LGBT Newsletter. Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi Committee on Ministry with LGBT Persons

Transcription

1 LGBT Newsletter Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi Committee on Ministry with LGBT Persons Are we running with you, Jesus? Claiming the legacy of Malcolm Boyd April, 2015 The Diocesan Committee on Ministry with LGBT Persons and The Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi present The Tenth Annual Spiritual Renewal Retreat August 21-23, 2015 Gray Center - Canton, MS Led By THE REVEREND CANON SUSAN RUSSELL The Reverend Canon Susan Russell is an Episcopal priest currently serving as a Senior Associate at All Saints Church in Pasadena, CA. In 1965, Episcopal priest Malcolm Boyd published Are You Running With Me, Jesus? -- a book of prayers which fed the hunger of a generation of people who had given up on the church or anyone connected with it having anything relevant to say. His willingness to put his faith into action by marching to end segregation was a powerful witness to what former Presiding Bishop John Hines called justice as the corporate face of God s love. And his example as an out-gay priest in a time when such a thing was practically unimaginable is an inspiration to all who work for the full inclusion of LGBT people in this church and in this country. Fifty years later, Malcolm s prayers and poems continue to inspire and challenge us as we work to make God s love tangible, to abolish prejudice and oppression and to heal the rift between sexuality and spirituality in the church and in the world. In prayer and reflection, story and song we will claim the legacy of Malcolm Boyd as we align our lives with God s love, justice and compassion. Come share in a time of spiritual renewal and refreshment in community as we discover together how God is calling us to run with Jesus. Registration Information Coming Soon

2 This Easter my partner, John Davis, gave me a wonderful inspirational book titled Blessed to Call You Friend. It is a collection of sayings and quotations and is divided into ten sections. They are: Faith, Renewal, Insight, Encouragement, Nourishment, Delight, Strength and Vulnerability, Hospitality, Inspiration and Peace. Please notice that the sections spell FRIENDSHIP. We would like to share with you some of the sayings, from various. sections, that particularly spoke to us: The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend. I have no wealth to bestow on him. If he knows that I am happy in loving him, he will want no other reward. Is not friendship divine in this? (Henry David Thoreau) Prayers go up and blessings come down. (Yiddish Proverb) An honest heart being the first blessing, a knowing head is the second. (Thomas Jefferson) Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us. (Socrates) Don t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don t walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend. (Albert Camus) Words cannot express the joy which a friend imparts; they only can know who have experienced. A friend is dearer than the light of heaven, for it would be better for us that the sun were extinguished than that we should be without friends. (Saint John Chrysostom) The supreme happiness of life is the conviction of being loved for yourself, or, more correctly, being loved in spite of yourself. (Victor Hugo) How good and pleasant it is when God s people live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1) Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. (Charles Dickens) May you have warm words on a cool evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door. (Irish Saying) Lastly we would like to share with you the description of the section You Bless Me with Delight, which spoke to us in how we relate to and understand each other: Would I laugh out loud if you were not in my life? I pray I never have to find out the answer to that question. Your good-hearted nature is a gift I treasure. You show me how to look on the bright side and then you grab my hand and help me walk in the light of new joy. John Lever/John Davis

3 Wonderfully Made By: Rob Hill HRC Mississippi State Director Recently, I sat across from an old friend over dinner who expressed the hurt he experienced having learned of my sexual orientation in the newspaper rather than from me personally. In response, I asked, So, how do feel about me being gay? He answered, Well, I think that you re spiritually lost, you would be better off in a heterosexual relationship or to remain single. Having received the response that I feared, I confessed, That s exactly why I never shared this with you. But I still love you, he said which, needless to say, provided very little consolation to me. So often, I share stories of my work in Mississippi about finding acceptance in unexpected places. I tell about the extraordinary allies who are willing to be advocates in their city or in their faith community. I tell stories about friends and family members offering support and unending care when a loved one comes out. And while these are great and important stories, there are the others stories which reveal just how far we have to go. There are the too-numerous stories of non-acceptance like that which occurred for me over a meal just the other evening. Over the years, I have remarked that LGBT people, more than others, really get to embody the teachings of the Bible; we learn how to forgive due to the hurtful rhetoric and ignorant comments we frequently hear, we know about extending grace, because so often we are forced to endure situations where we experience non-acceptance-a funeral or holiday gatherings among hostile family or the meal with a friend who loves the sinner yet hates the sin. My only advice for when we venture into unwelcoming territory or when we sit at a meal with a friend who stands in judgment, is to take good care and invest only what you can in those relationships. And do so with the constant hope that transformation might indeed take place as acceptance emerges. Also take confidence that there are so many more people who do not view LGBT people as broken, but whole. There are scores of people who do not desire that we change but love us exactly for who we are. There are countless communities and individuals who do not see us as damaged and flawed, but see us as beautiful or as the Psalmist writes, fearfully and wonderfully made (139:14). The Human Rights Campaign in the nation s largest civil-rights organization working for LGBT equality. If you would like to become involved or volunteer with the HRC Mississippi, please contact Rob Hill at rob.hill@hrc.org or Harry Hawkins at harry.hawkins@hrc.org.

4 Happy Anniversary April 6 - Carlene Barkley & Suzanne Todd 12 - LJ Hunt & Ron Hudgens May 10 - Micheal Cloar & Kent Usry 21 - Michael & Jiro Arase-Barham June 1 - Michelle Rushing & Kay Little 5 - Deb Ainsworth & Brenda Teague July 16 - John & Tait Kellogg Happy Birthday April 5 - Cindy Leach 19 - Greg Germany 23 - LJ Hunt May 5 - Robin Toler 6 - Helen Tester 16 - Darrell Vaughn 19 - Deb Ainsworth 29 - Kristi Johnson June 14 - Ed Oliver 28 - Lynn Barker 19 - Michael Arase-Barham July 29 - Beth Gilbert Send your anniversary and birth dates to diomslgbt@gmail.com so we can acknowledge your special Committee on Ministry with LGBT Persons Mission: Our mission is to continue Christ's work of reconciliation and unity among all people by attaining full inclusion of LGBT persons in the life of the church. Inclusion Statement: We are...one church in mission, inviting, transforming, and reconciling. We seek to... serve Christ in all persons and to respect the dignity of every human being.. Members: Mr. Tim Adams - St. Columb's, Ridgeland Mr. Jody Bailey - St. Andrew s Cathedral, Jackson The Rev. Dr. Lynn Barker - St. Francis', Philadelphia The Rev. Dr. Susan Hrostowski - St. Elizabeth's, Collins Mr. John Lever - St. Andrew's Cathedral, Jackson - Chairman Ms. Betty Melton - St. Paul's, Meridian Ms. Lori Mitchell - St. Paul s, Columbus The Rev. Janet Ott - St. Mark's, Raymond Mr. AZ (Butch) Rains - St. Andrew's Cathedral, Jackson Mr. Ben Roach - St. Alexis', Jackson Dr. Robert Stewart - St. Peter's, Oxford Dr. Robin Webb - Calvary, Cleveland The Rev. Deacon Scott Williams - St. Peter's by-the-sea, Gulfport Please Visit Our Web site at:

5 From the porch... by Christopher Alexander As a former Baptist, one of the things to which I had to become accustomed within the Episcopal Church was the idea of one offering a verbal blessing to another. The first few times I noticed this practice, I didn t quite know what to say or think. Both priests and lay people were doing it. I certainly figured I would never participate in doing so. However, as time passed, I slowly began to enjoy and look forward to receiving the blessing from someone else. In fact, I realized I had begun to like it and looked forward to it. My most favorite of the blessings I ve heard has been offered many times by my priest, The Rev. Helen Whitener-Tester. This past Sunday, April 19, 2015, she offered this blessing to our church for the last time. She is retiring. My mind has not yet completely processed the emotions behind this reality. However, after hugging and spending time with her, I left the church knowing I am loved and will be missed by her as much as I will miss her. Life throws curves like this. I suppose it is to ensure one doesn t become too comfortable in his or her joy and place of contentment. I ve thought a lot about blessings today. Through these thoughts, I ve realized the blessings in the Episcopal Church do not stop at spoken words. Instead, they overflow in acceptance, reproduce in love, surround us in hope and leave each of us with a knowing sense that we are absolutely desired and needed, by those with whom we worship and, more importantly, by our God. My heart is warmed to know our LGBT group is so loving, welcoming and accepting. Through this, we each become the other s own, personal blessing. For this truth, a thankful heart is the least we want to offer! In closing, I leave you with the blessing referred to earlier in this article: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord s face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May God give you grace not to sell yourself short; Grace to risk something big for something good; Grace to remember that the world is now too dangerous for anything but love. May God take your minds and think through them. May God take your lips and speak through them. May God take your hands and work through them. May God take your hearts and set them on fire. Amen Be blessed. I love you each! See you soon!

6 The Next Step It was almost noon, and I was exhausted! I had been up since four o clock in the morning pulling, shifting, folding, arranging sorting things out for the garage sale. Now, it was 11:30a. I had done well. I was ready for a nap, but I couldn t let down the door. A married couple had put a few items on hold and were due back shortly with the payment. So, there I was, sitting in my rocking chair, waiting patiently. When they returned, the woman decided to shop some more. I moved to the other side of the room to give her space to make independent decisions free from pressure. There was no sense of urgency in her voice nor her movements. She even struck up a conversation, asking why the garage sale, why the move, why this, why that? I told her about my job. I explained that I am the senior faith organizer for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in Mississippi and that my job is to advocate for safer worship spaces for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. That did not sit well with her at all. I must confess that I had never experienced what I felt that day as she condemned me to hell, accused me of being a false prophet, assumed that I didn t own a Bible, and declared that the Holy Spirit was upon me at that very moment, convicting me in order to save my soul. Don t get me wrong. I ve been engaged in similar conversations in the past, but all of them took place before I got this job. In those conversations, my responses were academic and theological; they came straight from my head as rational attempts to offer the other party something on which to marinate when we parted. This time was different. I was no longer a stranger speaking on behalf of a marginalized community. Now, I am a part of the family. This woman was talking about my sisters, my brothers, my friends. What she said stung. Her comments made me angry, angry at her, angry at her pastor, angry at some communities of faith, angry with Christianity. It was obvious this was not going to be a fruitful conversation, so I stood quietly and prayed that God would send her and her husband on their way soon, very soon. Thank God for answered prayers! I sat back down in the rocking chair to think, to figure out how to take these kinds of conversations to the next level, how to do a better job of framing the conversation so that it will produce good fruit that can be used to advance a more authentic interpretation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I smiled. Actually, I chuckled a little because I found great comfort in knowing that I am already living into the next step. The Religion and Faith department at the Human Rights Campaign has published a resource called The Christian Conversation Guide. It is a toolkit designed to help people engage in conversation about ministry to the LGBT community. The guide contains five pamphlets: 1) 6 Ways to Get Started 2) People of Faith Who are LGBT 3) Hosting Small Group Conversations 4) In the Sanctuary 5) Useful Terms: A Glossary. These leaflets are specifically crafted for dialogue with people who self-identify as Christian. That s what I do now. I meet with people face-to-face, host community gatherings, participate in events, make presentations, preach and teach about the importance of expanding our ecclesiology to include everybody for we are all God s children, created in the very image of God. It is my professional philosophy that the change we seek in the Movement for Equality is only one conversation away. Before HRC, I would have walked away from that garage sale exchange fully persuaded that there was no reason to hope that woman would have a change in mind or a change of heart. Now, not only am I hopeful; I m equipped and ready, willing and able to equip others. How about you? Are you ready to meet the conversational challenges that accompany the work of creating safer worship spaces for people who are LGBT? Is your pastor? Is your faith community? Is your child? If not, HRC is here for you. Give me a call, and let s talk. Time and energy small cost. Gasoline small cost. The price of lunch or dinner or coffee small cost. The conversation priceless! Rev. Dr. Denise Donnell Senior Faith Organizer The Human Rights Campaign Mississippi denise.donnell@hrc.org ext 12