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Subject: I admit to being nervous, but I wonder?

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kopy

Posts:1

08/18/2006 9:54 PM
I have had ups and downs in my search for God, turned away from Christianity because of all of the awful things I had seen being done in Christ's name. For years I've pulled myself away, told myself that I am safer away from it - better feeling left in the dark, than having to live my life on my knees. Call it guts, or growing up, I have come to realize that I should not judge a religion on one small group's wrong-doings, and that I should step back onto my little path to finding God ... with my head high, and with faith in who I am (instead of who I have been told to be). In the last year, I have searched and searched for someone who would accept me- a search that has, sadly, been fruitless. However, tonight, I was watching a video on a website my friend linked me to, when I noticed someone had put up a commercial called Jesus <3's You. Well, I don't know what did it, but I ended up watching that (instead of the one my friend asked me to - oops!) - Lo and behold, it was one of yours. It caught my eye, because... Well, people being ejected from pews is pretty eye-catching, you know. But it was the part where there are two men, who move to sit in closely together, the other wrapping his arms about his companion's shoulder. They, of course, were ejected. This is normally when I would turn away. But something told me to keep watching, so I did. At the end, it drew to a close with your website's address, and the words that God loves all (paraphrasing, here ^^; ). So, I came here and signed myself up with curiosity in one hand, and hope in the other. I am an eighteen year old, confused young woman - who happens to be very open-minded, and very... well, homosexual. That is something not normally accepted in the churches I have frequented. Seeing your ad made me wonder... Well, do you accept homosexuals in your churches? Or do you "accept" them ... and offer prayer to "rehabilitate" them? Because I want to find my place in God's big scheme of things, but I do not want to turn away from myself. Not again. Thank you for any responses- no matter it be what I wished for, or what I expected.

baronsabato
51-100 posts

Posts:78

08/19/2006 3:51 AM
Hi there! Thank you so much for being able to share your story with us- being GLBT and Christian can be incredibly difficult nowadays, as I know. When I was in high school (not too long ago), I tried my best to turn away from Jesus, to become an atheist, because I thought that there was no way I could be gay AND Christian. But, praise God, I realized that the more I tried walking away from Christ, the more he kept pulling me back, and I am now happy, Christian, AND still gay. :-) So what does that mean? Well, the United Church of Christ has been tremendously supportive, probably more supportive than any other major Christian church, for GLBT Christians. If you peruse the website a little, you'll see that the UCC was the first to ordain openly gay and lesbian ministers, the first to recommend individual congregations to adopt Open and Affirming stances, and the first to pass a resolution in support of same-sex marriage. Perhaps what has really helped us to do these things, however, is the fact that the UCC runs on a congregational model. What that means is that individual congregations are autonomous and independent of the larger denomination, ensuring a LOT of diversity within the church itself. So that means that you may find some individual congregations that are fairly conservative in their opinions, and other congregations that are very liberal. What I suggest to you is to look for a church nearby that is Open and Affirming (ONA), which means they have adopted a fully welcoming stance for GLBT Christians and will be perfectly happy to accept you WITHOUT trying to change who you are. Currently, only about 10% of UCC congregations are ONA, but there are lots of congregations out there that are not ONA and are still very welcoming- if you can't find an ONA church, try looking at individual church websites or calling the minister and seeing how they feel about gay and lesbian rights. But in my experience, the UCC commercial you saw was very accurate- GLBT Christians in all of the United Church of Christ congregations I've been to were fully welcome and accepted with NO reservations. Being in the UCC has taught me very much that God loves me, regardless of who I end up falling in love with. We're not going to try and offer up prayers to "change" you, because we know that there are just some things that aren't meant to be changed- and that includes the gender of the person you love. God loves you too, and God loves you for ALL you are, not just part of you. I hope that whatever you end up deciding, wherever you go, you will continually grow in your strength for the Lord and all that God wants for you.

"the whole irreducible point of the faith, God thrown in human waste, submerged and shining. We have grown used to beauty without horror. We have grown used to useless beauty."

WWJD

Posts:40

08/19/2006 10:59 PM
As a denomination the UCC celebrates (after all, who wants to be "tolerated") people from the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered community. That is to say that you (and your partner , if you have one) are welcome as you are. No one is interested in making you straight. You'll want to find a church that is OAA (Open and Affirming). Some congregations have not gone through the process but that does NOT mean they are not OAA in practice.

bmrathbun

Posts:54

08/23/2006 4:49 PM
Dear Kopy, Whoever you are, wherever you are on life's journey, you are welcome here. Jesus didn't say anything about homosexuality, and there is no reason for us to be negative about something Jesus wasn't negative about. Jesus seems to have disliked gossip, slander and backbiting a whole lot. I think we might have enough of a job working on those, without judging other people for the ways in which they are living faithful and loving lives. God created us to be human, to live with other humans, to respect them as God-created, to respect ourselves as God-created, to work on bringing in the Reign of God in which all people will know that they are beloved of God. You, too, are God-created, just as you are. Warts and all. Just as I am, just as baronsabato or WWJD or langa or ProudDog or TMRock or anybody else. Some of the ways in which we are faithful to God are to hone our gifts and graces, to learn to love ourselves and others as God loves us, to share our love. An abiding, respectful, and faithful love for another person is one of the gifts God gives us. Sometimes some people want us to do it their way. Well, there isn't just one way to do anything. Instead of putting a rock in your backpack every time someone doesn't like you, let them carry that burden. It's their problem, not yours. If they want it, let them haul it around. We'll never please everybody, whether we're gay or straight, French or American or Chinese or Australian or South African. What do we need to do? To do justice, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6.8). You're in my prayers as you work through nervousness and wonder to praise. Pastor Barbara, i guide for Opening the Bible

kopit3

Posts:2

08/30/2006 7:18 PM
kopy-- I am a 40ish lesbian who has been around the block a few times. I am about to enter into the process to enter the UCC ordained ministry. There is a place for you here. Do not ever doubt that. I know just where you are. Know you are not alone.

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