Open Hands Vol 9 No 4 - Reaching Out Boldly! Evangelism with a Welcoming Flavor

Open Hands Vol 9 No 4 - Reaching Out Boldly! Evangelism with a Welcoming Flavor

9

4

1994

Spring

$5.00
_
REACHING OUT
More
Light Churches Network Open and Affirming Program Reconciled·in Christ Program Reconciling Congregation Program Resources for Ministries Affirming the Diversity of Human Sexuality ...,.-'<> .~'; ,..' ,"'-' , ,,_ _ >J.
Vo/~~_9' No~ 4, _ _ spring'1.994
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£uang~lism with a. W~ltoming Aauor
Open Hands is a resource for congregations and individuals seeking to be in ministry with lesbian, bisexual, and gay persons. Each issue focuses on a specific area of concern within the church.
Open Hands is published quarterly by the Reconciling Congregation Program, Inc. (United Methodist) in conjunction with More Light Churches Network (Presbyterian), Open and Affirming (United Church of Christ), and Reconciled in Christ (Lutheran) Programs. Each of these programs is a national network of local churches that publicly affirm their ministry with the whole family of God and welcome lesbian and gay persons and their families into their community of faith. These four programs -along with Open and Affirming (Disciples of Christ), Welcoming (Unitarian Universalist), Supportive Congregations (Brethren/ Mennonite), and Welcoming and Affirming (American Baptist) programs -offer hope that the church can be a reconciled community.
Open Hands is published quarterly. Subscription is $16 for four issues ($20 outside the U.S.). Single copies and back issues are $5. Quantities of 10 or more, $3 each. Subscriptions, letters to the editor, manuscripts, requests for advertising rates, and other correspondence should be sent to:
Open Hands
380l N. Keeler Avenue Chicago, IL 60641 Phone: 312/736-5526 Fax: 312/ 736-5475
Member, The Associated Church Press
© 1994
Reconciling Congregation Program, Inc.
Open Hands is a registered trademark.
ISSN 0888-8833
@ Printed on recycled paper. Resources for Ministries Affirming the Diversity of Human Sexuality
Vol. 9 No.4 Spring 1994
Editorials/Letters to Editor .............................................................................. 4
ELEMENTS OF EVANGELISM Deep Water Fishing Bonnie Beckonchrist ....................................... . A Church in Need of Aid: A Sermon-Story John E. Sumwalt ....... .
My Church Has AIDS Michael S. Piazza .. .......... ............................
oJ
The Story of Glide Pamela Ayo Yetunde .................. ... .. .... ................. .
Rising Like the Phoenix Melanie Morrison .. .. .... .. .. .... .. ........................ 2
MCC: Pioneers in Lesbigay Church Outreach ............................... 14
Neither Do I Condemn You Hendrik Hart ........................................... 15
SUSTAINING THE SPIRIT Confession of Sins David Romig ............ ...................... ........................ 1 6 Litany of Trust Ann B. Day ................................................................... 17
STRATEGIES FOR OUTREACH Marketing the Gospel: A Faithful Choice Martha Scott .................... 18 Keeping our Doors Wide Open ....................... ............................. 19 David K. Hartley & Wilbert S. Miller
Growth Abounds in Welcoming Churches: Chart .... ........ ... .. ...... 20
An Int erfaith Coming Out Day Service Steven E. Webster ............... 21
Becoming a Lesbian Evangelist Janie Adams Spahr .......................... 22
Reaching Out Is a Way of Life Rosemary C. Mitchell .................. 23
Welcoming Sexual Minorities: A Checklist ......................................... 24
Partners in Reconciliation, Metanoia Peace Community .
Pastor-in-Exile: Another Model of Outreach ................................ 25
John T. Schwiebert
A Pastor's Footnote Joyce McManus ........... .... ............................ 25
Out reach to Youth Gregory Anderson ................................................ 26
LGYT Leo Treadway ................................................................ ....... 26
RESOURCES ....... .. ................................................................................
MOVEMENT NEWS ..................... ................................. ............................
c
~CALLING ALL ARTISTS!
Are you interested in illustrating upcoming issues?
Woodcut • Marker Drawings • Silhouettes
Ethnic art designs/patterns
Youth/Campus Artists Jor our campus ministries issue
Representational Styles
Ifyou are interested: please send ~rieJresume and samples ojyour work to:
Editor, p pen Hands, 3801 N. Keeler, Chicago, IL 60641
Open Hands 2
----
Reaching Out Boldly! Evangelism with a Welcoming Flavor
Evangelism with a "welcoming flavor" -whatis that? It is not the personal salvation approach of conservative groups who ask persons to accept a certain belief system in order to be welcomed. It is not really the " church growth" model (which was the liberal church's response to the personal salvation approach). Evangelism with a welcoming flavor is a ministry which offers the free gift of God's unconditional love -and then invites people to respond and participate as fully equal members.
Nevertheless, we can't ignore the church growth approach entirely, for an assumption seems to exist within both conservative and liberal circles that churches will not grow if they reach out in ministry with gay, lesbian, and bisexual people, that in fact such local churches will lose members. The stories of many churches within our growing ecumenical welcoming church movement contradict this assumption. These are churches which are alive and vibrant, boldly engaging in outreach to lesbian, bisexual, gay people, and others -and are growing in the process!
In this issue of Open Hands writers ask: What is the "good news" that we offer to a troubled world? How do we prepare ourselves to be bearers of good news? How do we "do" evangelism as welcoming communities? Sprinkled throughout their explorations are heartwarming stories of faithfulness and bold outreach!
Mary Jo Osterman, Editor
UPCOMING THEMES
Unsolicited Manuscript Deadlines
Issue
Year
Theme
Deadline
Fall
1994
Campus Ministries/Welcoming
Ministries
JuI.
1, 1994
Winter
1995
Dynamics of a Welco'ming Movement
Oct. 1, 1994
Spring
1995
Diversity in the Welcoming
;"
Movement
Jan. 1, 1995
Summer
1995
Relationship Issues in
Welcoming Churches
Apr. 1, 1995
'If you are iriterested in writing for one of these issues, please send a query letter or your completed manuscript to:
Editor
Open Hands · 3801 N. Keeler • Chicago, IL 60641
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OPEN
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Program Coordinators
Mark Bowman Reconciling Congregation
Program, Inc. 3801 N. Keeler Avenue Chicago, IL 60641 312/736-5526
Ann B. Day Open and Affirming Program
P.O. Box 403 Holden, MA 01520 508/856-9316
v Brian Knittel
Reconciled in Christ Program
2800 Buena Vista Way
Berkeley, CA 94708
510/841-6990
·········:~~w
<: ••
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Lindsay Louise Biddle More Light Churches Network
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3538 22nd Avenue, S. Minneapolis, MN 55407 612/724-5429
Publisher
Mark Bowman
Open Hands Editor
Mary Jo Osterman
IIIustrations
Ophelia Chambliss
Layout I Graphics I Typesetting
In Print -Jan Graves
Editorial Advisory Committee
Reva Anderson, Toledo, OH Peg Beissert, Rolling Hills Est., CA Ann Marie Coleman, Chicago, IL Dan Hooper, Los Angeles, CA Derrick Kikuchi, Daly City, CA Samuel E. Loliger, Buffalo, NY Shawndra Miller, Goshen, IN Dick Poole, Oak Forest, IL Caroline Presnell, Evanston, IL Irma C . Romero, Chicago, IL Paul Santillan, Chicago, IL Martha Scott, Chicago, IL
Spring 1994 3
Evangelism as Ministry
In our marketing-oriented world, it shouldn't come as a surprise that we think about "recruiting" or "selling" people on the idea of coming to church when we think about evangelism. We assume evangelism means telling someone to "come to church" so they can get something out of it. "If you do something first, we'll do something for you in return."
. Think about it. Do you see how completely backwards that is as a model for our inclusive message? It is an exclusive, barter-oriented approach that flies in the face of the free gift of God's grace. As Christians, we believe that God gave us the most precious gift possible, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, before asking us to do anything. Shouldn't we be thinking about evangelism as a ministry where we too give first? That's a radical idea, but it is the basis of a model for evangelism that fits our calling. It is also such a reversal of what people expect that it has incredible power -cutting through people's pain and alienation. How do we give first? By always including a word of grace in our evangelism -in our brochures, our ads, our conversations, our sermons. By caring first and buildin a relationship of trust that leads people to want to
come to a welcoming congregation because
they have already been touched by
us.
Bob Gibeling, MBA, is Program Executive Jor Lutherans Concerned/North America. His background includes twelve years in corporate advertising and public relations.
Angel to Angel
"Have your angel call my angel, and we'll do evangelism!"
Since I discovered the "angel" in "evangelism," I no longer associate this critical act of Christian diScipleship with distributing Bible tracts or preaching with a floppy.; back Bible in one hand and pounding a pulpit with the other.
Evangelism to me (as a pastor of a small, aging, and graying congregation) means opening our hearts to God's grace after years of coming to church "on a guilt trip." It means inviting the Holy Spirit to empower us to the best of our abilities. It means opening our hearts to experience the grace and wisdom 'of God (the "good news") embodied in all the rainbow of human sexual orientations and expressions (to borrow from my mentor and angel, Howard Warren).
Evangelism means getting to know my "angel within," my own story of grace. Only when I do, I find it is not simply "my own" but part of the larger story of the Church. It means that I will discover your "angel within" and together we will discover that wherever two or three angels are gathered, wherever two or three storytellers come out,
there is Christ feeding us with the Word and Wisdom. And there we are -doing evangelism.
Lindsay Louise Biddle, M.Div, one oj many Presbyterians Jor Lesbian and Gay Concerns and a advocate Jor More Light, is a member oj l Presbytery oj the Twin Cities Area and serves congregation in St. Paul, Minnesota.
"Are You an Evangelist?"
The question gets at the heart of who we are as indwid als and communities of faith. Evangelism, the sharing of the "good news" of God's love revealed in Christ, is the raison d'etre for the Church and we are constantly challenged to communicate this love in the midst of myriad issues in our world.
This challenge is especially pressing as people of all sexual orientations, both inside and outside the Church, reexamine the spiritual and ethical witness that Christians offer. Many turn to the Church for "the word they need to hear" as they seek deeper understanding of,sexual identity
Open Hands 4
and expression. What word do we have for them about homophobia, heterosexism, sexual orientation? What difference, if any, should this dimension of our humanity make when it comes to blessing relationships, ordaining ministers, supporting families, etc.? What is the "good news"?
For many churches, addressing these and other real life questions means that as they reach out to people who are gay, lesbian, and bisexual they also reach in ... to explore understandings and feelings about faith, love, and sexuality. How mind and heart opening this can be! Out of conversation, study, and prayer comes a renewed awareness of how good the news of the gospel truly is and how desperately it is needed by all of us. Led by the Spirit, welcoming churches respond to the call to spread this. good news in word and deed!
Ann B. Day, M.Div., is an ordained UCC minister who serves as the ONA Program Coordinator for the United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns.
Recovering Evangelism
In Christian justice communities we tend to concede evangelism to conservative churches. "We are doing mission, while they are only concerned with personal salvation," we scoff. We believe that if we do our mission, God will bless us and send people to join us. WRONG! "If you build it, they will come" is a fallacy. We have seen communities wither and die because they did not reach out and invite new people. Although we have seen the shortcomings of "personal salvation" evangelism, we have erroneously discounted evangelism altogether.
Evangelism is not the message, but the act. It is telling the good news of God's unconditional love and inviting a response. Evangelism is not personal, but communal. It is grounded in our experience of God in community.
The world aches for a word of "unconditional grace" and "no condemnation." However, many churches (of all ideological and theological persuasions) are NOT evangelical faith communities. They operate from a "self-preservation mode," or they remain bound by the Law (as a code of personal morality or as "politically correct" behavior). In contrast, some churches are clearly demonstrating that a model of hospitality and diverSity is an efficacious means of evangelism. They are attracting not only gay persons, but also many others who hear the good news of God's unconditional love and who want to be part of a welcoming and diverse community of faith.
Mark Bowman, M.Div., is Program Coordinator of the United Methodist Reconciling Congregation Program.
Le.ttaf to tt.e. ~~4t01
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Dear Siblings in Christ/Community:
I enjoyed "Celebrating the Inclusive God" (Winter 1994) very much. It was encouraging to learn that other denominations are also striving to be intentionally inclusive of all people in worship!
I would like to offer an alternative "Tip for Inclusivity" under the "welcoming the differently abled" heading (p. 10): Ask people to "Rise as you are able" or to "rise in your spirits." The phrase "Stand as able" is also experienced as an exclusionist practice.
Rev. Randy A. Lester, Gover Beach, CA
To the Editor:
In her article "Confronting Fundamentalism" (Fall 1993), Virginia Mollenkott presents a much needed understanding. I too learned early to evaluate all on the premise that "if my experiences contradict what the Bible says then my experiences are wrong, not Scripture."
Recently, someone who was discussing my fundamentalist past with me assumed that the hardest part for me to overcome was guilt. However, my greatest obstacle was the notion of a "high view of scripture" that demanded interpretation through fundamentalistic hermeneutical principles (Mollenkott's "inerrancy grid"). I had to discover anew how to view the Bible. I also had to "humanize" my faith by allowing experience to be a part of it.
It is very difficult for those outside of fundamentalism
'to understand the worldview it teaches. Too often our shallow comprehenSion of the fundamentalist ideology has caused us to underestimate the movement.
Vaughn F. Joyce Beckman, San Jose, CA
Spring 1994 5
EL r.1E r
F
E 4 L' r.1
DEEP W~{t.~f/S\-(ING
By Bonnie Beckonchrist
Frankly, I have always abhorred fishing. It was one among many things that disappointed my father. He would take me out to look under rocks for night crawlers and then call me a "girl" when I didn't want to pick them up and put them in the coffee can. The ordeal would continue the next morning when he'd attempt to teach me to bait my own hook. If I was unfortunate enough to "land one," I would refuse to touch the impaled creature. Its bulging eyes seemed to condemn me. I have since learned that the experience has nothing to do with gender. There are women who love to fish and men who share my disdain.
Most persons with whom I discuss evangelism respond with squeamish apprehension, the thought of the experience being as negative for them as my early fishing expeditions were for me. We resist the metaphor. Words like "bait," "hook," and "catch" conjure up resistant, unwilling captives served up for our consumption. However, the metaphor is not mine; it is Jesus'. I believe it warrants another look.
When jesus finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Push the boat out further to the deep water and you and your partners let down your nets for a catch." "But, . .. we worked hard all night long and caught nothing . .. yet, ifyou say so, ..." They let them down and caught such a large number of fish that the nets were about to break .. . he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch . .. Then jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid;from now on, you will be catching people." (Luke 5:4-10)
The poet/ evangelist John records a
similar tale: As the sun was rising,jesus stood at the water's edge, but the diSciples did not know that it was j esus. "Young people, haven't you caught anything?" "Not a thing," they answered. "Throw your net out on the other side of the boat and you will catch some." So they threw the net out and could not pull it back in, because they caught so many fis h! Gohn 21 :4-6)
Like the weary disciples in both stories, many pastors and parishioners alike are heard to say, "we've been fishing seemingly for years and have caught nothing." Perhaps it is time to look again at Jesus' solution to their empty net problem.
Finding the Other Side and
the Deep Water
Jesus' first direction is: "Push the boat
ou t further to the deep water." Are we
and our churches sitting in the shallow
water? How might we be pushed? What
constitutes deep water? Certainly the
emotions that are engendered by such
an embarkation are real. Deep water is
risky. The further away from shore we
get, the less secure we feel.
Jesus' second direction is: "Throw
your net out on the other side." We and
our congregations must ask ourselves
who or what is on the other side? \\'here
is the other side? \Vha separa es
from them?What frightens a
prospect of bringing them 0 ••
Casting a net on the other s. e
turning around. It means eUU~'C~~I'V''''
It means stepping across 1 nes
formerly drawn between ourse 'eothers.
Spending time with these biblical
fishing texts and their implications for
our ministry set Holy Covenant United
Methodist Church on a new course and
brought a renewed faith. Located in
Chicago's Lakeview community, we discovered
that one of the most obvious
groups on the "other side" were the
church's lesbigay neighbors. Residents
of the public housing complex a block
away constituted another group. The
6
Open Hands
A New Church in an Old Place ...
S~
10:30..
~ HOLY COVENANT
United Methodist Church
925 W. Diversey, Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 528·6462
homeless who sat on our church's steps were treading "deep water." Students at nearby DePaul University had been dismissed as Catholic. The phYSically challenged were excluded by architectural barriers. Persons from other language groups were excluded by our Englishonly ministry. We are still discovering new streams from which to gather our new congregation.
ANew Tools for Fishing s we identified where the "deep water" people were -and what the "other side of the boat" meant for our church, we also recognized that we needed to develop new tools for our outreach task. We asked ourselves: What do we know -about the world around us and about our task? We discovered some new answers. We know it is a business card world and we know it is sometimes hard to jump the hurdle of inviting folks to church. We also know that Simon had partners. So we developed a business card as part of our evangelism ministry.
members now receive business cards with a note:
Spring 1994
This card makes it simpler for every member at Holy Covenant to engage in outreach. Partnership is an essential component to effective evangelism.
What else do we know? A broad casting approach is another essential component of evangelism. A recent Ameritech TV commercial says it graphically . . . "You can't catch two fish with one line." If our objective is new people and diverse people, then our technique and our program must be diverse.
So, what else have we done to cast our nets in new directions? We joined the Reconc~ling Congregation Program of the United Methodist Church and subsequently added the pink triangle to our church sign and to our street signs. We are installing a ramp and printing our bulletins and newsletters in LARGE PRINT. We have opened the building to twelve-step recovery groups. In partnership with the Chicago Vegetarian Society, we have established Dignity Diner -a unique meal program for the area's homeless and hungry. We have established a Bible study in the public hOUSing complex near by.
Our membership has grown from twelve active members in July 1990 to eighty-two members today, with a total of 120 persons involved in our ministry.
Our congregation is trying to think of places where the church doesn't usually go and then go there. That is "other side" or "deep water" evangelism. We are testing advertising in the mainline press as well as alternative papers. We are present at PRIDE events. We put up flyers and posters at lesbigay bookstores. We were present at a recent alternative wedding faire for the lesbigay community called "Commitment to Love," where some United Methodists, who didn't know the Reconciling Congregation Program even existed, wept at their discovery. We have started a United Methodist outreach at DePaul University. We will be present at Health Clubs, Special Olympics, and the upcoming World Cup. It's called networking -and we believe it was working the nets that Jesus was talking about.
I am convinced that the possibilities are limited only by our imaginations and our fear. Jesus assures us, as he did Simon, "Do not be afraid." T
Bonnie Beckonchrist, M.Div, is pastor of Holy Covenant United Methodist Church in Chicago.
Aft
er joining Holy Covenant new We believe the business ofthe church is more than the pastor's. Please use the enclosed cards to invite your friends to worship with us. • • • , I I I • I II
7
A
Church in Need ofAid: A Sermon-story ByJohn E. Sumwalt ~~.-.." ::""'Nt;II;ft'lfftl'-#1 • --
•
......
~
~• ..
Charlie Stevenson moved to town the day after they decided to close the church, although he didn't hear about it until he went to worship the following Sunday. The church was almost full on that particular day. It was the beginning of a kind of extended wake which was to last three months. That was when Pastor Timmerman was scheduled to retire for the second and last time and the church doors were to be closed for good. With his imminent departure, the ministry of the dwindling congregation seemed to be at an end. They had decided to close the church doors rather than to go on with what had become a constant struggle to pay the bills and, perhaps more important, to be free of the guilt of not being able to pay their fair share of the denomination's mission budget, a responsibility they had not been able to fulfill for a number of years.
The first Sunday after the decision everybody came to pay their last respects to the old white frame building and to a way of life that had existed in their little community for over a hundred years. It seemed that the church had always been there. It was the only church in the village. Its presence had been important even to those who never came to worship. It was a center of community life not only on those occasions when weddings and funerals were celebrated there, but also during election day dinners, 4-H Club meetings, and numerous other community functions. So everybody came that first Sunday after the vote to mourn the death of their church.
8
....
To an outsider that day it would have appeared that the church was full of life. Charlie Stevenson didn't know quite what to make of it. He had come with the full intention of transferring his membership as soon as the congregation and the pastor were willing to receive him. The church was within walking distance of the house he had rented and it was of his denomination. It never occurred to him that he would join anywhere else. Now what was he going to do? Did it make sense to join a dying church?
Charlie decided that he would wait and see. In the meantime he could see no reason for not becoming involved in the things he had always done in church. He asked about Bible study and choir practice and, yes, he would be interested in playing on the church softball team. He liked to play second base, butwould be glad to fill in wherever there was a need.
People took to Charlie immediately. People always had. He was a tall man, well over six feet, with broad shoulders, a full head of light brown hair and a smile that never quit. Charlie seemed to like everyone. People couldn't help liking him because they knew he liked them.
When word got out that Charlie was coming to choir practice the soprano section almost doubled. Two eligible young women with modest vocal talents who hadn't been to practice in several months suddenly found themselves free of all pressing social engagements. They said they had come for the choir's last hurrah, but they had a hard time
•
keeping their eyes on the music and not on Charlie. The second week Charlie brought the center fielder and the shortstop from the softball team. Everybody knew they were wonderful singers, but it was Charlie who had said to them, "Why don't you come sing with us? It's great fun." So they had come.
It was the same at the Thursday night Bible Study. Six or seven was the usual average attendance. Sometimes they would have a dozen or more at the beginning of a series or when they met at Mabel Robinson's house. Mabel was the best dessert maker in town and she had the biggest and the fanciest house. People like to go there just to see her antique furniture and to ogle the crystal chandelier which her grandfather had shipped over from Paris. Mabel was usually ready for anything, but even she wasn't prepared for the twenty-three people who showed up for Bible Study that second week after Charlie moved to town. Mabel had to scramble to find enough chairs for everyone. And she had to sneak out to the store during the opening prayer to get some extra sherbet to go with her lemon chiffon cake.
The amazing thing was that this sudden rise in attendance at choir practice at Bible Study, and at worship was no passing phenomenon. It grew steadily every week. People were getting involved who hadn't been in church for anything but a special community event in years. It was almost enough to make everyone forget that the church was about to be closed .
Then Charlie got sick. Word got out that he had a fast-spreading cancer.
Open Hands
People could hardly believe it. Charlie who was so full of life, the man who had almost single-handedly brought the church back to life -dying? It couldn't be true. Mabel and one of the other older women decided to go over and see how he was after the pastor announced his illness in church that Sunday. It was next to the last Sunday in May, just five weeks before the church was scheduled to be closed.
They found Charlie in bed, too weak to respond to their knock on the door. Mabel went right in and when she saw the state he was in she sent her friend to call the doctor. The doctor wanted him to go to the hospital, but Charlie said he had been through all of that before and this time he was going to stay at home. "Well then," Mabel said, "you will need a nurse. I'll go and get my things."
"Wait just a minute," Charlie said, "you don't know what you're getting into. You need to know that I have AIDS and that I'm gay."
Mabel didn't know what to say. She was clearly taken aback. She had never in her wildest imaginings thought that she would have to face anything like this. Finally, after a long pause, she turned to the doctor and said, "Doc, what do I have to do to protect myself?" When the doctor had told her, she went straight home, got her overnight bag, brought her favorite pillow, made a bed on the couch, and then set about caring for Charlie's needs. She offered to call his family, but Charlie said it would be better if she didn't. He gave her the number though. 'Just in case," he said.
Mabel stayed by Charlie's bedside night and day for the next eight days. She made sure that no one stayed too long when they came for a visit. She even chased the pastor out once when she could see that Charlie was getting tired.
Charlie died on Memorial Day just before sunrise. When Mabel called his family they said they didn't want anything to do with him. They said, "Charlie made his bed, now let him lie in it." They told her she could make any arrangements she wanted, said Charlie had plenty of money to pay for everything. They didn't even want his things, said to give everything away.
Spring 1994
When the word got out that Charlie's The next day after the funeral the family didn't want him and weren't combishop
got a call from Sam Eberly, the ing to the funeral, the church took it as
church's lay leader. "We've changed our a challenge. It didn't matter that Charlie minds," Sam said. "We want to keep the was gay or that he had died of AIDS, he church open." ... was their Charlie and by God they were going to see that he was buried propThis story was adapted from Lectionary Stoerly. ries, Cycle B. It is reprinted with permisEverybody came to the funeral. Passion of CSS Publishing Company, Lima,
tor Timmerman gave the finest sermon Ohio. anyone had ever heard him preach. The choir sang like they had never sung John E. Sumwalt is pastor ofWesley United
before and when the boys from the softMethodist Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin ball team carried the casket out of the and amember ofthe T.A.L.E.S. storytelling church the center fielder led the congreguild. He is the author gation in singing "Blest Be The Tie That of Lectionary Stories, Binds." Tears flowed freely that day. No Cycles A, B & C. He one who was present had any doubt that will become pastor of "the fellowship of kindred minds is like Wauwatosa Ave. United to that above."
Methodist Church in July.
My Church Has AIDS
By Michael S. Piazza
The Cathedral of Hope Metropolitan Community Church in Dallas has AIDS. With over 1300 in worship each Sunday} Hope"is the largest church in the world whose principle outreach is to lesbian and gay people. Just over 20 percent of our congregation have the HIV virus· believed to cause AIDS. Through our AIDS ministry we serve almost 400 people within the church (and at least twice that many who are not involved with the church). We have a full-time Director of Pastoral Care, an AIDS Chaplain, a HIV Caseworker, and almost 200 yolunteers who provide care. In 1993 we performed over 218 funerals and memorial services.
Each Sunday itis easy to spot an empty seat where last week a friend was singing or praying. Yet visitors are almost always surprised by their experience: a sanctuary filled to capacity with people who sing with great gusto, applaud the music, and laugh at the preacher's jokes. Worship is an energetic, joy-filled time tha.t leaves people ready to tackle whatever life might throw at them.
In · a time when mainline churches are declining, we are a multicultural community that has doubled in size, giving, and ministry over the past five years (even with hundreds of people dying from AIDS). We're reaching the twenty-and thirty-year-olds that others are not reaching. We have done all this by providing exciting worship, relevant preaching, and dozens of opportunities for members to be in ministry. We believe faith is a verb; it is . something you do, not something you have. Our members understand that their role is to serve, not to be served. Over 700 members have identified ministries within the church. This church with AIDS has learned the secret of resurrection: it's not just hope for tomorrow, but life for today.
Michael S. Piazza, whose ordained ministry was cast aside by
the United Methodist Church because he is gay, is Senior Pastor
at Cathedral of Hope Metropolitan Community Church in
Dallas, Texas. .
9
born
on
The StOf4Y of GLide
8y PCUKeLa Ayo Yetunde
"Whoever said 'Sunday morning is the most segregated time in America, ' has not been to Glide!" said Donna Shalala, President Clinton's appointee to direct the Department of Health and Human Services, as she began her remarks before several hundred people attending Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco.
Shalala, like many other first time visitors, was astonished by the "look" of people in attendance. When people visit on Sunday morning, they see a "look" and hear a "talk" that projects integration, a positive integration of ages, races, genders, orientations, classes, ethnic groups.
But beyond the basic integration of people at Glide is the existence of "multiculturality." Multiculturality is the presence, acknowledgment, and fastening together of various manners of expression oflife into one purpose or mission. At Glide that multiculturality is focused toward the liberation of oppressed peoples.
Multiculturality cannot be seen on first glance because the nucleus spirit -cannot be readily detected. It is the unity of spirits that fastens the cultures together. This unifying of spirits must exist if multiculturality is to be more than a "look." Thus, the objective of our evangelism -inclusivity of people with various "looks" -must involve the identifying, nourishing, and unifying of spirits.
Oppression and Liberation
The unifying of spirits is a difficult task when one takes into account our nation's history of denying spirits (or when acknowledging spirits, breaking them down, and reducing human beings to lesser beings).
Our nation was crushing the spirit and the flesh of indigenous people, built on crushing the spirit of Africans, and maintained on denying the spirit of women. The list goes on and on.
To get to multiculturality from where we began involves substantial changes in the way we think about ourselves. We must go through a transformation from being a slave (to something or someone) to being a free person. No one has written about liberation from slavery quite like Frederick Douglass in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. Douglass wrote about being twelve years old and wishing he were dead; yet hope of being free kept him alive. He wrote of how his master "put me out .. . to be broken" by a man named Edward Covey who had a reputation for "breaking young slaves." Douglass tells of how Covey used religious sanction for his cruelty and how after a few months of cruel physical diScipline "Mr. Covey succeeded in breaking me." Then very early one morning something happened.
Douglass was feeding the horses when
Covey came in and started tying him
up with a rope. Douglass writes: As soon as I found what he was up to, I gave a sudden spring, and as I did so, he holding to my legs, I was brought sprawling on the stable floor. Mr. Covey seemed now to think he had me, and could do what he pleased; but at this moment -from whence came the spirit I don't know -I resolved to fight; and, suiting my action to the resolution, I seized Covey hard by the throat; and as I did so, I rose ... My resistance was so entirely unexpected, that Covey seemed taken all aback. He trembled like a leaf . , ,1
Open Hands 10
Everyone at Glide has had or has a Mr. Covey in his or her life. Being at Glide is like being surrounded by hundreds of Frederick Douglasses -people who have fought their masters of drugs, relationships, mental illness, poverty, and various forms of human rights abuses. These Frederick Douglasses continue to fight their masters and to support others fighting their masters. This is the power of the unity of spirits.
Seeing and Being Seen
The question for those seeking multiculturality where it presently does not exist is this: Are we willing to be critiqued, challenged, and changed to the point where humility (where the commingling of spirits begins) necessitates a lessening of privilege in society? Multiculturality requires this transformation. Unfortunately, the transformation often begins with denial as noted by African-American feminist and cultural critic bell hooks:
... white people can 'safely' imagine that they are invisible to black people since the power they have historically asserted, and even now collectively assert over black people, accorded them the right to control the black gaze ... white people find it easy to imagine that black people cannot see them if .. . they do not want to be seen by the dark Other ... 2 White people, says hooks, respond
with "disbelief, shock, and rage, as they listen to black [people] talk about whiteness ..." Heterosexual people often respond the same way when critiqued by gay people. However, to move toward multiculturality -to do multicultural outreach -we must not be threatened by the gaze.
TJourney to Multiculturality hirty years ago, Glide was a much smaller church -until the Reverend Cecil Williams (an African-American) was aSSigned to pastor its congregation. 3 As Cecil began a personal journey, moving from being a co-dependent "healer" to being a minister of liberation, grounded in the praxis approach of third world liberation, the "look" and the "talk" at Glide began to change. From a small church of approxi-
Spring 1994
mately 300 members, Glide has grown phenomenally to more than 2000 members.
Today, Cecil and his wife, partner, and teammate,lanice Mirikitani (aJapanese-American), have created a place where everyone is not only invited and welcomed, but individually recognized as being critical to Glide's ministry of liberation. Three stories of modern-day Frederick Douglasses illustrate the liberating process.
A woman, known by many for years to be deaf and mute yet able to sign and read lips, verbally spoke at a Celebration to say that because she saw and heard Jan on a television show talking about incest, she gained the courage to begin speaking again after years of silence for fear of being raped again. Jan encourages those fortunate enough to see, hear, or know her otherwise to free themselves -to liberate themselves from fear.
During one Celebration, a male member of Glide's lesbian, gay, bisexual family, presented Cecil with a pair of red pumps to wear with his robes. Cecil laughed and let it be known that he had an outfit that matched perfectly with the shoes. The gay man felt free to joke about the lifestyles lived by some gay men, and was free to confront his straight minister on stage with a gift that many would find "tasteless." Cecil was willing to be critiqued, challenged, and changed.
The memorial service for AIDS victim, journalist Randy Shilts, author of
The Mayor of Castro Street, And the Band Played On, and Conduct Unbecoming, was held at Glide. Cecil announced at the Celebration preceding the memorial service that a minister from the mid-west would travel to San Francisco to disrupt the "faggot memorial service." Cecil announced that he was welcome to come and receive a love he had never known. When the minister arrived , 1500 people, mostly gay men, were present to tell him that (like Frederick Douglass) they would no longer be slaves to fear, that they had already liberated themselves, and that scare tactics would not be enough to make them retreat to the closet, the mental ward, or the noose. The memorial service was not disrupted; the minister did not stay to receive the love.
Together, Cecil andJan reach out to the once "incested" women and the once rejected gay men while simultaneously asking us to relate our experiences to others who have been violated in other ways and rejected for other reasons. This all takes place under one roof where former slaves to fear are brought into the sun to see themselves, projecting a reality rarely televised or broadcast.
What people witness at Glide is a unifying of spirits -transgendered, straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, nonsexual, alcoholic, crack-addicted, deranged, sane, brown, red, yellow, white, black, male, female, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, vegan, carnivorous, destitute, wealthy -former slaves who are unanimously saying "Hey! We are still here, we are going to do something about ourselves and the world, and we are going to do it together. You are welcome to join us!" T
Notes
1Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave.
Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1988 (originally published in 1845), p. lO3.
2bell hooks, Black Looks: race and representation. Boston: South End Press, 1992, pp. 167-68. Also see bell hooks and Cornel West, Breaking Bread, Insurgent Black Intellectual Life. Boston: South End Press, 1991, for their discussion on how their Christian beliefs affect how they are as African-American political beings addressing issues including sexism, racism, homophobia, poverty, etc.
3See Cecil Williams, No Hiding Place. San Francisco: HarperC;:ollins, 1992, for his journey to liberation.
Pamela Ayo Yetunde, J.D., has worked on
issues including nuclear
disarmament, South .
African apartheid, political
asylum, and other
human rights concerns.
She currently sits on the
Reconciling Congregation
Program Board.
11
XlSlNG LIXE T}{E P}{OENIX:
Evangelism and a New Church Movement
Bv M elanie Morrison
In 1988, the Holy Spirit was at work in different regions of America's heartland, stirring things up, bringing people together, descending like a dove and ascending like a Phoenix. Unknown to each other, and within months of each other, three new faith communities were being born -Phoenix Community in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Spirit of the Lakes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Grace Baptist in Chicago, Illinois. These new congregations were not the result of demographic studies, denominational planning, or new church funds. No one could have predicted them. But that is the biblical witness: sometimes the Spirit moves across rigid boundaries, making a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. It happened before -times when the Spirit surprised and disrupted the officially adopted church growth programs. It happened when Philip baptized a man who was considered sexually abnormal and outside the faith community because
he was a gentile eunuch. It happened when Peter followed his dream and his heart and baptized uncircumcised gentiles and defended his actions by saying, "If God wishes to give them the same gift that God gave us, who am I to stand in the way of the Spirit of God?" It happened when Christians worked for the abolition of slavery and when Antoinette Brown was ordained to the ministry in the mid-1800s. Ithappened with the development of the Metropolitan Community Churches in the late 1960s. It happened as established churches joined programs such as the More Light Churches Network in the 1970s and early 1980s.
It happened again in 1988 in Kalamazoo -in Minneapolis -in Chicago -as lesbians and gay men gathered in living rooms to plan and dream and envision new church communities that would be welcoming and hospitable places for people who have experienced the world as unsafe -and the church as the least safe place of all. We are talking church growth here, evangelism, the revival of hearts, the moving of the Spirit. We are talking about gathering in women and men who haven't dared to walk through a church door for ten, twenty, thirty years after hearing one too many times that they were considered sinners and their expression oflove an abomination. We are talking evangelism with the unchurched or better said the dis-churched.
In these new base communities and by 1994 there are many more springing up -powerful stories of resurrection are being told and heard: persons confronting fear and learning to act and speak with increasing boldness even when we are afraid. These are stories of people who have experienced the deadness of silences and invisibility and yet responded to the challenge to come out, to choose life, to leave the grave and the closet behind, and to join the community of faith again.
Like a Phoenix Rising
The story I know best, of course: is that of Phoenix CommunIty Church in Kalamazoo. In October of 1987 my friend and colleague Cyril Colonius was forced to leave the congregation he had served for six years solely because he is gay. In the aftermath of that dismissal I suggested to him that the time had come for us to start a "base" community that would be truly welcoming and liberating for all, including lesbians and gay men.
Cyril had previous experience try-. ing to start such a new church in Southwest Michigan. In the early eighties gay men and lesbians were gathering for Bible study in Cyril's home and they decided to approach the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries for funding to start a new congregation. Papers were drawn up, forms filled in, conversations held, and things looked good until the Board for Homeland Ministries reminded Cyril that all of this was contingent upon approval by the local Association. The Association committee said "no" and the venture folded.
I told Cyril that this time around yve would do it differently. We would not ask for denominational funding or approval. We would simply do it. We would grow and flourish as a congregation or we would not. If we did become viable and chose someday to seek affiliation like any other new church, then the vote of the Association would not determine our survival.
On Ash Wednesday evening, February 17, 1988, eighteen people gathered in Cyril's living room in Kalamazoo to begin conversation about forming a new congregation. We chose the name Phoenix Community Church as a symbol of the hope that gave birth to this church. The phoenix is a mythological bird that rises out of its own ashes to new life. This Egyptian myth was appropriated by the early Christian church as a
Open Hands 12
symbol of resurrection. We who gathered in Kalamazoo also appropriated this myth as a symbol of our belief that resurrection is possible out of the ashes of discrimination, self-hatred, and oppression. We set out on a journey together believing that hope like a Phoenix could rise again in us and that God could renew our strength and set us flying. And, indeed we have discovered that God is faithful!
By 1990 Phoenix had grown from eIghteen to thirty members. In those first two years we adopted a Mission Statement, Inclusive Language Guidelines, and By-laws, all of which strengthened our understanding of who we are. \Ve put together a New Member's Packet and held regular membership Orientation Sessions. We moved from being primarily a worshipping community to becoming a small church community with educational programs for children and adults.
-
~
Stretching the Wider Church
W e decided in 1990 to seek affiliation with the United Church of Christ. Toward the end of that year-long process, as the vote about Phoenix was nearing, four meetings were held at different locations around the Association so that members oflocal churches could come and hear the Phoenix story and meet Phoenix members.
I felt intense pride as members of Phoenix got up before an audience of strangers and vulnerably told their stories of how they had just about given up hope of ever finding a church home when someone told them about Phoenix Community Church. They witnessed to their faith rebirthed, to their experience of worship being like a homecoming, like finding and being found because they could be who they
Spring 1994
are without fear or shame. They invited members of other United Church of Christ churches to join with Phoenix in our ministry and mission, to support us and nurture us and challenge us and say "yes" with us to what the Spirit is doing in our midst.
I felt such hope, knowing that no matter what way the vote went, this too was evangelism, this too was church growth. The wider church was being stretched and pushed into new places and we at Phoenix were experiencing community with other church people. Of course, I also felt sadness when ugly remarks were made, when our motives were impugned, when the Bible was once again used as a weapon. I felt protective -fearful that we might have to endure one more rejection at the hands of the church. And I wondered to myself what I would do if we were not accepted.
An amazing thing happened on the day of the Association meeting. One by one, members of local churches rose and came to the microphone and told their own stories, made their own testimonials about meeting Phoenix people and worshipping at Phoenix. One pastor of a small town church said that he had been very skeptical and then he and his wife had attended worship at Phoenix and he had experienced the Holy Spirit moving there as he had seldom known it in worship. He said, "1 would be honored to be in partnership with this spirit-filled people." There were also those who spoke against our affiliation, but when the vote was taken, 92 people voted for and 29 against the inclusion of Phoenix into the United Church of Christ. InJune of 1991, more than 200 people from around the Southwest Michigan Association gathered for a covenant service in Kalamazoo to welcome Phoenix Community Church into the United Church of Christ.
Cyril and 1 left Phoenix in 1993 and the congregation recently called a new full-time pastor. Phoenix has grown to sixty members, with new people coming to worship most Sundays. Worship attendance frequently exceeds the number of members. As Phoenix grows and matures, the programming continues to diverSify, with study groups, all-church
more 1111.
13
retreats, support groups of various kinds, and an educational program for children. Phoenix is also asking what its mission can be in the larger community, beyond welcoming gays and lesbians.
Evangelism at Its Best
Phoenix and the other new church communities are not only about the task of creating welcoming congregations for lesbians and gay men, but are also committed to liberation theology, to making the links between racism, sexism, classism, ableism, and heterosexism.
"In Christ, there is male and female, old and young, disabled and temporarily able bodied, lesbian, gay, and heterosexual."
When the Apostle Paul declared: "In Christ there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free" this was a liberating message that proclaimed equality andjustice. However, the proclamation that we are all "one" can sometimes blur our differences and serve to reinforce the norms of the majority. Thus, in our church communities, we might reword Paul's declaration by saying, "In Christ, there is male and female, old and young, disabled and temporarily able bodied, lesbian, gay, and heterosexual." We must celebrate the fact that each of us has particular gifts for ministry and mission not in spite of, but because of, our particular sex, age, race, orientation, and abilities.
We are seeking new theological "wineskins" that can adequately hold and convey the good news of God's love and justice for our day, as well as recovering the old language and imagery when it is life-giving and can convey to people in our times the heart of the message.
The real-life experience of being an exile can lay the foundations for liberating, welcoming faith communities. That was the wisdom of the ancient prophets who reminded Israel to welcome the stranger and the sojourner because "you know what it is to be a stranger and a sojourner in Egypt." We give more than lip service to hospitality at Phoenix Community Church because we know what it is to be a stranger, an exile, and invisible within many churches. We know how it feels not to hear our true name spoken in a church or have our experiences validated as real and normal.
The Message for Already Existing Churches
In the early days of Phoenix Community Church, people in other churches asked me: "Why do you find it necessary to start a new congregation? Why not work within existing congregations to make them more open?" My response was: "That is important work. You do it! But some of us can't wait any longer. Too many gay brothers and lesbian sisters have grown impatient and have given up on finding a church home. We need a spiritual home where we tell our stories now, sing our songs now, celebrate our relationships now, hear the good news preached now . .. not later, not sometime."
Thankfully, there are already existing congregations that have perceived the urgency of this evangelistic task by declaring themselves Open and Affirming, or Reconciled/ Reconciling, or More Light, etc. Such congregations give the people of Phoenix Community Church hope and strength to carryon, knowing we are part of a wide circle of caring and daring congrega.tions.
One of the meanings of this new church movement is that God will not be bound by huma.n barriers or prejudice. God will do the calling and the welcoming. The heart of the matter is not sexual orientation, but as the prophet Micah summed it up, to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk reverently with the Creator .....
This article was adapted from an address delivered at an evangelism and church growth conference at Chicago Theological Seminary, November 4, 1992. The full version is published in The Chicago Theological Seminary Register 84 (Winter/Spring 1994).
Melanie Morrison, Ph.D. candidate, is an ordained United Church of Christ minister
and one of the fo unding pastors of Phoenix Community Church, UCC in Kalamazoo, Mic higan. She is co-director of Leaven in LanSing,
Michigan.
MCC: PIONEERS IN LESBIGAY CHU~CH OUtREACH
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church~s (UFMCC) \fvas feundeCl by the Reverend Troy Perry in 19681:0 mipisteLtb the needs of gaY"men and.,lesbians throughout the world. from t'ts b~ginning}with a single group of twelve members in Los Angeles, the FeUowship has grown to over 32,000 members and 280 churches in 16 countries as 'of May 1,993. In the ~.S. ,there are 230 local churches in 45 states. The l~rg,~stMCC is Cathedral of ~ope ip Dallas (see page 9). The smaUest town ~itn ,an "MCC "church is Eureka Springst 'Arkans~s (population about t:90py
'Foreshadoyving the diversity that was t9 .,. floYi'?T 1r 'the next !wenty-six Yf?ars, th? first servj~e of the firstcongregation"in, 1968, i~cI~ded one ~erson of,(olor (a Lptino), oneJew, and one heterosexual cou'l)Jf?', their backgrounds poth'Catholicand Protestant.~sthe largest interQalidn~iQrgani~a"tio"ribased in the ",lesbian and gay community, UFMCC has gon'e 9nr ecord as being ac~iveIY,committed. to non-violent oppositioq ,tt> "'~ll " formsofl oP8r:ession,
inCi
udin'g sexism; racism, nationalism, and hom~pnbbia. · .
Open Hands 14
od's grace is too vast. We lack the courage to believe in such radical grace, much less to be ts agents in the world. What stands in our way? NotJesus or the Bible, but that old Mfiddler on the roof" -tradition. Customs, ecclesiastical decisions, hurch order, theology, and creeds build 'alls between us and what God so graously
offers.
jesus taught that God gave the law as a path to life . God was not after aderence to the law as an end in itself. """he law was an instrument to provide ·e. In fact it was originally written, says Exodus 31: 18, "with the finger of God." 'nfortunately, people did not find God -the law. Thus, inJesus, theJew, God's
nger began writing again.
In john 8:1-11 , we find the familiar
ory ofJesus' encounter with a woman
'ho was having an adulterous affair.
hile this account is now accepted as anon, it does not appear in the earliest tanuscripts of John's Gospel. Centu..es after the Gospel of John was origially written, an unknown monk tran-~ribing the text, recognizing John's dency to make his point through a .-ry of jesus in action, as Word incarate, must have inserted these verses. John -and in this case, a Spirit-led edior
-used the events oEjesus' life to illustrate what God intended the ancient Hebrew law to be -a way of walking in the light, a road to life.
In the chapter of John's Gospel immediately preceding this story, an argument between Jesus and the Pharisees ended in an unsuccessful attempt by the Pharisees to have Jesus arrested. Jesus takes a night to retreat and cool off. But the next day, while he is out
Spring 1994
teaching, the Pharisees again try to trap him. They bring before him a woman caught in the act of adultery. The law says kill her, they tell jesus. What do you say?
Jesus says nothing. Instead he writes with his finger in the dirt. Remember the finger of God, SignalsJesus. Remember the Original Author's intent. Thereby the Word of God incarnate gives God the floor again. Then Jesus rises and says: Folks, let us live what the law requires. If the law kills, and one of you is clean enough to execute this woman, then go ahead.
Jesus, and Jesus alone, was clean enough. Ifhe had come to fulfill the law in that way, he could have cast the first stone. But he does not. Later, when the defenders of the law have gone, Jesus shows the woman what the writing of God's finger really means. I don't condemn you, he says. God is after life, yours too. I'm giving you space. Go live in that space . Live! Don't turn against the God of life. Sin no more. Rather, trust the life God gives you if you follow me. Then you will know no condemnation.
Experts on the law, whether Jew or Christian, live in condemnation -and spread it far and wide. Jesus, on the other hand, calls Christians and Jews alike to make room for sinners, to provide them a space free of condemnation. If you follow me, he says, you will have the light of life. Ifyou do not use rules, orders, commandments, and laws to burden and judge people even when they have clearly transgressed -then you will see the light and walk toward life. And you will be a light that shows life to others.
Unfortunately, many Christians read Jesus' words and focus on "sin no more" until it becomes a fence around "neither do I condemn you." We understand Jesus' words to mean, "This time, I'n let you go, but never do it again -or elsel Sin again and the handwriting is on the wall." With such words, we take a step forward and then a step back. We never. fully accept that God in Christ does not condemn us. And what we have not accepted for ourselves, we can seldom pass on to others. (If we do pass it on, we do so begrudgingly, because deep inside, we are unable to accept it for ourselves.)
Ifwe insist on haunting people with "sin no more," we have missed the point ofJesus' words. When people -gay and straight, male and female, rich and poor -experience in the church the "no condemnation" of Christ, they are thereby experiencing God's way of dealing with sin. We are invited to place our trust in God's way of no condemnation -and through our every action to show the world that way. ...
This article was adapted from Hart's article "No Condemnation" in The Other Side, September-October 1993. Used with permission of The Other Side, 300 W. Apsley, Philadelphia, PA 19144. Subscriptions: $29.50 per year.
Hendrik Hart is a staff member ofthe Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto, Ontario, a research and teaching institution in the Reformed tradition.
15
Confession ofSins
o Holy Dreamer-into-Being, you created us, life forms on a single planet of the billions you made, to give yourself pleasure. You want us to talk back, and to return the love you invest in us. You sent your living Word, J esus, to speak clearly. But we persistently disobey and misunderstand him. We regret what we do and what we leave undone. We know you are merciful.
o God, like a loving parent, forgive us.
We are victims of our fears We seal the doors of the upper room, attempting to contain Christ for ourselves, and we exclude his world.
o God, forgive us, and burst open the doors.
We are hypocrites like stale sponges Trying to cleanse the church of all who will not conform to our own personal mores and taboos.
o God, forgive us, and scour our hearts.
We are cowards to society Allowing demographics and the flow of dollars to determine who will be our neighbors, and refusing to be neighbors to those whom Christ has called.
o God, forgive us, and help us make new friends.
We are traitors to your Word From our heritage of ancient laws, we observe some and break others.
We use the Bible as a weapon to slash at the very people
whom you command us to save.
o God, forgive us, and help us heal their wounds.
We are tightwads Withholding wealth to punish the church for daring
to aid the politically incorrect.
We have extorted comfort at the cost of compassion.
o God, forgive us, and ransack our wallets.
We are blowhards Touting the sweet decency of our niceness, as though we alone were above judgment and all others beneath contempt.
o God, forgive us, and silence us with your grace.
We are, paid mourners for the mainline church -,
Blaming its demise on those who try to open its doors and its closets
for tens of thousands for whom Christ died.
o God, forgive us, and make us faithful.
David Romig was a member of the Joint Committee on Worship that prepared the Presbyterian Worshlpbook.
Open Hands 16
A Litany ofTrust in God
Leader:
In the many silences of the heart, 0 God, when feeling is beyond saying, your faithful people everywhere wait upon your Spirit.
In the silence of joy -when a baby is born, when a sunset blazes, when a loved one is restored to health, when peace replaces strife
People:
In our joy, we wait upon you, 0 God. We give you thanks and praise.
Leader:
In the silence of sorrow -when love is lost, when pain is too constant a companion, when time brings change that is hard to bear, when death seems victorious
People:
In our sorrow, we wait upon you, 0 God. You alone are our rock and our refuge.
Leader:
In the silence of anger -when justice is postponed until tomorrow, when violence shatters body and soul, when prejudice sets neighbor against neighbor, when no one will listen
People:
In our anger, we wait upon you, 0 God. Teach us the ways of justice and mercy.
Leader:
Let us put our trust where it belongs, not in our positions or power or wealth, for such things are lighter than breath.
People:
In our joy, our sorrow, our anger, we trust in God's unfailing love and guidance. We rely upon the blessing of being a community of faith, a Church universal. Sisters and brothers of many colors, ages, sexual orientations, and abilities, we are one in Christl Together, let us wait upon the God of our salvation I
This litany is based on Psalm 62:5-12 for January 23, 1994 in the New Common Lectionary; used for Ecumenical Welcoming Church Sunday, 1994.
Ann B. Day, M.Div., is an ordained minister. She serves as the ONA Program Coordinator for the United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns.
Spring 1994 17
T E
MARKETING THE GOSPEL:
A FAITHFUL CHOICE
By Martha Scott
At first glance, evangelism and ministry with and for the gay; lesbian, and bisexual community seem mutually exclusive. This is especially clear on Sunday morning, when (with my channel selector in hand) I qUickly review the TV evangelists.
A Pharisaic View of Evangelism
From the religious Right, who dominate the airwaves, there is no good news for gay, lesbian, and bisexual Christians. In fact, it is impossible to be a Christian and be anything but heterosexual. This is a narrow if not false understanding of evangelism. '
The religious Right (and many moderate Christians) choose to define evangelism in its most Pharisaic terms. National holiness will be reached when all have obeyed every law and code of personal holiness. Those who challenge and do not keep these codes are denied the promises of God and should be eliminated in order to preserve the purity of the "chosen." Herein lies the error of Pharisaic evangelism, for Jesus held a rather irreverent view of personal holiness codes: he spoke to women, touched bleeding women, ate with tax collectors and prostitutes, exalted the faithfulness of Samaritans (Gentiles), discounted the ritual cleansing of dishes and the washing of hands before eating, and blasphemed the Sabbath laws by plucking grain and healing the sick 1
Those who promote Pharisaic religion err if they think salvation can be equated with personal holiness codes.
Another View of Evangelism
The Good News is that Pharisees are not in charge of the distribution of the Holy Spirit or the promises of God. God is. And God shows no partiality.
Evangelism means helping God's people recognize that they are children of God, God's creation, people of sacred worth. It is offering words of God's love and promise for them. Itis inviting and welcoming them to live in right relationship with God and neighbor in the new heaven and earth, the kindom of God.2
Those who see evangelism in its largest context will want one focus to be on the community of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals for welcome and initiation into the kindom of God. To this end, there are some important demographic trends and life styles to which welcoming congregations will want to pay attention as they reach out. But first, a word about advertiSing and marketing.
Marketing the Gospel
Many of us are almost repulsed by the idea of "marketing the Gospel. " We think that somehow people should be dedicated to research a community for its churches, looking into each church's beliefs and when and how to contact its pastor or a member of the congregation for more information. We seem to believe that the initiative to find our church is to be left up to those who might be looking for a new church home.
During a recent trip as a church development consultant in Wisconsin, I and several other members of the committee (who had never been to this church before) spent almost an hour looking for the only United Methodist Church in town. Not only did the gas station attendants and business community not know where it was, but there were no signs anywhere. I did, however, pass at least six signs for the antique gun show that weekend. Our churches are some of the best kept secrets around. In part this is why they are dying.
Four points about church advertising are worth mentioning. First, growing churches in general have growing budgets for advertising. Advertising is to evangelism what the yellow pages are to business. Both must assume that what they offer is ofvalue to the public. Churches must also recognize that people, especially the Boomers, are busy. They don't shop around and do
Open Hands 18
:-esearch projects on churches. They are ~ost likely to be attracted to what they .ear about.
Second, there is no excuse for not ad··tising. Too often my colleagues retort at advertising is fine for "First Church" ecause they have money. But their ~urch and its budget is too small. Non---
se! All the leading book stores have
_..ekes of books in the business section marketing on small budgets and for . 1-profit agencies. (See page 27.) -:hird, advertising in the gay and lesbicommunity is worth its weight in gold. a ~1arketing Insights Report from
m ean Demographics entitled "Non ztional Affluent Consumers" John ebel writes: "Given the short history ational marketers advertising di;' to the gay and lesbian market, any
'enising has an exaggerated impact."3 .11S is true in the secular world, it is more true in the religiOUS realm. A reh today that goes out of its way,
and even stands against its parent denomination, to welcome gays and lesbians will share this exaggerated impact.
Those of us who have marched with our congregations in Gay Pride Parades across the country know that even though some observers are infuriated, many more have cheered on our efforts. If the church you serve is not yet ready for such a blatant witness, take heart in Knoebel's other finding: "It's really not necessary to create special advertising for the gay and lesbian market."4 Simply advertising in gay/lesbian newspapers and newsletters, on business and organization bulletin boards, and in their neighborhoods is welcomed as a sign of acceptance and will bring response.
Fourth, it is essential that advertiSing thegospel be done well. These days, content of ideas must be accompanied by quality presentation. Invest in a couple of good books that not only suggest
KEEPING OUR DOORS W IDE OPEN
By David K. Hartley and Wilbert S. Miller
'LUcated one and a half miles north of the White House in Washington, D.C., Augustana _~t"eran Church is in a strategic location to develop intentional ministries in the midst of a cors:antly changing neighborhood:. Founded by Swedish immigrants in 1918, the congre_a~on moved to its currentlocation in the Dupont Circle neighborhood in 1937.
. " the early 1950s, as whites were fleeing to the suburbs and blacks were moving in,
gJstana dug in and reached out to its changing neighborhood. In an evangelism gram called "Operation One Mile" members conducted house-to-house visitation in a
e-"1:le radius, inviting pES,ople to join Augustana. Our membership is now approximately
ercent African-American. This historic outreach program has guided Augustana's
g ever since.
,As the neighborhood continued to change, Augustana's vision remained constant: keep
e doors open to all people who live in our community so that they can hear the good
~ws of Jesus. Thus, when the neighborhood became a nucleus for gay men and lesbian
,""e"l in the 1980s, we openly welcomed yet another new group by becoming one oNhe
l ~econciled in Christ congregations in the Washington area, by advertising in the gay
-~er. The Blade, by starting an AIDS ministry, and by providing support for Lutherans ....."'"cerned. Perhaps 20 percent of the congregation is now gay.
~e"l years ago, our membership was 280; today it is 460. Gays have joined Swedes and 1...."~, lcan-Americans (the three groupsare not mutually exclusive) in fellowship and in worship ._l ~od in a joyous array of diversity.
Continuing our welcoming stance, we recently established an outreach ministry to the 'ng Latino presence by calling a Salvadorean-American to lead a 30-household commu.'
"ow being integrated into Augustana's mainstream~ Ministries are also taking place for
•.... e elderly poor and school-age youth.
ugustana expects to be at its present address in the year 2094, tailoring ministries to the needs of its parish and keeping the doors wide open to all people. Indeed, God has cal ed us to be the steward of the good news at this corner of the universe. Since "God so
ed the world'} we too have an awesome opportunity and responsibility to love the world +" the same openness and enthusiasm.
a. 'd K. Hartley, M.A, who chairs Augustana's Social Ministry Committee, is a real estate appraiser for ~A'l-profit organizations and is active in Lutherans Concerned and civic affairs.
. bert S. Miller, M. Div., served an inner-city parish in Phifadelphia prior to coming to Augustana in J982.
~pring 1994
ways of advertising, but demonstrate how to present the material in a way that maximizes the attractiveness of the content. (See page 27.)
Looking at Demographics
Once you've decided to reach out to the gay and lesbian community, it is important to know a few important demographic variables about that community -like how many are out there, where are they, and what are they like .
First, the nUII1bers. There is no consensus about what percentage of the human community is gay or lesbian. In general I would dismiss the "one in ten" theory (25 million, including children) and accept Knoebel's figures: 4-6 million gay men and 2-4 million lesbians. Combined, these numbers are twice or three times higher than membership in many of our mainline Protestant churches. Though the smaller number is the safer guess, this is still a large number of people -many of whom are unchurched! In addition, the gay / lesbian community has parents, siblings, and friends who despise traditional church stands on gays and lesbians. There are still others who fall on the straight side, but who have had same-sex relationships.
These statistics would all be much more precise if people could safely record their sexual preference in the u.s. Census survey. Until then, we will have to predict. And we could predict that if politicians and marketers take the gay / lesbian population seriously, the church should want to as well.
Second, each denomination already has a "market share" depending on the geographical region being considered . United Methodism, for instance, could expect that at least 5-8 percent of the population in Nashville, Tennessee is United Methodist. Less than 5 percent of the population of gays and lesbians in Chicago are probably United Methodist. United .Methodism is simply stronger in the Nashville area than in Chicago.
Third, and more importantly, if the growth of the Metropolitan Community Church is any indicator (and I believe it is) denominational lines in the lesbigay community are very fluid .
more 1111.
19
Denominational loyalty wanes when acceptance is historically withheld. It peaks and crosses over to new alliances when welcome is evident. Thus, the "potential pool" of new lesbigay members for any church is larger than its denominational demographics predict.
Other Variables
M arketing research on the lesbian and gay community offers us other information that will help us locate and identify this community. Although gays, lesbians, and bisexuals are everywhere, they are most numerous in urban areas. The reasons are obvious: cities are more diverse and accommodating; it is easier to be anonymous; and, ironically perhaps, it is easier to find a like community in the city.
The lesbigay community also congregates in college and university towns for at least some part of its life. A higher than average educational achievement means a Significant number of lesbigay persons have a higher than average income, which may give them access to wealthier or economically developing areas of a city or suburb.
Most importantly, gay and lesbian people are diverse in their sharing of themselves. Knoebel has suggested a wave theory. Simply stated, older gay and lesbian people may continue to want to stay closeted. It is the way they have learned to survive. The church may offer real sanctuary, but sharing will need to be at their initiation. Some of the younger ones will openly share their sexual preference and if the church doesn't like it -tough. In addition, there are those who have benefited from being out, may have even been hired because they were out. For others, being out would cost them their jobs -clearly a decision they mayor may not make.
Because demographic information is difficult to obtain, Overlooked Opinions has created the first and only lesbigay opinion polling firm. Their research is based on a panel of 100,000 gay men, lesbians, and bisexual men and women. Some interesting statistics emerge from the lesbigay population that was sampled. It is well-educated, with a fairly high standard of living. Over half of the lesbian couples and over a third of the gay men share a household. They enjoy reading, eating out, the theater, and camping (65 percent of the lesbians sampled go camping). Only 13 percent of gay men are Republicans. Finally, 79 percent of gays and lesbians made purchases based on gay media advertising.s
Implications for our Outreach
Church marketing and programming should take note that the church may be asked to perform holy unions, especially with lesbian women, who are partnering around living quarters. Programming and worship will need to appeal to both the intellect and the aesthetic soul of the worshipper. In addition, political allegiances suggest that this group will be most comfortable with liberal arguments and might be attracted by social service projects and systemic social change ministries. Support groups might be focused around a reading group for lesbians or a dining out group for gay men. Advertising in gay media that the church is open and welcoming will probably bring visitors.
So what ifyou aren't in an urban area,
or a college town, and you can't tell if
there are any gay men, lesbians, or bisexual
people around town? Does it
make sense to raise the issue? Sure it
does. There are probably closeted
people there. Also, all areas will likely
have family members of gay men, lesbians,
or bisexual persons.
Evangelism is sharing God's love in word and action. It involves us in transforming the world from hate to love, from oppressive structures to "just" communities, from religion as a purity code to religion as a corporate condition of the heart, wherein we choose to live in right relationship to God and neighbor. This will be good news to the lesbigay community and anyone else who has ever been made to feel that their ostracism and persecution from the church or society was the will of God. We need to put an end to Bible abuse. God shows no partiality and the Bible is GOOD NEWS. ~
Notes
lSee Donald Kraybill, "Impious Piety," Upside
Down Kingdom. Scottdale, PA Herald
Press, 1978, ch. 8.
2The term "kindom" is used by many people; originator unknown. See Ada Maria IsasiDiaz, "Solidarity: Love of Neighbor in the 1980s," Lift Every Voice. ed . Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite and Mary Potter Engel. New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1990, p.
33.
3John Knoebel, "Non-Traditional Affluent Consumers," American Demographics.
Ithaca, NY, p. 8.
4Ibid., p. 7
5Overlooked Opinions, 3162 N. Broadway, #2, Chicago, IL 60657. Editor's note: In general, a sample this large would safeguard reliability, but given the hiddenness of part of the lesbigay population, one must acknowledge that the sample may be skewed toward lesbigays who are more "out," more oriented to the lesbigay community, and/or more consumer oriented than the total lesbigay population might be if we could get a truly random sample of it.
Martha Scott, Ph.D., is an ordained elder in theNorthern Illinois Conference and has served churches for the last nineteen years.
She now directs the Office of Field Education and Church Relations and is lecturer in Preaching and Practical Ministry Skills at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
GROWTH ABOUNDS IN WELCOMING CHURCHES
Church/Location Official Decision Membership Membership to be Welcoming Then Now
McKinley Memorial Presbyterian
1980
Champaign, IL
St. Mark's Lutheran
1984
San Francisco, CA
Wallingford UMC
1984
Seattle, WA
Northeast UCC
1989
Indianapolis, IN
Second Congregational
1992
Bennington, VT
191
207
163
487
l56
270
151
179
303
340
Open Hands 20
n InTER-FAITH cominG OUT DAY IERVICE
.......
. --ersity Catholic Center.
-fundamentalist Catholic stus
who objected to the co-sponsorof
the inter-faith service by the
niversity United Methodist
Church, located at the center
of the campus of the Univer:: of Wisconsin-Madison, hosted an
er-faith celebration of National Com.
g Out Day on Sunday, October 10,
_93. Nearly 200 persons attended the
~:ice which was co-sponsored and
pported by fourteen local churches
d synagogues.
-rhe service was widely advertised as ".itness for the overcoming of indiference,
fear, hatred and violence
rough understanding, truth, love and
mpassion." It drew substantial front
e coverage from local newspapers mainstream
and lesbian/gay. It also
': a small group who picketed the
ur interfaith service grew out of an rmal gathering of members and ers of local faith communities who e responding to threatening letters oed by University Church and other . congregations kn own to have n a welcoming stance towards les. .5, gays, and bisexuals. In addition o-hosting this service, participating communities intend to maintain a
a. network for mutual support and mstry. . 'niversity United Methodist Church
so signed on as a co-sponsor of a sees of events organized by the Ten Pert Society (an officially recognized ,-sbigay student organization at the -ni\-ersity of Wisconsin-Madison). The
rpring 1994
By Iteven E. UJeb/ter
Ten Percent Society reciprocated by publicizing the interfaith service as the opening event of their Coming Out Week.
What is National Coming Out Day?
National Coming Out Day is a holiday created by the movement for the equal rights oflesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people. Itoriginated as a commemoration of the first nationwide march on Washington which occurred in October of 1987. That march is credited with reinvigorating the lesbian and gay movement by giving greater viSibility to sexual minorities which share the experience of being "in the closet" and who seek liberation through "coming out."
As a "secular" holiday, National Coming Out Day lends itself well to interfaith celebrations in much the same way as Thanksgiving Day, a holiday which does not belong to any one faith tradition.
Our Witness and Outreach: A Truly Recondling Event
Our interfaith service began with a guided meditation by the ReverendJonaluJohnstone, a local Unitarian pastor, who led us through the spiritual isolation and darkness of the "closet" into the liberating experience of "coming out." This meditation set the tone for the rest of the service, underscoring the spiritual dimensions of this shared experience of many lesbians and gays, spiritual dimensions which are also relevant to non-gay persons. The choir of University United Methodist Church sang the hymn "These Things Shall Be" by John Addington Symonds, a gay man in 19th century Victorian England. (Unitarian hymnal has an inclusive version.) It is a hymn particularly appropriate to Coming Out Day because its author lived "in the closet" in Victorian England, but chose to "come out" to the future by writing of his private struggles as a gay man and taking care that the manuscript would be preserved to be published in 1984 as The Memoirs of John Addington Symonds.l
Those who gathered were addressed by Wisconsin State Assemblywoman Tammy Baldwin, an out-of-the-closet lesbian representing a Madison state assembly district, and Professor Joanne Elder, a Quaker and member of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
The interfaith service, which was titled "Coming Out, Coming Together", was truly a reconciling event. Itbrought together persons of a wide range of ages, thirty members of a Unitarian youth group, lesbian, gay and heterosexual persons, lay and clergy, Catholics, Lutherans,Jews, Quakers, United Methodists, Unitarians, Presbyterians, and United Church of Christ. And as the service began, some persons left the picket line and accepted an invitation extended to them by members of University Church to attend the service, ..
Note
IGrosskurth,.Phyllis, editor, The Memoirs of John Addington Symonds. New York: Random
House, 1984,
Steven E. Webster participates in lay leadership at University Church and is active as a lay preacher in various Wisconsin pulpits. His unsuccessful attempt to secure ordination in the United Methodist Church as an openly gay person received nationwide attention in 1974 and led him to join
in the founding of Af firmation in 1975. University Church considers the campus of the University of Wisconsin to be its primary field of mission.
21
BECOMING A LESBIAN EVANGELIST:
Model for £) N£)tion£)1 Outre£)ch Ministry
The Presbyterian Church u.s.A. says in the Book of Order that it is called to be Christ's faithful evangelist by:
•
"participating in God's activity in the world through its life for others by healing, reconciling and binding up wounds . ..
•
"ministering to the needs of the poor, the sick, the lonely, and the powerless . ..
•
"engaging in the struggle to free people from sin, fear, oppression, hunger, and injustice . ..
•
"undertak[ingl this mission even at the risk of losing its life, trusting in God alone as the author and giver of life, sharing the gospel, and doing those deeds in the world that point beyond themselves to the new reality in Christ. "
When my call to the co-pastor position at Downtown United Presbyterian
1ti
By J()oie Ad()ms 5pi\hr
the Book of Order and from pondering the word "evangelist" the vision came and DUPC Co-pastor Rose Mitchell called to share the group's vision with me: DUPC would seek a partnership with Spectrum, Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Concerns, in San Anselmo, California where I was serving as Executive Director. DUPC would create and fund a special mission project and Spectrum would serve as the hiring body and fiscal agent. This mission project would be called "That All May Freely Serve." I would then move from being Spectrum's executive director to being an evangelist. I would be homebased in San Rafael, California, through Spectrum. I would be given the opportunity to translate, live, speak our truth, spread the good news of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people. We would be talking about integrating our
JY.
Coni and I listened, prayed, and spoke with our family. We walked the beach near the Golden Gate Bridge, holding hands and watching the waves roll in at dusk. We smiled to one another. "I know," she said, and she waited. She always waits for me to come to what she intUitively knows deep inside. "You were born to do this work," she said. "Maybe there'll be times that we can do this together." "When you can break free from your work," I said. She smiled at me and answered "I h ope so." We walked qUietly back along the shore, holding hands. It was dark by then. We drove home and held each other tightly all night. I woke up very early the next morning. After telling my staff at Spectrum, Coni and I called DUPC and I said "yes, I would become an evangelist."
On the Road
On February 28. 1993, I said goodbye as executive director of Spec-
I '"..
, t, .UI 1\ ::;!: ~.
~ 1111 • ,,", I • "., ,,'~ ....... ~. I III nl~~IOtI~~ ....
.r::""f;::~all."IIJIIII~!!Jm::m;!~~1II1*lm:·~:.·l a ~ ~ "":: :: 'Hlln ft 1.. : ~~,... lll1ih;' •~.-~;iiiiil....
7.1111 ;;..::1::: :.:.:. ~"....Jel. ---:kt. ...._ ... .-.. 8 .. 1::1 ~'1 1111 ~I •••ln~'.H""'rJm111
HThatAl1 May Freely Serve"
' ~ 1~,
,,~al; ~
I~'~
Church (DUPC) in Rochester, New York was denied by the General Assembly PermanentJudicial Commission in November of 1992, a group of faithful Downtown Church members and committed friends gathered and asked, "How can we bring into concrete form the Good News of the gospel for our day? How can we make concrete an inclusive vision of ministry?"
Through prayer and discernment upon reading this particular chapter in sexuality and spirituality as well as inviting heterosexual allies and friends to join us in a movement of the spirit. What a vision!
A friend of mine said, "You have always been an evangelist, you have always spread God's good news of inclusiveness. This work would take you across the country to do what you already do so well."
trum. The next day I flew to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, my home town, as a lesbian evangelist. From that moment on, I have experienced a spiritual opening far beyond what I could have dreamed. I have witnessed in the people across this country a yearning for truth-telling, for authenticity, and for delving deep into God and themselves -a partnering with God. I have clocked thousands of miles on several airlines and met thousands of people who have shared their
Open Hands 22
stories of the heart, grappled with me m asking their difficult questions, cried, laughed, b een angry, open, cranky, .•opeful, and despondent.
I have witnessed the most sacred of oments: a woman preparing to die in Burlington, Vermont saying good-bye to er partner, her former husband, and eir children; a mother coming out to er son in Portland, Oregon; a mother d father telling me of a stained glass .ndow soon to be put in their church noring their gay son who died of -DS. I have met college students askb hard questions in their own lives ut sexuality and spirituality; pastors ishing to be all of who they are with elf congregation s; seminarians rough tears saying "I know I have been ..ed to this work, Janie. I don't want lie about who I am, for it is a gift to who I am. Please help me deal with .15 pain." I have also received (and ob_~5si\'ely answered) thousands ofletters m across this country. I am deeply ched by the openness and care that
mes across the pages. Talking about sexuality and spiritu; helps people talk from deep inside.
;";.5 one woman in Atlanta put it, "We n't even talk about heterosexuality, let ne homosexuality." And she smiled me and said, "But I guess we will
'." Another person in Los Angeles
d. ". . . as an older person, we never <.ed about these things. But you know ~at, 1 found out I'm talking about a of deep things I never talked about iVre." Another yelled at me at a gath...g. "I hate you,]anie Spahr, for makme
think about things I don't want ink about."
':herever we go, we are astounded .He people and the truth-telling that rs. Whether we are in a meeting or e-on-one, we know that we have been uch with the angels of God. In fact, ..ave been in touch with God Her1have never known as clearly as I -e come to know this year the text, . where two or three are gathered in -name, so I am in the midst of you."
eam Effort
his ministry is a huge team effort fro m the touring partners like ..ny Davidson who travel with me, to
:rng 1994
Susie and Cyndy who spend many God's inclusive love and a vision of an hours each week in San Rafael, Califorinclusive church where everyone has nia getting the administrative tasks access to the table and to leadership. T done, to Stan and Suzanne who run the Information Office at DUPC in RochJanie Adams Spahr, ester, New York, to people every place D.Min., lesbian fem inist in between. We are touched by the wonPresbyterian minister der of God's people and well aware of and evangelist, is the the tremendous effort being done so mother of two sons, Jim that we can be on the road again and and Chet. Her life partagain and again. ner, Coni Staff, is a
Being a lesbian evangelist is an amazUFMCC minister. ing experience -an incredible opportunity to spread -and to receive back Artist: Patricia Wygant [jar the ''That All a hundredfold -the good news of May Freely Serve" logo]
REACHING ,out ISA WAY OF 1.:1 FE
ByRosemaryC.Mitchell
Th~ D9wntown Church (DUPC) has a long ,history ?fihv6lvement in social justice issues. From the days of the. Ladies Missipnary Society that reached out to "stranger girls" who had found theirway to Rochester, New York on t~.e:Erie .CanaI, to inyolvemenf in Temperance (an early women's movement), to declaring ourselves a Sanctuary Church and a More Light Church, Downtown's members have never he~itatedto preach, discussi or get involved in the issues. It is "8 way of Hfe for us. Members expea that difficult topics or situations will be addressed il:) sermons and talked about in adult classes ANDthat we will move to action as? faith com~unity.
Declaring ourselyes a More ~JghtChurch in 1979 just made sense.The decision followed a great dear of intentional study and discussion. Since 1979 there have been courses on Sexyality and Spirituality orHomosexuality and the Bible every year, This continuing education of our congregation has increas?d·the comfort level and the ability of members to articulate their own beliefs., During the firstyear following pur call to Janie Spahr to serve as a co-pastor, ,no one"left and no one witbdrew their financial pledge! Almost everyone who has joined BUPC in the last three or four years is coming. back aft:f years away. from the church -and they're looking for a church which reflects their "sixties" values of inclusivity, participatory decision-making,aod an open discussion of ·theologic~lissues.
Gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons have trusted us. . and our words that we are inde~d ·. a Vl{elcoming chyrch and that membership means full membership..Having gay and lesbian members actively participate has increased the understanding and knowledge of our whole congregation. As strangers have become friends and shared .their stories with us, they have been a real gift to qur lifetogethef as God's household of faith .
Rosemary C. Mitchell, M.Div.,.has been a full-;..timePresbyte'rian pastor since'}977 and hasserved churches in Needham, Massachusetts, Washington, D. C. and Rochester, New York, She has co-authored two volumes entitled Birthing~and BI.essings: Liberating Warship far the Inc:/usive Church. She is married and the mother of three terrific children.
23
WELCOMING SEXUAL MINORITY PERSONS:
A Checklist
By Partners in Reconciliation of the Metanoia Peace Community
HOW can congregations welcome sexual minority persons? This checklist was created by
fourteen sexual minority persons from four denominations who gathered with Rev. Joyce
McManus especially to help create this list. All had searched for congregations where they could feel welcomed and affirmed. All had struggled to help their home congregation understand the ways they had felt excluded because of their sexual orientation. Several had changed churches when they found their congregation unwilling to listen to their experiences.
Basic Welcoming Responses
o l. People in the congregation initiate and value conversations with newcomers.
o 2. People in the congregation recognize new persons the second time they come.
o 3. The language used in conversations reflects an awareness of diversity in family units: e.g., asking about spouse rather than husband.
o 4. Printed materials include the words gay, lesbian, bisexual.
o 5. Inclusive language is used. (Three men agreed: if a church hasn't worked through inclusive language issues, it probably isn't ready to welcome me.)
o 6. People in the congregation express genuine interest in getting acquainted, even when conversations focus on homosexual concerns or relationships.
o 7. Newcomers are seen as persons, not as an issue or objects of study.
o 8. Being Single is honored graciously. Assumptions about sexual identity or the desire to "cruise" are held in check.
o 9. Stereotypes are challenged; e.g., that you are only homosexual if you are in a relationship or that all single homosexuals are looking for a sexual encounter.
010.
Care is taken not to "out" anyone.
011.
Congregational members acknowledge that new persons may be a couple, and then follow the visitors' lead. Some may wish to acknowledge a relationship publicly; others may not.
Integrating Sexual Minority Persons into a Congregation
o l. Couples' events and classes are usually open to same sex couples.
o 2. Most congregational activities are not segregated by age and sex.
o 3. Anniversaries of same-sex couples are celebrated in the same way as anniversaries of heterosexual couples.
o 4. Sexual minority persons who have skills and interest in working with children and youth in the congregation are welcome to do so.
o 5. Persons are asked to serve on committees because of their gifts and abilities, not as token representatives.
o 6. The congregation's welcoming task force or committee is not always chaired by a gay or lesbian member. This committee is integrated into the churcns committee structure, not ad hoc.
o 7. There are times and places where sexual minority persons can congregate as a group to be with people who have the same sexual orientation (without other members getting upset or panicked).
o 8. In phone and picture directories, family units are recognized as such.
o 9. Greeters or liturgy teams are mixed, not always malefemale teams.
0 10. Members of the congregation are offered opportunities to learn about the history and experiences of gay and lesbian people. These programs are well received by the whole congregation.
o 11. Current events within the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community are announced and celebrated.
Political Solidarity in the Midst of Uncertainty
o 1. The congregation identifies itself openly as a community where sexual minority persons are welcomed and included.
24 Open Hands
_ Leaders disavow the "Don't make waves" position, recognizing that silence supports discrimination and alienation of homosexuals.
3. The congregation devotes resources and staff support for developing new ministries with and for sexual minority persons. .. 1embers of the congregation receive training in how to respond to derogatory comments that belittle homosexual or bisexual persons.
-: he congregation organizes or endorses public activitles which support civil rights for sexual minority persons.
...{embers of the congregation initiate conversations with -heir friends, sharing their experiences with sexual mirity persons.
hnisters are actively involved in welcoming commitlees or advocacy work. ~"""'~iU Peace Community is a United Methodist Reconciling Co ngrePortland, Oregon. Partners in Reconciliation is a ministry of
A PASTOR' S FOOTNOTE
By Joyce McManus
ave spent the last ten years of my life working with egations around concerns of church growth and a'. Most congregations perceive that they are friendly e coming and they are friendly -to theirfriends! ',ever, until members of a congregation take on den of seeing t hemselves through t he eyes of the -=..r~lT\er they often are not welcoming to new persons. ge you to go back through the list and look at your through the eyes of a female visitor who is a 'nority person. Ask yourself, "What is the likeliat the people who speak to her will be sensitive in arguage to the fact that she may be a lesbian even =,h she has not identified herself as such? If during 2r COllcerns, she mentions the loss of her friend to someone sitting near her speak to her after ~._"""T'chin. specifically mentioning her prayer request? In on are there illustrations that include gay per. I your lesbian visitor see any printed material
assures her t hat she too is welcome and wanted
SIng this list as a resource, evangelism or outreach ttees might discover new ways to welcome sexual ltv persons. e McManus, M. Div. , was called in 1993 as a cor of Metanoia Peace Community, a Reconciling gregation of the United Methodist Church in PortOregon, to direct the ministry of Partners in Recon-
PASTOR-IN-EXILE: Another Model of Outreach
Metanoia Peace Community is a new, unconventional, more biblically-based United Methodist congregation whose vision emerged from the World Peacemaker Group in Portland, Oregon in mid-1985. Begun by John Schwiebert, an ordained United Methodist minister, and supported by the bishop and annual conference, Metanoia began worship services in June 1986. In 1988 Metanoia declared itself a "Sanctuary Church" and in 1990 a "Reconciling Congregation."
Members and sojourners of Metanoia are encouraged to live together and share resources, where possible, as an expression of Christian community. Every member is expected to be accountable to her/ his peers through participation in a Covenant Discipleship Group of four to eight persons who meet weekly in homes of members.
Metanoia Peace Community currently has two clearly defined missions. The older of the two is the Peace House/Grief Watch Mission. Nine Metanoians live together at 18th Ave Peace House sharing income. Another income-sharing community is being formed a block away. Other members share living space and expenses, but not income. Four full-time "missioners" oversee the Peace House and run a program known as Perinatal Loss which ministers to parents who are experiencing grief follOWing the death of a son or daughter.
The second and newer mission of Metanoia is Partners in Reconciliation which has several goals:
•
to create within the larger church and the wider public a climate ofunderstanding in which gay people and straight people are able to respect and trust each other;
•
to foster healing and reconciliation in response to the current climate of fear, hate, and mistrust which has given rise to antihomosexual ballot measures in Oregon;
•
to overcome the real fears of persons who perceive sexual minority persons as "queer";
•
to challenge our sister United Methodist congregations and the United Methodist Church as a denomination to fully include and value sexual minority persons.
A major effort of this mission is the support of the full-time public ministry ofJoyce McManus, a United Methodist clergywoman and a lesbian, both as co-pastor of Metanoia Peace Community and as a sexual minority activist in the wider church and community.
Joyce serves in defiance of the United Methodist denominational policy against the appointment of "self-avowed, practicing homosexuals" as pastors. She is officially on leave of absence from the Northern Illinois Conference, where she had previously served as a pastor, prior to "coming out" as a lesbian in June of 1993. She serves with Metanoia as a "pastor-inexile" in anticipation of the day when the United Methodist Church will end its discriminatory policy and allow her to be formally appointed by a bishop to the position she now holds or to some other pastoral assignment. ..
This article was excerpted from "What Is Metanoia Peace Community?" written by Metanoia's co-pastor John T Schwiebert.
994 25
priate referrals. If a young person comes out to you or another youth group member, know where to locate help. Social and support groups are often the best emotional and spiritual healers for these
W hy should you and your church reach out to lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth in whatever capacity you are able? The number one reason is that lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth can contribute to your group. Their unique culture, history, and experiences can bring new energy to topics such as relationships, politics, biblical interpretation, historical figures, humor, art, and many other subjects.
You may be able to put lesbigay youth in touch with their history and culture. Your efforts on behalf of lesbigay youth can also help stem many of the difficulties they face because of homophobia, including but not limited to: isolation, violence and harassment,l suicide,2 high school drop out,3 substance abuse,4 homelessness,5 family tension, and strained relationships.
These difficulties are not rare cases.
In the last year, in SWAGLY (a lesbian
and gay social support group in Worcester,
Massachusetts) three members
dropped out of school due to overwhelming
harassment. Two young
people were turned out of the house
for at least one month. Almost all members
were at some time frustrated that
they could not pursue truth-based relationships
with family and friends. All
in a group ofless than fifteen members!
Homophobia affects more than lesbigay youth. Raising issues in mixed youth groups may also help youth with lesbian or gay parents, young people experiencing a close friend's coming out process, young heterosexuals dehumanized by their homophobic actions against others, and those locked into rigid gender roles. You may also help stem premature sexual activity, a homophobia-driven dysfunction which many youth engage in to assert their heterosexuality or as an attempt to convert from homosexuality.
How you can reach out
Raise the issue. Openly integrate lesbian, gay, and bisexual people into your language.
Be a role model. If you are lesbigay, help young people learn social skills such as combating internalized homophobia and coming out. If you are heterosexual, demonstrate to youth how to affirm and appreciate all people regardless of sexual orientation.
Support your youth ministers', public school teachers' and youth leaders' efforts to provide homophobia and sexuality education and outreach to lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth in your local or regional youth groups.
Train youth leadership.
Sponsor workshops. Provide appro-
LeUlM"",Youth This was the front panel of the brochure for the first social-support
Together
youth group in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul Twin Cities area. Begun in 1984 it provided a safe source of support for over 1000 youth during its ten-year history. Wingspan Ministries of St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church (an RIC church) offered staff time and financial support for this youth-run, adult-supported group. "Leadership development became a major emphasis of the youth group, " says Leo Treadway, who served as a Ministry Associate for the Wingspan Ministry of St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran ~hurch and an adult leader of LGYT. "Youth became speakers for profeSSional organizations and for other youth programs, as well as Peer Educators for the local Youth and AIDS Project. They had a phenomenal impact on groups such as the Boy Scouts and United Way." While LGYT itself has closed, it served as a model for some of the dozen support groups in the Twin Cities area. The area also now offers District 202, a drop-in center which
A safe source of friendship & support
opened in 1993.
for lesbian. gay, and
b,sexual youth
Cartoon by Allison Bechdel GraphicS by design: Robert W. Schmitt
Open Hands
young people. More severe difficulties may warrant professional help. Research your referrals. Be sure they are sensitive to lesbian, gay, and bisexual concerns and will not inflict emotional damage.6
Create a comfortable environment. Make office and youth group meeting spaces lesbigay friendly with positive posters and pamphlets. Use affirming language. Be sure special events and publicity reflect inclusiveness.
Encourage your youth group to explore your denomination's "welcoming church program." (See page 3 for list of program leaders and addresses.)
Reach out beyond your immediate circle of youth contacts. Find ways to advertise that reach the larger youth community in your area . ...
Notes
lThe Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth, 1993. State House, Room 111, Boston, MA 02133.
2Paul Gibson, "Gay Male and Lesbian Youth Suicide, "Report ofthe Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suidde. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1989.
3Joyce Hunter and Robert Schaecher, "Stresses on Lesbian and Gay Adolescents in Schools," Sodal Work in Education, (Spring 1989).
4Gary Remafedi, "Adolescent Homosexuality: PsychOSOcial and MediCal Implications," Pediatrics 79 (No.3, 1987).
5Gabe Kruks, "Gay and Lesbian Homeless/ Street Youth: Special Issues and Concerns," Journal of Adolescent Health 12 (No.7, 1991).
6John C. Gonsiorek, "Mental Health Issues oj Gay and Lesbian Adolescents, "Journal of Adolescent Health Care 9 (No.2, 1988).
Gregory Anderson, B.A., Phi Beta Kappa
and Magna Cum Laude in SOciology and music, serves as the Coordinator of the United Church Coalition for Lesbian/ Gay Concerns Youth and Young Adult Outreach Program.
26
OU~'RI~ CH IMAGES AND OUTREACH Carl 5., and Johnson, Sally A. Energizing the Congrega: Images that Shape Your Church's Ministry. Louisville, 'estminster;John Knox, 1993. This book offers five imhurch:
pillar, pilgrim, survivor, prophet, and servant explores how each type of church moves from worship at e"1ter to its own approach to outreach. H. \Villiam. Faith before Faithfulness: Centering the f.usive Church . Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press, 1992. es decline of members and influence of "mainline" hes, then proposes that churches shift their identity mainline" to "inclusive-evangelical." R~claims the cone\'angelical" and "conversion" from exclusive evangelicals ere most liberal churches relegated them). Provides (ful insight into the need to move from a church growth egy to a spiritual growth strategy -all while maintaining -won ideals of tolerance, political involvement, diversity, stice" in our pluralistic congregations. Includes ten.
study guide in appendix. en)' M. Church in the Round: Feminist Interpretation of Church. Louisville, KY: Westminister/John Knox Press, 3 l\'hile not specifically focused on evangelism, this book
es a vision of the inclusive church, with all members fully around a common table of hospitality. TS OF EVANGELISM onimer, and Johnson, Alan. The Great Commission: ical Models for Evangelism. Nashville: Abingdon, 1992. hat the "great commission" is often quoted in evangeaterials
-usually out of context -Arias provides a gh exegesis of material in all four gospels. Johnson es a very helpful 24-page study guide. c.; \11;,\:,~Cmann, Walter. Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism: LivIn a Three-Storied Universe. Nashville: Abingdon, 1994. res evangelism in the Bible; offers an image of evange. as a "drama in three scenes"; challenges the church to nk its current practices and methods.
::er, Donald E. A Conspiracy of Goodness: Contemporary 11'tages of Christian Mission. Nashville: Abingdon, 1992. Calls
r
recovery of an "apostolic" mission; speaks of outreach to e marginalized; and offers wonderful contemporary images or mission: "global gardeners", "bridge builders", "star
rowers", and "fence movers."
MODELS 'FOR OUTREACH
Bos, A. David. A Practical Guide to Community Ministry. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993. Examines a growing movement where local churches join ecumenically to minister to immediate neighborhood needs.
Page, Patricia N. All God's People Are Ministers: Equipping Church Members for Ministry. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1993. A survey of methods and resources, with a focus on ministry as reconciliation and as friendship.
Schaller, Lyle E. Innovations in Ministry: Models for the 21st Century. Nashville: Abingdon, 1994. Identifies emerging models for ministry, especially laity-driven ministries which are shifting from small, local churches toward large, seven-day-aweek regional churches. Also identifies a "Key Church Strategy" where large churches with discretionary money are encouraged to start highly focused multisite ministries.
Stallings, James O. Telling the Story: Evangelism in Black Churches . Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1988. As the preface says, "this book is about stories -personal, cultural, and God's ... It is about evangelism that must always tell the story of God's loving and liberating activity in the lives of people and in the world through Jesus Christ." Explores the use of story in the black church tradition. Two helpful reflection activities at the end of the book.
Whitlock, Katherine. Bridges of Respect: Creating Support for Lesbian and Gay Youth. Philadelphia: AFSC, 1988. Introductory material about youth needs. Extensive resource listing. AFSC also publishes a newsletter, "Crossroads: Supporting Sexual Minority Youth." AFSC, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19lO2.
MARKETING AND ADVERTISING STRATEGIES
These resources explore concepts of marketing! advertiSing, with strategies for implementing plans without large budgets .
Klein, ErJca Levy. Write Great Ads: A Step by Step Approach. New York: John Wiley &: Sons, Inc., 1990.
Levinson, Jay Conrad . Guerrilla Marketing Attack. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989. Marketing without much money.
Ramacitti, David F. Do It Yourself Advertising. New York: AMACOM, 1992. How to do quality ads.
Rice, Craig S. Marketing Without a Marketing Budget. Holbrook, MA: Bob Adams, Inc., 1989. How to work on a shoestring.
Roman, Kenneth, and Maas, Jane. How to Advertise. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1976. A profeSSional guide; what works, and what doesn't.
Shawchuck, Norman, et al. Marketingfor Congregations: Choosing to Serve People More Effectively. Nashville: Abingdon, 1992. A thorough treatment of marketing.
ng 1994 27
Welcome New Churches
Many readers commented on the impressiveness of the combined list of "welcoming" churches in the last issue and the fact that our movement has grown by 22 percent over the last year. The combined list will be published annually (in the Winter issue). We will continue in each issue to profile churches that have recently joined the movement.
First Presbyterian Church Yorktown Heights, New York
With a long history of inclusiveness, the First Presbyterian Church strongly objected to the November 1992 denial ofjanie Spahr's call by their denomination. A member of a neighboring More Light church came to speak and the church decided to work toward a More Light statement. To ensure dialogue and congregational participation, the process included sharing personal stories, hearing a therapist talk about sexual orientation and homophobia, viewing a video, and closing with an open forum. Then, in a meeting described by the pastor as a "most spirit-filled, spiritmoved meeting," the church's governing board adopted its More Light stance. The church sees this step as a continuation of its ministries of justice and social involvement.
Good Samaritan Church Pinellas Park, Florida
Located on the edge of St. Petersburg, this 248-member congregation is attentive to justice issues and ecumenism. The only Presbyterian (U.S.A)/United Church of Christ congregation in the state, it is doubly committed to implementing its More Light/Open and Affirming stance! The congregation began dialogue and education on lesbian and gay concerns fifteen years ago. Through association with a crisis hotline, the church learned of the fears and hardships facing adolescents as they come out. This concern developed into "True Expressions," a ministry with high school students and young adults coming to terms with their homosexuality. The congregation also houses a Head Start center and has begun a local AIDS ministry.
Noble Road Presbyterian Church Cleveland Heights, Ohio
"I've always known Noble Road was inclusive. I guess some people just need it in writing," said one member about the church's recent decision to become More Light. Over the past three years, this 200-member congregation has discussed scripture and homosexuality, heard the stories of gay persons, and studied the issues facing the larger church. Information and assistance was sought from other More Light churches. A retreat of the church's governing board focused on homosexuality and the church. A few persons were unhappy
More Light Conference
The 10th annual conference of the More Light Churches network will be held at Grace Trinity Church in Minneapolis from May 6-8, 1994. "From Dialogue to Ministry" is the theme with keynoters John Fife, former moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and Christine Smith, professor of preaching at United Theological Seminary. To register, call St. Luke Presbyterian Church at 612/ 473-7378.
about the More Light decision, while several families with gay members have come out. The dialogue continues.
...............
"T,AT,AT.Q
OPEN
-II-[!~!~:
J
"T,AT,AT.Q
OPEN AND AFFIRMING
College Street Congregational Church Burlington, Vermont
"A church with an open mind and a warm heart," College Street is a 157member, inner city congregation. It is part of the Joint Urban Ministries Project, seven downtown churches which minister to people living on the streets, addreSSing basic n eeds that aren't met by other programs. The church's aNA commitment continues a long tradition of social activism that began with its founding by suffragettes and abolitionists in 1860. Members of the church participated in Burlington's Pride March and the congregation looks forward to becoming more informed and active on ONA issues.
First Congregational Church Holliston, Massachusetts
A 700-member suburban congregation, First Congregational offers creative worship which responds to tradition and change with an emphasis on the inclusiveness of God's love in Jesus Christ. It has an exciting music program including youth, adult, and bell choirs. With dynamic lay leadership, the church provides numerous ministries for the community, including a weekday nursery/day care. Its ONA commitment is posted in the church and explained in new members' classes.
Open Hands 28
a
Lutherans Concerned/North America International Assembly
Lutherans Concerned/North America will celebrate their 20th an'ersaryin Charlotte, North Carolina from July 14-17, 1994. The theme "God's Own People." Keynote speaker will be the Rev. Barbara dblad, a visionary in gay and lesbian ministry who has been heard ';lillions of people on her Protestant Hour radio broadcasts. Bant speaker will be Dirk Selland, a u.s. submarine officer who came . to his Navy chaplain as a result of President Clinton'spromise to the ban on gays and lesbians in the military and was subsequently
.e of few openly gay members of the armed services to testify at the '.s. Senate hearings last spring. Selland will speak of his Lutheran ongregation's reaction and their eventual renewal. For information, a:: 704/366-9416.
1994
Storrs Congregational Church Storrs, Connecticut
Located on the scenic campus of the University of Connecticut, this diverse congregation of 500 members is highly committed to ministry with the university and wider community. With 35 other churches, it participates in the Windam Area Interfaith Ministries which serves the needs of people in the inner city and rural areas. Storrs Congregational was a "pilot church" for the UCC sexuality curriculum, "Created in God's Image," and now helps train other churches wishing to use the materials:
[ RECOYHRISTJ
Lutheran Student Movement of Canada Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
The second RIC ministry in Canada, this Lutheran Student Movement chapter voted unanimously to declare itself RIC in January. The LSM chapter not only made a stand for justice and committed themselves to including lesbian and gay students in their spiritual community, but earned the much-anticipated # 100 position on the RIC roster.
Peace Lutheran Church Alexandria, Virginia
Reacting to their study of the ELCA Sexuality Study draft last summer, Peace members decided to become RIC because they "did not want to be understood as a congregation which was not embracing of gay and lesbian people." The congregation has a history of working against exclusivity in all its forms, of generous giving to many community
t United Church of Tampa
a, Florida
l=oundational to the Gospel message .ts a stand in love and solidarity with
r. oppressed and marginalized, f \vhom are us, and to that end ommitted to being a Just Peace pen and Affirming church." To 126 members explore and hen these commitments, First ed provides a variety of opportuni.or worship and education. Its "en study, "Rescuing the Bible from mentalism" will address interpreof scripture as it relates to homola and misogyny. Beginning at Easthe church plans to offer two
"ship services on Sunday. A new ng group will offer a time of supand worship for women of the
h. As part of its ONA commitment,
,-ongregation has placed an ad in '-ea's gay/lesbian newspaper.
Good Samaritan Church Pinellas Park, Florida
See Good Samaritan listing under More Light.
Southwest United Church of Christ Portland, Oregon
A growing congregation celebrating its tenth anniversary, Southwest UCC takes seriously the task of making the Gospel relevant in today's world. Its 80 members have decided not to own church property; they meet in the Franciscan Renewal Center. The congregation is active in mission to the homeless of Portland and involved in justice concerns in Central America. The church's ONA process deepened relationships among members and increased their awareness of the need for churches to make public witness to God's inclusive love. The congregation is part of an ecumenical group of churches that gathers to share resources and stories related to "welcoming ministries."
29
•••••••••• •••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • ••••••••
charities, and of participation in justice work, all under the motto "What would Jesus do?"
---RECONCILING
---'
Grace United Methodist Church Santa Cruz, California
One of the trademarks of this 100member congregation is it "feels like family." Grace is a fairly stable congregation with many older, long-time members. Its ministries include English as a Second Language classes and feeding homeless women and children once a week. The congregation has discussed becoming a Reconciling Congregation for about five years and made this commitment last fall.
RIC List Surpasses 100!
A recent flurry of new Reconciled in Christ congregations in Canada, Iowa, Illinois, and the District of Columbia has brought the total number to 102 congregations and campus ministries, nine synods, and the national Lutheran Campus Ministry. This is a wonderful milestone, which reflects an enormous amount of effort, love, dialogue, and relationship-building by tens of thousands of Lutherans across the U.S.A and Canada.
RIC Congregation Risks Expulsion for Gay Pastor
The Rev. Ross Merkel, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Oakland, California has been removed from the clergy roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) by an ELCA diSciplinary panel for "persisting more than five years in a homosexual relationship." The congregation has indicated that they have no intention of replacing Merkel, so it is expected that charges
............................................... .............. .
~
RCP Celebrates 10 Years with Tour of Original Musical Drama In a gala celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Reconciling Congregation Program (RCP) is commissioning an original musical dramatic presentation which will tour and be performed in fifteen different cities this June.
Written by Tim McGinley, minister of music at Broadway United Methodist Church, Indianapolis, HOME: The Parable of Beatrice and Neal will premiere on Friday, June 10th in Chicago. HOME is derived from the story of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10, with modern
•
musical elements from the Roman mass.
The RCP is recruiting performers to rehearse the production in Chicago and then perform it in cities throughout the midwestern U.S.A.
This tour promises to be an inspiring witness to the accomplishments of the RC movement in the past decade and a proclamation of the message of God's unconditional love to thousands of persons. If you would like to assist with the tour or help produce a local performance, contact the RCP office.
Call (312) 736-5526 for final schedule
will be filed against the congregation. The outcome of that trial will likely be the expulsion of St. Paul from the ELCA
Merkel came out to the congregation in a sermon last June and introduced his partner of five years. Although this was a "public secret" within the congregation which supported Merkel in his relationship, Bishop Lyle Miller offered Merkel the choice of resigning or facing charges.
St. Paul Lutheran Church was the second congregation to join the Reconciled in Christ program. Under Merkel's leadership over the last fourteen years, St. Paul has become a growing, vibrant urban congregation with an uncommonly strong feeling of "family," involvement in a variety of ministries, generous financial support of the synod and ELCA, and a deep commitment to ministry with lesbian and gay people (particularly couples), at-risk youth, and people with AIDS. St. Paul preSident Paul Basting noted that in the wake of Merkel's sermon, one person left the congregation and thirty have joined.
Tentative Rep
10th Anniversary
Tour Schedule
6/ 10 Chicago 6/11 Indianapolis 6/ 12 Nashville 6/ 13 Louisville
•
6/ l4 Charleston, WV 6/15 Pittsburgh 6/ 16 Cleveland 6/ 17 Toledo 6/ 19 Columbus 6/21 St. Louis 6/22 Kansas City 6/23 Cedar Rapids 6/ 24 Minneapolis 6/ 25 Madison 6/ 26 Chicago
30 Open Hands
'V IIDEO PROJE CT DIRECTOR Congregation Program is seeking an mrnaKer to develop new educational videos. reative stage through final L'nnu,lPrI ne of lesbian/gay/bisexual concerns
vItae/qualifications to: RCP
3801 :\. Keeler Ave. ChIcago, IL 60641 Fax 312 736-5475
TELL US! hen Dld You First Find Open Hands?
How Has Open Hands Changed Your Life?
How Does Open Hands Nurture Your Faith Journey?
\Vrite or fax us a few sentences!
\;e'll share them during our 10th Anniversary Year!
3.J'1ni\-ersary of
Editor, Open Hands 3801 N. Keeler Chicago, IL 60641.
•..
embers and friends of welcoming es will be among the multitude s from around the world gath. ew York City during the week -26. ThIS week marks the 25 th
:~he Stonewall Rebellion,
contact Jan Griesinger
at 6l4/ 593-7301. June 23, 7:30 P.M.: Eucharist at Church of St. Luke's in the Fields in
IT" Who Subscribes to Open Hands? r;J
Gender Women ................ ...................... 52% Men .......................... ................. 48%
Orientation Lesbian/Gay ...... ................. ...... 47% Bisexual .................................. ..... 8% Heterosexual ............................. 45%
Race White ......... ...... ................. ......... 95% People of Color .......................... 5%
ffi
Age
Q:)
Under 30 ..................................... 4%
~
30-60 .......................................... 75% ?'\
~
lo..
Over 60 ........................... ........... 21 % ;:s
Church Status V)
-E
Laypersons ............................... 50% .\::
.J::>
u
Clergy/ church professionals ...... 50%
.:c: Denomination ;:s
V)
~
United Methodist .................... 57%
=
United Church of Christ .... ..... 9% :i! Presbyterian ......................... ....... 7%
~
Lutheran .. ................ .... .. ... ... ........ 5%
E Episcopalian ............................... 5% ~
]
MCC ........................ .................... 4%
's.
Roman Catholic .............. ........... 2%
Others .... ......... ........................... 11%
[h ~
eginnin
g of the mod"ement in the U. S. ally Eucharist e Cathedral of e ::,ponsored by the emonal.
Greenwich Village, with openly gay bishop, the Rt. Rev. Otis Charles, as celebrant. Sponsored by Integrity.
June 24 12:00 Noon: "Hands Around the God-Box: An Interfaith Prayer Vigil to End Homophobia in the Church" at the Inter-Church Center, 475 Riverside Drive. Sponsored by the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC) in coalition with other Christian groups.
June 25, 7:45 P.M.: "Celebrating Stonewall
25: A Generation of Faith." Worship
celebration featuring the Rev. Troy
D. Perry as the main speaker. Sponsored by UFMCC; seating on first-come, firstserved basis.
June 27-30: National Retreat of American Baptists Concerned at Madison Avenue Baptist Church. For information, contact Rick Mixon at 510/465-8652.
Camp and Sing
An ecumenical "choir camp" for gay, lesbian, and bisexual Christians is being sponsored by the United Church Coalition for Lesbian &: Gay Concerns from June 19-21 at the campus of Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey.
This first Annual Ecumenical Institute of Sacred Choral Music for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Christians (if you can say that in one breath, you have great singing potential!) will culminate in a major concert with 200 singers. The concert will perform in New York City on the evening of June 23rd during Stonewall 25 festivities.
Cost of the camp is $125 per participant, including room and board. For more information, contact Rev. Christine Leslie at 908/ 598-0862.
g 199 31
Lesbians Needed for Research Projects
Here are two opportunities for lesbians to participate in research projects, one on aging issues and the other on spiritual journeys.
Over-60 lesbians are being sought to complete a questionnaire on demographic, legal, and financial matters related to preparation for incapacity or death. Confidentiality is assured. Send name, address and phone number to: Rev. Elinor G. Galusha, Aging Studies Program, University of Iowa, 430 Fairway Terrace, SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403; 319/ 363-8430.
Lesbian Christians -and those who have left the church -are needed to complete a survey about their spiritual journey For a survey form or for more information, contact: Social Psych Project, PO Box 1222, Plaistow, NH 03865-1222. Responses will remain confidential. A nominal monetary compensation will be provided.
Job Announcement Rep Outreach Staff
The Reconciling Congregation Program will hire a full-time outreach staff person to begin in late summer 1994. This position will have primary responsibility for expanding the national RC movement through various outreach programs.
Application deadline
June 15, 1994.
For complete job announcement,
contact RCP office at
3121736-5526 or fax: 3121736-5475.
QTY. BACK ISSUES AVAILABLE
Unique Resource on
(!jeen
_ __ Be Ye Reconciled (Summer 1985)
Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual
_ _ A Matter of Justice (Winter 1986)
(!-(ands Concerns in the Church for
_ _ Our Families (Spring 1986) Christian Education • Personal Reading _ _ Our Churches' Policies (Summer 1986)
Published by the Reconciling
__ Images of Healing (Fall 1986)
Congregation Program In conjunction Research Projects • Worship Resources
__ Minorities within a Minority (Spring 1987)
with More Light, Open and Affirming,
Ministry & Outreach
and Reconciled in Christ Programs. __ Sexual Violence (Fall 1987)
_ _ Building Reconciling Ministries (Spring 1988)
__ Living and Loving with AIDS (Summer 1988)
o Please send me the back issues indicated ($5 each; 10+ @ $3).
__ Raising Reconciling Children (Fall 1988)
o Send me Open Hands each quarter ($16/year; outside U.S.A. @ $20). __ Sexual Ethics (Winter 1989)
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Charge $ to my VISA MASTERCARD (Circle one) __ Journeys Toward Recovery and Wholeness (Spring 1990)
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_ _ The Lesbian Spirit (Summer 1991)
__ Bisexuality: Perceptions & Realities (Fall 1991 )
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_ _ Creating Alliances: Working for Change (Winter 1992) Address _______________----=-______ __ Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals in Ministry (Spring 1992) __ Our Spirituality: How Sexual Expression and Oppression
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Shape It (Summer 1992) Daytime Phone ___________ __ Aging and Integrity (Fall 1992) _ _ Welcoming Churches: Ecumenical Movement (Winter 1993)
Local Church _____________~~_ ___
__ Rethinking Family Values (Spring 1993) Denomination ___________________ __ Biblical Interpretation (Summer 1993) __ Responding to the Right: Strategies for Change (Fall 1993) Send to: Open Hands, 3801 N. Keeler Avenue, Chicago, IL 60641 _ _ Celebratingthe Inclusive God: Worship (Winter 1994) Phone: 312/736-5526 Fax: 312/736-5475 _ _ Reaching Out Boldly! Evangelism (Spring 1994)
32 Open Hands