1971 - In Unity - June

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JUNE 1971 VOL.2 NO.5 DUN A T ION FIFTY

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WOMEN WED EACH OTHER IN Publisher: Donald Hughes Editor: Fred Convell Treasu:rer : Rev. Louis Laynes Circulation: Bob Quinn Staff Photographer: Pat Rocco Feature Writers: C. ShawnFarrell Al Correa Pat Rardin Graphic Designer: Connie Vaughn Stc;UfWriters: Kathy Laine Marie Woody Paul Winders Board of Elders of Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Canmuni ty Churches: Reverend TrDy D. Perry Reverend John H. Hose Reverend Richard A. Ploen Reverend Louis Loynes In Unity is published monthJy by the Universal Fellowship oD Metropolitan Ccmnuni ty Churches. Editorial Offices in Los Angeles California.Mailing Address: 2201 South Union Avenue, Los Angeles, Ca. 90007. Copyrighted 1971. All rights reserved. Reproduction In whole or part without permission is· proh.i:bited. . Address letters to Editor of In Unity. No anonymousletters will be considered for publication. There is a monthly theme for the magazine, which we will follow for most of the articles. The theme for July is ."Justice and Freedom for all". All copy must be into this office by June 10th. The theme for August is "Surrnner Vacations" • Pli copy must be in this office by July lOth. 1

"SOCIALEVENT OFDECADE" BANGKOK - The BangkokPost today described the recent marriage of a wealthy land owner and a young market vendor - both women. "hundreds of people from miles around flocked" to the ceremony in the northern Province of Kamphaengphet,the EngliSh-language newspaper reported. "It rapidly took on the proportions of the social event of the year, if not the decq.de." The land owner had always dressed in men's clothing, the newspaper reported ,and when she met the 24-year-old vendor three years ago she decided not to reveal her true sex. "The ranance blossaned," the newspaper said, "But the secret finally came out three morrths ago." To the land owner's delight,the newspaper said, the vendor decided it made no . difference. The mother of the "bride" asked for a dowry of $200 but the land owner increased it to $300 and threw in other valuables as well. The couple now live in the hone of the land owner. GOD'S OPULENT GOODNESS IS ACTIVE IN MY LIFE NOW. PRAISE GOD, I KNOW THIS! NO longer travel a path dark with fear, lack, weakness, or worry. From this moment forward I travel a path of light, for now I know that God's opulent goodness is active in my life. My heart tells me that God abides in me as radiant wholeness. My mind reminds me of my ability to think God's thoughts of life, love, joy, and peace. My life shows forth the light that shines from within .me. My affairs are blessed with the very order of heaven. My whole life is transformed. I am made new. Right where I am, I see the goodness of God at work in me, in my mind, body, and affairs. My relations with others are blessed by my new awareness of God's harmony. Everything in my world is peaceful, joyous, uplifted. Yes, God's opulent goodness is active in my life now. Praise God, I know this! I am abundantly provided for in every area of my life.

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T he lines have fallen for me in pleasant yea, I have a goodly heritage. -PSALMS

places,' 16:6.

FROM THE PEN OF:

Reverend

Perry

With the month of June being scheduled for several weddings,I feel that we are really showing that we are not afraid anymore. We are truly proud to accept the vows through the church and through God. Until next month, Yours an Christ,

"NOW I PRONOUNCE YOUMARRIED--" M.C.C. was in existence about three weeks when I was approached by ty,;o young men whowanted to be married by me.I talked with them,(they did not attend MCC,they were both RamanCatholic) and I asked as I do even today with couples, "why"they wanted to be married? "We want the blessings of God on our lives and in our relationship with each other. Wealso want the blessings of the Church. Wefeel we will receive that in a wedding service", answered the older of the tHO fellows. Twoweeks later, I performed the wedding service in my home. That was 2 1/2 years ago. A lot has transpired since then and to date, I have personally married sixty-six couples. Weare soon approaching the day when a license ~~ll be issued and there will be total acceptance of our marriage. Our current rule is that ty,;opeople living together as a couple for a period of 6 morrths may be married by one of our ministers. I perform this service and provide a certificate of manrdage," This certificate can be recordeq through the county recorder if the couple wishes. There are currently couples who have filed joint income tax returns and own_ property in joint tenancy. As far as I know,these have not been contested or questioned. The time for this is nearing and we must not be afraid. Wemust stand up and be counted. This is the only way the laws will ever be changed. ' One of our deacons brought an article in from the Daily Signal. The article was titled: "TwoMen 'Married' in San Francisco Church". The article stated that the ceremonywas performed in Glide MemorialMethodist Church, by Reverend Lloyd Wake. The event was witnessed by 20 persons and the pastor called ita "Covenant" ceremony.

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"May the Lord bless you and keep you and cause His face to shine upon' you • • ."

FOR UNITY We were one at the start And now we are many. Not just the many of divers ity But the many of divis ion, too. Truth is one. You are one. -Why can It we be one? And know in You the unity of Love? Amen

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Looking for the Way? Love God? Join Us Today!

MILWAUKEE

OULUD AJI

• SACRAHUTO F RUCISCO

•

•

~HONOLULU

METROPOLITIAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES

DElVER

PHOENIX

• Tucsoll •

WORSHIP

SERVICE

DIRECTORY

Metropolitan canmunity Church San Francisco California Hall 625 Polk Street San Francisco, California 94102 415-864-3576

CHURCHES Metropolitan Canmunity Church Los ~eles 220r ~Union Ave. Los Angeles, Calif. 90007 213-748-0123 Rev. Troy D. Perry, Pastor Rev. John H. Hose, Assistant Pastor Rev. Richard A. Ploen, Minister of Christian Education Rev. Kenneth R. Jones, Minister of Visitation Sunday 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 7:00 PM Metropolitan Canmunity Church San DiV~o ( Chollas lew Methodist Church 906 North 47th Street San Diego, California 714-234-9909 Rev. John H. Hose, Pastor J Deacon Howard Williams, Asst. Pag,tor Sunday 7: 30 PM

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DALLAS

Rev. HowardWells, Pastor Rev. Alice Naumoff, Asst. Pastor Sunday 1: 00 PM MCCCommunityCenter 1760 Market Street San Francisco Good Shepherd Parish, Metropolitan Corrrnuni ty Church Chi 3342 ~h Broadway Chicago, Illinois 60657 312-248-1525 Rev. Arthur Green, Pastor Sunday 7: 00 PM

Christ Chapel, Metropolitan Camnunity Church 1259 Victoria Street Costa Mesa, California 92627 714-548-6868 Rev. Rodger Harrison, Sunday 7: 00 PM

MIS

S

TampaMission BOx1063, Tampa, Florida Rev. Lee J. Carlton

PO

33602

Pastor

Metropolitan Comnunity Church Miami Write P.O.Box 5077, Miami 33131 920 Alton Rd. Miami Beach, Florida 305-377-1088 Rev. P. Bradley Wilson, Pastor Rev. DonaId Hoffman, Asst. Pastor Sunday 11: 30 AM, 7: 30 PM Metropolitan Canmunity Church Phoenix 4 Oi E• Roosevelt Phoenix, Arizona 85002 602-274..,9567

Metropolitan Oorranuni ty Church W~ton, D.C. PO Box 1 Riverdale, Maryland

HarmonyMission of SF Church Metropolitan Corrnnuni ty Church 2315 1/2 L Street Sacramento, California 95816 415-442-0503 Deacon Joseph H. Gilbert, Worship Coordinator Sunday 5: 00 PM

Denver Mission of LA Church Metropolitan Camnunity Church Bethany Methodist Church 3501 West 1st Ave. Sunday 7: 30 PM Tucson Mission of Phoenix Church Metropolitan Oorranuni ty Church Broadway & Country Club Tucson, Arizona

Rev. Paul Breton, Pastor Metropolitan Corrnnuni ty Church Dallas ~ First Unitarian Church \ 5014 Normandy Dallas, Texas ; 214-824-0770 / / Rev. Richard Vincent, Pastor

Deacon Allan Mros, Missionary

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Metropolitan Oorranuni ty Chunch Honolulu, Hawaii 2500 Pali Highway Honolulu, Hawaii 808-247-2738 Rev. Ron Hanson, Pastor Sunday 7: 30 PM

Eastbay Mission of SF Church Metropolitan Corrnnuni ty Church 440 Santa Clara Oakland, California 94610 Sunday 7: 30 PM Jim Sandmire, Worship Coon:lina.tor

Milwaukee Mission of Chicago Church Metropo1i tan Corrnnuni ty Church Contact Chicago Church

Rev. Robert J. Cunningham, Pastor Sunday 1: 00 PM

.

S ION

NewOrleans Mission of SD Church Elysian Fields Parish Metropolitan Canmunity Church The Upstairs (Theater in back) 604 lberville Street NewOrleans, La, Rev. David E. Solamon, Missionary Dear Lord, help me today to r.emove every obstacle to the gospel's spread beginning with me, and let me (10 som etliin g affirmative to carry heaven's message to someone, I" Jesus' name. Amen.

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The reception was held in stairs recreation room. Punch, beer and lots of was served by friends who members of MCC.

our downChampagne good food were also

There were tables set up around the room and a special table set up for the wedding party with the wedding cake on it. The .wedding party table was for Spider, Quinn, Sal, Grif and Spider's Mother. It was sure wonderful to see a relative at a wedding in the Gay Community. FAMOUS GAY LOVERS What is meant by famous? Here in Los Angeles?Across the nation? Or around the world? If you are talking about lovers of today, I believe you would have to keep it on a local basis.And as far as being famous locally,I believe that at least 75% of our congregation knows Spider and Quinn. On April 15, 1971, Spider and Quinn celebrated their third anniversary being together and on April 16, 1971 at 7:30 P.M., They were married by Reverend Troy b. Perry at Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles. This was the first "public" wedding in our new church. That is, by "public" I mean by invatation with about 200-250 in attendance. The whole service was beautiful. It started with Reverend Perry coming down the isle. He was followed by Spide~ and Quinn, who in turn were followed by Sal and Grif. All four wore black and white shirts of the same style, but each shirt with a different pattern. They also wore white pants and black boots. Everything about the service was beautiful, from the first word spoken by Reverend Perry to Willie's rendition of the song "Follow Me". As they said their "I Do's" and t hen kissed at the end of the ceremony, the tears were falling profusely. Among the guests present, were, of course, members of MCC, Spider's Mother and many of their friends from outside of the Church. Inviting them to the wedding was one way to expose them to MCC. 5

A special toast was drunk to the couple, who in turn drank one to all of their friends. Then, after Spider and Quinn had their first dance, all joined in dancing. During the Reception, "Just Married" signs were made for both the front and back of their pickup and strings of cans were tied to the back. When they left, motorcycles led the way, followed by Spider and Quinn in their pickup and then by a whole string of cars with their horns blowing away. This procession went about half-way across town. With the beautiful wedding ceremony, the good food and the abundance of champagne, punch and beer, it was a night that will not be easily forgotten by those who participated or by the guests in attendance. by Pat Rardin

fiink onthee,

and then my state, Like to the lark at break of day arising From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate; For thy sweet love remernber'd such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings. William Shakespeare

uals have prayed but are still homosexual. As for Father Harvey and his chastity, even many Catholic priests are disputing this today.

ISGAYGOOD?

This book, subtitled "Ethics, Theology and Homosexuality", presents the view of fifteen authors. The editor gives a rather long introduction which is constantly being interrupted by footnotes, 107 in all. The extremely varied views of these authors range from the very old and trite "all homosexuals are sick? to the newer, but still trite "new morality". Both of these extremes are just that- extremes. They are not theologically speaking, good or right.

The other extreme is presented by Reverend Thomas Maurer, an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ, who states that the Bible is more or less just a history book and that it just doesn't pertain to today's morality. Homosexuals should not "ape" the heterosexual society by marrying, jointly owning property or main~aining fidelity. Homosexuals should create their own life style and perhaps even show the straight society how to live wi th the "new morality". 'Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I believe that there should be morality in all life styles and that love in itself creates morality. T~e rest of the book is well done but rather conservative. Father Henri J.M. Nouwen, another Catholic priest, states that the most importan t thing a homosexual mu st do is to learn to accept himself. If you can accept yourself, your sexuality will not bother you (whether you are homosexual or,heterosexual). Reverend H. Kimball Jones, a l'1ethodist minister, states that mor~ studies on homosexuality need to be done for a better and greater unde r-s t en cting. The church should lead the way in showing, teaching and practicing this understanding.

Professor Carl F.H. Henry, of the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary states that homosexuality is a sin. The only way to get out of this sinful state is to pray to Christ t6 make you into a heterosexual. Father The only female contributors to this John F. Harvey says that Christianbook co-authored one section in ity is love, but neurotics are not which they discuGsed Lesbian moralcapable of love. (And, of course,all ity. Almost everything they say perhomosexualS are neurotic.) The only, tains to all homosexuals and heterochance a homosexual has, according sexuals,too.They do come on a little to this Catholic Priest, is to live strong in saying that the church has a completely chaste life, to mediforced many homosexuals into alcotate at least twenty minutes a day, holism, drug usage, promis~uity, and finally prisons and menfal :"nstitutattend Mass and Communion as often ions. They are probably right in an as possible, have a carefully chosen indirect way, tho. (These two women, confessor and guide and keep fully involved in works of charity. . Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon,are also co-authoring a book on homosexual morality which will be pu~lished Every church will tell you that, allater this year.) though all prayers are answered, you may not get the answer that you think you should get. Many homosexDr. Lewis Willi~~s Ph.D. states that aont on page 32 6

COMMUNES AND HOMOSEXUAL DADDIES uite a different alternative lies in the communal family. As transience increases the loneliness and alienation in society, we can anticipate increasing experimentation with various forms of group marriage. The banding together of several adults and children into a single "family" provides a kind of insurance against isolation. Even if one or two members of the household leave, the remaining members have one another. Communes are springing up modeled after those described by psychologist B. F. Skinner in Walden Two and by novelist Robert Rimmer in The Harrad Experiment and Proposition 31. In the latter work, Rimmer seriously proposes the legalization of a "corporate family" in which from three to six adults adopt-a single name, live and raise children in common, and legally incorporate to obtain certain economic and tax advantages. According to some observers, there are already hundreds of open or covert communes dotting the American map. Not all, by an:}; means, are composed of young people or hippies. Some are organized around specific goals-like the group, quietly financed by three East Coast colleges, which has taken as its function the task of counseling college freshmen, helping to orient them to campus life. The goals may be social, religious, political, even recreational. Thus We shall also see many more "family" units consisting of a single unmarried adult and one or more children. Nor will all these adults be women. It is already possible in some places for unmarried men to adopt children. In 1965 in Oregon, for example, a thirty-eight-year-old musician named Tony Piazza became the first unmarried man in that state, and perhaps in the United States, to be granted the right to adopt a baby. Courts are more readily granting custody to divorced fathers too. In London, photographer Michael Cooper, married at twenty and divorced soon after, won the right to raise his infant son, and expressed an interest in adopting other children: Observing that he did not particularly wish to remarry, but that he liked children, Cooper mused aloud: "Ideally, I'd like a big house full of children-all different colors, shapes and sizes." Romantic? Unmanly? Perhaps. Yet attitudes like these will be widely held by men in the future. Two pressures are even now softening up the culture, preparing it for acceptance of the idea of child rearing by man. First, adoptable children are in oversupply in some places. Thus, in California, disc jockeys blare cornmercials: "We have many wonderful babies of all races and nationalities waiting to bring love and happiness to the right families ... Call the Los Angeles County Bureau of Adoption." At the same time, the mass media, in a strange nonconspiratorial fashion, appear to have decided simul~aneously that men who raise children hold special interest for the public. Extremely popular television shows in recent seasons have glamorized womanless households in which men scrub floors, cook and, most significantly, raise children. My Three Sons, The Rifleman, Bonanza and Bachelor Father are four examples.

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We may even begin to find families based on homosexual "marriages" with the partners adopting children. Whether these children would be of the same or opposite sex remains to be seen. But the rapidity with which homosexuality is winning respectability in the techno-societies distinctly points in this direction, In Holland not long ago a Catholic priest "married" two homosexuals. England has rewritten its relevant legislation; homosexual relations between consenting adults are no longer considered a crime. And in the United States a meeting of Episcopal clergymen concluded publicly that homosexuality might, under certain circumstances, be adjudged "good". The day may also come when a court decides that a couple of stable, well-educated homosexuals will make good "parents". ,

ANG.LICAN TO BLESS

CHURCH URGED HOMOSEXUAL TIES

King's Lynn, England. A former press officer to the Archbishop of Canterbury has appealed to Anglican Church officials to consider granting the church's blessing to homosexuals who wish to establish "a permanent loving relationship." Michael de-la-Noy told a congregation at St. Margaret's Church that official church teaching for centuries has made the "disastrous error" of specifying that man's sexual nature was intended entirely for procreation. "I am thinking of two homosexuals, men or women, who will be homosexual whethe! the Church likes it or not, who wish to establish a permanent, loving relationship, who happen to be Christians, and who want the Church's blessing on their relationship," de-la-Noy said. "Can there be any logical reason why the Church 'should continue to condemn him or her to a life of furtiveness, false friendships, deception and all the other unnecessary and destructive p~essures that are at present piled upon a situation fraught with enough already?" He said there was an "urgent need" for theological colleges and seminaries to consider incorporation of courses on sexual counseling. ::de-la-Noy, director of the Sexual Law Reform Society, was dismissed from his post as press officer to the Archbishop because of his views on sex.

••• Put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.-CoL. 3: 14_

FUGITIVE

LOVE

by Marc Thorsen The outstanding historical case of homophile devotion is given in the biblical recorn of Jonathan and David with its slanderous, vicious persecution-A love sealed wlth a divine covenant that modernculture repudiates with sniggering sensational gutter publicity. The soul of Jonathan. was knit with the soul of David••• and David and Jonathan made a covenant to the Lorn for he loved him as his ownsoul. Saul (his father) did not look on David with a good eye frxm that day forward •. Saul spoke to Jonathan, his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan loved David exceedingly. And Jonathan told David, saying: "Saul, my father, seeketh to kill thee; wherefore look to thyself, I beseech thee. "But David fled and escaped. David fled frxm Ramatha , and carneand said to Jonathan; "Whathave I done, what is my iniquity against thy father, that he seeketh my life?--As the Lorn· liveth and my soul liveth, there is but one step, as I may say between me and death. Deal mercifully then with thy servant for thou hast brought me thy servant into a covenant of the Lorn with thee. "-Then Saul, being angry against Jonathan, said, "Do I .not know? (Slander with "Congressional Irrnnunity?" - The "Blackmailers Charter") thou lovest David to thy own confusion and to confusion of thy shameless mother (pevvert). For as long as David liveth upon earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. ("Thtotional instability" "Psychoneurotic" - moderri,) Therefore now fetch him to me for he shall surely be put to death (a criminal - an enemyof society, - a security risk - modern). And Jonathan answering Saul, his father said: "Whyshal he die? Whathath he done?" And Saul caught up a spear to strike him. And Jonathan understood that it was determined by his father to kill David. So Jonathan rose in great angevfor he was grieved for David because his father had put him to shame (slander).

David rose out of his place, which was to ward the south, and falling on his face to the ground, adored thrice; and kissing one another, they wept together, AndJonathan said to David: "Go in peace and let all stand that we have sworn both of us in the nameof the Lorn saying:The Lorn be between me and thee forever." David arose and fled from the face of Saul and came to Achis the king of Geth-- David went from thence and fled to the cave of Odollam--andDavid departed from thence and fled to Moab. Nowit cameto pass--Jonathan slain in b,attle--David made this kind of lamentation over Jonathan-;"I £rr'ievefor thee my brother Jonathan; exceeding beautiful and amiable to me above the love of women.As the mother loveth her own son, so did I love thee. I & II Kings - Ibuay Version or I & II Samuel, R. V.

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THE

SEMINARY

by Rev.

CORNER

Richard

VIEW

Ploen.

Dean

This year we have had 28 people attend classes at Samaritan Bible Seminary. This is rem~rkable ~onsideringit is our first year of operation. The faculty has a great deal of influence on the learning processes and the overall morale of the student body. Rev. Roger Harrison, Pastor of our Costa Mesa Church, taught second quarter. Roger has a wit that makes a subject, no matter how dull, seem to come to life. Lance Dannenbrink, although working on his Ph.D., managed to travel into the big city regularly every Friday to impart some bits of wisdom. Some of which he perhaps had just gleaned from his study. But this made it all the more interesting. James Watson also came in from Claremont for the classes in Pastoral Counseling. Some of the "eager beavers" in the class could hardly wait to use some of their new knowledge in their Field Work assignments. Rev. Perry is teaching during the Spring quarte~ keeping the sessions lively and pertinent. Jon Bullock came to US quite by chance and he has been a great asset in our Practice of Preaching and Sermon Preparation. Each one of the students has a sermon ready to "tryout" should they be invited. John Hose, President of the Seminary ~as been guiding policies whili teaching in both the fall and spring quarters. As Dean, I have had the chance of getting my licks in the first quarter and then sitting back to watch. The school is off to a good start and we have God to be thanked for this. He inspired US to start Samaritan Bible Seminary and he has provided the facilities, the staff and continues to send us students. We have a long way to go but by GOd's Grace we will be what He wants us to be. "Lord,send a great revival in our time." Amen •.••• 9

\'

FROM

THE

SEMINARY

,

. '1hrovf/A \: \ :/ne '\ \

£jtldtj 1/);i7dotJ/

HELP

IN

THE

TIME

OF

NEED

Our everyday view of MCC congregations is necessarily limited to LA, Costa Mesa, and San Diego. By induction we assume that the ministerial overload we see here exists in all of our churches and missions. We find there are simply not enough hours in the day for our Pastors to answer all the demands made on them for counselling, visitations, and speaking engagements. To all of the Pators and Ministers of the MCC Fellowship from the students in the Seminary: Thank you for your splendid examples of Christian service. Since we do not have a single Joshua among us, the best we can do is offer our help with whatever would lighten your schedule. Within the obvious geographical limitations, here is a reservoir of help for you to draw on which at present is virtually unused. To the Pas tors of our more d istan t churches, 'please remember that the Seminary does not have classes from the middle of June to the middle of September. Possibly one or more of the students will be on vacation In your area. If you don't know any of the students, cont act the Dean- Rev. Richard Ploen-for names, addresses, and telephone numbers. -Lark B. Johnston,Seminarian

THE OF

ART LIVING

TOGETHER

by Robert ~alarzo Murphy When we think of the word "art" we think of a great masterpiece created by an individual which is admired by many. It's value is so high that many times the ordinary person cannot afford to buy it but only admire. Let us turn our thoughts to the art of living together as lovers (or,as in my case, as married homosexuals). Many have the idea that there is nothing to it when two individuals are living together. But as we have found out, and I am sure most sincere couples feel the same way, that there is an art of living together. It is a masterpiece that is created by two individuals who are in love and know it will take a life span to achieve the masterpiece they are making together. There is no monetary value placed on this art but a value of love which grows as the years go by. It is the art of learning how to bend for your other half, the art of needing each other and not being self-dependent and self-centered. It is trust and total confidence in each other. It is working together when problems arise and becoming involved together which brings a deeper understanding and a deeper admiration for each other. As a married couple, we have entered into a personal and religious alliance with each other. Remember, when we fall in love with this individual we fall in love with their faults and their funny ways just as they must accept the funny ways and faults we have. This is the reason that living together is the only example of a happy meeting of the immovable object and the irresistible force. Without a little incompatability the spice of love would become boring. It is so beautiful making up. I am sure, in all honesty, there will always be debates and even combat over everything that is debatable. Always bear in mind, never let a night pass when there is a disagreement that your eyes do not close in loveand peac~ You may wake up in the morning and Almighty God may have called your other half to his eternal reward. A Catholic Priest named Father Payton has as his motto: "The family that prays together, stays together". Indeed this should be our motto. Each day we should pray, in our own words, to God for guidance. We too often pray for things we want, but most of

the time we fail to make prayers of thanksgiving. We will never cease needing God, but if we start to, we better take an inventory of our lives before we slip into a rut which we may never get out of. When we start to become independent and forget about God we are fooling ourselves, as many times individuals have found out the hard way. In our lives as lovers or married homosexuals there will be less disillusion and heartaches when we learn to understand that from illusions come a deep and abiding love. Love is the passionate and abiding desire to produce together and spontaneously express our real self. You must think more of your partnership than of yourself as an individual. Love is an interweaving of interests, facing of sacrifice,and contentment achieved from mutual efforts. The more completely one can express himself to his other half the more deeply he can love. When there is sincere love,the individual knows that differences of opinion are not the same as loss of emotional unity. True love is not blind--it sees faults as well as virtues. Accept the fact that no one is perfect. Love says with an honest and sincere feeling "I know that I irk you and at times you also irk me "; But we both will learn how to work the irks out and we will do this together. We will cherish each other for what we are, not for what we want each other to be like. Love costs nothing. It is selfdiscovery and self-fulfillment through heal thy growth with and for the otherjper son, Sincere love will grow as the years go by. Experiencing love will lead to the discovery of how to love better. The strongest things in the world are love and truth. They develop like a tree, not in a steady process but an irregular on~ Love is patient till spring returns, love can never be lost. Just as spring will appear, love will always appear. It's influence is always on our lives. I am sure that even the Angel of Death does not take it away. When empty places appear in our love, they are there to leave room for each partner to turn around and feel free. A marriage will always be easier if we mirror each other. If you start off your relationship with t~emendous differences, you can resolve them over a lifetime of living together and develop a strength that nothing can take away. Each person has something to offer to the other and that need never fails.It grows as the tree of love grows. A good art of living together is made of an improbable combination. It is the strongest and most

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relaxed kind of unity there is. I say the most important thingof living together is that we both must start to catch on to the fact that our lives together are filled with many joys that neither of us deserve. We must take the time to be alone together or we will forget to appreciate what we have in this busy, bewildering, crowded, upset, exciting, and exhausting life we share together. It began with the two of us and it will, God willing, end with the two of us. This is how we entered into our personal and religious alliance to each other and this is how God planned it. Each day I thank God for all He has given us.Yes, we are homosexuals that love God and we will never cease thanking God and praising Him and doing His work according to His devine plan.

PAX VOBISCUM Robert M. Murphy DON'T

MISS

IT

To a voracious reader,no new namesare apparent in The GayGeniuses by W. H. Kagy, M.D.However,awealth of iittle knownfacts about these personalities is presented in a highly readable manner. In the introduction the authorindicates that he leans (perhaps a little too heavily) toward parental causation of homosexuality. ..Throughoutthe ensuing chapters he points out a large numberof disastercus childhoods to Slbstantiate his view. After reading the histories of sameof the artists, it seems a miracle that they were stable enough to do any writing, painting, or sculpting. There is only one word to describe this collection of thumbnail biographies: fascinating! This book is bound to shock the straight world which has been protected from the "unpleasant" facts about some of the worldr s greatest men. Dr. Kagy points out that nearly all the biographers and historians have deleted facts which might be distressing to the pUblic or to surviving relatives. In this book you can learn about choirboys and the clergy; a sheik and his cameldrivers, what Hannibal and his father had in comnon,the real story of Andersenr s Fairy Tales, whyPeter and Fredenick were great, and answer the question - "WasWilde realy wild?". 11

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i can stand alone and you cannot hear me laughing and all the time i am watching watching you i can walk alone and you cannot see me walking and i am all the time walking walking by you i can cross your way and you cannot see me smiling and all the time i am calling calling your name i can hear your laughter and you cannot know it and a LL the time yollre thinking thinking i am another's i can read your thoughts and i cannot show it and all the time you are wondering wondering too i can love and i am "too" and you cannot know it and all the time we're hoping waiting our touch by cag IV!! CHANGI!O· MY

MIND,IWQN'T

ANSWE~~ BECAuse-WELL. JUST BecAUSE!

LOVERS ~ Rev.

H ow a r dR.

Pastor of MCC-San

We 11 s

Francisco

Today I would like to talk about a subject that few of US can take an indifferent attitude toward. That is the subject of lovers! Each of us has his own op1n1on about whether it is worth having d 10ver.If we feel that it is worth the effort) heartaches) and tears) then we probably think that we know how to catch one! But there must be more to it than being sexy and ric~ Witness the short-terms of most gay relationships) especially male relationships.It seems that most lovers who vow that they shall be together forever and ever end up, at best, as glorified roommates and)at worst, bitter enemies. So what is the secret of a successful relationship between two members of our community? Obviously) there is no easy answer. It's worthwhile to investigate the characteristics of a successful love affair with Christ and then see if those characteristics are essential to a successful relationship with a potential lover. There are two ways that people approach Christ. The unsuccessful way

1S short-termed and emotion-charged as illustrated by the individual who gets a "warm") toas 't y fee ling for the first time at a worship service and trots up the altar to declare his dedication of his life to Christ. His experience with the Lord was valid) but a week later, under the pressures of everyday living) that individual becomes as spiritually empty as he was before. He did not realize that one emotional and spiritual experience is by no means adequate to insure a dynamic) mature) endless relationship with God. The only successful manner to develop an enduring, meaningful relationship with the Lord is one that is characterized by the conscious) thoughtful development of an attitude that combines emotion and intellect. An attitude like this does not come naturally, but is induced by a sense of perspective that must be constantly developed)examined)and modified to make one's
Nee WA5HIN(;TElN B.e. THE METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH IN WASHINGTON, D. C. The Dedication of the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C. took place on May 2, 1971. Nearly one year's work and experimentation culminated in a small but effective church located on Ca~ itol Hill in Washington. The results are outstanding. In October of 1969, work was begun by Paul Breton to establish the Homophile Social League of Washington. Formed on January 24, 1970, the league attempted to provide an added social life to the gay community. In April of 1970,a discussion on Religion and the Homosexual was sponsored by the Homophile Social League.This discussion drew an audience of well over fifty clergy. From this discussion grew the concept of a trial experimental service. During the next few months, these efforts met with nearly hopeless rejection. Finally, an experiment was held on September 27, 1970, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington, D. C. A Roman Catholic priest, a Methodist minister and a Unitarian minister joined hands for an interdenominational liturgy for gays. Well over 65 people were in attendance. There followed four months of services in which those participating experimented, tried and learned. Without advertising and often with lack of hope, those services led to the interim formation of the Community Church of Washington in January, 1971. Paul Breton was chosen pastor of the church by the congregation. Three events took place to confirm the role of the Community Church. First, Dr. Franklin Kameny of the Mattachine Society of Washington, ran for the office of non-voting delegate to Congress. At the invitation of his staff, Rev. Troy D. Perry came to Washington to speak to the community. The Community Church of Washington was to host this event at Stephen

13

and the Incarnation Episcopal Church.However, the local Episcopal Bishop closed the doors of the church but at too late a moment to change plans. As a result, Rev. Breton, Rev. Perry and the congregation held a Communion on the steps of St. Stephen's, followed by a "pray-in" at Washington's National Cathedral on February 14, 1971. These actions brought about wide-spread coverage by all the news services, including television. Rev. Troy Perry so impressed the people of Washington that the congregation requested the immediate ordination of the pastor and incorporation into the Universal Fellowship. Second, Rev. Breton was ordained in an interdenominational service at All Soul Unitarian Church on Sunday,March 14,1971. The ordaining ministerswere two Methodist and.a Roman Catholic Congregationalist minister of the underground church mov~ ment. Third, a home for the church was found and purchased. By April 24, 1971, the house, located at 705 - 7th Street, S.E., Washington, was occupied. The house is serving as a home for a gay Christian community of five members and as a meeting. place for the Metropolitan Community Church. The first two services in the new home each drew nearly 30 people.Apparently the church will experience growth. A Chaplain at Catholic University donated a lectionary. The Diocesan Laborers at Catholic University donated an altar and two pews. An Episcopal seminarian and a Methodist minister have donated a cross and two candlesticks. These are among the many gifts and warm feelings which local clergy and laity have given. The congregation of the Community Church of Washington voted unanimously on February 28, 1971, to join the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. The proper steps for this coming together are now being taken. As all the other churches in the denomination the Metropon±an Community Church of Washington, D.C. will make its mark' in the community.

14

, M'tn1"stsr': 1M-ends, we ape,hefle to w1"tness the OeZe'bflat.[,on of Love wh1,oh _-..._~~....,.._ and al'e to shaZ'e 1"nmar'M-age. ]jet ue 'begin 'by Z'eml,nd1,ngoUZ'.eZves thGit tovs must be a paZ't of ota' Uvea, and oon!e88 that we have not 1-oved i.no'U(Jh~ A'LZ: ,lat;~'f1,yOU:' Son has shown us now to tov« and 1"ntJitesU8 to Zov, fan. ahDt;;teflas he Zdi'J,sus. W, oon!,ss that ota' Uves hav. not 'been a fuZ!1,ZZment 01 th1,s. We have b,en pflcua1and .,Zf1".h, tmpatient with ethel" and aZZ too aoaommodat1"ng to oUflseZves. W, have not tZ'U.ted ,no'U(Jh 1,n yoU:' Zove and 1"n the Zove o! eaoh othefl. We have not been open w1,th ,aoh othefl, a~aid to tak the ohanae that 1,n ZOV1,ng we m~ n~t be·Zov,d 1"n f1etufln. Thefts ~e t1"mes when we have had the 0ppofltun1"ty to make Zove fOfl ene {lM noth'fI a fleaZ1"ty,and we have flema1"nd s1"Zent. lathefl, pafldon th. unk1"nd wOfld, the olmpat1"ent gestU:'e, and the seZf1"sh de,d. Fo~1"ve ota' !a1"Zur to beooms 1"nvoZved 1"n the need. of othefls. Gflant t'hat we may waZk a'l.way.1,n 1I0ta'pzt,.ena, () as to cw:Mve at the fuZZn s. of Z1"fe. M1"n1"s,eztl (shaZZ sail an ab.oZut1"on, then) Let u. pztay. Deaf' LOfld, th,se ~o p,opZe seek to beo~e a on.. The~ have d.ata,a to thflow tn thet1' human Zot tog.the1' and to shafl' and Zov. eaah oth,%', tn the h.tghts and 1"n th. d.pthB, l,n ,1,okn"s and l,n h,aZth, 1"n p%'osp.%t'ttll and pove%''bW, l,n enthusw,m and o'espatzt. BZ", th.s, two p.opZ, Ch%,1"st. n.a%' th. wo%,o,o! th LON as tt ts found tn the Boo'ks of Samu Z, Then Jonathan and Davl,O,mad a oov.nant, beoauB. 71, Zoveo' hl,m as h1"s own souZ And th1,sl ! am dtstf'e ,ea !Ofl th•• , mil b%'oth fI Jonathanl v,%'1IpZ asant ha t thou been tQ meJ thll Zove to m was wond,f'fuZ, pas.l,ng th, Zov, o! w"",,n, BeZov,d 1"n Ch%"'t.t. I flem1"ndyou that .t,adt •• t ZOVB ts a f'equ1,,1'mn,nt1.f you (1J'B to .~tve th, d,pths and %',aah th h,tght. o/'!ov, and doy and l',aa,. !ask you now. Is yOU%' oommitment to '/:aytogethef' arzd 'Olaf' witn"s to UOUZ' Zov, as Zong a. 1"t 'haZZ Za t? wt zz you Zov, and abid, thfIU dOli and hta't? (I1.f'st1'e%'son)? (11.f1.t P,%'.on)1 It i. and I wl,ZZ. Ent%',at m not to Z.av, th", Oft to fI'tuZ'n ~om foZZOW1,ng a.ft.%'the'J !Of' whl,th'fIthou go"t, I wtzz gOI and wh", thou Zodg"t, ! w1"ZZ Zoagel thy p opZ, .haZZ b, my p.opZe, and thy God my GodJ Wh,~, thou 4t.,t, w1"ZZ I at" and th fI' W1"n 1 b bta'tedJ ;11 Lo1'd do.o to m , and mort' aZ.o, t! ought but d,ath p~t th" ana m,. M1,n1,lt'~: (S,oond 1"f',on)? (Seoond P'%I'on) I It 1" and I wt n. 1Jlntzt,at m, not to Z'a1}' th", Of' to Z"~m ft'()ff/ foZ ••• Zowtng ~t'%I th"1 foZ' whtth,f' thou gos,t, !.wttz gOI and 1471,.%" thou ZodR"t, I wtzz Zodg'l thy p,opZ •• haZZ '0, mw ~,opZ', and thy God ~ Qodl Wh'%" thou w1,zz I di" and t'h Z" wl,ZZ !'0, b~,dJ th, Lo~ do 10 to m., and mOfl' at.o, 1,! ought but d,ath p~t th, and m •• (It%l,t P'~'on): 13 Zl"v1,ng tn , thtng, (Ssotma 1',%',on), I of!,'I'my.tlt! to you (tempt,t,ty to b, your' pous, 1,n mazsZ"f,ag,. (S,oona p,zt on): I aoo pt you aI my POUSB, and b,~tvl,ng as you do, (Ftflst P'l'.on), ! ol!'%' my"tl to you o~Z,t Zy to be YOUII 'pou •• 1,,: maflfltag,. (11.1"'1; PtlfI,on), I aoo,p; you a my .pOUB', and oaZZ up~m th, Chztt.ti.an or..mnun1.'/:W to wtt .•. n", OUl' untem. W'ttne." 1hav ",mtd aM ~'l(j.;'lg, tn,m.,tu •• to .aoh o1;h,Z'b,!oZ', aod am 'fih", oemmun'lty. W/!J 1;,,1;1,111 'l;hatth,,, al" 7'I;~M on,. M1.n1..t '1'1 By th au'l;ho~ty u, 1;,d 1,n m, by th, Etd~~J of the Untp,l' at F,ZZow,h1,p of M t'l'opoz1,tanOommun1.iy Ohurohe and as th .t,01;," 6~~an1; of Oo~.gat1,on and und,:t1 p:t10pt1,rml of th taw. ()f th 8Mt. of i :t1a'6{f1i and b t", 1;nlJ OOUClMnt t:md 1;ne bOM of mamtZg' you hav, QOn1;1'aQ1;,a. in ;k, nam of 'IikB 1'a1/;;,,1' and of th, 80n and of 1;h, noZy 51''''1'1.1;.

~,.t,

Pt,a., pZao, YOU:t1hand, 'l;og,'I;h,'I' 1.n m1.n,. L,t us P:t1~. Oh, Lo%'d, our God, who i.

15

fiercest love~ we ask you to bless these rings which and have exchanged as a sign of their love. Let them be a sign of the love honor which can uphold and enrich their lives. We ask that the love~ which has drawn them together and led them to enter this marTiage~ may grow stronger in their life together. That this Christian marriage may begin with joy and endure in peace~ we pray to the Lord. That all present may be inspired by the love of this Christian couple~ and by the faith in tihe ' future that enables them to come together in the churoh, we pray to the Lord. By the grace of the Holy Spirit~ God~ you pour into the hearts of all men the ,gift to this couple and -to the community so that;th~v may be knaa by their love, through cbriet, our Lord. Amen. Nota, let us pray to our Lord in words we are taught: Our Father. • • (then shall the kiss be exchanged) Live joyfully and gratefully in his love. Fill the world with the Spirit of Christ and in all things and in the very midst of human affairs~ become a witness of Christ. Amen.

ana

Presented at Ha~ony

Mission~ MCC Saaramento~ California

LOVE-The Only Strength That Makes Things One Without Destroying Them by Bill Thorne Chairman) Board of Deacons MCC-LA On what do you base your relationship with another person? Do you really base it on love or is your life together based on a loose arrangement that some call "love"? What is love? Love is a very simple yet complex thing that people find only fleetingly if at all. In 1 Corinthians 13 there is perhaps the simplest and most complete answer of all. "Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful;it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist of its own way;it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong) but rejoice in the right. Love bears all things) believes all things) hopes all things, endures all things.Love never ends." Do you act this way with the person that you say is your lover? So often a person says they are in love and insist that their lover cut off all ties to his life previous to their meeting and do only what they tell them to do. He can no longer belong to that organization and he must conform to the new standards set for him. This is not love between two people. One might love the other enough to do most everything for him,including

cutting off all his past life. But will this relationship ever last? Will it ever have any real meaning? Love does not mean cutting off the past. It means creating whole new futures together. It doesn't mean that everything has to be done together.lnalmost every instance when two people have a truly lasting relationship they each expect and respect a strong outside interest in some field. This interest may be at work, in social service or a hobby. But in every case they do not expect to be completely egocentric in their relationship. That would be building a relationship upon sand. There is a story about a young man who asked his prospective father-inlaw for his daughter's hand in mar.rige. The old man asked) "Do you like my daughter? The boy said) "I love your daughter, sir". The old man said, "I am sure that you love her but do you like her?" The moral is that to really love someone with a deep love that lasts a life time,you must really know and like the person rather than the outward shell that we all too often fall in love with. If you take the time to really know that other person and accept him, then this world would be overflowing with love and a new total commitment to mankind.

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by JCF The areation myihs of all religions tell of a creator Who brought the universe into being so that He might break the monotony of His solitude. Nature presumably provided so muah happiness that a higher areature -- Man was introduaed in the image of his creator. Man understands himself from" his origin to be a areature meant for aompanionship. Alone he rejoiaes at~ and with~ Nature: deliaate blossoms~ rugged mountains~ pungent odors~ froliasome animals. Yet -- like his creator -- he yearns for a more in e imat:e and personal e ommu nion , This he seeks among his own kind. Ouemohelmed by the impossibility of aloseness with total humanity he beaomes disillusioned with merely oaaasional superfiaial aontaats. Thus man wisely seeks to establish and aultivate his own island of intimaay within the oaeans of soaiety to proteat his vital balanae. In suah an oasis meaningful solitude and invigorating fellowship aan be intimately shared. So we aongregate just now as a body of friends in approving and supporting roles with and in this aat of aelebration of aommitment to eaah other as they publiaZy establish eu eb a haven for themselves. You do now willingly aommit yourselves to the person who stands by your side to establish a partnership based on love and trust? (I DO) Do you now pledge to make t~is relationship the primary foaus of your lifestyle; though you will aontinue to esteem family~ friends and aaquaintanaes you will now hold them in a seaondary position to the mutual affeation you will bestow eaah upon the other? ( I DO) A strong aord of truth runs through a Covenant penned Tennessee Williams. The poet's words seem soft and whimsiaal but there is strength here in his smoothly aovered tru th: COVENANT If you are happy~ I will give you an apple~ if you are anxiousa I will twist your arm~ and if you permit me~ I will be glad to hold you alose to my heart fqrever and do you no harm.

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This is a bargain~ only two aan make it. This is a aovenant offered with desperate

aalm~

It being unaertain that lovers aan drive out demons With the gift of an apple or the twist of an arm. With what publia

token will you show your aommitments? (Rings)

These endless airalets beaome the symbols for your union. The ring is formed from one of the rarest of earth's metals. Your days together may beaome an oaaasion of rare union ~hen you lavish upon them the skill and attention brought to the art by the ringsmith. These rings visibly herald the invisible joining upon whiah you two now enter. Take the ring, eaah of you~ and plaae it on the proper finger and repeat after me: "With these rings we join ourselves together." And noW that and have publialy dealared their intentions of aommitment toward eaah other, and have exahanged publia pledges of their private affirmations of union, it beaomes by privilege to dealare them joined together in union from this day forward. "Celebration

of Commitment"

a falling star a flighting speak aarOBS the sky and yellow moon and danaing alouds i wanted to share these with you but you were not there.

was prepared

by JMC.F.

THESE

~w~~r1(0)

a misty aurtain and dewy leaves glistening as a tired sun wipes the sleep from its eyes the fresh stir in the air and a breath of youth these i wanted to share with you but you were not there. a arumbled wall an d but te r f lie e and twisted logs, protruding roaks and a tiny gate just for one aovered with ivy and branahes i wanted to share these with you but you Were not there. the meadow's tranquility, and blades of grass and the flow of the hills and the quietude and the solitude of a lonely boy wi th shaggy hair> and dimpled aheeks these i wanted to share with you but you Were not there.

by aag

~(f{)~~~

REV.RONHAYES - JUNGLE MISSIONARY ByAlbert A. Correa Ten years ago I read an engrossing book called "The Jungle Search for Nature's Cures." Briefly, it was the story of a w0manwhotraveled into the Peruvian jungle on a grant frxm a major phannaceutical company in search of medicinal plants whose properties are the cherished secrets of a few witch doctors. Curare, for example, is nowllnPortantto, modern surgical techniques , Rciuwol:Ha'a"raw 'ingredient of tranquilizers, and quinine, all have their origin in the forests of the Amazon. The jungle and the Indians she met were vividly described, but no photos accompanied her text, so I was pleased and excited whenJim Mason, coordinator of the Northeast Parish arranged for Rev. Ron Hayes to showcolor slides at our house of his seven years in Peru. A member of about forty AmericanProtestant missionaries, Ron had the opportunity to travel deeply into the Amazonjungle under primitive conditions to VX)rkwith various Indian tribes. Ron Hayes himself could be the subject of an interesting article. Wefirst met in January 1971 - and a rapid introduction it must have been, for I no longer knew his name when he entered. Of rather less than mediumheight, with short brownhair and a clear, alert expression, RonHayes' self-assurance seems curiously inconsistent with his youthful appearance. He speaks rapidly with no visible trace of self-consciousness, has agreeable features and an intelligent self-satisfied mannerwhich is usuarryevident in people whohave a healthy mental opinion of themselves. He is an ordained protestant minister, a memberof our church and has conducted serrrons at some evening services, but he is not an ordained Metropolitan minister. I wanted to ask him

19

if he planned to join our ministry, but had no convenient opportunity to do so. Ron's slides and narrative were presented in an interesting and logical order, patterned as a sort of travelogue beginning in Limaand proceeding from there with his observations. Every section of Limahas a promenade which is closed to motor traffic in the late afternoon; large numbersof people stroll about for the next three or four hours with the objective of finding someone to have dinner with. He showedus pictures OL the cathedral where Pissaro is buried. Undergroundis a network of catacombs connecting the various cathedrals and these are filled with the poignant remains of eleven million Indians killed by the Spanish Inquisition because they would not convert to Catholicism. At it's peak fifteen thousand Indians perished daily. Slides were shownof a picturesque wood burning train brought over from Glascow in 1929. The famous Inca ruins of MachuPicchu were pictured; in 1572 the Spaniards exterminated the royal family and all their followers leaving the ruins to lie forgotten until they were rediscovered in 1911. The Incas originated corn and potatoes. One photo taken in a re.rrote village showedan Indian womanwith food in one hand, glaring at Ron's friend, Mark•. Her mouthwas parted and her teeth were bared. Markhad come close to her while she was eating; she then growled but he ignored her warning (or may have even been unaware of her presence), so she bit him! Food in these outreaches tends to be adventuresome. Onephoto of vendors at a roadside offerred patties madeof \eunUed dried milk or a whole sheep's head as the only selections. In larger towns one could obtain boa constrictor meat marinated in lemon juice,although RonHayes told us that crocodile meat is the tastiest ; white and firnl, he said it was mostly like lobster. He showed us sane pictures of his pet cat which grew up to be a 200 pound jaguar-a beautiful aninkll. Whenthe last slide had been shownI was surprised to see it was after 10:00 PM. We were all so interested that the evening raced by. Ron left Peru in December1970. It was in Peru that he read about Metropoli tan Corrmuni tj Church in TIME magazine. We all had refreshments and were able to enjoy about an hour and a half of lively conversation before bringing this fascinating evening to a conclusion.

BOOK REVIEW by Pat Rardin THE ROAD TO BITHYNIA: This book was originally published hardcover by Doubleday and CompanYt Inc •• Whereas Dr. Frank G •.Slaughter's later Biblical novels were published by World Publishing Company, gives a good insight into Dr. Slaughter himself and into the book in the author's Preface. Because of this I am going to quote it in full. as it was written in 1951. "Students of the New Testament will recognize that portions of this novel are dramatizations from The Acts of the Apostles. This is to be expected. since the chief characters of this book also played prominent parts in The Acts. and St. Luke is generally credited with authorship of both it and the Gospel which bears his name. Where appropriate. dialogue attributed to the character is taken from actual records of the speeches made by them in the Acts, as· well as from the Epistle of St. Paul. Except for a few passages from the Authorized or King James version of the Bible, easily recognizable as such, all this quoted material is taken from the Charles B. Williams translation of the New Testament, published by Moody Press. I am indebted to the Moody Press for their kind permission to quote from this translation without crediting individual passages, which would, of course, be impossible in a work of fiction. I am also indebted to Dr. Williams for the hours of genuine pleasure which his beautiful "Translation in the Language of the People"

has given me. "It would be impossible to list the many hundreds of references consulted in writing this novel. I should like, however, to acknowledge my 1ndebtedness to Mr. Graham Chambers Hunter, w~ose book, 'Luke, First Century Christian' (Harper and Brothers), helped immeasurably to crystallize my concept of Luke, as well as giving me invaluable facts about his life, and to Dr. Edgar Goodspeed. through whose fine biography of St. Paul (John C. Winston Company), I first learned of the historical existance of the leading feminine character. "My purpQse in writing 'The Road to Bithynia' is twofold: First. to study the events of the life and ministry of .Je sus , and the growth and spread of the early Christian church through the eyes of an educated Greek physician of the period who possessed an unusual warmth and breadth of character. And, second,to seek in these events and in the philosophy of the early Chriatian faith lessons which this most beautiful of all written stories has for us in the troubled world of today. Where I have succeeded in these aims, credit is due the man through whose eyes I have been privileged to look at this fascinating and inspiring period of history, Luke, the physician. Whe I have failed, the fault is my own. To those who will quarrel with ~~ over the character of Paul an '; there will be many --- I offer n apology. Although there is ample authority in theological writing for all controversy portrayed in this novel. I have tried to see and under stand Paul as first of a 1_1 a human being, with all the frailties and virtues which such a state implies, remembering that it was a humble carpenter of Nazareth who showed men the Way, before ever they knew he was the Son of God. "It is my si.ncere wish that many will see in the' e pages, as I have been privileged to see through the eyes of Luke the physician, Luke the man and Luke the Christian --- THE ROAD TO BITHYNIA." It is not easy to say more about this bookt except to perhaps explain cont on page 32 20

sex were going to receive a license in his county. This was simply because he personally does not believe in gay marriage. But we did not stop there. We then checked further and found the 'common law' requirements had been met. There was no license needed from the county clerk. On June 12 Rev. Perry married us. It was a beautiful day, but the real beauty is in the reflection of that one day on every day.

JAY

& JUDY COM M 0 N - LAW

MA R R lED

On April 25, 1971 we celebrated our third anniversary together. But more important, on June 12 we will celebrate the first anniversary of our legal common-law marriage. Last May we saw an article about two men in Minnesota who were applying for a marriage license. This prompted us to obtain blood tests and make plans to go to Minnesota.Before leaving we went in for counseling with Rev. Perry who checked out the story. He discovered that the two in Minnesota were unable to obtain a marriage license. Rev. Perry then suggested we stay right here and attempt to be married through our own state laws. As he said "It is better to stand up for your rights,right where you are,than to be chased to some far off place to try." (How often have we been guilty of this?)

So many people have asked,so we feel a need to answer, why we think it is important to be married. The real and basic reason for marriage with anyone shouldn't be for tax purposes, ~ last name for a baby, social status or business interest. The main reason is to declare before God,man and state that you are dedicating yourself to another individual and that you trust your keeping to that individual. You declare that the two of you, from that day, shall cease to be individuals only that you may be even greater as one Unit. With God's help, such a unit can grow as no individual can. The basic concept of a Christian marriage begins with Christ. Marriage is no different than any of the other growths God offers us. It contains some rough roads and ups and downs. But with Him leading we know the way is no more than we can handle. We would like to share a poem with you that was read at our wedding by our friend, William J. Margolis. It is from his "A Book of Touch". Mr. Margolis,as a Minister of the Temple of Man, has performed marriages for our community. Jay & J11dy Heckman

We then thoroughly read the laws of California while the attorneys In the church also checked the laws. We were convinced that there was no law requiring the individuals who wish to marry to be one male and one female. Rev. Perry then talked to the county clerk who verified this, but who also stated that as long as he was the clerk no parties of the same

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The true quiet praises, no matter their tumult, must be of love, from love, the celebration of love; the lights &. darks, ups and lates, hates & hopes, all subservient, releasing the celebrants from all reserve and fear. Sing love!

Be the BOng!

1& the ear that hears!

We are too many, 8&only this rapport can make us one. I want you to be me, 8&me, you. I want your want, to give your gift, to receive your receiving. I want grace. And we have it. Hallow'd be this existence, 8&graced be our sight that we may see each other as in a true mirror .... Let our touching -- hands, soft lips of words, our eyes caressing the world 8&ourselves within it, our songs of praise 8&lamentations, our real & dreamed, our touching -Let our touching be blessed, 8&bless all, with our love and making ... order. Amen.

22

June 14 - Flag Day -Submitted by Kathy Laine On June 14, 1777, Congress adopted the first Stars and Stripes as the national flag. It consisted of 13 stripes (the Congress colors) and a union composed of 13 white stars on a blue field (representing a new constellation). In its resolution adopting the Stars and Stripes, Congress did not specIfy how the stars were to be arranged. The circle was one of many arrangements. In 1794 Congress authorized an increase in the number of both stars and stripes to IS, since there were then that many states. In 1818 a law was passed returning to 13 stripes and adding a star to the union. for each new state.On July 4, 1960, the Stars and Stripes acquired its 50th star. Contrary to common belief, many historians doubt that Betsy Ross (the reputed maker of the first American flag) made a Stars and Stripes for General Washington, although she may have made others,since it is known that she ~d make flags for the state of Pennsylvania. The story of her making the first flag was originally told by her grandson, Wi Iliam Canby, in 1870. According' to him, George Washington asked Mrs. Ross to make a flag. She suggested five-pointed stars, rather than six points, and interestingly enough the stars in the Washington coat of arms have five points. The flag she was said to have made had 13 red and white stripes with 13 stars in a circle Qn a blue field. Betsy Ross was bo rn in 1752

23

and died In 1836. Her father. Samuel Griscom, helped build Independence Hall. In 1923 a set of rules on the display and use of the flag was adopted by representatives of patriotic and civic organizations. In 1942 the U. S. Congress Issued a joint resolution that was approved by the President and became the official code of:flag etiquette. There are ten separate flag etiquette rules and one of them is that the flag must be' flown on the 16 h 0 1 Iday s as 1 1st e d in the res 0 1uti 0 n . The 16 holidays are: 1) New' Year1s Day, January I; 2) Inauguration Day, January 20; 3} Lincoln1s Birthday, February 12; 4) Washingtonls Birth"! day, February 22; S) Easter Sunday, Harch or April; 6) Mother1s Day, 2nd Sund.y, in Hay; Armed Forces Day, 3rd Saturday in Hay; 8)Hemorial Day, Hay 30;9) Flag Day, June 14, 10) Independence Day, July 4; 11) Labor Day, 1st Honday In September;12)Constltution Day, September 17; 13) Columbus Day, October 12; 14) Veterans Day, November II; IS) Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November; and, 16) Christmas Day, December 2S.

n

In an c Ien t time s E gyp tien s ,Ass y ria n s , and other early peoples carried identifying standards into battle. These consisted of figures of animals, birds, fans, or sacred symbols fastened to the tops of staffs.Sometimes a streamer of cloth hung below the emblem. One style of Roman standard was a square of cloth hanging from a wooden crosspiece at the top of the staff. This was the forerunner of fabric banners. The standard of the Emperor Constantine was marked with a Christian emblem, and for hundreds of years afterwards the devices on flags were religious in nature. Some of these have survived. The British national flag carries the traditional crosses of St. George for England, St. Andrew for Scotland and St. Patrick for Irland. The P'ledge of Allegiance ~as written by Francis Bellamy of Yout~s Companion and published by that magazine rn-1892. It was also distributed In leaflet form and gradually came into wide use by schools and young pe op le's groups. Later, many adult groups coni: on page 30

AN OPEN LETTER TO ASSEMBLYI'IAN ROBERT H. BURKE 17732 Beach Blvd., Suite G.Juntington Beach, California 92647 Dear Mr. Burke:

April

26,1971

My l1arch 25th letter was a personal communication to you asking your support for the Brown Bill CA. B.437). I expected you to uphold the confidence of a Clergyman's Frivileged Communication. You published this letter with neither permission nor consent. I sincerely regret that you refuse to communicate man to man on such an important issue to us in Orange County. Democracy works best when all are willing to "reason together." Would you be willing to address the UCI Forum on Homosexuality or Cal. State Fullerton's "Gav Life and Lib ·C~.as s? Il In your article, "Should We Legislate Immorality?" you speak as Lawye r , Moral Theologian, Biblical Exegete, Scientist, Historian, and POlitician. ~et me congratulate you on such ca th 0 i .ici ty • 11y comme nts must be limited to my field of expertise,Moral and Biblical Theology. What does the Bible say about Homosexuality? The Old Te s t ame rrt makes 6 references to Sodom, only one of which mentions homosexuality, and in this case , "gang rape". There is a similar story in Judges19:16-30 involving heterosexual "gang rape." Both of these accounts, to use your words ,deal with "the degradation and obsession!! of a corrupt society. I would be as offended as much as you by the thought of legalized gang rape , You referred to Romans 1:18-32 and I Cor. 6:9-19 . Pau L is dealing with sexual depravity: people who knew God and gave Him up in their wild downward hedonistic plunge."God gave them up to a base m~nd and to improper conduct. Tl.ey were filled with all ma~ner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malLgnity, they are gossips, slanderers ••.• n The Apos tle is not talking abou 1: a gay couple .i.n Huntington Bc:ach who ~re faithful to each other, who hold good jobs, pay their taXES, attend

Church regularly, and vote. In Cor. Paul quotes from a Hellenistic vice catalogue: "fornicators, greedy, robbers, idolaters, revilers, drunkards, immoral, adulterers,effeminate and abusers of themselves with mankind" (KJV). Would you find it difficult to stand up in an open forum in Orange County and condemn the immoral, the greedy, robbers, idolaters, revilers ,drunkards, adulterers, thieves, and the effeminate? Why do you pick out only the "abusers of themselves" as the group to castigate? The Apostle Paul condemned the perverted aspects of homosexuality and heterosexuality. So do I and so do you. Any sexual perversion from wanton solicitation in toilets to discrete wife-swapping in the best sections of town is disgusting. Paul gave his definitive statement on love in I Cor. 13. He would not condemn any couple, straight or gay, who held each other in such a high concept of love. Jesus' words omit homosexuality. He dealt gently with the sins cf the flesh, but harshly with the Pharisees and pious legalists. Jesus ate with sinners, associated with foreigners and tax COllectors. He visits the lonely in Orange County. By your own statement he must be condemned for failing to give "moral leadership for ourselves and moral guidance for our youth." You say the Brown Bill would bring degradation and obsession, "a common symptom of crumbling societies." Last year, in conservative, stable O.C. were there not more divorces than marriages? You should be glad for a few gay couples who are faithful to each other and responsible members of society. You say"history has been full of examples where moral permissiveness lead to national disaster." The inquisition and witch burning prevented disaster? U. S. Constitutional History came fl~m England. It is not time for us to recognize the truth in the Wolfended Com.? Your "Report" sounds strangely like the railings of a "Redneck" against the Blacks 15 years ago: prejudice, emotion, Bible. You state th2.t passage of AB 437 would encourage immorality. Nonsense. cant an page 30 24

IDEASTO INCREASE MEMBERSHIP San Francisco has provided some good innovative ideas that all new churches should consider. When their congregation had levelled off to about a hundred, they sent members out into the bars weekly with literature on the church. They still do this. When Christ Chapel MCCdiscovered it didn't have very many womenat it's services, they went to the girls bars and passed out handbills inviting' our sisters to church and it'worked! MCCof Hawaii wants to attract some of the large number of young persons who spend their time in the Waikiki Beach area, so they are planning folk-rock services. If this is what it takes to get them in the door, then we suggest that perhaps our newer Churches should consider 'these and any other new .irmovat i,ve methods to get more people interested.

love ste-als into tlu- heart With Ieet as si lr-nt as till' lighhonw dawn That kisses smooth the rough br()I\~ "I' till' dark, And hath it~ wi ll thrt,ui-d, blissful i!1'11I""lt'~,;, :"Jot like a rocker. II hich. with pas,.,iilll;tlr' glare, Whirs suddenly up. rhr-n bursts, all" i.'ales the night Painfulh quilcrillt! on the dazl'd I'-'I'~: A love th,11 gi,c~ alld takes, that 0;1'('111l.urlts, Not with fhl\'';I't'killt! ('Vt'S like Ill't'dll' points, But loviujr-k in.il , 1'1('1' looks l lu-m d(,1I1I KIth th.: "'l'l't tJlllillt! faith that still flll';.6vI'5; ,.\ 1m c that skdl II(' ru-w and fresh t·:,.-II hour, :\,; i,; the sUII";t'I'~ ~:tlldcn II1I:;tl'[\. ()r Ihe swext cornillg of the cI(,llill~'>Ltr. Alikl" and -'I't 111",;1 unlike, (,11'ry .I,ll. Alld seem ini; ('1'('1' IlI'st and Iair.-st ""II ... True

james

25

I
NEWS

Of OUR CHURCHES MCCSANDIEGO

San Diego MCC's Tres Femmes are planing a dance on the first Friday in June. Their youth group is also having a dance on the second Satur·day of June and on the third ;:;unday of .Iune l"lCC-SDis going to see Hair. Many of the members of MCC-SDare in the service and are scattered to the four winds. Most of them would dearlv love to hear from fellow cohorts back home. Their assistant Pastor, Deacon Howard I-lilliams, is acting as the cenTl'al clearing agent for this "Gay Pen Pals" mission.

ELYSIAN FlELDS PARRISH M C C NEW ORLEANS

OF

Our mission in Louisiana :nay be small, but its name is a rnouthful.! Their pastor, Rev. David E. Solomon, is working hard trying to find Q church to rent for worship serv.i.ces , Finally, he tells '_'S " •••••• the Lord directed me to a theater ~n the back of a bar in the French Quart '. The owners of the bar discussed it, l)Jlsul ted with their attorney, and have made it availab:.c.e to EFP of MCCof l:ew Orleans on Sunday evenings at 7:30' p.~:. Free of charge!". TIle first worship service was conducted May 9, 1971, and six people attended. The fo.l Lovzi.ng Sunday., onl y four appeared, but Rev. Solomon said he has faith in the future of this nission. A sa.lesman he met to order his ('as sock got so .irrterestc J in hearing abo. Met:..~politan Community lJ urch that he

_gave Rev. SolClIX)nthe cassock and surplioe he:-had.as a sample. They fit as if tailored for h:iml He asked his landlady about a table she had which was a good size for an altar and she gave it. The bartender of the bar :in front of the theater where servioes will be held donated the candlesticks. .One of the members is making the cover for the table and the colored I'\..lIlners for the altar' he's also donating the cloth. Another young man has offerred to try to obtain a chalice for them. Rev. David Solcm::m OOpes to l?~te fellew~l? thru var~ous social aot1v1t~es. A sw~ party 1S planned, and a Shrjmp and Crawfish Boil. Services a.:re eenduetee at 7: 30 P.M. at The Theater of The Upstairs 604 Iberville Street New Orleans J Louisiana

Me

C DENVER

Rev. Ron Ll! carnes J pastor of MCC of Denver, Colorado, sent us a letter on May 17~ with the latest news, It was snowing in sane parts of the ei ty , despite the time of the Yem:'. Rev. Cal'nes reports tha-t on Sunday. May lath, thirty persons attended services, '!hey have 13 members and 4 friends but areagressively JOOving to expand membel'Iship.

To achieve this

objeotive

Rev.Ca:mu attended a :recent meetil'lg of the Denver Gay

. ~tign Fnmt ~ thirty five of their memobers were ,present, He had an opportunity to speak and hopes tha.t he has ~ sc:ne of their members, Ten persons QiIl'ne rw pas .•. toral: counselliflg durirlg one week i eight hospital calls we:re made i one weddir!g was perfonned and attended by th:i.rt:y' or forty persons ..•....Rev, Allan ~ offieiated. The Denver eo~sation pntsently meets for S~y wership at 7: 30 P.M. at I Bethany United Methodist ChJJreh 3501 West 1st Avenue (at Kirls) Denver. ColQrad@ I.')enver Mec meets en Tuesday far an evenir!s Bible Study and Diseussion ~Up, . Wednesdays they meet from 8;00 to 10;00 PM f~I1 ;reftesl'unents and· Womal I'ap sessions. Rev. ~e6 and Rev, HabereQm s~ pas... . teral duties. . Pray fQr' the 6uee~s6 of o~ two b~ thers and the ~wth Qf this new outpostw

"

M C C PHOENIX

This young ohut'Ch is going great guns fron the looks of their first two lOOl'lthly issues of THE MESSENGER, The pastor, R~v. Robert J, Cunningham, is making plans to either renew the lease on their present meeting place or buy a building fot' their chu:rcll heme, This decision, of coUl"se, depends upon oont:inued good offer.ings. Meanwhilethey are redecorating their hall by draping sane wlndews andcovet'ing over others with wall.board.. Nothing is bet •.• ter for tying a oh\lI'Ch body together that redoing a building (witness MCC-LA). ~ people are getting theirs together with God~ speed. SanethiIlg other MCCpublications may be missillg is mald.ng sure their government officials get a copy of their publications. We don't have a thirlg to hide, so let them know directly befo~ they get distorted, information. The Phoenicians send a copy of THE MESSOOERto the State Library of Arizona. Phoenix has a mission in Tuoson, that everyone Knows. But sane tl1.ink it's dead! Be assured that it is still maldng l't'Op'ess, Deacon Allan Mros (Chairman of ~'llerv ... iees) 113doing "missionary work" there and then conducting theit' S1JI'K1ay Worship Servioe. MCCMIAM

Me

C MIAMI

We got a long newsy letter iran Vivian 1<.Lewis, Editor of ADVANCE-MIAMI, the news publication of MCCd'1IAMI. Their Pastor is ~v t Brad Wilson and their. assistant PastOl:! :j.s Rev. Don Hoffman. Miami now has a good

ehei:t group going. Meml:lers of the Church got together and donated a beautiful. oz;gan. Pastor Wilson has a beautiful veaee and freqUently sirlgs while backed by the choir. A gtt)up of dedicated ~s donated a ~ ee the Ql~, so Paster Wilson WQuldhave free •.• dan fOI' visitation and other duties that N ••• quite :mawlil'lg. ot~ AQtiveCbut anonymous) . meJIlbersdonated cash fer oho:W robes and other larSe gifts to ~ver the needa of the eh~,' Vivian lewis (WM is also a di~ctor, eheir mem:bez!,ehoht ~~, and head.of the Youth GtQup) teld ua that they have both 11:SO AM aM 7; SO PMservioes, Wdnesday evenings there is \1Sually a choir dinner, Proceeds fn:m'i these dinners are being laid aside in the building"fund.t They want their awn buildirlg in less time than it took the Mother Ch~, With theitl dedieated member-s, we th:lnk: they might do it J 26

Waikiki. The project is expected to get underway in mid-June at the earr Rev. Lee J. Carlton,who has won many liest. Miami hearts,is doing trojan duty and making Rev. Ron Hanson is aggressively great strides in Tampa. His first service moving to improve things for our was conductedat the Franciscan Nun's Repeople in Hawaii. The Board of Edutreat. It had wonderful attendance by a cation wishes him to continue speakcongregationwho had been asking for their ing to school groups about Homosexuality; he has talked with a Navy own Church for many months prior to the Lord sending Pastor Lee J• Carlton. If we can .Chaplain about problems of homosexufind more ministers of this caliber,how als in the Navy; and he organized a easy our task will becane. group of eighteen Church Members and guests for a rap session with Honolulu's Deputy Chief of Police CHRIST CHAPEL Charles G. Duarte. The session M C C COSTA MESA proved to be a meaningful dialogue Our church in Orange County California, instead of a confrontation. Our fellow members in Hawaii seem to be is establishingitself as the center for Gay making important strides. We have activity based upon the fundamentalsof MCC. their reporter "Chris" to thank for The Pastor, Rev. Roger Harrison, keeps his the news above. flock active in faith as well as other areas On May 30th, Metropolitan Comof life. The Pastor is Chaplain - Counselor and muni ty Church of Hawaii will be charAssociate Professor-of the Social Ecology tered as a Member Church of the UniDepartmentat the University of California versal Fellowship of Metropolitan at Irvine. With the aid of the ACLU, he Community Churches by Fellowship Elorganized a symposiumon "Hanosexua.li ty and der Troy D. Perry. With Pastor Ron the l.a.w".Attorney Robert Green of the ACW Hanson's drive and originality weexmoderated the speakerswho included Rev Troy pect great growth from this imporD. Perry, Drs. Martin Hoffman, Barry Dank tant group. and Richard Whalen. Linda "Tess" Tessier and Attorney David Young also gave their views. M C C DALLAS Christ Chapel played host to ~ge County planners of the Christopher Street Sunday, May 23, 1971 the former West parade to be held June 27. RepresenDallas mission was cnartered as a tatives fram UCI, California State College Member Church of the Universal Felat Fullerton,Christ Chapel and FOCUS Magalowship of Metropolitan Community zine got together on the design of their Churches. Fellowship Elder Louis float "A Church for All People". Loynes conducted the Chartering serChrist Chapel meets each Sunday at 7 PM. vices on behalf of the denomination. After the first Sunday Service of each month MCC in Dallas has been involved they throw a potluck supper. Each Saturday lately in a degree of publicity when there is a different social event: second three members of their Board ~ Overone is a dance, dinner or picnic; third one seers were invited to appear on HOT is Couples Club and the fourth one is Youth LINE, KNUS-FM's Talk Show with Rod Group meetring, Roddy. The show is live with telephone call-ins and is taped and replayed on KLIF. The trio were pleasantly surprised by the reception M C C HAWAII they had from the radio audience, most of· whom were very interested Rev. Ron Hanson) Pastor of MCCand encouraging. The radio station, Hawaii) has been talking w i,th Howard however, received the brunt of the Cory) of the Waikiki Ministry) who crank mail protesting ~r. Roddy's· has shown an interest in helping MCC generous attitude, so he proceeded start a morning service in Waikiki. to contact several area ministers to This would be a folk-type of service provide a rebuttal against our to appeal to the many young people church. who live, or spend their tille in M.C C TAMPA

27

'.

Unfortunately, he was unable to get a black minister who had promised to appear, nor could he obtain a Catholic. After much difficulty, he finally was able to get a Baptist Minister and a Jewish Rabbi to be on the panel. The Baptist Minister regarded homosexual acts as sinful, but otherwise was quite cautious in what he said. The Rabbi, however, was very iiberal and apparently did not consider it sinful at all. The outcome of this two & a half hour program was that only four of the many callers were straight; all others were Gays who were listening, hoping to find an opening to put in a word for the Community. Dallas has a varied set of activities for its members: They hold a regular Church service and a folktype service as well. There are classes in Esperanto, classes in silent language (which I guess is like our sign language classes for communication with the Deaf). They have informal rap sessions, bowling parties, monthly free buffet, Communi ty Picnics, and a "Last Tuesday of the Month Party." Thei r monthly publication OUR COMMUNITY is an attractive and informative magazine. .M C C OAKLAND

On May 9, 1971, the Oakland Mission asked to be chartered as EASTBAY METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH. Jim Sandmire has been asked to serve as their Pastor and Bob Grace was asked to serve as Assistant Pastor. If the Universal Fellowship grants this Charter, MCC wi.ll have two Chartered churches of 'our Denom.i nat i on ser-vLng the important Bay Area. Eastbay MCC appears to be an active, alert and growing group. They have their own Community Center in Oakland, their own Choir group,Drinking-problem rap groups. barbecues, dances, beach parties and smaller group activities, such as hiking, photography, gourmet cooking, bowling and bridge clubs. They share space in "MCe SPEAKING UP", the San Francisco news publication, and as "MCC SPEAKING UP" contributions are not signed, it's

not always clear when news pertains specifically to East~ay, but Eastbay's Deacons sent IN UNITY a letter describing their present activities and future ObjectIves. . This small active group appears to be successfully fulfilling the needs of the East Bay area; they hope to establish their own 24 hour Crisis Intervention Center and a counseling program for alcoholics and drug abusers in the future. GOOD SHEPARD PARISH M C C CHICAGO

)

Sunday, May 9, 1971, marked the first anniversary of our first services in Chicago. Four people attended that first memorable service. Attendance is now up to just about 100 and the contributions are about $1.50 per member, but we expect 1971 to bring dynamic growth patterns to this tremendou~ly important church. Located as it is, in a major city with a +arge gay urban and suburban population~ Chicago should be giving San Francisco and Los Angeles a run for their money by this fall. M C C SACRAMENTO

The Sacramento Mission may be young and small, but their publication, HARHONY DIGEST, reveals· a great deal of vitality and civic awareness. They have rap sessions specifically inVOlving Gay women, a packed Calendar of Events, and a fund raising Drive to save the Sac-' ramento Symphony. They held a "Flotation Ball" on April 23rd aboard the DELTA KING in Yolo. The Sacramento Gay Liberation Front participated and everyone had such a _good time socializing and jumping to the music of a Rock group that no one had time to get seasick. They hope to repeat this event again some evening soon and it might be worth go,ing to Sacramento for! If they keep US advised, we'll let you know. Several hundred participated, proving that this is a vital mission with a vast potential membership. MCe San Francisco has provided a Coordinator referred to in "MCC SPEAKI\TG UP" as Deacon Ray Cooke, and in HARMONY DIGEST as Deacon Ray cook. Don't know 28

which spelling is correct, but he "and the local coordinator, Deacon Jos~ph H. Gilbert, seam to be doing a great job in this exciting Northern California Mission. Our Brothers and Sisters of Sacramento are in the final process of obtaining·a new church home which' was previously the headquarters of the U.S.O. Also' from our friends at the Harmony Digest we have learned that Mr.Berry LeSuer, formerly Editor of ARC News, is now Production Manager for the Harmony Digest. He joined the staff in May.

Love is the warmth That we two share It's the things you do To show you care. It's your loving arms Holding me tight, Assuring me that Everything's right. It's the way you are So sweet and so kind, The way you're always On my mind.

M C C SAN FRANCISCO

Our fellow members in the San Francisco Church are moving with all the intensity of a dynamo! Their new Community Center on Market Street provides a convenient place to serve so many necessary functions Apart from their regular worship service and Bible study groups, they seem to have many exciting events such as a Swimming Party at the Covered WagQn and MCC NIGHT AT GOLD STREET ten percent of the gross sales Were pledged to MCC by the various proprietors of clubs on Gold Street. For Members who don't swim or drink, Bingo is available on Satu r-d ay night. Family unit:s gather man th Ly for, II Coup Les Night. ,:' The San Francisco C~oir was first rate when I heard it a year ago; hope we can hear it again soon to see if the Hother Church has surpas se d it yet in quality. a Deaf They are looking for Translator to assist our deaf b ro-. at Sunday thers in getting the '.
It's your understanding Of all that I do, The sweet way you have Of praising me, too. Love is something wonderful That is always new; And love, Darling, is that wonderful something, I'll always be in with you! Mary Dawson Hughes

You are a part of all the things I love: I hear your happy voice when skylarks sing; I sense your touch in the fragile buds of Spring; I see your eyes when bright stars shine above. When a gentle breeze moves through the grass And bends the leafy boughs as it weaves' A silent pattern in the fields and trees I see a gracefUlness 'that only you surpass. I wonder, did I ever know the world Before our love began? This very hour I saw your beauty in a lovely flower With its sweet-scented petals still half-curled.

c~ear y(mr love and they say it shows Like Ii dewdrop glistening on a rose,

29

Nancy Baker Smith

In all the fair things that I adore

you all the mOre, Gebrge Webster Douglas

I see you! Dear, and love

OPEN LETTER·

Icont )

LOVERS

The Hooker report states: "It should be emphasized that the repeal of such laws would in no way affect existing legal sanctions against sexual behavior which violates public decency or involves the seduction of minors whether such behavior be homosexual or heterosexual" (SA). The LA "Times" reports there are 8.5 million homosexuals in the USA. Over 1,100 attended the opening of the Rev. Troy Perry's MCC Church Mar. 14, 1971. There were 165 at Orange County's MCC Church on Easten Time is running. out for putting down our last minority. Yours truly, Rodger Harrison Pastor, Christ Chapel MCC-Costa Mesa FLAG DAY (cont )

adopted It. At the Flag ·Coftference held In 1923. the original, phrase "my flag" was changed tollthe Fla9 of the United States", and the following year "of Amerlcall was added. In 1954 a Congressional resolution approved by the President added the words "un de r God." Persons In uniforms and some nonmilitary groups salute when giving the pledge.Otherwise, civilians should stand at attention, men removing their hats and everyong placing their hand over their heart. PLEDGE

OF ALLEGIANCE

TO THE

FLAG

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which It stands,one Nation under God. Indivisible, with liberty and justice for al1." (Reference: New Standard Encyclopedia - Volume 5. 1969 edition)

~ove is the image of God; and not a ZifeZess image~ nor one painted on paper~ but the Ziving essence of the Divine Nature which beams fuZZ of aZZ goodness. Martin Luther

(cont )

other individual as everything we ourselves are not. In effect, that person is a knight in shining armor. We refuse to recognize the other individual's weaknesses and hangups because we have so many romantic stars in our eyes. We tend to spend an excessive amount of time dreaming about the relationship and building it up in our minds into something that, in actuality, it is not, at least not yet. I'm sure that you have seen it before two people hit it off and a week later they move into an apartment together,vowing that they will never leave one another. Infatuation is fine as long as it serves as fertile ground for two people to grow into a commitment to one another. But infatuation,taken by itself, is a time bomb. Sooner or later infatuated "lovel's" start to discover qualities in one another that tarnish the shining armor. They begin to feel cheated because each had assumed the other was perfect. In effect, their initial emotional response to one another had blinded them to the reality that no one is perfect and no one has the right to require perfection of anyone. When this reality becomes apparent and a sincere commitment has not taken root in their relationship, the two individuals see their supposedly unshakeable affair degenerate into a roommate relationship. It may involve casual sex bu + , if they pers is t in playing the lover game by pretending to be lovers and by making forced artificial commitments to one another (commitments that neither one has the strength to really adhere to) the two people end up as. enemies because forced commitments always end up as broken commitments. Infatuation relationships, unless quickly supplemented with honesty and ·sincere altruistic concern, can only degenerate into parasitic relationships because one person will value the other for egotistic reasons. Such relationships are doomed to failure. Even parasites, feeding on one another, have enough sense to terminate such an arrangement, no matter how good each other tastes!

30

LoveT'B, (cont) The successful approach to a potential relationship can be illustrated by something two successful lovers told me a few weeks ago. They said, "Howard, since we have been living together, we've fallen in love with one another three times.And yet weve never really fallen out of love! II In effect, what these two people were saying was that they rediscovered each other on an emotional level three times. But their initial oomm i.tment to one another ~A]asnot grounded in raw emotionalism but in a more enduring attitude toward one another. This attitude was characterized by honesty and a willingness to recognize each other as imperfect but willing to give without expecting anything in return. It was this constantly maturing attitude that carried them over the rough times when their emotional response to one another was at a low ebb. It Has this attitude, manifested in a growing commitment, that gave them a sense of perspective and foresight when the vissicitudes anc adversities ef live battered their relationship. There is no"magic"to their marriage. If there is any magic, it resides in the fact that they even met each other. Everything else worthwhile about their relationship is the result of a constant, sincere effort en their part to encourage the growth of their oomrrri rmcrrt to one another. Their ability to effectively respond to that commitment resuLts from their attitude of patience, honesty, trust, humility hope, courage, and forgiveness. Such an attitude is not natural, or inherent like emotionalism. Sometimes two lovers determined to make a go of it will flnd themselves facing terrible te~ptations to give up, to flow with the tide of social opinion and to take the easy road out. It's just like maturing Christians who are constantly faced with the temptations to conform to the world, and do what is natural and easy instead of responding to the challenge of Christ to be-of a spiritual mind and forsake building our lives around wordly values. I a-n not going to suggest that a. person cannot have a suc ce ssfu L mar31 -

riage unless he is a Christian. But I would suggest to you that a Christian with a dynamic, growing commitment to the Lord will probably have a much better chance of developing a lasting relationship with a lover. That frame of mind the Christian must have for a dynamic relationship with the Lord is the same as needed for a successful, dynamic relationship with a lover. If you are honest Hith God you find it much ~dsier to be honest with a lover. If you put complete trust in the Lord to protect you and to guide your life, then you will find it easier to trust your lover' and to realize that trusting the other is to let go. It inVOlves an element of risk and a leap into the unknown, both of which take courage. If you have the capacity to exhibit humility before God,you have the capacity to overcome an attitude that sees others as existing simply to satisfy your own needs. Such an attitude treats others as if they were merely obstacles to overcome or clay for you to mold as you please. If your hope is firmly rooted in your childlike faith in Christ, then your hope for a successful relationship with a .Love r is not an empty, baseless hope but one that is an expression of the fullness of the pre~ sent, a present alive with a sense of the possible - a hope that exudes vibrant, exciting potential. If you have the courage to march Into the r-e aLm of the unknown with the Lord, then you have the courage to march through the valleys of life and face up to the temptations handin-hand with your lover. Our Chris tian faith tells us that the attitude that breeds love and gives rise to a successful relation~ ship between tHO people is a direct manifestation of the attitude that a Christian exhibits toward his Lord. Our honesty toward another person will be rewarded, out trust will be justified, our humility shall be compens at ed , our courage wi 11 not be in vain, and our hope shall be fulfilled.

BOOK REVIEW

(cont )

a little more about it. This was Dr. Slaughter's first Biblical novel and as such his beginning into Biblical research. The character of Thecla is also supported by such Biblical historians as Harnack, Sir W. M. Ramsy and Elizabeth Hazelton Haight. The marriage of "virgins" (who are married in name only) was an early Christian custom. It is also known that Luke died at the age of 74 in Bithynia. Of course, if you really understand this book you know that Luke reached his "Bithynia" many years before he actually went to that country. This is my favorite of Dr. Slaughter's Biblical novels, perhaps because I believe -every man is always looking for his "Bithynia" and this book truely shows the Way. Luke's special trip to and through Galilee is authenticated by the fact that the Gospel of St. Luke is the only Gospel that has the whole and complete story of the birth of Jesus. Luke, as a scientist of his day, needed more than just the word of Paul, Paul who had never even seen Jesus. Also, as a doctor, he had studied philosophy and found nothing new in the phi:osophica1 concept of "Do onto others as you would have done onto you". It is known that Matthew wrote down the sayings of Jesus, however, wha t happened to them after the crucification, no one really knows.That one scroll could have been around in Luke's day is quite possible. These books, being novels, do not have to show all references being used.There fore you are never quite sure what Dr. Slaughter has found to be fact (that is not in the Bible), what he is guessing at or if he is just using his imagination. (Such as the fact that Paul did convert a The1ca, a woman was bound to a bull in the arena and Paul and Luke did have some controversy over marriage, but I don't know if these were all the same woman). I don't believe it really matters as these books, novels though they be, still help you to understand the Bible and the people of the Bible.

IS GAY GOOD (CONT) most of the "morality" used today from the Old Tes +amerrt came Ln to bea.rig by interpretations about the time of Christ. The original words "know them" (Genesis 19 :5) were used in other places in the Bible wh er-e they did not mean sexual. knowledge. Rev. Troy Perry s~ates that m~ny of the so-called sins of the Old Testament are ignored tcday. Wha.t vrou Ld we do without women teachers? How many people today wear a cotton shirt with woolen pants? How many people today eat rab~it, oysters, shrimp, lobster or rare beef?The New Testa..'Tlent· (Romans 1:26-27) stresses "changing" and "leaving" heterosexuality. Since most homosexuals were never heterosexuals, there can be no changing or leaving. Norman Pittenger, Senior Resident Hember of Kings College, Cambridge, believes in the Christianity of love. Whether that love is homosexual or heterosexual, he states that all Christians should be trying for this state of love. Very few ever really reach it, but as lo~g as you are trying a~d going in that direction,that is what counts.(not your sexual orientation). This book is actually based upon each author's thoughts and views about an essay written by Dr. John von Rohr, a professor of Historical Theology at Pacific SchOOl of Religion). You can easily see why the Bible is interpreted in so many different ways when you see how each one of these authors decide exactly what Dr. John von Rohr was trying to say in his essay. The editor gives Dr. von Rohr a chance for a rebuttal at the end of the book. In this rebuttal he reaffirms many of the author's stands by stating that we definetely need legislative changes and that we need to find "Jays for discussion and education. The Church needs to lead the action by starting to be Christi~n. by Pat Rardin

32

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