Be Yourself
Uniting Church in Australia
Judge Michael Kirby
queer saints
beyond issues |
Hate is not a family value
The Uniting Church in Paddington, Sydney, AUSTRALIA has come out in support of the gay and lesbian community, by placing a four square meter Safe Place banner over its church entrance. "Recent publicity has left many in our local community unsure whether they would be welcome in the Uniting Church" said the parish's Rev. Rod Pattenden. "We want to let them know that they are very welcome in this parish" According to Pattenden, at least one third of Paddington's Eastside Parish is made up of gay and lesbian members, and they comprise a group that should not be ignored. "Jesus was most concerned with the marginalised, and this is a belief which I hope to continue" said Pattenden. "I am profoundly proud to belong to a church, which discusses these issues openly." In a bid to further recognise the gay and lesbian community, Pattenden plans to enter a Uniting Church float in the 1998 Mardi Gras - a move he considers will create more discussion within the Church. Parish member Paul Somerville said the Safe Place sign placed above the church is a good way of letting the gay and lesbian community know there is a church where they can feel safe and open about their sexuality He said the move also sends a message to the Church that not all the parishes are homophobic.
"It is good to feel accepted, and your sexuality is not an issue." Somerville said.
Re-imagining Love: Embracing our Strengthwas the title of the third gathering for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, their families and friends within the life of the Uniting Church in Australia. Held over the June long weekend (5th - 8th June 1998) in Sydney it featured three major speakers and a range of workshops and forums. This conference rediscovered the sense of God's call to love and relationship that goes beyond the current debate in the church on patterns of sexual expression. The Conference explored theory and practice that can set a beacon for the church as an open and inclusive community. Speakers included Dr Carter Heyward a leading Liberation Theologian from the Episcopal Divinty School Cambridge Massachusetts USA who has made a significant contribution to gender, justice and sexuality studies. Also present was Rev Dr David Bromell of the Christchurch New Zealand Methodist Mission who as a scholar and activist has been in the centre of the recent debate within the church in that country. Rev Dr Dorothy McRae-McMahon well known activist and justice spokesperson offered an Australian context for current issues of sexuality and justice.
statement to the church from this conference
It may be hard to accept who you are. Being afraid does not help.
Put fear behind you and no one can touch you.
Start loving yourself a little more, and your life will become happier.
The moment I stopped fearing who I was, was the moment I started to value myself and my life and was the moment my life started getting a lot happier.
Tens of thousands of gay kids live isolated, invisible lives, without contact with another gay teen or with anyone, for that matter, to whom we can talk. For an increasing number of gay and lesbian teens, on-line communication is a magic carpet that lifts us beyond our stifling geographic and psychological boundaries to a land of conversation, information and potentially life-saving interaction.
Keep in mind that the signals from schools, churches and even families are often that what we are feeling is
dirty, illicit and condemned by God. Simultaneously, we watch our straight peers as they date, hang out at the drive-in, gossip
about dating and mating, all with the approving collaboration of adults and community institutions.
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