77 20 2618 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d5267382a4a185039f572cff22261484.pdf e70fc11536c9e34da198769b317cd7ad Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Page 1: "The Church and the Homosexual. A Report on a Consultation Prepared by Donald Kuhn." Page 2: "CONTENTS How It Started a brief history .............................................................................................................................................. page l Before the Consultation a tour of gay bars and a picnic ............................................................................................................... page 1 The Opening Session structuring for conversation ...................................................................................................................... page 3 Monday Morning Kim Myers on "how churchmen view homosexuals" ......................................................................... page 3 The Male Community Don Lucas on "how homosexuals view churchmen" .......................................................................... page 4 The Women Came Last Billie Talmij presents demolition fuses ................................................................................................... page 11 After Formal Presentations small group discussions ............................................................................................................................ page 18 The Right to Hide Guy Strait's view of homosexuals and the law ..................................................................................... page 18 Biblical and Theological Bases Kim Myers on relationship between churchmen and homosexuals ................................................ page 21 The Last Day Ted Mcllvenna prepares for final discussion ...................................................................................... page 29 Small Groups Report brief summaries from three groups .................................... . ................................................................. page 30 The Council on Religion and the Homosexual a new San Francisco organization - its purposes, and its progress .................................................. page 31 The Participants .................................................................................................................................................... page 34 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................................... page 35" Page 3: "HOW IT STARTED "Forget who you represent. We represent the human race. Let's start there." This is how Ted McIlvenna began his presentation to thirty informally dressed men and women sitting around a fire at a retreat center outside of San Francisco. The persons to whom he spoke represented churches and homosexual organizations. It was 10:00 p. m. on Sunday, May 31, 1964, but the consultation started much earlier. To list the exact steps would be difficult. Yet one fact was clear. The man standing before the group, Ted McIlvenna, started it all. Earlier, as director of The Young Adult Project in San Francisco, Ted met persons for whom homosexuality created problems. Next he hunted for groups which were providing services for these persons. He found four organizations: Daughters of Bilitis, Mattachine Society, Inc., League for Civil Education, and The Tavern Guild. During his exploration Ted learned that many homosexuals sensed a sharp division between themselves and the Church. Ted told Charles Mowry of Methodism's Older Youth/Young Adult Project what he had learned. Charles, in turn, conferred with Roger Burgess and Dale White of the Division of Alcohol Problems and General Welfare of The Methodist Board of Christian Social Concerns. These two agencies decided to join the Glide Urban Center in sponsoring a consultation which would include representatives from homophile organizations and churches. Glide Urban Center's Lewis Durham and Ted McIlvenna were asked to prepare for a San Francisco consultation and extend invitations. Lewis and Ted worked closely with Daughters of Bililis, Mattachine Society, League for Civil Education and Tavern Guild in developing plans for the meeting. BEFORE THE CONSULTATION Before beginning the regular sessions of the consultation, many of the delegates had developed a common vocabulary on the basis of their first-hand experiences which included a tour of gay bars on the previous night. Starting from the Precarious Vision, a church sponsored coffee house on Bush Street in San Francisco, leaders of the Mattachine Society took small groups of delegates to bars which cater to male homosexuals. Only in their loud music were the bars similar. Otherwise they were quite different and appealed to varied male clienteles." Page 4: "In one small bar, attractive, informally dressed young men visited in a manner similar to a typical evening in a fraternity house club room. By contrast, a second bar was frequented by the black leather jacket crowd who stood silently along the bar and around the walls. Motorcycle tracks crossed the spot on the ceiling where white sneakers were the only remains of a splattered man. All eyes and solemn faces greeted each newcomer. Still another bar was well lighted. Its appearance and clientele seemed somehow to have "class." This place served only wine and beer. Its walls were covered with relics reminiscent of San Franciso's pioneer period. Patrons joked with the owner who wore shirts with humorous local jokes embroidered on them. A quite different wine and beer bar (very dark and with very few patrons) featured a "drag show" on a low, small, well lighted stage facing the bar's entrance. The show featured three men tastefully dressed in women's clothing. To scratchy records of female recording artists they mouthed lyrics and danced. Here all eyes focused on the stage rather than on each new patron. At one large place crowds rushed three bars. In the milling mass which included muscle men in tee shirts and professionals in expensive business suits, a native San Franciscan recognized a few entertainers, a respected psychiatrist, and a successful writer. One girl-young and movie-star beautiful-held the devoted attention of at least six handsome young men. But some observers referred to her as a "fruit fly." When San Francisco's bars closed at 2:00 a.m. the remaining unmatched men moved to coffee houses where they joined teenage boys restricted from bars by ever-cautious owners intent on keeping their beverage licenses. As the early morning hours passed, the coffee house crowd swelled. Finally, the foot-sore churchmen unaccustomed to the bar circuit retreated to their silent hotel rooms. Early Sunday morning the seemingly unsleeping homophile population departed for a picnic. Sponsored as a money-making project by the League for Civil Education, the picnic's fare included unlimited food, beer, and soft drinks. After lunch the consultation participants still bleary-eyed from their late-night tour gathered to depart for the picnic already in progress. Many, many miles and a few hours later the delegates passed through a bumpy pasture to the secret oceanside location. There about a hundred men and women talked quietly in clusters on the ground. A few" Page 5: [to finish] Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Official Report of the Consultation Written by Rev. Donald Kuhn Description An account of the resource Published by the Council on Religion and the Homosexual. Phyllis Lyon & Del Martin Papers. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Repository: <a href="http://www.glbthistory.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GLBT Historical Society</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Queer Religion Boston Description An account of the resource Items for the Boston Queer Religious History exhibit Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Old Cambridge Baptist Church Description An account of the resource Location of Old Cambridge Baptist Church https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/aa2985aea7cf14e60c8301f5a602ebb6.jpg 2ab6bc65b7e0be4a9971551a743c0fdc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Queer Religion Boston Description An account of the resource Items for the Boston Queer Religious History exhibit Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Old Cambridge Baptist Church Description An account of the resource Steeple and one of the facades of Old Cambridge Baptist Church, with stained glass visible, seen through trees on a sunny, partly cloudy day. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "Old Cambridge Baptist Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts" by Ken Lund is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Queer Religion Boston Description An account of the resource Items for the Boston Queer Religious History exhibit Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Old South Church Description An account of the resource Location of Old South Church in Boston https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/1d150c6aa18c3d033e7cb92a02b56784.jpg 5f87108575cf1291e153962b1e6a0360 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Queer Religion Boston Description An account of the resource Items for the Boston Queer Religious History exhibit Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Old South Church Description An account of the resource The front and side facades of Boston's Old South Church, with its steeple visible and traffic in the foreground, on a sunny, partly cloudy day. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "Old South Church, Boston" by Kestreltail is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/?ref=openverse. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Queer Religion Boston Description An account of the resource Items for the Boston Queer Religious History exhibit Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Old West Church Description An account of the resource Location of the Old West Church in Boston https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/76c3220381f2a6b88dcc037bcfca9529.jpg 9064c40977757288c64a1f9021a4efec Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Queer Religion Boston Description An account of the resource Items for the Boston Queer Religious History exhibit Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "Old West Church Boston DSC 0040 AD" by Adavyd is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/?ref=openverse. Title A name given to the resource Old West Church Description An account of the resource The front facade of Old West Church in Boston on a sunny, clear day. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/05aeaef8a29f09487f7d48ca8d62e2a7.jpg 5df08289d3ba6680b5f706e5fdbb700c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Publication Date The date the issue was published December Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource On Being Description An account of the resource An Early ad for Second Stone as published in the December issue of On Being. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Subject Files, 1970-2000. On Being: Sleeved, 1987-1994. 1987-1994. MS Twice Blessed Collection: Subject Files, 1970-2000 Box 7, Folder 14. ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives. Archives of Sexuality and Gender, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/AXGWDJ512981006/AHSI?u=kans96975&sid= AHSI&xid=6f5deb23. Accessed 29 June 2020. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/3e65936cd6618379e57dd64aba2488a3.jpg 99bcdc0c208b7438cb8547352e532977 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Text Any textual data included in the document Alexandre-Denis Abel de Pujol (1787-1861) Saint Philippe baptisant l'eunuque de la reine d'Ethiopie sur le chemin de Jérusalem à Gaza Saint Philip baptising the Eunuch of the Queen of Ethiopia on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza 1848 Oil on canvas 2.4 x 3.06 metres Musée des Beaux-Arts, Valenciennes Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource On the road from Gaza to Jerusalem, Peter, a disciple of Jesus, was discussing Christian scripture with the Queen of Ethiopia and her advisor, a eunuch, who requested to be baptised. Subject The topic of the resource A painting by Rembrandt, based on a biblical passage, Acts VIII:26–40, Philip, a disciple of Jesus, was on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza when he met a man from Ethiopia. The Ethiopian is described as ‘an eunuch of great authority under the reign of Queen Candace of Ethiopia whose chariot he shares while discussing Isaiah, an old testament book. Philip relates his interpretation and baptizes the eunuch in the name of Jesus, who he introduces as the one the prophets foretold. The newly converted eunuch "went on his way rejoicing." Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://lectionaryart.org/2017/05/26/philip-and-the-ethiopian-eunuch/ Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource l https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d4d7a86dc8ff6e21712ef506baf0775b.jpeg c9e707ac42bc07f7c475912f78489a73 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Once a suicide, Beam was known as a beacon of light in the LGBTQ Church movement because he learned and practiced two spiritual values: 'know thyself' and 'to thine own self be true.' Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Archbishop Carl Bean, ‘beacon of light’ in LGBTQ church movement and AIDS activism, dies. LATimes, BY MARISSA EVANS, GREGORY YEE SEPT. 9, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-09/archbishop-carl-bean-founder-of-lgbtq-church-movement-and-aids-dies-after-lengthy-illness https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/b5250a55cf892996ad7200a7d7b8af3c.jpg b75f9bcc264aa7e2cfb36fa54db2ac17 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Text Any textual data included in the document SPRING 1993 Classes Parshat Hashavuah Service Leading Workshop (required for leaders) Gemorah shiur Understanding the Friday Night Service Torah Cantillation Basic Hebrew Hebrew Reading and Conversations Gay Literature Discussion Group Yiddish Conversation Naomi and Ruth Mah Jongg Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource One of Rabbi Kleinbaum's teaching texts Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived CBST Archives https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/ca1c694762f57e69b7fcb133b6792705.jpg e8c48c5128f43b69223723c9d2710a49 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Text Any textual data included in the document Jewish Resource Guide for AIDS Memorials C B S T New York's Gay & Lesbian Synagogue Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource One of several resources created during the AIDS crisis Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived CBST Archives https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a3a32cb0ac4c1b1e4d10ef33ed051700.pdf 7b0397cd51b700ce4ad18355d981ddc8 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Text Any textual data included in the document CONGREGATION BETH SIMCHAT TORAH DISEASES THAT PLAGUE GAYS Over 30 gay-related diseases-some of them deadly-plague the gay community. As part of the Gay Jewish Omnibus program, the Gay Synagogue will present three prominent physicians who will speak about these diseases, their causes, effects and some preventative measures we must all be aware of for our own protection. A question and answer period will follow the presentation. The Speakers: Linda Laubenstein, MD Peter Seitzman, MD Daniel William, MD The Place: Congregation Beth Simchat Torah 57 Bethune Street-between Washington & West Streets-up stone ramp in Westbeth courtyard. The Date: Wednesday, February 24, 1982 7:30 p.m. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource One of the earliest forums, February 1982 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived CBST Archives https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/b307b77cf21952e48ca3549cb02815c8.jpg 2574c321512eaf862d80449659e5edcc https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/0b9d9fcedf22e8b70d95652d553bbf20.jpg 2106fbe4d08a16728a543a604cfba22b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. One Voice Mixed Chorus (Solidarity Tallit, Hand Prints) Stole Text ONE VOICE MIXED CHORUS Twin Cities, MN This tallit represents all GLBT clergy and lay people serving in synagogues who are not recognized for their service and contribution to the Jewish faith. Originally used as a Bar Mitzvah Tallit in 1926, this tallit brings our history as Jewish People into the present and moves us into the future. The rainbow colored hands represent that we should hold out our hands in welcome to all people. Denomination Reform Judaism Contribution Date 2007 Contribution Story This tallit (prayer shawl) was given in conjunction with One Voice Mixed Chorus' "Reclaiming Faith" concerts in the Twin Cities in January, 2007. David Lohman Faith Work Coordinator National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's Institute for Welcoming Resources Home of the Shower of Stoles Project 2007 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1082 Title A name given to the resource One Voice Mixed Chorus (Solidarity Tallit, Hand Prints) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Twin Cities, Minnesota (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource One Voice Mixed Chorus Jewish Judaism - Reform Minneapolis Minnesota St. Paul https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/8568134f02222e7195b3b3e607a60938.m4a 8b333335fb8e11f2402de414cefacf08 YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="600" height="337" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dg58yES9vNA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Online Meeting with Loey, Stacy, & Jody 9.28.19 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/ec24410bdd277f3f1ec1de1fb77f2d41.png 29e563377d3c4f1f9db1351d2ad61bd3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Open and Affirming in the UCC https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/1e370a12b97e77393841ea1c6a0dcfa0.jpg f8b203794588fd045840c41ca743842f Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Open Hands exhibit logo Description An account of the resource Logo for the Open Hands exhibit https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/cedca163f592bb276f2cb5693670c0bb.pdf 428712a5d00f39c18db012a263de7f9c Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Volume Number The volume number of the issue 10 Issue Number The number of the issue (within a volume) 1 Publication Year The year the issue was published 1994 Publication Date The date the issue was published Summer Text Any textual data included in the document 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 lO or more, $3 each. Subscriptions, letters to the editor, manuscripts, requests for advertising rates, and other correspondence should be sent to: Open Hands 3801 N. Keeler Avenue Chicago, IL 60641 Phone: 312/736-5526 Fax: 312/736-5475 Member, The Associated Church Press © 1994 Reconciling Congregation Program, Inc. Open Hands is a registered trademark. ISSN 0888-8833 @ Printed on recycled pape1: Resources jor Ministries Afjirming the Diversity oj Human Sexuality RECLAIMING PRIDE Focus on Pride 4 ANN B. DAY 5 Metanoia! Redeeming a Lost Metaphor C. M ARTIN DAVIS How to free 'repentance' from its Babylonian captivity! Gift-ed By Pride! APRIL HERRON-SWEET A personal witness from a straight pastor. RESTORING DAMAGED PRIDE Sin Against the Holy Spirit A POEM BY HARVEY M A NCHESTER, JR. FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION Remember our History! ANITA C. HILL Everyone needs a past stop suppressing ours! Pride is a Face-Lifting Process AN ONYMOUS 2 Open Hands 8 9 10 13 14 15 ----- Program Coordinators Reclaiming Pride: An Agenda for the Church? A Prideline of Marches 16 A visual glance at pre-and post-Stonewall demonstrations. Sto newall -25:the"-Ch~urch Was"'fhere! 18 Thank God for the Spirit of Stonewall! 20 HOWARD B . WARREN, JR Reflections from one who stood across the street. Hollywood Promotes Self-Esteem 21 LINDSAY LOUISE BIDDLE Can the church learn from Hollywood's technique? SUSTAINING THE SPIRIT ComingOut -A~Witness to the?'Resurrecti9r11"""~" 22 A RITUAL Cij'EATED,BY CHRIS GtA'SER *' ~tfi(ln yourff1embers who ar~, coming qf$""~' ritual ~'~~ted fot puqtl~hlfJrship! !;::.0ttz' In Pride We Claim You 24 A LITANY CREATED BY K ELLY T URNEY west coast east 25 A POEM BY CARLTON ELLIOTT SMITH 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 Brian Knittel o Reconciled in Christ Program 2800 Buena Vista Way Berkeley, CA 94708 5lO/ 841-6990 William Capel :·'·~:~' T More Light Churches Network 908 W. Healy Street . .~:. Champaign, IL 61821 217/ 355-9825 Publisher Mark Bowman Open Hands Editor Mary Jo Osterman 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 AngeIes, 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 Stuart Wright, Chicago, IL ONE MORE WORD 26 WHAT DO YOU THINK? 27 RESOURCES 28 MOVEMENT NEWS 29 ~"'."'."'''' ......... OPEN mt~~!~ ~...; ........, ~..........",~ Summer 1994 3 I hear the word "pride" and immediately think "goeth before a fall." I can't help it. It's one of those KJV Bible verses from childhood that is indelibly impressed on my memory though not quite accurately. The full verse warns, "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov 16:18). This passage has left me with a wariness about pride -a sense that it is somehow inappropriate, even dangerous. I have come to realize, however, that the word "pride" covers many intentions of the heart. There's the kind in Proverbs which causes people to be "haughty" -or as my grandmother would have said, "to get too big for their britches." Such an inflated view endangers both fellowship and faith. No wonder biblical texts warn believers to be wary. However, the heart knows another kind of pride, a kind marked by a sense of one's own proper dignity or value or self respect. Unlike self-centered pride, this pride of the centered-self reminds us that the Rev. Jesse Jackson is right; every human being has reason to shout: "I am somebody!" In light of our faith, we might then turn to our neighbor and say "And so are you!" We are called to honor God by nurturing and bringing to maturity the unique, genuine selves that we are . Renowned composer and cellist, Pablo Casals also understood. He urged that we instill pride in our children by saying to them: Do you know who you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all oj the world there is no other child exactly like you . .. And look at your body -what a wonder it is! your legs, your arms, your cunningJingers, the way you move! You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity Jor anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel?1 Young lesbigay persons, as well as their heterosexual peers, need to grow up knowing themselves marvels of God's creation. To the extent that we believe that "we are all one in Christ" we all need to have gay/lesbian/ bisexual pride: Pride that makes us want to know the history of pink triangles, the Stonewall Inn, and "don't ask don't tell"; Pride that moves us to appreciate the literary, artistic, dramatic, liturgical, and political contributions of lesbigay people throughout history; Pride that assures we know the witness of BillJohnson, Troy Perry, Janie Spahr, John McNeill and countless other lesbigay Christian leaders; Pride that will not allow us to abide indifference and injustice toward the lesbigay expression of the Holy. We are called to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. To do so with integrity we need some appreciation of the reasons for the smiles or tears we share. For gay, lesbian, and bisexual people some of the reasons are rooted in the past -centuries of struggle and accomplishmenthat are the foundation for today's Ie bigay community. Some of the reasons are very contemporary -the persona' stories of our gay, lesbian, and bisexua. sisters and brothers. As we in the churc:-: come to know these past and prese " stories we shall better understand the need for and the sources of lesbiga,' pride. We will realize how widesprea . condemnation remains and how urgenis the Church's welcome. Together then. to the glory of God, we will learn to care for and be proud of the marvels that we are. 'Y Note lIn Original Blessing by Matthew Fox. Santa Fe: Bear &: Company, 1983. p. 94. 4 Open Hands .~~O\\ING".t ~ \1\alollle ~~ ByJonathan R. Abernethy and David E. Deppe Is It Possible to Reclaim Pride? Do We Want To? Listen in on a dialogue in progress. there are to dignity, (self-)esteem, (self-) respect.2 Jonathan: There is a passing reference in Proverbs to the dignity of women (Prov 31:25). David: Yes, and at the conclusion ofJob the writer is told to clothe himself with majesty and dignity. However,Job seems to do this, not out of self-respect or selfesteem, but for the purpose of bringing low those who are proud Gob 40: 10l4). David (to spouse, Jonathan): "Reclaiming Pride" is a problem! The more research I do, the more I discover how little is said about pride and how almost nothing is positive. It's like breaking new ground. Jonathan: Maybe you are. David: The whole thing of pride -especially "Lesbigay Pride" -is so important for our community, especially in the midst of our celebrations of the Stonewall anniversary. However, what I'm finding is all so negative. We've got a problem. The Down Side of Pride Jonathan: Is reclaiming pride the problem? That's easy. In our daily living many of us are eager to embrace egotism, haughtiness, arrogance, conceit, and vanity. David: That's right! Our common view of pride is everything you have said. And that's part of the problem. Jonathan: Well,you won't get any help from the Bible. I can't think of a Single positive reference to pride. What I remember is the proverbial pride goeth before afall . .. David: ... or God's opposing the proud, but giving grace to the humble. To make matters worse, when the Bible speaks of pride it often connects pride to those negative synonyms. For example Proverbs says: The proud, haughty person . " acts with arrogant pride Summer 1994 (Prov 21:24).1 In the gospel of Mark pride is included in a long list of socalled evil intentions beginning with for nication and theft (Mk 7:21-22). Paul includes haughty in his infamous Romans 1 list (Rom 1:29-31). The Up Side of Pride Jonathan: Like I said, the Bible's not going to help us. David: Well, maybe. However, there's a side of pride we've lost. Pride is a word with two opposite meanings. There is the common view of pride -all that appeals to our lower nature -and there's also another side, a more noble meaning that demands our attention pride as dignity, self-worth, self-respect, self-esteem. Jonathan: But few people pay attention to this positive side of pride. David: What's faSCinating is that in both Hebrew and Greek, as well as in English, pride has this positive and negative meaning. The Hebrew word ga'own can also mean excellency or majesty; and hyperephanon in classical . Greek can mean outstanding or distinguished . Jonathan: Does the Bible ever use pride in this more noble sense? David: Yes, but not often. Isaiah (4:2) makes a positive reference, and there are two passages by Paul (2 Cor 7:4 and Gal 6:4 ). That's about it. What surprises me is how few direct biblical references Jonathan: And the Bible talks about honoring parents, respecting elders, honoring the poor. David: And in Acts, the Apostles were held in high esteem by the early church (Acts 5:13). But that's all! In fact, there are stern admonitions warning against such things as self-respect or self-esteem (see Prov 26:16, 28: 11). Should the Church Reclaim Pride? Jonathan: So what does this have to say about reclaiming pride? David: Well, it says a lot. First of all, it is obvious the biblical writers don't think highly of pride. They only know the negative side of pride, the haughtiness and arrogance. Their message is clear: Have nothing to do with that. Jonathan: Frankly, I agree. These are not attributes that need encouraging. As I said, that kind of pride comes easy enough. Most of us indulge in that kind of behavior as a reaction to the invisibility society demands of us. The closet is not our choice! The closet is demeaning. And so we wear arrogance and haughtiness as our defense . David: What the biblical writers hold up as an alternative -humility, lowliness in spirit, meekness, gentleness also need no encouraging in our community. Such attributes can be fine character traits. However, for lesbigay people they easily become character more II•• 5 defects. For too long we "gentle people" have wallowed in humility, shame, guilt, and self-pity. Jonathan: Isn't that true of any group of oppressed people? I wonder if that's what the biblical writers are really trying to address? Maybe they were trying to discourage the hurtful side of pride. David: Perhaps. But the alternative is no better. What oppressed people need to hear is something about dignity, selfworth, self-respect . .. Jonathan: . .. and self-love. The Bible does speak positively about self-love ... David: What do you mean? Jonathan: Well, when the Pharisees ask Jesus about the greatest commandment, Jesus responds: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind . .. and you shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:34-40). For me the message is clear: One cannot love another unless one loves oneself. And one cannot love oneself if one is engaged in the hurtful, negative aspects of pride such as arrogance, conceit, vanity, or haughty superiority. David: Interesting! Nor can we love another if we are engaged in being meek and submissive. Jonathan: Paul makes the same point in reference to love between spouses. A spouse is to love the other even as s/he loves her/himself (Eph 5:33). David: Loving your neighbor as yourselfor your spouse as you love yourself is an important inSight. You are equating pride with loving oneself, and loving oneself is necessary to love another. The church, on the other hand, equates pride with arrogance and conceit. Jonathan: Ah! .. . Now I understand why my folks cringe so much when I tell them how proud I am of them. They are good church people and they equate my pride in them with conceit, arrogance, and vanity when I am thinking in terms of respect, honor, worthiness, and esteem. I also understand my emptiness when they are unable to express their pride in me. Can we change that kind of thinking? Can we really reclaim pride and maintain theological integrity? David: I think so, although not everyone will agree. It will mean looking at things differently. When it comes to doing theology, I'm reminded of what our pastor said in her sermon on Sunday: "Thepurpose of David: Don'tbe so cynical. What the church might grasp and affirm is a new and profoundly biblical understanding of dignity, self-worth, self-respect, selfesteem -the more noble synonyms of pride. The church might modify its understanding of pride based on an understanding of a Word of God that is well known: Love your neighbor as yourself! Or in your words: One cannot love another unless one loves oneself. theology is to point out the pathway to God, rather than to be a barrier to others."3 When we look at pride from only one point of view, albeit biblical, we end up majoring in barriers and minoring in pathways. What you are suggesting, Jonathan, is a new way of thinking about "pride." And in so doing you are pointing out a pathway to God for a people who usually find those pathways filled with barriers. THE DIALOGUE: David and Jonathan explore meanings of pride. Jonathan: Well, I can tell -------------------you, it won't be easy. David: You're right! Reclaiming pride may be an impossible agenda for the church. What may be possible is to invite the people of God to explore a redefinition of pride. Perhaps people can interpret the symbol and gain new inSight. Jonathan: That's easier? David: I don't know, but you have pointed us in the right direction. First of all we have noted that in English as well as in the biblical languages pride has two very different meanings. The Bible chooses to use only one of the meanings directly. Theologically, the church has done the same. It seems not to fathom the higher, more noble meaning. That is especially true when it comes to "Gay Pride." Jonathan: Or gay anything. Jonathan: That's important not only for the church to grasp, but also for bisexual, lesbian, and gay people to grasp. What I find in our community is a 10 of shame, humiliation, guilt, self-contempt, feelings of inadequacy, a lack Of dignity . . . Pointing the Way David: That reminds me of Psalm What are human beings that you are min ful ofthem? Mortals that you carefor then Yet you have made them a little lower tha God and crowned them with glory an honor(Ps 8:4-5). No qualifiers here! The psalmist is speaking of all mortals, a. human beings! That includes us! Th15 is a profound Word of God that calls a . humankind to a new sense of dignity self-worth, self-respect, self-esteem. V";e are made in God's very own image,jus' a smidgen lower. Open Hands 6 Jonathan: Yea! God has made you and me exactly as God intended us to be. David: Yes, God made me a gay man. This Psalm calls me to delight in that knowledge, to rejoice in God's creation of me, to celebrate God. This kind of thinking can provide us with a sense of dignity, self-respect, and wholeness that celebrates God and that is so essential for our well-being, both physical and mental. Jonathan: This kind of thinking, however, is really difficult for many lesbigay people to hear. I know how difficult it was for me to accept my sexuality -and to accept that God created my sexuality. All my life I knew I was different. As I grew older I began to realize what that difference was. I heard the terms queer and faggot, and I knew they meant me. The message I heard the church telling me was those feelings were unnatural and to act on those feelings was sinful. However, I knew I could not change. I rayed God would remove those oughts and feelings from me, but the ore I prayed the stronger they became. Da\-id: God was probably telling you -~mething: My grace is sufficient for you. jonathan: Yes, but at the time I wasn't eHing that message. I felt ashamed. ore than that, I felt dirty, unclean, sino ...... and very lonely, separated from the people 1 loved (l couldn't tell them) and !"rom God (who knew my secret houghts). David: My experience was similar, and I suspect that is true of most gay, bisexual, and lesbian people who come from Christian homes and grow up in the Christian faith. One of two things happens: either we find ourselves deeper and deeper in the closet or we leave the church altogether. Jonathan: Or we take our own lives. David: That's why it's so important for the church to set a new agenda when it comes to pride, particularly "Lesbigay Pride." The church's agenda has to be that of finding a creative way of speak- Summer 1994 ing the Gospel to lesbigay people. We in the church must encourage people to discover who they are in God, to accept themselves as God has made them to be. We must encourage all of us to delight in God's wonderful diversity in creation, to rejoice in our sexuality, to express our sexuality responsibly, and to celebrate the gift that God gives to each one of us. Jonathan: Gift! David: Yes, gift! I believe our sexuality is a precious God-given gift. Whether homosexual or heterosexual or bisexual, our sexuality is a sacred trust from God to be used wisely and responSibly. Sexual bonding is the deepest and most intimate relationship that one can share with another. It is not dirty, unclean, or sinful. It is good, precious, and holy. It is not something to be talked about in secret or joked about in public, but revered and respected as the gift God has given it to be. Jonathan: Ifonly the Church could talk that way! What a difference that could make in the lives of a lot of people regardless of their sexual orientation. There's a wholeness in that language, a healing that we all need to hear ... David: We are all in desperate need of healing, including the church itself. As I said before, I'm not sure if the church is willing to reclaim or reinterpret pride -or even if it can. However, if the church is to survive the post-Christian era, I believe it has to change its approach. It must speak its message in a way the Gospel can be heard. Very few people are listening to the church anymore. For most, the church has lost its integrity. It has no authority. Many believe the church's message is irrelevant. Those more critical say the church is morally bankrupt . . . Jonathan: .. . and have left the institution to find their spirituality elsewhere. David: Yes, and so I want to raise a challenge to all of us still in the church: When it comes to "pride," dare to riskfor the Gospel. Reclaim the word pride, and ifnot the word itself, then at least reclaim its more noble synonyms: dignity, self-worth, self-respect, self-esteem. Reclaim them as avenues toward lOVing yourselves. Help your people, all your people, but especially your gay, lesbian, and bisexual people, to see ourselves as the special creation of God's own making. Bring healing to your people, and especially to us. Tear down the barriers erected by onesided interpretations of pride. Point us on the pathway to God . ... Notes lEd. Note: All biblical references are to the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 2Ed . Note: However, see John Fortunato's article, p. 10 for discussion on indirect positive aspects of pride in the Bible. 3The Rev. Elaine Siemsen, Pastor of Berwyn United lutheran Church (ElCA) Berwyn, Illinois, The Holy Trinity, First Sunday after Pentecost, 1994. 7 By C. Martin Davis Saul on the road to Damascus had a blinding encounter with God that altered his life forever (Acts 9). What happened to him on that road was an experience of metanoia (f.!£'tUV01U). M etanoia is a Greek term t~at means repentance: seemg things in a new wa)~ returning, changing in thought or feeling. Because of the dramatic intervention of God in his life, Saul-who-became-Paul was compelled to see Jesus, the world, and himself in a new and different way. He repented. Repentance has been used very effectively to terrorize lesbian, bisexuaL and gay Christians. The church's call to them to repent has traditionally meant a denial of self, a demand for self-loathing, and a "return" to heterosexuality. This misuse of repentance m~st be reJected because it is an expfohatton of the concept of metanoia; it~ has lea denial of the God-initiated a~pect of repentance. Metanoia is our response, but it begins with God reaching out to us. It begins with a cail from a loving and reconciling God. We must reclaim concepts that have been held hostage by one segment of the Christian community. We are obligated to reclaim our Christian vocabulary, particularly when those words convey ideas about grace and love. We need to begin th~«'''> w"ork of freeing our faith ltil anguag~ "')f}!~abylOJ)ian captivity. ., w "",,iF(,;, Repentance is not the enemy! Repentance is not the enemy of gay men, lesbians, and bisexual persons. It is the sign of a loving encounter with a God who seeks reconciliation with every person. For lesbigay persons the metaphor of repentance as metanoia can be pivotal to developing a new vision of self, a new sense of pride. The idea of metanoia recognizes that all 8 humans live in need of constant returning to a more complete and life-giving relationship with God. In its fullest sense repentance is the active, ongoing, God-initiated work of seeing ourselves not as victims or abominations, but as beloved people created in God's image. Metanoia is the process of living and seeing in a new and different way. It is the life-long process of moving from rejection to acceptance, of trading selfloathing for self-esteem, of turning from death to face life. Metanoia/ repentance affirms our gifts and contributions. It rejects the old notl@rlS that homosexuals are outside the iiealm~pf God's grace,a.nd love. It ' means turning away from alife w~ich may be filled wi~~ self-condemnation, shame, secrecy, or the fear of hying life. completely. It may mean turning away ' from expressions of lesbigay sexuality which are life-destructive and life-denying toward expressions oflesbigay sexuality that are life-giving. It means the embracing of self-love and acceptance. It involves a turning around toward the affirmation of our createdness. It leads to a true and positive kind of self-esteem and pride. Repentance, renewal, growth, and pride are inseparable. As our vision is made new, so is our life made new, and thence comes true selfesteem and healthy pride. Repentance for the Marginalized If each person is called by God to turn and see things in a new way, then metanoia/ repentance is particularly apt for all those who have been demonized and marginalized throughout human history. Metanoia is a gloriOUS and life-giving metaphor for seeing a new life marked by the love of God. Metanoia :: our response to God's offer of a COIYplete life: we turn away from demo .. ized images that the church and th world offer us of ourselves; we turn l ward loving images of ourselves as h man beings created in God's image One key element in the concept r metanoia as I am using it deserves a ; nal emphasis. As a metaphor for t e Christian life, metanoia -repentance is not a repudiation ofself. It accepts an affirms that I am the person that Go designed Gust as Saul was the perso God designed). Saul changed his hatefuL hurtful attitudes, his persecuti _ actions, n ot his basic nature Th strength of repentance for lesbians an gay men is that it presumes a God-gi\'e sexuality.! The call to repentance bui upon that gift rather than seeking to char. ( it. In the Revelation to John, God sa: _ "1 am standing at the door, knockm (Rev 3:20). Repentance -metanOla is our response to God's request fa admission to our lives. It is never to late to reclaim, or even redeem, a bib leal concept that has been misused. For lesbians, bisexuals, and gay men lh issue is simply one of willingness. All . takes is a turning around! New life an true pride in self will follow! ~ C. Martin Davis, M.Div., is Vicar of St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He alsoserves as Chaplain to the Diocesan Integlity Chapter~ Open Hands GIFT-ED BY PRIDE have frequently had occasion to be thankful for the gifts given to me by my gay and lesbian friends. Some of those gifts are the unique gifts of the individual, but some seem to arise because the person is gay or lesbian. Three of the latter that I can identify are acceptance, gender affirmation, and safety. Acceptance: Because they have had to come to a deep level of self-acceptance to be who they are in a heterosexual society, my gay and lesbian friends are able to be very accepting of me. I was having lunch with Ron and Ray, struggling to articulate some thoughts about the dynamicS of the church where 'e work and hold membership. I wasn't sure whether it was OK to voice what I really thought. "This is going to sound weird .. . " I said. "No," came the qUick reply. "Nothing sounds weird to us." I decided to go ahead and speak my mind. They didn't laugh and they didn't seem to think I was crazy. Ron and Ray probably don't remember that conversation, but I do. As a person who has often felt different for being "too smart" or "too assertive" or "too counterculture" -I find it notable when people accept me for who and what I am. I am grateful for the friends who can support and affirm me, my primary relationship, my parenting, and my work. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual folks have lots of experience with "not fitting in" to SOciety's mold. I imagine it is the process of coming out, of affirming the self in the face of familial, religious, and/or societal rejection, that has fostered the quality of acceptance toward others. I admire these men and women for somehow transforming their own pain and struggles into a gift for someone else. Summer 1994 By April Herron-Sweet Gender Affirmation: My gay/ lesbian friends help me celebrate "beingfemale" and "being male. " They remind me that couples aren't about "two halves making awhole" but about two completein-themselves individuals sharing their life journeys. While we attended the Pacific School of Religion, my husband and I lived in a seminary-owned apartment building. I remember describing to someone how I was frequently in and out of my next door neighbors' apartment and how we enjoyed each others' company. She also knew my neighbors, Dawn and Carla. "Oh!" she said, "Isn't all that womanspace wonderful!" I hadn't thought of it that way before, but she was right. In fact, we had a running joke that their apartment was so woman-oriented that the toilet seat would not stay propped up! Their apartment was a relaxing and affirming and fun place to spend time. In addition, Dawn and Carla were living examples that women could indeed fix cars, wear make-up, work, study, paint, write, cook, build shelves, make dolls, and train a cat to wear a leash! It is my impression that same-sex couples experience the same range of issues (money, time, communication, sex, in-laws, etc.)· that heterosexual couples do. It is also my observation that they can perform all the same functions and tasks of maintaining a household and a relationship. Finally, I observe that each couple, gay or non-gay, accomplishes this in their own unique way. Something about a woman committed to sharing her life with a woman speaks to me of the goodness of being female. Something about a man committed to sharing his life with a man speaks to me of the goodness of being male. "God created them male and female ... and it was very good." Safety: The safe space and nonthreatening physical affection offered to me by my lesbian and gayfriends have been instrumental in my healing and growth process. My friend Dwight and I always greet each other with a warm hug and a kiss. It is the same hug and kiss whether we are in the narthex after worship or in the privacy of one of our homes. This greeting is about good will and affection, not about sex. In a world where women's bodies are commonly used as a marketing tool, where pornography has confused sex with violence, and where even little children are not safe from adult sexual advances, it is restorative to be able to exchange signs of affection with friends and not worry that they will be interpreted as sexual advances. As I work toward becoming a whole and healthy human being, I have had much to learn about what it means to be "embodied." The gay and lesbian communities have been among my teachers. So, thank you friends, for learning to be comfortable with and to celebrate your identity. You have given me gifts of great value. T April Herron-Sweet is co-pastor, with her husband Andy, oj the PaciJic Beach United Methodist Church in San Diego, California. They have been subscribers to Open Hands since 1987. 9 ---- ------------ -------------------------------- -- --------------------------- ---- --------------- --------- ----- ----------------------- - -- --------- Christians have been taught for generations that pride is the "queen" of The Seven Deadly Sins. Sacred scripture describes pride as being arrogant or "puffed up." Pride leads to boasting, self-centeredness, vanity, haughtiness, snobbery, and smugness. All of these, we are warned, radically restrict our spiritual vista and thus separate us from God. The root of this theological conviction is the biblical admonition: To God be the glory. Homage for the goodness of creation -including the goodness of humankind -should ultimately be given, we are cautioned, to God and God alone. Pride as defined above is like the worship of idols. It diverts our rightful adoration of God to that which is not God (in this case, ourselves). Attempting to be like God, as the paradigmatic story of Adam and Eve was intended to teach, is humankind's undoing. Over the years this meaning of pride was extended in some Christian circles to include such behaviors and attitudes as rejoicing in a personal accomplishment, basking in a victory, or needing any affirmation or approval at all. Any excitement about one's achievements or one's self began to be defined as prideful. In these church traditions exemplary "Christian" behavior came to be viewed as utter self-effacement. This left the faithful with a radical (and destructive) dichotomy: all the goodness of creation was to be attributed to God; all the sin to us. This expanded concept of pride is a destructive perversion of the traditional Christian doctrine. Fostering basic pride is central to the spiritual upbuilding of God's people, especially those who are marginalized: in the case at hand, gay and lesbian people. This article explores a way to repair the damage that the exaggerated , negative concept of pride has wreaked on gay and -.. --.-..-----..-~---~ ~-..--..-----------------~---- ----------------- -------_.. ---------------------_....... ~~ ~ A Therapist's View By John E. Fortunato lesbian people as individuals and as a community. The work of Heinz Kohut, the father of self-psychology, is relied upon in part to remedy the bloated, negative notion of pride. l Self psychology (a branch of psychoanalytic psychology) focuses on the development and sustenance of a cohesive, robust, and vibrant self as central to psychological wellness. This makes room for in fact, requires -h ealthy pride. The Roots of Pride The etymology of the word pride is obscure, but it may be related to the words prize and praise. Whether or no· these words are connected historically however, they are linked functionallJ. One develops healthy pride by bein prized and praised. One develops a solid and vital self by being valued for who one is and by having one's accom· plishments lauded. In fact, praise is cru· cial for the development of a norma. healthy person. A small child sits on the floor dra\ . ing with crayons. She finishes, piCks herself up and, with artwork in han runs to her mother. "Mommy, momrr., look!" she shouts gleefully. No one . hope) would fault the mother for la .. ishing admiration on the child for he artistry. "Oh honey! that's a beautir .. tree. Are these apples?" "Yup." "Arl there's the sun!" "Yup." "Is this a b ~ up here?" "Uh-huh." "Listen," says mo "could you drav,l me a big bird now,j .: like this one only as big as the who paper?" "OK!" says the child excited. as she returns to her 'studio.' What has happened here? The ch' has "grown a bit of self." She got from the floor an artist with some se doubt as to her talent and skill; she s . down again with a more solid perce· tion of herself as "good at drawing.". it takes, of course, is several million these kinds of interactions in vario Open Hand_ 10 spheres of her life between her current age and eighteen for this little child to reach adulthood ready to greet the world ith her feet firmly planted and an opmism that she will be able to cope with 'hatever life dishes up. \Vhat Kohut helped us see is that we eed affirming, supportive "others" in ur lives from cradle to grave. His noon was in contrast to many other hools of psychology emerging in this entury. Others defined the ultimate boal of psychological development as self-sufficiency, independence, or aunomy' Kohut disagreed. We become and remain solid, integrated, dynamic eople, he observed, in interaction with ers. It is in such positively reinforc.nterchanges that we know our giftess, our wholeness, our aliveness. :here is, therefore, no need to apolo:..:e for needing affirmation at any age. 'ptural Antidotes one searches scripture u~ing words ke pride, proud, self-esteem, or self-pect, the references are uniformly eQatl\'e. "When pride comes, then comes 'b.-ace; but wisdom is with the humble" o\' 11:22). "Pride goes beJore destruc, and a haughty spirit beJore a JaIl " o\' 16:18). And in the words of the .~gnificat: "God has shown strength oj ~; God has scattered the proud in the 19hts oJtheirhearts" (Lk 1:51). These ect references to pride might lead and have led) to a wholesale condemanon of any kind of pride. On the other hand, if one searches ripture for positive images using '-rds like man (in its older generic sense), human, or humankind, a differem picture emerges. Ample antidotes eXIst in scripture to a toxic, overblown oncept of pride: "Let us make human1d in our image, according to our likecss . .. " (Gen 1:26). "When God created .lmlankind, he made them in the likeness if God. Male and female he created them, d he blessed them and named them 'huankind' when they were created" (Gen 5:2). "[ praise you, [0 Godl,for [ am Jearlly and wonderJully made" (Ps 139: 14). You have made them for a little while ower than the angels; you have crowned em with glory and honor subjecting all ings under their feet" (Heb 2:7-8). Summer 1994 What do these scriptures, and many more like them, demonstrate? These scriptures take for granted that children of God are entitled to experience a basic sense of worth simply because God created us. While we still are never to forget that all being ultimately derives from God's gracious creativity, we are fully within our human rights to bask in the gifts and graces God has given us as God's progeny. Just as a child gains a vicarious sense of self-esteem by acclaiming to peers, "My dad can do anything!" or "My mom is the most talented woman in the world!" so too can we without apology revel in the human dignity that comes of being birthed by God. "Our heavenly Papa (Abba) made everything there is!" "Hear, 0 Israel, Yahweh, our God is the only God!" Another implicit notion in the scriptures quoted above is the communal nature of basic human pride. It is as God's people -as the New Jerusalem that we gain human dignity. God calls us out as a community to be "a light to enlighten the nations." Adulthood Pride Defidency Gay and lesbian psychotherapists generally agree that the most common personality disorder seen among gay and lesbian clients is pathological narcissism. This is perhaps most succinctly characterized as a dysfunctional preoccupation with one's self and a marked oversensitivity to criticism or lack of affirmation. Some caricatures of gay people might help us grasp this: the flamboyant 'queen' obsessed with his appearance, who shrieks at the bathroom sink, "I can't do a thing with my hair!"; the prima donna actor who throws a fit when the director offers even a minuscule criticism of the thespian's perfonnance; or the wounded lover who wails aCCUSingly, "But if she loved me she would know what I need." Most stereotypes of gay men and lesbians are based on such extreme forms of behavior. As with most stereotypes, the cliche has some basis in reality. Though exhibited in many ways and levels of severity, some gay and lesbian people are plagued by disabling selfpreoccupation and the inability to tolerate even valid, gentle criticism. Most of the rest of us are at least fragile in this area. What does this mean? Well first, let's be clear about what it does not mean. Psychoanalytic therapists before the seventies routinely saw this elevated level of pathological narcissism in the gay community as evidence that homosexuality itself was a personality disorder. It never occurred What is a pride deficiency? Can the church help repair it? to them, because of the ingrained homophobia of the times, that they were fallaciously construing an effect of social oppression as a symp tom of innate mental dysfunction. To grasp the absurdity of their illogical inference, consider the follOWing. It might be shown that many Jews who survived Nazi Germany are overly watchful and fearful that others are spying on them or fomenting plots against them. Those behaviors might lead to a diagnosis of paranoid personality disorder. How would we view this? First, it is doubtful that anyone would blame such people for their paranoia . Considering what they went through, such fear and distrust would be easily appreciated and compassionately treated. But more to the point, would anyone then conclude that being Jewish was itself a personality disorder? In the same way, the higher incidence of narcissistic disorder in the gay and lesbian community in no way suggests that homosexuality itself is a mental disorder. We will also see shortly that it is quite understandable. The religious right is still fond of using narcissistic disorder among lesbian and gay people as evidence of the sickness and sinfulness of homosexuality. They often take this a step farther and contend that loving someone of the same sex is no more than a narcissistic attempt to love oneself. Only in a theoretical vacuum could such hare-brained psychologizing persist. Anyone who kn ows even a few gay and lesbian couples will attest to the high frequency more II." 11 with which we make utterly non-mirroring matches. Developmentally, pathological narcissism results when people have been deprived of adequate empathy, mirroring, and nurturing during formative periods oftheir lives. Persons who reach adulthood with depleted, fragmented selves are: (a) those who have been rejected outright by parents, other significant adults, and peers during childhood and adolescence; (b) those emotionally neglected or deprived of the attention all children deserve; (c) those who have experienced selective disapproval for some of their character traits and behaviors; and (d) those who have been chronically, naggingly, and pervasively criticized by parents and others. We do not feel we are created "a little lower than the angels". .. "crowned with glory and honor." It is not hard to see the implications of such developmental conditions for the lives of gay and lesbian people. Most of us who are gay and lesbian, have to invent ourselves from scratch in relation to our sexuality. Few if any of us grow up in an environment which actively supports and nurtures gay or lesbian sexuality. Furthermore, certain personality traits often associated with emerging homosexual orientation appear at a very early age. Boys are labeled as "sissies"; girls are tagged as "tomboys." When a girl wants to play baseball or a boy wants to sew, parents sometirp.es react negatively, either criticizing the child for these behaviors or simply (and often unconsciously) emotionally withdrawing from the child. Equally likely is the marginalization of such boys and girls by their peers. All of these common experiences of gay and lesbian people predispose us to disorders of the self later on. What is lacking during these crucial developmental years for gay and lesbian people is adequate praise. What emerging gay and lesbian children and adolescents end up yearning for is being prized simply for who we are in all of our differentness. In other words, we often reach adulthood with a serious pride deficiency. We lack pride that only could have been engendered through rich, satisfying relationships between us (in our particular wholeness) and significant adults and peers. In Christian language, many gay and lesbian people reach adulthood lacking a basic sense of human dignity that stems simply from being who God created us to be. We do not feel we are created "a little lower than the angels" or that we are "crowned with glory and honor." We do not begin our adult lives confident about our dignity as sons and daughters of Almighty God. Overcoming Pride Defidency W hen adult gay and lesbian people come to a therapist and the therapist assesses that what needs to be healed is narcissistic disorder, the clinician's job is clear. For a long initial period of the therapy -perhaps even years -the primary task is to create a rich empathic environment. This environment must ensure that the client feels attended to, has confidence that he is being taken seriously, experiences understanding of her perceptions of herself and her world, and senses that the therapist affirms him in whatever sectors of his self are frail and need to be supported in growth. Said another way, the therapist must, through prizing and praise, help the client develop a sense of pride in his or her new and more robust self, a self that fully integrates the client's sexual orientation. Does a person with pride defiCiency always need a therapist? Therapy is sometimes no more than a microcosm of life. It is, in part, a little pressure cooker in which clients can work through issues -a milieu in which they can grow psychologically and spiritually -more quickly and more intensely than they might do in the company of good, caring, and attentive friends and pastors. Often the support that is needed for such growth is inappropriate to ask of friends. Often issues or pieces of the person's history that need to be unpacked are too embarrassing for a client to share with companions. Sometimes, the sectors of the self clients seek to have healed, in their complexity or fragility, exceed the curath competence of good friends. Then J therapeutic relationship may be mor appropriate and helpful. However, ther· is much that a therapist does that ca be done by any supportive person in client's environment. It is unquestionably possible for an;one to be supportive of friends or p rishioners; to reassure them when the need to be reminded of their worth, ta'ents, and goodness; to praise the""' when their self-confidence flags or the engage in self-denigration so typical those with self deficits. No special tra., ing is required for such expressions friendship or pastoral care, If friends or parishioners are partlc larly needy on these fronts , it is of e tiring continually to shore them Because of adverse cultural conditic ing, we also have a tendency, when person seems to crave attention or a proval, to reactively withhold posi : reinforcement (e.g., "Listen to her, too ing her own horn!" "Fishing for a co"'" pliment?" "He constantly needs to stroked!"). But no one said being a g friend or a pastor was effortless. Jus a good mother lavishes praise 0 child's crayon drawings no matter h many of them are presented for a lades, anyone is capable of lifting u friend when she's down or tellin friend who's engaging in psycholog, self-abuse that he is wonderful -e" if this process needs to be repeated ten and over many years. Why the Public Displays? H eterose~u.al people, even ~elat gay-posltlve ones, sometlmes why gay and lesbian people need to a "Pride" event each year. We must tribute some of this discomfort with rand Lesbian Pride Week to remna of homophobia. Such skepticism ten a covert way of saying, "It's fine \I,~ ' me if you're gay or lesbian~ just do"'" remind me of it, OK?" We also ha . attribute some of this negativism a Pride Week to our cultural preju ' against even "good pride": "Greatl : glad you feel good about yourself a. lesbian, but do you need the w . world to jump up and down over : ~ The response to these plaints sh now be obvious. Gay and lesblaL Open Hands 12 ople, almost without exception, reach thood not having had adequately nned our sexuality as good, gifted, and a worthy expression of human nareo Instead, most of us reach the age :-majority with at least the sexual secof our selves fragile, segregated from e rest of our personalities, and in desate need of affirmation. This did not pen because of any intrinsic weakess in gay or lesbian people. It hapened because we are routinely de:ed of the rich empathic, supportive ationships and social structures afng sexual identity that are routinely rded heterosexual women and men. n order for these deficits to heal, gay lesbian people almost always need roceed through some remedial peof heightened self-affirmation and seeking of public affirmation of our al identity. For a while, this need . seem (by public standards) "excesbut is this any different from the sses adolescent heterosexual boys girls pass through during puberty -.... ey try to come to grips with their rn,ing sexual selves? The difference, rse, is that gay and lesbian people traverse this terrain late, and the tated behavior of this part of their "~ey sometimes seems "unbecomror adults. From a psychological of view, of course, a therapist re-when clients reach this developal stage, no matter what their age. .. _s and pastors might also rejoice. '~id being judgmental, it may help mnk of these endeavors as "remeride- building." •.•15 immoderate preoccupation with 5 sexuality, if adequately attended . therapist, pastors, and friends, ually diminishes. I can speak to --ersonally. At age twenty-five, I was dy in-your-face gay activist. At age "-seven, I believe I'm much more ow. As I frequently say these days en I speak publicly, "In my twenties ng the 1970s, proclaiming 'Gay is .' was required for political correct5S ~owin my late forties during the s, I would say this: some days, gay --reat; some days, gay is dreadful; and st days, it's just another one of those b S." Please do not conclude that I am lag all gay and lesbian activism as the excessive acting out of self-affirmation. However, the most effective lesbian and gay activists I have known are those who have worked through whatever blinding rage they had. They are free then to harness all their gifts and graces to help spread the part of the Good News illuminated by the lives of God's gay and lesbian children. Groups like Queer Nation and Act Up, I am convinced, induce much more reactionary backlash than empathy. While their confrontational tactics may be emotionally satisfying for them in the short run, I fail to see their usefulness in changing society's attitude toward gay and lesbian people. Our differences may lie in the reality that, as a Christian, I tend to approach these matters with the hope of reconciliation rather than victory. A Call to the Church G a~ and lesbian people often need copious amounts of remedial praise; they need to be prized for who they are in their wholeness. This can only be accomplished in meaningful, mutually affirming relationships with others. The Church is perhaps the most potent environment in which that can happen. God calls us to be "a people" "the New Jerusalem" -God's witnesses oflove in the world. Jesus' example and exhortations made clear that we are to exclude none from God's realm. Only through such unconditional affinnation can gay and lesbian people experience the healthy pride that is the rightful heritage of all of God's sons and daughters. T Notes lHeinz Kohut, The Restoration of the Self. (Madison, WI: International Universities Press, 1977). John E. Fortunato has been a Pastoral Psychologist and Spiritual Directorfor twentytwo years. He currently works as a Chaplain with the AIDS Pastoral Care Network of Chicago. He is the author of a number of articles and two books, Embracing the Exile: Healing Journeys of Gay Christians and AIDS: The Spiritual Dilemma. SIN AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT, GIVER OF ALL GOOD GIFTS -ORI WILL NOT BE DIS-GRACED Of all the gifts you have to give, o Holy spirit, you could have made a better choice for me. A proper gift-Wisdom to discern your mind, Insight to foretell your way, A body tuned to rhythms of the moon. But no, you chose to give me this, a gift so many say I ought to throwaway or bear as if it were a curse. If this one gift you choose to give, oHoly Spirit, I choose to take it now and serveNo better choice for me! The curse invoked by those who say we ought to throw your gifts away lies buried in their graves- But worse still if I should hoard my gift to Hell. Copyright 1993 by Harvey Manchester, Jr. Used with permission. Harvey Manchester, jr.,is a United Methodist from the Peninsula-Delaware Conference. This poem was written at the 1993 Reconciling Congregations Convocation. mer 1994 13 How much do you know about gay and lesbian history? Why should you know it? From one generation to another, lesbian and gay people have been isolated from one another, from those who are our people. This happens because we who are lesbian and gay find ourselves in each generation in the midst of families which are predominantly heterosexual and who either don't know gay history or won't pass it on to us as we are growing up. We remain isolated from one another and from the shared stories of how our elders and ancestors have survived. As I listen to the coming out discernment process of my gay brothers and lesbian sisters, and indeed, to my own story, I am aware that we as a tribe -as a people -have been erased throughout history. When I ask participants in anti-homophobia workshops about what they learned about gay and lesbian people when they were growing up, usually the group is silent or says "nothing." Yet, with some unpacking, each group becomes aware that while they learned nothing positive about gay Ilesbian history, leaders, or culture, they informally learned many myths and stereotypes about us. In this brief article, I want to explore with you two pieces of our history which help to reinforce the need for all of us to reclaim gay and lesbian history. We must do so ifwe are to reclaim our pride. Faggots The word "faggot" comes from the medieval times. It literally means a small bundle of sticks. These faggots, bundles of sticks, were affixed to the clothing of the women who were called witches and to the clothing of the men who loved other men. That is how they were torched and burned at the stake . Use of the put-down epithet "faggot" today implies that lesbian and gay people are nothing more than fod for fire. Disposable. Non-human. 1 In the late 1800s a German mar. the name of Magnus Hirschfeld es lished the Institute of Sexology in G many. The lists of people in this m ment were used for the destruction gay and lesbian people by the Nazi pc ers in World War II. One W.W.II e photograph many of us have seen history books shows a tower of bo . being burned by the Nazis. What '. seldom learned is that the mound books was from the library of the In . tute of Sexology. Pink Triangles The symbol of the pink triang e the one that gay and lesb people -my people -were forced wear as insignia in the Nazi dea camps. The pink triangle was simila!" the yellow star of David which Jews \ . forced to sew on their clothing. So . 250,000 and perhaps as many 500,000 gay people were put to dea in those Nazi camps, along with rna more Jews, many Gypsies, and m others.2 Today the lesbigay community reclaimed the pink triangle as a syrr: of solidarity' with our people throuo out time. We wear it to remind ourse. and others of what happened in .' holocaust so that such mass destr tion of our people, or any people, m never happen again. For me the saddest learning from period of our gay and lesbian histor;' that when the allied troops came to .. , lease the prisoners from the concent!" . tion camps at the end of World v.. ar those wearing pink triangles were co ' sidered criminals and were left incar, cerated.) Open Hands 14 hese pieces of history illustrate the importance of r-~·.t!ing and understanding Sbtan and gay history. It is imant not only for lesbigay ple, but also for non-gay ple to remember the op-~ ssion which has occurred -he past. Remembering our helps us to gain insights into e lesbigay community's culture ay The teaching of gay and leshistory should be included in the ational classes of welcoming conations in every denomination to break the cycle of oppression. Such ation needs to be repeated regu. so that new members and espe.,"our children learn about gay and an history. Historical background :'. essential tool for all who wish to d on the side of justice for lesbian gay people today in church and etr -, re Gordon, "What Do We Say When Hear 'Faggot'?" Interracial Books For ren Bulletin 14 (No. 3-4):25. 'Additional InJormation About the HoloI" a pamphlet distributed by Chai st:'les and the Detroit Area Gay-Lesbian cil. Also see Richard Cleaver and _~la Myers, eds., A Certain Terror: rosexism, Militarism, Violence & 1ge (Arm Arbor: American Friends SerCommittee, 1993). ard Plant, The Pink Triangle: The Nazi Against Homosex uals by (New York: ~:. Holt & Co., 1986). This article was Thanks to Presbyterians for adapted Jrom a presenLesbian and Gay Concerns and tation given at the 1992 Lindsay Biddle for the idea beLutheran Human Relations hind this sketch. The triangle with Association Summer Institute the Star of David/shoot of Jesse (Isa in Minneapolis at Augsburg Col11) and the one with prison stripes are lege. It was Jirst printed in Vansketched from a large banner used at a guard, Fall 1992. It is used with perworship service led by PLGC during Genmission oj Vanguard, Lutheran eral Assembly in 7993 in Orlando, Florida. Human Relations Association, 2703 N. Sherman Blvd., Milwaukee, WI 53210. Anita C. Hill is an openly lesbian woman serving as a Pastoral Minister of St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minnesota (the first Lutheran Reconciled in Christ congregation). She has been a member of the ELCA's Task Force on Human Sexuality since 1989. RIDE IS A FACE-LIFTING PROCESS ps respect is what gays and lesbians really seek -the unambiguous affirmation they need fear no longer. The Latin root of the word respect suggests that it is slght into the worth of another." But there is a far more moving word image in . Testament Greek. Respect is "prosopolepsia," a putting together of "proposon" e) and "lambanein" (to lift). The image is of a person whose face is bowed to the nd in humility being lifted by another in recognition and esteem. The scriptures Ke clear that God lifts all faces! Anonymous, adapted. ........mmer 1994 15 A glance at national"pride" events before and affer Stonewall Photo: Carlton Elliott Smith INCLUSIVITY: The Christian message is visible at the Stonewall 25 parade. 1979 1970 Sources: Warren J. Blumenfeld & Diane Raymond. Looking at Gayand Lesbian Life. Martin Duberman. Stonewall. Jonathan Katz. Gay American History. 1965 1969 The Stonewall Inn Resistance occurs on June 28th in New York City when patrons of the mafia-owned gay bar fight police who had routinely been raiding the bar. The Mattachine Society starts an event called "Annual Reminder" for gay and lesbian people in Philadelphia on July 4th. Wearing conventional clothing, participants engage in peaceful picketing at Independence Hall. Annual "Reminder Events" continue through 1969 The First Annual Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade is held onJune 28th in New York City to commemorate the Stonewall riots. This event replaces the Annual Reminder event in Philadelphia. Parallel Gay and Lesbian Pride Parades spring up across the country during the 1970s, usually held the last Sunday oj June to commemorate Stonewall. Open Hands 16 1994 1993 The Second National March on Washington on October 11th draws well over 500,000 people to the nation's capitol for pridefilled festivities and lobbying activities. October 11 th is established as Annual National Coming Out Day to commemorate the Second March on Washington and to encourage persons to take additional steps in coming out and claiming their lesbigay identity proudly. National Stonewall 25 Festivities are held in New York City during late June, culminating in a huge march onJune 26 that drew upwards of one million people. These festivities celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall The Third National March on Resistance, now considered the Washington on April 25 draws beginning of the modern lesalmost a million people to the bigay rights movement, or at least national capitol for another its transforming moment. round of pride-filled festivities and lobbying activities. Proud through the Years As a teenager and young adult, I attended Central Methodist Church in Phoenix, Arizona with Dr. Charles Kendall as my pastor and where I often heard the words of Bishop Gerald Kennedy. I was very proud to be a Methodist. I was proud of the faith stands and leadership these men took on social issues, such as racism, internment ofJapanese-Americans, American Indians, labor, etc. My heritage and experience as a United Methodist was faith in God, family involvement in the church, service, and social justice. During those years, I had no conscious knowledge that I am a lesbian. Discovering my sexual orientation at age fifty did not negate my United Methodist membership or my faith in God. Even though in 1972 some words got into the United Methodist Discipline that are wrong about homosexuality and that are painful to lesbians, gay men, and their families and friends, I am sure they will be changed -and I am still proud today to be a United Methodist. I am proud of the strong witness of Affirmation, United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns, and of the strong stance of each Reconciling Congregation. And I am proud of the commitment of Wesley UMC in Fresno who celebrated their tenth anniversary as a Reconciling Congregation by dedicating a stained glass window, and of the California-Nevada Annual Conference (a Reconciling Conference), and of Bishop Melvin Talbert who has made his feelings known publicly about homosexuality. Yes! Jeanne Barnett is Director of Administration for the CA-NV Annual Conference Capital Campaign, Co-Spokesperson for National Affirmation, CCOM Vice-Chair, District Lay Leader, and St. Marks' United Methodist (Sacramento) Administrative Board Chair. Jeanne was a member of the denominational Committee to Study Homosexuality. mer 1994 17 O nJune 26, an already luminous day in Manhattan was made even brighter by the mile-long rainbow flag, focal point of the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion. As wide as First Avenue itself, the enlarged symbol ofdiversity among lesbians, gay men, bisexual people, and transgender people glided down side streets, held taut by flagbearers in the midst ofcheering thousands. This year's Stonewall commemoration focused on human rights and lesbigay pride. Such serious events, as well as more carefree celebrations, offer churches a chance to be prophetic witnesses in the world, to stand in solidarity with their gay and lesbian members, and to affirm their hopes for the future. "It's the one time you can say 'pride' and it's not a deadly sin," said Richard Barrios, 39. For him an event like Stonewall 25 "celebrates equality and inclusion of all people." Barrios, a member of St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church in uptown Manhattan, was part of that congregation's contingent at the march. He and his fellow church members reflected on the significance ofpride in their lives as they assembled with other religious/ spiritual groups on East 39th Street before joining in on the parade. "Pride is linked to self-esteem being proud that God has made us who we are," said Francesca Rhys, 30. "What God created, God said was good," added Diane Allen, 35, "so we can really delight in the fact that God is proud of us." Even in the midst of the joy of being surrounded by tens of thousands of Stonewall 25: The Church Was There! By Carlton Elliott Smith andJesus' expelling the moneychangers fro . the temple. Like Gospel record ofJes the Stonewall patr were reacting in !" teous anger to injus Both Jesus and . Stonewallers were e' . tive in bringing an e to oppression. Perh most significantly, b PRIDE STRETCHED OUT: A mile-long banner is a highlight of Jesus and the Sto Stonewall 25. wallers created hea brothers, sisters, and friends no one seemed to have forgotten the obstacles to pride in their lives. For Bishop Otis Charles, who was the Episcopal Bishop of Utah before his retirement, support was hard to come by as a gay minister who felt compelled to stay closeted. "I knew there were other people like me," said Charles of his early days in ministry; "but there was always a subtle intimidation that you would be excluded if you ever came out, and I did see that happen." In a letter addressed to his fellow bishops last fall, Charles made his sexual orientation known. After living some forty-five years with an internalized sense that his life was inherently wrong, he realized that the "only way I can serve God is to be who I am." Gay pride events offer more than affirmation ofindividuals, however. They can also be seen as extensions of other important social issues on which the church has provided leadership, such as women's rights and civil rights. Stonewall, as it relates to ethnicity, is an important reminder of this fact. Little did the impoverished Latino and African Am erican youngsters at the bar know twenty-five years ago that their protest against police harassment would start a three-day riot and launch a movement that continues to reverberate around the globe. Some parallels exist between the Stonewall riots IN SOLIDARITY: An Open and Affirming congregation in New York joins in the Stonewall 25 parade. spaces for hurting people: Jesus thro the healing touch of his hands and e Stonewallers by providing the foundation for the precious liberties some lesbians and gay men have today. Not surprisingly; today those mos' at risk of being lost to violence and 0 neglect on the sexual-orientation frinbe are those who are additionaL, marginalized because of age, gender race, class, and other factors. The e negative effects are heightened \vhe placed in the context of those nation: where lesbians and gay men are less organized and less visible than in t! e United States. For this reason the organizers of Stonewall 25 chose to ha\'e e countless thousand participants mar . on the United Nations in a show of fo on behalf of their counterparts in 0 countries. Just as at Stonewall 25 U.s. les and gay men showed their so' with those in other countr e churches can show support of the. gay and lesbian members at gay events. Although heterosexual (as others at the parade), Dale Fische of Sayville Congregational C Church of Christ on Long Island . York, came to show his solidarity. his homosexual friends. "It's a hu a rights issue," said Fischer. "Whether ;'0 are gay or straight, black or white, bro \Tor red, the saying is true . . . Until everyone is free, no one is free." For some people a gay pride celebration is one of the few places where the) feel a sense of self-worth and security. Open Hands 18 GHLY VISIBLE: Gay and Lesbian church members marched e Stonewall 25 parade. Hip," an Atlanta resident who is date for ministry in the Lutheran n, chose to stay anonymous for at his career might be jeopardized .ng openly gay. Ironically, he rethe relative invisibility of lesbiand gay men. "A lot of middle"icans don't realize that there are a hurch people who are homosexue said. '0 days before the march to , ited Nations lesbian and ristians and their friends hands and tied a rainbowribbon around the InterCenter, protesting hy.sy and homophobia in '___"'H~:ne churches. Commonly the "God Box," the upper attan building is home to 'ational Council of Churchmany mainline Protestant inations. 'e are here to open people's "HANDS AROUND THE GOD·BOX": A demonstration led by MCC encircles the Interchurch Center. tional Council has taKen no action and denied it observer status. Even though her organization will not admit the Metropolitan Community Church as a member, the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, executive secretary of the National Council of Churches, was among those who encircled the Interchurch Center as a sign of general support for lesbian and gays. "Our churches are very united on civil rights for gays and lesbians and there are places where we can be supportive," said Campbell. "We don't go as far as the MCC wants us to go but there is a fair distance that we can go and that needs to be made visible." -and hearts and let God -f the Box," the Rev. ge Cherry told the 200 people "ed at the west entrance of the ... g during a noontime demonstraubbed "Hands Around the God Cherry is the national Field Di!' of Ecumenical Witness and Minof the Universal Fellowship of politan Community Churches, .imarily gay and lesbian denomiwhich organized the demonstraMetropolitan Community rches, which claim 32,000 mem_ m sixteen countries, first applied .embership in the National Counrteen years ago. Since then, the Namer 1994 With the exception of the United Church of Christ the mainline denominations that maintain offices in the Interchurch Center ban lesbians and gay men from ordained ministry and officially prohibit same-sex commitment ceremonies -two of the issues most important to openly homosexual church members . Before wrapping the building with a protest ribbon lesbian and gay clergy from several churches recited a litany of complaints including denial of access, violence, and trauma visited on homosexual church members because of their sexual orientation. "This is not a civil rights struggle, it is a moral struggle," the Rev. Nancy Wilson of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Community Church told the assembly. Frances Allen, an employee of the United Methodist ecumenical office who watched at an entrance of the Interchurch Center, said she enjoyed the energy of the demonstration but would rather the churches continue their restrictions on the inclusion of homosexual persons. "1 think a line should be drawn," Allen said. "1 don't want the church to change." After the demonstration, some of the participants went to meet with officials of various denominations to discuss the concerns of lesbian and gay people. To luis Callabro, a visiting layman from Oregon who serves on the board of directors for the United Methodist ecumenical agency, such protests are painful but inevitable. "It has to continue to happen to bring attention to equality issues for all people," Callabro said. lesbians and gay pride events also point to a brighter future one in which men in Cuba are not jailed for being gay, lesbians in small-town Mississippi are not harassed by their neighbors, and sexual orientation is not a criteria for church membership, marriage, or ministry. As he marched across 59th Street toward Central Park for the culminating rally, Robert Gibeling, program executive for Lutherans Concerned (the tradition's gay/ lesbian caucus) shared his excitement for the promise that being proud holds for lesbians and gay men. "We have the wonderful message of God's love that needs to be told," said Gibeling. "We have to reinforce that."~ Photos: Carlton Elliott Smith Carlton Elliott Smith recently completed a one-year writing fellowship at Religious News Service in New York . A graduate of Howard University School ofDivinity, he is now serving on the board of directors for the AIDS National Interfaith Network. 19 THANK GOD fOR THE SPIRIT Of STONEWALL By Howard B.Warren, Jr. As we approached Stonewall 25 my spirit joyfully sang, "Come out, Come out as much as you can." W hat a difference these last twenty-five years have made in encouraging me to leave my casket/closet. I lived in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I was more of a street person than a bar person and never had been inside the Stonewall Inn. Although the evening police raid and gay protest on June 28, 1969 did not make the news, a friend called me. The next morning I went to Sheridan Square and stood silent yet proud watching the crowd protest. From across the street I saw drag queens and Latinos dancing, shouting, and forming conga lines. However, the gay people I knew (the three-piece suit folks) weren't there. So I stayed lonely and mute across the street, yet filled with SILENT pride. Over the next five years I participated in the Gay Activist Alliance Firehouse dances, National Gay Task Force, Gay Academic Union, Lambda Legal Defense Fund, and Gay Support Group. For the first time in my life I put wallto-wall windows in my closet. My sense of gay pride was deepened by the emergence of the gay and lesbian press and the many organizations as we assertively spoke out and marched out. In my picture window closet, I developed deeper relationships with gay men rather than just anonymous sex. Despite the picture windows, however, I was still in a casket/closet. It took me nineteen years to gradually open that casket/closet door. For six years now I have been breathing the strong active spirit-air of open lesbian and gay pride. Reflections on Stonewall 25 My eyes filled with tears as I waited for the ten days of Stonewall 25. How wonderful it was to be able to be fully involved in all the events: marching, speaking, politicking, acting up. How exciting it was to be identifying fully with all of the subgroups that compose our Lavender People. My threepiece suit (rarely worn now) no longer separated me from the inclusive love I felt for all our wonderful spectrum of folks. As I sat at the Opening Ceremony of the Lesbian/ Gay Games, I was overwhelmed by the feelings of God's pride that so many of our people in this decade have the opportunity to hear, grow, meet together, and celebrate homosexual orientation as a gift of God to be fully lived. What tears of joy I found as I sometimes stood and sometimes marched for seven hours with the sign: God damn the Presbyterians and other denominations when they use the Bible as a weapon rather than a welcome to Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals."So many individuals smiled, said thank you, put a thumb up, gave the peace symbol or the sign language for peace. Whole groups stopped, broke ranks, and yelled thanks for a sign which says God welcomes them. How thankful I am to see this anniversary. We will walk tall with our heads held high making sure that there will never be a Stranger at the Gate -alone, afraid, wanting to be included. In this decade we will together build the Rainbow of Inclusion in our church bodies. Changes and Growth I have observed many changes over the years. One growth that has occurred in the twenty-five years since the Stonewall rebellion is that so many of us are now fully accepting of the wonderful diversity of the Lavender People. Also, no longer are lesbian women absent. In the early years, many lesbians who refused to let gay males treat them as heterosexual males treat them took their skills and talents elsewhere. Thank God neither the sexism nor the separatism is as true today. Photo: Matthew C. Kryger, Indianapolis S a' SPEAKI NG OUT: Howard joins the parade. Nudge The Spirit of Pride If you haven't begun the process of coming out, give yourself a nudge. Coming out is a process. Take the first small step or the next larger step. Spiri is breath -the basis of life. Our sexua: orientation is a key part of our spiritbreath and energy. As I look back over all that time spent in the closet, I realize how much energy it took to keep my secret -energy I now have available fo r a full life and for serving the Wildly Inclusive God! T Howard B. Warren, Jr. is an openly gay Presbyterian minister who currently serves as Director oJPastoral Care at TheDamien Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. Open Hands 20 IL~WIUIUI[) IVIl2IUr\\\IUlrlt§ §ltILlf,·lt§lrltltr\\\ By Lindsay Louise Biddle Can churches benefit from Hollywood's technique? \Oer since the issue of gays in the military marched to the forefront of our national consciousness the 1992 Presidential campaign, . ° e!111S "lesbian," "gay," and "homoa:-as well as "heterosexual" and ht" have found a home in our o-ay vocabulary. Suddenly house-that had earlier denied any knowlr understanding of gay or lesbian e felt permission to express their ons about men living together in quarters and women serving in :111. ..."'testant denominations that are .. ding their issues ofhomosexualder a bushel are engaged in siminversation. FolloWing in the ry's footsteps, several households h (ELCA, PCUSA, UCC, UMC, hers) are discussing homosexuthough their members are marcha legion of different drummers ding theology and polity. e other major u.s. household !-iollywood film industry -has . up the cross. They have included -e lesbigay roles and themes in -releases. (Transgender characters arred in dramas since the beginf time!) Although a variety of films e past decade focus directly on leslSsues, including AIDS, only in the couple of years has Hollywood ed angles to portray lesbigay indi15 and couples simply as some of -naracters in the huge and complex a of humanity. moving lesbigay characters out of ..melight where they served as dibjects of often "preachy" scripts, ors have ceased serving up les-lSsues as topics for debate. Instead, ~. subtle and very powerful ways, bays are accepted as part of life, at least during the viewing time of the audience. Some movie-goers might deny knowing any lesbigay people, but the makers of "Mrs. Doubifire" and "Reality Bites" don't waste time arguing their existence or defending their humanity. They simply include them and their stories, though stereotypical, in the larger plot -along with a daddy who dresses up like a nanny and a sordid mix of heterosexual alliances. . In "Mrs. Doubifire" the kids gasp with disbelief when their baby-sitter comes out as their father. Yet they don't bat an Films~ith Lesbig1~ Main Std'lfes "Making Love" (19~2) "Entre Nous" (1983) . "Desf?.Jt&:'Hf?art?" (J·,~~tP) 'longtime Compan1on""O 990 "Wedding Banquet:: (1993) "Philadelphia". (1993) Film's with Lesb!g~y Su~plot~: "Mrs. Doubtfire". (1).~~3) , mn "Four Weddings an'~ a Funeral" (1994) . "Reality Bites" (199.ft) 0, , "Belle Epoch" (199~,vSpanish ~ith English subtitl~s) "Renaissance' Man" (1994) eye when dad tells them he was assisted by " Uncle Jack and Aunt Frank," dad's gay brother and his partner who appear in supporting roles. "Reality Bites" also portrays a gay character in a supporting role. In that film the character Michael practices coming out to his parents and then offers a poignant reflection on the experience . If Hollywood with all its vested interest in box office successes can risk being more inclusive of lesbigay people so can the Church! Preachers and everyone else who "love to tell the story" can follow the cues of producers and directors: • Include lesbigay characters in biblical stories. One colleague substitutes a transgender person for the Good Samaritan in Luke's parable. • Highlight same-sex relationships in scripture. Wherever two or three of the same gender are gathered, we are called to conJront our heterosexism. . • Contrast lesbigay realities with biblical realities . Another colleague compares the anointing oj David -smallest, youngest, and most unlikely. choice -with the calling oj gay and lesbian Christians -who appear the most unlikely choices given our current practices oj discrimination. The simple acknowledgment of the existence oflesbigay people (which happened with the controversy over gays in the military) contributes to the development of lesbigay self-esteem. It's hard to have self-esteem when you are invisible. Study and debate about homosexuality within the various denominations contribute even more to the development of lesbigay pride. At least the church is taking it seriously. However, matter-of-fact inclusion as part of daily life -in films and in church provides ultimate affirmation! • Lindsay Louise Biddle, M.Div., is a member oj PLGC and serves as pastor of a Presbyterian church in St. Paul, Minnesota. .' .rner 1994 21 COMING OUT: A Witness to the Resurrection A Ritual by Chris Glaser [The communion table holds a 10aJ oj bread, covered by or tied in a strip oj cloth, surrounded by stones.] Leader: There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Sovereign, one faith, one baptism, one God and Creator of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (Eph 4:4) People: God inspirits every soul, regardless of sexual orientation. God welcomes every body, though we may hide our nakedness. God hopes in every love, without partiality. Leader: According to the Gospel of John, Jesus was greatly disturbed in spirit to find his friend Lazarus dead and entombed. Christ called on faithful family members Mary and Martha as well as on caring neighbors to roll the stone from the tomb and unbind the death cloths. Christ prayed to God and called to Lazarus, "Come out!" Uohn 11:1-44) Are you, family and neighbors, willing to remove the stone of prejudice that separates N. from full communion with the Body of Christ and with you? People: We are. Leader: Are you, family and neighbors, willing to undo the bonds that inhibit K. from the full, abundant life promised each one of us? People: We are. Leader: Are you, N., willing to renounce death in all of its forms, especially the closet that hides your light and your life? N. lam. Leader: Are you, N ., willing to choose life, love, and liberation as a (lesbian/ga . bisexual) Christian? N. lam. Leader: Let us pray! People: Sacred God, bless N. and bless us all as we struggle with the stones of prejudice and the bonds of death. Lead us to choose life and enjoy love and liberate the oppressed in your name. Amen. Leader: "Take away the stones." [Selected church members, Jamily members andJriends remove stonesJrom the communion table, revealing a 10aJ oj bread, covered by a strip oj cloth.] Open Hands 22 .~.~~.~.~.~.~.~ Leader: "Unbind N., and let (her/him) go." [A pre-selected participant (lover, family member, friend) removes the cloth from the bread and tears it in two, from top to bottom. Alternatively, the cloth could simply be unfolded or untied from the bread.} Leader: Our risen Sovereign became known to the disciples on the road to Emmaus in the breaking of bread, a sacrament of God's offering of self. In like manner, our risen friend, N., becomes known to us in (her/his) own sacramental offering of (herself/himself), symbolized by this bread. [N. breaks the bread, passing it to those gathered, saying:] N. I offer you the gift of myself. [After all have eaten] Leader: As Ruth pledged to Naomi, let us pledge to N.: People: We will never abandon you! Where you go, we will be there; What is life to you will be vital for us. Your people will be our own, and your God will be our God. (Ruth 1:16, adapted) Leader: So then, N., you are no longer a stranger or an alien, but you are a citizen with the saints and also a member of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone. (Eph 2:19, adapted) N.: Thanks be to God! Leader: We are chosen, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that we may proclaim the mighty acts of God who called us out of shadows into God's marvelous light: People: Once we were not a people, but now we are God's people; once we had not received mercy, but now we have received grace. (1 Pet 2:9-10, adapted) Concluding Hymn: "Amazing Grace" [Please substitute "soul" for "wretclf] Copyright 1994 by Chris R. Glaser. Permission with credit granted for non-profit use 1~e blends elements from ancient sacraments: Baptism (renunciation of evil, affirmations r call as a people and of our communal integrity) and Communion (distribution of in worship and/or non-profit duplication. symbolic of sharing the self, which is what God did in Chris·t). I view coming out a~ a ental act, in which God is present in our vulnerability and by which we are "made new" Chris Glaser, M.Div., is the author oj .::ens of God's commonwealth. The subtitle "A Witness to the Resurrection" is used in Coming Out to God and a speaker and e traditions for funerals. It suggests both the grief and joy of coming out. Finally, Ruth's workshop/retreat leader. His latest book, --Naomi alludes to the celebration of marriage and same-sex unions. Wherever "N." TheWord Is Out -The Bible Reclaimed . insert the name or names of the person( s) coming out. Biblical references are from the for Lesbians and Gay Men, will be pub. Thanks to Woody Carey for suggesting the Emmaus image. -CRG lished this summer (see ad, p. 31). mer 1994 23 Let us celebrate those whose lives we reclaim as we seek to create a new humanity. 10: We celebrate Eleanor Roosevelt, freedom and independence for eve women and who set an example one's own terms. People: In pride we claim you! Be Reader 11 : We celebrate Henry Hay, who a~\j'O",HI"'lI port to gay men through the M the late 1940s. Reader 12: We celebrate Del Martin and Phyllis LVUlf WV1mU!)t! visibility and organizing in the 1950s gave many lesbians. rate Michelangelo, whose artistry touched of humankind. Reader 13: We celebrate Bayard Rustin, close associate Gertrude Stein, who influenced genwriters and artists. tin Luther King, Jr., who helped plan Rights March on Washington. Reader 14: We celebrate Harvey Milk, who political office in the 1970s to serve their communities. The congregation is invited to of important people in their own gation will respond after each Note: Assign each reading to a different participant scattered throughout the congregation. The congregation remains seated. As each reader's turn arrives, s/he stands in place to read his/her line and then sits down again. This litany is adapted from an informal, interdenominational service sponsored by Grant Park-Aldersgate United Methodist Church (a Reconciling Congregation in Atlanta, Georgia). It may be reproduced for worship purposes. The service was held at 9:30 a.m. before the start of the Atlanta Pride Parade on June 27, 7993. The service also included a naming of destructive forces in our lives. It received an incredible response and was repeated in 7994, this time co-sponsored by Common Ground with an offering going to that Network and to the national Reconciling Congregation Program. Open Hands 24 west coast east By Carlton Elliott Smith i wanted him to say afterward words of comfort i walked out into the mist words that would assure me under the limbs of barren trees that there would always be under the skies of endless grey and i searched for shelter in the body yet in that moment i knew room for me surely in his wisdom that no locked shell from our motherland held the pearl there would be some black pearl the promise he would release of a place from a tightly closed shell where all that i love about me that i could hold on to forever and all that god made me to be would be seen as a blessing and not a curseand each time the powers and principalities of this world walking along the shore scrutinized and denied where my streams of thought my experience of god flow into the sea i could take out my black pearl i found a shell a gift from our ancestors somewhere between my heart spoken in some ancient tongue and my soul it looked like the face of my mother their voices would speak glowing whenever i go back home among the people it tasted like a lover's kiss my people breaking through my solitude its scent was that of a dying friend but my brother held close in my arms the scholar the theologian when i held the shell to my ear it sounded like from the west coast east of the atlantic laughter said and tears those whose behavior and daybreak is unacceptable a voice inside me will be put outside of the community saying this is our custom you are a part of me you will always belong t 1993 by Carlton Elliott.?mith. Used with permission. mpleteqf~f~~"e_y,~ar writing fellowship at Religious duate qf Howar?Ji,University School ofDivinity, he ctQt~ for the AIDS National Interfaith Network. ,./<:., tt-''\<::.:" Summer 1994 25 On ride What does power over others have to do with pride? W riters in this issue of Open Hands have expertly explored the biblical concept of pride as a sin. They have shown how tradition has watered down the idea of pride and generalized it so that pride as a sin seems to be applied indiscriminately. They have also noted how the efforts of oppressed peoples toward self-esteem and equality are often characterized as uppity, haughty, and narcissistic; in other words, as sinful pride. I want to explore another issue. A Formula for Disaster Pride in the form of arrogance, self-righteousness, vanity, and self-aggrandizement always seems to emerge in situations where power over others exists. Wherever people act with power over -as judge, ruler, authoritarian leader, or boss -sinful pride is apt to rear its ugly head. Those with power demand that those "beneath" them (literally or symbolically) demonstrate humility, meekness, and obedience to the powerful one's Wherever people abuse their power over others sinful pride has reared its ugly head point of view. Demonstrations of positive pride in the form of assertiveness, creativeness, inventiveness, and self-esteem are usually crushed out rather systematically by the ones who have power over others. Those who are "beneath" are left even more marginalized and demeaned. First, let's look at two examples of how this power and pride formula works in relation to gays and lesbians in the church. A heterosexually oriented local church, absolutely certain that it is right, arrogantly and self-righteously accuses lesbigays of being self-centered, sex-crazed, and godless. It demands repentance, humility, and obedience to the heterosexual point of view as a condition for full participation in God's church. A majority group of national denominational assembly members, proclaiming themselves to have the right interpretation of a few isolated biblical passages about homosexuality, enact legislation that demeans, defrocks, and marginalizes a whole group of their own people. Or look at what has happened with the Reimagining Conference. A powerful conservative church group that crosses denominational lines, certain that its long male-oriented tradition is right, chastises women (and some men) who dare to do theology in ways that lift up the feminine aspects of the divine. This conservative group calls for dismissals of staff and other retributions against denominational leaders. It levels charges of paganism, demands that "orthodox" doctrines be upheld, and requires errant leaders to offer admissions of wrong-doing. The arrogant pride of this group took the form of believing, at least momentarily, that they alone knew the nature of the divine. God will lay low the insolence of the powerful We could carry the examples on and on: the majority party in Congress over the minority party, the hierarchical employer and employee relationship, the authoritarian parent-child relationship or teacher-student relationship, the traditional heterosexual husband and wife relationship ... The more powerful one in each unequal pair will be tempted at some point in time to wield power over the less powerful one -and that temptation will most likely be fueled by an arrogance or insolence or self-righteousness that says "I am better, I know more, and I have the right answers; you are inferior, ignorant, and wrong; therefore you do as 1 say." Three Prophets: Three Words Isaiah has a message for those in power over the marginalized: "[God] will put an end to the pride of the arrogant, and lay low the insolence of tyrants" (Isa 13:11 b). The prophetic message from Isaiah and others seems clear. We are to forgo our arrogant and grandiose ways of thinking that we have the final word. We are to desist in our selfrighteous superiority. We are to take a look at the way we are misusing power and notice how it emerges out of our misplaced pride. What else do the prophets have to say about power and pride? Micah offers us a positive formula for power and pride: What does God require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (Mic 6:8). And what does it mean to walk humbly with our God? Jesus, quoting the Hebrew law, has the last word: You shall love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself (Lk 10:27-28). Sort of brings the "bite" back into the biblical word on pride, doesn't it? Open Hands 26 ~~mments &Letters Pride Singing is a Great Source of Pride . : commitment to singing with the Gay Men's Chorus of Angeles for the past twelve years has been a tremendously 'ual and empowering experience. The quality and sound r music is a great source of pride for me as a gay man, for the gay and lesbian community in general. As a memf GALA (Gay and Lesbian Association) Choruses which a global membership of 125 choruses, we have sung in :: premier halls throughout the nation, including the Dor. Chandler Pavilion at the Los Angeles Music Center and ....incoln Center in New York City. We will sing at Carnegie this summer. Two years ago we traveled to Europe where . . ad concerts in Copenhagen, Denmark, Berlin, Germany, ..,ue, Czechoslovakia, Budapest, Hungary, and Vienna, AusThrough music we are able to tear down walls of hostility 'een non-gay and gay communities and to build bridges 'e and understanding. .4.. Burnett, Jr., Los Angeles, CA xual Pride Pride" has a questionable history in Christian theology, re it was classed among the "seven Deadly Sins." To this !""espond in the spirit of "The first shall be last and the last be first" that pride is a virtuefor those who don't have enough nd a vice for those who have too much. An understanding arginalized groups in the church should recognize that ....e and self-understanding have often been systematically .:ed to members of those groups. lSexual Pride, in my view, isn't an assertion of some sort auvinistic superiority at anyone else's expense. Rather it all for an appreciation of bisexuals' particular place in ,.. common humanity. Bisexual Pride is telling the world our erience as bisexuals without the excuses or apologies. We -. in relationship to our communities. While self-esteem s within, it is also ofvital importance to our well-being for .. of us to belong to a community that understands us as are. rrt Lunde, Evanston, IL .de is a Very Personal Thing ..1y story begins nearly four years ago when I met my lifertner Peggy. At the time, I was a member of a church in the rthwestern suburbs of Chicago that was not Reconciled in rist. Because both Peggy and I had deep roots in organized religion we were determined to keep Christ at the root of our life together. As our relationship blossomed, we wanted a Blessed Union, but it became apparent that would not happen at my home church. Then we found Holy Trinity in Chicago, whose pastor welcomed us. On September 7, 1991 we celebrated our Union. After coming out more publicly to my home church and struggling for a while with them, I finally, with a great deal of gut-wrenching wavering, made the decision to join Holy Trinity. It was difficult at best since I had put in nearly eight years of service to my home congregation in Elk Grove. However, change is good and the bonus was that Peggy also jOined Holy Trinity. How can any church, Lutheran or otherwise, deny any person the right to be an active and contributing member of the church? There are nine million unchurched people in the U.S. How many of those are within our lesbigay community, who would love to be active members, who have time, talents, and treasures to offer? Are we not all God's children with the right to be welcomed with the same respect and love that Jesus taught? The Lutheran Church cannot "reclaim pride" until it has genUinely committed to putting down a solid foundation on which to build a church that is totally reconciled in Christ. It takes one brick at a time, with each brick being put in place by people from our lesbigay community as well as by bishops, leaders, and other members of individual parishes . Tina Toth, Chicago IL About the Right Your Fall 1993 issue on "Responding to the Right: Strategies for Change" was excellent. I particularly appreciated the article by Virginia Ramey Mollenkott on "Confronting Fundamentalism." My sister is a born-again Christian and I have had numerous difficulties trying to communicate with her because of our differences in biblical interpretation. Mollenkott gave some wonderful suggestions on how I might engage in a religious conversation with my sister. Please enter my subscription to Open Hands. M. Susan Harlow, Chicago, IL About Celebrating the Inclusive God Thanks for your complimentary copy and letter regarding my article on worshipping in a welcoming congregation (Winter 1994). I wanted to let you know that I took time to read the issue in detail and in depth for all the aspects that I could see involved in putting Open Hands together . . . I also found that the articles, tips, and helpful liturgy moved smoothly and supplemented and complimented each other. I shared this issue with some people who have been away from the Church for a while now. The feedback I received was that it made them think and reconsider some of the possibilities with the Church again. This issue seems to have been tenderly and conSciously written to those that would view not only this issue but the Church for the first time or for the first time after being away for a while. Thanks for all this work. Paul E. Santillan, Chicago, IL -mmer 1994 27 COMING OUT Borhek, Mary V Coming Out to Parents: A Two-Way Survival Guide for Lesbians and Gay Men and their Parents. Revised and updated. Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 1993. Reflects a decade of updated research and activism by this mother of a gay son. Cherry, Kittredge and Zalmon Sherwood. Equal Rites: Lesbian and Gay Worship, Ceremonies and Celebrations. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, due January 1995. Will include a section on coming out. Glaser, Chris. Coming Out to God: Prayers for Lesbians and Gay Men, Their Families and Friends. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1991. Includes a variety of corporate and individual prayers useful in coming out liturgies and other lesbian/ gay-positive worship. Herdt, Gilbert and Andrew Boxer. Children of Horizons: How Gay and Lesbian Teens are Leading a New Way Out of the Closet. Boston: Beacon Press, 1993. Report of two years of study of the gay and lesbian teen support group at Horizon, a lesbian/ gay social service agency in Chicago. Singer, Bennett L., ed. Growing Up Gay/Growing Up Lesbian: A Literary Anthology. New York: New Press, 1994. Offers lesbian and gay youth a collection of fifty "coming of age" stories, pairing selections by teenagers with excerpts from older writers' fiction and autobiographies. Stuart, Elizabeth. "A Celebration oj Coming Out," in Daring to Speak Love's Name. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1992. Includes commentary, liturgical elements, and readings for coming out ceremonies. HISTORY OF A MOVEMENT Blumenfeld, \Varren J. and Diane Raymond. Looking at Gay and Lesbian Life. Updated and expanded. Boston: Beacon Press, 1993. Provides a good overview of various aspects of gay and lesbian life, including an informative section on "History of Lesbian and Gay Movement Politics." Duberman, Martin. Stonewall. New York: Dutton, 1993. Tells the story of the birth of the gay movment through the lives of six people (Yvonne Flowers, Jim Fouratt, Foster Gunnison, KarlaJay, Sylvia Rivera, Craig Rodwell). The story begins with their early lives, before 1969, and follows them through Stonewall and post-Stonewall events. A fast-paced history that reads like a novel! Frye, Marilyn. "Lesbian Feminism and the Gay Rights Movement: Another View oj Male Supremacy, Another Separatism" in The Politics of Reality: Essays in Feminist Theory. Trumansburg, NY: The Crossing Press, 1983. Reprinted in A Certain Terror. (see below). Explores an assumption that gay and lesbian aims and interests are always the same and looks at how gay male politics and movement work has often been built in a way that prevents lesbians from joining in fully. Cleaver, Richard and Patricia Myers, eds. A Certain Terror: Heterosexism, Militarism, Violence & Change. Chicago: Great Lakes American Friends Service Committee, 1993. See especially articles by Harry Hay, founder of Mattachine Society who is often noted as the founder of modern gay movement; bell hooks; and Richard Cleaver. Katz, Jonathan. Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S.A. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1976. A pioneering volume that brought together historical documents of gay and lesbian life, including related heterosexual material, from 1566 to 1974. A must for anyone seriously interested in knowing original sources and passing on gay and lesbian history. Plant, Richard. The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuals. New York: Henry Holt &: Co., 1986. Story of the oppression of gays by Nazis in World War II. Stonewall-25. Uncommon Heroes. 1994. A tribute to bi, gay, and lesbian contemporary role models produced by the Stonewall-25 organization, this photo-essay honors religious and political leaders as well as artists, entertainers, teachers, etc. SPIRITUALITY, SELF-ESTEEM AND PRIDE Balka, Christie and Andy Rose, eds. Twice Blessed: On Being Lesbian or Gay andJewish. Boston:Beacon Press, 1991. Includes essays from a variety of perspectives on being Jewish and lesbian or gay. Fortunato, John. Embracing the Exile: HealingJourneys of Gay Christians. San Francisco: Harper &: Row, 1985. An exploration of spiritual formation, psychotherapy, and the image of exile as possibly the place where true life may be found . Glaser, Chris. Come Home! Reclaiming Spirituality and Community as Gay Men and Lesbians. San Francisco: Harper &: Row, 1990. Offers an invitation to lesbians and gay men to come home to their spirituality through Christian faith and community. See also his new book The Word is Out! The Bible Reclaimed for Lesbians and Gay Men. HarperSanFrancisco, 1994. (See ad, p. 31.) Open Hands 28 ome New Churches :elcome to these churches which have become part of our -s roots movement in recent months. ~T.T.T~ "T"T"T~ OPEN -a-L AffiRMING ~ COMOREOAnOM • ....".. ~T.T.T~ "T"T"T~ OPEN AND AFFIRMING hwood United Church of Christ veland, Ohio Archwood's 175th anniversary year is a time of growth and _~alization for this 160-member "inclusive community for m inner city Cleveland. Determined to meet the needs of city, the congregation recently placed its pastor, David Bahr, -he open-air steeple of the church. He was not to leave until front steps of the church were covered with food for the edy. Twenty-two hours later, there was $4,000 worth of food David was a free man! Church members baked 300 cook-·or Gay Pride Day and the church hosts meetings of a gay / ian political action group and square dancers. In the fall, " plan a special study series on feminine images of God in Bible. lIadvale UnitedChurch ,ver, Massachusetts ~e listing under Reconciling. t Church Congregational eld, Connecticut This suburban church of 900 members continues a long of social activism. A founding member of Operation Hope ,.,ch provides shelter and hOUSing services), First Church sa sponsors refugee families and was one of the first groups -he community to offer AIDS education. Members will soon deciding whether to embark on their largest capital camIgn ever! Old South Church ston, Massachusetts A church at one of the busiest downtown crossroads in oston, Old South is celebrating 325 years of ministry (1669994!). Its autumn "Heritage Year 325" programs will include a series of celebration concerts and guest speakers. Elizabeth Nordbeck, Peter Gomes, and Andrew Young are among those scheduled. As part of its long tradition of social gospel and action, the church offers a gay/lesbian fellowship group, an HIV / AIDS prayer group, and an AIDS outreach ministry proViding meals, transportation and other services for persons with AIDS in the Boston area. PilgrimsUnited Church Maple Grove, Minnesota A "real sense of social justice" is the moving force of this 130-member church outside Minneapolis. Having met for a number of years in a shopping center, the congregation is excited about its recent acquisition of a building which will provide new stability for the church and serve as "an instrument for ministry" in the area. Pilgrims continues to explore ways to increase its ONA awareness and outreach. PlymouthCongregational Des Moines, Iowa Situated in an older residential area of the city, this 3160member church is known for its liberal social stances and very active music and social action programs. The congregation is involved in resettling three Bosnian families, developing new directions for adult ministries, and getting to know its new senior minister. Plymouth's ONA commitment finds expression in a support group for gay and lesbian people and another for their spouses. The church also hosts an area Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gay (PFLAG) meeting. United Church of Jaffrey Jaffrey, New Hampshire Strong community outreach and dynamic leadership characterize United Church. Located "downtown in a small town," this church of 150 members has the motto of"Always for Others." They live this out through their food bank, emergency shelter, and numerous other ministries to the community. United is the second New Hampshire congregation to become ONA. Slightly more than 2 percent of the approXimately 6,200 congregations of the United Church of Christ are now Open and Affirming (aNA). This is more than double the number in 1991. The Un ited Church Coalition has set a goal of 150 aNA churches by the summer of 1995. With 136 currently listed, we're well on our way! ONA National Conference }B~;,. ' ~~< . • '~W*R:~:;: " , . '~0:: Planning continues fQ~:;"~athereGl in Spirit,{Gaining in Stren~th!;' the first n~tio~ti~e exult~i<Anb(;\Open and" Affirming (0NA}ei:mfches and friends~.$cheduledfor 1995. Th~,:~vent will celebra\i,*.~~rt years of ONAi~<;tivity in the UGtS and look~~~ad·'to'l~e promi~~t~lld chalienge of expanding this wdcbme into a new d~cade and C~iji tury. The ONl}(\dvisory CommiH~~ i~, meeting this sum.. mer for furth~r' planning ,~~f9ut the local "f1ndmlii;?rogram. Watch f,or more details. gt;: <*' " Summer 1994 29 Calvary Lutheran Church Columbus, Ohio Calvary's RIC process started when their pastor Brad Schmeling came out to the congregation. In the ensuing discussions, the congregation found they had to decide what kind of place they wanted to be. The outcome was a declaration of support for their pastor, an Affirmation of Welcome to all people, the departure of a small part of the members and, over the last few months, the addition of as many more new members. In an area of the country dense with Lutheran congregations, Pastor Schmeling's coming out has given the congregation a focus -they want to be the welcoming place for all those who have not felt included by mainstream churches. St. John-St. Matthew-Emmanuel Lutheran Church Brooklyn, New York A fairly traditional congregation, the members of St. JohnSt. Matthew-Emmanuel often talk about the need to reach out to its very diverse neighborhood. After a several-year process of study and reflection initiated by their former pastor and carried onward by the Social Ministry Committee, the congregation made the Affirmation of Welcome a way to reach out to the lesbian and gay community in their neighborhood. St. Paul Lutheran Church Washington, D.C. While there is no recognized lesbian or gay "presence" in this large congregation, St. Paul's members felt a need to make the Affirmation of Welcome as part of their desire to become more inclusive. Pastor Tom Omholt says that the prayerful, sensitive, articulate ways the members communicated during their study made the process a wonderful, moving experience. Through all the discussion of sexuality and theology, their focus was on "What would the Gospel have us do 7" Ballardvale United Church Andover, Massachusetts This congregation of 300 members, north of Boston, was united thirty-five years ago as a United Methodist and United Church of Christ congregation. Their experience of "learning to live with differences" has been the foundation of the church since that time. The congregation has a strong tradition of outreach and social justice, most recently taking the form of a "shalom project" locally in partnership with a local elementary /middle school. The process to become both Reconciling and Open and Affirming began with a study four years ago and continued with the formation of a spirituality support group for gay and lesbian persons and their families and friends . First UnitedMethodist Church San Rafael, California First UMC is the oldest Protestant congregation in Marin County (north of San Francisco). Its 120 members continue to be on the cutting edge of Christian social witness -they housed the first local homeless shelter and provide a food bank. A luncheon for persons who are Sight-impaired is offered once a month. The congregation withdrew support and meeting space for a Boy Scouts troop because of the Scouts' antigay policies. The congregation has functioned as a "reconciling" church for many years and is now making it official. Firstand Summerfield United Methodist Church New Haven, Connecticut First and Summerfield, adjoining the Yale University campus, has a history dating back to 1789. The current congregation was created by the merger of two congregations -one predominately black and the other white -in 1981. The congregation is proud of its tradition of being inclusive racially, culturally, and economically. It has hosted and supported an emerging Metropolitan Community Call for Articles for the Winter 1995 Issue REFLECTIONS ON THE WELCOMING MOVEMENT What kinds of growth have you seen? What are the challenges before us now? What are your visions for the movement? Recent changes in acceptance from church structures? How is the mainline press treating us? We are looking for a variety of reflections on the "state of the movement. " DEADLINE: October 1, 1994 Write or fax Editor· Open Hands · 3801 N. Keeler· Chicago, IL 60641 Fax: 312/736-5475 Church and now a Korean congregation. The congregation has rebounded from a major fire in the building in 1987 with a strong vision of hope and possibility for ministry. Open Hands 30 Celebrating the Life of ~Jay McCarty 1945-1994 .--, Several hundred persons filled the sanctuary of Trinity UMC .:1 Kansas City on July 6 for "A Service of Joy and Thanksgiv:lg for the Life of James Jay' McCarty," a long-time Reconcil.ng Congregation activist and board member. The celebration ;-ecognized Jay as a "lover of tradition and challenger of con·ention." Stories reminded friends and family of Jay's witty, -elf-deprecating humor; his impeccable dress; his love of fine :-estaurants and travel; his compassion for others; and his re:usal to let the church he loved be any less than what he envislOned it called to be. Jay's exuberant love of life, bawdy storytelling, and strong sense of Christian responsibility 'ouched many lives. We thank God for the unique and nrepeatable gift of Jay McCarty. ~ Jay's partner, Dale Allen, has requested that memorial gifts e sent to a local AIDS hospice: SAVE, Inc., P.O. Box 4530l, Kansas City, MO 64111. resbyterians Ban Same-Gender Unions The Presbyterian Church u.s.A. has forbidden its minis..ers to bless same-sex unions in an action taken by its highest overning body, the General Assembly, which met from June 10-17 in Wichita. As an amendment to the church's constitution, the action will take effect in a year if a majority of the regional bodies (presbyteries) approve it. "This action was surprising," according to Bob Patenaude, co-moderator of Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns, "because last year's Assembly took milder action." Another proposal would have amended the constitution to prohibit ministers and ordained laity from holding office if they were not "faithful in marriage or celibate." By the narrowest of margins this language was removed and less restrictive language substituted. What had promised to be the most controversial issue of his Assembly -response to the "Reimagining" conference ,,' as diffused, however. The committee in charge of reviewing t produced a report, nearly unanimously approved, calling :or reconciliation. Integrating Faith and Sexuality A lively, inspirational collection of 365 daily meditations that celebrate the Bible's positive encouragement for lesbians and gay men. Paperback • $12.00 :I HarperSanFrancisco A D;visiOll of HarperCo!!insPu/;lishers Also "vai/,rblc li'om H:l rpc rCoiiinsCanadaLtd. V,ID.EG PROJE<;T DiReCTOR The Reconciling Congregati~n Prolram <is seekingFtan experienced filmmaker to deve1gp neW educatiol1.al videos. Direct process from creative stage througl;l final production. Knowledge oflesbian/gay/bisexual concenis in church,' Send vitae/ qualifiCatiohs to: RCP • 3801N. Keeler Ave. •..~Chic41go, It 60641 t. Eax 312l736:S475 -----------Gifts to Celebrate the RCP's 10th Anniversary · ---------' E Original Cast Recording Complete music fromHOME: The Parable of Beatrice and Neal. Performed by the original cast. 40 minutes. o Compact Disc regular $18 *special price $15 oAudio CassetteTape regular $12 *special price $10 P10th Anniversary Video regular $25 *special price $20 Video montage of stories and interview with HOME company on their 1994 midwestern tour.30 minutes. 'ME World Premier Tour T-Shirts High-quality cotton/poly blended "Mega Tee." Wild Rose or Seaweed colors interwoven with black to produce attractive flecked look. HOME logo on front in black ink. Indicate Quantity: WildRose $12 L XL XXL Seaweed $12 L XL XXL SUBTOTAL $ __ *Specia/ prices good for prepaid orders received by 9/30/94. Shipping/handling $ 3.00 TOTAL $ _ _ ummer 1994 NAME _________________________________ CHURCH ________________________________ ADDRESS _______________ CITY/STATE/ZIP _______________ PHONE: (___________ o Enclosed is my payment of $___ o Charge to my VISA or Mastercard (circle one) # Expiration ___/__ Signature _ _ _________________ Send order to: Reconciling Congregation Program 3801 N. Keeler Avenue, Chicago, IL 60641 3121736-5526 fax: 3121736-5475 31 RCP 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ACCLAIMED Can this be home -Jor everyone who needs a place? Home -a place where all can share in grace? When our doors and anns are open wide to all, when each one oj us is Jree to heed God's call, This will be home . .. We'll all be home. The finale of Tim McGinley's HOME: TheParable ofBeatrice and Neal roused teary-eyed audience members to their feet in city after city. Viewers cornered McGinley and performers after each show to pour out their personal struggles which HOME had brought to life. The steadfast faith in God's abiding love, which HOME vividly conveyed, deeply touched many persons estranged from the church. McGinley's vision of what the church can and should be captivated others. HOME was commissioned by the Reconciling Congregation Program in celebration of its 10th anniversary. Timothy McGinley, minister of music at Broadway United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, created the show and composed the music. A company of ten persons, members and friends of Reconciling Congregations around the country, rehearsed together for one week and then gave fifteen performances in fourteen cities on a two-week midwestern tour. McGinley wove together a modern parable based on the Acts 10 story of Peter and Cornelius with a contemporary adaptation of music from the Mass. The Introit that opens HOME raises the questions: How do we build community? Where do we draw the line? Who should be in the Jamily? And who should stay outside? Can we all live together in hamlOny? How do we make a place Jor everyone? Can this be home? Just as Jesus did, HOME "answers" these questions by telling a parable -the story of six characters who are in some way in exile from the church or from their calling. Their unexpected encounter at a dinner arranged by a Reconciling Congregation pastor is both humorous and poignant. The focus is on the tension between Beatrice, who left behind her ordination to marry a conservative pastor prominent in antigay activities, and Neal, who left seminary and the church because he was openly gay. The characters discover their common bond in their faith in God's love, sung as The Credo, part of which states: I believe that God made me who I am And I believe that God rejoices when we live honest lives, Jor I believe in the creative love oj God. The common bond which the six characters discover culminates in the sharing of the Eucharist in the last scene. McGinley's music is most powerful and dramatic as it boldly proclaims the crux of our Christian faith: "Surprise! I am here, " God says. "All that I have created I have made good. You cannot limit me. I come to you when you least expect me, in unlikely places, With voices you reJuse to hear. So prepare the way!" By all measurable means, the tour was an overwhelming success. More than 1600 persons attended the fifteen performances. Over $20,000 was received to cover the expenses of the tour. Hundreds of volunteers supported the tour by providing hOUSing, meals, and publicity for the performances. "I can only say that this 10th anniversary celebration exceeded our expectations -it was truly a miracle!" noted RCP program coordinator Mark Bowman. "The right persons appeared to fill the many needed roles and tasks. McGinley's show powerfully portrayed the deep pain and abiding faith which drive the RC movement. Surely God's Spirit is at work in our midst." A very special thanks to the performers and support personnel who committed three weeks to rehearsals and touring and who proclaimed the hope-filled message of the RC movement: Ginny Bartholomew (Cleveland), David Bates (Chicago), Elizabeth Bowman (Cleveland), Don Fresen (Waukegan, IL), Robert Fromer (Hollywood), Drew Gorby (Louisville), Gregory Johnson (Chicago), Ruthe Miller (Elmhurst, IL), and Suzanne Preston (Indianapolis). Photo: Jean Caffey Lyles, United Methodist News Service A SCENE FROM HOME. From left to right: Beth Bowman, Don Fresen, and Gregory Johnson. SEE FORM ON PAGE 31 TO ORDER A RECORDING, VIDEO, AND T-SHIRT. Open Hands Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Open Hands Vol 10 No 1 - Reclaiming Pride: An Agenda for the Church? https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e216906c16142aecef65f0f5aed78890.pdf eaaceaf61f74fd285c13f94717b8571d Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Volume Number The volume number of the issue 10 Issue Number The number of the issue (within a volume) 2 Publication Year The year the issue was published 1994 Publication Date The date the issue was published Fall Text Any textual data included in the document Copy 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 3801 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 011 recycled paper. --dJ Resources for Ministries Affirming the Diversity ofHuman Sexuality Fall 1994 THE CAMPUS SCENE Dividing the Waters: Small Steps in a Campus Journey LAURA L EE W ILSON Listen to the story and the poetry of struggle. Creating Opportunity Out of Resistance? B EN W. C URRY Can we turn incidences of resistance into opportunity? Chaplain s Reflect A NONYMOUS WRITERS FROM NACUC A Report of Conversations with Students O DETTE LOCKWOOD-STEWART An informal report on students' comments and reflections about gay/ lesbian experiences on sixty-pIus campuses. A Recent Student Reflects on Inclusivity BARRY HECKARD Seminary: Community or Closet? V IRGINIA WOLF Seminarians' reflections from the third national gay/lesbian seminarians' conference. Challenges Facing Campus Residential Life Counselors G REGORY A NDERSON A young organizer sees both denial and desire to e among RAs. THE CHURCH-CAMPUS CONNECTION The Local Chu rch-Campus Link: Ministry in the O DETTE LOCKWOOD-STEWART, CHAD HE ~ G .:. .J TH A campus minister, a graduate S de t, and a local pastor share their vision of a new campus ministry taking shape at Berkeley. Open Hands 2 6 7 Campus Ministries with Sexual Minorities STRATEGIES AND PROGRAMS Program Coordinators Mark Bowman Reconciling Congregation Program, Inc. 3801 N. Keeler Avenue Journey of a Campus Minister Who Is Out JAN GRIESINGER Here's a giimpse of the journey of the oniy fuiiy out and long-time campus minister. 16 18 Four Pastoral Ministries BET H ANNON 18 19 Building a Liberating Bible Study Program into your Ministry L INDSAY LOUI SE B IDDLE How are physical self-defense and biblical self-defense related? 20 Handouts for Anti-Homophobia Education Workshops 21 What is homophobia, heterosexism, and heterosexual privilege? BECOMING A WELCOMING CAMPUS MINISTRY MSF at IWU: Becoming Reconciling 22 ANDREW ULMAN Students create a biblically-based justice ministry. Taking your Sensitivity Temperature: Two Checklists 23 24 How Does a Campus Ministry Become Part of the Welcoming MOVEMENT NEWS 29 Chicago, IL 60641 312/736-5526 Ann B. Day &......T....~ ..."'..."'."'..,OPEN--Open and Affirming Program !fJ!~!!~ P.O. Box 403 &..........~ ..."'..."'."'.., Holden, MA 01520 508/856-9316 Judy Bond o Reconciled in Christ Program 1722 Hollinwood Drive Alexandria, VA 22307 703/768-4915 William Capel 9} .. ,. More Light Churches '::" ~( Network 123R West Church Street Champaign, IL 61820-3510 T 217/355-9825 Publisher Mark Bowman Open Hands Editor Mary Jo Osterman Consultants Lindsay Biddle Linda Gesling Jan Griesinger Layout I Graphics I Typesetting In Print -Jan Graves Editorial AdviSOry Committee 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 Dick Poole, Oak Forest, IL Caroline Presnell, Evanston, IL Irma C. Romero, Chicago, IL Paul Santillan, Chicago, IL Martha Scott, Chicago, IL Stuart Wright, Chicago, IL Movement? 32 Fall 1994 ONE MORE WORD 26 WHAT DO YOU THINK? 27 SELECTED RESOURCES 28 3 T he paid announcement that ran in the local newspaper was brief and to the point: The newly formed Gay and Lesbian Group ofOswego will meet every Tuesday night at 7:30 P.M. at Tom Philipp's house at 4 West End Avenue. My eyes bulged out of their sockets and my heartbeat increased rapidly! Two weeks earlier I had met with this new group on campus and invited them to use my home, which was also the Protestant Campus Ministry Center, for their meetings. Because they were not yet a duly recognized group by the Stud~nt Association, they did not have access to using campus faBy Thomas ,. Philipp because of your own commitment a truthfulness. Now, in this letter, I see y running away from something, and something is being honest with yo -self and with us. Do you really th this board wouldn't be behind you the way?" The date of that event, very vivid in my memory, was Oct 1970. The group did meet regularly a grew in number to approximately fo members. The group included not 0 cilities. I had expected Inclusive ministry stays on this an article to this effect students from the campus, but als campus minister's agenda! in the school newspaper. I did not expect the announcement in the Oswego Palladium Times, the town's weekly paper. I quickly went to my typewriter to prepare one of those "campus ministry correct" responses which I would submit to the paper as a letter to the editor. The letter stated how our ministry attempted to reach out to all the various groups on campus and how the Center was a meeting place for some very diverse groups (which I then identified). Finishing the letter, I was ready to head down to the newspaper office to deliver it when the president of our board wandered in. I showed him my letter after informing him of the newspaper notice. IIIfyou submit that letter, I will resign from the board," he said. "ls it that poorly written?" I asked. "No," he replied, "but I joined this board because I was impressed with this campus ministry being on the cutting edge of things, and few faculty members, a few non-co _ people, and even a police officer fr the town. The group became a real c munity where personal stories cou shared, where personal joys coul celebrated, and where personal d' pointments and difficulties brough feelings and actions of sensitivity a caring. When I left that campus mi . try pOSition in 1972, it was with ily that I shed my tears, Changing D ynal11" It is now twenty-fo r ministry with gao sa leslJiaIlS on the campus and 0 a the community a a:-e e, 'sts here 0 Long Island, bu he si uation and dynamics of that situation have chan greatly. I sense fou r major differences. More Talk and Openness. The topiC homosexuality is more talked about both the university and the church th it used to be. Discussion of homosex . ality has made its way into classroorr. Open Hands 4 and resident assistant and freshmen orientation programs. Gays and lesbians are now invited to make presentations. At the same time, gay and lesbian support groups within the denominations have formed. Also, many denominations have had task forces to /Istudy the issue." Reams of educational material have been produced. This movement . toward talking about and studying homosexuality has been coupled with less reluctance to form gay and lesbian groups on campus. Some groups even receive funding through student activities funds. These changes do not mean greater understanding in either the university or the church, but they do mean homosexuality is more talked about, and more openly, within these two institutions today than it was thirty years ago. Greater Negativity and Opposition. Because the topic of homosexuality has now come more to the fore, greater negativism and greater displays of opposition have arisen. In the university this has meant various forms of gay bashing. In the church it has meant that denominations now formulate policies placing restrictions on gays and lesbians, policies which didn't exist in the past. As a result, gays and lesbians ordained to positions of leadership within most denominations are more subject to witch hunts carried out by organized conservative factions than was true in the past. In my own Presbyterian denomination, while dialogue with gays and lesbians within our churches is to be encouraged and promoted, no safeguards are provided to make that dialogue in fact possible. MoreDichotomy and Isolation for Students. Many young people are coming to grips with their sexuality at an earlier age. In the last . few years we have seen the development of support groups for gays and lesbians of high school age. This means I am seeing college gays and lesbians who have worked through issues of self-acceptance and self-affirmation before reaching the college campus. Many do not feel the need for a group nor do they take their clues as to what it means to be a gay or lesbian from their peers. This self-reliance and reluctance to be involved in a group, however, leaves a vacuum for those on cam- Fall 1994 pus who are still in the process of comcome advocates for sustaining this right. . ing out or reaching self-acceptance. For We must develop strategies toward that them, feelings ofisolation are even more end immediately. prevalent. Also, because of the negative The chasm between "in a relationship" stance in denominational policies and and "abstinence. " I am concerned that statements, these searching students much that has been written on the sup-. have become even more turned off to port side of gays and lesbians affirms the church and those who serve the one of two life styles: either in a relachurch. tionship with one ·other individual or Tired, Burned-out Clergy. Some (perabstinence. What about the gay or leshaps many) campus ministers feel more bian individual who either has not and more out of sync with where the found that one individual to whom she/ church is on the matter of ministry to he can pledge total commitment? What and with gays and lesbians. Some (perabout those who have no desire to be in haps many) feel worn out and tired of such a relationship? Is there then no outbeing out there on the forefront. Gay ~ let for sexual expression? We and lesbian ministers no doubt share ~. may be in danger of that feeling, yet many feel they \1 presentingthe gay/lesneed to be out there. They feel bian case as the ideal they have no choice and non-promiscuous, tillfeel isolated from their death-do-us-part scecampus ministry col-nario. This would heap even leagues. ~ greater guilt on those not in such a relationship. Let us be The Agenda Ahead Lmore open and realistic about what et me suggest several concerns that ¥ we describe as /I acceptable life I feel need to be on our agenda as styles"-and underpin our realism with campus ministers for the next few years. a theology that offers more than the two Support Networks. At a campus min-options above. istry conference two years ago one of The need to reclaim our role as theolomy colleagues, a Roman Catholic priest, gians within the academic community. put up a sign advertising a workshop There was a time when campus minis-he wished to give. It was titled I/A Min-ters were seen as theologians in resiistry to Gays and Lesbians on Campus." dence on campus. More than worship A few hours after posting it, he changed leaders, counselors, or organizers of the title to /IA Ministry of Gays and Les-events and activities, they were the ones bians on Campus." The workshop was to offer a theological perspective on the dramatically changed in content, for-issues and concerns which emerged mat, and intention. Within that group within the university community. We of gays and straights, many told their need to reclaim that role. One of the personal stories. For some it was the first areas crying out for theological reflectime they had come out to their col-tion is the area of human sexuality-in leagues. They no longer felt alone. A sup-particular, the area of homosexuality. port group was being experienced. How-We need more Gary David Comstocks ever, there was no follow up after that (author of Gay TheologywithoutApolmeeting and no network was estab-ogy) out there on the cutting edge of lished. People went back to their isola-theological reflection. T tion. The need for support networks for Thomas J. Philipp is Pastor ofCommunity gay and lesbian clergy is great. Presbyterian Church in Merrick, New York, The matter of officiating at Holy Executive Minister ofLong Island United Unions. Some campus ministers have felt Campus Ministry (servcomfortable, in certain circumstances, ing the campuses of to officiate at holy unions. Several deNassau and Suffolk nominations now have this issue before County), and Protestant them. There is a strong pOSSibility that Chaplain at Long Island these denominations will attempt to University-Co W.Post deny to ordained clergy the right to so Campus. participate. Campus ministers must be5 A struggle continues between the gay campus community and the administration at the University of Delaware. Responding to a plea for support, recognition, and rights, the President's Commission to Promote Racial and Cultural Diversity established the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Concerns Caucus. The Caucus was to discern, evaluate, and bring to the campus community an awareness of the climate for the gay community. So Much Pain/So Little Understanding Over the past three years many meetings have been held. Many concerns have surfaced. Many requests have been made. Yet an intense amount of homophobic behavior still exists on campus. In 1992 when the Caucus realized that nothing was being done and nothing was being heard, they asked two administrators to attend an open meeting where Caucus members could ask questions. The hope was that an open dialogue would bring results. It was a painful meeting for everyone who attended. I sat in that meeting listening carefully to the verbal language and watching the non-verbal language. As I witnessed the pain and oppression which filled the room, I started jotting down phrases as I saw and heard them. "So Little Listening" emerged. For all who have ears, let them listen! For all who have eyes, let them see! For all who have a feeling heart, let them experience! Many issues of the gay community are still pending: partner benefits, a gay resource center with a full-time professional to staff it, and other benefits which the University provides for heterosexual employees. In an effort to keep the imbalance before the administration, a survey was sent to graduate students, salaried staff, and faculty. It was DIVIDING THE WATERS: Small Steps in a Campus Journey received with various comments, from intense disgust to gratefulness. It ultimately showed an untruth: that the University is a welcoming and safe community for gay culture. Such Small Steps/So Many Cries As the United Methodist campus pastor at the University of Delaware, I find my ministry growing within the gay campus community. The lesbian, gay, and bisexual students, faculty, and staff who search for meaning in their lives are opening themselves to the presence of the church-the same church which oppresses and alienates. Because of their openness to my presence, thoughts, and sharing, each person in her or his own way has retained some hope in the church. Many long to be a part of a spiritual community where they are loved and accepted and affirmed as people of God. They cry in the wilderness for the church to divide the waters that they might reach the promised land. How long will we keep our sisters and brothers on the other side of the waters? God divides the waters with a resounding "YES" in Jesus the Christ. God divides the waters with a resounding "YES" in unconditional love and grace as a gift to us. My hope is that each of us would pass on to all God's people the gifts of unconditional love and grace, not in spite of who they are but because of who they are and whose they are. T Laura Lee Wilson is Campus Pastor and Executive Director of the Wesley Foundation Campus Ministry at the University of Delawa re and is a member of the Reconciling Pastors' Action Network. Open Ha 6 Creating Opportunity Out of Res\stance? By Ben W. Curry Erik, a senior in college, reports in a counseling session that he has established "gaydar," (gay radar) in his life to cope with who he is. He says, "Whom can I trust on this campus? Who will offer me support and assistance rather than resistance?" At Mt. Union College in Alliance, Ohio, the President refused to let the college host an AIDS Conference. He said it was too controversial for their small college. It would "cost" the institution funds from alumni and donors. The President of Rio Grande College in Gallipolis, Ohio, refused to give permission for the formation of a gay, lesbian, bisexual student group. A chaplain at a midwestern university recently reported that her student affairs officer, worried about legal implications, overreacted to her establishment of a university-wide committee to determine policies on same sex unions. It cost her the college chaplaincy. A lesbian faculty member of a southern college reported that she had worked unsuccessfully for years to have her partner included under her health benefits from the institution. The resistance came from administrators worried about escalating costs and the risks of adopting controversial values. A campus minister, struggling to keep a dozen members attending a fellowship group regularly, reported that several conservative and fundamentalist students were outspoken in their unacceptance of gay, lesbian, and bisexual students. One fundamentalist said to the students seeking admittance, "You are condemned. AIDS is your judgment. Either repent or die." Because the conservatives and fundamentalists were the most outspoken members, the campus minister did not respond. He was afraid he might lose all of his attendees if the issue of homosexuality was addressed. You can probably name similar examples of resistance on your campus or on campuses you know. Such examples are symptomatic of the lack of inclusiveness, the difficulty of dealing with diversity, and the tough economic crises Fall 1994 institutions of higher education presently face. Some Understandings of Resistance " I s the problem prejudice?" I asked a faculty member at The American University "No," he said, "I do not believe so. It is the lack of familiarity." Some people want to be supportive, but they do not know how. They do not know what to say or do. Others want to be supportive but draw a line, setting limits. For example, some Christians will accept gays, lesbians, and bisexuals within the church or will not discriminate against them in employment, yet say that they feel uncomfortable with some homosexual acts as less than ideal. Resistance emerges because so much of what we learn about the lesbigay community comes from the wrong sources, such as the propaganda of the religiOUS right, inappropriate jokes, or negative and inaccurate media stereotypes. Because mainstream gays, lesbians, and bisexuals often do not want to be singled out or noticed, the most outspoken persons produce the impressions and actions which the public experiences as "typical." This dearth of knowledge of lesbigay persons is a breeding ground for negative viewpoints. Often the reactions become volatile, emotional, and hurtful rather than rational, sensitive, and caring. Developing Strategies Resistance to the practice of fully welcoming lesbigays exists in many forms on our campuses. Opportunities also abound. You may be able-out of resist~nces you experience on campusto provide opportunities that offer growth. Familiarity. We must read about, listen to, and communicate with lesbigay persons and we must to so with a desire to be inclusive and accepting of their diversity. However, no clear models exist for how to establish familiarity with the gay community. Setting up listening posts, developing table-talk luncheons, and allowing study and discussions on human sexuality are possibilities. Advocacy. Becoming an advocate means speaking on behalf of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals to gain campus services such as an orientation session, a resource center, counseling, or support groups. At The American University our new Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Fellowship within campus ministry, led by a student from Wesley Theological Seminary, resulted from a new resource center being established for lesbians, gays, and bisexuals by the University's Division of Student Life. Worship. Using inclusive prayers, welcoming community within diversity, and developing fresh approaches to timely liturgical issues such as comfort and healing, reconciliation, affirmation, and commitment are key ingredients to an inclusive liturgical life. 1 In a recent worship service, we sang "Walls that Divide." One verse gives us hope and challenges us to bring opportunity: The church divided seeks that grace, . that newness we proclaim, A unity ofserving love that lives praise to God's name. Walls that divide are broken down, Christ is our unity! Chains that enslave are thrown aside, Christ is our libertyJ2 • Notes I Celebrating the Inclusive God, Open Hands (Winter 1994) offers articles and liturgies. 2 Walter Farquharson, "Walls That Divide," Everflowing Streams: Songs for Worship. Ruth C. Duck and Michael G. Bausch, eds. New York: The Pilgrim Press, 1989, p. 59, v. 4. Ben W Curry is University Chaplain at The American University in Washington, DC where the United Methodist Student Fellowship, after a year's study, became a Reconciling Student Ministry in thespring, 1994. He also serves as the Director of Kay Spiritual Life Center. 7 r :~~~--~~~~==~~~~---------------------------------------------------WITH THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT By David M. Hindman The books were not all on the shelf; the pictures not yet hung. I had been on the job two weeks when I had my first counseling session as the United Methodist campus minister at The College of William and Mary. As he began to talk, I realized this student was struggling to accept his recently discovered sexual identity. He sought me out partly because of the internal conflict he was experiencing: he had always heard negative assessments from others about homosexuals, yet he was experiencing joy and fulfillment in a relationship with a young man. He felt his newfound integrity was a gift of God, but wondered how that could be possible if God abhorred homosexuals? Last, but not least, he did not know how to share with his parents what he was learning about himself. "I made a concentrated effort to discern, with the help of the Holy Spirit, how to respond to the needs of this person in this circumstance. " What followed was a time of prayer and careful listening to his personal and faith journeys. I made a concentrated effort to discern, with the help of the Holy Spirit, how to respond to the needs of this person in this circumstance. I engaged him in conversation about alternative understandings of scripture and God's desires for human beings. I offered him a phone number of another United Methodist pastor (in his parents' home town) who was willing to serve as a resource person, pastor, facilitator, and mediator whenever he decided come out to them. To be supportive of lesbigay persons evokes a range of responses. Peopleboth straight and lesbigay-may feel grateful, relieved, suspicious, critical, hostile, or incredulous that an ordained, committed member of the Christian community might have such an attitude 8 and approach as I had with that young man. Believers and non-believers alike may affirm or doubt the validity of the pastor's faith experience. In such a situation, campus ministers need the sustenance, encouragement, and strength that result from a vital prayer life. Supportive ministry also requires careful listening to the stories of lesbigay persons as they tell their tales of confusion, pain, joy, hope, longing, fear, love, injury, and holiness. The attentive presence of a campus minister can affirm them and communicate the validity and value of their experiences. However, such listening is not amoral or indifferent to how persons live out their lives. At its best it strives to conform to the spirit and will of Christ. Our listening at times may comfort and affirm. At other times it may involve appropriate confrontation of actions or attitudes which are hurtful, promiscuous, exploitative, or destructive of self or others. Openness to the guidance of the Spirit may also affect how one affirms the homosexual orientation of one person as a good gift of God and offers assistanceto another who is conflicted and truly wishes to be heterosexual in practice (even if his or her orientation is bisexual). The pastoral goal is not meeting the political agenda of any group on the right or left of the theologica spectrum. It is providing ministry tha enables persons to experience the abundant life promised by Christ. The story of my first counseling session at William and Mary is but one ste in a long journey of personal discove and ministry which along the way r.included thanksgiving, confusion, bies ing, failure of nerve and ability, grol, -. and change. Not every story has ha happy ending. Yet through it all, . and then ministry has occurred, ments of insight and transforma have been celebrated, and grace been experienced. May others rece the same gifts. T David M. Hindman is an ordained 1 ber ofthe Virginia Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and Director ofthe Wesley Foundation at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. OpenH dents to describe their experiences, pe'rceptions, and questions regarding the topic, because their experience of the church is one dimension of the church's reality. In these workshops and at three other student settings, I listened to students from about sixty campuses, from all theological and political perspectives, from all orientations, and from all regions of the United States. Their statements were illuminating. Student Reflections MOSt students felt the church is "on the fence" or "trying to be everything without being anything" or "abandoning moralleadership./1 Many had questions for the church: "If I can be baptized, why not ordained?" "Why is sexual orientation such a big deal to the church?" "What does the Bible say about human sexuality? About judgment? About the nature of sin? About who can give leadership to the church?" Students talked about their experiences. They told about mainline churchrelated colleges that are not allowing gay, or who advocated for the rights of lesbigay students, expressed again and again their deep sense of isolation. They told stories of parents being "outed" by the church, of their own struggles with the biblical material as interpreted to them, and of personal experience and reason conflicting with teachings of the church. Students described the frustration of feeling judged by political allies because they were Christian, and judged by the church because they were lesbigay. Students who believe homosexuality is a sin felt challenged by friends who are lesbigay, angry at the church for not following the scripture, and judged by those who label them "fundamentalists." Students talked of increased violence and hate language; Even students at "progressive" state universities felt assaulted daily in a variety of ways. They felt demoralized and frustrated by the visible limitations and fragility of tolerance and of student coalitions. They were frustrated by the atmosphere of homophobia which they felt is shaped by the religious right and fostered by the silence of the majority of Christians. Fall 1994 ahead. Still, students' stories carried hope, even in the midst of the wilderness. Their hope came from their own commitments to engage with those who differed from them. General Learnings From these conversations with students, I have drawn five general learnings: • The networks of spiritual and social support for lesbigay students and friends include informal networks of friends and organized alliances on campus and in the community. • Campus ministries, local churches, home churches, and individual chaplains are resources for some students, but. certainly not for the majority. • On some campuses, the religious community and campus ministries are dominated or intimidated by antilesbigay communities. • On other campuses, the religious communities have not made ministry with lesbigay students a priority, but rather have addressed the "issue" of homosexuality. • Lesbigay students on state or secular campuses-even those with overtly homophobic practices and policiesfelt surer of their civil rights than did students on church-affiliated campuses. • Students of all perspectives felt campus ministries needed to advocate for basic human rights. • Campus ministries which publicly state that they are welcoming and inclusive Signal God's grace. T Odette Lockwood-Stewart is the United Methodist Campus Minister and Director of the Wesley Foundation at the University ofCalifornia at Berkeley. 9 What is it like to be a sexual minority and a seminarian? For those of us at the third national conference for gay seminarians in 1993, it is mostly very good. For many of us, seminary provides community. At seminary we find and affirm ourselvessometimes for the first time-as lesbian, gay male, bisexual, or transgendered.* people. Several of us "came out at semInary." Many of us have experienced at seminary the healing and joy of being who we are. At the other extreme, for a few of us, seminary is simply the darkest of closets. In such a place we struggle to find a way to hang on to a faith which both nourishes and diminishes us. The extent to which seminarians experience community or closet depends on the denomination, the seminary, and the seminarian. Three denominations consider themselves fully welcoming: Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), Unitarian Universalist (UU), and United Church of Christ (UCC). Over two thirds of those attending the conference were MCC, UU, or UCc. Ordination as an out sexual minority is possible in each denomination, although finding a church to serve can be a problem for both UU and UCC lesbigay graduates, since in both denominations the individual congregation calls its own minister. Despite the national associations' creation of nondiscrimination policies and educational programs for congregations, those of us graduating know that heterosexism and homophobia will make it very difficult for some congregations to call us. The current UU shift in emphasis to racism also makes some seminarians worry that the denomination is ranking racism above heterosexism, perhaps because of continued discomfort with sexual differences and lack of understanding of the "results of the closet." Seminaries affiliated with all the other denominations are welcoming in varying degrees, except for those affiliated with denominations whose faith depends on a literal reading of the Bible. By Virginia Wolf Only two seminarians at last year's conference were from such conservative denominations. They requested that their attendance be kept confidential and never publicly identified themselves as lesbigay. Staying in their denomination means being in the closet most of the time. CLOSET: A hiding place in which to avoid being condemned and rejected as an abomination. The extent to which sexual minorities are closeted in the classroom depends on the course and the seminary. At one end of the spectrum, at Meadville/ Lombard (Chicago) and Starr King (Berkeley), students are out in all their classes. At other liberal seminaries students of many denominations are out in many classes. In some classes students "find no reason to be out because their sexuality is not an issue." At the other end of the spectrum, seminaries-even with a lesbigay affirming denominational affiliation-attract numbers of students and faculty from very conservative denominations, making it uncomfortable for lesbigay students to be out in the classroom. COMMUNITY: A group ofpeople who unconditionally accept one another, seeking justice for both the one and the many. United Theological Seminary (UTS) is a good environment for an out lesbian like me. There is a large lesbigay presence at UTS, including faculty and staff. There are courses specifically appealing to us-Gay Theology and Sexuality and Spirituality, for example-and specific attention in other courses, such as Ethics and Women's Studies. Unforor CLOSET? tunately, in many courses we, like les gay seminarians elsewhere, still have 0 bring up sexual minorities if we \\'a the discussion to include them, bu have found my doing so welcomed. Mariposa Alliance, a student group, 0 fers opportunities to talk about our e periences and to negotiate with ~ school when we feel our needs are no being met. With the full support of C we hosted the third conference of seminarians. Sometimes students at UTS are polite, not supportive. Although no s' dent has ever been deliberately rude hateful to me, I had some tense rr. ments when I began at UTS-to soly. extent because of the way I responde to other students' apparent discomfo We who are sexual minorities ofte learn to protect ourselves by being d fensive and by expecting rejection. .' sometimes react aggressively to the pa of what feels like, and may be, yet 0 more misunderstanding of who we a e. We also sometimes go quietly back in 0 our closets to heal. Although either T - sponse is understandable and undou 'edly necessary at the time, neither : sponse allows us, or those who dif e from us, to grow. As I increasingly fee at home at UTS, I relax and welcof!1 my own and others' discomfort as opportunity for respectful dialogue a an increasing wholeness in our comm-nity . ... *Editor's Note Because language is still emerging to scribe transgender (transgendered, tra. sexual) people, each writer's version tbeen allowed to stand as originally " ....Tit t:' two children to adulthood. She is an author and, since January of 1993, a part-time student at United Theological Seminary in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. Vir ginia Wolt Ph.D., is ProfessorofEngf·-J at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. 5 1 began coming out thirty years ago. She (1'1 her partner of nineteen years have rear, Open Hands 10 .., "----c...HJ..l.-l.-E.NGtE.S F J..c....'NGt c...Jt."'"PUS R 'E-S 'PE-N"",Jt.l.L'FE- c...OUNSE-l.-ORS ~ ---) 5.'( G.RE.G.OR,( ~NPE.RSON As Youth and Young Adult Outreach Coordinator of the United Church Coalition of Lesbigay and Gay Concerns, I visited and spoke with Residential Life Counselors and staff persons from several VCC campuses and my own alma mater this past year. These interactions taught me many of the challenges facing Residential Assistants (RAs). Homophobia on their campuses and in their residence halls is one challenge. Some student RAs at a midwestern liberal arts college were not convinced that homophobia needed to be addressed in their residence halls. The only crisis they could recall occurred when the campus lesbian, gay, and bisexual student group posted signs inviting campus "queers" to their next meeting. Many students objected to the use of the word "queer." Some felt using the word legitimized homophobia. Others argued the signs were reclaiming a negative word as a positive symbol of pride. Many, however, felt it was simply an attempt to stir up trouble. At an RA training at a northeastern campus, two RAs expressed concern that chalking lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender affirming messages on sidewalks on National Coming Out Day last year was unnecessary. Staff at another midwestern college feared parental retribution for the campus group's support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender* youth from the surrounding community. Their group was the only identifiable support in the area. To me, the fact that such fears are raised betrays the homophobia present at these schools-and the need to address it. Fall 1994 The invisibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth is another challenge facing RAs who often receive little sympathy for trying to address it. Remaining invisible is a hard daily reality for queer students. Some risk loss of family support for their education if they come out. Others risk rejection from friends. Many face hazing or harassment in their residence halls. An unsafe abode is no haven from scholastic pressures. RAs must challenge homophobia and invisibility issues because many students suffer under such pressures. RAs must face disapproving peers who will not appreciate their support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. If RAs respect confidentiality, are approachable, and offer visible support, they will find themselves offering support and guidance to students who come to them with stories of rejection from families, classrooms, professors, peers, or religious institutions. Fears that addressing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans gender issues openly on campus might fuel homophobic backlash must be addressed. Homophobia unchallenged contributes to broken families, ruined friendships, violence, suicide, undeveloped creative potential, sexism, and countless other tragedies. Addressing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans gender issues may in the short term unleash the fears and insecurities of people suffering from homophobia, but it is the only option. Decades of silence have failed. Ifwe create campuses which encourage people to be open and honest about their lives and loving, we stand in the long term to gain from unleashed creativity, sensitivity, and understanding. Isn't that what higher education strives to achieve? I am encouraged by one of the ch allenges I heard voiced many times at every campus I visited last year. The RAs were frustrated because they wanted to help (but did not know how to help) the often invisible sexual minority students. I am sure if they tackle this roadblock with enough creativity they will have many, many visibly thankful students and friends. T *Editor's Note Because language is still emerging to describe transgender (transgendered, transsexual) people, each writer's version has been allowed to stand as originally written. Gregory Anderson resigned in August from the UCCL/GC as Youth and Young Adult Outreach Coordinator to join Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts as HIV Infection Prevention Project Coordinator. He is a recent graduate of Clark University with Bachelor degrees in Sociology and Music. 11 CAMPUS MINISTRY IN CRISIS By cornelius a. kanhai Campus ministry ought to be on the endangered list, if it is not already there. Decreasing financial commitment from the denominations resulting in staff and program reduction and loss of morale is threatening the very existence of campus ministry, at least in any of the forms in which we currently know it. Apart from the possibility of the rise in the denominations of inspired leadership with a new vision, the prospect of continued shrinking of campus ministry to little or no presence seems inevitable. "In my twenty years in Madison, the church has eliminated three generations of campus ministers," says Vern Visick of Madison Campus Ministry. "That has happened as a result of staff reduction due to shrinking financial support and the resulting over extension of remaining staff as well as the resulting lack of security for those who would respond to a call to campus ministry." ~ Financial Crunch , , F inancial crunch" is an expression used to explain many aspects of life in our SOciety today. Local churches find that their incomes remain approximately level while their costs increase every year. In the United Methodist system, for example, the inabili.ty of local churches to meet their budgets often means decreased ability to pay conference apportionments (financial assessments), some of which are redistributed to campus ministries. Annual conferences have been restraining the growth of their budgets and thus the growth of apportionments. This, in turn, results in fewer dollars to meet ever increasing challenges on the campus. Campus ministry, often near the bottom of the list of priorities, has fewer advocates on the floor of annual conference sessions and therefore finds itself needing to trim program to fit shrinking financial support. Four basic models exist for funding campus ministries in mainline denominations. The first model is the chaplaincy. Most church-related colleges have a chaplaincy which is funded directly out of the college budget, although the college may receive funding from judicatories or local churches which is deSignated for the chaplaincy program. The second model, the Foundation model, is used in public institutions and the pattern is different. Not until the first part of this century did the church even recognize the need to be in ministry on the campus of "godless" state institutions. Good Christians went to church related colleges. In United Methodism, for example, the Wesley Foundation started in the first part of the twentieth century and flourished in the post World War II era. The campus ministry foundation became an instrument through which denominational judicatories could raise money to fund campus ministry. A third model for funding campus ministry is a local church, or a partnership of churches, in a campus town. In this model, the primary funding comes at the local church level rather than through the college or from the denominational budget. The fourth model is funding by a conference or other regional judicator:' structure such as the Presbyterian Synod. This funding is usually solicited and received through an ecumenica' partnership such as United Ministries' Higher Education. A fifth model also exists, usually . non-denominational ministries such a Campus Crusade for Christ and InteVarsity. Their campus ministers (usuall. lay persons) raise their own fundi. from friends and relatives, loc churches, church organizations, a other community organizations. The crisis in campus ministry is . directly caused by the dwindling financial support of campus minis r through these different models, but 11 dwindling support does contribute the crisis. Such reduced support is symptom of other social factors whic are causing the crisis. Conflict ofRoles One of the social factors which is d'rectly causing the crisis of camp Open Han 12 ministry is a difference in the definition of campus ministry between local churches and their clergy on the one hand and campus ministries and their ministers on the other hand. Local churches often see campus ministry as an extension of their own ministry, a place for Johnny orJane to go to church while they are at college. But Johnny or Jane may have stopped attending church services before they left home or may decide to take a break from church when they break away from home. IfJohnny or Jane do not show up at worship at campus ministry, or have stopped going to church altogether, then campus ministry is not doing its job for the local church, at least in the eyes of local church clergy. Campus ministries and campus ministers, on the other hand, often see their role quite differently. They observe that a place for Johnny orJane to go to church while away from home may not be the most critical need. As a matter of fact, Johnny or Jane may have been turned off church for years, and the last thing in the world they want is a church like the one back home. This is true, for example, at University Church in Madison, where a large percentage of our students have been turned off by the church and are now feeling their way back in. Johnny and Jane's intellectual struggles with faith, or their need for more open attitudes on social questions may not be met in the traditional church setting. Many people nostalgically refer to the post World War II period and the large number of students who were involved in campus ministries. That era was also marked by higher church attendance numbers, and larger Sunday church school rolls. Today, campus ministries serve fewer and fewer students. The tendency of the church to evaluate the effectiveness of, and need for, campus ministry by counting the number of students in groups and activities overlooks an important fact: The disappearance of the youngest generation in campus ministry was evident in the local church before it was manifested in campus ministry. Campus ministry is often seen by the folk back home as being too radical, too political, and not productive. Issues such Fall 1994 as war and peace, civil rights, racism, gay rights, and reproductive rights for women are much more likely to be dealt with openly in a campus ministry than in the local church. In this way, campus ministry has served the church over the years by giving leadership in opening these issues for discussion, developing resources for dealing with them, and training young adults to continue their engagement and discussion when they are no longer in college. However, local churches and clergy have often seen this greater openness as contrary to the interests of the local church. This, in turn, often results in diminished support. Campus ministry is in crisis because the society is in crisis. The traditional purposes for which campus ministry existed-a home away from home, an institute for religion and a place to recruit and train lay and clergy leadership for the church-have shifted because society has shifted and the campus has shifted. Campus ministry now is often defined by those involved as being a witness to the whole campus and university, rather than being just a chaplaincy for Christian students, although that remains a very important function. Off-Campus Influences In addition, trends and events completely outside the realm of campus ministry have also helped create the crisis in campus ministry. The recent controversy over the liRe-Imagining Conference" has rippled through both the Presbyterian and United Methodist denominations, resulting in diminished revenues, among other things. The ELCA Lutheran denomination has been experiencing a similar kind of fallout around its Human Sexuality study. Future Needs and Predictions Despite the internal funding problems, the conflict in roles, and the impact of off-campus negative influences, campus ministries are still alive and viable. liThe university is a fact, and it is not going away," says Vern Visick. IIIt is one of the most critical places in our society. The church needs to be there, just as the church needs to be in factories and fields. IfJohn Wesley were alive today we'd have more ministries to universities and prisons." In Wisconsin (as I am sure is true in other states) almost everyone in the state has some relationship to the University of Wisconsin. Many of our teachers and other professionals have been trained there. Much of the leadership in business and the community has been influenced by the university in one way or another. Much of the research in agriculture, physical sciences, and other disciplines impact our lives every day. The university is one of the fundamental institutions of our society. In the face of that kind of reality, campus ministry is deserving of greater, not less, support. The church has given very little thought about how it needs to affect the university. Campus ministry is strategically positioned on the frontier of the IIbrave new world" or whatever the future holds on the university campus. It is most certainly not as effective as it needs to be, but it is there. It is the church present on campus, in the midst of the IIgodless" university. However, if the church continues to give low priority to campus ministries, in forty to fifty years there will be little or no campus ministry left (some think that is a very generous estimate). Caught between dwindling resources and an ever increasing challenge, those of us in campus ministry must struggle with the short-run realities while planning for the long-run visions. We need to keep our focus on what is happening, where the people are who need to be served, and what their needs really are. The crisis in campus ministry is a part of the crisis in the church and in our society. For the time being we are here-and glad to be here . .. corneliusa. kanhai is Senior Pastor ofUniversity United Methodist Church in Madison and ExecutiveDirector ofthe Foundation at the University of Wisconsin/ Madison. University , Church was the first Methodist ministry to a state university in Wisconsin and is a Reconciling Congregation. 13 A Student Speaks I came out as a queer person while an undergraduate at a state uniyersity in the South. I was fortunate to have the support of several gay men at my local church, but the general ministry of the church did not nurture my early adult self-exploration. My coming out process was fraught with all the questions and issues of a young adult coming to terms with his place in the world-spiritually, intellectually, socially. I flirted with various self-identities throughout my undergraduate experience. Neither my church nor the campus ministry ever engaged in public conversation about sexuality and spirituality. I often felt uncomfortable being myself, both at church and at the student center. Although I found abundant grace and witness through a select group of friends inside and outside the church, I carried with me the aching desire to see a more intentionally inclusive, church-based ministry to lesbigay students. One year after moving to Berkeley for graduate school, I found a church home in a Reconciling Congregation. In this church I feel enabled to heed my own ministerial call to help bring healing to other lesbigay people. However the queer community in Berkeley is largely cynical and resentful of the church. Although I suspect, even hope that other students like me thirst for ful inclusion in the family of faith, finding such students is proving to be more difficult than I expected. I become frustrated trying to bring the message of wholeness and grace to this often pained or apathetic mass of my peers. Thankfully, I can turn to the witness and support of my church home. The love and concern of the clergy and laity alike encourage and enable our ministry through prayer, program support, and Open Hands 14 ~ By Chad Heilig a real commitment to the meaning and value of reconciliation. We have even seen signs of success in reaching out to the campus community. Our initial offering was a seminar led by ethicist and author James Nelson. The persons reached by his witness seemed eager to continue the conversation about jointly embodying their faith and their sexuality. The success of that event feeds our hope of creating more outreach. We are developing small groups specifically for lesbigay people, dedicated to honest reflection and growth within our personal and collective experiences. We also are beginning to network with several ministries close to campus that have made public statements of reconciliation with lesbigay people. We hope to strengthen the individual proclamation of each community by combining our voices into one proud message: lesbigay or not, you can find a welcoming family of faith in this college town. On World AIDS Day in December, we plan to hold an interfaith wholeness service on campus, with the presence of as many local ministries as wish to participate. We hope our initial attempts will form a nucleus for ongoing and expanding ministry of reconciliation for all students. My hope is that we can create a safe and nurturing place for some questioning student to be able integrate sexuality and spirituality-the kind of place I wanted as an undergraduate. ~ Chad Heilig (in center in photo) is a doctoral student in statistics at the University ofCalifornia at Berkeley. He currently chairs the Reconciling Congregation Committee at Trinity United Methodist Church in Berkeley. Fall 1994 15 JtJar",e, tJf..C..mpa. Ml",l.ter WfI,tJ I. Oat By Jan Griesinger I came out to my board and the campus community in 1977, one year after I had been called to United Campus Ministry (UCM) at Ohio University. Ithardly felt like a choice-more like a spirit-push to care for my own body, mind, and soul. Board and Denominational Responses Several members did make their objections known following the board meeting. One was a retired military chaplain who, along with a local pastor, contacted the regional Disciples of Christ office and asked them to pull their funding. Disciples officials came to Athens for a dialogue with us but did not stop funding the statewide ecumenical consortium that provides about 3S percent of our budget. A few months later at our annual board retreat we asked lesbian and gay faculty and students to join us for conversation. They shared their stories with our board in small groups. It was a very powerful event and a definite first for most of our board members. Since then, our campus ministry board has provided strong affirmation not only for me personally but also for our outreach program to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual * people on campus and throughout our rural area. Responses from other denominations who were supporting our ministry were varied. United Church of Christ area staff members were supportive but uncomfortable-I was their first out clergy person. By the early 1980s the United Methodist District Committee on Higher Education and Campus Ministry became a battleground. Over the next ten years they often recommended that our funding be reduced or cut off altogether. Several small reductions did happen, but generally the West Ohio Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry either affirmed our work or declined to single us out from all the other ministries for a cut. In 1994 we finally got an increase and a letter of affirmation from the District Committee. Change does happen! In the mid-1980s an American Baptist pastor recently out of seminary heard there was an open lesbian campus minister and decided to build his career on attacking us. He was able to get the statewide campus ministry committee to send a letter to the ecumenical consortium mandating that Baptist funds not cOJIle to UCM. The consortium (then called the Ohio Board for United Ministries in Higher Education) followed the letter of the mandate but none of our funds were cut due to their strong support of our work. They too had come to visit us and had dialogued with openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual people involved in our ministry. In reality, little of this harassment affected our day-to-day ministries and strategies. Though some board members were not fully committed when they began serving their terms, their contact with students we serve and other supportive board members (gay and straight) usually converted or at least neutralized them. Straight staff members were extremely helpful in handling our critics in local churches. For every person who withdrew a personal contribution, several more stepped forward to honor our out-front witness. Support for UCM from gay and lesbian faculty, staff, alums, and friends continues to be significant. High Spots and Low Spots Over these seventeen years my morale hit a few low spots, but strong support from the board, friends, and colleagues in the United Church Coalition Open Hands 16 for Lesbian/Gay Concerns, and Christian Lesbians Out Together (CLOUT), as well as my own sense of lesbian pride and God's call to this ministry, keeps me coming back with renewed energy. Because I have been out, I have see~ incredible faith and courage as I walk ,ith gay and lesbian students whose parents opened their mail or told them not to come home or forced them to go o a therapist; with a gay student filing sexual harassment complaint against his married male professor; and with faculty and staff and students struggling ,ith whether and how to come out. I also have seen incredible faith and courage as I walk with lesbian mothers in child custody battles and rural moms on welfare dealing with harassment from neighbors and alcoholic lovers; \\ith gay married men working factory jobs wrestling with what integrity and honesty mean; and closeted area clergy whose spirits cry for an answer to their suffocation of soul. Dealing with local churches and clergy has ranged from impossible to friendly. I have not been invited to preach on a Sunday morning or teach a church school class except at a few VCC churches. At ministers' meetings and committees for annual ecumenical services, Catholic priests, Jewish rabbis, and the gamut of Protestant clergy have had to deal with me regularly as a colleague, some of them for twelve years or more. I seldom know how they really feel, though they have let me know they feel anxious about my being in their pulpit at the annual three-hour Good Friday Service. They tell me that other clergy won't join the Campus Ministry Association because I am a member. I have, however, had strong affirmation from most of my campus ministry colleagues across Ohio and nationally. I love my work in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual communities as well as the other work I do in counseling, performing weddings, working on racism and sexism, supervising student interns, and organizing service projects. Each young gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transsexual person has to make the decision anew about what will happen if they claim their right to love. Here is where a campus minister's presence is crucial. The more we follow Jesus' call Fall 1994 to be with lithe least of these," the more we will be privileged to share the lives and walk the walk with people who live daily with the oppression of heterosexism.T *Editor's Note Because language is still emerging to describe transgender (transgendered, transsexual) people, each writer's version has been allowed to stand as originally written. Ian Griesinger, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, has served as Director of United Campus Ministry at Ohio University in Athens since 1976. She has also served as national coordinator for the United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns since 1984 . 17 By Mary Council-Austin "Rev. Austin, all I want is to be left alone to finish my studies. I do not bother anyone. Why would they say such awful things about me? I cannot live this way any more. " I rarely am reduced to trembling bones and streams of tears, but the sight ofJonathan (not his real name) sitting in the middle of his belongings weeping and screaming was more than I could handle. No quotation of the church's position on homosexuality seemed appropriate. What Jonathan needed was a place to live, someone he could cry with, and a place to shelter his shattered hopes and dreams. He needed a place where his fragile trust could be restored and where he could be touched again by the deep and abiding faith that had sustained him through previous storms. As we sat talking until dawn, I realized that Jonathan was one of the fortunate few. He knew ofour ministry, liThe Circle of Friends," a bi-monthly coffeehouse style ministry which seeks to provide a visible sign of God's love and care for gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons in the campus community of Howard University. In recent Circle gatherings, Jonathan had shared concerns about increased hostility directed toward him in his off-campus residence. There were daily cruel accusations and slurs about his sexual orientation by young men in the neighborhood. Though unfounded, there were stories of sexual activities 18 being carried on in the residence which the landlord deemed totally inappropriate. Without attempting to get at the truth, the landlord tossed Jonathan out. All of my spiritual and professional resources are challenged in the face of students who feel betrayed and abandoned by a long trusted religious community. The profound search for community amid deep and hurtful divisions takes on a new urgency with realities such as jonathan's. Suddenly warnings from others to avoid offering ministries for gay, lesbian, and bisexual students pale into insignificance. What am I to do as students specifically ask: IIAre the loving arms of the church open to the marginalized"? It is clear: my call is to participate in making manifest the gospel example of mutual love and commitment to one another's well-being. I am glad that liThe Circle of Friends" came into being in time for Jonathan. I am glad he had the Circle where his story could be shared and held as a sacred gift. The Circle is where we break bread and dine at the Lord's table. It is a place where prayers spoken and unspoken are uttered. It is where personhood and self worth are affirmed and where one's sexuality is a gift from God to be celebrated. ~ Mary Council-Austin, a United Methodist clergy member of the Wisconsin Conference, was Director ofthe Wesley Foundation at Howard University, Washington, DC until this past summer when it was closed down. She is currently assisting the Dean ofChapel at Howard in Program and Outreach Ministries. She served as Associate General Secretary, Constituency Education, General Board of Church and Society, UMe. Open Hands Advocating Responsible Sex and Responsible Sex Education n interesting cartoon recently crossed my desk. College students attending a conference on sexuality all have paper bags over their ds. As one student shakes hands with other, the caption reads, IIGidday and . do you feel about sex before mare?" My goal in facilitating respon.. Ie sex education programs in campus nistry is to create an atmosphere in -nich students are invited to take off paper bags of embarrassment, fear, ° norance, or shame and explore the complex issues surrounding sexuality. curate biological and psychological °nformation combined with theologiethical reflection and social/cultural cntique equip students to make wise, safe, and informed choices for themseh"es. Through dialogue with students, I have learned to include three specific areas for discussion in workshops. 1. Affirm we are sexual beings at all times. eing sexual is not defined solely as engaging in genital activity. Ac"nowledging our sexual beingness means celebrating that we each live in a body through which we experience the "';orId and express our selves. Our male/ .emale body experiences can be quite distinct from one another and very diferent even among those of the same ender. Responsible sex education affirms the importance of learning as much as one can about one's own body o be able to identify healthiness and disease, likes and dislikes, pleasure and pain, and feelings of attraction, affection, or arousal. It also affirms learning about others' body experiences. Being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or straight have both similarities and differences. Differently-abled students and students from abusive families will also have a distinct set of body experiences and issues. I encourage students to be curious, ask questions, and discuss among their peers. Our sexual beingness incorporates all Fall 1994 By Maggie Covenant McNaught these body experiences as well as what we think, process, feel, and dream. 2. Proclaim our bodies are affirmed by God Sexuality, or the experience of our bodies through our gender and orientation, cannot be separated fromsoiri tuality. It is a precious Nowhere is this more 3. Embrace an ethic of love in decision-making Responsible sex begins with cultivating the deepest form of love for one's embodied self and the embodied self of another as God has for us. Students generally have many questions and a lot to say about love: how one knows you're in love; what love really means between two people; how to make decisions out of love; if and when to engage or abstain from genital activity; negotiating boundaries around physical touch; when to make a commitment-all important aspects to name in a discussion about love. Love, in a Christian understanding, does not mean a sentimental, gushy feeling but establishing "right relationship" between two beings in non-oppressive, non-abusive ways. Love as "right relationship" involves honesty, trust, respect, intimacy, familiarity, and openness. Love means learning to honor each other's bodies, sense of self, and boundaries without pressure to change or conform. It is not love if a partner's "No" cannot be heard and honored. It is not love if, befo~@,sexual intercourse, one is not for,tht!flfif},lf'iabDut a sexually trans- iU1.)\..U.).)lVll ofvalues, and concerns negotiating a sexual'~e:-xperience. It means knowing yourself well enough to express your fears, feelings, thoughts, and desires to your partner and being comfortable enough with your sexuality to disagree when something is not right for you. Responsible sex means deciding with your partner what the boundaries will be and taking appropriate precautions that insure safer sex. And finally, responsible sex means accepting that each one of us is responsible for the gift of our sexuality and what we choose to do with it. May our choices be well-informed, creative, and loving ones that bring us joyous life! ... Maggie Covenant McNaught is Director and Campus Minister of the Cal Aggie Christian Association, an ecumenical ministry at the University of California-Davis. She is also a Marriage, Family, and Child Counselor intern working on licensure. 19 Building a Liberating Bible Study Program into your Ministry By Lindsay Louise Biddle The use of scripture is alive and well on university and college campuses. Unfortunately, so is the abuse of sCripture. Attend any public event concerning lesbigay issues and you will likely hear someone quote the Bible to condemn homosexuality. For example, at a self-defense workshop held at the University of Minnesota in response to the increase in hate crimes against lesbigay people, the instructor cited a public utilities company that would not allow its community center to be used for a program on homophobia. When asked why not, the company spokesperson quoted biblical passages to defend the decision. Need for Biblical Defense As a Christian, I feel angry about such discrimination, embarrassed at the blatant misapplication of scripture, and frustrated that God's Word appears to be used to promote hatred. As a campus minister called to work with traditionally-excluded and under-represented students, I decided to offer a "Biblical Self-Defense Course on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns." The course focuses on the Bible passages most commonly used to condemn homosexuality; outlines their historical, literary, and cultural contexts; and presents several liberation theology interpretations. This is not a traditional Bible study, but an opportunity for folkswhatever their religion, sexual orientation, or level of biblical literacy-to, '#7understand better the Bible passages di-; rected against lesbigay people. For many participants, these texts are a source of personal and spiritual pain. One lesbian spoke of her former pastor who said she would burn in hell. A mother of a gay son said she willk(not join a church that doesn't accept hom6sexuals, and she has yet to find such an inclusive community. Still another person said he never thought he meet anyone who believed the wasn't against homosexuality' Often folks try to deal wit painful scriptural issues in therapy even though few therapists are theologically trained to assist them. Yet since IIcoming out" as a sexual person entails" coming out" as a spiritual person, religious baggage cannot be ignored. The church has a responsibility to nurture folks in their development as whole human beings, holy creatures of God. A Look at the Course The "Biblical Self-Defense Course" begins with the Genesis account of Sodom and Gomorrah and continues with the Leviticus Holiness Code and the first chapter of Romans. Mter comparing several English versions of each , passage, we study the word variances in English and Hebrew and/or Greek. Then we explore the contexts of each passage, their original intents (to the best of our knowledge), and the history of their interpretations, including liberation theology. We also trace the history of the word IIsodomite" in the English versions of the Old and New Testaments. "Peace has come to my soul, a rare gift. " From a participant Physical self-defense is not so much a matter of the size or weight of one's body but what one does with it. Learning what to do does not from ever being attacked, enable one to develop 'r.-%·_:..rA('1?t,!,k' , and George A<\{tlStlll1llton University. might not say. re 0 t, available to scripture is not the issue; i merely present "Biblical Selfbeing used-abused-to defend ("proof-Defense." Contact her at 612/724-5429. Open Hands text") an already-made position. Rather I encourage everyone who studies scripture to do three things: 1. To read and listen to various interpretations critically. What is being said? Do you agree or disagree with the content? Does it come across as loving or condemning? Are there mixed messages? 2. To study in a safe and nurturing environment. Do you feel okay asking questions or raising doubts? Are you IIgiven" an answer or are you asked to consider a variety of answers and/or new questions? Do some subjects feel taboo or is everything above board? 3. To develop confidence in one's own understandings, and to respect the confidentiality of other people's understandings. Biblical information learned in class is public. Personal stories of class members are theirs alone to tell. After participating in the class, people say they feel better about themselves. Some plan to use new understandings to make their communities of faith more welcoming of lesbigay people. Others want to share understandings with their family members or co-workers who are homosexual. Some hope their new grasp of scripture enables them to come out to their families and thout fear of religious conOthers are grateful for the unity to connect their faith with "rest of their lives. As we go about our inclusive ministries on campus, let , us continue to offer this gift of peace' and may it not be so rare. T Lindsay Louise Biddle, pastor ofa Presbyterian congregation in st. Paul, Minnesota has served as campus minister at the Uniof Minnesota, University of 20 ~hatlsHo~ophobiaand Heterosexis~?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Homophobia is a Double Standard for Relationships Homophobia is not asking about your child's, sibling's, or friend's gay or lesbian lover, when you always ask heterosexual children or friends "How is your husband?" or "How is your wife?" Homophobia is failing to be supportive when your gay or lesbian child, sibling, or friend is sad about a quarrel or breakup with a partner, or when that partner dies. omophobia is feeling repulsed by public displays of affection between gay men or lesbians, but accepting the same affec·;onate displays between heterosexuals as okay. omophobia is making a big deal out of an unwanted adance from a gay man or lesbian, when you calmly say "No +hanks" to an unwanted heterosexual advance. omophobia is a Sexualizing of Gay and Lesbian People omophobia is always thinking of gay men's or lesbians' sexuaty, rather than seeing them as whole, complex persons. omophobia is kissing an old friend, but being afraid even to snake hands with a gay man or lesbian. ...;omophobia is assuming that a gay man or lesbian is making a sexual advance if he or she touchesyou. omophobia is always being curious about which one in a gay 'lesbian couple is "the man" and which one is "the woman." omophobia is thinking that every gay man or lesbian is just someone who couldn't find a heterosexual partner. Homophobia is a Reluctance to Stand Up and Speak Out Homophobia is refusing to confront a homophobic or heterosexist rema rk or joke because you are afraid of being identified with lesbians and gay men. Homophobia is not mentioning to your friends that you work with or support a gay rights organization because you are afraid they will think you are gay. Heterosexism is an Attempt to Control Heterosexism is telling gay men or lesbians that they shouldn't be so outspoken about gay rights while you and your friends are very outspoken about abortion rights, or women's rights, or men's rights, or animal rights. Heterosexism is telling gay men and lesbians that they shouldn't be pushing their own personal agenda. Heterosexism is telling a gay or lesbian person that they would get further professionally if they would "broaden" their interests, as if gay/lesbian studies or anti-heterosexism work was not a "Iegitimate" field of study and interest. Heterosexism is trying to get gay men and lesbians to "shape up" or conform to the heterosexual world by stereotyping them as promiscuous, recruiters, separatists, or radicals. Note The idea for this resource came from Lesbians: A Consciousness Raising Kit by the Boston NOW Lesbian Task Force. I Handouts tor Anti-Homophobia Edutation Workshops Can~u Ident~yHeterosexual Privilege? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ d e'osexual privilege is being able to live your life as part of a larger gmup of heterosexual people who do not as a group have to think ;ce about anything in this list. eterosexual privilege is the legal and religious right to marry ich then includes a number of automatic heterosexual privi. eges, such as: Public recognition of and support for your intimate relationship others inquire about your dates and your expectations of marriage others celebrate your commitment through cards, gifts, verbal congratulations, attending your wedding, etc. preferential treatment in job promotions if you are married ab' ity to adopt children and/or maintain custody of children 'educed rates for insurance policies """'mediate and unquestioned access in cases of emergency paid sick leave for ill spouse; condolences when partner dies d rect and automatic inheritance on spouse's death. eterosexual privilege is a general cultural supportandapproval ,of such things as: our lifestyle and relationships, which are considered normal our dating as a teenager ;our affectionate behavior in public, without fear of harassment, beatings, or death ;,our ability to talk openly with others about housing, vacations, a"'d future plans you are making with your partner our living wth YOur partner your open grieving when a relationship ends your working with children, unless you specifically prove yourself to be unfit your raising of children, without state intervention, unless you specifically prove yourself to be unfit your multiple talents, skills, and interests, without identifying and categorizing you by your sexuality. Heterosexual privilege is general, automatic supportandapproval from the religious community for your desire to get married and form a stable relationship your desire to have and raise children your professional skills to work with youth or children your professional skills to work in a religious institution as administrator or professor your call to the ordained ministry. Individual heterosexual people may confront these issues, but as a population they can automatically assume these privileges. Social, political, economic, and religious forces compe/lesbigay people as a population to think about these issues constantly because society and religious communities do not accord gay and lesbian people these privileges. Notes The idea for this list came from "What is Heterosexual Privilege?" created by the Office of Gay/ Lesbian/Bisexual Student Life, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. They adapted it from Caroljean Coventree. Thanks to Ben Curry, The American University, for submitting the original worksheets for both of these lists. These handouts may be reproduced. Fall 1994 I 21 Methodist Student Fellowship Mission Statement We, the members of the Methodist Student Fellowship of Illinois Wesleyan University, seek to form a community of students, faculty, and concerned community members. Through this community we hope to engage in dialogues and actions which foster our understanding of ourselves, each other, our church, our society, and God. To further this understanding, we hope to discuss and take part in issues, both common and controversial, that relate to our faith, our tradition, our reason, and our experience. We feel that MSF should be a safe place for everyone to share their views. We also see the pain and suffering caused by injustice in today's society. We realize that pain and suffering come in many shapes and forms, but we also recognize God's call to respond, both in discussion and in deeds. With this in mind, MSF is dedicated to the inclusion of all people, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, or ability. We recognize our affiliation with the United Methodist Church; however, we wish to remain open and encouraging to all people who may come from different traditions and faiths, and we seek to educate ourselves about them. We are especially aware of the struggles of lesbians, gays, and bisexual people. We ~ see the lack of integrity in the positions 1taken by thhe unbited hMethoddist Church which relate to t ese rot ers an sisters, and we seek to positively affect the church . MSF wishes to remain open and affirming to these and all oppressed people as they continue the struggle with society and the church. In adopting their struggle as our own we formally declare MSF to be a Reconciling Ministry and affiliate ourselves with the Reconciling Congregation Program. Adopted 6 October 1993 MSF AT IWU: BECOMING RECONCILING By Andrew Ulman Several years ago, after experiencing a drop in involvement and enthusiasm, the Methodist Student Fellowship (MSF) at Illinois Wesleyan University started a process to determine its purposes. This discussion began as an effort to rebuild an organization from its fading embers. We asked ourselves: What is our group about? What should we be doing on campus and in our communities? Our discussions led to a consensus: the purpose of our group is to create a nurturing community for all people interested in working together with Christ. We wanted MSF to be a prophetic witness to God's good news in both word and action. This simple discussion about our mission and witness became the necessary spark to build the organization into a burning fire. We chose to become advocates for justice as individuals. The hymn "Pass It On" became our group's theme. We started engaging in new and interesting mission projects and in discussions about the proclamation of God's justice for the oppressed (lsa 42). Our experiences have taught us that having a clear understanding of the church's mission sets an important foundation for Christian organizations seeking to be inclusive. Because our understanding of Christian mission includes the all-embracing love and grace of God, we felt we had a responsibility to become truly all-embracing of every person who walked into our meetings. We learned about the Reconciling Congregation Program for United Methodist churches in the spring of 1993 after a member of our organization chanced upon Holy Covenant Church, an RC in Chicago. That summer one member of our group interned with the national RCP office. He and I attended the RCP Convocation in Washington, D.C. In the fall when we returned to campus we quickly started working on a mission statement. For the first time we put onto paper all the ideals that we as Christians felt we ought to be struggling for. Among those ideals was a declaration to be reconciling. At one meeting we worked on the ' details of the wording of the document; at the next we adopted it. There was never any doubt whether our MSF group should become reconciling. As soon as we all learned about the program, we knew we ought to be part of it. Our immediate willingness to become reconciling is due almost solely to our early discussions about the purpose of MSF. Once we had in common a significant belief-that God's love is for all people-it became a simple matter for us to promote this belief. For ignorance, we teach knowledge; For hatred, we love; For oppression, we struggle for justice. We easily formed natural alliances with the lesbian and gay organization on campus, with whom we are now sponsoring joint projects. We are fostering a relationship between MSF and the university chaplain who has just completed a sabbatical on human sexuality and Christian experiences. Fellowship organizations like the MSF are one forum where members can more easily come to a common understanding of Christ's mission. This context of mission is where the discussions on becoming reconciling might beginwith Christ. During the process of becoming reconciling, our group came to a unified understanding of God's allinclusive love and God's call to be in ministry in every place where there is oppression. For ignorance, we teach knowledge; for hatred, we love; and for oppression, we struggle for justice. T Andrew Ulman is a senior at Illinois Wesleyan University where he studies Religion and Women's Studies. He is a candidate for ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church. Open Hands 22 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ _ ~~O~@j W@OlJ~ ~~~~~)f~W~)fW 1f~~(f)~~~1f0lJ~~ Assessing Your CAMPUS MINISTRY 1. Do members of your governing board support try with lesbigay persons (students, faculty, staff, ministrators, community residents) in your college If not, invite the governing board to begin the process developing such a ministry. 2. Do your staff members participate in ing and/or have experience with lesbigay 3. Do your mission statement, erature reflect a commitment gay persons? 4. Do you advertise your ll11UUU publications? S. Do you subscribe to concerns? 6. Do you maintain a cals, and other 7. Do you offer program~ sex, or the diversity 8. Do you offer programs the following areas: Scri",hh-a tian saints and leaders, world religions, mult rights, military service, 9. Do you include lesbigay joys and _ 10. Do you publish a list of incl clergy in the area? 11. Do you offer pastoral care and/or ~VUll')~l111~ for lesbigay individuals, couples, parents _12. Do you conduct holy unions or house blessings? _13. If you have a sanctuary, do you offer its use for gay ceremonies? Ifnot, do you offer referrals to sive congregations and clergy? _14. Do you offer care and advocacy for lesbigay who suffer discrimination, hate-crimes" lence, sexual abuse, or arrest under "sodomy" laws?, '$""'=-w'~-" _15. Do you use your prophetic voice to support lesbigay ' _ concerns in the community and church? _ 16. Do you regularly pray for your ministry with lesbigay persons and for their joys and concerns? urr~ Assessing Your CAMPUS 1. Does your college or university have a statement of nondiscrimination that includes lesbigay persons? 2. Does the institution try to live up to its statement or is it "only on paper"? 3. Has the institution ever studied the concerns of its lesmembers (students, faculty, staff, administrators)? some students, faculty, staff, or administrators openly or transgender? Are other mem"out" about their support of lesDo the groups talk? offer its employees and/or students about lesbigay concerns? (health clinic, police security, of lesbigay persons? offer care and advocacy for lesbifrom discrimination, hate-crimes, ? What are the grievance pro- programs, training, referrals, adt.. a~urces about lesbigay concerns? have a student union or student provides lesbigay support groups, sorrals, advocacy, and other resources? ution provide a full benefits and privithe families of lesbigay employees? the institution have a lesbigay academic studies department or program? Are lesbigay histories, issues, and themes included in other academic departments or programs? Does the library include lesbigay resources? the institution's policies, procedures, publications, forms use language and examples inclusive of lesbigay persons and concerns? Do photographs reflect the diversity of sexual orientations? 15. If the institution has coordinate campuses or graduate schools, do they provide safe and secure environments for lesbigay persons? Row to Become a Reconciling Campus Ministry. Resource Paper #6, RCp, 1994. Shoemaker, Steven. "How a Local Church-Campus Ministry is Trying to Overcome the Fear and Hatred of Homosexuals." Breaking the Silence: (h ercoming the Fear. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 1985. .W erson, James, chair. In Every Classroom: The Report ofthe President's Select Committee for Lesbian and Gay Concerns. Rutgers, 1989. Breaking the Silence: Final Report ofthe Select Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns. University of Minnesota, 1993. 612/624-2855. Compiled by Lindsay L. Biddle Fall 1994 23 SusfainiTlfJ fhe Spirit: S'l rworsFiip Service ofCelebrafion Gathering Music A time for meditation will follow the call to at today's service. You will notice it is a bit unusual, and at a few points you will be asked to participate in non-customary ways. As you worship today, you will be involved in a congregational performance piece, in which together we will play out the process of reconciling in our lives. Call to Worship Leader: You are welcome here. People: Who do we mean when we say you? Do we mean you who were not welcome? Leader: You are welcome here. People: Where do we mean when we say here? Do we mean in our hearts or in this building? Leader: I am welcome here. People: I am welcome here. Leader: We are a people whole-and hurting. People: We are a people whole-and healing. PART I: DISUNION Meditation During the meditation, please turn and face out of the circle, to the wall. Think on your feeling ofisolation in this gathering ofbelievers. Hear the words ofPaul in this formation, then turn back to face in as you hear the introduction to the hymn. I Corinthians 12:14-21, 26-27, 29-31 Hymn: What Gift Can We Bring? No. 87, verses 1-3 United Methodist Hymnal After we have sung the first verse in our circle, please move to a seat as you continue to sing. PART II: REUNION Words of Welcome Children's Story Hymn: What Gift Can We Bring? No. 87, verse 4 Open Hands 24 Witness: Love Letters Several letters will be read. Their sources range from Paul ofTarsus to Alice Walker and other prophets in our midst today. They are letters about reunions and wholeness. They are also about brokenness, where reconciling is still a seed ofhope. They connect with each other only in the largest sense ofhuman experience. Hear them as a kaleidoscope, ifyou will. Silent Reflection PART III: COMMUNION oys and Concerns As we share our lives by bringing our joys and concerns to the body gathered, please share your own reflection on reconciling's shape and meaning in your life. Community Prayer Offerings Preparation for the Eucharist Leader: We are called to be reconciled because we once were whole and became broken. People: Our wholeness was terrifying. We broke ourselves because the little pieces are easier to see. Leader: We are called to be reconciled because we are called to be whole. People: Wholeness is terrifying. It's easier to break ourselves into us and them, inside and outside. Leader: The whole and living circle of love is a terrifying thing. People: It is our beginning. Passing the Peace As we pass peace to each other with a kiss or a hug or a poke or a nudge or a wink or a raising of our hands, let us know we embody in this action the whole and living circle oflove. Become a symbol ofthis love by moving into a circle in the center ofthe sanctuary, around the table with the elements-it's okay ifthe circle is two or three people deep. We will share the eucharist in this formation. Eucharist-sharing a meal [Print directions for your church.] Closing Hymn: The Gift of Love No. 408, verses 1 and 2 United Methodist Hymnal This service ofworship was originally created by Cindy Peterson, Martha Rogers, and Thew Elliott, with the help of Chip Aldridge, Mitchell Bond, and Mary Kraus, pastor, for the 7th anniversary of Dumbarton United Methodist Church (Washington, DC) becoming a Reconciling Congregation. Directions: If your sanctuary will accommodate it, move pews or chairs into a circle, semicircle, or some arrangement other than straight rows and place your worship table in the center. Ifnot, devise another way for the congregation to "turn their backs II in the Meditation time Substitute "open and affirming" or "more light" etc. if your ministry is not United Methodist. The hymn "What Gift Can We Bring" is by Jane Marshall, 1982. The hymn "The Gift of Love" (based on 1 Cor 13:1-3) is by Hal Hopson, 1972. Both hymns are copyrighted by Hope Publishing Company. Fall 1994 25 o On Pain, Anger, Joy, and Dis-Grace Do you hear the pain and compromise in the stories between these covers? Do you hear the unnamed anger that threatens to drain the energy and creativity of students, pastors, and campus ministers alike? Do you hear the steady pulse of the deep faith in God's unconditional love and steadfastness in ministry in one writer after another? Do you hear the cries of those students and ministers who have been dis-graced? Do you hear how some are cut off from channels of the grace of God that others take for granted? Editing this issue of Open Hands has carried me from pain, to anger, to admiration and hope, to dis-grace-and back again. I could feel the pain oozing off the manuscript pages as I worked with these articles. It was harder to get in touch with the anger that seemed tightly capped beneath the pain: anger at the church's refusal to confess its sins; anger at the church's inability to ask forgiveness of countless numbers of its own that the church has sinned against; anger at the church's focus on lithe homosexuality issue" or "right doctrine" or "church polity" rather than on the cries for love, acceptance, and support coming from God's children. And the sense of "dis-grace"? Well, it's there too, peering forlornly through the hopefulness of students and the steadfast outreach of the ministers. Every time I edit an issue of this magazine I hear and feel the pulse of that unnamed, painful anger. This time the pulsing beat is louder. Perhaps it is because the church-our beloved church-is messing with our children, with God's children, with our hopes for the future. How can we the church continue to stand by and let ignorant and uncaring landlords kick out yet more Jonathans who sit in a heap of their belongings on a street curb wailing, IIAll I want is to be left alone ... Why do they say such awful things about me?" (p. 18) I say "we the church" because I believe that until our voices and our power is great enough to end the disgrace of the church that leads to the dis-grace of God's lesbigay people, we all must group ourselves with that larger institution and its sin-even as we individually and collectively work to confront it. So I ask my questions of myself and of you: How can we the church sit silently by while another group of teenagers has entered college dorms, knowing they must be on their guard constantly lest someone find out they are queer and proceed to harass or bash them? (p. 11) How can we the church just say "too bad" when a campus minister confesses he did not speak out against the fundamentalist student who told gay students "You are condemned. AIDS is your judgment. Either repent or die."? (p. 7) How can we the church not repent of our sin of heterosexism? of our fear of taking a stand? of our overconcern not to "split the church" and our under-concern with the painful realities of God's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual children? (p. 9) Where is the loud indignation from the church when fearful college, university, or seminary presidents refuse to allow gay, lesbian, bisexual support groups or AIDS conferences or gay-positive courses or speakers on campus? Where is the universal calling of our leaders to be in ministry with all God's children? (p. 22) Where is the shout from the church of "enough" when gifted faculty, staff, and campus ministers lose their jobs for speaking out on behalf of God's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual college children? (p. 7) Positive examples of joy and connection and s'upport are also expressed in this issue. Each example drew a cheer of joy from me, a whisper of thanks, and a fervent prayer to God to sustain those courageous students staff, faculty, and clergy who birthed the successful ministries. Positive, successful ministries with God's queer children abound. Thank God! Still the pain exists and the anger pulses underneath. I keep wondering when we as the church at large will finally shout IIenough Jonathans wailing on the curb, enough Erics who need 'gaydar' to live safely, enough invisible lesbian partners of faculty without partner benefits, enough self-righteous fundamentalists, enough timid presidents and trustees, enough campus ministers fearful of losing financial support and their ever-diminishing flocks, enough students disillusioned with a narrow-minded, heterosexist church, enough gifted leaders sacked for speaking out. When will it be time to end the disgrace of our church? When will it be time to end the dis-grace of God's queer children and those who love and support and minister to and with them? We haven't reached that critical mass yet-but every welcoming church and every welcoming campus ministry helps us on our way! Every time we the church stand up and firmly support the creation of "circles of friends" and /lopen door ministries" and "At the Table Projects" on campuses, we help dispel a little more of that feeling of dis-grace. ..-n(~~ ()s.{),~ Open Hands 26 & Letters hUTches To Ministries On "'zpus ministries! In the United States since e students are in almost every church. The rise community college movement and the focus on contLnuin,.; education in business and industry have meant that ople in most congregations are involved in post-high education. Some Sunday ask your congregation to IIraise and if in the last twelve months you have taken at least niyersity or college course." Ask IIHow many have taken inuing education seminar or workshop in the last twelve ·hsr Probably 10 to 20 percent of adults will raise their to one of these questions . . e same process of ministry applies whether churches are sed on welcoming lesbigay folks or on ministry with stu"' of all types. This process involves four steps: commit, "ify, listen, and respond. At least a portion of the congre.~n needs to be committed to linking with students. This "p then needs to reach out in a non-threatening, welcom..:ay to those identified as involved in higher education. ents' needs will vary tremendously, so listening carefully ..al to the process of linking a local congregation with stuts on campus. From loneliness to over-involvement, from oal-induced poverty to being seduced by college consum'sm, from looking-for-a-partner to maintaining a relationip, from questioning all faith commitments to being vulerable to cults-all can be issues to which the local Christian mmunity may need to respond. Since Christian congregations near campuses range from mophobic to openly affirming of lesbigay students, some urches choose to be more public in their welcoming of lesigay students, regularly printing in church bulletins and ads eir welcome and disagreement with national, denomina. onal, homophobic policies. These more formal and public ponses will be viewed positively by lesbigay students who e searching for a church home. The people who are the problem-solving, contributing, welcoming leaders of society and church tomorrow are today's students. Identifying strategies to link with them are worthy of imagination and effort by Christian churches. Steven Shoemaker is Co-pastor ofMcKinley Presbyterian Church and Director of the McKinley Foundation (a church-based campus ministry) in Campaign, Illinois. Fall 1994 About Transgendered Persons Dear Mr. Bowman: Thank you for your letter describing Open Hands. It is a program that is long overdue. In your letter you state: IIMillions of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons, and their families and friends, won't go away." How much better this would have read if it had said: IIMillions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenderedpersons, and their families and friends, won't go away." The transgendered are part of God's family, and the first to be excluded by both the heterosexual and homosexual communities. During Operation Desert Storm, many of our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters were sent to the front, their administrative discharges put on hold. A small group of transgendered people were recalled to active duty (having been previously discharged) and sent to the front. Yet, they are never mentioned. Likewise, when the subject of reconciliation comes up in the churches, the transgendered are never mentioned. If we are going to heal our world, we cannot allow any of God's children to be excluded. Sr. Mary Elizabeth, SSE, San Juan Capistrano, CA About our Magazine Dear Sir: THANK YOU, THANK YOU for sending me Vol. 9, No. 4 [Reaching Out Boldly: Evangelism with a Welcoming Flavor] of your new, very much improved Open Hands magazine! I thor0ughly ENJOYED it. You improved it 100 percent. Count me in on a year's subscription. You've won me over . PS. Please send one back copy to [a friend]. Invite him to subscribe too . Donna Walthour, Leechburg, PA About Invisibility ofOld Gays/Lesbians Dear Mark: ...For some time I have had a concern that the gay/lesbian media have failed to respond to the existence of older gay/ lesbian persons in our community. Rarely if ever do we see an article on our activities, our contributions to the SOciety in which we live... I recently received a copy of Open Hands, looked for articles about older folks, and found none. I did find a statement under the title IIMarketing the Gospel." [Reaching Out Boldly: Evangelism with a WelcomingFlavor, Spring 1994] Again, we are cast aside as very closeted. Many are. However, the statement that this can only change through their initiative seems to me to be the church's easy way out... When I pick up a gay publication, I rarely ever see any articles on accomplishments of older gay persons ... Many of us are out there doing our work, sharing our lives and our faith that God truly loves us just as we are ... Anyone reading this letter might say I have a bruised ego. Not so! I am indeed fortunate that I am able to take risks for my faith and who lam.. .1 am fully aware there are gaps between generations-different ideas and thoughts. However, I only pray that those gaps do not become a road block for mutual respect and love for one another... Ted Christman, Minneapolis, MN 27 CAMPUS MINISTRY: BASIC REFERENCES Boston Lesbian Psychologies Collective, ed. Lesbian Psychologies: Explorations & Challenges. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1987. Explores a variety of identity issues for lesbians. Isay, Richard A. Being Homosexual: Gay Men and their Development. New York: Aronson, 1989. Challenges traditional psychoanalytic attitudes and practices; defines a "normal" path of psychological development. Reconciling Congregation Program. Reconciling Campus Ministries, Resource Paper #6. Chicago: Reconciling Congregation Program, 1994. 312/736-5526. Looks at the "why" and "how" of becoming welcoming. Sherrill, Jan-Mitchell and Craig A. Hardesty. The Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Students' Guide to Colleges, Universities and Graduate Schools. New York: New York University Press, 1994. Evaluates the campus climate. Weinberg, Martin S., ColinJ. Williams, and Douglas W. Pryor. Dual Attraction: Understanding Bisexuality. New York: Oxford University, 1994. Adds a much-needed chapter to the basic work of Kinsey and Masters and Johnson. Wrathall, John. At the table: A Campus Ministry-Based Anti-Homophobia Project. United Ministries in Higher Education, 1994. 331 17th Avenue, SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414. $10. A pilot campus project. Lots of resources. VIDEOS And the Band Played On. HBO, 1994. Provides a history of the AIDS epidemic in the United States. Last Call at Maud's. Water Bearer Films, 1993. A 77-minute documentary on lesbian social history. McNaught, Brian. On Being Gay. TRB Productions, 1986. An 80minute video best viewed in two 40-minute settings. Office of Television & Radio. A Little Respect: Gay Men, Lesbians and Bisex~als on Campus. Rutgers, 1990. Conversations with students about the gay community. SPIRITUAL EMPOWERMENT Board of Discipleship, UMC. Spirituality for AIDS Ministries. alive now! Oan/Feb 1993). Nashville: Upper Room, 1993. Stories, prayers, poems. Butler, Becky. Ceremonies ofthe Heart: Celebrating Lesbian Unions. Seattle: The Seal Press, 1990. Twenty-seven lesbian couples' rituals, publicly affirming their love. Comstock, Gary David. Gay Theology without Apology. New York: The Pilgrim Press, 1993. Critically assesses Christian scripture, tradition, and the practice of the church. Fortunato, John. Embracing the Exile: Healing Journeys of Gay Christians. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985. Offers hope and encouragement for lesbigay Christians. Glaser, Chris. The Word is Out! The Bible Reclaimed for Lesbians and Gay Men. San Francisco: Harper, 1994. Devotional readings integrating faith and sexuality. Heyward, Carter. Touching our Strength: The Erotic as Power and the Love ofGod. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1989. Experiential sexual theology fusing love/justice. More Light Churches Network. More Light Prayers. More Light Update. Annual January issue. P.O. Box 38, New BrunSwick, NJ 089030038. Collections of prayers. Reconciling Congregation Program. Celebrating the Inclusive ,God: Worship in the Welcoming Community. Open Hands 9 (Winter 1994). Issue on worship, liturgies, resources. Stuart, Elizabeth. Daring to Speak Love's Name: A Gay and lesbian Prayer Book. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1992. Combines practical help with inspirational psalms/prayers for the worshipping community. Walker, Alice. "Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self," In Search ofour Mother's Gardens. Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1983, pp. 361-370. Explores feelings of being different which all people experience in some form. TEXTS FOR CLASSROOM LECTURERS Boswell, John. Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning ofthe Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980. Historical research which challenges the church's past relationship to its gay members. See also his Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe. Villard Books, 1994. Crumpacker, Laurie and Eleanor M. Vander Haegen. Integrating the Curriculum: Teaching about Lesbians and Homophobia. Wellesley College, Center for Research on Women, 1984. A study of curriculum changes. Duberman, Martin, Martha Vicinus, and George Chauncey, Jr. Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay & Lesbian Past. New York: Meridian Book, 1989. Brings together vital scholarly studies on lesbian and gay history. Goldberg, Jonathan. Reclaiming Sodom. New York: Routledge, 1994. A significant and controversial contribution on sexuality and gender in our culture. Harbeck, Karen M., ed. Coming Out of the Classroom Closet: Gay and Lesbian Students, Teachers and Curricula. New York: Harrington Park Press, 1992. For all educators trying to confront homophobia/heterosexism in education. Marcus, Eric. Is It a Choice? Answers to 300 ofthe Most Frequently Asked Questions about Gays and Lesbians. San Francisco: Harper, 1993. An honest, compassionate, and comprehensive resource on lesbian and gay culture. Compiled by Laura Lee Wilson Open Hands 28 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~----~ elcoming Movement congregations which have joined our o\'ement in recent months, "'Y...-Y...'Y.IJ ....................... OPEN --D-L M!t~M!~.~ ~ "'Y...-Y...'Y.IJ ....................... OPEN AND AFFIRMING "rst Congregational UCC ianapolis, Indiana Although situated in an upper middle class area, this conegation of 400 is committed to ministry with the whole city ot Indianapolis. With its interim pastor, it is working on re..ewal of that mission. There is great excitement about new possibilities, including widening opportunities for lay particiation and further developing the Christian education pro- am. The church wants its /laNA attitude" to be known in the city and continues to explore how it can be more op~n and affirming to a wide range of people. First Congregational UCC Greenfield, Massachusetts The 250 members of this rural/suburban church in western ,.fassachusetts are engaged in a process of redefinition and diseO\'ery as they search for a new pastor. This fall they look for, ard to welcoming the area's UCCJust Peace Fellowship which rt~f"eld, Minnesota 'n be ably hosted by their energetic women's fellowship. Mntense time of aNA study and decision making, they "n their aNA commitment with the goal of inerstanding about what it can mean in the life of First VCC a small college town church of 400, just completed major renovation of its old building, the first such changes and additions in eighty years! The project included restoration of a wonderful, historic pipe organ. As part of its active mission program and ONA commitment, the church is working with a community group to arrange "safe space" at the church for lesbigay teens to meet and talk. At the all-church retreat in November, the congregation will continue discussion about what it means to be an inclusive community. It will also soon begin a study of the new UCC sexuality curriculum. WELCOMING CHURCH LISTS AVAILABLE The complete ecumenical list of welcoming churches is printed in the winter issue of Open Hands each year. For a more up-to-date list of your particular denomination, contact the appropriate program listed on p. 3 or p. 32. Mira Vista UCC EI Cerrito, California Diverse in race, sexual orientation, and theological perspective, this East Bay congregation of 120 members is experiencing exciting transition as many young people are becoming part of its active life. Its strong local mission program includes a winter shelter for homeless women and children. The church understands being a NA as IIa continuing journey" which includes discovering new ways to reach out to the gay/lesbian community and exploring wider issues of inclusiveness. Church members participated in San Francisco's Gay Pride Parade as part of the 100-member, ecumenical "welcoming churches" contingent. United Church of Christ New Brighton, Minnesota Located on the outskirts of the Twin Cities, this 400-member suburban church supports numerous missions in the local area and beyond. In 1993, they were involved in a Habitat for Humanity home-building project in Mississippi. Their aNA study was part of a strong adult education program, On October 11, National Coming Out Day, they were part of /lComing Out: A Celebration of Faith Communities," an interfaith event. Wild Rose UCC Evergreen, Colorado Diverse in faith backgrounds, sexual orientations, and lifestyles, this tiny congregation in the foothills west of Denver meets in the local Senior Center. Right after voting to be a NA, the congregation rejoiced in recommending one of its openly gay members for /lIn-Care" status for ordination. The church has just taken the /I frightening but exciting step" of moving from a full-time to a part-time pastorate. With lay and clergy members now taking on new responSibilities, the congregation is evaluating its place in the community and looking at growth strategies. They ask prayers of support as they move boldly into the future, Fall 1994 29 First UMC Portland, Oregon This l,OOO-member downtown congregation, celebrating its lS0th anniversary in 1998, is well-known for its participation in social justice issues. They hire interns to work for community social services agencies, offer a homeless shelter, employ an outreach coordinator, and' created an AIDS Memorial Quilt panel in memory of their pastor who died of AIDS. They hosted 72,000 visitors to the International Anne Frank Exhibit on Diversity in 1992 when a ballot measure against gays and lesbians was dividing the state. First UMC joined the Reconciling Congregation movement one year after a vote to welcome people of all sexual orientations. After studying for two-and-a-half years, a Reconciling Task Force recommended the positive vote to the congregation and led a series of six classes on three occasions, followed by two town hall meetings. A Church and Sexuality Committee helps the church choose appropriate actions in affirmation, education, and outreach. Ravenna UMC Seattle, Washington Ravenna UMC is a small congregation in an urban, professional neighborhood near the University of Washington campus. This congregation with a "strong neighborhood feeling" has an active music ministry and children's ministries. While its neighborhood includes many lesbian and gay persons, Ravenna realized that becoming an RC was also an important concern for heterosexual persons and families in the community. Walnut Creek UMC Walnut Creek, California Walnut Creek UMC is an 800-member, suburban church with progressive traditions in largely conservative Contra Costa County. This church has a highly active and strong lay leadership, including many professional persons. The congregation's willingness to experiment is evidenced by its current plan to develop an alternative worship experience. The congregation is active in SHARE, an ecumenical group which collects and distributes food and financial support for persons in need. Walnut Creek recently became involved in "Our Neighbors," a program to resettle homeless families. The congregation began learning about social justice for lesbian and gay persons eight years ago with a series of educational forums. They began seriously considering becoming an RC in 1992, culminating in a vote this past June. UM Community of Hope Tulsa, Oklahoma The Community of Hope was organized in the summer of 1993 as a "shalom base community." Now, a year later, over 100 persons are participating. The community offers Volunteers in Mission work teams, Affirming Diversity focus groups, a care team for persons with HIV / AIDS, and projects in response to domestic violence and homelessness. Believing that these ministries are grounded in a deep spirituality, Community of Hope also offers regular Bible study, support groups, and special workshops. Founded as an intentionally multicultural and inclusive community, Community of Hope's plan from its inception was to become an RC. James Preston is Rep Outreach Staff James Preston began in October as full-time outreach staff for the Reconciling Congregation Program in the Chicago office. An elder in the Northwest Texas Conference, James has served churches in Lubbock and Amarillo. He also served as Conference Youth Coordinator. James brings skills in Christian education, congregational enablement, liturgy, and public speaking to the RCP, as well as an abundance of energy and enthusiasm. James's work will focus on cultivating new Reconciling Congregations. He also will provide support to Reconciling Campus Ministries and the Reconciling Pastors' Action Network. Although James will spend much time traveling on behalf of the RCp, he enjoys your words of welcome when you call or write to the office. Ecumenical Welcoming Movement Surpasses 400 Our ecumenical movement of churches that welcome all persons regardless of sexual orientation is now growing at the rate of one new congregation per week and totals over 400 mainline congregations. This accomplishment was celebrated during the September 24-25 meeting of the leaders of the "welcoming church" programs in Chicago. The leaders of the More Light (Presbyterian), Open and Affirming (United Church of Christ), Reconciled in Christ (Lutheran), Reconciling (United Methodist), and Supportive (Brethren/Mennonite) church programs also announced January 29, 1995, as "Ecumenical Welcoming Sunday." Welcoming congregations in all denominations are encouraged to celebrate their inclusive, reconciling ministries with lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons on that Sunday as a statement of solidarity with each other. The leaders also shared plans and resources in their respective programs and discussed ways of supporting each other. This is the fourth annual meeting of these program leaders. The Open Hands Editorial Advisory Committee met in conjunction with the welcoming program leaders. Committee members reported continued praise received from readers since the magaZine became ecumenical in January 1993. This is evidenced by the growth in paid subscribers from 1,700 to 2,400 during this period. The advisory committee planned themes for upcoming issues of Open Hands (see box on next page). Open Hands 30 UMC Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Clergy The Reconciling Congregation Program is facilitating a January retreat for United Methodist lesbianlgay/bisexual Central Jurisdiction. 'r,ethren Produce New Video ~-~onn"'n ito~IB. t: Lesbian and Gay Mennonites and Brethuc the Journey is a 39-minute video portraying the c~ lesbian, gay, and bisexual Mennonites and Brethren ion to their experience with the Church. It provides a for dialogue on how the church weaves its Anabaptist ;' of nonconformity and its call to do justice with the emporary realities of the divisiveness surrounding homoality. The video and a brief study guide are available for from the Brethren/Mennonite Council for Lesbian and a:: Concerns, P.O. Box 6300, Minneapolis, MN 55406-0300. CP Releases Study on Effects of ecoming RC \ V ill my congregation lose members and funds if we start reconciling process?" The answer to that question is an emphatic "NO," according to a statistical study done this sumer. Moreover, in a national church that is declining in membership, the ability to retain members is even more signifi- TIle study, commissioned by the Reconciling Congregation os!ram, analyzed fourteen years of data on membership, Sound ror th~ Promis~dLand FOURTH NATIONAL CONVOCATION OF RECONCILING CONGREGATIONS JULY 13-16, 1995 Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minnesota Youth/Student Rally on July 13, preceding regular Convocation More details to come. worship attendance, church school attendance, and total budget for the fifty-two churches that became Reconciling Congregations (RCs) before 1991. A four-year span covering two years before and two years after a congregation's decision was given particular attention, as these are the most potentially volatile years in the RC process. Results show that some RCs gained in numbers and others lost over these four years. Overall, however, RCs averaged no statistically significant change in membership, worship attendance, and church school attendance over this period. Results also show an increase in total budgets of RCs, but, on average, this increase was the same as other churches in their districts. Responses to a survey about the reconciling process sent to pastors of the fi fty-two RCs was also analyzed. When examined in conjunction with the statistical data, a picture of a dynamic movement emerges. The study was done by Chad Heilig, graduate student in statistics and member of Trinity UMC (Berkeley, California) and Kristin Stoneking, student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. A copy of the final study report can be obtained from the Reconciling Congregation Program office. u 1995 1995 FALL If you would like to \\Trite an article, contact Fall 1994 31 How Does a Campus Ministry Become Part of the Welcoming Movement? Although campus ministries have traditionally been safe and open places where students could explore questions of faith, identity, and life in general, often it is not apparent that campus ministries are open to gay, lesbian, and bisexual students who may be experiencing intense dissonance between their sexual and spiritual identities. Therefore, some campus ministries are publicly declaring themselves to be open and welcoming by joining the welcoming church movement in their denomination. Contact the person or office below if your group is interested. National Contact Persons More Light Churches Network (Presbyterian) William Capel, 123R West Church Street, Champaign, IL 61820 217/355-9825 Open & Affirming Churches (Disciples) Allen Harris, 1010 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10028 212/ 288-3246 Open and Affirming Churches (United Church of Christ) Ann B. Day, P.O. Box 403, Holden, MA 01520 508/856-9316 Reconciled in Christ Churches (Lutheran, ELCA) Judy Bond, 1722 HOllinwood Drive, Alexandria, VA 22307 703/768-4915 Reconciling Congregation Program (United Methodist) James Preston, 3801 N. Keeler Avenue, Chicago, IL 60641 312/736-5526 Supportive Congregations (Brethren/Mennonite) P.O. Box 6300, Minneapolis, MN 55406 Welcoming & Affirming Baptists P.O. Box 2596, Attleboro Falls, MA 02763 Please send me _ copies of Still on the Journey @ $15 (5 or more copies @ $10). NAME ADDRESS _______________________ CITY/STATE/ZIP _ ________ o Enclosed is payment of $___ OR ADD $3 for shipping. Send order to: Reconciling Congregation Program 3801 N. Keeler Avenue, Chicago, IL 60641 312/736-5526 Fax: 312/736-5475 DAYTIME PHONE (_) ____ ____ CHURCH _______________________ o Charge to my VISA or Mastercard # -------------------------------Expiration ---1_ Signature ______________ Open Hands 32 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Open Hands Vol 10 No 2 - Campus Ministries with Sexual Minorities https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/1f0f7774fe4211299e9e535222085aac.pdf 6bb8f984755bbfeb07b11d2ea307797e Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Volume Number The volume number of the issue 10 Issue Number The number of the issue (within a volume) 3 Publication Year The year the issue was published 1995 Publication Date The date the issue was published Winter Text Any textual data included in the document -More Light CllUrc1les Network Open and Affirming Program Reconciled in Christ Program Reconciling Congregation Program Church & Military: Twins? Barriers to Inclusivity Personal Realities Healing Challenges 4 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 Lig~t 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 3801 N. Keeler Avenue Chicago, IL 60641 Phone: 312 / 736-5526 Fax: 312/ 736-5475 Member, The Associated Church Press © 1995 Reconciling Congregation Program, Inc. Open Hands is a registered trademark. ISSN 0888-8833 @ Printed on recycled paper. Resources for Ministries Affirming the Diversity ofHuman Sexuality Winter 1995 CHURCH BEHIND US Focus on Puzzles and Journeys JUDY BOND Three puzzles inform our church journey. "Don't Ask-Don't Tell" MARK BOWMAN Uncanny parallels emerge between church and military. ~ Will Churches Take Next Steps? JEFFREY PULLING Six barriers-and six steps-to full lesjbijgay inclusivity. CHURCH AROUND US Somebody Throw Me a Lifeline 8 JAN GRIESINGER Spiritual drowning occurs in Ohio . "It Could Have Been a Church!" 9 LISA LARGES Two anecdotes identify church realities. ' J'l>urney Out of Half-Truth 10 « PH IL KNUTSON A closet door is opened with an Epiphany letter. Phil's Family Responds Another closet door is opened. 12 'And No One Will Snatch Them Qui ~fMY Hand "BARBARA tUNDBLAD We A memorial sermon for Phil explores the Go Shepherc{ image. Youth at the Forefront BOB G IBELING Youth lead the way to inclusivity. Gay Pastoral Team" in Seattle 1S KIMBERLY GRIFFIN A gay male couple is called 0 se'" c a church. 2 Open Hands 5 6 Church on a Journey toward Sexual Inclusivity I""" ---____,,-,-___ ___ --.,;y-~._.---.---_____. -__-_--.-.. .. -...-__.---;:;,.....-. ----_----.--_---_.-,::;::-.~ ----..... . _ ~ =_----...------.... _.~='%__ ~ ~ ~,--.--ooo<" --.-. CHURCH AHEAD OF US Healing Broken Institutions 16 GEORGE D. MCCLArN Seven healing steps a~f! offered for our so.Cial action ministrY: , Turning Walls into Arches 18 JEANNE KNEPPER Here is a new metaphor for inclusive ministry and social change work. Healing Broken People KENNETH H. ORTH We are called to heal the damage of unhealthy shame. 19 To Be a Church Again 20 'JACK HOFFMEISTER TJl€ Stonewall and sexual revolutions caN for the church to raise a new sexual moral standard. Give a Cheer for our Evangelical Brothers and Sisters 22 TOM GRIFFITH Evangelicals are finally being honest. Now it is our turn. Ecumenical Challenges Ahead 23 ALICE O'DONOVAN The struggle continues to open the doors of the National Council of Churches to the UFMCC. SUSTAINING THE SPIRIT For the Sake qf"lHealing 24 CHERYL D. HAR,RELL V@ A responsive cpnfession and interqctive assurance mJflht form the core of a healing,:rituaj f or.xour shuroH: ONE MORE WORD 26 WHAT DO YOU THINK? 27 MOVEMENT NEWS 28 WELCOMING CHURCH LIST 30 -. Editorial Advisory Committee Peg Beissert, Rolling Hills Est., CA Lindsay Biddle, Minneapolis, MN Ann Marie Coleman, Chicago, IL Dan Hooper, Los Angeles, CA Derrick Kikuchi, Daly City, CA Samuel E. Loliger, Buffalo, NY Dick Poole, Oak Forest, IL Caroline Presnell, Evanston, IL Irma C. Romero, Chicago, IL Paul Santillan, Chicago, IL Martha Scott, Chicago, IL Stuart Wright, Chicago, IL r.............~ "'''.''.''''' OPEN --a-! t!~! r......~...~ "'''.''.''''' 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 Judy Bond o Reconciled in Christ Program 1722 Hollinwood Drive "· Alexandria, VA 22307 703/768-4915 William Capel t.. More Light Churches Network 123R West Church Street Champaign, IL 61820-3510 217/355-9825 Publisher Mark Bowman Open Hands Editor Mary Jo Osterman Layout I Graphics I Typesetting In Print -Jan Graves 3 Winter 1995 • By Judy Bond Reconciled in Christ Coordinator, LC/NA HOW do v:e talk about the ~hur~h on a Journey engagIng In change? As a Lutheran baptized in infancy, I "teethed" on the big change-the Reformation. However, today I look for clues of re-formation in our denominations. It seems we have three church jigsaw puzzles stored in the same box-tradition, reformation, and transformation-and our mission (should we choose to accept it) is to sort out the pieces to assemble the puzzles. The pictures will reveal what we envision, hope for, or try to avoid in the future. Tradition The passing down of elements of a religious body from generation to generation. One puzzle-making dilemma is whether or not our faith communities are ready to reexamine traditions. In my first college course in Old Testament, the professor challenged us to reexamine our "Sunday School" understandings of Scripture. Some of us survived by accepting the invitation to be curious, to revisit earlier learnings, and to examine the familiar from a new perspective. Others walked away muttering "blasphemy." Still others wouldn't pursue the questions, fearful of ending up with gaping holes in their faith. Another problem is that the tradition pieces of the puzzle may seem to link together quickly. We must be careful not to force pieces into place. When Bishop John Shelby Spong was asked about his motivation for writing, he answered that his children encouraged him when they asked, "Dad, why is the church continuing to give us the same answers to questions we no longer ask?" I believe our welcoming movement is articulating some of the new questions. We have to be ready to look at our traditions. Reformation The improving of something by alteration correction of error, or removal of defects; the abolishing ofabuse. Many of our denominations have engaged in ongoing study of same gender unions and ordination ofopenly gay and lesbian persons in relationshipswithout resolution. This is one puzzle that defies easy assembly. Our churches are engaged in the abuse of disowning the spiritual gifts of the les/bi/gay community. We are not moving quickly to correct that abuse. For example, in November 1991 in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a study document titled Human Sexuality and the Christian Faith: A Lutheran Perspective was distributed for study, reflection, and comment. The overwhelmingly negative response resulted in a rewritten document titled Human Sexuality: Working Draft-A Possible Social Statement of the E.L. c.A. with Accompanying Documents. The shift in perspective was distinct! Many church people were not ready to reexamine tradition or to look for new answers to new questions. They took the puzzles apart and mixed up the pieces again. Transformation The drastic changing ofthe nature, form, function, or appearance ofsomething. The transforming border of our church puzzle is becoming visible. \Are see it in the increasing numbers of congregations who are adopting affirmations of welcome after meeting resistance and conflict in their first attempts. We see it in the new worship resources created by our les/bi/gay community in the openness to discuss issues of justice, and as individuals network in new and prophetic ways. As the pictures of our three puzzles emerge, we see that they really are one big puzzle being assembled by three dynamic and interlocking processes: reexamination of our traditions, reformation of our non-inclusive and abusive ways, and transformation of our creative edges. As we engage in these processes, the journey continues. T Open Hands 4 ClCIDON~T A DON~T TtLL~~ By Mark Bowman od and U.S. military service were both worshipped in my hometown church when I visited last Memorial Day. Memories of my youth flooded back: some of my most heated clashes about the ethics of the Vietnam War had occurred in that church. I sat pondering the seemingly inextricable link between many churches and the military. Why is the U.S. flag so often displayed within our sacred space? Why do so many Christians assume that all U.S. military action is ordained by God? Why is military service so often viewed as a supreme form of Christian service? My conclusion-to my chagrin-was that church and military playa common role in our society. They are the two key institutions for preserving U.S. social order. Both are expected to instill society's values into the hearts and minds of emerging American adults. Both are expected to mold nonconformists into socially acceptable persons. Both are steeped in tradition and slow to change. My conclusion was confirmed as I later read Randy Shilts's Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the U.S. Military.l Parallels between the experiences of les/bi/gay persons in the military and in the church are uncanny. We can draw valuable insights for our work in the church from Shilts's investigation into the military. What Military and Church Do bservations we can make from Shilts's stories about how the military has dealt with lesbians and gay men are also generally true for the church: 1. The highest priority of the institution is self-preservation, well above concern for the individual member. Individuals are subjected to persecution, even Winter 1995 loss of life, for the sake of preserving the institution. 2. The institution is more concerned with maintaining the perception that gay men and lesbians are expelled than with acknowledging the reality of their presence. Everyone knows gay men and lesbians are present. No one seems interested in ferreting out the many who exist quietly. However, institutional leaders do publicly pronounce the policy banning gay men and lesbians and pursue high-profile cases to expel them. 3. When the institution perceives itself to be threatened by gay men and lesbians, it will go to extreme lengths, even illegal actions, to protect itself. Thus arise undercover surveillances, illegal searches and seizures, and threats of recrimination and blackmail. 4. The institution's policy on gay men and lesbians has deep roots in the institution's culture and cannot be supported by logic. Successive rationales for excluding lesbians and gay men have been proven false, only to be replaced by new ones. S. Even though many institutionalleaders express their personal disagreement with the discriminatory policy, they enforce it in their actions. Leaders wring their hands and perceive no choice but to "follow the rules." How Gay Men and Lesbians React The ways gay men and lesbians react within the military are also hauntingly familiar to us in the church: 1. Gay men and lesbians often undergo great personal sacrifice in order to serve the institution. Their deep love for the institution allows them to endure much pain and suffering. 2. Gay men and lesbians strive to excel within the institution, believing their valued service will prevent their eventual expUlsion. However, they learn that the institution has no qualms about discarding even its most highly regarded members. 3. When confronted with threats of exposure, most gay men and lesbians withdraw from the institution quietly. Most do not challenge the institution or even request due process. Parallels in church and military: Replace "institution" with "military." Then replace it with "church." What do you think? 4. Les/bi/gay political leaders ignore the plight of gay men and lesbians within the institution until it becomes politically expedient to focus on them. Politicalleaders' skepticism about why gay men and lesbians choose to serve a homophobic institution is only overcome by the possibility of using their struggle with such an institution to further the larger les/bi/gay political movement. Future Directions Observations about the military inform not only our understanding and analysis of the current situation of gay men and lesbians in the church but also future directions: 1. As change in the institution's policy appears to be imminent, the institution enforces the ban with even greater vigor. We can expect that conflict and resistance to change will escalate as the discriminatory policies of the institution begin to crumble. 2. Gay men and lesbians seeking to challenge expUlsion do not generally succeed by using the institution's internal processes and structu res. Success is more often brought about by using external forces-the public media and the civil courts. What do all of these parallels mean? My faith leads me to expect more from the church. Yet my love for the church does cloud my vision of reality on a dayto-day basis. Stepping back and viewing the church through a different lens can sometimes better equip us for the journey ahead . ... Note lRandy Shilts, Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the U.S. Military (New York: Ballantine Books, 1994). Mark Bowman serves as national coordinator oftheReconciling Congregation Program and publisher of Open Hands. 5 WILL CHURCHES TAKE NEXT STEPS? By Jeffrey Pulling As we reflect on the welcoming church movement within mainstream Protestantism, we not only need to celebrate the progress made but we also need to examine what keeps U.S. Protestant churches from fully embracing lesbian, bisexual, and gay people. Why are our families of faith not moving boldly ahead? I write from the perspective of a relative outsider, having left the United Church of Christ of my upbringing over twenty years ago in order to do gay /lesbian ministry within the Metropolitan Community Church. I have stayed in close touch with mainstream Protestantism over the years through friends and family, periodicals, and ecumenical work. I do not hold out much hope that mainline churches will move to full affirmation of the presence, gifts, and ministries of les/bi/gay persons within my lifetime. I have come to this sad conclusion for six interlocking reasons. These reasons suggest six positive steps which must be taken by mainline Protestantism if it is to become fully inclusive. 1. Teach Biblical Interpretation Skills I see very little teaching of lay people in mainline Protestant churches about biblical interpretation. The resulting biblical ignorance abandons the biblical high ground to the religious right. Their assertions that the Bible condemns 6 homosexuality leave many mainline Protestants feeling that they have to give up all notion of biblical authority if they are to welcome self-affirming homosexual persons into the church. Protestant pastors could be doing much more to model biblical interpretation when they publicly read SCripture passages and when they preach. How will lay people experience the excitement of discovering the possible meaning(s) of a scriptural passage or story in its historical context and then applying those meanings to their present situation unless their pastor models that excitement and process? Instead, the favorite sermon topiC for the past decade has been finding strength, hope, and inspiration for daily living and life crises. As needed as this sermon topic is for the spiritual and emotional health of lay members, a steady diet of it reinforces the idea that the Bible should be used as a recipe book of wisdom and inspiration. Largely missing is any sense of challenge for looking at life differently and/ or living our lives differently. When /Ichallenge" sermons are preached, they usually draw on the inspiration and insight of a contemporary or extra-biblical source. As a result, many lay members never hear the radical visionary ideas in the Bible. They never begin to understand the nuances of interpreting scriptural passages that deal with sexuality. Virtually none of the superb biblical scholarship of the past twenty years dealing with homosexuality has been shared with the people in the pews. Why does it have to be a big secret? Why is the literalist view allowed to hold sway by default? 2. Expand Common Lectionary The advantages to using the Common Lectionary are obvious and have been well articulated, but there are drawbacks as well. John's Gospel is not given its full due. Stories of strong, influential women such as Miriam, Huldah, and Esther are edited out. Sexuality concerns such as Song of Songs, David and Jonathan, the eunuch prophecy of Isaiah .56, and the Matthew 19 teaching of Jesus about eunuchs are expunged. Even passages that have been used to condemn homosexuality are excluded from the lectionary, prohibiting the lectionar.· preacher from sharing a non-homophobic understanding of these passages. For churches attempting to articulate a sexpositive theology and proclaim a message of God's universal love, the Common Lectionary is not adequate. A three-year cycle of readings is not extensive enough to be inclusive of all the dhTf'fse voices in the Bible. 3. Open Up an Inclusive Gospel While mainstream Protestants have made great strides in affirming Open Hands enabling the ministries of women, see little evidence of willingness to re. , Christian faith in light ofwomen's experience and insight. Ifthe Scriptures Christian tradition as we have rece;'!;ed them are indeed the spiritual ecords of only the male half of the hun race, then Christian faith needs the spiritual experience and insight of omen as well in order to be whole and complete. Unfortunately, attempts to do such re-imagining of Christian faith ave been met with great resistance, as :if the traditional male interpretations of Christian faith are eternally true and universally valid. Mainline churches are even less will.ng to incorporate the experience and ~lSights of gay and lesbian people. Yet, ay and lesbian Christians are called to open up a fuller gospel, a more inclus~"e flgood news"-and they are doing so, even though their contributions are often seen as threats rather than as gifts. arn from History merican Protestantism has always tended to ignore church history and radition after New Testament times nUl the Reformation. This ahistorical ent has become even more prolou nced in the last two decades. I see ?'ery little evidence of Protestant open..ess to learning the lessons of Protesant and American history, let alone openness to learning a broader view of ~jstory that encompasses other times and cultures, or activities and views of 'omen, people of color, and sexual minorities. The result is a fairly myopic stance that assumes that our contemporary Western worldview is universal and timeless. This ahistorical environment within American Protestantism provides a less than hospitable reception for the historical scholarship ofJohn Boswell and others. History is notseen as "real." The i ews and behaviors of Christ's followers in other times and places are not seen as valid. What then does it matter that homosexuality was widely tolerated for the first millennium of Christianity and that there were Christian bonding ceremonies for two men and two women? \'\fhat does it matter that persecution of homosexuals arose within Christianity at roughly the same time as anti-Semitism and witchcraft purges? These historical insights are being ignored as if they are of no consequence. s. Address Sexuality as Irrational Issue Sexuality is not rational; it involves our passions. As long as we continue to address sexuality ,issues in purely rational, intellectual ways · through studies, lectures, and debates, we will never move beyond a certain point. Those involved in welcoming congregations can testify that rational discussion alone did not change minds and hearts in their churches. It is personal contact and life witness that changes people's views about sexuality. To address sexuality as the irrational issue it is means that many more les/bi/ gay persons have to be "out." It also means that Protestant churches have to give up their favorite technique for conflict-aVOidance, namely "studying the issue of homosexuality." 6. Confront Idolatry of Marriage/Family Since American Protestantism has so closely identified itself with heterosexual marriage and family, confronting the idolatry of marriage and family may be the hardest nut of all to crack. In actuality, the nuclear family has never been the norm of Christianity. Holding up heterosexual marriage and family as the Christian lifestyle is diabolical because it excludes those whom Christ's ministry included: the unmarried and those who are sexually different (eunuchs). In primitive Christianity, women were able to enter the New Covenant on their own, not because they were attached to a man. The New Covenant community was open to all. Gender, relationship stat us, class, and nationality were not important. Jesus redefined what family means (Mk 3:3135). Our blood-ties are not as important as our God-ties. Jesus taught that nothing should take precedence over our relationship with God, not even marriage and family (Mt 10:34-39). I do not hear mainline churches proclaiming Jesus' teaching and example about marriage and family. Until this idolatry is identified for what it is and expunged from the heart of Protestant Christianity, gay and lesbian Christians will always be viewed as flawed and second-best (or worse). Why Bother with Renewal? The six steps above can lead to full affirmation of les/bi/gay persons within mainline Protestant churches. However, most churches' unwillingness to take these next steps turns them into six blocks to full inclusivity. Given the seriousness of these six blocks, why should we bother trying to open our families of faith to a more inclusive gospel? Each reader will have to answer that question. I persist because I strongly believe that what les/bi/gay people have to offer Christianity is greatly needed. Eventually, we will be seen for the gift that we are. We may not see the new day of freedom and understanding ourselves, but as the last verse of the hymn "Lead On, 0 Cloud of Yahweh," states: Lead on, 0 God of Freedom, Ourguiding spirit be; Though those who start the journey The promise may not see, We pray our sons and daughters May live to see that land Where justice rules with mercy And love is law's demand. 1 If we trust God enough to be God's partners in the opening up and renewal of Christianity, then those who come after us-gay and straight-will have a better life because ofwhat we have done. • Note lRuth C. Duck, IILead On, 0 Cloud of Yahweh," Everflowing Streams, eds. Ruth C. Duck and Michael G. Bausch (New York: Pilgrim Press, 1981), p.77. Copyright 1974 by GIA Publications. All rights reserved. Jeffrey Pulling, M.Div., Ph.D., has served the Metropolitan Community Church since 1972 in pastoral, educational, and administrative capacities. He currently coordinates Adult Faith Development for the Northeast District (New England and New York state) of the MCC. Winter 1995 7 By Jan Griesinger "They fired my pastor today because ofme. " his phrase has been repeating in my head in the hours since the firing occurred. I am long past thinking homophobia is my fault. However, when it strikes close to home, I take it personally. The other person who would have said, "It was because ofme," died of AIDS last November. I belong to a small former E & R church, st. Paul UCC, in Marietta, Ohio. It is the closest one to me, about forty miles from my home. I have been a member for seventeen years but not a frequent attender. I generally felt unknown and unwelcome there until four years ago when Ralph Carr became the pastor. After Ralph was called to the church, Marvin Becker (30 years old, baptized at st. Paul, and a lifelong member) told him he had AIDS and was gay and that there were several other gay and lesbian people in the congregation. Ralph was a graduate of a Bible college and had done his seminary work with Donald Bloesch (author of The Biblical Witness Fellowship Dubuque Declaration). Discovering this information about his new congregation was a shock to Ralph. As a pastor, he felt called to do the pastoral thing. Marvin had given him our names, so he called on us one by one and asked to hear our stories. I remember his phone call to me: "I'm the new pastor. I understand you are gay. I don't know much about this and want to meet you and talk to you. II I thought to myself, "This is the most straight-forward approach I have ever had." Over the years, Ralph provided tremendous support to me, to Marvin and his family, and to many others. He preached openly at Marvin's funeral, affirming the great love between Marvin and his partner Mark. He then proposed st. Paul's sponsor a workshop on "AIDS and the Church." It was defeated at a church annual meeting. I hadn't been back to church since that vote six months ago and told Ralp why. He suggested I write a letter to the consistory, which I did, expressing m. pain and disappointment. He read this letter from the pulpit, unbeknownst t me. It apparently was the last straw fo some people. Dissident members of the congreg tion circulated a recall petition. Churc members who had not attended in yea some since before Ralph came, \\'e rounded up. They forced a vote at a s cial congregational meeting within t. weeks and ended his pastorate wit . 37-28 vote. When Ralph stood before the c gregation this morning, he told story of Marvin's approach to him, visits with me, and with others who closeted. He explained that he and ers in his former conference though him as conservative, that he was t astounded by the charge in the peti that he was "too liberal for this chur He asked the congregation, II Do . think it was easy for me to wrestle the homosexual issue? Do you t that I, a man who has slept with one woman, my wife, found it si to come to grips with gay/lesbian and the values they represented?' Nevertheless, he took his stan explained, "When my wife was i hospital, Jan called and asked why could do to help, offered to prea me, etc. Of the three ordained f!"': ters in our church, she was the on . to offer. This bonded me to her. you attack her, you hurt me." Of course, there were other iss there always are-his abilities, s ministry, performance-but Ralp certain that homophobia was t Open 8 @ ,e of the dissidents said at the meet\ Vhat have homosexuals ever done our country? It's our brave boys who ght in W.W.II who have made this country great. We come to church to feel good, not to hear about sex, drugs, and AIDS." This is a sad enough tale at St. Paul's, ut it doesn't stop there. It is being relayed in hundreds of churches. My friend Linda, pastoring a small rural church, faces the same vote six weeks rom now. Can we really question that this is the church-splitting issue of our ime? When I say this,. I think of racism and poverty and other serious life-threatening concerns. White VCC churches by and large do not really deal with these concerns except in a superficial, serviceproject way. At least, churches don't seem to be self-destructing over them. However, all oppression is related. The radical right attacks welfare, people of color, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, AIDS-it is all one ball of wax for them. In Protestant churches, they have targeted us. The dissidents' rhetoric at my church came right off Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell TV. Many of the twenty-eight of us who voted to retain Ralph will leave the church when his Sixty days are up. Somebody throw me a lifeline. The closest Open and Affirming church is 200 miles away. " Note This article is reprinted from WAVES, December 1994. Jan Griesinger, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, has served as director ofUnited Campus Ministry at Ohio University in Athens since 1976 and as national coordinator for the United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns since 1984. By Lisa Larges Those of us who attended a recent More Light Presbyterian Conference saw a play Coming Out, Coming Home, created by Spirit of the Lakes (ONA) in Minneapolis. One section of the play was a story of a young gay man's coming out experience. He speaks of going to a gay bar for the first time and having that deep experience of coming home. As he walked into that bar, he felt that he was at last among friends who understood him. Finally, he was in a place, a community, where he could know and be known. At the end of his story, he reflects that this experience of "coming home" didn't have to have happened in a bar. "It could have been anywhere," he says. IIItcould have been a church." Then he pauses-"but it wasn't." I find that story and that conclusion haunting, especially as we look back across twenty-five years of the gay rights movement which began at a Mafia-run, New York City bar. "It didn't have to be a bar. It could have been a church-but it wasn't." I am grateful to the women and men in that bar that night twenty-five years ago. I find it in keeping with the spirit of the gospel that our movement began this way. Jesus found the field for his radical message in the more disreputable parts of the town, with some disreputable folks. He was easily frustrated in the temple. I think of a second anecdote about the theologian Paul Lehman. He was once asked to deliver the convocation speech at the dedication ceremonies for the opening of a grand new church building. "00 you know what you have built here?" he asked rhetOrically. "A resplendent mausoleum. Itstands incandescent in the glow of its own irrelevancy as the dynamics of history rush by it." (It wasn't the speech the organizers of the celebration had anticipated!) Then he added, "But it needn't be so." What we are about in these three years of dialogue in the Presbyterian Church, USA, is more than the work of deciding whether or not to ordain lesbian, bi, and gay Presbyterians. It is more than the work of talking together seriously and deeply about the nature of the good gift of human sexuality. It is about reclaiming the relevancy of the church for our time. lilt could have been the church." It could have been a church, a Presbyterian church, which held us as lesbian, bi, gay, and trans people as we came out. It could have been a Presbyterian church which helped us to grow with integrity and faithfulness. Itcould have been the Presbyterian Church which said to a sinning world, liThe injustice perpetrated against gay men and lesbians by our culture is sin and we must repent." It could have been the church which led the way to freedom and liberation for all of us-but it wasn't. Many of us-in the Presbyterian Church and in other denominationsare calling the church to take hold of its rightful place, to do the work that it is called to do. "It could be the church. II .. Note These two anecdotes are adapted from a speech at a fund-raising event on June 24, 1994, for the We Are All Children of Godvideo project being developed by Rutgers Presbyterian Church, the Presbytery of New York City's Unit for Lesbian & Gay Concerns, and the PLGC. Lisa Larges is a massage therapist in San Francisco, and a Presbyterian candidate for ministry as an open lesbian although the permanent judicial commission has barred her from seeking a call to ordained ministry. Winter 1995 9 Journelf Out of Holf-Truth An Epiphany Letter from Phil January 4, 1994 Dear Mark and Jan [and 400 other family members and friends]: I trust that your Christmas was fulfilling in remembering the great gift of promise which the Christ child brings. Now, with the season of Epiphany at hand, we all look forward to the promise of hope which the light brings to each of us. Amidst the light is often the darkness of some past memories and even present realities. Darkness has occurred in my life with a recent diagnosis of my physical condition. The reality is that I have AIDS. I have been diagnosed with the cancer called Kaposi's Sarcoma. It is not a complete shock to me, as I have been HIV positive for the past seven years. When I discovered that fact, I decided to keep it to myself until the time came when I actually was diagnosed with an AIDS-related disease. That time has come. My blood counts are very low and I walk around with a constant temperature. For the first time in my life, any stress causes immense physical reactions to the point where I have had to be on pain-killers. When I am not working, those symptoms disappear. My doctor insists that I go on disability and has signed the papers. All I need now is the approval of my employers for disability to become a fact. I plan to spend the next few days organizing my work for someone else to do. Then I will take accumulated vacation time and sick days until the disability can begin. All my appointments and meetings are canceled from here on out. I am too realistic to even think of valiantly fighting this terminal illness. I only hope and pray for a relatively painless death, the time of which no one can prophesy. In the meantime, I plan to stay in my home in Chicago and when the times come that I require more assistance I will arrange for home care-and perhaps, finally, enter a hospice. It is somewhat a relief to have the seven years of waiting over and the secret out. But that relief is minor compared to the relief that finally living a lifetime of half-truths about my lifestyle is coming to a close. The darkness of my journey as a gay ordained clergyperson is almost indescribable. Nevertheless, I want to try to share it. The first half of my life was spent denying my attraction to my own sex. I dated women, came close to marriage twice, thought I would be "OK" and straight if I was married, fought against my fantasies and my dreams. All because SOciety-and especially the church -said that kind of sexual identity was wrong. So I tried to obey! But it didn't work. Certainly, I did not choose the gay lifestyle, for it meant being a social outcast in many instances, it meant no sharing one-half of my life with frie n and family for fear of rejections, and.' certainly meant losing my job if I \\~ ever discovered. So, I did not tell anyone. I firmly be ·lieved that if anyone ever heard the a mission that I was gay from my lips, the' might tell someone that they knew for a fact. That person might tell someone in the church who held a positio of authority, and I would lose my job. thought about quitting on many occasions, but felt called to the varieties c work in the church which I have don over the past thirty years. I assumed the position that anyor. who met me suspected that I was ga, That way there could be no surprises fc~ me. But, I tell you, it was a dark an lonely journey. There was no one to ta . with about the grief of a broken relationship; there was no daring on my pa to risk talking back to people who spo . hatefully about my lifestyle (and me in front of me; I did not dare to adY cate publicly for the equal treatment gay and lesbian people; I suffered wit the predecessor church body statements on sexuality which placed m in the same category with "murderers and fornicators"; most recently a few days after the draft on hurna sexuality came out-I sat with som bishops and their staffs and had . listen to them denounce the statement as something that should no even be published, much less studie They were talking about ME sittir. in their midst. They were talkin about not allowing conversatio about human sexuality (and especially homosexuality) because : might harm the "structure" of th church. I wanted to say, "but wha Open Hands 10 e. ut me and my kind of people? my name involved. Now, at on't you even allow converlast, they are reon to occur about us who leased from e up the structure?" But I that promise. I not because I only talk am forever blicly about one-half of grateful to them "life. for the openness, I trust that many of you acceptance, love, "1 study the draft on huand support they n sexuality, if for no have given me the her reason than it is past six years. utme-and you! All The relief of waitask is for some open ing for AIDS to finally honest conversation so strike is over-the relief last few weeks or months or years of knowing that the seot my life we can talk about ALL of my Through the years, I have realized 0';" many people have intuitively wn that I am gay-how they have 'etly supported me, gently affirmed e and some have even protected me. :For this, I am more grateful than you can imagine. A few years ago, I told a handful of ,,' best friends and my two brothers, e sister, and their families. I could bear' .e silence no longer. But I swore all of se people to secrecy. They kept their promise and joined in my dark journey of half-truth. They could not seek or give counselor comfort on this issue with cret of my lifestyle and its dark journey is almost over. The light of the resurrection looms brightly for me at the end of the journey. So now, in closing, I share this passage from Mark with you which came alive to me in church one Sunday recently: Therefore, keep awake-for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find youasleep when he comes suddenly.And what Isay to you Isay to all: Keep awake! (Mk 13:35-37) I realize that you may have concerns, questions, or comments about what I have written here. I am open to all, and only ask that you contact me directly at my office for the next few days and/or at my home. Love, If, for any reason you would like to reprint this text, I ask only that it be printed in its entirety and not excerpted. Thank you for your consideration. Phil Knutson, who ended his struggle with AIDS on April 24, 1994, was an ordained Lutheran pastor who served as assistant director for campus ministry at the ELCA headquarters in Chicago from 1988-1994. For ten years he also served as advisor to the Lutheran Student Movement. ~~~....:~··.,~.Jfi~lti)l;!m.;~~:~~~_, ~~fiI~~~~~~ .. 1ftlftl1~ t t, , , . .~,.,~::;~;:~;W!flltlil4JA:::~:L~,": Phil's Fomil4 Responds Mid-March 1994 Dear Family and Friends, all that he can to relieve some of the Many of you have heard the news or stress in his life. have received the letter from our broThis letter is written to you to indither, Phil Knutson, regarding the fact cate our support for Phil and others in that he has recently been diagnosed with his situation. It is really a kind ofl/comthe AIDS virus. Phil has lived a life of ing out" letter from us as his family. secrecy because of the fact that he is gay We recently had a chance to gather and has found himself in a world that around Phil at a family reunion with his simply cannot seem to tolerate that fact siblings and their spouses. Three full about someone. Because of his illness, days and nights at the ocean in Califorhe has gone on disability from his job nia enabled us to surround Phil with our in the ELCA headquarters and is doing love and support. We shared our pain, morel..'" Winter 1995 11 Photo: Knutson family FAMILY REUNION: A few days at the beach are healing. our anger, our sadness, our joy, and our delight in each other. Words cannot describe what a healing time it was for us as we settle in to anticipating the grief that is yet to come. Phil shared the hundreds of letters that he has received from around the country from family members, friends, former parishioners, and even from many people he does not know. We all read everyone of them and it provided us with the opportunity to renew our commitment among ourselves and to cooperatively embrace new commitments as a result of his pain which brought us together this time. The most common question among us, which seemed to be a thread through all of the responses, was "What can we do?" Being part of a church that we love and feel called to support and participate in and yet which perpetuates so much pain through the oppression of gay and lesbian people, results in a mixed bag of feelings that gets too heavy to bear alone at times. Such oppression violates the spirit of the Gospel which, in our understanding, is summarized in the words of the Great Commandment which simply asks us to love one another as God has loved us. Many of us rejoiced when the ELCA (our church body) came out with the long awaited sexuality statement. For those of you who are in other church bodies, you know that sexuality is always a difficult topic to discuss. And yet many of us stood·by as people responded to it so negatively. We did not let our voices of support be heard very loudly, although we affirm the statement. So those in positions of authority are hearing mostly the negative responses. As a result of our being together, we decided that the one, concrete thing we can do is to let our bishop hear another response. And so, as Phil's family, we each have committed ourselves to writing a letter to Bishop Chilstrom including these two items: 1. We support gay and lesbian people as being full participants in the Kingdom of God, who should no longer be oppressed. 2. We encourage the bishop to do whatever he can to continue to promote open dialogue within the ELCA on issues of sexuality. It is time for us to be proactive an no longer reactive. It is our hope tha' you might consider lending your voiceJ to ours by writing your own letters c support to: Bishop Herbert Chilstrom Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 8765 W. Higgins Rd. Chicago, Illinois 60631 and to Edgar Trexler The Lutheran 8765 W. Higgins Rd. Chicago, Illinois 60631. You might also consider sending a cop: ofyour letter to your own bishop as we as to your pastor. We offer you our prayers and su port as we continue to ask for yours. Peace to you all, Signed by Mary and Nels Olson, Ann Arbor, MI Mark and Jan Knutson, Thousand Oaks, CA Paul and Marsha Knutson, Milwaukee, WI Mark Knutson, ordained Lutheran past and campus minister at California LutJze an University, has graciously provided with Phil's letter and the family's resp01 . Photo: Jan Kn uts STANDING IN SOLIDARITY: Brothers Mark (left) and Paul and sister Mary Olson join Phil (right) on his journey out of half-truth. Open Hands 12 And No One ill Snatch Them Out of Mlf liand By Barbara Lundblad hen I was baptized not see, or even imagine. As a at Zion Lutheran child, I did not hear the surprise Church in Gowrie, or feel the tension of this gospel. the good shepherd looked We weren't ready for the fullness . gently upon my family and of surprise: "I have other sheep ,efore I could speak, before that do not belong to this fold. I .eet could touch the floor bemust bring them also ... " the pew, before I knew the Phil came to know both the IIGod" or "Jesus," I looked surprise and the tension of this and saw the wondrous stained gospel. From earliest childhood, s window above the altar at he trusted the promise that he beon. There were deep blues, longed to this shepherd. He was in ed by tall green trees, with the window, carried and cared for and loved. It was the church that cs and shrubs in the foreground ~ the bottom. In the center was gave him this promise, that told him the stories of the shepherd. shepherd, carrying aJamb like Later, far from home, far from mother carrying her baby. On childhood, other voices told him nny mornings, the light reamed through the window it was not quite so. Not really. Not shing us all with blues and fully. The church which gave him eellS, rocks and trees. The people the pictures on Sunday School :!Zion were gathered up in the colleaflets put conditions on the ors of the window.-We were all one promise: it was a promise for Phil .g picture, all of a piece. only if he could be someone other I don't know if Phil grew up than who he was. "I know my i th such a window in Albert Lea. own"-but my own are not gay. Still, Phil moved on ahead where ~o doubt, he carried home pictures he believed Jesus was going: "I f the good shepherd on his Sunhave other sheep. I must bring ay School leaflets. Perhaps he fashioned the leaflet into a paper them also." He hoped it might be true someday, for the church and airplane-pastor's children were often tempted to do this-and for him. when he did, it was the shepherd who was flying! Phil heard this same gospel from John 10, and it merged with the parable about the shepherd looking for the one lost sheep. The stories all got gathered up in that picture of the shepherd even as the people in the congregation were drawn into the picture. "I am the good shepherd," said Jesus. "I know my own and my own know me." Perhaps Phil counted them-the people in the sanctuary-even as I did. I Winter 1995 wonder if he noticed that everybody always sat in the same spot, as though aSSigned. While we were counting, the gospel went on: "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." While I was counting the flock within Zion, Jesus was moving ahead of me, looking for other sheep, the ones I could He lived in the tension of the gospel's surprise-and in the hope that the church would change. It was a tension hard to bear for much of a lifetime, harder than most of us knew until we read Phil's letter. Yet today, even after hearing that pain, some of usboth family and friends-are wondering, questioning why Phil chose to end his life when his doctors had told him he had time ahead ofhim. Was it a longing to be in control? (Oh, we know Phil more"·... 13 liked to be in control!) Perhaps, it had something to do with control, the need to make a decision while he still could. But life is more complicated than one right answer on a multiple choice test. Perhaps, more than control, it was compassion, compassion for himself and for those he loved. For he knew the course of AIDS. He had already felt in his body and soul the anguish of this illness. We will not find easy answers. Even as we acknowledge the deep despair which could overwhelm Phil, we have also sat in his home-vibrant paintings on every wall, antiques attached to warm memories, colors and radiant hope in every room. It was not the home of someone who disdained life. If I had to choose one word to gather up all these pieces, it would be compassion. However, I would also leave room for anger! Phil was angry at the church he loved, the church he served for some thirty years. He wanted the church to change-to believe the gospel's surprise. He thought his letter would so move people that they would insist that the church become a different place. (I h~ve had similar fantasies-going to a microphone at a church assembly and giving a speech so powerful that everyone in the assembly hall rises to their feet and follows me out into the light of day!) But I don't expect such a thing to happen. It didn't happen for Phil either. The church did not change, not soon enough. He was angry. We must not take his anger away. Some of us are angry, too, angry at him for leaving as he did. Can we say that? We must, or we will dismiss Phil and all he meant to us. We will dismiss his feelings, his passion, his rage. I think he would agree with Dorothy Day when she said, "Don't call me a saint. I won't be dismissed that easily." And some of us are angry at ourselves. Why didn't we see? What more could we have done? Those of us who have known for several years that Phil was gay, couldn't we have given him more hope? Phil died with drama, even as he had lived. He died on Sunday morning while people in some 11,000 congregations of the ELCA listened to this gospel: "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. I have other sheep YOUTH AT THE FOREFRONT By Bob Gibeling In July 1994, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ElCA) brought 35,000 people to a triennial youth gathering in Atlanta. During the official convention of the lutheran Youth Organiza, tion (lYO), the elected delegates from all ElCA synods passed two remarkable measures. One was a goal (one of nineteen): To contInue to include youth in the LYO regardless of sexual orientation; this means that the LYO will strive to make all of its expressions wsaf~ spaces-where gay, lesbian, ,and bisexual persons can be supported and affirmed, and will continue to dialogue about th~ issues surrounding sexual orientation. Th~ second was a' resolution on "Gay, l esbian and Bisexual Youth," which passed with a 93.96 percent favorable vote: Resolved that the board of the Lutheran Youth .organization stromgly encourage every synod to "establish an open, non-judgmental ,communication link between themselves and the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community of the ELCA 11 VaQce Robbins, 'President of LYO com-~ ment~d: " I tis very exciting to see the face of the church charlging. The paradigm is sHifting. The youth of this church are at the forefront of ihclusivity in terms of ethqicitY" gender, and sexual orientation." The courage of Lutheran youth gives us \ope for th~ future. ' Bob ~ibeling is program director of Lutherans Concerned/North America. that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also ..." How many of us were surprised by that gospel word? How many of us felt its tension? Peter Gomes, chaplain at Harvard University, says that the gospel must change us: Once we acknowledge the inclusivity of God, nothing else remains exactly the way it was, and that is both the glory and terror of an encounter with the living God, who is zealous to call all into service and to be deprived of the witness and gifts of no one. The foolish, the weak, and the despised are God's chosen vessels, and th is what frightens so furiously the wi the powerful, and the well connect In. the light of an inclusive God, hom sexuality and holy orders must be tered in the same breath, for I am co vinced that here is where the chure will be tested greatly. It is in this iss of homosexual Christians and horr. phobic churches where God is m likely to be found in oUJ day, and inclusive God will not allow any of to avoid the issue. "The glory and the terror of an e counter with the living God" -the s' prise and the tension of the gospel! us not tame this living Word or dom ticate this Holy God. Just when we set into certainty -"I know my own and ~ own know me"-Jesus is off talkir. about other sheep. Surprise! The opening of the Gospel of Jo . celebrates the cosmic logos whie brought the world into being: /lIn tl beginning was the Word, and the War was with God and the Word was God. All the philosophers nodded their hea for they were schooled in this cosm design-until, surprise! "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full a grace and truth ... " Flesh-did you hear Flesh. Body. Arms. Legs. Hands and fee' Walking, dancing, sweating, weepin making love. Passionate. Sexual. Flesh. No, it could not be. Surprise! At the end ofJohn, it happens agai . This Gospel "ends" with 20:30-31: /I • Jesus did many other signs in the pr ence of his disciples which are not '''''n ten in this book. But these are writte so that you may come to believe th Jesus is the Messiah, the Beloved of G and that through believing you rna, have life in Jesus' name." Close the book. The end. But-sl {prise! Chapter 21 begins all aye again-the disciples are a~ the sea fis ing and Jesus appears. Do you remember? They have caught nothing a night, and Jesus tells them to cast t net to the right. Shouldn't this star Open Hands 14 · >;;;i.ffu'@ > rlse I logetically supportive of gay and would want us to do this work for an. an people. He lived with the chasother reason, the same reason that carment and criticism which such deried and sustained him all his life. He . ns brought. Knowing he could not would bid us do this work because we aithful to God's calling AND the have met Jesus. We have heard the es of the church, he chose to be faithshepherd's voice above all else-above o God's calling. And he lived with the rules, above the fears, above the de\ild hope that someday he could spair. Jesus, the shepherd, not only carboth in the same church. ries us but leads us toward a new place, But that was not to be, not in his lifea place we could not have imagined be. ne. Someday, perhaps, we who are the fore. We will do this work because we .urch will gather to confess our sin in believe the surprising grace of the gos,'s deeper than generalities: pel. And we must live with the tension of promises not yet realized rather than "For blocking the gospel's good surdeny God's surprise. prise; The light of hope is breaking in upon for not receiving the gifts of gay men us-the light at the end of the long, dim and lesbian women; hallway in the painting Phil loved so for pre-empting the Spirit's anointmuch. Living in the gospel hope, we ing power for the sake of unity and look around every sanctuary across our good order; church. We see faces bathed in colored light, faces the church refused to see Lord, in your mercy, Hear ourprayer. " before. The stained glass gathers them For now, many of us will carry on the all: gay men and lesbians, straight men ',\'ork where our brother Phil left off. We and women, children and teenagers and ,ill carry in our hearts, as he did, the college students-all singing together in ,'ords of the prophet Micah. We will ask the full light of day, gathered up in the the question Phil no doubt asked a thou- colors of the window, in the arms of the sand, thousand times: "With what shall shepherd-all in the same picture, all of I come before the Lord? What can I one piece. Winter 1995 GAY PASTORAl:TEAM IN SEATTLE,,," By Kimberly Griffin 'tha[1 1J>O ret Two years and more jection letiers l~ter, an openly;qay Chi-, cago couple hasifinally real,ized their dream; a c ongre'gatioJL,officiaily called the ppirl,..to share"a posJtiof) as issociate p?~tors, ,[Y1arking the !i[st time~a.!:n.?inl ine church has done 'sQ. The pa?i~rs, Peter IIgenfr!,tz, } z, and David Shull,'as, were calleQ(to serve th~; 1200-member UQiversity Congl~lt+ gati'Ona,1 Church {UG:C} in Seattle,,," :;:;:::0.' '~'" Washingt~m, The stq,nding ovafion thePslr re-Mceived from the t~hgregation after the Vsot~ was "the fnostincr~dible experieike I' dd,~v~r had in myJife" said Shull. "It was" an utterly holy moment," agreed Ilgenfritz. Both said that members of the congregation were tHelMtqnes Who deserved the ~standing ovation~ /I!i~ rtainly, 24 percent of th e church didn't think if was a good idea," UgenJ'Htz said. '~But tne~jf:t'as isuch energ y ... Thj~f@is the kin,d+of church}.'i~ want to .&elong to." @ @: -Excerpted and,a'aapted from a mUch, lon~er artide in~,the ~hJ:cago Wind' ; City Ti'Jle~,.fJune 1994. Used with perm isslonJ~b As Jesus said, in verses which follow today's gospel in the 10th chapter of John: "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal Hfe, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand" On 10:27-28). No one. Not even the church. "Come, Philip, come and have breakfast." Amen. ~ Note This sermon was first published in the Rocky Mountain Synod (ELCA) newsletter. Barbara Lundblad is pastor ofOur Savior Atonement Lutheran Church, the Bronx, New York. he beginning? Yes, it should, or we thought it did. But here 'er resurrection. They cast their once more and haul the heavy o shore, all 153 fish. (Who h em all?) Then Jesus said to "Come and have breakfast." t is the end, but it is also the ~Ulll.~lg. the glory and the terror of an eorou::ter with the living God! Oh, the "--"-~.se and the tension of the gospel! . 'ed with both the surprise of race and the tension of the s denial. He wanted always to do han he felt he could and he to speak in this own voice. He d articles in Entree which were bring to make it right? What will ever be enough?" Then Phil heard the voice of the Holy One: God has told you, Philip, what is good: " ... what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Some will speak of justice for gay and lesbian people for the first time in their lives because of Phil. For when he wrote to them, it was the first time someone they knew, someone they loved, had ever said "I'm gay. I have AIDS." Some of us will do God's justice work more passionately because of Phil. We will do this work to honor and remember him. And surely part of Phil would be very pleased about that. But the larger part of Phil 15 Healing dJroken lnstitutions By George D. McClain Walter Wink has performed a great service in describing how institutions (in biblical language, "powers") have both an outer structure and an inner life. This is represented by the formula: p (powers) =0 (outer manifestation) + i (inner life). p = 0 + i For a local congregation (p), the outer manifestation (0) includes its building, membership roll, elected leaders, pastor, budget, bank account, schedule of events and services, etc. The congregation's inner life (i) consists of its institutional history of traumas and blessings, its view of itself and the world, its unwritten assumptions, hopes, and disagreements, and its inner stance of openness or resistance to the Spirit of God.l Institutions, as well as individuals, are imperfect, broken, and in need of pastoral care. Our knowledge of the inner life can serve us well in healing these broken institutions, addressing those behaviors which contradict the institutions' God-given purposes. I would like to describe a seven-step process which is often experienced as persons perform their social action ministry to heal broken institutions. 1. Consternation The initial concern usually arises in the experience of consternation or puzzlement about an institution which has direct effect on us. For example, you may observe that good people are acting in destructive ways, that positive initiatives somehow get sabotaged, that genuine potential does not get realized. In a particular church I know in New York state, the predominate mood was one of hopelessness and disinterestedness, with personal bitterness and strife among key church leaders. In another case, an Illinois church recently voted on whether to become a Reconciling Congregation. With a number of gay and lesbian persons active and welcorned and with some of them in high places of leadership, there was good reason to be optimistic about the vote. . failed, however, causing deep consternation and disappointment. 2. Collision The next step is to identify the fu . . damental impasse in the life of institution. One senses a colli sic course between the Spirit of God a something negative at work in the co gregation. Usually the cause of the ne tivity lies deep in the "personality' 0 the institution. Frequently there h been a trauma or series of traumas . the life of the institution, creating \-nerabilities into which negative spirit force enters. The New York congregatio mentioned above was forced deca . ago to leave its original site when area was taken by the city to build a r . ervoir. The original church building been IIdrowned." It seemed that the co gregation had ever since been dive from its mission by its collec . memory of loss and by its sense of feat, negativism, and bitterness. In case of the Illinois church, the nega . vote is an opportunity to pray to cover the fundamental block which to its unloving action. Spiritual disce ment is called for. What is the woun blockage in the collective life experie of this seemingly loving congreg . that is preventing it from acting loving way? 3. Collusion The third critical step is to ack edge how we are in collusion the brokenness of the given institu Whatever is "eating at" the instit is also likely to be preying upo vulnerabilities. We may be using th tics of the oppressor in trying to the oppression, such as returnin for hate, or succumbing to despa sentment, and hopelessness. In the York church, the pastor was able ognize how she too shared i church's negative attitudes. Membe 16 Open H IUinois church may want to reflect 'erfully on how they may be ing with the Spirit of Fear, or other ve spirits which besiege it. essential for us as healers to con. 5S and receive the forgiveness of for our collusion with ungodly ates and forces. In the New York ch, the pastor and those of us who athered to pray with her confessed .':e too fall prey to hopelessness and mess in aspects of our lives. We received the pronouncement of S forgiveness and empowerment . each other. Those who feel called ray for the healing of the Illinois rch might do well to join in a time onfession and forgiveness together. confession is critically important, diminishes the ever-present danof self-righteousness. onfrontation e are now ready, in reliance upon the power of God, to confront the .. 'hich is at work in the inner life of nstitution and which steers it away om God's work of humanization. ny of us are fairly well schooled in political" care of institutions (Le., ,"vjng with its outer manifestations: ing new officers, shifting the power introducing new programs). These e important and essential. But we are called to address the inner spiritu,. (the i) of institutions and to con(,!1t the evil which besets them with cind of spiritual care uniquely ensted to us as Christians. We engage this confrontation in the confidence God is already at work nudging the rch or institution toward greater filty to its godly purpose. eansing t this stage, we enact the phrase from the Prayer ofJesus, "Deliver us from ':~." We courageously assume the rge]esus gave to the disciples to "cure sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lep" cast out demons" (Mt 10:8; italics !1e) and we do this in bold ritual form. the name and power of Christ," we mmanded the Spirits of Fear, Patriar,. and so forth to depart from the owned church. 'inter 1995 At another New York church, Chenango Street United Methodist Church in Binghamton, lay leaders were justifiably concerned about a forthcoming vote on whether the church should declare itself a Reconciling Congregation, They were not sure what was going to happen, or whether the timing was right. At the initiative of some laity, they went into the room where the meeting was to be held and prayed prayers of cleansing, asking that the space and those entering it would be freed of the Spirits of Homophobia, Fear, Arrogance, or Ignorance. 7. Claiming The final step is very closely related to cleansing. After praying for cleansing, the people at Chenango Street expressly claimed the about-to-be-held meeting for God's yearning, invoking God's blessing at the placeswhere people would be sitting, speaking, and making decisions. IIThis opened our spirits," pastor Gary Doupe reported, "making all of us more open to the creative work of God's Spirit, and helping us feel more serene concerning the outcome." The congregation voted overwhelmingly to become a Reconciling Congregation. liThe outcome," Gary added, "was very positive indeed, on more than a surface level.11 In the case of the drowned church, we prayed that the fear of the drowning waters be replaced by an embracing of the healing waters of baptism. We prayed for a renewal of baptismal vows for the members of the congregation and then went throughout the church building sprinkling it with water to claim the entire space for Christ's purposes. The pastor subsequently began to notice a change in key people and in the worship climate. I invite you to gather a small group of concerned persons to pray for the healing of a broken institution you care deeply about. The form of the healing is not always what you expect or want; we do not, after all, manipulate God. But almost universally, such intentionality in healing prayer yields a deep sense of peace. May your ministry of healing institutions be fruitful. T GUIDELINES FOR PRAYER OF CLEANSING AND CLAIMING By George D. McClain 1. Approach the prayer in humility and openness to God's grace and power to be manifest. 2. Specifically pray for God to cleanse th~" following of any spirit not of God: a. Yourselves-your mind, hearts"and bodies; b. The physical space of the'meeting or event; c. Those participating in the eventone by one if possible, andby name; d.'The intangibles':":the, agenda, the worship service to take place, the leadership, the discussion, the decisions. 3. Then pray positively that God fill each of the above (a-d) with the spirit of Christ, that Christ may be "all in all" (EpK 1:2~). 4: Move around the room physically (or in your imagination). Offer these prayers in specific locations and at the seats or tables of specific decisionmakers. 5. If fe~,ls right, sprinkle water around the room as a tangible claiming of God's cleansing, liberating power. 6. Thank God for working with you and through you and for God's staggering promise to reveal to the powers and authorities ':the wisdom of God in'its rich variety" and "to gather up ali things in [Christ]" (Eph 3':10, 1:10). 7. Continue in a general intercessory stance even as the meeting or event transpires. Note lWalter Wink, Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992). George D. McClain is national executive director oftheMethodist Federation for Social Action which devotes considerable time to workingon les/bi/gay rights in the United Methodist Church. 17 CURN1NG W ~LLS.,> lNCO ~~--... Jeanne Knepper By I must begin with story. I had been aware of a double call for many years. Called both into ministry and into family life with my partner and our two daughters, I felt blocked from ministry by a wall of church rules that repudiated my gift of family. Over and over, I heard the call; over and over, it led to the wall. First, the Wall How do you go forward with a wall before you? I watched others as they tried to go over, under, or around the wall. I watched as they skirted, hid, switched denominations, or veered off in other work. I watched some who battered their hearts and spirits trying to go through the wall. With many others, I worked through my denomination's General Conference trying to dismantle the wall. Still, there was a wall. Still, a holy call to keep walking forward. Still, the wrenching question: but how, oh God, do I walk through a wall? Then, the Gift A new image appeared in my mind. Walls, so seemingly solid, are made up_of atoms, each a nucleus surrounded by the standing energy patterns of electrons. Atoms move and shift in response to each other's energy. IfI expanded the wall in my mind into its constituent atoms, I could present myself before them, one by one, and invite them to shift over. One by one, atoms in the wall could turn to create a pathway. They could reshape to build an arch through which many could travel. One by one, but working together in a dance of invitation and response, we would refashion wall into gateway. Refashioning Walls Our metaphors equip us for the work of change. We can coax practical and spiritual insights for the work ahead out of this image of refashioning walls into archways. Our work is spirit-filled and spiritcentered work. Spiritual centering enables us to meet each person on a spirituallevel, I to Thou, concerned that we each stay true to our calling to be the people of God. It is a work of invitation, not confrontation. We are not conquering enemies or over-coming obstacles (such a dehumanizing word for our brothers and sisters on the journey). We are inviting people to align themselves with a vision that includes their own good. To invite well, we must listen well, taking seriously the core-intent of others, being willing to shift and counter-shift as we move. We proceed by invitation, not ultimatum, always allowing room for respectful movement, always guided by a long vision. It is work of a life-time and will take a radical, insistent patience. To be successful, we must believe that the effort is worth our life's work. Then we can afford the patience that will not be dissuaded and will not treat others as means to an end. Then also we can see that the many small steps and turns are part of a persistent process of change. To stay focused, we must stay balanced. Like a wooden top, we will spin longer and truer if we sand away the personal burrs that would throw us off. Fear, anger, fatigue, impatience, cynicism-all these will hinder the work and block our ability to be truly inviting. When they surface, it is time to step aside and do the personal spiritual tending necessary to refit us for the task. Perhaps we will need to step off the leading edge while we invite others to go on. What makes all of this possible is the knowledge-the sure and deep conviction-thatwe will be about God's work. Our God, who delights in diversity and insists upon inclusion, has called us to walk through walls if necessary on OUf journey toward justice. We go forward in a radically aware trust, knowing that we do not work alone. We are turning this wall into arches together. No one of us will do this work alone. Working together, we can move forward on man; fronts. We can also sto'p, pause, let others take the lead, and tend those who are tired. Sustained by prayer and belie\"in that we are about God's work, we ca engage in this process so that people 0 the church will look back on this ti of change and say to each other, at what we did together. By the gra God, we turned a wall of excIusio an arch of openness." T Jeanne Knepper, an ordained prob ary member of the Oregon-Idaho An 1 Conference of the United Met/wdi Church, is appointed to co-direct 5110/0 Ministries in Portland, Oregon. She also serves on the national council of Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns. Open Hands 18 /I which are often shamed by religious groups. Persons who bear this burden ofshame are our scapegoats, those upon whom we unload our own unwanted parts. We project on others that which we find too painful to bear within our shared humanity and then view the ! " .\ . --\ .>1·· the places where the hearts of those excluded and unwanted have been broken. As we name those places where the shaming of our God-created selves has lnds ofShame ne kind ofshame is healthy shame that puts me in touch with my lima human being. This shame tells I am not God, but am created by I t allows me to know that I stand eed of a lOving and forgiving One is the author of all creation. I need healthy shame to function in sociand to keep in balance a sense of portion and a sense of my place in universe. :1 contrast, unhealthy shame undermy self-esteem and promotes my ings of worthlessness. This shame s me that who I am is bad and that I beyond the help of God. Unhealthy me is to be contrasted with guilt. ilt is the feeling that what I have done d. Unhealthy shame is the feeling who I am is bad. lith unhealthy shame comes a loss hope. My belief that I am fundamen-' unworthy prevents me from joinorganizations in which I could be y known and causes me to hide the nacceptable" aspects of my being rom others. Unless I am healed of unalthy shame, I will not be able to feel .f-esteem. I will not be able to be a ly functioning member ofa commuity of hope. ming Brings Healing ace, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, and differences of physical nd mental abilities are conditions ..'inter 1995 shamed ones as IIdifferent" and IIother." Christ calls us to understand that in his reality, in his life and ministry, in his death and resurrection, God has lifted up the scapegoat and vindicated the One whom we blamed, shamed, humiliated, and ultimately tried to destroy. In raising Christ, God has reconciled for all time the scapegoated One as a full member of us. Christ's healing presence among us shows us the way to love and join hands, rather than cast any out, that we may all be One On 17). Gay men and lesbians, who have been traditionally cast out of churches, have experienced over and over the damaging message that our very beings as sexual creatures are flawed, evil, defective, and, consequently, shameful. Our identity, which God gave us to celebrate life, has been turned against us as a thing of shame to be hidden for fear of punishment and ostracism. One has only to look as far as the st. Patrick's Day Parade in Boston where people held placards saying IIGod says kill fags" and IIGod hates gays" to understand the kind of pain and brokenness gay men and lesbians feel daily. The community of faith is called to be an agency of healing, restoring the trust and self-esteem that have been lost by most gay men and lesbians when unhealthy shame was bound to our ~ sexual identity. It is called to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, and to let the oppressed go free (Is 61; Lk 4). It is called to name taken place, the healing process begins. In the naming, we can be restored to our place in the community of faithand restored to God. Only with this healing process underway can we demonstrate true empathy for others and for ourselves and understand the dignity and humor inherent in the human condition. James Carroll, writing in the Boston Globe in April 1993, said: liThe true mission of the Church is to work not for its own welfare or even for that of its own members but for what Jesus called 'the Kingdom of God' by which he meant simply the welfare of everyone." Carved into the portico of Old South Church is the scriptural invitation, IIBehold I have set before thee an open door." I give gratitude daily for this place which has offered an open door to me and to so many others. It is my prayer that we may be able together to discern how the Spirit is calling us to be an agency of healing for the welfare of all people. T Kenneth H. Orth, D.Min., is an ordained United Church ofChrist minister who offers pastoral psychotherapy and spiritual direction through Horizons Pastoral Counseling Associates in Arlington, Massachusetts. He serves on the Massachusetts Open and Affirming Task Force and is a member ofOld South Church in Boston, which recently becameONA. 19 To Be a Church Again By Jack Hoffmeister In the Stonewall Revolution of the sixties, gay men and lesbians learned that itis all right to be homosexual. We learned that sexual orientation is not our choice-it is given to us-but that what we do about it is our choice. We must decide whether we are going to suppress it, or hide it, or live it openly. The most revolutionary thing we learned was that living as an openly gay person is a viable choice, and that for many, ifnot all, it is the healthy choice, the self-fulfilling choice, the right choice. In the.sixties another revolution-the sexual revolution-was equally important to us. The sexual revolution told us that it is all right to have sex, that sex is a healthy and natural form of expression and of recreation, that taboos are wrong, that sex should not be held captive to old rules about propriety, marriage, age, gender, or love. Both revolutions produced muchneeded correctives to the attitudes and values of the past, as necessary as the changes in attitudes towards African Americans, women, and war. These revolutions have, however, left many unresolved questions and problems, particularly questions about sexual behavior. Although we are learning how the new attitudes and patterns of behavior affect us, we are making little progress in the equally important underside of those questions, the moral side. We know how sex works, but we do not know what sex means. Caught on a Snag As a result of the sexual revolution, sexual morality in America has been set adrift. Moral questions, because they are essentially religiOUS, have always been the province of the church. However, the church has failed to come up with the spiritual or intellectual reWhat happened in the Presbyterian Church is typical: we got caught on a snag. The entire field of sexual morality has been hooked on the question of the ordination of gays and lesbians. While we face a massive crisis over the meaning of sex and love which affects all our relationships and most institutions, this one peripheral, and indeed artificial, issue has put up a barrier that must be overcome before the Presbyterians can begin to function like a church again. Why did this happen? I think it happened because most of the church leadership is still not ready or willing to come to grips with the changes that occurred in the sexual revolution. Some, a remnant from my generation, were raising their families during the sixties, struggling to keep their values intact, and have never accepted the changes in thinking. Others are products of the conservative backlash of the seventies and eighties who hearken back to a romanticized notion of the morality of the "good old days." Still others belong to a small but aggressive, vocal, and united minority who approach moral issues from a fundamentalist stance. When openly gay people sought ordination fundamentalists objected, and instead of quickly overriding them, a majority allowed this relatively simple doctrinal dispute to excuse them from confronting their own confusion and fear over sex, with what it means in their professional and personal life. They have not budged for nearly fifteen years! Experiencing a Moral Crisis Ina very practical sense, this impasse is a disaster. People are not getting the sources (much less the strength of leadGay ordination is a snag in the struggle to ership) which we need to pOint us towards a new moral imperative. define sexual morality. Open Hands 20 s:7:mtuaI and moral guidance they need most intimate part of their lives. ,;\'hat they are hearing is out-ofconflicted, naive, or simply wrong. " and lesbian people are especially of that guidance. With a new ity and a new role in society, we a much clearer sense of the imporof sex in relationships as an ex' on of love and as a statement of .1itment. It is a cruel irony that the .. should choose to exclude us. other factor compounds our sepafrom the church: the whole hisand intensity of the struggle of gay and lesbians for acceptance in so", The process of political polarizahas required gay men, lesbians, and gay people" to unite, to gloss over !' diversity and the problems that in what is a new arena of social uring. In the face of an opposition is not only immoral, but at times -threatening, to admit that gays are ,:thing less than "gentle, angry pIe" has been regarded as impolitic. However, gay men and lesbians are more saintly than anyone else . ere sex is concerned, we must adess some very disturbing realities. Gays have been using sex to make ".ends and to demonstrate prowess mong their peers. They have been us. g sex to make statements about themselves as unfettered, self-affirming indi.duals. They have been using sex to make political statements, spit-in-theeye-of-society statements. Many have quired habits of sexual behavior that are socially inappropriate. They have eveloped obsessions that amount to euroses. Those gay men and lesbians ',':ho have not accepted their identity":ho are struggling to hide it or suppress t -are suffering from the denial, the fear of exposure, the self-loathing that drive so many to suicide. Notice that while some of these probems and questions relate specifically to gay men and lesbians, they are all rooted in moral issues that are universal. A reluctance to treat sex respectfully or reverently pervades all of society. Promiscuity, sexual prowess and peer pressure, sexual obsession, and failure to make commitments are everybody's plagues and the results are universally devastating. The battle over ordination of gays Winter 1995 and lesbians has prevented the Presbyterian Church from helping not only gay men and lesbians but all of its people in this moral crisis. That is tragic. That it should allow an anachronistic doctrinal dispute to stand in its way is a disgrace. Working toward Moral Clarity I t is tempting to simply give up on the church and look elsewhere. That is what most gay men and lesbians have done, as has nearly everyone else where questions of sex are concerned. Where have they gone? To the movies? To the TV talk shows? To the schools, where that same anachronistic element has put up the same barriers? The fact is there is no substitute for the church to meet our need for moral insight and authority. Only the church can tell us why any part of our life is of importance or value beyond the self-contained system of pragmatism. Crippled as the church is, I believe we must stick with it. For those of us who value our church, who continue to call ourselves Christians, there is no other choice. The church needs us ifit is to start acting like a church again. As I see it, we have two jobs here. One is the ongoing effort to get rid of the ban on ordination of gay men and lesbians. The other job is more inclusive-and more important: we have to do what we can to see that the church once again serves as a moral standard bearer. The commissioners at the last Presbyterian General Assembly gave up. They said in effect, "There's nothing we can do; deal with it yourselves." I think we should answer 1/All right, we will!" However, we should not interpret it as an invitation simply to continue fighting the definitive guidance. The ban on ordination must be removed; it is a cancer. While it is not yet cured, we should treat it as if it were in remission until a cure is found. We owe it to ourselves and to our faith to not let the ban on ordination stop us from participating in the whole life of the church, from behaving like the Christians we know we are. We who are gay and lesbian can contribute a special insight into the moral needs and realities of sex in the 1990s. The last sexuality study was a good start. That it tripped up on the gay issue merely demonstrates how important honest, open participation from gay men and lesbians is. The church needs us if it is to start acting like a church again. What we have to do is to behave as if the ban on gay men and lesbians didn't exist. We have to work towards moral clarity unhindered by the nagging feeling that we are not wanted here. We have to reach out to gays and lesbians and to all others who need understanding, whose lives are being torn apart by the seeming incompatibility of sex and love. We have to reach out as if we had something to give them. For indeed we do. A new sexual morality will be realized only as an integral part of the entire scope of the church's impact on our lives. Sex raises the most fundamental questions about love, honesty, responsibility, holiness. How are we to articulate the love we feel for one another? If life is holy, can the force that puts life into motion be anything less? All of us, regardless of our sexual orientations, bring these questions to the altar. Each of us, because of our sexual orientations, has answers to share. T Note This article was first published in More Light Update, October 1993, pp. 5-7. Jack Hoffmeister was raised in Rochester, New York, and schooled at Swarthmore College, Union Seminary, and Columbia University. After a long career as a professional actor and model, he is now concentrating on writing, occasional preaching, and serving as an elder in the Palisades Presbyterian Church in New York. 21 (~I'T1~ J\ (~1-l1~1~l:t I:' ()l:t ()lJl:t 1~'TJ\ N(~1~1..1(~J\I.. 131:t()rl'1-l1~I:tS J\Nl) Slsrl'l~ltS NO, that is not the first line of a joke! Evangelical Christians in mainline Protestantism have done something good for the church and for those of us who call for the acceptance of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals. They have tlcome out of the closet." For years, our evangelical brothers and sisters have been raising a theological issue in the guise of a social practice issue: homosexuality. Homosexuality is not, and never was, their real issue. Their real issue was, and is, the authority of the Scriptures. A necessary prerequisite for faith for many evangelical Christians is a belief that Scripture is authoritative, if not inerrant. Without a tangible, touchable set of words as a foundation for their faith, many feel their entire faith can crumble. Mter lOO-plus years of exposure to higher criticism and other evolving methods of interpretation of Scrip-r ture, they correctly felt that too many biblical interpretations had become tlmoving targets." One issue they felt could be biblically supported was opposition to homosexuality. Recent studies in most denominations have confirmed that the few words in the Bible which refer to same-gender sexual practice are negative-a fact we cannot deny. Condemnation of homosexuality became the symbolic stand-in for evangelical Christians' real issue: erosion of the authority of Scripture. The Evangelical Quantum Shift Most of that disguised, symbolic opposition changed in November 1993 with the Re-Imagining Conference. The wide variety of expressions of faith at that conference sent a shock wave through the evangelical camp. The evangelicals' belief in the authority of Scripture was directly questioned, along with their belief that salvation comes through Christ alone. By Tom Griffith They are challenging us where we need to be challenged. After that conference, evangelicals finally began raising theological issues under their own colors. Using phrases such as "belief in the SCriptures and the normative creeds and confessions of faith of our church," they began to challenge us to define our beliefs. They are opposed to the explorational theological pOSitions of many in our churches. Though they still "wave the flag" on the issue of homosexuality, evangelicals are now talking about their real issues. They are no longer in their "anti-homosexuality" closet! As Christians who seek to be in supportive ministry to and with lesbian, bisexual, and gay persons, the best thing we can do is to cheer for our evangelical brothers and sisters who are making this quantum shift in thinking and tactics. They are doing us and the churchat-large a major favor. They are challenging us where we need to be challenged. A Call to Liberal Honesty Now it is our turn to get honest. Although the creeds of our denominations pay lip service to the idea that Scripture is "authoritative" and "sufficient both for faith and for practice," many of us have moved far beyond that notion in our theological thinking. We are only deceiving ourselves-and lying to our evangelical brothers and sisterswhen we deny the shift we have made. We have moved beyond Luther's sola Scriptura (only Scripture) for the same reason the Catholic Church moved beyond the canonized Scriptures after the fourth century. We recognize that understandings of the intervention of the Holy into the lives of the faithful change as living situations change. "New occasions teach new duties." We have moved far beyond the idea that the Bible is exclusively normative and literally authoritative for our faith. To my thinking, that is good! What is bad is that we have tried to con ourselves and others by saying "we haven't changed our position." Furthermore, few of us retain belief in Christ as the sole way to salvation. We trust that God can work under many other names and in many other forms to save people. Our views have changed over the years and evangelicals know it. At least, they have the honesty to call us to honesty. Can we admit that we find it helpful to explore the logical consequences of our faith, even if it moves us in directions which our churches have not affirmed in the past? I believe that if we can, we will end up being both surprised and pleased. Evangelical persons I know care greatly about having both their beliefs and themselves treated with seriousness and acceptance. They do not want to be treated as if their faith is unimportant. Our denial about changes in our faith feels to them like a casual dismissal of their faith, and of them. Ifwe can be mutually honest, maybe we can finally move beyond the issue of acceptance of gay men and lesbians as part of God's creation. We have far more in common with evangelical Christians than we have differences. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all join in opening church doors to all who profess faith in Jesus as the Christ, regardless of orientation? If that could happen, we would probably all be a little bit closer to the realm of God's love. I thank my evangelical brothers and sisters for calling us to honesty. I cheer what they are dOing. I hope you will too! 'Y Tom Griffith is pastor of Crescent Heights United Methodist Church (a Reconciling Congregation) in West Hollywood, California. Open Hands 22 Jl\~l~~I(~J\IJ (~1~J\IJIJ1~~(~1~~ J\l~l~J\I) By Alice O'Donovan fter a recent worship service, a woman asked, with tears in her eyes, liDo you ever talk with e about baptism? I have never been lzed." Of course I talk with people baptism. I am the ordained pasa small congregation. bat this woman needs to hear-and s to believe-is that God loves her lesses her in her love for a woman. stands at the door of the church ering if she dares to come in. She .e reason that we have welcoming rches. We will make her welcome. ~n she enters the waters of baptism sits at table in my church, love will . again. 'ke this woman, the Universal Fel" 'ship of Metropolitan Community .urches (UFMCC) has been knocking e door of the church-the National uncH of Churches of Christ in the The UFMCC has been waiting over ecade for a welcome. The reality of sacred dream of the reign of God, ere all creation celebrates its being ove, is yet to come. The bitterly anpnistic division of the Church into urches and the exclusion of the lesbifaithful are but two signs that we e not yet living the fullness of God's e. How do we open the doors of our urches and the doors of the NCC so at those who long for healing love 'ght come in to sit at table and share the breaking of bread? ,.-Ancient Foe Persists he force behind the closed doors and the unwelcome table is our ancient heterosexism/homophobia. It is that .. emy which has permitted the NCC ce 1983 to exclude the UFMCC from fullness of welcome and memberip. It is that enemy which holds local urches back in their welcoming pross, It is that enemy which is antithetito the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us be clear. So long as the UFMCC e.xcluded from the NCC, the witness he National Council is a tainted wit~s. When the UFMCC is fully wel~e at the table ofJesus Christ as it is "nter 1995 prepared in the NCC, love can claim another victory. Present Realities Using stark terms to describe present realities, Rev. John Thomas, chair of NCe's Counseling Committee, repoited to the General Board in November 1994: Some member communions feel that questions related to homosexuality must be seen as settled ... They have little interest in continued conversation.. . Other communions believe that questions surrounding homosexuality must be addressed ecumenically in the Council... However, the inability or the unwillingness of member communions to talk with each other about these questions will not help us preserve unity ... Our choice is between dialogue and further conflict/confrontation, and this confrontation will come from among the member communions as well as from outside the Council. Thomas acknowledged that there are things we do not know, at least not yet. We don't know how to move this Council to address the tough questions that loom over us like a cloud that neither indifference nor denial can dispel. We don't know how to move our member communions to risk encountering each other in ways that honor perspective on how we attend to scripture and tradition and to the changing requirements of hospitality in our time. We don't know how to establish a climate where those whose faith understanding make the fullness of hospitality to gay and lesbian persons impossible and those whose faith commitments make such inclusion a requirement can gather together at a common table of dialogue without suspicion, caricature or stereotype. We don't know how to do this. So we must wait... So we Finding a "Way~Out oJ'.j~p Way" wel~oming congregations carth~ip N€C find a "way oll! of no ~y." ,. iff' ~~t; :~, c .-U\~ ._.. ' .,,< ,,:J% Engag~1.in ministry wi~!i. IOGaL7purnenicai partners wtr~1 :sha~e the visiqnAand.,!he work. ". \ . "1t • Joiriwidcal,istate, and regiobal coun~ils of ?n 9penlyH h Board U~MCC churches arid particip9tein their miJ!istries and th~i%governa·nce. i' • Ask yorr;§16~al~lt,state, or regiomtl 'counG!1 to a~opt ana communicate resolution:sm sup~or~ 9,f ..;til.~mbership forU~ry1CCjn the National C61:JncitwWfJili ;; • Ask'1y.our genomination to{.@eat.lesbian otgay m~'mber as either prO)(yor f' regular aelE~gat~itoJhe(~eneral the National Council ot~tnurch,~s. 1 • Ad?pt and forwar,dJq~he ~e~~ra1 Sesre.tar¥. of the NCC resofution~... ?r statements of sl.lpporti~or the inclusion t%t~~ as a member of Eb~NCe. will wait. Not disband. Not quit. But wait. Wait to find a way out of no way.! What Next? Clearly, there is work to be done in the national ecumenical setting. We must: • Bring the UFMCC into full membership of the NCC; • Continue to place lesbigay concerns into the work and ministry of the NCC; • Insist that the NCC itself become fully inclusive of lesbian and gay persons in its staff, personnel policies, and practices. Welcoming congregations in every tradition are opening their doors, setting more places at the table. The doors of the National Council of Churches are still closed. Surely, the One who stands at the door and knocks will gUide and strengthen us until all the doors are open. T Note IExcerpted from the Report ofthe Counseling Committee, NCC, November 1994. Alice O'Donovan, pastor of First Congregational Church of South Windham, Connecticut, is a United Church of Christ proxy delegate to the General Board of the National Council of Churches. 23 ~ ~f4ft"'f"f"S t~C:' ~"f'ft ~ 1=OR 'Cn€' SA.R.€' 01= n€'A.L1NCj A. Responsive Confession n-nd A.ssu-rCl.-nce Created by Cheryl D. Harrell [Ifpossible, invite people to gather in a circle for this confession and assurance.} LEFf: We confess that we are afraid of the unknown ... the stranger ... the other. RIGHT: We confess that we are afraid of the feminine ... the sexual. ..the body. LEFf: We confess that we are afraid of the power of emotions ... passion ... desire. RIGHT: We have cut ourselves off from the earth and from our own bodies. LEFf: How shall we ever heal? How shall we ever know wholeness again? RIGHT: We have forgotten your charge to receive the stranger. We have missed opportunities to see the Christ in your created diversity. LEFf: We have forgotten your invitation to be responsible, creative, and playful. We have missed the Spirit of Christ. RIGHT: We are broken in heart, broken in body, broken in spirit. ALL: o GOD, as a church we ask your help in casting off our collective guilt so we do not repeat the fears and mistakes of the past. Forgive us. Restore us to wholeness in your Creative Love for our bodies, our sexuality, and our amazing diversity. Give us all courage to be fully who we are. Bring us into right relationship with you and with each other. Bind our hearts with love, so that we may commit ourselves to seeing. the Christ within ourselves and within our neighbor. [The leader now turns to a neighbor, takes their hand and, looking into their eyes, asks, "Do] have your permission to see the Christ within you?" When a reply is made, the leader then says, "] do see the Christ within you. When you know this is true, pass it on."Allow time for each person in turn to ask the question and share this interactive assurance around the circle.} * LEADER: In allowing the Christ to be seen within us and in seeing the Christ within each other, we are made whole. ALL: Rejoicing in the grace of seeing the Holy, we are moved to create hospitality for all, recognizing that we are all One and there is no Other. Note *This can be a vulnerable but very healing ritual ifyour congregation is ready for it. Cheryl D. Harrell is a clinical social worker and pastoral counselor who also serves on the Open and Affirming task Force for the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church ofChrist. Open Hands 24 GAY/LESBIAN INTEREST Equal Rites Lesbian and Gay Worship, Ceremonies, and Celebrations l' {'V" Paper $14,99 Kittredge Cherry and January Zalmon Sherwood, editors Equal Rites is a much-needed collection of worship services, ceremonies, and celebrations that is attuned to the unique needs of sexual minorities. The selections, written primarily by lesbians and gay men, include rites of spiritual beginnings, healing, blessings, holy communion, and pride and empowerment. Also included are funeral and memorial services, seasonal and holiday rites, and covenant rites for couples. More than a collection, Equal Rites can also serve as a reference book for creating unique and meaningful worship services that address significant aspects of lesbian and gay spirituality. Contributors include Malcolm Boyd, Chris Glaser, Carter Heyward, Diann L. Neu, and Troy D. Perry. Know My Name A Gay Liberation Theology Richard Cleaver Paper $15,99 April The place of gay men and women in the community of faith has become one of the most divisive debates in the church today. Roman Catholic writer and activist Richard Cleaver takes a fresh approach to this issue by examining the struggles of gay men and lesbians in the church, specifically the Roman Catholic Church, through the lens of liberation theology. He offers not simply a "gay" reading of scripture, however, but one that is spiritually challenging. Coming Out to God Prayers for Lesbians and Gay Men, Their Families and Friends Chris Glaser Paper $9,99 Now available "A wonderful collection of compassionate prayers." -The Other Side ""'i'i""iii""iiiii I iiiil1111 Sl"'\Sl"'\el"'\e~el"'\' '~'",'~~,-l-,I ~'n'rl~'rl iii iii Winter 1995 WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX PRESS At your bookstore, or call toll... free 1..800..672.. 1789 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202... 1396 25 On Change The church is on a journey, moving from a place of sexual exclusivity to one of sexual inclusivity. Whether we are conservative, moderate or liberal, radical right or radical left, our journey is arduous and often painful. It is filled with partial breakthroughs that seem to evaporate in the midst of continued fears, gross misunderstandings, stony silences, and new rejections. Yet, our journey is also full of profound faith, new insights, life-giving dialogue, and outstretched hands. Church-transforming change is like that! We do not all view needed changes in the same way. Like women described in Defecting in Place, some of us in the welcoming church movement may be transformists.1 We see our role as promoting IIsystemic change throughout the church in leadership, liturgy, and theology." Others of us may be reformists. We believe our role in the welcoming movement is to work for some changes, but we . prefer to keep the basic structures of the church as they are. Mter all, reformists say, we are making small gains toward sexual inclusivity! Still others of us in the movement are probably conformists, not really interested in changing the church as church. We focus instead on personal relationships with God and Christ and on welcoming individual persons whom we meet. We are all trying to respond to the Christian mandate to be the inclusive church of God. Our approaches remain very different. We are challenged to acknowledge the differences and affirm each others' work by understanding where our approach fits into the larger picture. As the church on a journey, we live simultaneously in the rooted traditions of the past, the shifting sands of the present, and the flickering traces of God's II new earth." Our welcoming movement is part of a much larger journey, for the church as a whole is moving out of one paradigm which has informed its life and mission for centuries into another that has only a vague form and shape. We live, as Loren Mead puts it, in lithe time between paradigms." Paradigm: An overarching model or pattern with a particular set of coherent traditions, customs, beliefs, and ways of living. Mead, an Episcopal priest, writer, and founder of the Alban Institute, lays out a bigger picture for us in The Once and Future Church.2 He identifies two paradigm shifts that occurred in prior centuries in the church. Jesus called forth the first one-from our Jewish and Greco-Roman roots to the Apostolic Paradigm. During the few generations it took to make this first paradigm shift, much turmoil occurred, new roles emerged, and new ways. of doing things were developed. Arguments abounded for doing things the old, established way. The second paradigm shift, which Mead calls the Christendom Paradigm, began during the fourth century with the conversion of Constantine and continued until Christianity became the official religion of the Empire. This paradigm guided us into the twentieth century. Under this paradigm, the life and mission of the church again changed in drastic ways. Now, says Mead, we live in a time between paradigms. Our welcoming movement has emerged in this time between paradigms. We raise sexual inclusivity and affirmation of diversity as necessary foundations for the paradigm under which the church will live in future centuries. Participating in such a shift is never smooth or easy. At times our roles will conflict. Pain on all sides will prevail. Just keep remembering: Paradigm shift occurring! God's new earth emerging! It's a big enough image to sustain! Notes 1Winter, Lummis, and Stokes,. Defecting in Place. (Crossroad, 1994), pp. 32-33. 2Loren B. Mead, The Once and Future Church. (The Alban Institute, 1991), pp. 8-29. " W oming"Tb.; ;emes for Deadline 1995 Roots ofPrejudice: Confronting the Conflict Apr 11995 1996 Gender and Transgender: Exploring the Issues Jun 11995 19% Intimacy: Redefining Relqtionships Sep 11995. 1996 Airing Out Closets: Individual, Family, Congregation, Denomination Dec 11995 1966 "J![l1,lOfing Divetsities...Reiarej,less ofRace, GentJe~,orSexual Ori~t(lt!vqd. . Mar 1 1~ .< •••••••,,':'..~. »> %...:>;:>,, :=:::-«-: ~"~'i!>.>i.w:'¥1Ji0 ~=~~::::::, J::...iI 0-'::'%. • ';;,M. Ifyou would like to write an article, contact Editor, RCp, 3801 N. Keeler, Chicago, IL 60641 Open Hands 26 ments &Letters os ,\Tote: This first letter is excerpted and adapted from a longer letter as originally addressed to pastors ofthe Southeastern Synod, ELeA. er to Pastors came to the Southeastern Synod of the Lutheran Church in rica about the time the civil rights movement began on the ory of the synod. The movement was one of the consequences hat epic struggle we call World War II. Itwas destined to change nation and a lot of us along with it. As I look back on this half tury, it gives me satisfaction to know that I was on the right e of the civil rights issue. I am not boasting. I was pushed into mg on the right side when the synod made me chairman of .lat was then the Social Missions Committee. Faced with the ice of supporting the leadership of the national church or reing it, I deemed it my responsibility to support the position of church, a decision which broadened my horizons and led me see how wrong I had been to support discrimination against ack people by not playing an active role in ending that discrimiiion. When I began my ministry, a Black person might be found rutting the grass or cleaning the church. He or she could not have been found inside at worship, and certainly not in the pulpit. _k>w at the synod I see Black people as delegates and as pastors. And I think most of us now agree that this is the way things should be in the Christian church. I take satisfaction in knowing that I did something to diminish racial discrimination in the churches. The civil rights movement gave new impetus to women to push open doors previously closed to them. We can be grateful for this change. Some of us may be apprehensive about the kind of competition women will give us, but I don't think we would defend an all-male clergy in a church where all are said to be one in Christ. The civil rights movement stirred the gay and lesbian community to step forth and claim the rights promised to all citizens of this country. This movement did not begin on the territory of the Southeastern Synod as the civil rights movement did, but it appears that some crucial battles in this struggle against discrimination will be won or lost on our territory. These people have always been a part of our congregations. We have taught them to hide their identity, to be ashamed of what they are. We have driven most of them out of our congregations by our judgmental attitude toward them. In the church, where we all are by the grace of God, these people should have the respect and the acceptance we now offer Blacks and women. The struggle against injustice manifested toward Black people was the big issue of my time. The struggle against injustice for gay and lesbian people is a big issue at this time. Where do you come down in this struggle? As a Christian, can you justify discrimination against these people? Winter 1995 To those who would justify discrimination against gay people by pointing to Bible texts, I would say more is said specifically about divorce by the Bible-and by better authorities than Moses or Paul. Jesus himself has some very plain words to say condemning divorce. Yet we have found a way to accept divorce among our people and even among our clergy. Can we not find the way to be accepting and loving toward those persons whose IIcrime" is loving another person like them? I write to you with the hope that you will be engaged in helping the church accept these persons-this despised minority who are always with us. Ifyou will do this, I believe you will look back on your ministry in years to come and be proud that you helped bring down another barrier within the church. May God bless your ministry. . Rufus B. Cuthbertson, Dahlonega, Georgza About our Magazine Dear Editor: I have subscribed to Open Hands for some time now and eagerly look forward to each new copy. I have enjoyed reading the articles for my own growth and for use as teaching material in educational classes. My interest in your publication was originally sparked by the fact that I have a son who is gay. When he was first coming to grips with his homosexual identity, he felt deserted by the church. Open Hands is instrumental in showing that doesn't have to happen. I will have a book published in late March-early April titled Geaning Closets: A Mother's Story. It is the story of my faith journey from the discovery that I have a gay son to the acceptance of that son. Writing the book was not as difficult as having the courage to have it published and put on a public bookshelf. I was concerned about the consequences to my family and inevitable conflict that would follow its publication. More than once, I opened my new copy of Open Hands to find something that encouraged me to keep going. Thanks! Beverly Cole, Salina, KS Dear RCP: Sometimes.l feel very much alone in the United Methodist Church. Wearing a button that says IIAnother Straight Person for Gay & Lesbian Rights" to my first annual conference, Idiscovered quickly who was of like spirit and mind. Reading Open Hands reminds me, when the process toward ordination seems most frightening and futile, that there are many who are not afraid to share God's love. . Chnstopher Buckley, Menlo Park, CA About Campus Ministries Dear Mark: The new issue, Campus Ministries with Sexual Minorities, is wonderful. How do you keep turning out such a quality product?! Bill Johnson, minister for AIDS Program & Ministries Coordination, UCC Board for Homeland Ministries Readers IQvi:fedloRespond Send us your CQll'lfl'Ients on past themes and articles Or your concerns about ,':::= :>.. ' ' y. ' particular struggles in the welcoming church community. Write ashort pe.rsqnal reflection piece on one of the themes for upcoming issues (see box on page 26). Send to Editor, 3801 N. Keeler, Chicago, ILS0641.fax: 3121736-5475. 27 New Churches in Our Welcoming Movement We welcome these congregations which have joined our growing grassroots movement in recent months. ~TATAT~ r.,.....,.....,..... OPEN -m-!~!~!~ r.,"'''''''A''''' L OPEN AND AFFIRMING Community Church of Chesterland Chesterland, Ohio "A beacon of social awareness and activity," this diverse ISO-member congregation recently celebrated its 17Sth anniversary. Committed to the nurture of its members, the church's Called to Care Board organizes lay visitation within the congregation. The church is equally interested in outreach to the community, especially in surrounding Geauga County where it has a strong history of activity. The Church Growth Board is looking at future directions for the church and asking for ideas from all its members. The congregation maintains an active interest in issues affecting gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. Members are helping plan an AIDS Testing Center to serve their area. Crombje Street UCC Salem, Massachusetts A small church with a big mission, the 30 members of Crombie Street have for many years provided a soup kitchen, food pantry, and shelter for homeless adults. The church is part of a regional group of UCC churches called the Essex Association. Recently, the Association took on a two-year mission project of raising funds to rehabilitate flooring, bathrooms, etc. in the Crombie Street building so that it may continue its vital ministries in the community. The congregation is considering more active ways to advertise its presence as an ONA church, as well. First Church of Christ Glastonbury, Connecticut A suburban congregation of 1400 members, First Church emphasizes worship, educational ministries for all ages, and community involvement. Its strong youth program will include a trip to Tennessee where 40 young people and their advisors will participate in a mission work project. Members of the church also participate in area groups dealing with affordable housing and diversity issues in education. The church is reflecting on its ONA process and anticipates further ONA planning in the coming year. Mt. Sinai Congregational Church, UCC Mt. Sinai, New York Located in one of the villages of Long Island, this 77S-member congregation has a very active mission program which includes involvement in Habitat for Humanity, Heifer Project, an Interfaith Nutrition Network, and a food pantry. It offers strong Christian education and youth programs, with 2S young people attending Sunday School. The church continues to wrestle with some issues raised in its ONA process and to explore what its ONA commitment can mean in its life and witness. Sixth Avenue United Church Denver, Colorado This very diverse, urban congregation of 7S members is excited about the growth it is experiencing! New folks are coming to a church characterized by a sense of intimacy and offering novel, spirited worship. Sixth Avenue also has a dynamic music program (contemporary, traditional, and jazz). The congregation has been part of the Capitol Hill United Ministries, an ecumenical group which opposed Colorado's antigay Amendment 2. Its pastor is involved in the interfaith Voices of Faith which is planning a summer conference on the religious community's role in advocacy for gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons. Broadway UMC Chicago, Illinois Founded more than a century ago, Broadway experienced a renaissance in the mid-1980s when its building was destroyed by fire and a new facility constructed. As one of the only handicapped accessible public buildings in its North Side neighborhood, its building is used by many community groups. Located in a neighborhood whose population has changed dramatically about every decade in the past half-century, the Broadway congregation has learned to adapt and be in ministry with new groups of persons. Gay and lesbian persons are one of the more recent neighborhood groups to be welcomed. The Broadway congregation has grown dramatically to 21S members in the past three and a half years as it has received 148 new members. Open Hands 28 FOURTH NATIONAL CONVOCATION OF RECONCILING CONGREGATIONS I I ..1.-... --BIBLE STUDY led by Bishop Roy Sano special performance of HOME: The Parable of Beatrice and Neal BOUND for the l WORSHIP FORUMS PROMISED LAND Preaching: Rev. William Bouton Ms. M. Garlinda Burton .. .. . Rev. Dr. Annette Jones Bishop William Dew ...a spirit-filled gathenng of the whole family of God Rev. Jeanne Audrey Powers Rev. George McClain July 13-16, 1995 Rev. Andrew Robinson-Gaither Dr. Mel White Augsburg College, Minneapolis WORKSHOPS • COVENANT GROUPS • CHILDREN & YOUTH PROGRAMS For registration information, contact: Reconciling Congregation Program, 3801 N. Keeler Avenue, Chicago, IL 60641. 312/736-5536; fax: 312/736-5475 Winter 1995 29 Widely-acclaimed original musical drama inviting lesbians & gay men to come "home" to church... HOME: The Parable of Beatrice and Neal OrIGinal Cast Recording (40 mins.) Compact Disc ................. '........................................ $15 Cassette Tape ..........:;............................................. $10 'E Video (105 min;.) ............................... ':: ........ '; .... $25 edited live recording of final tour performance. 10th Anniversary Video (25 mins.) ...................... $30 'ghlights from show and interViews with company. Add $3 s/Jipping to your order. ER FROM: Recopc!ling Congregation Program 3801 N.'Keeler Avenue ,Cl)ica~;';;i1.60641 , 3121736=5536 fax: 3121736-5475' Published music and score will be available in early 1995. act Tim McGinley, 622N. Riley, Indianapolis, IN 46201. 317/356-2215. tenary UMC I..ouis, Missouri .. historic downtown congregation, Centenary was founded 839 and has met in its building since 1869. Its 300 memrs live throughout the metropolitan area. Aggressive outh through newspapers and radio (with TV ads in 1995) has ught in newer, younger members over four years. Cente:y is well known for its music program. Its ministries inde an independent, nonsectarian elementary school, ser. ces for retired persons, and participation in Habitat for umanity and Project Hope. A chapter of Parents and Friends . Lesbians and Gays is now being organized. Chenango Street UMC B,nghamton, New York Located in what was the most prosperous neighborhood in :he city earlier this century, Chenango Street's membership peaked at 950 in the 1950s and has stabilized now at 200. Being vital, open congregation is key to Chenango Street's identity. -everal community arts and 12-step groups use the building. The Chenango Street Players present dramatic interpretations n Sunday worship. The congregation has attracted younger amilies and children in recent years. Newer members spurred the interest in becoming a Reconciling Congregation. Trinity UMC Kansas City, Missouri Located in a gentrified neighborhood in midtown Kansas City, Trinity has traditionally been a welcoming community. That tradition, along with a progreSSive perspective, has attracted many new, younger persons to the 300-member congregation in recent years. Many of these newer members are also gay. Trinity's mission is carried out through its support of several multi-church agencies in the community. The congregation is quite proud of its outstanding music program. [ RECO~HRISTJ Grace Lutheran Church Washington, D.C. Undaunted, this 260-member urban congregation revisited the decision to be a Reconciled in Christ congregation-and succeeded on its second try. The interlude brought kairos and chronos together. Grace celebrates being a multicultural faith community with membership representing nine African countries. Pastor Dean Moe commented that welcoming churches and the larger church need to be more intentional in outreach ministry celebrating diversity and more sensitive to multiethnic understandings about sexuality. Mark Your Calendars ... More Light Annual Conference, Seeking God's Song in a New Land, Baltimore, April 28-30, 1995. Contact: Bill Capel, 217/ 355-9825; Dick Hasbany, 503/345-4720. National Mfirmation 20th Anniversary Gathering, Capturing the Tradition-Responding to the Challenge, Dallas, April 2123, 1995. Contact: Affirmation, PO Box 1021, Evanston, IL 60204. Open and Mfirming Exultation, Gathered In Spirit-Gaining in Strength, Cleveland, October 13-15, 1995. Contact Ann Day, 508/856-9316. OUR WELCOMING MOVEMENT GROWS Since 1978,420 More Light (Presbyterian), Open and Affirming (Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ), Reconciled in Christ (Lutheran), Reconciling (United Methodist), and Welcoming & Affirming (Baptist) congregations and nineteen campus ministries have publicly declared that they welcome all persons, including lesbians and gay men. This is an increase of18% over one year ago! These "welcoming" communjties are in forty-one states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. Following is a complete list of congregations, alphabetically by state and city, followed by a list of campus ministries and judicatories. The affiliation of each is designated by the following codes: ML More Light (Presbyterian) aNA Open and Affirming (UCC) O&A Open and Affirming (Disciples) RIC Reconciled in Christ (Lutheran) RC Reconciling Congregation (United Methodist) W&A Welcoming & Affirming (Baptist) CONGREGATIONS ALASKA Palmer Church of the Covenant ~&A) ARIZONA Tucson St. Francis in the Foothills UMC (RC) ARKANSAS LittleRock Pulaski Heights Christian (O&A) CALIFORNIA Alameda First Christian (O&A) First Congregational (ONA) Albany Albany UMC (RC) Altadena Altadena Congregational (ONA) Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran (RIC) Baldwin Park First Presbyterian (ML) Belmont Congregational Church UCC (ONA) Benicia Community Congregational (ONA) Berkeley Berkeley & Richmond Intercity Ministry (O&A) First Baptist ~&A) St. John's Presbyterian (ML) Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran (RIC) Trinity UMC (RC) Univers~ Lutheran Chapel (RIC) University Church (O&A) Car/sbad Pilgrim Congregational (ONA) Claremont Claremont UMC (RC) Claremont UCC, Congregational (ONA) Concord First Christian (O&A) Danville Peace Lutheran (RIC) EICerrito Mira Vista UCC (ONA) Eureka First Congregational (ONA) Fair Oaks Fair Oaks UMC (RC) Fairfax Fairfax Community (ONA) Fremont Niles Congregational UCC (ONA) Fresno Wesley UMC (RC) Hollywood First UMC (RC) Irvine Irvine UCC (ONA) Lafayette Lafayette Christian (O&A) Larkspur Redwoods Presbyterian (ML) Long Beach First Congregational UCC (ONA) Trin~ Lutheran (RIC) Los Angeles Mt. Hollywood Congregational UCC (ONA) Un~ed Univers~ (ML, RC) Wilshire UMC (RC) Marin City St. Andrews Presbyterian (ML) Milpitas Sunnyhills UMC (RC) Modesto College Avenup, Congregational (ONA) Newark Holy Redeemer Lutheran(RIC) North Hollywood St. Matthew's Lutheran (RIC) Toluca Lake UMC (RC) Oakland Fa~Lutheran (RIC) Lake Merritt UMC (RC) Lakeshore Avenue Baptist (W&A) Lutheran Peace Fellowship (RIC) Montclair Presbyterian (ML) Plymouth UCC (ONA) St. Paul Lutheran (RIC) Palo Alto Covenant Presbyterian (ML) First Evangelical Lutheran (RIC) First Presbyterian (ML) University Lutheran (RIC) Pasadena First Congregational UCC (ONA) Richmond Grace Lutheran (RIC) Sacramento Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer (RIC) San Diego First Lutheran (RIC) San Francisco Bethany UMC (RC) Calvary UMC (RC) Christ Lutheran (RIC) First Congregational UCC (ONA) First St. John's UMC (RC) First Un~ed Lutheran (RIC) Glide Memorial UMC (RC) HamiHon UMC (RC) Noe Valley Ministry (ML) Pine UMC (RC) Seventh Avenue Presbyterian (ML) St. Francis Lutheran (RIC) St. John's UCC (ONA) St. Mark's Lutheran (RIC) St. Paulus Lutheran (RIC) Trinity UMC (RC) San Jose Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran (RIC) First Christian Church (O&A) New Community of Faith (W&A) St. Paul's UMC (RC) San Leandro San Leandro Community (W&A) San Mateo College Heights UCC (ONA) San Rafael Faith Lutheran (RIC) First UMC (RC) Santa Barbara La Mesa Community (ONA) Santa Cruz Grace UMC (RC) Santa Monica The Church in Ocean Park (RC) Sausalito First Presbyterian (ML) Stockton First Christian (O&A) Sunnyvale Congregational Community (ONA) Raynor Park Christian (O&A) St. John's Lutheran (RIC) Terra Linda Christ in Terra Linda (ML) Tiburon Community Congregational (ONA) Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran (RIC) Westminster Presbyterian (ML) Vacaville St. Paul's UMC (RC) Vallejo First Christian (O&A) Walnut Creek Walnut Creek UMC (RC) West Hollywood Crescent Heights UMC (RC) West Hollywood Presbyterian (ML) Yucaipa Faith Lutheran (RIC) COLORADO Aurora Parkview Congregational UCC (ONA) Boulder First Congregational (ONA) Denver Cap~ol Heights Presbyterian (ML) Park Hill Congregational UCC (ONA) Sixth Avenue United (ONA) St. Paul's UMC (RC) Washington Park UCC (ONA) Evergreen Wild Rose UCC (ONA) Fort Collins St. Thomas University Lutheran (RIC) CONNECTICUT Coventry Second Congregational (ONA) Fairfield First Congregational (ONA) Glastonbury First Church of Christ (ONA) Hartford Central Baptist (W&A) First Church of Christ, UCC (ONA) Mansfield Center First Church of Christ (ONA) Middletown First Church of Christ ONA) New Haven Church of Christ in Yale Univ. (ONA) First &Summerfield UMC (RC) United Church on the Green (ONA) Noank Noank Baptist (W&A) South Glastonbury Congregational (ONA) Stamford St. John Lutheran (RIC) Storrs Storrs Congregational (ONA) Waterbury South Congregational (ONA) Windsor First Church UCC (ONA) DELAWARE Newark New Ark UCC (ONA) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington, D. C. Augustana Lutheran (RIC) Christ Lutheran (RIC) Christ UMC (RC) Church of the Reformation (RIC) Community of Christ Lutheran (RIC) Open Hands 30 UMC(RC) -~ Congregational (ONA) . Trility Lutheran (RIC) own Lutheran (RIC) Lutheran (RIC) -~ ":ulsLutheran (RIC) . ter Presbyterian (ML) -•United Church (ONA) Calvin Presbyterian (ML) -. Tmothy Lutheran (RIC) Presbyterian (ML) rant Park-Aldersgate UMC (RC) Church of the Crossroads (ONA) HonoluluLutheran (RIC) S lpaign McKinley Memorial Presbyterian (ML) St. Andrew's Lutheran (RIC) 1Cago Albany Park UMC (RC) Augustana Lutheran (RIC) Broadway UMC (RC) Christ the King Lutheran (RIC) Christ the Mediator Lutheran (RIC) Ebenezer Lutheran (RIC) Grace Baptist (W&A) Grace UMC (RC) Holy Covenant UMC (RC) Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran (RIC) Immanuel Lutheran (RIC) Irving Park Christian (O&A) Irving Park UMC (RC) Lake View Lutheran (RIC) UncolnPark Presbyterian (ML) Mayfair UMC (RC) Peoples Church (ONA) Resurrection Lutheran (RIC) SI. Mark's Lutheran (RIC) SI. Paul's UCC (ONA) Trinity Lutheran (RIC) Unned Church of Rogers Park (RC) ' ersity Church (ONA, O&A) 00 Avenue UCC (ONA) Evanston First Baptist (W&A) HemenwayUMC (RC) Wheadon UMC (RC) Maywood Maywood House Church (RIC) OakPark Euclid Avenue UMC (RC) Good Shepherd Lutheran (RIC) Wilmette Winter 1995 First Congregational UCC (ONA) Winfield Winfield Community (RC) INDIANA Indianapolis First Congregational UCC (ONA) Northeast UCC (ONA) -South Bend Southside Christian (O&A) West Lafayette Shalom UCC (ONA) IOWA Ames Lord of Lffe Lutheran (RIC) University Lutheran (RIC) Cedar Rapids Faith UMC (RC) Clinton Clinton-Camanche Subgroup of Iowa MFSA (RC) Des Moines Plymouth Congregational UCC (ONA) Trinity UMC (RC) Urbandale UCC (ONA) Iowa City Faith UCC (ONA) KANSAS Kansas City ecumenikos (ML,ONA, O&A, RC) Olathe SI. Andrews Christian (O&A) Topeka Central Congregational UCC (ONA) KENTUCKY Henderson Zion UCC (ONA) Louisville Central Presbyterian (ML) LOUISIANA New Orleans St. Mark's UMC (RC) MARYLAND Baltimore First &Franklin Presbyterian (ML) SI. John's UMC (RC) SI. Mark's Lutheran (RIC) Gaithersburg Christ the Servant Lutheran (RIC) Lanham Good Samaritan Lutheran (RIC) Rockville Rockville Presbyterian (ML) Takoma Park Takoma Park Presbyterian (ML) ~ -~--~~ Amherst First CongregatiooaJ UCC (ONA) South CongregatiooaJ (ONA) AOOover BaIIardvaIe United (ONA,RC) Aubum Pakachoag (ONA) Boston Church of the Covenant (ONA, ML) Church of the United Community (ONA, O&A) Old South Church (ONA) Cambridge First Church, Congregational (ONA) Old Cambridge Baptist (W&A) University Lutheran (RIC) Danvers Holy Trinity UMC (RC) Framingham Grace UCC (ONA) Greenfield First Congregational UCC (ONA) Holliston First Congregational (ONA) Newburyport Belleville Congregational (ONA) Osterville United Methodist (RC) Salem Crombie Street UCC (ONA) Shrewsbury Mt. Olivet Lutheran(RIC) Wellesley Wellesley Congregational (ONA) Wendell Wendell Congregational (ONA) West Newton Second Churchin Newton UCC (ONA) Williamstown First Congregational UCC (ONA) First UMC (RC) Worcester First Baptist (W&A) United Congregational (ONA) MICHIGAN Ann Arbor Church of the Good Shepherd (ONA) Lord of Light Lutheran (RIC) Memorial Christian (O&A) Northside Presbyterian (ML) Detroit Truth Evangelical Lutheran (RIC) Douglas Douglas Congregational UCC (ONA) Kalamazoo Phoenix Community UCC (ONA) Ypsilanti First Congregational UCC (ONA) MINNESOTA Edina Edina Community Lutheran (RIC) Mankato First Congregational UCC (ONA) Maple Grove Pilgrims United (ONA) Minneapolis Community of St. Martin (RIC) First Congregational (ONA) Grace University Lutheran (RIC) Hennepin Avenue UMC (RC) Holy Trinity Lutheran (RIC) JudsonMemorial Baptist (W&A) Lyndale UCC (ONA) Mayflower Community Congregational UCC (ONA) Our Savior'sLutheran (RIC) Prospect Park UMC (RC) Spirit of the Lakes (ONA) Temple Baptist (W&A) University Baptist (W&A) Walker Community (RC) Wesley UMC (RC) New Brighton United Church of Christ (ONA) Northfield First UCC (ONA) Robbinsdale Robbinsdale UCC (ONA) St. Paul St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran (RIC) Wayzatta St. Luke Presbyterian (ML) MISSOURI Kansas City Abiding Peace Lutheran (RIC) Fountain of Hope Lutheran (RIC) Kairos UMC (RC) St. Mark's Lutheran (RIC) Trinity UMC (RC) Van Brunt Blvd. Presbyterian (ML) St. Louis Centenary UMC (RC) Gibson Heights United (ML) St. Marcus Evangelical UCC (ONA) University City Bethel Lutheran(RIC) MONTANA Missoula University Congregational UCC (ONA) NEBRASKA Omaha First Lutheran (RIC) NEW HAMPSHIRE Hanover Our Savior Lutheran (RIC) Jaffrey United Church(ONA) Plymouth PlymouthCongregational (ONA) NEW JERSEY South Orange First Presbyterian &Trinity (ML) NEW MEXICO Santa Fe Christ Lutheran (RIC) United Church (ONA) NEW YORK A!bany Emmanuel Baptist (W&A) Binghamton Chenango Street UMC (RC) Brookhaven Old SouthHaven Presbyterian (ML) Brooklyn Church of Gethsemane (ML) Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian (ML) Park Slope UMC (RC) St. John-St. Matthew-Emmanuel Lutheran (RIC) Buffalo Amherst Community (ONA;O&A) Westminster Presbyterian (ML) Churchville Union Congregational (ONA) Copake CraryvilleUMC (RC) Dobbs Ferry South Presbyterian (ML) Gloversville First Congregational UCC (ONA) Grand Island Riverside Salem (ONA) Henrietta John Calvin Presbyterian (ML) Marcel/us 31 First Presbyterian (ML) Mt.Sinai MI. Sinai Congregational UCC (ONA) New York Broadway UCC (ONA) Central Presbyterian (ML) Church of SI. Paul &SI. Andrew (RC) Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian (ML) Grace &SI. Paul's Lutheran (RIC) Jan Hus Presbyterian (ML) Judson Memorial (ONA, W&A) Madison Avenue Baptist (W&A) Metropolitan-Duane UMC (RC) Our Savior's Atonement Lutheran(RIC) Park Avenue Christian (O&A) Riverside (ONA; W&A) Rutgers Presbyterian (ML) SI. Peter's Lutheran (RIC) Trinity Evangelical Lutheran (RIC) Washington Square UMC (RC) West-Park Presbyterian (ML) Oneonta First UMC (RC) Palisades Palisades Presbyterian (ML) Rochester Calvary SI. Andrews (ML) Downtown Presbyterian (ML) The House Church (ONA) Third Presbyterian (ML) Westminster Presbyterian (ML) Sayville Sayville Congregational UCC (ONA) Yorktown Heights First Presbyterian (ML) NORTH CAROLINA Chapel Hill Church of the Reconciliation (ML) United Church (ONA) Raleigh Community UCC (ONA) Pullen Memorial Baptist (W&A) Winston-Salem First Christian (O&A) OHIO Brecksville United Church of Christ (ONA) Chesterland Community Church (ONA) Cincinnati MI. Auburn Presbyterian (ML) Cleveland Archwood UCC (ONA) Liberation UCC (ONA) Pilgrim Congregational UCC (ONA) Cleveland Heights Church of the Redeemer (RC) Noble Road Presbyterian (ML) Columbus Calvary Lutheran (RIC) Redeemer Lutheran (RIC) Third Avenue Community (RC) Dayton Congregation for Reconciliation (ONA) Granville First Baptist (W&A) Norton Grace UCC (ONA) . Toledo Central UMC (RC) OKLAHOMA Tulsa UM Community of Hope (RC) OREGON Ashland United Church of Christ (ONA) Corvallis First UMC (RC) Estacada Estacada UMC (RC) Lake Oswego Lake Oswego UCC (ONA) Milwaukie Milwaukie UCC (ONA) Portland First Congregational (ONA) First UMC (RC) Metanoia Peace Community (RC) Southwest United (ONA) SI. James Lutheran (RIC) University Park UMC (RC) Salem First Congregational UCC (ONA) PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia Calvary UMC (RC) First UMC of Germantown (RC) SI. Michael's Lutheran (RIC) Tabernacle United (ONA, ML) University Lutheran of Incamation (RIC) Wayne Central Baptist (W&A) RHODE ISLAND Newport Newport Congregational (ONA) SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia Gethsemane Lutheran (RIC) SOUTH DAKOTA Erwin Erwin UCC (ONA) TENNESSEE Memphis First Congregational UCC (ONA) Nashville Brookmeade Congregational UCC (ONA) Edgehill UMC (RC) TEXAS Austin First English Lutheran (RIC) Trinity UMC (RC) Dallas Bethany Presbyterian (ML) Midway Hills Christian (O&A) Fort Worth SI. Matthew's Lutheran (RIC) Houston Bering Memorial UMC (RC) Community of the ReconcilingServant (ML) VERMONT Bennington Second Congregational (ONA) Burlington Christ Presbyterian(ML) College Street Congregational (ONA) Middlebury Congregational UCC (ONA) Rutland Rutland UMC (RC) VIRGINIA Alexandria Peace Lutheran (RIC) Harrisonburg Sanctuary UCC (ONA) WASHINGTON Chelan Fullness of God Lutheran (RIC) Federal Way Wayside UCC (ONA) Leavenworth Faith Lutheran (RIC) Medical Lake Shalom UCC (ONA) Mountlake Terrace Terrace View Presbyterian (ML) Olympia Community for Christian Celebration (ONA) Pullman Community Congregational UCC (ONA) Richland Shalom UCC (ONA) Seattle Broadview Community UCC (ONA) Central Lutheran (RIC) Findlay Street Christian (O&A) First Baptist (W&A) Pilgrim Congregational (ONA) Plymouth Congregational (ONA) Prospect UCC (ONA) Ravenna UMC (RC) Richmond Beach Congregational UCC (ONA) University Baptist (W&A) University Christian (O&A) University Congregational (ONA) Wallingford UMC (RC) Vancouver First Congregational UCC (ONA) WISCONSIN EauClaire University Lutheran (RIC) Madison First Baptist (W&A) First Congregational UCC (ONA) Orchard Ridge UCC (ONA) University (RC) Milwaukee Church of the Reformation (RIC) Cross Lutheran (RIC) Plymouth UCC (ONA) Village Lutheran (RIC) Racine Our Savior'S Lutheran (RIC) Sheboygan Wesley UMC (RC) CANADA/SASKATCHEWAN Saskatoon King of Glory Lutheran (RIC) CAMPUS MINISTRIES CALIFORNIA Chapman University Pride Alliance (O&A) Wesley Foundation at UCLA (RC) DELAWARE Wesley Foundation at University of Delaware (RC) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA UM Student Fellowship at American University (RC) ILLINOIS UM Student Fellowship at Illinois Wesleyan (RC) United Campus Ministry at Northern Illinois (RC) INDIANA Lutheran Campus Ministry at Indiana University (RIC) IOWA Lutheran Campus Ministry at University of Iowa (RIC) MICHIGAN Ecclesia at Michigan State University (O&A) Guild House at University of Michigan (O&A) MINNESOTA Lutheran Campus Ministry in Minneapolis (RIC) Lutheran Campus Ministry at SI. Cloud State (RIC) Student Congregation at SI. Olaf College (RIC) NORTH DAKOTA University Lutheran Center in Fargo (RIC) OREGON Lutheran Campus Ministry in Portland (RIC) PENNSYLVANIA . Lutheran Campus Ministry at Kutztown (RIC) WISCONSIN Lutheran Campus Ministry in LaCrosse (RIC) Metro Milwaukee Campus Ministry (RIC) CANADA/SASKATCHEWAN Saskatoon Lutheran Student Movement (RIC) JUDICATORIES More Light Synods Synod of the Northeast Open and Affirming Conferences Connecticut Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota New Hampshire Northern California/Nevada Ohio Rocky Mountain Southern California Open and Affirming Regions Northern California/Nevada Reconciled in Christ Synods Eastern North Dakota Eastern WaShington-Idaho Greater Milwaukee Metro Chicago Metro Washington, D.C. Pacifica Rocky Mountain Sierra-Pacific Southeast Michigan Reconciling Conferences California-Nevada NewYork Northern Illinois Troy Open Hands 32 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Open Hands Vol 10 No 3 - Church on a Journey Toward Sexual Inclusivity