal lenged them spiritually. Michael Tait, a black perfonner for de Talk, tells of stopping in a country store in rural Tennessee and being stu1med when an older man said . "You don't belong around here boy." The man went on to say. "You stick around here after dark and we'll bang you.'' But Tait didn't lose his composure. Instead, Trait said he calmly told the man that racism was not acceptable anymore. .. I was even surprised myself al the restraint I showed," Tail recalled. "I knew Jesus would not have lashed out. And lo tell you tl1e truth, l think my calm made that man madder than anything else I could have said or done." After each personal story, there is a biblical text and a section calkd "lhc point" that attempts to intc~rnlc 1hc Bible with the lives of readers . (1\1') FAITH IN DAILY LIFE A time to act: Callf or Rene~als' SecondA nnuaPl entecosAt gainsPt overty PENTECOST COMMEMORATES the day Christians believe the Spirit of God empowered the early believer s. It marks the crea tion of the church . In 1998, Penteco st Sunday will be May 31. Faith communitie s have al re ady started plannin g their activiti es for Call to Renewal 's second ru.mual "Penteco st to Overcome Poverty ." Acts 2:42 sa ys the early church devoted themselves to praying. teaching, and sharing their bread with the poor . In 1997, 55 loc a l actions and reli gious services in 26 states were made up of these elem ents - praying. teaching , and sharing. Churches gathered in their houses of worship for a Pentec ost servic e , then gathered at state capitol s, mwlicipal buildings, and other location s with other churche s. Churchgo ers learned about the issues critical to welfar e and pov erty in their communitie s, pray ed for tho se in need, shared a community meal, reaffirmed that as church and societ y we are respon sible for how we treat the most vulnerable among us. These events included a variety of speak ers, brin ging them tog ether to develop strategy for new partner ships an d programs that will work toward t11ee limination of poverty. lu wors hi p services and in other events, this day foc uses on increas ing awareness, educati ng people about the effects of welfare refonn on individ ual commwuties and the na tion as a whole, and working for jus tice for people made poor in our society. "Pentecost to Overcome Poverty" can bring together Chris tian values, experience, and comm unity in au effective public witness. In most areas of tbe country, it is safe to say that a year into welfare reform "we l fare as we know it" no longer exists. What does e,i;ist is a crazy quilt of inconsistent policies varying from Prayer link for social justice THE METHODIST Federation for Social Action bas established a Social Justice Prayer Network. Interested volunteers are asked to make a prayer commitment in support of social justice and peace issues, which are suggested biweekly via mail or e-mail. At the same time, volunteers muy submit indi vidual requests for prayer. To participate, write to MFSA, Alln· George McClain, 76 ('Jinton Ave., Staten Island, NY 10301, gmcclain@igc.org. state to state, and in some cases from county to county. While there are some early succe ss stori es to report, the tmly difficult work still lies ahead. Those most emplo yable, and on welfare for the shortest periods of time • the easiest to move from welfare to work - are gener a ting impressi ve stati stics in several states . Long term welfare recipi ents - those who are the lea st emplo yable - are still waiting to make anyone's chart s. There is also the huge unanswered question about the fate of people after tliree months of work when most follow-up ends, and those dropped from welfare rolls but still unemployed. We have a long way to go before welfare as we knew it is truly tran sformed into a decent living standard for all. The role churche s will play is still emerging. Some communitie s have relied heavily on local faith communities, others have depend ed solely on secular social service agencies , and still others have managed to combin e the DISNEY, FromPage2 and horror when they discover that be is not wearing a cos tume, that be really is defo rmed, and that he is nothing like them. His life is spared by Esmeralda wbo bas compassion for him . She had always been an outcas t, and she unde rstood his pain and his need for acceptance and love. Her act ions place her at odds with the village officials, so she lit erally takes sanctua ry in the church, lliding there. She real izes she is now an outcas t more than ever. She knows that Quasimodo is an outcast too. The beautifu l windows of the cat hedra l shine wilh the radia nt love of God, and Esmeralda sings a song entitled "God Help the Outcasts:" "I don't know if you can hear me or if you're even there. I don't know ir you would listen to a gypsy's prayer. Yes, I know I'm an outcast. I shou ldn 't speak to you. Still I see your face and wonder were you once an outcast too? Gcxl help the outcasts, hungry from birth. Show them the mercy they don't find on earth. God help my people, they look to you still. God help the outcasts, or nobody will. I ask for nothing. I can gel by, but I know so many less lucky than I. Please help my people, the poor and downtrod. I thought wc were all the children of God. God help lhe outcast children ofGod." best gifts of both. In some place s the poten tial offer ed in the charitable choice prov ision of the welfare law is being maximized. No matter how your commu1uty is responding, the Call to Renewal 's sec ond annual "Pentecost to Overcome . Pov er ty" off ers an opportunit y for orgaru ziug. If faith -based communiti es are actively participating in shaping and implementing social polic y, activ itie s can be used to celebrate that while continuing to call governm ent to do its share . If there is a need for increa sed invol vement on the part of the religious community in your area, this is an opportunity to call them to accountabil ity. "Pentecost to Overcome Poverty" offers churche s an event around wliich to come together to talk about the way poverty and social policy impacts communitie s, and to find ways to act together. Tllis can be an important first step to openin g dialogu e among group s, con- Ca n you h ear th e gos pel in that so ng'? For years we' ve listene d to "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" and heard within those words and music the assurance that God cares for us, no matter how insignificant we may feel. In some ways, isn' t that what Esmeralda's song is about ? God loves and cares for margi nalized people, and we have a respo nsibility to love and ca re for one another as well. Many folks in churches and cmsades have heard "His Eye Is On The Sparrow ," but cow1tJess millions have watched the video, and taken their children to the Disney movie in which Esmeralda sang of the love of God that knows no bounds, the grace of God that is ex tended to all peop le. Isn't that gospe l, too? There are othe r gospe l lessons that can be gleaned. Even little children know that it is not right to hurt others for one's pleasure. They may have picked it up from "IOI Dalmations." They know it isn't right to hurt those puppies just so Cruella DeVille can bave a spotted coat. And perhaps they will come to realize that great power of Aladdin• s final wish, which is 1101 for riches, wealth, or fame - but to lift the yoke of oppression from someone's shoulders: to set the Genie free. That sounds like gospel to me. If there is a theme that connects many of the Disney cartoon works, it is love. grega tion s, and people where none has previou sly existed. Actions could includ e: an interd enominati onal service focu sing on poverty and the special needs of poor people in your area; a community meal for poor peopl e held in a public plac e such as a county welfare office or a sta te building; a teach-in on the impact of welfare reform; a job fair for welfare reci pien ts making the tran sition from welfare to work; a concert and canned food drive; or a volunteer fair that enables church member s to find exi sting agencies with which to ,york. All of the se take months to plan, so beginning work now is importan t. A Pentecost organi zing packet , including an organizing ~uide , worship resources, and a new " Pledge to Overcome Poverty" is avail able from Call To Renew a l, 2401 15th St. NW, Washington OC 20009 , (202)3 28-8842 , Call_to_Renewal @convene. com. ac ceptan ce nnd ap prc c iali o u of those who are difTerent from us. whatever "us .. may mean. Whether it is "Pocohontas .. and t11c issue of Native America ns and those who came to conqu er, colonize and ignore their traditions; or "Bea uty and the Beast," and the recognition that beauty and bestiality are a part of all of us; or "T he Littl e Mermai d," and the insight that we seldom really understand those whom we pe rceive as different from us; or "The Hunc hback of Notre Dame," and the realization that outcasts are people, too, there is an implied declaration tha t we have a moral responsibili ty to Jove and care for one another. The barriers erecte d to demonstrate our differences are artificial constructio ns. Everyo ne is my neighbor. I believe that is the gospe l. That means tbat tl1e 10,000 messeng ers to 1b.e Southern Baptist Convention who voted for the resolution to boycott Disney are also my brothers and sisters, and also my neighbors. If I choose to belittle them, or if I determine to make them outcasts because they have done something I would have preferred they not do, then apparently I haven't watched and listen ed to those Disney movies or paid ancntiou to the gospel of Christ. In Christ there is no liberal or fwulamentalist, nor moderate or conservative. We arc all one in Christ. SECOND STONE 3 FAITH IN DAILY LIFE Forg aym an,o ttlinatioan 13-yeajro urney BY ALLEN V. HARRIS GERRY BRAGUE was ordained into the minist ry of the Chri stian Church (Discip les of Christ) on Nov. 16 in a ceremony marked by hum or, tear s of pain, and thunderou s applau se. Guided by such words such as "prophetic," "patience," and "joy" hundr eds of folks gathered in the sanc tuary of First Christian Church, San Jose, Califomia to commemora te the thirteen year joumey toward ordination which Gerry has traveled After graduation from seminary at Andover Newton Theological Schoo l near Boston Gerry soug ht ordination in the Presbytelian Church (USA). Gerry moved to New York Ci ty in 1991 to be with his partne r, Allen Foste r. There he joined Park A venue Chri stian Church, where Allen was already a memb er, and began the proces s toward ordin at ion in the Chri stian Church . Gerry and Allen moved to Nor them Califomia in 1995 following the refus al to endo rse Gerry's ordinati on by the Commissio n on Ministry of the Northeastern Region due to its policy against ordaini ng m1yone who "openly communicates their homosexual lif eslyle," a policy in s ti lut ed in 1992. They first attended Forest Hill Christian Chur ch in Ecumenical & Inclusive We are a Christian community of men and women from various Catholic and Protestant traditions involved in minstries of love, compassion and reconciliation. We live and work in the world, supporting ourselves and our ministries and are inspired by the spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare. We are not canonically affiliated with any denomination. For more information or a copy of our newsletter, Footsteps. picas~ write us: Vocation Director PO Boll 8340 New Orlcan\. LA 70182 Join us on retreat May 1-3, I 998 al LaSale!le, Attleboro, MA Mercy of God Community 4 J A N lJ A R Y • F f, B R U ,\ R \' I 9 9 R San Francisc o hoping to fi nd a congrc galion supporti ve of hi s or din ation. When th.is became unlikel y, they moved their member ship to Fir st Christian Church, San Jose, an Open & Affirm ing Congregati on. Followi ng a year of study and pre paration , Ge rr y was approv ed for ordinati on last spring by the Eld er_s of Firs! Chri stian Church, San Jose, and the Recognition and Standing Co mmilte e of the Northern California-Nevada Region of the Christim1 Church. Two signific ant co ngregat ions that nurtured Gerry along his faith j onmc v were Church of the Coven ant (United Church of Chri st/Pre sbyteria n Church USA) in Bos ton and Park ;\ venue Chri~tian Church in Ne,~ York City . Both sen t strong words of commenda tion to the service. The Rev. · Crai o Ho~fman and the Rev. Allen Hanis, re1~ resentativcs from Park Avenue Christian Chur ch, the ~ongreg ation which sup ported Gerry for ordination in the North~ aSlem Regio n, brought words of greetmg and support from lhe ciders of 1hat congregatio n. A commis sioning service was celebra ted at Park A \'enue Chris1inn Church on Sunda y, October 12 for his Eas• Coa st com muni ty. Gerry served as Admini stra tive and M.inisle1ial Assistant at the church, as well as in the volunteer position of Pastoral Partner for Con temporary Culture . Com munio n was celebrated at the ord ination service using three sets of communion ware symbolizing imp or tant period s of Gerry 's lif e. One sci was sent from friends in South Australia where Gerry studied for one of his yea rs in seminar y. Another set was from the office s of the Nort hern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ , where Gerry currently serves as Admi nistrati ve Mini ster for Sear ch, Plac eme nt , and Authori zati on. The third communi on set was commi ssioned by the Elder s of Park Ave nue Christian Church in hono r of Gerry 's ordinati on. Jim Gaynor , an arti st in New York City and member of the congrega tion , fashioned the chalice and paten from "found" items, rep rese ntin g sy mboli ca lly the close connections between salvaging and salvatio n. A native of Dallas. Pennsy l\'a nia , Gerry was j oined hy many family mem · hers, in cl uding hi s mothe r, Doris Brague; his sister, Linda Ross O'Nei ll . and her hushand: Gerry's nephew, Jonathem Ross; one of his two bro thers, David Brague, and his wife. and their childre n. llis paru1cr, Allen Foster, was an integral part of the ceremony, haYing helped de sign creative elcmenl s such as the banner proclaiming Micah 6:8 -9 "Wha t d9cs God require of you'! Do ju stice, Love mercy , Walk humbly with yo ur God," splendid flower arrangement s, and a ph oto di splay of Ge rry 's life shared during the reception . The Rev. Dr. Jane I Icckle s and the Rev. Dr. Kathle en Greid e r provided Gerry with his mini s terial charge. Using the creative invit ation lo 1he ordination that Gerry a nd Allen had fashioned , which was pr in ted 0 11 reused maps, i\ls. Ilcck.lcs and t-.ls. Greid er explored the journey Ge1ry had been on, and con templated whe re Gerry mi ghl want lo go in his mini stry . Eventually they came to the co nclu sion lhal Gerry was following God's call within himself, where all of us ult imatel y listen for God's urgin g mid dir ec tion. A tran sformati ve moment occ urred when member s of Forest I !ill Chri stian Church of Sa n Fra ncisco stood and tcarfull y share d their persona l pa in and regre t that their church was not willing or able lo endor se Gerry's requ est for ordination at that point. T he Rev . Chu c k Bl a isdell, regional minister and pre sident of the North ern Califomia -Nevada Reg ion , offered the pra yer of ord inati on as the community laid hands on the ordinand . Following the act of ordin at ion , ex tended app la use met Gerr y as he ro se to his feet. The now Re ve rend Brague pre sided at com muni on and gave the hen cd ic tion mid final charge . Gayg roupr aisesfu nds for Baptisct hurch IN THE AFTERMATH of the Bapt ist boyco lt of Disney, it seems nnthinkab le . Gays and le sb ian s raising mone y to help n Baptist church? It's tm c . As Mickey Mouse faints and Jerry Fa! well hisse s, a group of gay and lesbian Baptists in Dal las have embarked on a fund rai sing c-ampaign to support Austin 's Univer sit y Bapt ist Church. Two years ago the church ordained an open ly gay member as a deaco n. As word filtered to the larger Bapti st communit y, a fire stonu of controve rsy erupted . · The official Bapti st response was publ ic and punitive as the Austin Bapti s t Ass ocia tion revoked UBC' s member ship and the Bapti st Ge neral Conve ntion of Texas sci into works a mechani sm to refuse sea ting UBC' s me ssen gers to its annual stale conv entions. UBC found itself isola ted and alone, but not without friends. " It's sad that , in the Bap tist church , we sa y that everyo ne is welcome when they' re not ," said Bria n Burt on, president of Honestyffexas, a support , educa tion and advocac y gro up for gay Bap tists. '' Like proph ets thro ugh the ages , UBC is suffering fo r doing th e right thing.'' Pastor Larry Be thun e said that, in terms of members hip and finances, the decis ion to ordain a gay person was costly. "We lost key families who either left over the decision or because of the glare of the nega tive publicity," he said. Carter Wheelock, deacon chaim1an at llBC, said that while the church is smal ler, its sp irit has improved . "There is a higher spir itu a lit y. Doing what we feel is right has lift ed our spirits and made thing s better. " he said . Recently Bethune welcom ed 32 gay mu.I le sbian Bap ti sts who ga thered for a weekend retreat ho sted by UBC. "It was the first time most of them had been ope nly accepted by a Bapti st mini ster in a Bap ti st ch urc h, " reca ll s Wheelo c k. "There was har dl y a dry eye among them." Pam Van Dyk e , vice pre sid ent of Hones ty. said that the idea to rai se fund s came af ter the retreat. "W c found out the UBC needed to re furbi sh their ex teri or sanctuary doors." The beautifully carved wooded doo rs are worn and graffiti is scrawl ed on two of the impres sive stone doorway s. According to Van Dyke , "As we dis cussed our option s at our November meet ing of Hone sty, someo ne in the group said , ' I like the sy mbolism of refurbi shing those doors. " ' In the fir st week o f the camp aign, Hones ty rais ed $ 1,400 towar d its goal of $2,500 . "P eo ple fe lt powe rle ss when UBC was bein g cru ci fied two yea rs ago, " Burton sai d. 'T his gives folk s an op portllllity to say 'Th anks fo r standi ng up and speak ing the truth with. grace and cou rage. T hank s for open in g your doors for us."' Donations for this ca mpai gn, payable to llniversity Bap tist Chu rc h, may be sent to Open the Doo rs. c/o Brian Bur ton, P .O. Box 191021, Dallas TX 75219 . FAITH IN DAILY LIFE Strmght pastor shapes church's ministryt o gays iriot a natitJnaml odel BY CLARK MORPHEW ST. PAUL , MINN. -A Luth eran chur ch here began a mi nis try to gay men and 'lesbians in 1978 , the same yea r a citywi de re fe rendum denying th em ci vil rights was passed. Backed by fundamentalist chur ches, the meas ure repealed earlier leg islation that outlawed discrim ination in hous ing, emp loyment and education to all St. Paul residents. As the deb a te grew in int ensity, one small chur ch , St. Paul Reform ation Luth eran , stood out from the crowd as an ad vocate fo r ci tize ns' ci.;,il rig hts regar dless of their sex ual orientation. Tod ay that congregation has become a nat iona l mod el of inclu sive mini s try . St. Paul Refonna tio n church will bar no . person from worship and has a history of ad\'Ocacy for anyo ne in nee d. The Rev. Paul T idemaiu1, pastor of the congrega tio n since 198 I , has endur ed the wra th of those who wan t gays m1d lcshia ns set apart from the traditional churc h. In one way, Tidemann , who is heterosex ual, didn't have much choic e . He became pa stor of St. Paul Reformation ju st as the newly me rged congreg ation was taking shape . By then, membe rs alr eady had isola ted several issues tha t would id entify their mission ever since. Memb e rs wanted to: foster closer involvement with the African -Americ an com mun ity ; part icip a te in di alog ue about apartheid in So11tl1A fric a; become an inclu s ive communit y in rega rd to wome n; open their congrega tion to refugees; advocate for people with di sabilities, and become a welcoming church for gay men and les bian s. Tidemmm had come to the same concl usio ns abo ut mini stry. Il e had served as a pas tor in inner city chur ches and as a miss ionary to Guya na dwin g the Jim Jones massac re. He also had twin brot hers who were gay and who both died of AIDS. Ti demann was no stranger lo controversy. By the time he arrived in 1981, the congregatio n already had become a gathering place for Lutherans Concerned. Within a year of his arrival, Tidcmann and otbers had founded Wingspan, a ministry with and for gays and lesbians. Wingspan became one of the premier advocacy groups for gays and lesbian s in the Twin Cities. working with the Minnesota Cou ncil of Churches and other ecumenical agencies. l3y 1983, Ti<lemmm was faced with a decision he suspected would nwke his ministry much more controversial. I le had been asked · to bless a committed relationship between two lesbians. "That was the big co ntrover sy," Tidemann said. "I expec ted a sma ll pri vate se rvice, but when I arri ved, about ISO people were the re . Within weeks , news of the blessi ng service was all acros s the countr y. And pe opl e were calling the bishop demanding that Tidcmann be disciplin ed. So, we' re a long way from that flO\ \'." Tidem arn1 was not disci plin ed. Since then, he has perfor med more than 20 union serv ices . Such cere monies, ca lled ■ The Rev. Paul Tidemann ... has endured the wrath of those who want gays and lesbians set apart from the tradition al church . ■ blessings. he said, arc nol lhe equi\'alcnt of church weddin gs because of prevai ling laws and society's reaction. "lf we can bless an elepha nt walking down tl1e aisle of a cathedral on the feast day of St. Francis, we ought to be able to bless the committe d re lation ship of two gay or le sbian peop le ," Tidc mmu1 said. · Now after nearly two dec ades of being on the front line with gay and lesbian peopl e and witnes sing eonnt less reports and studie s. Tidernam1 thinks it's time for the c hurch to move in n new directio n. "\Ve',·e s tudied the mailer to deat h," Tid emmm said . "Now we ha ve it all wri llen down - all kind s of s tudie s and reports - and there isn't much roo m for the lloly Spiri t to move." Still in the years ahead, Tidemmm and Wings pan directo r Anita Hill will continue to pnsh for the full par ticipation of gay a nd les bian peo ple in the Evan gelical Lutheran Omrc h in America. Now Tidemrum says there is only one issue for the church to consider - will the denomi nation ordain gay mid lesbian cm1didatcs, who are in a committed mid blessed relationship, into min.istry'? "We've made some progrcss,"Tidcuuum said. "But it's wearying and wearing. And over the years I haYe become so fed up listening to hate mongering and all the rest." (St. Paul Pioneer Press) Since 1988, a friend for the journey. Subscribe today! 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Address changes provided by the Post Office result in an adjustment of the subscription expiration date. Supply old address label here and prinl new address in top section "Individual Subscription" . HOW TO GET YOUR ORDER AND OTHER INFORMATION TO US MAIL: Mail completed fom1 to P. 0. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70 182 FAX : This form may be trimmed at its border and tnuismilled by FAX. Dial 504-899-40 14. Press 3* when prompted or at any time during the message. When you hear the tone, begin transmission. E-MAIL: Send a message supplying the data requested lo secstone@ao l.com SecoSntdoe n THE STONE THAT THE BUIWERS R£JECTED BECAME THE CORNERSTONE· Mark 12:10 SEC'OND STONE 5 - ' • - ' ' .. _ ::,--~- .- ~ ·:-:_ ~ -~❖. ..~. -- ·---_-: ~ ·~· .· .. ~ .... ·,,., . ~~ A . ..•· . ! .- ... ~ .,., ,.... M . N : ...· N.·;· .,-.~.i / ".·'.•· .\.t~~ . . '. - . ,. - . . ... ,J ' ' . . . • BY REV.D ONNAE . SCHAPER A meditation on . . boundaries Spirit of the Edge, draw near. Let us look both ways, out fr01n where we arc and in to ·where we arc and across the table at the one some. think of us as other. Let us sec ourselves in others and let others see themselves in us. Amen l hear the word boundary everywhere but don't think we know what it quite means. My hunch is that, among feminists/womanists, white women like boundaries and women of color don't. There may be two border theologies afoot at the moment. Post-modernism has not only split our consciousness but also our community. It is nothing to sit in a meeting with white women and hear the loud tongue clicking about the men of the Achilles Penis se t. "They have no boundarie s ....... that's what is wrong with tl1em. " Solution: get men more bounded. The other popular . topic among clergy is overwork: I work too hard is the theme song of this lament. Solution: get more personally bounded. Structure your time; take care of yourself. There is a clear pro-boundary movement among white, middle class clergy. Right next to these kinds of thoughts arc those that are basically pro. immigration . We want immigrants; we want multi-culturalism. We :•pprove of "mixed" couple s. We welcome the stranger who crosses the boundary to come to the United States. In "Rethinking Borders" by Trin Min Ha, we arc brought to realize how "thoroughly hybrid ... things arc. Other is between us, not out there. Cultures arc far from being unitary. We no longer have clear border s. One constautly threads the fine line between Dyoo kun otwhe~ ixlteha dicnagu o~fde e atahm ong 15-24-yeainrt- hoeUl dn\ it\etadt ei? YOUR CONGREGATION CAM TALK TO YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT HIV/AIDS. \'BROKENNESS TO WHOLENESS" AN HIV/AIDS PREVENTION CURRICULUM FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AGES 15-18 A Project of the LutherJn IIIDS Network supporccd by lhc ~ ntcra for Disease C.Otnrol c.ndP r1..c-nv1lon and 1he AIDS Nc1tirm3I Interfaith Network I-or f-unhcr information about the curriculum. caiU 1hc Lurhcmn AlDS NciworkO 41S.9l8 7770 CXI 4 "[Jhb! trri<IIIOU)f ll!llt l<hibmlt omtnn [alr hkb( briltiy1oungn p iopultn ]m pond .If hlU!Iw lt(mb noUtI UilO~p (ton dilm1ii1lli n 8 iblt-lbltd, ~ilhm vrmi tnt•. JillI MilltllJ llm!t\l tdil 111PBn pn C.clldUlii lmly--l/llDR!ln 6 JAN UARY • FEBR t lARY 19 9 8 positioning and depositioning: One trav els tran s-culturally while engaging in the local habitus which links inhabit• ants." Chung Yung Kuhn joins her in a basic appreciation of the post-modern mixt-up-edncss. At the Auburn conference on the p1,1blicv ocation of women's theology, she teased her public detractors, "You don't like my synchretism ■ encourage sexual experimentation or the breaking of marriage vows? No:· But we .should encourage promise on the right theoretical foundation. Promise is less about keeping boundaries than it is about accepting the call to be more Christlike and to break some of the bondage of our humanity . Promises and covenants do more than humans normally can do. We are unbounded in our Promises and covenants do more than humans normally can do ... Promise is less about keeping boundaries than it is about accepting the call to be more Christlike and to break some of the bondage of our humanity. but you do like the synchretism of orthodo:,i; Christiaruly ... T One theologian likes boundaries; t11e otl1c.r enjoys mixing things up. What can personal bow1darics mean theolooicall y. under these circum stanc~? 0 Does "boundary theology" have any• thing to do with Christianity, which mixes God and human iu a way that makes it different from all other world religions? Can we imagine Anselm being opposed to t11e boundaries that God chose to cross? Or any of the original Trinitari:ms thinking U1at God did not mix and blend the self of God? When we decide not to mix boundaries, we go against some central doctrines of the church . We decide that God's self -disclo sure to God's self is more than we can bear. We try to let God be God and us be humans. We make tirings clear , way too clear . God will mix them up, I believe. By way of personal disclosure, I am both white and very human. I actually think that "taking care of ourselves" and "keeping strong personal boundaries" are middle class, white values. They do not compute to the alien. the stranger, the traveler or tl1e poor: they want to move. We do not want them to move. These ,,aJucs do not compute with the kind of God we know, a Go<l that is on the move, even within the very self of God. Docs tit.is boundary crossing at the heart of God mean that we should ■ love for our intimate partner: not bow1ded, but unbounded by ii and lo ii. Simi larly, we do not need so much to "protect " our time as to relea se it to God. God will protect us in our self. giving. There is a mathematics to generosity : the more we give, the more we are able to give . Again, the theoretical premise of bmmdaries is dangerous. It turns us stingy. Peggy Way onoe described Christianity as the "freedom to choose one's own bondage ." I believe she is getting close to tl1e paradox and virtue of boundary theology . We need to explore this paradox in racial and class terms and see what could come of it , for use ·by both people of color and wltite people. We need to reacquaint ourselves with the Trinity - and ask the interesting question of whether the Trinity was not postmodern before post-modentity . We need to refocus on the multitude of textual material about the strnnger. the exile, the alien: what are tl1ey called by God to do? I believe they are called by God to break out , uot to stay put, and I believe tha t lib era ting motion is at the very heart of the one we dare call , by three names . God. Tlte Rev. Donna E. Schaper is Associate Conference Mi nister witlt the Massachusetts Conference of the United Cl111rclo1f C11rist. Her new book is "The Sense In Sabbatl1: A Way To Have Enough J'ime," t,misf ree. MANNA Travel that can change your life BY REV. DONNA SCHAPER Kottler, published by Jossey -Bass, 1997. $20.00. IF YOU ARE GOING more places, and enjoying them less, it may be time to read this book . Here you will find out how to read a new city, how to find yourself in a foreign place, and how to use travel for personal renewal, rather than personal exhaustion. Transfonnation is the word used most often here - and the author both promiscs and delivers a deligluful set of recipes for precisely that. Kottler develops the theme of travel as both necessity and luxury and shows us how to blend the two. Joining the Dutch architect and intellectual, Rem Kool has, Kottler shows that we Ii ve in a time of nows, not just space, and movements, not just "getting there." We increasingly need lo develop a psychology and spirituality of flow. The capacity to live an interior life in a strange place is the destination of this God's Lover by Kathleen Kopitsky The story is like this: There was a woman. A deeply spiritual woman, who stood before God and gazed into God's eyes. "Amma," she whispered. "Ask," God answered. "Show me Jove," the woman queried. God peered into the woman's eyes, down to her soul, and saw her need, her longing to understand and to know. "We will send you a Jover." The woman went away happy, for she knew her God would not let her down. As the sun was beginning its journey down from it~ height s, the woman noticed someone on the horizon. "It must be my lover coming to me," she thought. Her lover's hair was dark. Her lover' s eyes were blue. Her lo ver's stride was strong. Her lover 's hips swayed. Her love r's rob e flowed. And when her lover spoke , she sounded like the univ erse sighing . Toge th er they raised one voice in a song of praise. Togeth er they danced in to the night, thanking God for the Pr ese n ce. God smiled and was happy. "Blessed are yo u, 0 Woman. You remained op en to Jove, and I came to you ." book. It almost ar.rives. Slight ly repetitive, it assures us that we can be at home anywhere while minimizing the difficulties many actually experience as time zones change and bodies don't. As practical as the book is, it might have paid more attention to the actual practicalities of travel, like what to pack, how to gel rest when you can't rest, and the like. For those of us who want to get home when we are away, and to get away when we are home, this book is a shade short of helpful. It doesn't appreciate paradox or agony as much as we do - and pays more attention lo lhe pleasures than the pains of traveling. Typical of travel Ii tcrature, it shows us how the best thing that can sometimes happen on a trip is the loss of one's purse or luggage. Auschen bach, the tragic traveler of the German Novel, "Death in Venice," told the story of losing one's baggage the best. But this book is a good rival. Surprise is part of most itineraries. With Pearl Buck, the daughter of Chinese missionaries, who said that she knew the "joy and the anguish of being homeless on both sides of the world," this book is clearly written by someone who loves travel and wants others to · love it as much as he does. Whether your next destination is exotic or plain, this book is a good companion for the bed table and the carry on bag. It might even transform you, if you want lo be trausfonned. "' lesbian and gay · New&s Entertainment for 'New Orleans since 1977 TravelM oviPe olice TheatreG ayH istory WickeSdt age Directory LesbiaVno icesP olitics QuarteSrc enes. Book,s. pbooe : 5().11944-6722 or 8881944-6722 fax: 500944-6794 & more. gaymail@impa.cctonmew s www.impac.clollmeW S The Un Time -Management ·Book Sabbath Sense This is your invitation to pack your spiritual baggage and move to the neighborhood called ENOUGH - en ough time, enough rest, enough play. The reality of "sa bbath " as a day of rest and been lost am idst our to-do lists, day-organi zers, and endless err ands , but the sens e of sabb ath, as spiritu al leisur e, is very much nee ded in our tim e-st arved world . • Turn not-enoug h time in to ENOUGH time; • Uni fy fragmented time through RITUALS; • Weave a pattern of SACREDNESS into your life; •DECLUITER, simp lify , and slow down. A Spiritual Antidote for the Overworked by Donna Schaper $11 .95 paperba ck 6X9 128 pages ISBN 1-880 913 -25-9 Available in b ookst ore s or call l nnis fr ee Pres s l -80 0 -367-5 8 72 to or d er. l Press lnnisiree - SECO ND ST O NE 7 'PagorJ eff'i n forefronot f challengteo ELCApolicy BY MARTHA IRVINE SAN FRANCISCO - He hardly looks the part of a renegade, I.bis clean-cut pastor who hums to himself as be walks through Lhe sanctuary of his tiny church with his black lab Murphy trotting at his side. But there is something about the Rev. Jeff Johnson that many church leaders would rather most people didn'L know - something that led them to reject Jolmson and the 55 members at San Francisco's First United Lutheran Church. John son is openly gay. He also THE OTHER Side Strengftohr t hej ourney Books on topics of interest to you are available by mail from The Other Side. Browse our catalog -- or special order just what you are looking for. We deliver! 1-800-700-9280 www.theotherside.org 8 JANUARY•I-EBRUARY 1998 refuses to take a vow of celibacy. And that is unacceptable in the eyes of the leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - and the majority of faiths. Christian and otherwise, in this country and many others. "As far as they're concerned, I no longer exist," says Johnson , one of a growing number of pastors who are challenging their churches' stances on homosexuality. Leaders in many faiths are stmggling with this question : what does it mean to be gay or lesbian and a person of faith? The question seems particularly precarious when applied to pastors and rabbis. 'Twen ty or 30 years ago the bold move would have been for a white church to hire a black pastor," says Rita Nakashima Brock, a religious expert and director of the Bunting Institute at Radcliffe College in Massach usetts. "These days, it's the church that hires an openly gay or lesbian pastor that is scrutinized." Until recently, it was the norm for lesbians and gay men, both pastors and parishioner s, to hide their sexuality or to leave their faiths altogether. These days, a very few lesbian and gay pastors - in the United Church of Chris t, Metropolitan Community Church and some refonned Jewish synagogues - have the church 's blessing to be openly gay without requiring celibacy. Other pastors and rabbis are willing to come out to their congregations. But the majority maintain a "don't-ask-don'ttell" policy with the higher ups, knowing that divulging too much would have swift and costly consequences. Even those who consider themselves the equivalent of married rarely tell their bishops or other church elders. "If I crune out publicly - for example, in the press - I would be fired," says one Protestant pastor, who doesn't hide her long-term relationship with a woman from her San Francisco congregation and peers, but has not discussed it with church leaders. Living openly has not always been UnitedM ethooisct lergys up):X)rt Creech,e xpressd isagreement withc hurchJ :X)Sitioonn g ays IN AN ACTION OF support for the Rev. Jimmy Creech, the Ontaha. Nebraska, United Methodist pastor who has been suspended by his bishop for conducting a covenant service for two women in his.congregation, the coordinator of "In All Things Charity" movement has made public the names of the hundreds of United Methodist clergy who signed the foundation statement, "In All Things Charity." More than 1300 United Methodist clergy have signed the statement since it was first circulated in late 1996. Signers of the statement of conscience "affinn appropriate liturgical support for covenantal commitments between samegendered couples" ru1d join the protest initiated by the 15 Methodist bishops who during the 1996 United Methodist General Conference disse nted from the church's official posit.ion that homosexual practic e is "incompatible with Christian teaching ." "We feel this is a moment for our · movem ent to go public in support of Jimmy Creech and all United Methodist clergy who seek to extend pastoral care to persons without discrimination as lo sexual orientation," said coordinator Greg Dell, pastor of Broadway United Methodist Church in Chicago. According to the statement, "The Church has called itself to be in ministry to all persons regardless of their sexeasy for the 35-year-old Jolmson mid his church without moral - 1101 to menuon financial - support of the greater Lutheran church. They receive financial suppor t from a Washington-based nonprofit that supports gay and lesbian Lutheran pastors. But, if they have any regrets over supporting him, his parishioners don't say so. "He is who he is, and we love him for it," says 75-year-o ld May Vignola says of " Pastor Jeff," known as much for his ready laugh as his ability to quote any number of Biblical passages at will. Vignola, a member of First United Lutheran Church for more than 45 years, was one of several members who stood behind Johnson when the ELCA ordered the church to fire Johnson or be thrown out. "The few people in the church who didn't agree, well," Vignola says , pausing, "They left." That was in 1995. But Johnson's troubles began long ual orientation. To withhold rituals of support and accountability for committed relationships is unconscionable.' ' The original 15 signers of "In All Things Charity" are Gilbert H. Caldwell, senior pastor, St. Mark 's United Methodist Church, Harlem, NY; Minerva Carcano, Perkins School of Theology, Dallas, TX; Ignacio Castuera, pastor, North Glen<lale United Methodist Church, CA; Susan P. Davies, district superintendent, Omal1a, NE; Gregory Dell, pastor, Broadway United Methodist Church, Chicago; Victor Paul Furni sh, professor, Southern Methodist University, Dalla s, TX; Sidney G. Hall III . pastor, Trinity United Methodist Church, Austin, TX; William A. Holmes, pastor, Metropolitan Memorial United Methodi st Church. Wa.shington; Takayuki Ishii, pastor . Metropolitan-Duru1e United Methodist Church, New York City; George McClain, exec utive director, Methodist Federation for Social Ac tion. Staten Island, NY; Richard S. Parker. pastor, Island Park (NY) United Methodist Church; Sharon Rltodes-Wickett. pastor, Westwood United Met11odist Church, Los Angeles, CA; Tex Sample. professor, St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, MO; Eugene Winkler, pastor. First United Methodist Church, Chicago; J. Philip Wogaman, pastor, Foundry United Methodist Church, Washington, DC. before in 1987 when he and two lesbians decided to come out to their bishops while in seminary at Berkeley. "It was gut -wrenching," Johnson says. "As far as we knew, no one had ever come out and survived." His bishop at the time was the Rev. Lyle Miller, a man Johnson had known since his childhood days in Simi Valley. CaJif., and who was a close personal friend of Johnson's parents. "Part of the reason I became a pastor was because of him," Johnson says of Miller. That made it all the more painful when, in 1988, Miller called Johnson into his office to ask him to sign a lifelong vow of celibacy. "What about unconditional love, unconditional grace?" Johnson asked Miller, who had spread newspaper clippings about the three seminarians across his desk. "There was no religious motivation behind what hi! was doing ," Johnson SEE JOHNSON, Next Page NATIONAL NEWS ABCw on'ts how 'NothinSga crede'p isodea boutg aypr iestw ithA IDS LOS ANGELES - An epi sode of the ABC series "Nothing Sacred" about a gay Catholic priest with AIDS is being withheld by the network out of "cowardice," the drama's consulting produccrsaid . Richard Kramer co-wrote the episode in which Father Ray (series star Kevin Au~.erson) discove rs that a friend , a fellow priest he knows to be secretly gay, I• JOHNSON, From Previous Page said. "He wanted to save his political butt." Discus sing the matter is still difficult for Miller, now a Lulheran pastor in Tacoma, Wash. He has recently rekin dled his friendship with Johnson's parents but not Jolmson. "It was very painful and Jeff is a fine person .... He has good gifts and is a dedicated person," Miller says. "But if a person is gay, he or she is not to be sexually active as a gay person. Sexual activi ty belongs in the commitment of marriage." Sex outside of marriage has, iu fact, hecn the focus for many faiths when it comes to gay clerg y, making for often contentious church convention s and disciplinary hearing s as a growing number FIRE, From Front Pagl' back and parts of the sides of the I I 7- yea r-old church , whose 700 member s make up what is believed to be the lar gest congregation in this town of 6,600. A police office r on patrol spotted the fire shor tly after 2 a.m. The fire was thought to have started in or near the boiler room . No one was injured in the fire. The Manche ster chur ch is one of the 19 cong regatio ns of the Supporli ve Congr ega tions Networ k. a group of churches that have made a public state ment welcoming gays and lesbia ns. Suppo rtive Congrega tion s Network churches de signated Jan uary 25 as an "Ecumenical Sunday of Welcome ," and as a symbo l of solidarity, SCN has designated half of the Ecume nical Sunday of Welcome offerings collec ted in support of the work of SCN for the rehuildi ng of the Manchester Church of the Brethren. An investigation into the fire's cause ha~ hcgun. A federal requirement man dat,.; s that ATF in\'cstigntors look into c\'cry church fire nationwide, said Norlh is ill with AIDS. Father Ray tries to persuade his despondent friend to stay in lhc priesthood. "ABCs decision to bury ii was based on cowardice, cruelty and co-option of the religiou s eight's agenda," Kramer told the Los Angeles Times . fonncrly the series' co-executive producer, Kramer wrote the script with Father Bill Cain, a Jesuit prie st. The of pastors - both gay and straight - break their silence. There also are a growing number of straight pastor s wh9 are speaking on behalf of their gay and lesbian counter part s. One of those is the Rev. ·waiter Bock, a retired Lutheran pastor in San Francisco who has spoken on Johnson's behalf. "I don't think it's fair or right," Bock says. "A Christian mini stry of word and sacran1ent is still being carried on and it has nothing to so with their sexuality. "And we're losing a 101 of fine people beca USC of i I." It was that sort of opinion that led a small group of San Francisco pastors to ordain Jolmson and the two lesbian pastors he grad uated with in 1990 again st Manche ster Fire Chief Jack Fetrow. More than 100 firefighter s hauled the blaze for several hours before bringing it under control. Their efforts were hampered by a broken natural gas main that fed the fire. Damag e to the church is expected 10 be in the million s of doll ars, he said. The foundation of a $1.6 million addition that had been started was in the mbhle. No one was injur ed in the fire. And in that, Boyer found comfo rt. "The church is the people ," said Boyer. "We're all OK." Sunday services were planned to be held at a high school auditoriwn, accord ing to church member Bob Gross . The church, whose origi nal structure was dedicated in 1881. was a complex of se,•era l rcmodelings and additions, including 11 $1.3 million education annex that was still under constniction. ''It's going to be a pretty dc,·astating lo~s to the town," said fetrow . " fhcy arc II large part of the community." (AP and other rcpons) episode was filmed in July and had been intended lo air as "Nothing Sacrcd's" second hour, after the pilot. David Manson, producer of the freshman series that has drawn critical acclaim as well as allacks from some Catholic groups, said the unaired episode is abont religion rnthcr lhan homosexuality. "It's not about this man's sexual prefthe church's wishes. The church still considers the ordinations illegal. In another move of defiance , Lutheran pastors in San Francisco have con tinu ally elected Johnson as their dean to rep resent tl1em in the Sierra -Pacific Synod - - 218 Lutheran congregations in Nortl1- em California and Ncrnda. "There's a very clear intention lo send a messa ge to the church, " says Bishop Robert Mattheis, who now oversees the Sierra-Pacific Synod. Mauhci s - who calls Jolmson "very gifted and capa ble'' - says the synod has not cha ll enged Johnson' s elect ion , though he cannot participaie in official church business, such as ordinalion s. But, beyond that, some sense a shifl ing in the synod's views on the matter. Unlike his predeces sor, for example , Matthei s opted not to puni sh St. Paul Lutheran Church , a large congrega tion in Oakland whose pastor is openly gay and in a long-tem1 relationship. "I cho se to say I'm just going to not deal with lhat and let it take care of itself," Mattheis says . "My sympathies lie more on the open and accepting side. The issue is not settled for roe but my sympatlues are there." The issue is also hardly seule d for the ELC/\ or any other number of churches, - both in lenm of clergy and pari shioners. Last year, for exam ple, the Ameri can Baptist Churche s of the West, voted to expel four churches in the San Francisco Bay area for a policy of welcoming gay and lesbian members without auempt ing to rcfonn them. With all the discnssion and the infighting has come change - albeit slow movi ng - for some ch urche s, including the Chicago-based ELCA. '"I sense that there is less and less resistance ... and more of n willingnes s to think seriously about lhc question," Mattheis says of his faith . "It won't happen tomorrow .... "But God's 1i111111sgu rpri ses us. almost always ." erences but about the nature of tolerance nnd compassion and about trying to get a mnn who doesn't feel worthy lo come back to the table," Manson said. (AP) Presbyterians for Lesbian & Gay Concerns "For all Presbyterians who care about lesbian .and gay people and their full membership in the Presbyterian Church(USA) " Boston/Northern New England 802-229-5438 SouthernN ewE ngland 203-442-5138 New Jersey 908-249-1016 GeneseeV alley 716-663-9130 Pittsburgh 412-683-5239 ~ 1~ Philadelph ia 2 15-699-4750 o,stricl of Columbia 202-488-4220 Ballimore 410-254-5904 EasternV irginia 804-497-6584 Norlhem Ohio 216-932-1458 Central Indiana 317-931-9553 DelroiVSoutheasteMrnic higan 313-255-7059 WinnebagWo,i sconsin 414-731--0892 Twin Cities Area 612-884-6908 Chicago 312-751-0250 SI. Louis 314-822-3296 Central Arkansas 501-224-4724 Louisiana 504-344-3930 Nebraska 402-733-1360 Oklahoma 405-848-2819 Houston 713-440-0353 San Francisco 510-653-2134 Oregon 503-6526-508 Seattle 253-859-5686 I SFCONI) STONE 9 1, NATIONAL NEWS S~ers ong ayt opiar;e movedf romd iversitcyo nference STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The State College Arca School District dropped two speakers who were to address homosexual issue s at an emplo yee diversity work shop after a local Christian group objected. "We were not prepared for the contro versy that was generated by having those people invited ," said David Hutchinson, chairman of the district's diversity committee. "There was a concern on our part that we might end up jeopardizing the whole diversity day if we went ahead with the original plan." A program for the January workshop lists a keynote speech by Milton J. Bennett of the lntercultural Communication In stitute and a choice of 16 session titles, including "Steeples, Temples. and Minarets: Te aching and Working in a Religiou sly Diver se Americ a ," "Communicating Respect" and 'The State of Hate in Pem1Sylvania." The committee eliminated pre senta tions by Sue Rankin of the office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity at Penn State , and Penn Sta le psychology professo r Tony D'Augcll i. In an unrc - lated move, another 13 speaker s, who were not speaking on homosexual issues, were eliminated from the program when the district narrowed the workshop 's scope. D'Augelli , a research psychologi st. said his speech was going to focus on some problems gay and lesbian children experience adjusting lo a lifestyle many don't accept. "I can't remember ever in my profe ssional career being disinvited to a professional presentation ," he said . . Ms. Rankin. a diversity planning analyst at Penn State , said she had plrumed to speak about such issues as how students feel about anti-gay mune calling . She received a leller on district station ery from a diversity commiltec member, saying that "due to budget constraints and other unfore seen circumstances , we have redesigned our program to provide a more general overview or cultural diver sity and its impact on schoolin g .... We regret that we have eliminated your session." The di ve rsity work shop , mandatory fo r the di strict' s estim a ted ·600 PresbyteriaCnh urchw ill hear dispute over gay man's appointment as elder CINC INN ATI - The Pres byterian Ch11£ch (U.S.A.) will bear an appeal in a 2-year-o ld dispute over a gay man' s appointment as an elder. The General Assembl y's permane nt j udicial commission probably will hear the case in August, Jerry Van Marter. direc tor of the church's news age ncy, said. A church member com plained after Knox Presby terian Church in Cincinnati ordained as an elder a man it knew was gay. The member said the local session, which governs the 1,300-member church, improperly allowed a homosex ual to become an elder. The comp laint sent the issue to the Cincinna ti Presbytery's permanent judi cial commission, which declared the ordination invalid by a 4-3 vote. The regional Synod of the Covenant in Columbus overturned that deci sion in October, and the member who filed the complaint appealed to the church's headquarters in Louisville. The church has not publicly identified lhc gay man, who ii; curren tly holding the position of cider, or the complain - 10 J1\N IJARY • rEl:lRll/\RY 1998 ant. The church did not immediately comment after the ju dicial commi ssion decision in Cincinn ati. The re is continuin g disagree ment witllin tl1e church about whether its constitution forbids the ordina tion or homosexua ls, said the Rev . Sam Roberson, general presbyter of tl1e 86-church Cincinnati Presby tery, which includes Knox Presbyteriru1. While church offic ials have welcomed gay and lesbian membe rs, the assembly's po licy has been that "selfaffinning. practicing homosexual per sons" are ineligible for ordinatio n. However, the ban has never been placed in the church's "Book of Order," or constitution . It gives the responsibility of ordaining deacons and ciders to congregations and the authority to ordain mi1listers to presbyteries. In recent years, some pastors have told their congregations they arc gay, while others were ordained after coming 0111. There arc about 20 openly gay pastors in the church. (AP) employee s, was scheduled for Jan. 21 at the Pew1 Stater Hotel and Conf erencc Center. The school district draws nearly 7,400 students from 150 square miles. The commiltee removed the two speakers on gay and lesbiru1 issues after obj ections from a group or some 60 people led by Mitch Smith, pastor of tl1e Christ Community Church & Worship Center of Stale College , who met with Superintendent Willirun Opdenh off. Barry Kroeker, editor of the Communicant, a local Chri stian newspaper. had wriuen t11at members of the group. Citizens for Excellence in Education, feared the workshop would provide a fonun for local homosexual advocate s. The district appointed Smith to the diversity committee after his group met with Opdcnhoff. Smith s~id he brings the view of "traditional values" to the comm.illee . "Because we live in a university town," Smith said, "there is a push from the university lo have our elementary kids act as college students in tcnns of making decisions about their sexual ity." . Opdenhoff said some member s of the group feared Ms. Rank.in and D'Augelli would try lo influence the district's curriculum . But the superintendent said the two would not have pre sented material to be used in the clas sroom. John Bell, a member of the local gay SEE DIVERSITY , Page 17 Survey finds clergy amiss in providing comfort to dying BY DAVID BRIGGS AS AMERICANS consider their own mortality. they are concerned thal God may not forg i vc them or that they will be cut off from God or a hig her power al the time of their death . Acc ordin g to a Gallup Poll on spirit ual beliefs ru1d the dying process, near ly nine in 10 peopl e get comfort in the beli e f that they will be in the loving presence of God or a higher power after death. Yet, barely more than one-third of the respondent s said the clergy co uld be comfortin g to lliem in man y ways when they were dyin g. "The surve y is a wake- up cal l for the cle rgy," said George H. Gal lup Jr. "Not man y see the clergy pro vidi ng broad spiri tual suppo rt in th eir own dying days." The George H. Ga llup ln tema tional Institute, in a study spo nsored by The Na than Cum mings Founda tion and Fetzer lnsti lute, surveyed 1,200 adul rs ages 18 and older by telephone in a nationwide random sample in May 1997. When people think abou t their own death , spiritual concerns are central issues for a large part of the population. For example, 89 percent of the respondents said they would be com forted during the dying process by believing they will be in the loving presence of God or a higher power. When they think about their own death, 56 percent said they were con ccmed about not being forgiven l>y God 1111d 51 1>erce111 worried they might be removed or cut off from God while dying. . In contra st. only 19 percent womed about having someone go through their possess ions after they died and only 13 pe rcent sai d they were concemed abo~t what will be said a bout them at t11e1r funerals. When asked what kind s of support from another person - other than medi cal attention - would be import a nt lo them if they were dying, ha.If the respo nden ts said hav ing some one pray for them would be very import ant. For ty -four pe rc~nt said it would be very important to hav e som eone help t.hem become spiritually a t pea ce. the same percen tage that sai d it would be very im po rtant to hav e someo ne pray with them. Thi rty -two perce nt said it would be very importa nt to have someo ne read them spirit ual or inspiratio nal materials, while onl y 13 perce nt sai d it would be very important to have someone read them something oth er than relig ious material . Doctors are expected to give dying patients more than their technical exper tise. Two -thirds said if they were dying, they would want a doctor who cares about them. Two in five respo ndents said they would want a physician who is spiritually alluned to them . However, only 30 percent said tl1ey would expect doctors to be comforting to them in ways other than medical aucution if they were dying . SEE CLERGY, Page 17 Alaska PALMER(9 07) Chllch of the Co.enant P.O. Box2 888, 99645.7 46-1al9. Ho.YatHd . Bess, pastor.A Welcominga ndA ffirmingA men:anB aptistC ongegaliln. Arizona PHOENIX(6 02) CasaD e Cristo EvangelicaCl hurch, 1029E . Turney,8 5014.2 65- 2831. EvangelicalsC oo:emedW A,P O Box6 6906.( l:J3)657-359. 3 Olive Tree Ministries, PO Box 47787, 85068-7787 . 861-3424. http'}{fVlll.oom/olivet.r ee TUCSON(5 2l) CornerstoneF ellowshp2, 902 N. Geronimo, 85705. 622-4626S. unmy, 9 a.m., 10:30a.m. . Wed"lesday7.p .m. Players elVicela stS un. of the month, 6p.m. Rada Schaff,p astorC. HAISTFORA@LLjlnJo.com. Fust ChristianC hurch, 740 E. Spee<t,ya6y5, 719. 624-869.5 Sun., 8:15a.m., 10:30am. PasklfNciliKaneko. FAYETTEVILL(E5 01) Our l.aOfo t Guadal~ CatholicC hurchP, O Box8 32, 72702-0832. 444-960.7 Sat, 5:30p.m. at St Maritn's EpiscqlalS tudenCt enle.r 614 W. Maple. Fr. Joseph Paul Smith, pastor. Californi a fAVlNE (714) . . IrvineU nited Churcho f Christ 4915A ltonP kwy., 92714. 733-022. 0 An Open& Alfirming Congegition, prCXJdptri 011essiw. intenlionally indusiw. LA CRESCENAT ( 626) Evangelicasl CoocemedW omen'sM inistly, PO Box9 4302, Pasadena, CA 91109. 568-4803. ecsocal@aol.com. Weektj Btlle Stu> ies, monthly potluck and rap sessions. LAGUNA 8EACH (714) Christ Chape,l PO !lox4 950, 92652. 376-~. EvangerJClsa ConcernedP. O 8(111( 452.9 2652-1452. 451-37n. Tll!S., 7:30p.m. LAGUNAN IGUEL(7 14) Sewnth-dilyA cmnlist Kinshp lntemaoona~P O Bae7 320,9 26n. 248·1299.F or Seventh-dilyA cmntJst lesbians, gaym en, bisexulas. their famiies and friends. SAN JOSE , CALIFORNIA Jvt.arslia Stevens lntemationally known singer afld com pose r. auth or o f 'For Those Tean t Died', will be at our Valentines Day dinne,- and frtt conce rt ... ".'A. Time of Love" Saturday, February 14 6 pm - Dinner ($15/ person) 8 pm - FREE Concerti • call for Info and tickets • (Q,,oki~lb-tf/ j •. j.\ -.",/. \•ll•A•I ••• Marsha will also be at our J_,..141., Sunday Service on Feb.15th Non-Denominational . Bible Centered Sunday Services - 10:30 am at The Billy DeFrank Cen te,- 175 Stockton Ave .. San Jose, CA Pastor David Harvey • (408) 345-2319 http ://www .lodesys .com/ce lebrate / LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA Weary?? C Ol.YIE ~O'M: E!! /,~ ~~QliiL J fm.n lrfLllOtr Jiu!f or lOMQ Dr.d!Ctl .J. .... .,.I .. 111,...JL',c u"J .. Classes Retreals Counseling I Sacral Activities "Spiritual Support· Group 1 Mid-Week "Prayer & Praise· Services I Saturday, 6:00 PM "Worship" : North Long Beach Christian Church I 111 ( ;i2)c5t:;{t)39 90Ci A. -E-Mall PaslorDLM@aol com LONGB EACH( 562) FirstC ongegibOnaCl hurch, 241C edarA ve. . 90802. 436-225.6 An OpenandAttirmirgCongegitiCJloIl lle Un~edChllcholChrisl Holy Spirit FellcM'shp , PO Bax 91272, 90809. 435-0990 . Christianity asy oua lwaysh q)ed it couldb e. LOSA NGELESA REA( 213) Crescent Hei!1)ts UMC, 1296 No. Fai~ax Ave .. West Holly,Yood. 90046. 656-5336 . UniledC hurchC oaltionl a LesbiarvGayCax:erns,S oulllemC alflania Chapter. 241 Cedar Ave .. Long Beach. CA 90802. Rev. Ll:fy Tigler and Rev. Dan Brink (562)436-2256 . NEWPOTR BEACH(7 14) Evangelicals Concerned, 460-6998. ecsocal@a.oclom. Bi-weekly Bble sit.des. fun. le!laNsh". PASADENA(8 18) Evangelicals Concerned. PO Box 94302, 91 t01. (626)568-4803 ecsocal@aol .com. Weektf Bble stuoes, run, lelk1Ns h". FirstC ongegalionaCl hll ch, 464 E. Walnut St, 91101. 795-069.6 An Opena ndA ffirmingc ongegitJonw ithin the UnitedC hurch of Clvist E-maU:l amtrllfcc@ao.cl om. SANF RANCISCOBA YA AEA(415) LutheransC oncerned.5 66V allejoS t , #25, 94133-403. 3956-206.9 A<M!nl SAN JOSE (408) Celebration of f'a,lh Praise and Worshp Center, PO Box 5765. 95126. 345-231.9 Sun. 10:30a.m. al TheB illy DeFrank Cenler1. 75 StocldonA ve. First ChristianC hurch, 80 S. 51hS L, 95112. 294-294.4 RichardK . Mdler, pasla. Gay, Lesbian. andA ll"mingD ~ . c/o FirsI Chrisran Church8. 0 So.51hSt , 95112. 294.2944_ SANL EANDRO(5 10) FailhFaJIGospelFello,vshp, 15781M alilertAw. . 94576. 4819-933. faith2lelloNshp@hotrnail.com. SANL UISO BISPO(8 05) MCC of the Central Coast PO Box t 117. Grover Cily, 934l3·1117 481-9376 . Sunday, 10:3<2.m. Rev. Randi A. Lester. pasla . WESTH OLLY WOOO(2 13) Evangebcals Concerned, 833-6418. ecsocal@aa.com. Weekly Btlle studes, fun. lebYShp. WHITTIER(3 10) Good Samarit an MCC. 11931 E. Washington Blvd. 90606-2607. 69&-6213R. ev. Gm Chapmanp.a sbr. DENVER(nl) EvangleicalsR ecoooled3. 31· 2709. District of Columbia DISTRICOT FC OLUMBIA(2 02) Olg1ty, PO Bax 5:3001 . 20009. 367·4516. Florid a FOAT MYERS ADS ainlSC ongegaloi n (lnoopendenl),2 756M cGreg:iBr lvd. Mad: 1830 MaravillaA ve., #12, 33901. allsainlS@worsRh)er.com. Rev. Michael Balfour , pasta . INTERLACHE(N00 4) BetheEl vangehslleM inislries, Inc., PO Bax1 n a. 32148. KEY WEST (3)5) MCC. 1215 PetroniaS t. 33040. 2948-912. Sunday9, :30. 11a.m. . Wed. 7p.m. Rev. StevenM. Torrence.p aslo.r MIAMI/COCONGURTO VE( 3)5) PlymootCh ongegalional UmlecCf hu/cho f Christ 3400D evonA d, 33133. 444-6521. Sun., toa.m. Aedobroa<i:ast on FM 93.1. AIDS ootreach ministly, memorial services. tdy LlliOO.S All welcome. www.krealive.com/plymtohu. PANAMCAI TY( 904) Famtt ot God Worshp Center, 1139 Ewrilt Ave., Cedar Grove. 32401.7 84-4815.S un., 10:3<2m. . soottt,gic@aof.oo.m TAMPA(813) Pentecoslals of Tampa Bay, 2023 Gallleman Dr., Brarxtin. 33511 651-1505 Georgia ATlANTA(919) Evar!!J!llcaClSo ocerned.2 86-7314. DECATUR (404) St. Ae~adP ansh, Sts. Sergus and BacchusB yzanllneM lsston. ECC. PO Bax 3191, 30031. 315-6544 Rev. Fr. Joe Ciou. actninlslrabr. Illi nois CHICAGO (173) lnle!Jlt\tCtucagP:,.O Bax3 232O. akP ark. IL 603(0-32323.4 1Hi362. JACKSDNVILLE (217) SI. Millcim1haKno lleC athoocC hurcho l !he AmericasP. O Box t345,62650-1342S4. 3-4539S un. s·:J:Jp.ro. Indiana INOIANAPO LIS (317) HolyEUchraislChurch2, 070E .5 41hS.L Sie. 7. 46220. 251-452.6 LAPORTE(2 19) NewL i1eC ommunity Church of Hqie, POB ox9 212, Mlclligna City. 46360. 778-933. 2Fullg :ispe,l evargelicaVcharismalic.P aslorR aoo,, Duncan. • Iowa DESM OINES{5 15) WordotG od Minitsries, P.O. Box4 396, 50333. 264-151.5 MeelSa l SL Mark'sE piscqlalCllJl'cl3l, 120E . 241hS L,D esM ooles. URBANDALE(515) UnitedC hurcho f Christ 35307 0thS l , 50322.2 76-0625F.a x. 276- 2451A. nO pen& Affirming( ONA) Congegaoon. Kansas TOPEKA(9 13) MCCP, OB ox4 7766. 6604-077263. 2-6196S.E l ndanaA vea t25lh WICHITA(3 16) Wdll la Praisea ndW asnpCente,r 1607S . 8/oao,ya,y 67211. 267• 6270. ChuclB< leckerv~ pasta. Kentucky LOUISVILLE (S02) Third LulheranC hurch, 1864F ranklorA1v e., 40206. ~ -Sure day, 10:30am. TLCX2@ecunelorg LDuisiana NEW ORLEANS (504) Firsl Jesus NameC hurchP. .O. Box5 8362,7 0158,836. 2An Acts 2:38o ongegliaon. St Thomas Aq.rinasC atholicC hurch of the Americas, 717P attersoo, 70114. 263-5412. Massachusetts CAMBRIDG(6E1 7) Old Cambrq)e Baptisl Church, 1151M assachusettsA ve. . 02138. 864-8068. Irving Cummings, paslor. A Weloominga nd Affwming AmericanB aptist congegalion. WAL THAM (617) LutheranCso ncernedd.o RaraibR K.: e1081/2ChestnU1S0l,2 154· o«l6. 893-2763 Michiga n ANNA RBOR(J lJ) GuildH ouse CampusM ,us11.y 602M onore.4 6104 662-5189. Rev Diane CtrlSl ~ r.m DETROI(T1 110-) MCC, PO Box 836. R{1f31O ak, Ml 48068-083. 6(248)399-7741. MeelS at Oray1a, Pr~ eren Chllch. Sun. 10a m • 7p.m. FLINT( 810) Redeemre MCC. 1665 N. Chevrolle Ave., 485043-164. 238-670.0 Sunaiy, 11a.m .. (61).m. second and fourth Sun. ea ma,th excepl Aug). Rev. Lilian R.F er!JlSOOpa,s tor. FT.GRATKlT(810) AnS oos' AJx)sloliCca lholicC hurch,4 653D esmonBde ach. 4805.9 385-9242. ~ Eochalisl Sun. 11a .m. LANSING(5 17) D1g1ty . PO fl(II( t265, East Lansirg, 48826. 321-4841 Minnesota MINNEAPOLIS/.S PTAUL( 612) AUG ods Chikten MCC. 3100 Park Ave. S., Minneapol,j s55407. 824-2673.W na:Jioi l Wellness CounsebnCg enter offers pos11M! affkming Chri stian oounselmg for homosexuals . LutheransC oncerned1.0 0N OXfadSL. St Pau.l 55104-654. 8066- 8941. Wing;p.n1 Mns11,y 100N . Ox1ordS.t PaUI5. 51042. 24•3371 Mississi ppi JACKSON(6 01) SafeH aroorF amilyC oorch. 2147 HernyH II Dr., Ste. 203, 39204- 2000. 961-9500. Rev. Jame, H. Becker , paslor Wkmy: 359-o604 : E\/8·8 25-ll05.6 Sun,. 5p.m.. A<ill SundaySchoa6,1 ).m Missouri KANSASC ITYA REA( 816) Abldng PeaceL utheranC hutch, 5090N E ChouteauT rafflCW,a y 641l 9. 452-122. 2Canngfo rpeqllla ndaeatx:nM al'{Gerlia,n conlact personA Reconcilfel dC llrislo ongegiuon ST. Lours P14) TheAgapeCtuc. h2109SoulhSpmgA.1, 6138110-351676 +3588 agapechur@actc:om Distribution of Second Stone in some com1nunitics is sponsored by our Outreach Partners. We invite you to visit thetn for worship. Montana LIVINGSTON(~ Affrmation(U nrtedMettmsls)5, 29N .8 thS t, 590472. 22-443. 6 Nevada LAS VEGAS(7 02) MCC1, 119S . MainS L, 89104-102. 3684-2325. New Hampshire MANCHESTER (603) . PFLAGN H, PO Box3 86. 03105. 536-5522o r8 00-750-252(4N H only.) Monlhly support gro14>m eelins in conC01dP. lymoul.h Stralham, Laooniaan dL ancasle. r New Jersey JERSEYC ITY( 201) ChristO.n TeacherGalhoicChurocfh t he America,s 2191s1S t, #1, 07302·286383. 3-1094b. ejcity@aof.com. NEWB RUNSWIC(!KD l) PLGC. POB O>3I6 , 08903-003P8i.b : MoreL i!111 New Mexico ALBUQUERQU(E50 6) MCC2, 404S anM ateoP L,N E.8 7110. 881-908.8 Rev. Dr. Frede. Winiams. e3stor. Sun., 1oa.m. Rivero f Life HealirVJM initsries. 134O Lincy. NE.8 7108. LASCRUCES(505) HolyF amilyP arisho f the EvangellcaAl rgicaCnh urchin A merica, t 701E . MISSOOfi.A, 8\/880015. 22-711. 9An indusivepraish qien lo all KOlllOr,i a2162D oraoDor. . 8801t. 521-149.0 Gayandlesbianspriltuakly !Joup. New York NEW YORK CITY AREA Manhal1an/NeYwo rkC itya rea( 212) BlessedV ir!j n Mal'{M iss1011'12,3 E . 15S t, 10003. 226-089.8 Sun, 1:1r,p.m. ChrislianS cienceG rOl4. )c/o4 443 1dA \/8.. #4.1 001.6 532-8739. Gay, Lesbian& Alfillnlng Oi!4JleSA lliance. c/oA llen Harris. 1453A LexingtlnAw .. 10128-250208 93-019. lnle!JitylNewYork, PO Box 20067, 10011. 691-7181. Gayftesbian Episcq)alians. Meets every Wed, 6;30p.m. MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA Pastor Randy Duncan Sunday Scr,i e,?: 11 :30 am :I carmg church (or a h11rt111rgo rld 1·<here El 1:.1ff0.\IE1s welcome' • Fu/1<,ospel • Christ centered • Bible hased P.O. Box 9212 t-.lid1igan City. IN 46360-9212 (2 I 9) 778-2803 • (219) 778-9332 Email: innulife,gn dnit.: o.net DAYTON, OHIO COMMUNITY GOSPEL CHURCH P.O.! DX 163-4• DWTONO, I1 45401 DISCOVER YOUR Dlfil1NY! ALL ARE WELCOME mt>ets5:4 6 XeniaA ve. lliyton, Ohio SundaylOam E-11', /\ll.R; e.&unue!KCci>aol.com VlSit our Wch Sit:d h~ / ;...,'\\WJ-1.:'>V1;'..;.1<>l..ronv'""'lilmuelk 937-252-8855 REV. SAMUEL KADER, PASTOR I New York ParkA venueC hristina ChUrch~ ol Clvisl),1 010P arkA ve. at 851hS L. 100282. 88-3246A. vbanL aeawe. anda verseo ongegatial comminedl:>extenclthneg 1 cMo! t Clvistt oaapeqlle. Potluckd, o AllenV . Hanis.1 010 ParkA ve. . 10028-099218. 8-3246. FOU1Fhr iday7, p.m. UCCUGCd. o Craig Hottman. 1453AL exingtoAn ve.. 10128. 289- ~16. Queens(718) · QueensL esbian& Gay ChristiansP. O Bax4 154. Collegi Pc:int 11356. 353-394 1. Ni: Tte GoodShep)erd NIAGARA FALLS (716) OneressN xls1lllGico speCl hurch1, 646N iagaraA ve. . 1430.5 284- 4500. Bro. t . Rdlerts, pas1a. PLATTSBURGH(5 18) SL MarysE cumerica!CalhoflCChurPcOh, B ax1 59,C llaZ,y 12921. 493-327(2V Oicea ndF AX.} Rev. Fr. MchaelR .F rost ROCHESTE(R71 6) PLGCd. o Caner, 111M tJurnSL, 14607-291287. 1-764.9 CHARLOTTE (704) • Chadottlen tertaithN etwor1k0 G1 ay,\.esbiaEn~ 1ty, 5945R e<tlnan Rd, '205.2 8212-166~4. -GarnetEt .P titbl . ronlactp erroo. GREENSBORO (910) UnitarianU niversatisCt hUlcho l Greensbor,o 5603 H~lop Rd. . 27414. 856-033.0. M eetsa t GTCC-JamestowSnu, nd3yS choo,f 9:30a.m .. Service, 10:30a.m. Barbara Cooke. pastor. ~:Jlmeml:Els.ad.co:n/wcg TRWIGLE ~ (9\9) PulenM emmat Ba!)\15C1l 'IJtth,1 60\ lillstxxoughS L, Ra\e1!1'- 27605. 82&-0a79. M. M!hanSiler.Jt., pas10. 1 Ohio AK~N(Dl ) cascaooC ommunitCy hurch,1 190/119I6n manS L. 44306. 773- 5296. Sundly. ~m . Plb: CascadeN ewslett.e r CINCINNATI( 513) lnEgtly.4 905ChaletD..r # 11, 45217-144. 2542-729. 7 Mt. AuburnP resbylerianC hurch, 103 WnhamH ov;ardT ait Rd. 45219. 281-594, 5~AX2 81-2664. Rev. O.t HaroldG . P011epr.a sl0.1 A Meteli gll congegalio. n COLUMBUS (614) Diglity, POB ax8 2001, 43202. 451-652. 8 lambolGodAngicanCh11.c PhOB ox1 6447,2 43216 DAYTON (9:17) • CetnmunitGy ospeCl hurchP, O Box1 634, 454012. 52·8855S pmt filled,C hnslc enteied.M eetsT hurs.. 5p.m., Sun. 1oa.m a15 46 XeniaA ve., Day1oSna mueKl ade,r paste.t GRANVLILE(614) FrrstB aplls_t Church, 115W . Broac!,va, y43023·117. 9587-033.6 GeorgWe1 niamsoJnr. ,. past0.1 A WeloomlllQan dA lfrrmlngA mer\canB aotisCt ongegatlo.n MANSFIELD (419) • Centerr or PasroraCl are, 3180G erman Church Rd. 44904. 756- 297,7 774-537F7.A X7 74-98.0 S5undayN IUrg/, f0:15am Pasloral oounseknrge.t reats Oregon PORTLAN(D5 03) Evaf9!1icCaol1sc emedT.T S-338268, 1· 2764. MetaraPae aceConvnuni1yut.2e1. 16NE1 8thAY.B. 9 7212·4 600. 281-389. 7 Pennsylvania ELWYN(6 10) PdgimF etlONs~Churt:hP, .O. Bax4 306,1 90632. 37-136.7 MeelS Sun.a t Phlla Ailpcr1C om10I1n1n. LEHIGH VALL Y (&10) Graooeo..enanF1e lloHstl,4 2)47N . 101hS l , Aftentown1.8 10.2 740- 0247. Sunda~1y0 :458.m. 8l'yUI Ro.Y.e past<>T' homR itte,r music mlrllste.r Se the Lellig\ Valle.y PHILADELPH (215) Eva!l!JllicaClSo ncerned7,2 5-799. 9 UntiedC hurchC ootitlotno eL esbian/GaCyo ncerns, PO Box6 315, 1913.9 724-124. 7 Rhode Island PROVIDENC(E40 1) St. Pete(s & St. Araew's EpiscopaCl hurch2, 5 PomonaA ve• . 02909-525. 2572-964. 9Rev. JanN unle,y reC1oarn dC IHXlfMlOoOl I lntegil',fflhoi3 IslandW ea rea •rarixlwcongeg.1tooo'f Cttnslians from al walks of tile, with an act,ve lnleglly chapter, heallng and AIDS mrisuy. Se habla Espana. South Carolina COLUMBIA(8 03) Gay1t8sbiCane tnmuni1yCent1e1r,0 8W ClXto.YSTt Tl-7713 LutheranCs oncernedM eetsth id fn . 7:~ .m., at PALMC ente,i USC. PO 8ox 8828, 29202. MCCC olumbiaP, .O. Be,( 6753, 29202 256-215.4 Meetsa t 1111 8eflewlwSL , 12. Sun.• 11a.m. Rev. PatooaV oell'.e, 1, J!s10. r PFLAG. Meets third Th11s. ewry month, 6p.m. at Community HouseS, L Mar1Jn's-ln-1h&-FEfeplic,clsq )alC lu.lch,5 220C lemson AW. GREENVIUE(8 64) t.«::C3. 14UCr,dSL2.9 601-14,0 2833-0919S.t ll.. 11am . . ~m Rev, t.ti Hinsonp. aslof, Tennessee CHATTANOOGA/423) ~ SoundC tv,slJanF et>wstipC hlleh. PO Box8 506 37414. 894-6224.R ovC. tllck D Thorrp:on. PIIS~ StJ1. Sp.m arIll eU nltarlln UllMiflarisl Cho!ch 3224 NavapOr MEMPHIS(9 01) HolyT rn1YC etnmunrtCyh urch, 1559h '~011, 38104 726-9443 Prod&tm,nGgo dsl rM)f a aa~ NASHVILLE(6 15) Cl'r!Jfdlo1f h0L MngV/atc. rPOB oe1 312. M,1ct;01T1N, 3 71181-312. 8(,6,.2679 SUn.~m 12JANIJAR\'•FEl:lRl/ARY 1998 OUTREACH PARTNERS HotyTrmt1yCOlnmuintyChUrchP, O Be,( 2188223, 72213. 27·4551. Meetsa t UnityCenklr3, 0281.roanoPnik e. lntegify.P Oilo<1 21172, 37212·117323. 3-7509. Texas AUSTIN(5 12) Joan Wakefetd MinistriesI.n c. . 9401G rouseM eaoowL n.,7 8758- 63488. 357-354. DALLAS/FORWT ORTHA REA( 214) Alfirmation( UnitedM eloodists)P. O Box 191021. Daftas.7 5219. 52&-491. 3 GtaceM ilislries, Inc.,4 307-AH ollan:7!.5 219. HolyT rinityC etnmuncCy hurch4, 402R oselmdA ve., Dallls.7 520.4 827-5088".A homel o! 11verhye art"s erving1 heD allas lesbiana nd gayc ommunityt011y8e ais. SilenHt arves1MnisUiePsO, B e,( 19051.1 75219-051512. 0-665. 5 EL PASO (915) MCC,9 828 Montana7, 9925.5 91·4155S. un.. 10:30a.m.. 6p.m.. Wed, 7p.m. Unitarian Universalist Communi!)'. 4425 Byron. 79930. 562-4001 J~ ,j/!/J,fP/ . GALVESTON(4 00) Unitarian UnillersalisFl e!M~. 502C hurchS L, mso. 765-833. 0 AUl aithsa ooepledS.e xuael ti?ntaliorne spected. TYLER(903) SL GabrieCl ommun,tyChUlc1h3, 904C ountyR d 193.7 5703!.x ii· 6923. PastorD onnRa .C anp:,eU. Utah LOGAlll_ VO\) MCC. PO Box 4285, Ml23. 7~5026 Sun.,\ 1a.m. SALT LAKE CITY (001) SacredL gtl cl ChnstM CC6. 23S . 600E . 84102·35075.9 6-0052. Virginia FALLSC HURCH(7 03) TelosM I1s111nestB apttsts. )POB ox3 390. 220435 60-268.0 MANASSAS (703) Bull RunU nrlananU nrversaltS. tPsO Box2 416. 361-626.9 A UUA WelcomnCg oigegallon RICHMOND (804) HonestyMr~nia. 315 Strav,t>errSy t , 23220-341.2 354-680.4 honeSt.yv a@Jlln.coon. GayB aptisst i.qxr1g QU.-1) WILLIAMSBURG (804) Foundauonosl StoneM intStrsie. 149N elsonD r., 23185. 229-063. 2 Teachings.e minarste, treats, revivals. Heaven'Ts ablelanCd hurchP. .O. Bax2 674. 23167. (757)887-37.1 9 Rev Adelle L Bar.r paslo.r MeetsS un. 8o1JldarSyt . LtJrarya t ,:30 ~m . Washington SEATTLE(206) lnllgil;. PO Bax 200i3. 98102. 525-4668. UniversitCy oogegabonaUl ntiedC hurcho f Chnst 45151 6thA ve. • NE. 981055. 24-232'2O. penlygaypeqllea taul evelso f le»Jrshp. Wisconsin APPLETON (920) Angelso f Hq)e Mee.1 10S . LocusSt t. 991-0128S.1 n, Sp.mR. ev. KenH Uiip, aslo.f GREEN BAY (920) Angels of Hq)e Mee, 614 Fetest SL. Green Bay. 54302. 432-0830 . Sun..1 1a.m.7, p.m. Rev. KenH ul.l paslof MILWAUKEE (414) l.UlheransCoooernPeOd,B ox1 676. 53201-167468. 1-966. 3 ~~Ills HIV/AIDSM inistry1, 0101W . Wiscons1A1v e., 53226. Nationa l ADVANCEC HRISTIANM INISTRIES, 4001-CM aillAe w .. OaHa. s TX 75219. 1214)522·15.2 F0AX. (214)528-10.7 '0ThomasH osch. cirec10. I AFFIAMAT ION/UnrtedM elhodstsf ol Gay & LesbianC oncerns P.O. Bax1 021. Evanslo,n IL 60204. (708)733-95. 90 ' AMERICANB APTISTSO ONCEANE, D13318C la~epoinlWe ay, Qal<JanCdA, 9 4619-353(15.1 0/465-a65V2o. k:cel t heT ~ AMERICANF RIENDSS ERVC E COMMITTEE(Q uaker2) 249E . BurnsidSet . POltlandO, R9721.4 (503)230-94. 27 APOSTOLICC ATHOLICC HURCHIN AMERIC,A a naoona'll lYlrlerd/ c)JnominatioBni.s htpP aulD aviCd . StrongO. SJD.P OB <»< 81005S. earoeW. A9 8108-100(52. 06)763-24. 0a0pcalhchSaolcorn. ht1>1lmermers.aolcan/ap:altdt ASSOCIATIOONF INDEPENDENMTI NISTRIE, SPO Box8 506. ClilttanOOgTl,N 3 7414. (423)8~4 a (205)833-35. 01 ASSOCIATIOONF WELCOMINAGN DA FFIRMINGB APTISTS, P.O. Box2 596,A ttlebOlfoa ll;, MA< rl763-069. V4fF( 508)226-0945. WABaplists@a.ccolm. httpJuser.aso.toornlwabapti.s Ats netwol1(o f chulcheS, et'jlntlatk)ns andi nciwlJalsw ltow eloomaen da <M>cea t fet ihe lull pa~tlon ol lesblan, gay. andb isexuapl eqll8 w,1/11n 1heA mencanB aotisCt hU!ches/USA. BALM MlNISTf'.UE, SP.O.Bor 1961, COSlaM esa, CA 92628, (714)641-896. 6Marsha Stevens, slngerlsongrvterrr. Suzanne Mcl(eagm. anagJr BRETHREN/MENNONPITAER ENTSO F LESBIAN/GACYH ILDREN. B ox1 708U, ma, OH4 5802 BRETHREN/ M ENNONITEC OUNCILF ORL ESBIANA NOG AY CONCERN.S Box 6300, MlnneapolisM, N 55406-0300(6. 12)722· 6906 BMCounol4'aol.C. hX~lJffllM\',v,v.ebcorn.com/bnlSC~I tor Bretlvene ndM onnontler, ry, lesbian. andb isexuapl ecple, and too:rp arents.S fl(llmS , relalf'.esan d fnend.s Pl.llhcatm Dt.l~ CHI AHOP RESS.A spcctnlwak Oft hOU FMCCM oAUantiC[), :;brcl PiJllrshOoI t rol,{jOUSbo oks and matemt.s P 0. Bot 7864, Ge~herwur, gt.t)20696,( 001)670-18.5 9 COMMUNICATION MINISTAVI,N C· Dlilklg.leo nds ""°r, !JOI.Cl torr ;pya nd 18S1>c1:a1lnl1 oalleer wa nd religiousP. .o Box6 0125, CIICIJg>IL, 6 06©0125. Pl.tlfQ!bOCn etnmlin1caoon CONFERENEC FORC ATHOLICLE SBIAN,$ P.O. Bar4 36P bnotarllllSl to.,N 111Y1 ork.N Y 10024( 718)921-04.6 3 CONNECTOINS• SPIRITUAUL NKS• Stlmlnras, workshq)Gc,o nternnaieo n! Jlol Ondb ere.tvemenRl O.Y Rdl.1rdB Gtllort.C ilOCICJ 1504t i Cl~ 8L, va~Dl$0 , Ill '-6385 (2l9)484-81$3F;A X, (219~1-2230. DIGNITY/USA15. 00M assachusetAtsv e. . NW,S le. 1t . WashIngl:>n. DC2 0005. (202)861-0017F, AX (202)429-980. 8Gay and lesbian Cathoicsa ndt teir ttiends. ECUMENICALC ATHOLICC HURCH,P .O. Be,( 32, Vi la Grande, CA9 5486--00. 3(7207)88·71020, FAX.( 7071887-70. T0h3eM ostfleV. MarkS . Shirilau. Ph.D. PIJlllCalio: nTte Taliel ECUMEINCALO RDERO FC HARITYP. OB ox2 57.D esM c:in.e IAs 50301.( 515)251·825.4 An ectJ111eniicnacll,1 1Sirveelig ious0 1deor l mena ndw omenm iltSteringo n 1hec utting~ ol 1he! P51)L8 W~ site: www.~rramp .nE:V-dlraily. E-ma:il blitMOY@a.coel tn. EROSPIRIRT ESEARCIHN STITUTEP,. O. 8ox3 893.O alclandC,A 94609. (5104)28-906.3 Networok t g.rya ndl esbiane cslali:so tlenog classesa rd videosi n erotics ptrrtuhaty. EVANGELICAALN GLICANC HURCHIN AMERICA2. 401 Attesia Blvd..S te. 106-213A. edonooB each.C A 90278. (310)798-672. 0 EACA2AIACS@aol.c. eNtnatx>naolf ficeo l aUE ACAc hurch·c om· mun,tte. s EVANGELICALCSO NCERNEDdo. Dr. Ra\:)1B1l air, 311E asl7 2nd St , NewY Oik,N Y 10021. (212)517-31.7 P1ltlicalo,s : Rev,ewa nd Record THEE VANGELICANLE TWORKB.e ,( 1610.4 Proemx, AZ6 501\ . (8l2)265-2831 fe.?ER;(f,fJ(l(lYlJ RBf.fI f@ f'f1(ffl(J1(J{({ '1flll.f-$I .NO GAV S,I NC. P.O. Be,( 27605, WasllngtonD, C2 0038.(2021638-42. 00 Send$3.00 ta packect l inf01mati:ln. GULFL Ov.£RA TLANTICD ISTRICTol theU niversaFl ello!,sh~ol MetropoIlal n communityC hurche.s 1379T ullie Rd. Atlanta. GA 3032.9 (404)325-137. 2Rev. Jay Neely.c isUIct coordnaIo.r E-mad: GLADMCC@a.cootm. Wet:iste: httpJ/wwN.geocitie.osom/WestHot,woco'1.4 90 FRIENDSF OR LESBIANA NDG AYC ONCEflNS(O Ual<e!S1) 43 Camp:,el Ave .• l\llaca, NY \4650. l607)272-\024. FAX \607\212:< Sn. GAY AND LESBIAN PARENTSC OALITIONIN TERNAt10NAL P.O. Box5 0360. Wastingto,n DC2009.1 (202)583-60.2 f9'lillrcalion' NelWOk.' GAY, LESBIANA ND AFFIRMINGD ISCIPLESA LLIANCEp O Box1 9223l.n danapohsIN, 46219-022. 3(319)324-6213. Fa ·mem: bers ot the ChrrsbanC hurch (Disapleso l ChrtSI.) Pul)ilcalion: Crossbeam. s GAYELLOWP AGES• P.O Ila( 533.V tltagi S1n. NewY etk, NY 1CXJ14-0.5 (23132)674-012. 0 GAEAT LAKESD ISTRICTo l the UniversaFl ellowshpo l MeUqxihlanC ommunitCy hurches1. 300A mbrdgeD r. . loulSVll,le KY4 0207. 2410. (5028)97-3821'I,O ICeandfa. JxUC,,,Da. oleoordnaett. HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN. 1101 14th SL. NW, Ste. 200. Wasl1nl gon, DC2 0005. (202)62!1-41. 00 INTEGRITYI.N C. . P.O. Box 5255,N ew YOik. NY 10185-525. 5 (201)868·248. 5Plbl,caloo: TheV c:iceo l lntegIty NATIONAL . SOCIETY OF THE FRANCISCAN SERVANTS Of THE POOR An Ec umen ica l Communit y o f Men & Women In Gosp el Service to the p oor . negl ec ted & disenfra nchised In t he spirit of Sts. Francis and Clore of ASSisl For More Informa tion Co nt act: Minister Guardian, FSP 133 Pav onl o Ave nue. 335 Jersey City, New Jersey 073 1 o EMall: sfsp@be llat la ntlc.ne t /1 ~/l J ~~ HAYWARD. CALIFORNIA Faith Full Gospel ·Fellowship Worship: Sunday 5p.m. 15781 Maubert Ave . San Leando, CA 94578 ( SJ 0)481-9933 E-rnnil· faith2fellowship@hotmail com web site; http :t/www2.nctcorn coml~i lsamc / failhfcl lowsh1 p. html INTERWEAEV, 25 BeaconS t.. Boston. MA 02108 16177142·2100 A lay org.,mzal!Oofl UmtauanU mversalisls lor lcsblan, b,sexua. l gaya ndt ransg,ndeor onoorn. s LIVING STREAMSP. .O. Box 178. ConcordC A 94522·0178B e monlhtyp co6cat!O. fl LUTHERANCSO NCERNEID N ORTHA MERICAB. ax 10461F. or, DearborSn tatm Chk::lg:,IL. 60610-046. 1Plblrcation: TheC oocord METHODIST FEOERA TION FOR SOCIAL ACTION. a gayalfirmingm. ulti-issuen eM01k7,6 C 11nloAnv e. . Slatenl slari:l.H l301· 1107 (718)273-MFS. PAiblrcati:o Snoaal OuestlOIIBSu lleUn. MERCY OF GOD COMMUNITY, PO Box 41055. Provdence, RI 02940-105. 5(401)722-313. 2Christian. Ecumenicaal nd 111Clusrve communitoyl sisters. brothersa nda ssoaate.s http:lJmg:.etgmg:. Merc-,Comm@aol.com. WILLIAMSBURG , VIRGINIA HEAVEN'S TABL ELAND CHURCH ofW illiamsburg, Virginia P.O. Box 2674 Wi\ha msburg,, \litg,inia B \ '67 (757) 887-37 19 I ffab lct.m<l@aol .com dasmu llcr@jtmo.com Services held · Sunday at I :30 P.M Williamsburg Regional Libra!), Please call for further infon na tion ALL ARE WELCOME AT T HE LORD' S TABLE . MEMPHIS , TENNESSEE HOLTRYIN ITY COMMUNCHITUYHR EC~ INT ENNSSEE MEMPHIS-- 1559 Madison Ave. 90 I /72 6-9443 Sunday: IO a.m. Sunday School I I a.m. Communion Rev. Timothy Meadows, M.Div., Senior Minister NASHVILLE-- 302 8 Lebanon Rd. (in the Unity Center) 615/ 83 7-242 4 Sunday: 6 p.m. Worship Service Rev. Cynthia looper, M.M. Proclaiming God's Love For All People KANSAS CITY , MISSOURI Come share your ministry with us at. ... ~ Abiding Peace Lutheran Church 5090 NE Chouteau Trafficway Kansas City, MO 641 19 (816) 452-1222 Caring for People and Creation (Ncr!h of the River) Sunday Worship: 10:30 am Sunday School: 9:00 am b11p.l/www.sound.m:1/~picklc Welcome! ff YO\ I FOUND this copy of Second Slone al a gay pride event, a P-FI .AG meeting, or some other event or loca tion. there· s a Second Stone 0111reacl1 Partner in your area . They arc a Christian church or orgm1ization with a spc cilic outreach to gays and lesbians. We encourage you to visit them for their next service or meeting . In the mean time. you may be asking some questions like the ones that follow . After all the rejection I got from my church, why should I even care about God? Your church may have rejected you. but God never has. God' s nature is to draw you clo ser to Him, not to reject you. The church is achninistercd by pastors, bishops, lay people, cornrnillec s; people like you and me - sometime s connected wilh God al work among us, and sometimes not. Sometimes the people who run t11e church , because of fear. selfishness or oilier reasons, are not able to follow as God leads. In tlie past, the church failed lo speak out against tlle Holocaust and slavery. At some point in the future, the church's pres e nt failure to affirm gay and lesbian people and its failure to speak out against the homophobia that leads to discrimination and violence will be seen as a terrible wrong . Does this mean I shouldn't go to church? Absolutely not! (It means tlle church needs you prob ably more than you need 1be chur ch .) There is a place for you in a church in your neighborhocxt. There are National MOREL IGHT CHURCHES NETWORK6,0 0 W. Fulerton Pltwy., Chlceg,> IL6 0614-2690,( 773)338-0452A.8 SOllopea cke~$ 12. PtblicaoonM: cfeL i!tlCt hu'cheNs etv.akN ewsener NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CATHOII.C DIOCESALNE SBIAN AND GAY MINISTRIES, 433 Jetf8fSOSOt , OaklandC, A 94607. 65·9344. Newsletler and national conference. @aof.com . NA NALC OUNCLI OF CHURCHES4,7 5R iYersidDe r., New YOik,N Y1 0115. AIDS Task Foroo, Room5 72, (212)870-24.2 1 HlM11Saellx ualitOy fficeR, oom70 8,( 212)870-2151. NATIONACL OUNCILO F CHURCHESW, ashing1oOn1 fic.e 110 MaMJndAYON.E, , Washil!tOOD,C 2 0002.( 202)544-2350. OPl:N& AFFIRMINGM ll'IISTAIESG, ay, Lesbiana ndA ffinning Ois~s AllianceR, ev.A llenV . Harri,s do 1010P ar!(A ve., New Yor1N<.Y 1 0028-099. 1(212)288-324N6u. rtureandec1Jcab1'c1xan-l 118!),llloannsd o therm inistrieso f theC hnStiaCn hurch(~ of Christw) hichs eekt ow eJoomaen da fluml eslim, gay, andb isexual pelSO. OS OPENA NDA FFIRMINGP ROGRAMU.n itedC hlial Coaitionfo r Lesbiar-.'GaCyo ncerns. PO Box 403, Hoklen, MA 0152(}()40. 3 (508)856-93. 1P6lbllcatiorOr NAC anmlllQJ8 - THEO THERS IDEM 11Q,1,Z 3in0e0W . ~ SL, Phiaoo~ia, PA 1914.4 (2151849-21. P78tillishesa rticleso f 1111erloe sptr ogessiYO Christian. s OTHERS HEEPM ulllculuralM llllsr1iesw rlhS exuaMl ,nonhes,3 19 N. Four1'h9 02, SL Lcui.s MO6 3102·193.6 (314)241-240.0 FAX (314)241-240E3- maQ: gherzog@oal.com. ThcolOgeanl de c1Jca, lklnall l'!Jk kx:.11, .nyaliOl'ra, lalyndi ntemaliOl'ra~Sl 4ll)OltrngJ X)ilSive Wta l siwort for! JlY5a ndl esbfanisn theC lvisUn., chucrh ORTHODXO CATAOUC CHURCHO FA MERICA, P.O. Bolc12 22, l!Wr\aiXlfl,S IN463l6-122. 2(317)251-4526 PRESBYTERIANS FOR LESBIAN& GAYC ONCENRS, PO Boe 38,I -lowOrull!Wllc,i tcl.108903-oo:l&(9 08)93-72501, (Q0)8249-1016. Pu>blbn: Morot. vitU pcilll> • OUTREACH PARTNERS many Christian churches and organiza tions around the country that have a specific ministry to gay and lesbian people . Even in the mainstream denominations gay and lesbian people have prominent, although sometimes closeted , places in the church as pastors, youth leaders, choir master s, lay leader s. and so on. Many mainstream churches across the country have moved into positions of welcoming and affinning gay and lesbian people . How do I know that God doesn't reject me? Even if you ' ve never set foot in a church or tllought much about God, you were created by a loving God who seeks you out. If tllere's a barrier between yourself and God, it is not God's responsibility . Blackaby and King in "Experiencing God" say there are seven realities of a relationship with God: 1. God is always at work around you. 2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal . 3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work. 4. G~ speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circum stances, and tlle church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways. 5. God 's invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action. 6. You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing . 7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you. I would like explore further. What can I do now? While tllere are many good books and videos available, there's something AECON9ILING CONGREGATION PROGRAM, 3801 N K le :\~~:,,! 60641. (773)73565-26. FX( m}736-S47.· 5~'. RELIGIONW A_T~H. P.O.B ax6 52, Nonh Belmor,e NY 1m o newsle!Er montta1ngtr erdl TnC Ol1!8fnporraefryg on · A TELOS MINISTRIES (Bapbsls), PO Bax 3390, Fa.ls Church VA 220435. 00-268. F0ax, ~15 .teloorrin@er.closm ' SILENT HARVEST MINISTRIESP O 80< 1905i1 Dallas TX 75219--0151.( 214}S20-6655. ' · , SPIAITSONGM iNISTAIE, SPO Boe5 204.D eerfieldB oachF L 33442. (9541418-837.2 DeannaJ awookl,s i~r/song,'lriler: Jiff Anctew, ms ana!J!r. SUPPORTIVE CONGREGATIONSN ETWORKM ennonttaen d Brethren, PO Box 6300, Minneapolis, MN 55406-0300 . SCNetworka@otoom. A net.voorkf M ennonitGe eneraCl onleronce MeMCJliaten dCh1c1ho t the BrathreCn Ol9'fl9illrowl'Bh ichw etoome <JJYle,s bina andbisexul ma embe.r s UNITARIAN UNIVEASALISOTF FICEF ORL ESBIAN/GACYO NCERNS2,5 B eacoSn t, BostOIM\ A02Itll. (617)7421-020. UNITEDCH URCHC OALITIOFNO RL ESBIANG/ AYC ONCERNS 18 N. CollegeA. then,s OH 4570.1 (614)5 93-7301P. ublicaoo: n' waves UNITEDC HURCHO F c_HAISTO,l fklef orC hurchrn S ociety1,1 0 Ma~ndAw .. NE, Washin!tODOC. 2 0002(.2 02)S<l-15.1 7 UNIVERSALF ELLOWSHlOl>F METROPOLITACNO MMUNITY CHURCHE8S7 04S antaM onicBaM l, 2ndF ~.W esHt aly,YOoCdA, 90069·454.8 (310)360-864, 0FAX (310)360·8680E. -mai:l ulrTVY'Mlill.oaomt W ooirles: hl\'.1)NNrW.ufmo.:oom. P~ilxi :K . rnTouch THEW ITNES00hed t,,;t heE piscqxCil hurdPl ~hmg Co.. 1249WaSl1nglonB,M SII.B.3 t 15, De~aMt l 48226-18.6 (3813)962· 2650 WOODSWOME-NA <mnturotr awl for wome.n 26Y I. Oiamooo l.DkeA d, Mom8ojlOlisM, N5 5419. (600)279--05. (56512)822-3809, FAX(612)822·381d powcrf ul in being "where two or more argea thered." You may want to check out a ministry in your area witll a specific outreach lo gays and lesbians , including Second Stone's Outreach Partner. The worship style may not be . what you're used to, but tlle point is to connect witll gay and lesbian Christians with whom you can have discussions about where you are. Or you may want to try a variety of churches in your neighborhood, even those of other denominations. (fhere is no "one true church.") There are gay and lesbian people in almost every church and God, who is always at work around you, will connect you to I.he people yoil need to know - if you take the first step: Wouldn't it just be easier to keep my sexual life a secret? Some gay and lesbian people who arc happy. whole and fully integrated may have to be silent about tlleir sexuality because of tlleir job or other circwn stanccs. (fhe day will come when I.hat 'is no longer the case .) But a gay or lesbian person who cannot integrate their sexuality witll tlle rest of tlleir being faces a difficult struggle indeed. To deny one 's sexuality to oneself while in church or at work or witll straight - friends, and tllen to engage in periodic sexual activity is not a self-loving, esteem-building experience . An inability to weave your sexuality into tlle fabric of your life in a way tllat inakes you feel good about yourself and allows you to develop relationships with otl1ers is a cause for concern and should be discussed with someone skilled in gay and lesbian issues. January/February 1998 Outreach Partner Fund Report Second Stone' s Outreach Partner progran1 helps local ministries make Christ known in their communities . Par!,icipating mini strie s arc assisted, when needed, by the Outreach Partner fund. As of January 5, 1998. the Outreach Partner fund: 1998 EXPENSES Heaven's Tableland Church - 60.00 Holy Trinity Community th urch - 60.00 Abiding Peace Lutheran Church - 115.00 Society of the Franciscan Servants of the Poor - 60.00 Faith Full Gospel Fellowship - 60.00 New Life Community Church of Hope - 87 . .50 Community Gospel Church - 60.00 Holy Spirit Fellowship - 60.00 Celebration of Faith Praise and Worship Center - 60.00 Total 1998 Expenses - 622.50 CONTRIBUTIONS Balance forward - 2492.76 Abiding Peace Lutheran Church - 72.47 Holy Tri nity Commun ity Church (Memphis) - 92.79 Mt. Aubum Presbyterian Church - 58.14 Safe Harbor MCC - 60.00 First Congrega tional UCC - I 15.00 Holy Spirit Fellowship - 50.00 Holy Trinity Church (Dallas) - 23.47 Community Gospel Church - 30.00 New Life Community Church of Hope - 30.00 Anonymous subscriber contributions - 85.00 Rev. William Regan - 25.00 Rev. Dr. Paul Gillespie - 25.00 Allan Michaud - 25.00 Richard Leclair - 25.00 Ann Amidco - 25.00 I. Woldeguiorguis - 25.00 Total Contributions - 3259.63 Contri bu lions applied toward 1997 expenses - 3075.64 Conlribulions applied toward 1998 expenses - 183.99 FUND BA LANCE ( 438.51) SE C OND ST O NF 13 NATIONAL NEWS An open window: ChUICihn stallgsa y-themewd indow BY RICHARD D. MOHR CHAMPAIGN, 111-. A local Presbyterian church recently dedicated a gaythemed stained glass window, becoming the first mainstream church in the United States to do so, according to area residents. Built at a cost of $10,000, the window was dedicated in honor of Carolyn Worley. a long-time bead of the church's social concerns committee who is currently suffering from late stage Parkinson disea se. The window was donated by her brother, Mark Jucrgensmcyer, a professor of sociology at the l . n.ivcrsity of CaJifomia-Santa Barbara. .. I wanted to do something impressive for my sister - and something before she died." Juergensmeyer said. "When the hoard of directors informed me that the remaining :wailab le window slot had been reserved for a gay-themed work, I was delighted." The classic 5-by-12-foot cathedral -arch window installed at the McKinley Presbyteriai1 Church features a pink triangle set against a white Celtic cross and blue background . Immediately below the triangle is an abstrac t rainbow flag and, beneath that, a red AIDS commemorative ribbon . At mid-window left, are two male hands clasping passionately, and, on the right, two female hands holding each other . In tum, each couple's hands are embraced by a pair of hands representing, according to Pastor Charlie Sweitzer, either the congregation or God. The window also contains the flaming heart symbol of the compassionate Jesus and two peaceful landscape.panels, which echo the tone and palette of a Tiffany Studios pastoral window placed nearby. A scroll on the left contains verse from Galatians 3:28: "In Christ tllere is neither Jew nor Gentile, sJa\'e nor free , male nor female ." On the right, a scroll quotes the parting words of Jolm Robinson to the pilgrims as they left the Netherlands: "The Lord has yet more / The Erotic Contemplative Reflections on the Spiritual Journey of the Gay/Lesbian Christian By Michael B. Kelly A SIX VOLUME STIMULUS FOR LIVING, LOVING AND PRAY.E R: l) Our Experience (75 min) 2J Revisioning Sexuality (80 min) 3) E.xodus and Awakening (75 min) 4) The Desert and the Dark (88 min) 5) Liberation (84 min) 6) The Road from Emmaus (63 min) The six volume video set is $199.00 Order through: EROSpirit Research Institute P.O. Box 8340 New Orleans LA 70182 .. The Erotic Contemplativ e is the most powerful and insightful study of gay spirituality that I know of. I have watched 'The Road From Emmaus" (tape 6) three times and still find new riches." -- JOHN J. McNEIL, PH.D ., author of The Church and the Ho111oesx11a/. "In my theology classes, both gay and straight seminarians benefit from Kelly's integration of sexuality with Christian mysticism." -- ROBERT Goss, PH.D., author of Jesus Acted-Up . "An excellent resource ... a worthwhile investment." •• BONDINGS, a publication of New Ways Ministry. ''The Erotic Co11te111platviivdee o course has helped gay men and lesbians who grew up as Christians move toward healing the wounds of the past." •• JosEPH KRAMER, M.D1v., EROSpirit Research Institute. "This work should be consicJercd essential 10 anyone ~erious ahout their sexuality/spirituality ancJ mandatory for anyone who in any way acts as a spiritual director for gay and lesbian pec,plc." -- More Light Update. I ·M«~1c,k 1uiled mfonnalmn nbnul each video i, ,1vJilnbk upon requcJt. Also av:ulnbtc in Pal =-;;,; -1 Eurnpcanl/\ustrnUun lormar Calif.lrn1a rc'1\lcm, n,J~ K:25% snlcs 1ax lJS ,hipping charge: S~ 00. Jn1crna11unla ~h1pp1g1 1char&,; S:IVIO E) 1997. EROSpm1 Research l11~11u11c ... - ---- •-------- ~ -- 11 .1/\NIJJ\RY•FEBRI IARY 199R light and truth to break forth from God's word" The phrase "More Light" is set in capitals to mark the church as one of the Presbyterian More Light ministrie s, which are dedicated to social and religious ju stice for lesbians and gays. The McKinley Presbyterian Chur ch, which has been a More Light congregation for 18 years, has been one of the most consistently gay-progre ssive in stitutions in Champaign. Next spring, it will host a national conference of the More Light Church es Network . (Windy City Times) Gay deacon whose ordination was protested becomes a priest KALAMAZOO, Mich. - When gay divinity school student Thoma s Drown was ordained a deacon during a ceremony last June. two Episcopal priests rose to object. But Brown was undaunted. The 27- year-old recently graduated from divinity school and returned to Episcopal Church of Christ the King in January to be o, lained as a priest. Brown, formerly of Kalamazoo, says people in his hometown parish have been less openly critical of him as time has passed. Brown now li• 'es in Califor - nia but frequently returns to the Kalama zoo area. "Of course, in the wake of my ordina tion, people knew who I was. If they didn't alr eady know me, they were able to figure out, 'That is the homo sexu al."' Brown told the Kalamazoo Gazette in a recent story. "But I was touched by how welcom ing many people were .... I think that' s a tribute to the Episcopal Church in Western Michigan and Bishop Edward Lee for helping us maint ain that type of unity ." After Brown is orc!ained a prie st, he will be eligible to lead a parish of Iris own. Right now . he is the dir ecto r of alumni and church relat ions at the Church Divinit y Schoo l of the Paci fic in Berkeley, Calif., and a pan-time clergy associate at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in San Francisco . SEE DEACON, Page 17 Gay deans uess chool.filesc omplaint withH umanR i,ghtsC ommissi,on NEW HAVEN. Conn. - A gay dean , who was dismissed by Albertus Magnus College , has filed a law suit against the school, charging it with breach of contract, slander and libel. Michael Hartwig, 43, filed a lawsuit against the school, which is affiliated with the Roman Catho lic Church, and the school president Dec 12. Ile has also filed a complaint with the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. In his complaint , Hartwig claims he was discriminated against because of his sexual orientation and religious beliefs. "No faculty member should have to fear discrimination because of their personal beliefs or relational commiunents. 1 want to assure that what haJJJ)Cllcdt o me, won't happen to my colleagues," Hartwig said in a prepared statement. Hartwig was placed on paid leitvc in October, soon after he wrote an op-cd piece for a newspaper identifying himself as a pric.~I "on leave." Under Roman Ca tholi c Church law, priests can never be abso lved of their vows, but they can lea ve the active minis try in good standi ng provided they undergo "laicization." Har tw ig was never laicized. The college has said Hartw ig's dismissa l was' the result of conflicting accounts he had given about his status as a priest aud not because of his sexual orientation . School officials maintain Hartwig told them he was no lon ger active in the ministry when he applied for the joh six years ago. Bul according to court documents. his resume said he took "a permanent leave of absence from active ministry " for personal reasons at lhc end of 1987 Ilartwig's l11wsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages, a retractwn of uJI alleged defamatory st,llcmcnts <1hout Hartwig made by school officials and llartwij,!'s rcappoint111cn1 to the faculty (AP) NATIONAL NEWS Rev.P erry,A rchbishoTp utu meetinJohamiesburg A MEEflNG OF historic significance to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities took place on Dec. 12 as two internationally recognized human rights activists met in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Rev . Troy D. Perry, moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churche s, met with Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Johannesburg for a wide-ranging discussion of human rights issues . Others in attendance for this historic meeting included the archbishop's wife, Leah; Rev. Perry's spouse, Phillip DeBlieck; and the Rev. Andre Muller , UFMCC area coordinator for South Africa. The meeting began with cordial greetings, following by Archbi shop Tutu's request that the group open in prayer. The archbishop led the group in a prayer of welcome and affinnation. During the meeting, Rev. Perry expressed thanks to Archbi shop Tutu for bis work to include protection s on the basis of sexual orientation in the new South African constitution. Perry shared how this accomplishment has helped to mobilize the American gay rights movement in seeking protections from the United States Congre ss, including laws that would ensure basic rights to lesbian, gay, transgendered and bisexual citizens to work for a living without the fear of discrimination. Both Archbi shop Tutu and Rev. Perry discussed the roles that religion plays in the ongoing debates surrounding sexual orientation. Archbishop Tutu noted that Gay chorus, black Baptist choir sing together THE TURTLE CREEK Chorale of Dallas and the Male Chorus from Hamilton Par k B a pti st C hurch haven't appeared in the president's national dialogue on race . But they make a pretty strong argument for reco ncili ation on all level s. First Baptis t Church of Hamilt on Park is a predomin antly black Bapti st church. The Turtle Creek Chorale is a predominately gay men's chorus. Many of its members have avoidet.! mainline churches, particularly Bart. st on es, becau se of painful experi ences with them. These two choirs could have shied away from each other. And yet the choirs are sang together at the Meyerson Symphony Center and sold out all five j oint con certs. The audi ences were as mixed as any in the history of the hall. The co1obi11ed voices made amazingly powenul music. (Dallas Morning News) Protesters warn of 'presence' at Gay Days at Disney parks BY MIKE SCHNEIDER KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Cri ticiz.ing the gay-friendly policies of the Wall Disney Co., about 75 pro testers said they may try to estab lish a "presence" at Disney World. The protests on Dec. 29 led 10 traffic j ams as protesters passed out leallets and carried signs that read "Choose Jesus over Mickey." Three people were arrested, including a leader of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue , the Rev. Flip Benham. They were charged with obstructing public streets. The protesters, mos tly people attending a youth conference al a church in Palm Bay, listed many of the same reasons as the Baptists for their boycott: Disney's granting of health benefits to same-sex partners of employees, allowing "Gay Days " at its theme parks and having Ellen DeGenercs, the star of the ABC show "Ellen, " 10 come out as a lesb ian. ABC is owned by Disney. Benham said the protesters may establish a "presence" at the theme parks, most noticeab ly during the next Gay Day in June . The pro testers will buy tickets to get into the parks. pass out litera ture and read from the Bible, Beu. ham said. Disney spokesman Bill Warren said the protesters will be asked 10 stop if they do that. "We discourage anyo ne coming in with a personal platform or agenda, whether it's holding a political bruu1er or setting up something for a statement," Warren said. "It's not a place for making s1atcme111osr political causes ." (AP) religious fundamentalists have questioned the right of the government to add sexual orientation to the South African Constitution and want simple answers to life's hard questions . "Some people .always tiy to take the Bible literally and legalistically," he said. The Archbishop further stated, "Parents mnst love their children . It is a shame that fathers still teach their sons not to cry as though that would make them seem like a woman. Fathers teach their sons not to have real feelings . Every human being should rejoice and celebrate both our masculine and feminine sides." Rev. Perry and Archbishop Tutu also reviewed a range of otl1er human rights issues, including their common opposition to the death penalty. Archbishop Tutu discussed his work as chair of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which will conclude its work in June of 1998. At that time, Tutu will become a visiting professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Rev. Perry extended an invitation for Archbi shop Tutu to addres s the 1999 General Conference and World Jubilee of CALLED OUT WITH Stories of Solidarity the Universal Fellowship of Metropoli tan Community Chnrches in Los Angeles, California , at which the denomination will dedicate its ne,v $5 million UFMCC World Center com plex. The archbishop indicated his residence in the US at that time makes ii more likely that he might be able 10 accept the invitation . The meeting finished with Rev. Perry assuring the archbishop that he is surrounded with the prayers of all MCCers for continued good health after his recent bout with prostate cancer. Doe to the international attention focnsed upon the -archbishop's work with the South Afri.can Truth and Rec- . onciliation Commission, the meeting almost did not take place . A message 10 Rev. Perry from the archbishop's staff initially noted that the meeting needed to be canceled because of "the exhausting hearings involving Mrs. Winnie Mad.ikezela-Madela and the State Security Council ,'' which ran a week over the time scheduled for it. However, on Dec. 8th, and aide to the archbishop phoned witl1 the news that a scheduling change had made it possible for Archbi shop Tutu to mee t with Rev. Peny . Sylvia n,orson-Smith , Johanna W. H. van Wijk-Bos , Norm Poll. William P. Thompson, editors l'af'<" S 16.00 n suppon of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered persons. Inspiring 'Stories of heterosexuals who have stood In support of justice and inclusion of sexual minorities In the church. Each person's story is a testament to the struggle to live out one's personal faith In a public world. WE WERE BAPTIZED Too Claiming God's Gracef or Lesbiansa nd Gays Marilyn Bennett Alexander and James Preston Paf'<"S/7.00 With a foreword by Desmond M. Tutu, this book challenges the church 10 take seriously Its understanding of b.1pusm and communion a.s a means of grace, fusti~, and liberntlon and 10 rememl>< •• It~ pledge to accept, love, forgive, and nurture newly baptized members . UNCOMMON (A LUNC. A Gay Christian's Struggle to Serve the Church Chris Glaser P,1p,r S20.00 . (]laser describes Ills personal journey of coming out to Im family, friends, and church-.lnd to himself. By openly and honestl y idling his story. \llaser demonstrates how g3ys, lesbians. and blsexuals ore real p<.-Opslelr uSJ!llngt o stny faithful. COMIHC. OUT AS PARENTS You and Your Homosexual Child David IC Swltttr P<1pJ,rJ 2.00 In a complete wvliion of his bcst-selllng Parm ts of Iii, Hom~rxmrl, Switzer helps P3rents undcrstJnd their feeling, and «•at'.11011> and darifl,.., wh,11 it means to be homosexual. He explores recent sclentlllc, social, anti bibllu1I Information about homo1Cxuallty and cmpha>iw the n,,'<f for 1<-cnnclllatfo.n At your book\tor..-, your Cokesbury bookstore or ,a ll toll-free (800) 227-2872 ____________________________h ttp://www.pcus11.oprgp/c/ __,uo SECOND STONE 15 Archbishop of Canterbury responds Don'ta cto uto fi gnorancaen d fearS, JX)ngurgceosl leagues EPISCOPAL BISHOP John S. Spong of Newark , New Jersey, has sharply criticized the Archbishop of Canterbury, . Dr George Carey, and other Anglican bishops for their negative statement s about homose,mality . In a letter sent to the leaders of the world-wide Anglican Commwnon Spong expressed deep concem for the gay and lesbian population of the world. He also sent Anglican leaders an eight-page "white paper" he had written, called "Message to the Anglican Communion on the Subject of Homo sexuality," and an earlier "Koinoni a Statement" along simi lar lines, signed by 73 bishops. Homosexuality is likely to be a major focus tins summer at the Lambeth Conference, the 10-yearly meeting of the world's Anglican bishops. Bishop Spong's letter of Novembe r 12 to the Primates of the Anglican Communion: Dear friends: . I write to lay before you my deep concern for a significant part of both our communion and the human race; namely, the gay and lesbian population of our world. I an1 fearful that when we meet at the Lambeth Confe rence in 1998, we will act out of our longstanding ignorance and fear, instead of out of the Gospel imperati vc and thus deal one more violent blow to these victims of our traditional prejudice . My fear s have been enhanced by recent statements issued by Lambeth Palace, tile General Synod of the Church of England, the incredible and ill- ... : ::;·•;' t: • ExcitingA rticles& Features ?/:;.;;·• ColorP hotosT hatT ake YouT here • lnfonnat ive Monthly Departments • USA& WorldwideD estinations f . J;Gti·wiW • Exclusive Travel Listings OURW ORLDis the recognizedm onthly magazine for travel enthusiasts. Unlike other publications, you'll find everything you need to kn:iw about gay and lesbian travel in our 56-page. all-glossy format - including color photography. It's all here: from New York lo L.A.; London lo Moscow; Thailand to Tahiti; , the Caribbean to the Amazon; and Key West to Alaska. So don't be left out, join 50,000 other readers and subscribe to OUR WORLD mugnzine ~ you go! 1 year (10 issues) $35. Send check, money order, or VISA, MasterCard to: OUR WORLD, 1104 North Nova Road, Suite 251, Daytona Beach, FL 32117 Tel: (904) 441-5367 Fax: (904) 441-5604 Internet: http:ttwww. ourwortdmag.com Mon.y-bldgcu1 11n1NF 'nl - mae1n 6 ...,.. 11p lao,..,.,.. Ou!Sldl U~ •n d Uss.5 (IWllaoJo °'u ss,o( 0111»1'1) infonned diatrib e that came this pa st year from the Archbi shop of the Southern Cone (South America) and the much publicized, hostile and threate1nno Kuala Lumpur statement , signed by ~e rtain - bishops of Southeast Asia. All of these negative messages were widely disseminated through U1e press. My concern is that if U1ose are the only voices raised in the public domain, then a distorted picture of the status of this debate will be seen. The facts are, I believe, that tl1ese religiou s voices are significantly out of touch with the knowledge revolution that marks our generation . It is on that basis that I offer to you the following white paper which is designed to set these issues into a proper context and to challenge the prejudice and ignorance that I believe has been inflicted upon this Communion. I commend tins paper to your serious consideration. This comes with every good wish. The Arch bi shop of Canterbury's November 24 reply to Bishop Spong : Bishop Spong: I acknow ledge receipt of your letter addressed to Primates of the Anglican Communion and I am also copying this brief reply to them . I am saddened by the hectoring and intemperate tone of your statement which appears to lea ve little room for the dialogue you demand. You claim the high ground of science and reason; you argue that the view of those who disagree is 'tired and threadbare' and tl1eir leadership lacks integrity. Furth ermor e, you attack personally those of us who disagree with your opinion and in doing so you distort the theologie s and reasons why we are led to conclude that there is no justification for sexual expression outside marriage . I would invite you, Bishop. to reread my Christmas letter in which I express my hope that bishop s coming to L·unbeth will come to "give" and "receive." I assure you that there will be open and honest debate on all issues that concem our Communion . I expect that to characterize the discussion on the issue of homosex ualit y. I understand that you feel passionately about this and that you have the support of a significant number of bishops. However I would ask you in turn to reco gni ze that a very large nwnb er of bishops fro m all ove r the world disag ree with you with equal passion. You seem to be under the impression that the Kuala Lumpur Statement is the work of SoutJ1 Asian bishops. Tins is not the case. It was agreed by a conference of some eighty participants represe nting the majority of Anglican provinces iu the southern hemisphere. The most recent Dallas stateme111, which expresses similar sen timents on sexuality. also drew bishops from many parts of the world. I draw your attention to these facts because I want lo be sure that everyone fully reali zes the divide potential of this. not just for the Com - mmnon, but for people more generally . If bishops come to Lambeth wanting a showdown on this issue, I am quite clear that there will follow a very negative and deslructive conflict which will put even furtJ1er back the cause of tl1e . people you represent. I have no wish to lay furll1er burdens on any group s, but the tone of your paper. ironically, risk s creating such a situation. If we each come to listen to others in the spirit of our Lord whom ,ve all try to serve, then we shall all benefit from our collllno n discussion. I hope tJlat the bishops will ask me to set up an International Commission to con sider these issues. The Conference will be less inclined to do so, however, if you, or, indeed, other s on the opposite side of the argument, intend to spli t the Conference open on tms matter. Do come in peace , do come to learn, come to share - and leave belnnd any campaiginng tactic s which are so inappropriate and unproductive , whoever employs them. I urge you to come in a construeti ve spirit. Bishop Spong's reply to the Archbi shop of Canterbur y. November 26: Dear Archbishop : Tiiank you for your letter received by fac simile and dated Novcm~r- 24th . Your response was quite hclplul m tha t it illu strated more clearly than I could ever have hoped the nature of the problem faced by this Communion . You characterized my statement as "intemperate " and as " leaving little room for dialogu e. " Yet I do not recall your issuing any critici sm. much less similar har sh word s, about the Kuala Lumpur Statement . the Dalla s Stat ement , or the Statement hy the Archbishop of the South ern Cone . Those statements made ass ertions about gay and le sbian people that were not ju st intemperate, but offensive, rude and hostile . Tho se statement s went so far as to thr ea ten schi sm if their point of view did not prevail or to break off commun ion with pro vinces of our Communi on who di sagreed with them. You do not appear to have sugg es ted that they left "little room for dialo gue." The se statements also threatened to withdraw financial suppo~t fro m the work of the Church unless the Churc h's lea dership endorses their po int of view. Tha t strikes me as a form of ecclesiastica l blackmail. By your silence in the face of these affronts, you reve al qui tc clear! y where your own convic tions lie . That makes it quite diffic ult to have confidence in your willingness to handle this debate in an evcn-l11u1dcd way . Gay and lesbian Christians arc at great risk if these altitudes prevail nt u1moolh. You suggest that tlw prohlcm for our Communion lies in the fart that !here SEE SPONG, Page 17 Spong, Archb ishop exchange letters FromPage16 are deep divi sions among the bishops on the subject of homo sexuality . · May I respectfully disagree. We have bad deep divisions before over important issues like slave ry, segr,egation, apartheid and the full humanity of women and their right to pur sue equality in both church and society . The Church can live with divi sions . Th e issue is not that these d ivi sion s e xist, but who is ri ght. Church unity is imp ortant to me, but it is not au ultimat e value . Truth and ju stic e a re. A Church unified in racism, chauvini sm or homophobia ca nnot be the Body of Chri s!. Our task as God's Church is to di sce rn truth and to proclaim j ustic e, a nd if that disturb s the unity of the Church, then so be ii. In our effort to discover tmth , however, we caimot clo se our mind s• or ignore new in sights that challen ge even the liter al truth we quote from holy Scripture . I am aware, as I am ce rtain you are, that church peo ple have used biblical quota tion s, as well as wha t you have called " theologies and reasons" for centuries to ju stify altitud es that today are univers- DIVERSITY, From Page JO comrmm.ity, said distric t employees need to und ersta nd the prob lems of gay and les bian students to better address their needs. "h isn't turu.ing them gay ," he sa.id. "This wasn't somet hing like going in and indoctrina ting all the students." Shirley Steinberg, a Staie College res ident and professo r of educa tional studies at Ade lp hi Universi ty who is scheduled to speak al the diversi ty program, called the deci sion to drop the speakers a "denial." 'The diversity seminar is certainly not any k.ind of encouragement of homosexuality within the schools. We don't want kids to have leukemia, but when they do, we have counselors they can go to to deal with it," she sa.id. Her husband, Penn State education Professor Joe Kinchloe, who will also CLERGY, FromPagel0 Somewha t surprisingly, just a slightly higher percentage - 36 percent - would expect a clergy member to be comforting during tl1e dying process. The Gallup Institute says the study suggests that religious communities should encourage and train more people to pray with the dying, and to "appropriately" share their beliefs about ally rejected . Why do we not recognize that quoting an ancient text to try to solve a complex nioral or scientific is sue is as irrelevant today as it was when the book of Joshua was quoted to condemn the discoverie s of Galileo? I am amaz ed that this is not clear . It certainly is to so many ii;t the secul ar world who have rejected the Church as no longer viable for their live s. How many more moral debates will we have to und ergo in the Christian Church before people recogni ze that the literal Bible was wrong on the seven day creation story, wrong on epilep sy being demon possession , wrong on sickne ss resulting from sin, wrong on the sun rotating around the earth, wrong on slavery , wrong on defining women as inferior people, and is now wrong on the origin s, ca uses and me anin g of homo sexuality ? How many irrele vant rea r guard battle s must we Chri stians lose before we give up this tactic? How much longer will we pretend that this is about divisions in t11e Church? Perhaps we need to remind ourselves - lead a ses sio n at the work shop, sai d his interest isn't pure! y theoretical. "O ur k.ids have so many gay friends (at State High) ... I ju st sit sometim es and listen to the stories that they tell me with tc::arsi n their eyes," he said. Opdenho ff said the divers ity commi ttee still feels the homosex uali ty issue is impo rtant. "It is unfortunate to tit.ink that tit.is is not one of t11e diversi ty issues covered," he sa.id. "We have an obligation to provide infor mation on this issue. The diversi ty committee is unanimous on that." He said the dis tric t hopes to ta lk about homosexual divers it y issues in the future. Two more district-w ide diversity workshops are planned - one in 1999 and the other in 2000. (AP) the afterlife. People value touching, hugs, expres sions of love, as well as reminders of God's Jove for them, in their final days, the study indicates. "Old people getting sick need to cow1t on the faith community to which they have belonged," the institute reported . "Too often they caw1ot do this." (AP) that Anglicani sm has never identified the word of God with the literal words of Scripture . The living word of God for us is rather found underneath t11e literal words of Scripture and in the perso"l of Christ, whom we have called tra<l,uc,nally the "Word of God Incarnate ." In the living word of God we hear it proclaimed tliat all per sons are created in God 's image , loved by God through Jesus Chri st and called lo the fulln ess of life inside God's Holy Spirit. Our task as Christian ethici sts today is to apply that "Liv ing Word" lo the complex moral issues of our day with minds infonned by knowledg e developed in the secular and scientific world. We can.μot slop the world becau se it no longer affinn s our prejudice s. If we are uninformed by availabl e scientifi c data , we have no business trying to pre scribe for the live s of million s of people . Finall y, you seem to assume tliat my intention is lo seek to impo se a solution to this issue upon our Commun ion. Perhaps if you would rerea d my statement, you would disc over that is absolutel y not what I said or what I DEACON, FromP age 14 "I feel called to my work at the seminary and my work at St. John tl1e Evangelist," Brown said. "I aspire lo serve a parish full -time in the next one to two years." Still, there are some in the church who hope t11at doesn' t happen. The Rev. Raymond Bier lin , one of two pries ts who stood to obj ect when Brown became a deacon in June, said he plans to attend Brown 's ordination into the priesthood. 'There will be an objection to his ordination," Bierlin said. Brown said he feels people like Bierinte nd. · I spea k tod ay as I do only bec ause of the silence of leaders like yourself in the face of tlte abuse present in the public statements of the Southern Hemisphere bishops, the Archbishop of the Southern Cone and the Dallas signatories who do seek to impose their solution on the Church. They are the ones threatening the Church . I se1:k, and will continue lo do so in tl1e future, to stand between tl1e gay and lesbian Christians I ant privileged to serve and the negativity and abuse of one more insensitiv e statement issued on this subject by those who, while quite sincere , are not wcllinfonn ed. I do not wan t our Church to be embarra ssed yet again becau se we are so slow in embracin g ntw knowl edge and new way s of perceivin g reality . Your leader ship in this endea vor is crucial. I will come to Lambeth guided by tl1c motto of my tlteol ogi cal semin ary, "to see.k the truth of God come when ce it may, cost what it will." I hope you and all the oth er bishops of thi s Church will do likewise. Jin are the exce ption. " I feel like I have been rece ived really well," he said. Brown grew up in the Upper Peruusula and graduated from Western Michigan Unive rsity in 1992. After his graduation, he worked in the Kalamazoo area for two years as a teacher at Plainwell High School and as an educator and trainer for Planned Parenthood of Soulb Central Michiga n. The Episcopal Church of Christ t11e King sponsored Brown when he entered the Church Divi ni ty School of the Pacific in 1994. (AP) GAYELLOWP AGES™ INFORMINTGHE L ESBI,A GNAYB,IS EXUA&L T IWSIGEIDERDEC OIIIIUNITYSI NCE19 73 All edHHI S MWla cludt I SEPATREAW OIlIE'S SECOTNI Compgleat-eyfr ien~d resouracnedbs u sinessaeas::o mmodabtlirosbn,os o, kstodreenst,i, s dtsoctorlas,w yers, therapiIsmtse,l9 8IVlcpersi,n teorrgs,a niDtiomnesd, lilal~, lougrso uphse, llpin e&sI IV/A1I8DSSO U!CeS. Lisint gsb rokdeonw bnyS ta&leC ityI.n de&xf ista ccepshs onHSeI U. PADTEADN UNALYL. USA/CANAD$A16:b yf irst classm all Includeasl l states andp rovincesn,a llonahl eadquarteorfs o rganiztaions, mall orderc ompanieest,c , SOI/TH/SOUTHEMRIDNW EST$1: 0b yf irstc lass mal ~~~~-~~~~~~~~~~~ OK,P R,S C,T N,T X,U SV lrglnl s, VAW, V. GREATENRO RTHEA$S1T0 b yn rstc lassm all CTD, CD, EM, EM, DI,I AN, H, NJ,N Y, OHP, AR, I, VAV, T, WV. Findu sa t gay-frlendlJs toresll ke LAMBDRAIS ING80 0-621-6969 A DIFFEREUN&TH TB Nl-343-400a2n dm anro thers Fora na pr;:icaHtoo nbe llsled(n oc harge)e, tm 1t1.d ltton1t1 1pdr ica, tllllUngll bels, etc.p, lelse aenda self-addreuasdta mpeedn veloptoe R enaissanHcoeu ll, POB ox 53S-SSV,iI lageS tationN, llwY u!tlN, Y1 0014 \.. 212-674-012F0a x:212-421H1G2A6 YEU.OPWAGES@juno.comhttp://gayellowpagea.)c om SECOND STONE 17 HIV-{mtiveJ XX,Jfien d variouwsa yst oc o~ withs tre§ BY WAKA TSUNODA NEW YORK - One screamed. Another · couldn't believe the test result and demanded to see the report. Yet another accepted the news calmly, but he walked home in a daze, almost bumping into trees and poles. Even with recent medical advances, AIDS is a disease without a cure, and being diagnosed with mv or Human Immunodeficiency Virus that causes AIDS is nothing less than devastating. "I just sat there," recalls Wilma Smith. 'Then, suddenly, I just started screaming at the top of my lungs and sobbing uncontrollably. I was totally lost." HIV is far more than a death sentence. It still canies a certain social stigma, and HIV-positive men and women face additional hardships such as rejection by society and famiJy and loss of jobs. They also must watch their fellow patients - friends and even family - die one by one as their own hea!th deteriorates. How are they coping with these overwhelming stresses'! Smith, a 41-year-old former drug user, and 37 other HIV -positive men and women, all under pseudonyms, tell their stories candidly and articulately in a just published book , "Being Positive, The Llves of Men and Women" by Robert Klitzman, M.D. Dr. Klitzman, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, has found from their narratives that there are six broad patterns of handling the stress of HIV: Fmding camaraderie in the community of HIV patients; finding solace in religion; finding meaning and a sense of purpose in work or volunteerism; and trying to forge closer tics with family. Two other, and less desirable, modes of adaptation are: minimizing or denying the seriousness of their condition; and finding temporary release in sex and su·bstance abuse. George Sullivan, a 55-year-old gay man and former Wall Street executive, is one of the men who has found "some security and safety" in "HIV-land," or the HIV community. "l have a Harvard edncation and used to go to work in a suit," he says. 'Then I got the virus. I went through various self-improvement and transformation games ... to raise my self esteem and not feel like a second-class citizen. But I felt outside the financial world where I worked. All those people were straight and HIV negative. It was very difficult to get along there as an openly gay - never mind HIV-positive - man." Gregory Colson, a Vietnam veteran who spent time in jail because of drug use , tnmed to rugher powers for help. After being tested positive in 1986, he explains , "I started really believing in God and the Bible." He attributes rus continued existence to God's will. "God wants me here for a reason: to do good," he says. "He doesn't want me to die. He wants me to help other peo ple, to be a messenger, and spread the word - about how to protect yourself from HIV, and how to live with it if you've already got it, and how not to give it to somebody else." Maurice Bradford, a 44-year-old former hospital administrator, on the other hand, finds a sense of purpose in rus part-time work as a consultant. " ... work has always been extremely important to me," explains Bradford, who is gay. ''I was never a person who watched the clock and worked only nine to five. I always put in a lot more time - uncompensated - than I had to. It was an important part of defining my life." To counter the destruction and stigma of HIV, many patients try to reconnect with kin, Klitzman points out. Trus goal allows men and women to "live on" after death through future genera tions, but the es tabli shment of such bonds can be difficult, the psychiatrist says . Jenny Singer, a 38-year-old ItalianAmerican nurse who used intravenon s drngs, says, "the worst part of HIV is not being able to have a child now .... I know there 's a chance I could have a scroncgative child , but it would break my heart if I gave birth and then had to watch the child be sick for years and die from AIDS. I couldn't inflict that kind of pain on another human being. Instead I jnst bought a cote little baby dog. It's nice to see her growing and changing every day. No matter what I do or say, she always loves me. " Leonard Barber, a 31-year-old gay man, is one of those who choose minimization or denial to cope with his HIV status. "I practice conscious denial," he says. "I pretend I'm going to live forever.,, Klitzman is an experienced hand in studying epidemics that cause massive death. Even before he entered medical school, he conducted research on the medical epidemiology and medical anthropology of kuru , a viral disease in Papua New Guinea, which killed 90 percent of the women and two-third s of the entire population of a "Stone Age" group and its neighbors. "HIV raises in bold relief issues that each of us will one day confront." lie says in conclusion. "We will all face death, though we rarely think about it. ... Those with HIV - mostly baby boorners - have had to face these issues before others of their generation, and have illustrated what does and does not impede and help." (AP) Advocatesw orrieda boutp ublicb elief thatm edicationc uresA IDS BY AMY BErH GRAVES COLUMBUS, Ohio . The killer in Michael McDonald's body is silent. The AIDS-infected man has lived with the deadly HIV virus for 12 years. A year ago his viral load, the measure of HIV in the blood, was more than 1 million. Today, it's undetectable. The reason is simple: McDonald is one of 150,000 people laking a powerful cocktail of AIDS drugs called pro• lease inhibitors. Brought back from the brink of death, McDonald, 38, is planning for a f'uture he never thought he would have . Dreams of going to medical school are real again and his living will is tucked away in a drawer. There's only one problem - the cocklllil is not a cure. The virus still lurks in hf.~ body. AIDS advocates are alanned by what they say is a growing public belief that the treatment cures AIDS. "People think the AIDS epidemic is 18 J A N U A R Y • FE 8 R U A R Y I 9 9 8 over," McDonald said. "That's scary because it's not." The more people believe that, the more risks they may talce - risks that could lead to a resurgence in the nwnber of HIV cases. "We are a talce-a-pill society. People seem to think the drugs are a cure. I'm constantly amazed at the level of ignorance. HIV never leaves the body," said Randall Russell, director of AIDS Task Force of Alabama. AIDS groups are seeing a large increase in the number of HIV and AIDS cases involving women and minorities, said Thomas Bartenbach, director of Indiana Cares, which works with 12 AIDS centers in Indiana. A new federal study found the number of AIDS cases among women is rising more quickly than among men. From 1.99 l through 1995, the number of women diagnosed with AIDS increased by a whopping 63 percent, compared with 12.8 percent among males. And for the first time, more women are being infected through heterosexual contact than throngh drug use. The study also found AIDS cases diagnosed in 1996 rose 19 percent among heterosexual black men and 12 percent among heterosexual black women. "Younger people think they can participate in risky behavior again. They have no fear." said McDonald, who gives speeches to schools and businesses for the Columbus AIDS Task Force. "Heterosexuals still think this is a gay disease and not as their disease, too." Education about AIDS is more important than ever, said Daniel Zingale, director of AIDS Action, a national organization that represents 2,000 AIDS groups. "lt11 be a tragedy if people start walking away from prevention," he said. "The worst is not over. The drugs aren't · a cure and don't work for many people." Zingale said protease inhibitors fail for at least 30 percent of patients who take them. The cost - $10,000 to $15,000 per year - is prohibitive. Another question is bow long the drug cocktail will be effective. Russell said some patients show no sign of HIV for a year or two. But then for some unknown reason, the virus and infections return, killing them. McDonald knows all about that. "I still live with the fear in the back of my mind that tomorrow I could become sick again. That the virus will grow again," he said . "For the past 12 years, I have watched all my goals crumble in front of my eyes. I was on my way to osteopathic school but didn't go because of my impending death. Now that I have hope, I'm thinking of going to nursing school. I just have to make sure I don't overdo it." (AP) AIDS WARRIORS AND HEROES Littlesvt ictimso fA IDS thrivein K enyanh ome BY KARIN DA VIES KAREN, Kenya - Joseph Angelo arrived at a home for HIV -infected orphans, new I y born and covered in dirt . His mother, alone and dying of AIDS, had buried him ali \'e- because she assumed her son would not live . Rescued by a policeman, Joseph joined 49 other youngsters at Nyumbani , or "home" in Swahili . Three months later, Joseph sucks gustily on a bottle and laughs when tickled. . · Joseph is just one of 7.8 million children living in sub-Saharan Africa who are orphan s because of AIDS, according to figure s released by the United Nations. Many inherited the immune-stripping dise ase-from their mothers, including at least 530,000 African children born last year - 90 percent of the world total. Often those children are abandoned the fate of an estimated 150,000 in Ken: ya. Dr. Angelo D'Agostino, a Jesuit priest and surgeon from Providence, was upset that some of those children were dying alone along the potholed streets of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, or in a poorly run govenrment hospital . In 1992, he opened Nyumbani, in a lush suburb 10 miles southwest Nairobi. Nyumbani is a noi sy, cheerful place where 50 youngsters, from infant s to a 15-year-old, thrive on a recipe of the best nutritional , medical , psychiatric and spiritual care, plus lots of love. D'Agostino said if the . orphans were not at Nyurnbani, "they would just die on the streets." He is ups et by the urbaniz ation of Africa, wh.ich has broken down a tradi tion of villag ers caring for one another. "In the city, peopl e with AIDS have no one." D'Agos tino join ed the Jesuits in 1981. They didn't need a surgeon, so he studied psychiatry. He now sees private patients to earn a living. Abou t 60 percent of his time is devoted t~ the orphanage. The yoW1gsters live in groups of five to nine in cottages, looked after by livein surrogate mothers . Walls are brightly decorated with handmadaquilts. Older childr en climb into bunk beds at night , while babies have cribs . They play hide -and-seek beueath lotsized T-shirts and pants fluttering dry on clothesline s, ride bicycl es in a rainmuddied yard, and study in a new school. Thanks to good care, the children arc fairly healthy despite their fragile immune systems. Raspy coughs arc common, and some children aretro ubled by skin problems - open sores or disfiguring warts. Another Providence doctor is talciug a year away from the University of Massachusetts in Worcester to do volunteer work in Africa. Dr. Lorin Mirnless said most of the children are small and behind for their ages from the combined problems of being HIV positive and orphans . Many of the children are neglected before they get to Nyumbani because the people around them are afraid of contractino .the disease. Left alone, they fail to dev~lop social skills and language normally, said Mimle ss, a professor of psychiatry. As children get older, they begin to ask what it means to be HIV-positive, ■ Many of the children are neglected before they get to Nyumbani because the people around them are afraid of contracting the disease. ■ said Sisler Mary Owen. She recalled a 12-year-old whose AIDSinfected friend died. Aware that he too had the disease , the boy asked if he was going to die. "I answere d him truthfully - that he had a very serious illn ess, and his life might be limited, hut no one could know by how much ," the sister said. Protus Lumiti, program director, said he has learned to hem in his grief. "The children look at me. If I am strong, they will be strong . But if I am brooding, they will, too," he said. Behind the cement -block school, beyond a garden crowded witli !arrots and spinach, is a growing cemetery . Six small crosses mark graves - the youngest, a girl,. lived for just 10 months . The old est, a boy, died montlis short of his 10th birthday. Flmeral s are conducted in a converted bam, where the youngest children spend most of their time. "We say goodbye. They arc sad, but tJ1ey_ und erstand that tl1eir friend will be with Jesus - he will be happy and he won't be sick anymore," said D'Agosti - no. It costs about $10,000 a month to nin the home, money collected from small donations. D'Agostino scowls at people and agencies willing to give millions lo protect Africa' s wildlife, but notJling to care for its children. Sometimes, a child gets lucky. Children born to women with AIDS test positive at birth because they are filled with their mother's antibodies. But one out of four babies at the orphana ge has later proved to be HIV-free. D'Ago stino is hoping baby Joseph will be among the lucky, and can be placed in an adoptive home. But if Joseph , too, is HIV-infected, he will have a place in D'Agostino's heart and home. For more information about N}1unbani, its ·website is at www.nyumbani. com. Or write to D'Agostino at P.O. Box 21399, Nairobi, Kenya . (AP) Fliers posted all over town draw people to speech .W omant akesc hurchp ulpit to~aboutAIDS EDEN, N.C. - Rosalyn Jackson · walked to the pulpit and spoke from her heart as one more voice hoping to chase AIDS out of the shadows. "To me, the sickness comes from the ignorance," Jackson told the friends, family and strangers who were drawn to Antioch Church of God in Christ by the flier she had posted all over &!en. She read from a speech she had been Writing for several weeks. She clasped and unclasped her hands. Theq she stopped referring to her notes and began speaking. She cried at times. Jackson is 30, and her son is 4. Both have tested positive for HIV. the virus that causes AIDS , and both receive treatment at clinics at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem . Jackson believes tJmt a man she once dated infected her through sex , and she unknowingly passed the disease on to her unborn son. Jackson stressed the basics: People who engage in unprotected sex or inject drugs expose themselves to HIV. Then she focused on what it is like to live with being HrV-positive. At first, she had nightmares in which she saw herself in a hospital bed dying . She has left those visions behind. She tells herself that AIDS will not kill her. Four years after testing mv -positive, the only adverse physical effect she experiences is occasioual shortness of breatli, she said. A large woman, she said she has yet to lose any weight. Nor ~ her son experienced adverse physical effects, Jackson said. The drugs that mother and son take are helping, their caregivers say. It is the stress from secrets and igno rance about AIDS that bothers Jackson more· than anything, she said. She believes that people gossip about her and her son. AIDS to her is a whispered mmor , a face quickly rumed away. Her audience responded with claps. amens and shouts of "You go, Rosalyn!" Dara Gamer-&lwards, an HIV social worker at the pediatric infectiou sdiseases clinic at Baptist Hospital who helps Jackson's son, was at the church. In three years on her job, she is accustomed to patients telling a few family member s' about their· illness . But she had never seen such an event as Jackson's. "'She's pretty amazing," Gruner - . &!wards said. "It's a big risk thal she's taking . It could turn out positively for her, she could get lots of support, but it could also twn out negatively. " Gamer-Edwards applauds Jackson's work to fight AIDS. Jackson sees it as her duty . "Until people realize that AIDS is real, the fight to save our children will be a never-ending battle," Jackson said. She began attending Antioch church about three months ago and joined it soon afterwards . She told the Rev. Joe Edward Garrett Jr. about her condition as soon as she met him. During subsequent worship services, she told the congregation about her illness. They have been supportive , she said . Garrett took the pulpit after Jackson and spoke of tlie importance of love for Jackson and the rest of the world . Behind Garrett, Jackson sat in a chair. holding her small son in her lap and dabbing her eyes with a tissue. At the pastor's invitation, the crowd ill the sanctuary contrib uted to an offer ing for Jackson. They walked single file up the red carpet to the front of the church and placed cnunp led bills in a collection plate. Many of the donors then walked to the. pulpit and hugged Jackson or kissed her on the cheek. • 'Among those people, Jackson said, were ones who hnd once gossiped about her. (AP) ~F.CO ND STON E 19 Mercy of God Community celebratelsO years BY BR. RONALD FRANCIS MGC A DECADE AGO, it was only ·a dream . Now it's a reality with unique opportunities for Christians who feel called to religious life but who seek · something different or whose circumstances make them reluctant to approach traditional orders. The idea of an ecumenical and inclusive religiou s community started in 1988 as the Brothers of the Mercy of God (BMG), when Br. Gerald William and a few followers gathered in Hartford, Connecticut, for prayer, camarad erie, and planning. In 1992, the community expanded to include women and changed its name to the Mercy of God Community (MOC). Since then, the commllllity has received inquiries from coast to coasat nd has growns teadliy in numbers and commitmentto its foundingp rinciples. They now have member s and associates in 17 states. Thi s year, MGC celebrates its 10th anniversary. The Mercy of God Community is a group of ordinary but fervent folks, who gratefully receive and dutifully extend God's mercy. Their lives are rooted in prayer, and they commit to three vows: living in the spirit of the Go sp el, detachment from material things, and responsible sexuality. The commllllity is guided by a scripture-bas ed rule, bylaws, and a democrati c governance . They take their lives and ministrie s very seriously, but they also exude joy and make a point of enjoying life and one another's company . The community is in spired by St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, but is not officiallyF ranciscan.H oweverB, r. Jon Bankert, of the Society of St. Francis (SSF), Li ttle Portion Friary, Mount Sinai, New York, who led a day of recollection at the community's Conf er- Church&Or anizationNews Reconciling Congregations Program grows in numbers, activity TWENTY -ONE congregations and four camp us ministries in the United Methodist Church publicly declared themselves "Reconciling Congregations" in Im. The Reconciling Congregations Program, a grass roots movement seeking to counter anti-gay policies and practices in the second -largest Protestant denomination in the United States, now encompasses 140 Reconciling Congregations, 20 Campus Ministries, 6 regional conferences, and numerous other reconciling groups. In addition, 12,500 Reconciling United Methodist individuals have enlisted in a collective witness to "open 1hc doors of the United Methodist Church to the participation of all people, regardless of sexual orientation." A major highlight of the Reconciling Co ngregations' year was a national gatheri ng of 500 RCP members and 20 J A N U A R Y • FE B R IJ A R Y I 9 9 8 friends in Atlanta in July for a spiritfilled weekend of worship, study, training and celebration. 'The Reconciling Congregation movement not only grew in numbers this past year," said executive director Mark Bowman, "but we've seen a dramatic rise in local activity and organizing in every area of the country." The rising visibility of the Reconciling Congregations program has also stirred up those in the church who oppose the work of the organization. "Anti-gay groups in the church now regularly rail against the RCP in their communications and fund raising activi ties and seek to discredit us," Bowman said. "But we are succeeding in redirecting the church's attention from casting judgment upon lesbian and gay persons to inviting them to be partners in faith." Members of the Mercy of God Community attend an investiture ceremony: Sr. Molly Grace, front, and, left to right, Br. John William David, Br. Thomas Jude, and Br. Alberto. ence '97 la st October and who observed the group closely, found that they truly have the Franciscan spirit, manifested by their sense of family and their handson ministries to people who repre sent Jesus to them. Events A11110c1e1m1e111tsi 11t his section are provided free of charge as a service to Christian orga11izatio11s.T o have a11 event listed, send i11formatio1t1o Second Stone, P.O. Box 8340 . New Orleans, LA 70182, FAX to (504)899 -4014, email secsto11e@aol.co111. CharismaticC onference JANUARY 23-25, 1998, Holid ay Inn Long Beach Airport, Long Beach. is the setting as MCC Long Beach hosts this conference, them ed "Lift up your hi:ads ... that the Ruler of Glory may come in.• (Psalm 24:7) Guest Speakers include: Rev. Elder Troy D. Perry: Rev. Elder Donald Eastman; Rev. Elder Freda Smith, River City MCC Cathedral of Promise, Sacramento, CA; Rev. Pat Bumgardner. MCC New York, NY; Rev. Bradley Wishon, Gentle Shepherd MCC, Phoenix, AZ; Rev. Janet Parker, Maranatha Fellowship MCC, Houston. TX; Rev. Lee Thompson, Abundant Grace Fellowship, Covington, LA: Rev. Joan Wakeford, Joan Wakeford Ministries, Austin, TX; Rev. Sandra Turnbull, MCC Long Beach, CA; and Chadash Ministries, Riverside.CA. For information or registration, contact MCC Long Beach. 3840 Cherry A venue, Long Beach, CA 90807, (562) 426-0222, Fa~. (562) 426- 8321, E-mail: MCCLB@aol.com Friendsf or Lesbian and Gay Concerns Midwinter Gathering FEBRUARY 13-16, The Northern Virginia 4-H Education Center in Front Royal, Virginia is the setting for this gathering of gay and lesbian Quakers and their friends. ''Friends Meeting on the Mountain: Different Paths, Common Journey" is the theme In comfortable accommodations in II beau tiful location. a time of worship. work- Members of the Mercy of God Community are self-supporting and remain in their own homes, as relocation is not necessary, but they travel to two Continues Next Page shops, entertainment, fun and good food is promised. For information contact Kari, (301 )527-89 29, alexank t@weslat.com - o r Kevin, (202)362-5683. dc.kevin@worldnet.all.net. Marsha Stevens concert FEBRUARY 14, Celebration of Faith Praise and Worship Center sponsors this concert by Chri stian singer /songw riter Marsha Stevens. "A Time of Love" will start with a dinner at 6p.m. followed by a concert at 8p.m. at the Billy de Frank Lesbian and Gay Community Center, 175 Stockton Ave., San Jose, Cal. The concert is free; dinner, $ 15 per person. For information contact Celebration of Faith Praise and Worship Center, (408)345-23 I 9 . Evangelical Network's 1 J th Annual Conference FEBRUARY 27-MARCH I, The Evangelical Network (TEN) gathers for its annual conference at the Phoenix Airport Hilton. TEN is dedicated to helping gays and lesbians rediscover the promises and gifts of Jesus Christ. The organ ization is a network of Bible believing churches, ministries, Christian workers and individuals bound together by a common shared faith, united in purpose and witness and established as a positive resource and support for Christian gays and lesbians. The conference theme is "Here Am I! Send Mc!" In addition to the conference, Dr. Joseph Pearson of the Christ Evangelical Bihlc Institute will lead II special one day seminar on March 2. Conference registration is $50 per person plus $25 if attending the Monday seminar. For information, visit the TEN website al www psn.net/-tcn/home.hlml or call (602)314-9628 . CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY NEWS 10 years of Mercy From Previous Page national meetin gs every year, in spring and fall, and convene regional gathering s as often as po ssible. They have recognized Ne w England and Midwest regions , se veral other member s and associates in Atlantic coast states, and a small group recently assembled in Califomia. The community's events have been likened to "Brig adoon," the 1948 Lemer and Loewe musical about a town in Scotland, which in response to a powerful prayer come s into being only once every one hundred years . They gather much more often, but like Brigadoon the mystical plac e, their meeting s have a certain magic; then they di sper se to th.cir re spective routine s, where , in their own small ways, they endeavor to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The entrance criteri a are that the indi- . vidual be a baptized Chri stian, at least 21 years old. and sense a vocation to religious lire , A six-month contact period, participation in at lea st one meeting , and a pe rsonal interview are requiredb efore an applica tion for candid- Events Connecting Families Weekend MARCH 20-22. Pastors Debbie Eisenbise and Lee Krahenbuhl will facilitate this gathering al Laurelville Mennonite Church Center in Mount Pleasant, Penn. "Building Bridges Across A Chasm Of Silence" is the theme. The weekend has been planned by families with gay and lesbian members to be a safe, relaxing time to share common concems regarding gay issues in the family and in the church. For information contact Gwen Peachey, registrar, 242 Cats Back Rd .. Ephrata PA 17522, (717)354- 700 1. National Gay Pentecostal Alliance Spring General Confe rence APRIL 17-19, Lighthouse Ev angel Tabernacle hosts this confere nce, themed "Restoration," at the Quality Inn in I-laze) Park, Michigan. For information contact Lighthouse Evangel Tabernacle, PO Box 20428, Ferndale Ml 48220, (248)544- 4442, lighthse84@aol.com. More Light Churches Conference MAY 22-24, "Honor the Past. I 978-1998, Transform the future• is the Iheme or the 1998 More Light Churches Conference, to be hmted by McKinley Memorial Church acy can be approved . There is a two -year formation program, provided as self -dirccled study under the guidance of a vowed member paired as a mentor. The firs! year leads 10 novitiate, and the second year culminates with profe ssion of first vows . Wearing of a habit is option al but encouraged for liturgical services. Other s, including non-Chri stian s. who wish to identify with the community, but who do not pronounce vows, can become associat es who support the community in prayer, help in various ways, and arc welcome to attend all . activities . Members arc engaged in various ministries of love, compas sion, and reconciliation, including education, coun sel ing, health care, hospitality , pastoral work and church music . They mainJy serve people who are poor . marginal ized, and oppres sed . They select their own ministries, which are affinned by tl1e community in an annual missioning service. Paula Gailagher, a Master of Divinity student a t the Divinit y School of the in Champaign, lllinois on Memorial Day weekend. Keynote speaker will be Rev. Dr. Beverly Harrison, from the faculty of Union Seminary, New York City. For in formation , contact Richard Spro tt, (510)268-8603, rasprott@ix.netcom.com or Tim Shea, 217-3 55-3 413 , tms2@jun o.com. GLAD Alliance Gathering JULY 16-19. the Gay, Lesbian and Affirming Disciples Alliance (GLAD Alliance) will gather for retreat, respite, and \'isioning at their annual GLAD Event. The setting will be the Benedict Inn. a retreat center in Beech Grove, Indiana, just outside of Indianapolis. The event is open to all interested persons. especially to folks in the Christian Church (Di sci pies of Christ). The facilitator will be the Rev. Melanie Morrison, co-director or Leaven, a nonprofit organizat ion that prov ides education and resources in the areas of spiritual development, reminism, anti-racism, and sexual justice. She is also author of the book "The Grace or Coming Home: Spirituality, Sexuality, and the Struggle for Justice• puhlished in 1995 by The Pilgrim Press. Morrison is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and leads retreats for women and men across the church. For additional information, conlact GLAD Alliance at P.O. Box 19223, Indianapolis. IN 46219-0223. Univer sity of Chicago, who is studying new and emerging religiou s communi ties, attended the community ' s Spring '97 relreal and observed that MGC is unique in the way they nol onJy minis ter to alienated persons, but also welcome them into the community, and hence minister to one another . They • Members are engaged in various ministries ... including education, counseling, health care, hospitality, pastoral work and church music. ■ base this on the parable of the Great Fea st {Luke 14: 12-24) which teaches what it means to actually invite "the poor, maimed, blind, and lame, " metaphorically speaking, to join. The Mercy of God Community is decidedly ecumenical and inclusive . Among the current 21 members and 48 associate s, there arc Catholi cs and Protestants; ordained clergy and layper sons; women and men; married or commiued , and single; heterose,mal s as well as many who are gay or lesbian , bisexual , or trau sgendered; a range of ages, a mix of racial and ethnic origins , some who are physically challenged, and of various socioeconomic background s, education al levels, and work histories. MGC is not, and_does not seek to be, canonicall y affiliated with any denomination . The community' s next major event will be its 7th annual Religiou s Life Retreat, to be held May 1-3 at the LaSalette · Christian Life Center, Attleb oro Massachusetis. The retrea t speaker will be Sr. Barbara Fiand, a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN) , author of several book s on religiou s life , who will develop the theme "Building a Covenanted Community ." Anyone who would like to spend a weekend living and praying with the communit y and discerning their vocation is welc ome . The registration deadline is April 10, 1998. Further information is available on the community's web site at http :// mgc.org /mgc. Inquirie s may be addressed.to: Mercy of God Community , Dept. 55, Post Office Box 834 0, New Orlean s LA 70182 . Names Makin News Founders of Shower of Stoles project receive 1998 Lazarus Award MARTHA iUILLERAT and TAMMY LINDAHL, two Presb yterian mini sters who found ed the "Shower of Stol es" projec t recei ved the 1998 Lau'UUS A ward on Jan. 17 in Pas adena, Calif. The award is pre sent ed annually by the Lazarus Project of Wes t Hollywood Pres byterian Church . The project is a ministry of reco nci liation betwee n the Presbyterian Church and its gay and lesbian members. Thr ough a fl yer Juill era t and Lindahl distributed a t the 1995 Genera l Assembly of the Presby terian Chu rch (USA), the couple began encouraging Presbyterians to create litnrgical stoles lo represent the hw1drcds of iudi\ •iduals who, because they are "se lf-acknowledged" gays or lesbians, are being denied ordination in the PCUSA. The response lo the flier was overwhelming. They received 80 stoles from all over the cowttry in Jess tltan six weeks . By May, 1996, they had over 200 stoles to display at the More Light Conference in Rochester, New York. Seven weeks later, at the Gen er al Assembly in Albuquerque, there were 350 stoics. In 1965, aft er 15 years in mini stry, Juilleral set aside her ordination . Since this deci sion was based primaril y on her outra ge over the Presbyterian Church's treatment of ga y, lesbian, bi sexual and tran sgendered member s, she wanted to make it clea r to her Presbytery that the dec ision was one part of a much larger stor y of oppr ess ion in tliat denomin ation . To help make this point visible, Juill erat and her pa rtner, Lind ahl , begilll the stoles proj ect. (For in formati on abo ut Showe r of Stole s, Martha and Tamm y c an be cont ac ted at 13033 Ridgelake Dr., Minnetonka MN 55305.) Martha Juillerat, Tammy Lindahl SECOND STONI:: 21 - - - ly." Gospel According to Matthew or the Nag Hammadi texts. Ones implea npenterc ollects thes ayingos fa nother When conversation turned to the historical Jesus, the two decided Mayotte should produce a book collecting all the sayings attributed to Jesus by early Christians - not just those collected in gospels of Matthew , Mark, Luke and John. There's been an explosion of scholarship about the historical Jesus in the last half-century. It was given a big boost with the discovery at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945 of a fourth century library of Gnostic gospels and other renderings of teachings attributed to Jesus but not included in the traditional, or canonicaJ, Bible. "I wanted people to look at all the sayings," Mayotte said. "I wanted them all to have equal weight." The chapter on "Teachings and Proverbs" begins with lhe Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5:3-12, but doesn't say in the text that's where it comes from. To check the reference requires turning to the appendix for the Bool<s chapter. BY DAVID GRAM SOUTH ROY ALTON, Vt. - Ricky Alan Mayotte is more than a humble caq,enter. His grandmother gave him a King James Bible when he was 12, and be read the whole thing in a year. "I said, 'I'm going to investigate this.' And I'm still doing that today," he said. The result, so far, is a book, "The Complete Jesus," which Mayotte · designed as a collection of all of Jesus' sayings - not jnst those handed down in the four gospels that begin the New Testament Mayotte, a 38-year-old Worcester, Mass., native, was working as a carpenter and sign painter for Tom Powers, 22 J A N U A R Y • J--E B R U A R Y I 9 9 8 a South Royalton landlord and partner in Steerforth Press, a small publi shing house, when the two got talking about a mutual interest: the history of religion. One day, when Mayotte was repairing a porch on one of his buildings, Powers had a question. "I was curious about the Talmud," the collection of ancient rabbinical writings that is the source of religious authority in Judaism. "I asked him what is the Talmud," Powers continued. "He said that was not a simple question, and he would have an answer tomorrow. The next day, he gave me a three-page, typewritten description of what the Talmud is." Powers concluded he had found a diamond in the rough. "He's an absolute autodidact, completely self-taught. He has no formal higher education. His father's the same way. There's just sort of a streak of real talent and interest in intellectual !lungs that runs in his fami- "The Complete Jesus" is a listing of sayings translated by other scholars that is divided up under broad headings, . including "Commandments," "Parables," "Warnings and Admoni tions," and several others. Mayotte said his aim was to begin each chapter witl1 the most familiar sayings - those from the canonical gospels - and proceed to the most strange and obscure. To find out the source for a specific saying the reader has to go to a series of appendices at the hack of the book; in the main part of the text, the sayings lack labels, and thus are given the same standing, whether they came from the gay esbian le!" ..... .• The same chapter contains this on its last page: "He that believes in me will also do the works that I do, and will do greater works than these." A notation shows it is from "The Epistle of Titus the Disciple of Paul on lhe State of Chastity," which was discovered in a Latin manuscript in 1896. Mayotte says he was not trying to prove or disprove anything by reaching beyond the teachings of Jesus accepted by most religious authorities. Rather, he said he sees Jesus as a puzzle and his book as an attempt to give readers as many pieces as can be found. "Although the puzzle may never be complete," he wrote in the introduction , "each new piece brings us one step closer to understanding the whole." (AP) ' Musico f spiritQaJiatyli,v e In today's contemporaryr eattty. - Rev. Elder Troy • Perry, Founder. MCC Churches' Masha Stevens is on a ron, musicallya nd spiritually Prophetic, versatile, and appealing acrossg enerationaanl d theo10g1cat lines. What a gift! - Rev.N ancyW ilsonA, uthor# OurT ribe God'ss pirit movesy ou threug1t1h e wordsa nd musico f this lesbian ChristiaAnc tivist. - Rev.M el WhiteA, uthor,S peaker assette $10 .... ... .... ..... . Manhas tevensk eepsP IISl'tlntgh e boundariegs,i vingu s COfflPelling, comfortinga, ndc hallenging mpact0~$15 Christianm usic• se add'l! .so shipping der: • or.www?~~~~c~!~!- or. P.O. Box 1981, Costa Mesa, Ca 9~?.8 . : • ·-Rev.S teveP ietersA, IDSA ctivist As a gift to your heart, you owe it to yourselft o discoverM a,5118 Stevens!n - OutS otJndsG, ayM usicG uide Between gay son and church, niothers' choiceis clear gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans gendered, then what is really -·happening in. this family is denial. Silence is not golden when a per son's sexual orientation is ignored . This leads to ignoring one elem ent in tl1e makeup of tl1e whole person . The very creation families of love and accept ance. As we face the end of one millennium and the beginning of another, we have a wonderful opportunity . we live in this unique time in history to unseat fear within our famili es and work for true love and family values BY CAROLYN MARTI NEZ GOLOJUCH DURING A RECENT sermon al St. Andrew Episcopal Cathedral in Honolulu, the Rt. Rev. Richard S.O. Chang a~dre ssed fear in our Jives, referring to the biblical theme of 'Be Not Afraid .' · · As I sat in the pew listening , I thought of the new year ahead. Could it be that 1998 will be when everyone in Hawaii is respect ed and treated with dignity regardle ss of their sexual orientation? The night I sat in the Epi scop al church, I remembered why I wasn't sitting in the church of my childhood , a _Roman Catholic cathedral . A couple of years ago, I chose love for my gay son over love for the Ca tl10\ic Chur ch of Honolulu headed by its current bishop , Francis X. Dilorenzo. I have no reg rets for choosing my son over a church that demands that I sacrifice my son. If I had sacrifi ced him and my love for him , I would have destroyed ----- SECON D STONE Newspaper, ISSN No. 1047-3971, is published every other month by Bailey Communications, P.O. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70 182, secstone@aol.com. Copyright 1998 by Second Stone, a registered trademark. SUBSC RI PTIONS , U.S.A. $19 per year. Foreign subscribers add $10 for postage. All payments U. S. currency only . ADVERT ISING, For display advertising information call (504)8 99- 40 14 or write to P.O. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182. Classified advertising information is found on the classilied page. We reserve the right to refuse any ad for any reason. EDITORIAL, Send letters, event announcements, church and organization news to Second Stone P.O. Bo,; 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182 or via e-mail to secstone@aol.com. Manuscripts to be returned should be accompanied by a stamped. self addressed envelope. Second Stone is otherwise not responsible for the return of nny material. SECOND STONE, a national ecumenical and evangelical Christian newspaper with a specific outreach to gay. lesbian and bisexual people. Pt Jnl .l$HRR/EDITOR: Jim Bailey ~every fiber of our family . In my eyes , I chose love over mies dictated by men who have lost sight of tl1e greate st commandment of all, "Love one another." I -guess that Catholicism taught me about love better than it taught me about hate. For that I am grateful. I have no regr ets for leaving the church Bishop Dilorenzo heads. My family is more important than the acceptance of a church or a man in vestments. Later, in the Episcopal service , during the Prayer s of the. Faithful, I was touched by the prayer that "there be peace and ju stice on earth ." TIJ.isp rayer was speaking to my hopes for many famili es in our community and around the world . Thes e famili es are too many in number, who are fragmented by trying to fo llow the dictat es of misguided churche s and segments · of our soci ety that m·andat e hatred for gay relative s. Even when these dogmatic instructions are encased with sugar-coated words, the true meaning is hate and non-acceptance. The old saying that "pr etty is as pretty does" has much to say when it comes to the double talk that is currently pl aying into the family dramas related to their relation ships with tl1eir · gay relatives. No matter how many times it is said that they love their relatives, it is meaningless , if their actions aren' t loving. If there is silence in the f amities after relatives share the information that they are L.f&P.o.n. tius' Puddle · ■ In my eyes, I chose love over rules dictated by men who have lost sight of the greatest commandment of all, "Love one another." process is also being denied . When families ignore a relative 's sexual orientation, we free ourselves to not only deny part of their identity but their equal rights a~ well. The silen ce surrounding a person's sexual orient ation also gives some people the freedom to discriminat e. Discrimination has noth ing to do with traditional marri age or family values. At the same time that rights are denied to any minority, we send out tl1e messag e that they as persons are nonexistent, not dese rving of our respect, and thus, we can deny their rights. To deny rights is to oppress people. When we consider the oppression of any minori ty, we are then able to understand the fear they live in. Thi s fear can be understood when we reflect on the closets people are forced to Ii ve in when fear surrounds them. The · time that stands in front of us gives us the opp or tunity to create ■ based on love. The choice is ours. May Bishop Chang' s words guide each family struggling with fear to love each of their relatives and overcome fear so they can live in lo, 1e . May there be peace and justice for all in I 998! Caro lyn Martin ez Go loju ch is the mother of a gay son and memb er of PFLAG. This commentary originally appeared in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. We welcome y.our _lettersa nd opinions Write to Second Sro11e. All letters must be original and signed by the writer. Clearly indicate if your name is to be wit/r/reld. We reserve the right to edit. PO Box 8340, New Orleans LA 70182, secsto11@e aol.co11, f1 a.x, (5 04)899-4014. Pl-E~SE, <l,Ot>, ·n:t ~t,lS.(;'OR'"'''°'\ tSA~. tJ IM'TO A KINDER A.t-lO W\SE~ C.~E~'TCJRE-1 \ NO ~~ ,TE.~ WMA"f rr 'f'AkES, SECOND STON E 23 -,, BOOKS/PUBLICATIONS RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY, a List of Resources for Gay Men, Lesbians and Bisexuals. 35-page list include s over 300 book titles, plus directory of religious organizations and their publications, other organizations, newslette~ . and journals. $6 postpaid from GLBTF. Clearinghouse, c/o Office for Outreach Services , American Library Association, 60 East Huron St., Chicago IL 60611. 2/98 'The Walking Wounded" is a love slory. The story of love within a family, the story of love and devotion between two young men, the story of living and loving during a time of crisis. Beverly Barbo wrote this tesiament after her son, Tim, died and added the epilogue after Tom, her son-in love (Tim's partner), joined Tim in their better place ... To order contact Bev Barbo at I 08 N. Main St., Lindsborg KS, (785)227 -3276, FAX (785)227-3360 . B "WONDERFUL DIVERSITY,' ' Hea.rtily recommended," 'Phi losophica lly intriguing.• 'Excellent.• Why do reviewers highly esteem CHR ISTIAN*NEW AGE QUARTERLY? Great articles and lively columns make this bridge of dialogue between Chri stians and New Agers as entertaining as it is substantive . Subsc ribe for onl y $12.50/yr. Or sample us for $3.50. CHRISTIAN*N EW AGE QUARTERLY , P.O. 8 011 276, Clifton , NJ 07011-0276 . ENLARGING THE CIRCLE: Pullen's Holy Union Process , the inside story of how a Baptist church in Jesse Helms' hometo wn decided ns a congre gation to offer .rituals of blessing for gay and lesb ian couple s. The chu rch's histor y with gay issues, discu ssion within the congr e gation. reaction from out siders, e11pulsion by follow Saptists, celebrations of cove nant , and consequences for the church arc shared by lesbian Pat Long , the only ' out ' deacon during the process. Send $10 plus $1.25 postage to BOOK. Pullen Memorial Baptist Chur ch, 1801 Hill sbo rough Street, Raleigh, NC 27605. TF GENERAL INTEREST THE GOAL OF Religious Life is the search for God; the goal of our Order is the restoration of people to the image of God (redemption). The Ecumenic al Order of Charity blends the best of traditional and contemporary relig ious life. Our 100 year old history was renewed 9 years ago. Our special charism is ecumenism in terpreted as inclusivit y. We have a contemporary Rule of Life, non- traditiona l vows, are married, single, celibate. Residential/nonresidential. Explore a voca tion for the 'Sake of the Kingdom.' Write: Brother Micah. O.C., P.O. Box 257. Des Moines IA 50301-0257 . 6/98 CANT GET TO CHURCH? We'll come to you by audio cassette of our weekly worship. Send request and donation to Holy Spi rit Fellowship, P.O. Box 91272, Long Beach, CA 90809. 2/98 FOR PEOPLE WITH HIV / AIDS. If you or someone you love want to take supplement s. but can't swallow pills, get sto mach upset from pills or your body won't absorb what yo u need from pills, I may have the answer ... Oral Spray Vitamin s ... 90% absorbed within 20 seconds . This is a revolu tionary new delivery system from a company with integrity . Vitamist is listed in the prestigiou s Phy sician s' Desk Reference and is patented b·y a family owned pharmac eutical company . While my son. Tim, was sick, he would have given any - ·classified ad · oruer rorm When? [ ]Jan/Feb [ ]Mar/Apr [ )May/Jun [ ]Jul/Aug [ ]Sep/Oct [ ]Nov/Dec Where? [ ]Books/Pubs [ ]Business Ops [ ]Employment [ ]Friends/Relationships I ]Genl Interest [ ]Mail Order [ ]Merch [ ]Organizations I ]Prof Services [ ]Real Estate { ]Retreats I )Roommates [ ]Travel [ ]Videos Your name __ _ _____ ....._;.___ _______ _ Address~--- --- -- -- - - -- ---- City/State /Zip ______ __ _ ________ _ _ Your ad COPY-------- - ----- - -- - How much? Count the number of words in your ad and multiply that figure by .35. Send a check in that amount and this form to Second Stone, PO Box 8340 , New Orleans, LA 70182 . Minimum 20 words All classified ads must be prepaid. Deadline. 15th of the month prior to cover date We'll sand you a copy of the Issue(s) In wtueh your ad appears TO ORDER BY FAX OR E-MAIL. SEE THE INFORMATIONO N PAGE 26. 21 J ,\ N I I A I~ Y • I· I· B f~ t I A R Y I 'J ') X thing to have this product. For more information about the produc t or how to become a part of the company, contact: Beverly Barbo, 108 N. Main St., Lindsborg KS 57456. Phone: (785)227-3276. FAX: (785)227-3360. B CHRISTIAN PILGR IMAGES - Meet new gay and lesbi an C hristian friends from acros s the nation as you tour one of the most sacred places in the world: Christian Pilg rimage to Israel including a stop in Amsterdam . Visitors often remark that this trip to Israel was the journe y of a lifetime! This 12-day trip through this ancient and holy land includes a 2-night stop in delightful Ams terd am. $2,469.00 per person . Contact Second Stone. P.O. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182, secstone@ao l.com ···Rea.aer· ···;················ toReader· IIIIIDI IRECT CONNEC ·TI IIIIIIIIIII A section of profiles of active subscribers who want to meet other gay and lesbian Christians across town or across the country - To have your profile publish ed simply send your information to Second Ston e, P.O. Box 8340, New Orleans , LA 70182 , e-mail to secstone@aol.com, or FAX to (504)899-4014. 1. State, City _ _ ____ ___ _________ _ _ 2. Name __ _ ____________________ _ CIRCLE: 3. Singleo r committed4 .Gay, lesbian,t rans,b i, or straight5 . Male or female 6. Age,__ 7. Religiousa lfiliatio. __ ________ ___ _ _ 8. OccupatiO_')_ _ ___ _ ______________ _ NOTE: Select TWO of THREE ways to be contacted: Your mailing address, your e-mail address, or your telephone number. 9. Contact informatio ------ - --------- --- -- ' 10. Contacti nformation ____ ________ _____ _ • • • • • •••••••• • •• ■ •••••• • ■ • ■ •••••• • ••••••••••••••••• ■ •••••• • • --- -- • • • • • •• ••• - -- · ••••• • • • ••••• HOW TO READ R2R: Listings are in alphabetical order by state, then by city. If a mailing addr ess is given in a listing the zip ~ode appears in the listing. NNG = No name given. S=single , C=committed. G=gay, L=lesbian, T =transgendered, B=bisexual, S=straight. M=male, F=fcmal e. Age, religiou s affiliation, occupation, contact information. CALIFORNIA , DOWNEY THEODOREC RANFORDS, GM,6 7, UFMCC, RETIRED, PO BOX 1307, 90240-0307, 562-928· 4489. CALIFORNILAY , NOOOD JOSEPHE STRAD, ASGM, 37, HOLY SPIRIT FELLOWSH,I PHOMECARWE ORKE,R PO BOX5 2, 902625, 62-626-1776. CALIFORNIAP, ASADENA BARRYD IXON, SGM,4 0, WORLDWIDCEH UA GOD, TECHNICAWL RITERd, ec4lh@aol.com FLORIDA, BRANDON ROBERTM ORGAN, SGM, 36, PENTECOSTAU APOSTOLICF, LIGHTA TTENDANT/MINISTER. 2023 CATTLEMAN DR., 33511. 813-651-1505. FLORIDA, INTERLACHEN REV. D. RODGER, CLF. 56, NONDENOMINATIONALM. INISTER, POB OX1 778, 32148. REV.B ARNIEW ENTWORTHT,F .5 4,N ONDENOMINATION, A MLINISTE,R POB OX 1778. 32148. ITALY, NAPOLI PAOLOL ANNI.S GM.3 9, PENTECOSTA, L PHYSICIANP.O B OX 11. 80100N APOLI3. 9 81 TT61534 MICHIGALNA, NSING NNG, SGM, 46, METHODIST , SELF EMPLOYED , 517-224-2415. NEWH AMPSHIREM, ANCHESTER ROD,S GM,4 2, INSURANCUEN DERWRITE, R hotnho9258 @aol.com. NEW YORK, ROCHESTER DAVID, SGM,4 5, EVANGELICACL,O UNSELORP, OB OX 68005, 14618. 7162-34-0549. NEWY ORKY, ONKERS JOHNP RATHERS. GM,7 1, EPISCOPALIA, N COMPUTERS PECIALIST7, BELLP L., 10701, 914-964-007. 9 OREGON, FLORENCE JOEN OLANC, BM,6 0, EPISCOPALIANG,A RDENERP. OB OX2 263,j nolan@winfini.tcyom. PENNSYLVANISAE, WICKLEY NNG,S GM,4 7, PROTESTAN, TRELIGIOUS PROFESSIONAPLO, B OX3 2, 15143. TEXAS, SAN ANTONIO Al EISCH, SGM, 53, CATHOLIC, SOCIAL SERVICES, PO BOX 12754 78212, MOCHICA@FLASH.NET VIRGINAI, RICHMOND ED HARRIS, SGM, 63, CHRISTIAN, RETIRED, OORK FOR NON-PROFIT. 315 STRAWBERRY ST, 23220-3412. 804-354-8804. edbharrisj@juno.com. MICHAELK EITHH ALL, SGM, 39, BAPTIST, PROGRAMS UPPORT/SCREENWITERR.2 201 FOURTHA VE. . 23222. WISCONSIN, MENASHA RICHARDR OLLERS, GM,6 2, CATHOLIC, RELIGIOUSB ROTllfR, 522 SECONDS l . 5495? b<hk1ole1r@.lalo.com. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone #56 - Jan/Feb 1998 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/8d3892a1fe5c26abbf083e0030402509.jpg 48bdbdcd29b4575008bd3f0c91172f1b Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kabbalat Shabbat Description An account of the resource Shabbat candles, challah, and kiddush cup for CBST’s Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat service at the Church of the Holy Apostles, July 1975. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Archives of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, New York City, NY