NOVEMBER 1971

VOLUME' II NUMBER 10 .

DONATION FIFTY CENTS

 IN N ITY
A PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES INC.

CO-EDITORS
PAT RARDIN
CONNIE VAmHN

TREASURER
REV. LOUIS LOYNES FOUNDER

CIRCULATION
RUSTY CARLSON

FEATURE WRITERS COVER:

C. SHAWN FARRELL
PAT RARDIN For eaah morning ~ith its Zight
~RAPHTr DESIGNER Father, ~e thank Thee
QUINN
For re8t and 8heZter of the night
STAFF
MARTY SENECA Father, ~e thank Thee
KEN WIHANA
MILTON BREEDWVE For he al t.h and food,· for l.ov e and friends
PRINTED BY For everything Thy good~ess 8€nds
MCC-LA
Father, in heaven, ~e thank ~ee.
BOARD OF ELDERS OF UNIVERSAL
FELWWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN
ca1MUNITY CHURCHES RaZph WaZdo Emerson
REVEREND TROY D. PERRY
REVEREND JOHN H. HOSE
REVEREND RICHARD A. PLOEN
REVEREND LOUIS WYNES

CHAIRMAN BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS PSALM Z33: Z

UNIVERSAL FELWWSHIP
OON HLGHES BEHOLD, ho~ good and ho~
pZeasant it is for brsthrs"
to d~sZZ togsther IN UNITY!

.'

IN UNI'TYMAIAZIIE I' I'IILlS"EO MONntLY BY ntE UIIIVERUL 'rt;U"'"II'" P!ETROl'OLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES. EIITORIAL
OFFICES I. los·AIIIELES, CALIFOR.IA. MAILINI ADDRESSS 2201 'OUTH UNION AVENUE, Los ANIELES, CA. 90007. COl'YRI'"T
1871. ALL RIIHTS RUERVED. REI'RODUCTION IN WHOLE OR PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS I'ROHIBITED. ADDRESS LETTERS 1'0
EDITOR 0' IN UNI'TY. No AIIO.YHOIIS LETTERS OR ARTICLES WI.LL BE CONSIDERED FOil PUBLICATION.

I
•.........
----~ditorial Views------ ....
This is your magazine. If you do not sermons are always needed and welcome.
find it interesting it is because you nor This month we have started a new
no one else fram your area has turned in column that is cal.Ledt'OneMan's Opinion."
any articles.' Weneed articles and only, And girls, this is not meant' to be' a
you can help. You do not have to be a pr0- column for men, in fact the first article
fessional writer (none of us are), but of is by a female. All and any of you that'
course we will certainly accept articles have ideas ,on contemporary issues about
fram professional writers and lecturers. the church, our carrnunity , your State
What is your church doing? What is our laws or even the Federal elections. Our
camnunity doing in your part of the coun- only restrictions are that these articles
try? What is your State doing about unfair must' be of a positive nature. We,get torn
laws or are they doing nothing? And of downenough by others, ' we do not need or
course articles of a religious nature and want to tear dOwneach other. - .

1\ our benefit. He has already stated that he

ONEMAN'S. • will vote for the BrownconcentiOg adults

upIDlon
WHAT
HAVE
WETOBETHANKFUL
FOR?
by Pat Rardin
bill. He also has said that there should
be a law on the books stating that there
must be a corroborating witness who is not
connected with the police in any way on
all vice arrest. He stated also that there
should not be descrimination against gays
in the way of jobs. or in the way of leg-
What do we whoare descriminated a- ally getting married. He has publically
gainst and harressed have to be thankful (and with the news media present) stated
for? Weshould be thankful that we have that he wants the gay carrnunity support •
the opportunity to change it. That is if He has thus laid his whole political fu-
we simply stop sitting around canplaining ture on the line for us.
and get out there and do a little work. What can we do for him? Vote, of
As an example, here in Los Angeles course. But equally important, check out
there is a man, a man who has spent many and talk to all future candidates for
years getting ready for a career in poli t- State Office. This one man can't do it
ics. How? Well in high school he was the alone. He needs our support, not only to
student body president, he graduated fram get himself elected, but' to get others
California State College at Los Angeles, elected whowill· support him and thus sup-
has received his master's degree in public port us. He is the beginning and we should
administration fram the University of be thankful for his brave stand, but we
Southern California, was key campaign aide must also realize that he is just the
for the late Senator Robert Kennedy, has beginning. .
been Administrative Assistant to the Calif- Yes thank God there are some pr0-
ornia AssemblyMajority Leader, and spear- gressive, liberal politicians, but also
headed the successful State Senatorial remember that God helps those who help
campaign for Senator David Roberti. themselves.
He's had the schooling and about as I have used a State Assemblyman'asan
muchtraining as he can get without act- example, but the same thing holds true
ually holding office himself and he also whether we are talking about State, City
has the brains to go with it. Oneway to or Federal elections. It is just that sane
get to,run for office is to "create" a of them will take a little mare work to
vacancy.' Senator Roberti was the~sernbl>- get them elected.
man fram his district, until he becamea Wemight also thank God that we live
Senator. in a country where we can have sanething
So nC?Wwe have a man who is qualified. to say about who our elected officials are
Next we may ask what can he do for us? He and about what laws should be on the books.
can vote favorably and ~troduc~ bills far -3
[VIEWPOINT
by C. 5hawnFarrell
More and more it is becorting apparent
that manypeople who are membersof the
hemophile carrnunity are "dropouts".
sane strange unknownreason it is no long-
er necessary to be a part of the human
race--the species of "HonoSapiens", if we
are gay. Is it ar:y wonder that manv of our
friends find life unbearable -- for surely
the statement "Noman is an island" can be
applied here.
Whenone's total identification lies
merely within the scope of homosexuality,
is this not an island -- for what is a
ghetto? A ghetto is a small island of hum-
anity existing in an isolated area amidst
the total of hurnanity • Too often WEbuild
the ghetto that we sav others force us in-
to, by our unwillin~ess to accept our-
selves as a total humanbeing, of which
our sexuality is but a part - NOT'mE
WHOLE OFOURBEING.
Too often is the cry raised, "Accept
me as I am --" Fine! A truly marvelous
idea -- unless you are saying "Accept me
BECAUSE I'm hcmosexual;" If this is the
case then what of the rest of the world?
Do we accept our neigbor because he's a
decent chap and pleasant to be around --
or reject him because he cannot dwell with
in that magic circle of "being gay"?
Perhaps the problem lies within each
of us in our relationship with ourselves.
We-- as individuals weigh all of mankind
by our a-m standards. \'!e are the yardstick
by which all are measured. Our emotions
are the very scales upon which we base the
emotions of those we cane in contact with
each day of our lives. So -- if I do not
accept myself as a total human being
with a valid reason for existing
how can I possibly accept anyone else as a
total humanbeing? If we, as hanosexuals,
rely on our sexualitv for self-identifi-
cation, then most assuredly we will judge
all men by their sexuality. Is that what
we want to do? Do we became as the rest of
society has been for generations stating
flatly that our sexuality sets us apart,
makes us unique in same way? What ridicu-
lous philosphy could lead us to believe
that only hanosexuals truly appreciate the
real beauty in life? Whatwarped sense of
reasoning would allow us to think that no
If-
-Return ..
For
C. ShawnFarrell
heterosexual could paint or write or be
sensitive to the beauty of a Mozart sonata?
Se~uality has never been the degree by
whl.chone measures art or beauty -or sen-
sitivity.
Surely the problens that have con-
f'rorrted other minori ty groups in their
fight for equality must have taught us
sanething. Whenany man, unfairly usedjbe-
gins to assert himself to. the point of
stating that he is better than other men,
he has becomeone with those who used him.
He has taken the sword of his oppressor
and used it blindly and will in time de-
feat his a-m purpose. He will becane no
better than his oppressor; an arrogant
animal without love for self or for any
other of God's creatures.
It would almost seem at this point
that I find myself :i1 the position of com-
monly knoen as the "Devil' s Advocate"
within . the RonanCatholic Church where I
had my earlies~ religious experiences.
Perhaps this is good, for I, too, find it
necessary at t:imes to have my motives
questioned - that I might better search my
own soul.
. As this season of Thanksgiving rises
before us let us be truly thankful -- NOT
for our harosexuality, but for the love of
PJmighty God, to whan our sexuality is but
a SMALL part of our total being. let us
say "Thank God, I am", and put our sexual-
ity back into its proper perspective. Let
us get off of the "soapbox of sex" and
climb aboard the "bandwJgonof Christ".
..to Life-- ·I~=:::++++++·········~··I Without those v~c~ous pains of birth "
Howcan we possibly envision Heaven as a
four-poster bed, with St. Peter as "Keeper
of the Linen?
• And the struggling years to rear.
t My famiZy grows; just read the list
+ And symphonies you'Z 1, hear!
I
Let us instead be thankful to Himwoo •
i
•

t The song began when Ted and Lee

made ALLmankind in His :image, that there
arepeople
all
in the world who believe that
are His children -- regardless of
..
! Were strumming softZy. sUJeetZy.•
• Their harpe of Love, The chords I heard
creed or color or religion or sexual pref- : And was enmeshed compZeteZy.
erence.
Christ said, "Cane unto me ALLye
ii.· Picked
With muted strings. the vioUns

f
that labor and are heavy laden and I will up the sUJeet refrain.
give you rest." There's Hal, and Lark; there 'e Troy and Ron
In that passage do you see one ~ SpeZZbound. I heard again
dealing with sexuality -- gay or straight?
ItALL!" If you believe what He
He said,
said then truly you have much to be thank- i
• That meZody of God's great Love
Then Tony joined the throng.
+ And Randy. Dean and Jerry came
ful for each and every day.
Let's pass that love -- that gift of i And I was swept alonq,
peace and joy on to every single humanbe-
The voZumne rose until, I feZt
ing in this world. Let's rejoin the human
race! ! My heart would burst. and soon
i: Ian. Jim. and Scott and Mike.
With instruments in tune

i Struck up the notes and

Sweet music'fiZZed the air.
Z around
al.

I
Forgive my pride. but have you heard
Its equal, anyUJhere?
c!llldrllplllitan QIllmmunit\! aI4urr4
• First soft and Lou then firm and strong '.'1:
. 2201 S. UNION AVE LOS ANGELES. CALIF. 90007
• In perfect harmony.
PHONE, 213·748·0123 t My fami Zy p Zays and Love is born i
f That lives i
.
eternally.
•
t June Norr1s •• •
++++++++++ .•+++.••• +••.••• ,..••••. ~.+•••••• +.+ ••
.. .
4 !to

Rev. Troy D. Perry, Pastor

Rev. John H. Hose, Asst. Pastor
Rev. Richard A. 'Ploen, Minister ~drllplllitan o.::l1mmunit\! QI4urr~
of Christian Education
Rev. Lee Spangenberg, Minister SA N F RAN CIS C 0
of Vis itation

Services: Gold Mine Drive &

DiamondHeights Blvd.

Mailing: CommunityCenter
1760 Market Street
Sunday: 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, & 7:00 PM San Francisco
Wednesday: 8:00 PM
Rev. Howard Wells, Pastor
Rev .. Alice Naurnoff, Asst. Pastor
Sunday: 1:00 P. M.

5
 BOOK REVIEW
by Pat Rardin
GOD'S WARRIOR
As Dr. Frank Slaughter states in his Because he wants to become a man of
author's notes, "'The Roadto Bithynia' the law (lawyer), he goes to the trial of
was the story of Luke and was based almost
Stephen. There he is a .li ttle puzzled be-
completely upon traditional material.
cause no one actually proves that Stephen
Everything pertaining to Paul in that
has broken the law, but he obeys Caiaphas
novel was also f:romthose same traditional and goes along to the stoning in order- to
materials. However, in writing a bio-
watch the robes of the too witnesses.
graphical novel, as this book is, every
Paul's persecution of those very
effort has been made to follow, as closely earl~ Christians was very sincerely meant.
as Biblical scholarship and research allow
To hJJIl,as a teacher and a student of the
the actual facts of the life of Paul. Imd'
law, they were enticing people aw:tyfran
using the traditional material as little
the other synagogues (including the one he
as possible." taug~t in) and gaining membersby circum-
Dr. Slaughter's book starts out when
verrtang the law. He had sane doubts . after
Paul is in his late teens. Paul has at
seeing Stephen die so proudly,' but
~his time, been educated as highly a~ the
believed so heartily that they were dis-
local .synagogue in Tarsus can and is oork-
obeying the law that he just keeps shoving
ing. in his father's tent making shop. He
those doubts out of his mind,
de:1des he wants to learn something of Those doubts'are shortly shownagain
ph11osophy and so enters the Greek Univ-
whenJesus states to him "It is hard. for
ersi ty in Tarsus. He studies there for al-
you to kick against the goad." Paul's
most a year, but finally leaves whenhe
bl~ding was ~o give him time to really
thinks that the "Greek thought" is under-
think, .to medi.tate and pray. To bring
mining his faith in God. The only place
everythmg he knew about the Christians
where he could get a higher and better ed-
out into the open part of his mind and ex-
ucation, in the Jewish tradition, is in amine it, to see which was more Impor-tarrt ;'
Jerusalem. So Paul heads for Jerusalem.
Jesus or the Law.
. In Jerusalem he pickis one of the more
After leaving Damascus, Paul gets a
liberal teachers and spends most of his very bad attack of his re-occurin,g fever
time with the more liberal Jews of the
~iaspora ".His father suddenly becomesvery
111 and his brother-in-law says it happen-
ed because of his sins (asscciating with
the liberal teachers and Jews). He returns ~.etropolitnn <!1ommunitlJ <!1lyurrly
to Tarsus and takes complete charge of his
father's tent making business. He also
because he believes he is the cause of hi~ PHOENIX
father's illness, dedicates his life to
God.
After his father recovers and per-
suades him that it is nonsense about him Mailing: P. O. Box 2357
causing his father's illness, he returns Phoenix, Arizona 85002
to Jerusalem. He becomesa "teacher" in
the synagogue of the Libertines (freed Services: 1426 East Maricopa Freeway
slaves) ~ his eloquent sennons bring him Phoenix, Arizona 85032
to. the norace c;f the chief Priest,Caiaphas.
Ca1ap~s has him put into the highest and Rev. Robert J. Cunningham. Pastor
most ampor-tarrt school, scribe school of Sunday: 1:00 PM
the Sanhedrin, and uses him as a personal
spy.
B

I
BOOK REVIEW •••• ••• •• • •• ••••
~probably malaria) and is left in Petra by
the caravan leader. There he meets Mary
Magdalaneand, fran her,learns muchof the
life of Jesus. After spending several 100-
nths there t he goes back to Damascus.
Fran Damascushe goes to Jerusalem to
speak to Peter and James. Then back to
Tarsus t where he works in the tent making
shop to support himself and his,now, wid-
owedmotner, Several years later, after
the death of his mother, he starts out as
a traveling missionary, spreading the Word
of Christ. After so manytimes of being
rejected by the Jews, he finally ends up
going only to the Gentiles. And in going
only to the Gentiles, he insists that he
must preach to them in a way they will
understand. This means that he no longer
teaches about the Law or the Prophets. He
gradually changes his Messageuntil in the
end he substitutes two simple precepts for
the Law: "first, to love God, and, second
to love our neighbor as ourselves." ORDAINED AS MINISTER - Sadie,. LabradorretrieV!ft
This "new" teaching starts a rift in belonging to the Charles Thurber famU~ of Terre 1Jn~
his friendship .with Barnabas. Barnabas and Calif., north of San Franclscc; has been ordam~d as a. ~
Paul end up by splitting up, each going ister of the faith for Hilltop Bouse Chw:ch ill S/iUl Rafa~
their ownway and teaching in their own Her name and $15 were submitted by .~ Better Busill~
Bureau of San Francisco through a D~WSp8p$l' advertis.r
way. At this time Paul blames Peter for ment and by return mail, Sadie received her own "Ce~·
trcubles within the churches he started, ficate of Ordination." Needless to say, ¥chbishop BeD ,.
but years later he finds out that Peter Gay, director of the church, ill a bit eabarrassed.
had nothing to do with it.
In Corinth the Jews have Paul arrest-
ed a.rxi brought before the RananGovernor,
Gallic. This, however-,backfires and, by
Ronanlaw, Christianity becanes just an-
other Jewish sect. This was a definite ~tirllplllitan (flnmmuniiu (fl4urr4
victory because the RonanLawdecreed that
there could not be any new leligions form-
ed or started. And so on through the years
and countries, Paul goes , Always'teaching DENVER
the Wordto the Gentiles.
Finally when the Mother Church in
Jerusalem is almost starving, Paul gathers
moneyfran all the churches he started and Mailing: Box 11303
goes to Jerusalem. To show the more ortho- Denver, Colorado 80211
dox Jews that he is still,yery mucha Jew,
he starts going through a cleansing cere-
1OOny.During this he is seized and trameq ..
on a blasphemy charge. RgnIn soldiers res- ,< .
cue him fran the 1OOb.Because he was born .., ,"
Services: 1400 LaFayette Street
a Ranan citizen, he appeals to Rane and so Denver, Colorado
after spending several years in manypris-
ons (where he writes most of his letter to
his various churches) he is finally,by the
Ranans, beheaded. He is beheaded on the
charge of treason recause he states, "I Rev. Ron Carnes, Pastor
proclaim my loyalty to Caesar and to Rare Sunday: 7:30 PM
in earthly matters, but in things concern-
ing the Spirit and God, my allegiance is
to Christ."
 A MEDITATION FOR
"unto thee 0 GOd# do we give thanks#
unto thee do ~ give Thanks# for thy Name
is neaP# thy fJOnt:btousIJOl'ds deo tar e, "
Psalm '/6:1
"Thanks be unto God fozt his unspeak-
able gift." 2 COP. 9:15
It is the time of the year when our
special seasons of holidays are near', The
first one to approach us is the 'I'h.:iflksgiv-
ing Holiday. This is a day set aside for
us to give Thanks to Almighty God for all
of His wonderful blessings. It bothers me
sanewhat to think that we have to have a
special day to remember to Thank God for
all His Blessings both Spiri tua1 aM
Earthly. It should be an act that we per-
form every day fran the first minute we
open cur eyes to the time we go to sleep.
I have taken the letters :fron the
word THANKSGIV:m; am have p..tt down in
writing the so many ways that I am thank-
ful to Almighty God for his many won:lr-
ous deeds. I w:xlld like to share this
little meditation with a11 my fellow
brothers am sisters.
T. STANDS FOR THANKS. I thank God for
giving me am my spouse what blessings He
has bestCMed upon us both in a spiritual
way am a telllponll way. I thank him for
life, for helping me fW my way to M C C
and far our foorrler, Rev. Troy D. Perry. I
thank Him that He has given me the power
to see. hear and learn to be a good Chris-
tian and share this knailedge an:! love of
God with my brothers an:1 sisters, woo have
not foorxl the path to God. I thank Him for
giving me my spouse, the grea:test person,
whan I will cherish till death.
H. STANDS FOR HOMOSDruAL.I thank God
that He has given me the grace to realize
what I am and not to be afraid of what I
B
I
am aM to stard up for my brothers am
sisters, that we-may learn to accept what
we are aM work 'toward the goal of having
society accept Us, that we may be treated
as equals.
A. STANDS FOR AI.MIGHI'Y.The One who will
never leave met One who wi11 always watch
over me aM to Whan I can go in time of
need, when all others seem to have forgot-
ten. I must thank God that He wi11 always
be with me no matter how many disown me.
N. STANDS FOR NATIONS. That our prayers
are that all Nations will gather together
as we Americans am the Irxiians did on the
first Thanksgiving in Peace aM In Unity.
K. STANDS FOR KINLNESS.That I may learn
always to say kind words about my fellow
men or not say anything at a11. In this I
must petition the Almighty to help me ard
that I am poor in at times.
S. STANDS FOR SALVATION.That I may strive
in my daily life, to start each day with
Praise and Thanksgiving and to achieve the
goal that Almighty God has placed me 00
this earth for, the goal of Heaven.
G. STANDS FOR GIVING.That I may not cnl.y
give in earthly matters but assist in giv-
ing spiritual assistance to my brothers
aM sisters in need.
I. STANDS FOR IN. In Unity with our
fellCM brethren. Psalm 133:1 "Behold hofI1
good and how pleasant it is fo.r bztethztlln
to dJAJe
ZZ togethezt in unity."
V. STANDS FaR VOWS.I thank God for per-
mitting me to take my Holy Uni~n VCMSto
my spouse and that each day I remember to
Thank Him for my spouse and never lose
confidence inHim and to always keep my
vows sacred and holy.
I. STANDS FOR IMPORTANCE.That we may
always realize that our brethren arec,more
important than material possessions and
 that throughout life's joys and sorrows
the Love of OUI'brethren counts above all
other worldly considerations. In every-
thing we must give thanks.
N. STANDS FOP-NEED. I must. never stop
needing God, the Church, nor my spouse.For
as a plant needs water to grow so too my
life, which is like a plant, needs God,
the Church and my spouse to grow till the
Almighty calls me to my eternal reward ~ At
that tbne my need then will have reached
its final growth.

G. STANDS FORGRATITUDE.Weshould show A CHILD'S PRAYER

our gratitude to God, to our founder , Rev.
Troy D. Perry, to OUI'individual pastors, Oh God I hope you make of .me,
deacons, and church officers that spend
their time and their lives in spreading The many things I'd like to be,
.the word of God within OUI'conmmi.ty , of
the Universal Fellowship of M. C. C. is And may you place within me good,
apprecderted and that . wherev~ we may be
of assistance to them, that we too in The things I only wish you could,
Gratitude to Almighty God should be will-
ing to give of oUI'selves What is asked, to Keep me strong from day to day.
help spread the word of God.
Makeme see th~gs in thy way,
My brothers and sisters this is my
meditation to share with you. I pray that Bless my hane and friends so dear,
on this day that each one of us will
remember to share OUI'blessings with OUI' Bring peace and love to each one here,
brothers and sisters. That each one of us
will bear In mind that each day of OUI' And take care of my mamnyand dad,
lives should be a day of Thanksgiving, not
that we have to have one day a year and be They're the best a feller ever had,
reminded to give thanks to Almighty God.
Grant me peace and love to bestow,
Peace and Love
Bob Murphy Help me in thy strength to grow,

For you Ja10w my every need,

My every thought and every deed,

~drllpolitan (fiommunitt! aIlyurrly Grant me hope and love and peace,

And bring about the war to cease,

MISSION
I thank you Lord for hearing me,
Fresno Mis s ion of
And listening to my every plea,
Los Angeles Church
You knowwhat is best I'm sure,
1362 "N" Street For you can help the world endure,

Fresno, California So won't you listen once again?

Deacon Ray Cook, Interim Pastor And give me peace and love, Amen.

·s

I
What is Love ... ? ====
"For God 80 'Loved the worZd that He
gave His onZy begotten Son. that whosoever
bel.ieveth' in Him ehal-l. not perish. but
have everlasting life."

As a child mymother often said to me,

"Bob, hCMmuchdo you love me?" I would
reply with the innocence of a child t I'Mern,
I love you more than the whole world," or
I would say, "I could fill bushels ard
bushels of my love for you." Yes, these
were simple answers of a child but sincere
and at the time, this is what love meant
to me. Yes mybrothers and sisters, Love
is such a small worU, yet the meaning is
so beautiful. So many songs have been
written about this word, so manyplays and As a gay person, our love must be
movies have been based on Love, but for strong. Wemust show patience towards the
each of us we must search and firrl the one we love. Wemust let him or her share
true meaning that fits us. in all we do and by doing this the love
12t us put aside the sexual meaning that is there will grow and grow. Like a
of love and go into the deeper meaning of plant it needs water and plant food to
the word. To me love tCMardSan individual grow. So too our love needs food, the food
is giving of oneself to this individual. that can only ccme fran Our Divine Lord,
Dedicating oneself in making this indi vid- In closing I say to you my brothers
ual happy for the rest of our lives to- and sisters of M. C. C., 1!s Love may be
gether. Love is that when this person is just a four letter word, . but if we follow
sick arrl we are at their side to help th~ in the footsteps of Our Lord and have and
lDve is happiness in the hone, even when practice Love as He did, we will never
problems creep up. Wemust always bear in fail. Yes, as Our Divine Lord said, He
mind that Love and Prayer go hand in hand. will be with us till the end of time. No,
Love plays an important role in accepting Our Lord will never let us down, we are
each other' s faults. Whenall is well arrl the ones who let Him00wn.
going smoothly, the love we have for each To all of you who are in love my
other canes easy. But when little upsets prayers and hopes are with you. Also, be
enter our lives, then the real test of sincere and honest with your lover and
true love enters the picture. As indi vid- your love will grow and grow and it will
uals, we must remember that each of us last for all the .years to cane. The one
have his good points and bad points. When with the right attitude will not go, but
two of us are joined together, either in will grow and grCMas the years pass on.
marriage, which is the highest esteem of
love, or we are just living together as Love and Prayers
lovers, we must realize and accept the
faults that each of us have, be they Robert M~ Murphy
little or large. Wemust help each other
to correct then and we must never' let our
lives together fall apart because of them.
If we always have God in the center
of our home and our lives, together we
will never fail. Nomatter what happens,
the Lord will be with us.
bodies daily,
As we feed our
we should each Sunday feed
G\Y~ U$
our souls together. The partaking of Can- YOUR NEWS
munion not only strengthens our souls but
seems to make our inner feelings so much
more happy and helps us thn:>ugh the
problems that arise during the week.
10
Report from Miami
Pastor PauZ Brad WiZson
M.C.C. Miami
Dear Bill,
Your recent letter sounded to
me that you may be a little down in
the dumps. Did you think that when
you become a Christian that every
day was going to be spent on the
mountain tops?,We1', to use a phrase
from my hill William background, it
just taint so~ All of us have prob-
lems, all of us falter and fail;
yes, we even have doubts. But that
is not the end of the world. The New
Testament p r o c l aims - the Love of God
that under-qirds us and if we trust
in that love He will brina us out of
the va11evs back to the mountain to~
Bill, just hold fast, trust God and
let him lead you.
Till next time, may the Lord
Bless you real good.
Your Pastor,
Brad

STONE AGE TRIBESMAN - An uncf(Jthed

F·utu re
Next to the gospel 01 love the gospel 01 hope is per- primitive .tribesman watches a missionary
;haps the most blessed story in lile. It makes us opt i- plane pr.eparlJi~ to take off at Wame1ia-1D
mists lor tomorrow, and we look lor bright skies, good the West-'Irfan' territory of New Guh:tea; rbe
.health, congenial work, true [riend» and a happy
'[uuu«. =-Anon., · h
,g
advent Of '8ir&-sl(:.lo the tegion IiI' PUlIIibag,

Br
t?the Stone Age people Into modern' times In a
giant leap. The Indonesian _government. is try.
, ing, s~e think with harmful effects, to' get
the tribesmen to 'wear clothes and learn the
Indonesian language.
~etrnpnIitan Cfillmmunitt! aIqurdy
"GIVE AND IT SHALL BE
MIAMI GIVEN UNTO YOU"
The story is told of a beggar who sat in front of
the temple each day, begging for alms,
One day his king rode by. He alighted from his
Mailing: P. O. Box 5077 horse and went to the beggar, But instead of giv-
Miami, Florida 33101 ing him a gift, he asked for one for himself.
The beggar was disappointed, but he gave his
king a kernel of grain.
When he looked into his bowl, after the king
rode off, he discovered that where the small
Services: 7050 N. W. 4th Ave. kernel of grain had been, there was now a gold
Miami, Florida coin.
Then he cried, "Oh, if only I had given my king
all that I had!"
Rev. Brad Wilson, Pastor
Sunday: 11:30 AM & 7: 30 PM

11
Good News 'Today-- Although the morning services at the
Waikiki Ministry have been cancelled, the
church is in charge of the coffeehouse
MCC- HAWAII every Morrlayevening, .and manyof our pe0-
ple in the Waikiki area make a point of
Much has happened since we became a dropping in. Others whocane are usually
chartered church, back on May30. In early open-mindedand interested. Rev. Hanson is
June, we took part in the second annual available for counselling at the coffee-
Crater Celebration, a sort of cross bet- house on those evenings.
ween a fair and a rock festival, held each Every second Surrlay we have a potluck
year in DiamondHead Crater. We jqined dinner, which has proved quite popular,
various ccmmmity groups (as well as many and also take in membersand friends if
individuals with things to sell or mess- anyone wished to join at that time. Rap
ages to give) in having a booth. Ours was sessions are held every third Wednesday.
built out of bambooand tie-dyed sheets, The Iast; one featured a talk by a Catholic
and was very colorful. Wedistributed a psychiatrist, Sister Maria, who discussed
flier and free water, which was very pop- the problem of loneliness and.relation-
ular as the day \oIOI'e on. There was 00 ships between people (Both love relation-
hostile reaction whatsoever, perhaps due ships and friendships). She is a person of
to the youth and liberal-mindedness of the great understanding am canpassion, and
crc:M:l. the talk was most rewarding. This month a
In July, we had several innovative doctor will talk about·, venereal disease
services, including. one featuring songs by am transsexuals. An enchilada dinner was
a local .notable, and another based on held as a fundraising project in August;
poetry by MalcolmBoyd and music by Simon as sanetimes happens, it: produced more
and Garfunkel. These were v.ery successful. "fun" than "funds," though not entirely
Wealso started a JIDI"l1ing service at the unsuccessful in the latter goal. M ab0r-
Waikiki Minstry' s coffeehouse, but this tive pledge campaign went over with a dull
fOlll'rlereddue to lack of a guitarist. 00r thud; we will try again in January, when
youth progrem, however, has been' quite hopefully the economic situation in Hawaii
successful. Several teenagers take part in will have improved. (Weare :really f~ling_
it. They have taken over our coffee bour- the dock strdke , ) Our f~ia1 situation
after church, making it profitable for the is not too bad, however; every time we
first time since the church was founded, seem about to go broke, sanethinghappens,
and have had a hike, a weiner roast, and and so far we have never gone into the red.
other activities. At present the teens are The Unitarians, whose church we rent, have
working on a project to raise moneyto pay been most generous in allowing us to do
for an electric typewriter for the church, yard work, when there is sane to be done,
and get a rebate on the rent.
Rev. Hansonwrote an article recently
that appeared in Honolulu, a local maga-
zine widely distributed in the carrnunity.
He also appeared on a local television
~.etr(lp(llitan (flllmmunitu Cllqurdy show, and on the radio. Wehave had' many
responses to this, in terms of letters,
HONOLULU people caning to church, etc. Rev. Hanson
will also be speaking at high schools this
fall as he did last year. Wehave work-
ed closely with the local Suicide and cri-
Services: 2500 Pali Highway
sis Center •. arid rope to work with other
Honolulu, Hawaii
cannunity groups in the' future.
This has been a long letter, am I
Mailing: 2449 Ala Wai Blvd., # 5
haven't even mentioned the worrlerful visit
Honolulu, Havaii
fran JimSandrnire of East Bay early in
September, the Halloween party 'we're
,p.lanrring., or manyother things that have
Rev. Ron Hanson, Pa s to r happened.' Godhas been good to us ,am we
Sunday: 7:30 PM hope to continue doing His work in Hawaii.
Love to all,
Christine Jones, Treasurer
12

november 22, 1963
rain
steadily echos
despair
and now i wonder
how we intend
to protect them all
(they're arriving in droves!)
when we can't
protect
even our own
those damned muffled
God! we could begin
the sure process
of world annihilation
if just one more oswald ...
just one more ...
STUDYING CHRISTIANITY AND THE FELLOWSHIP
.• The study of any .'subject is to learn
.aboirt it. .By'-Leer-n.ing about it, we under-
stand it. By understanding it, our own
foundation is,' "strengthened. And the
stronger our ownfoundation, the more ab-
ility we have to help others. Andthis
posi ti ve quality can be an asset to anyone,
but it is most important to a minister,
whoshould have as his main objective to
help others.
This Fe~lowship can help others and
will help others the most by changing the
negative value system that has been a part
of this and other societies for so long.
Its negative because the hetrosexual . re-
jection of the homosexual has warped,
ruined and destroyed many homosexual
lives for hundreds of years. The waste of
productivity, of people has been irranence
and is a crying shame. There are so many
voices crying frxm allover the world,
"Dear God, help!" I knowbecause I d.id sAnd
so did a lot of my friends in their ~n
way. The Fellowship, with its divinely en-
lightened understanding of the homosexuals
relationship to God, can do a lot to
create a more positive value system in
society. A system in which the hanosexual
can FEELhe is an accepted canponent. This
drums will makehim more valuable to his country
and his country to the warLd, and his
world to God.
BobDe Santis

regardless of what they said

(before)
QIhrist Q1~aprl
i loved him

happy birthday little john-john ~ndr(1po1ihllt ClIommltltitlJ <lIqurrq

happy birthday caroline .
happy birthday
COSTA MESA
and you
jfk
are a special kind of martyr Mailing: 2232 Pacific Avenue
for whom i pray Costa Mesa, California 92626
there will be
no purgatory

--Kim Stabinski Services: 1,259 Victoria Street

Costa Mesa, California 92627

----------.~--------
"You shall not pass this way again, .. so do any good you can do .. .'
Rev. Rodger
Sunday:
Ha r r i s on , Pastor
7:00 PM
Don't put it off 'till tomorrow-or the Chance may be lost for you!"

13
To the one I love...
Oh mydear, love starts in li.ttle
ways. I feel that our love was first con-
ceived whenwe first shared ourthoughts
in church one day whenwe were in need. I
feel it did not begin with a word, but
with the understanding of howwe felt. Yes
the first time we met was in a bar, but
the Sundaywe went together for the first
time to M. C. C., a different type of love
was seeded. No, it was not the love of the
flesh, but a love to make you happy for
life.
Yes, my dear love canes slowly and it
grows just like the conception of a child
or the planting of a tree. It grows slowly Bob & Tam Murphy
with pain and patience, but yet it mat-
ures and bloans in time. Yes, the pain and
trials and tribulations that develop be Pray f'on Peace
cane pains of joy for you to feel; yoo o chime for prayer, 6RAFt:ITI
pray and hope that the other individual Ring through the air
will feel the sameas time goes on. And calm the rush of people ..
Whenthere is love you need not feel A whispered word
Is Heaven-heard,
alone, for you kn<:Min time of lonesane- Uplifted like a steeple ...
ness you have the one you love to stand by o let them know
your side. He is there . to listen to you A prayer can sow
and to stick by you no matter what prob- The seed of peaceful living.
lems mayarise. It is a love that is there And in this hour
till death, both in the good times and in Man's 'greatest power
Goes forth in Christly giving.
the bad times. o chime for prayer
Yes, Tan, love is a happy feeling Ring everywhere,
that stays inside of you. It is a love In every town and nation,
that is sincere, not frxm the outside all That LOVE may start
the time, but deep downin myheart. It is In every heart
not the love of the flesh, but a sincere WORLD PEACE FOR
love of the one and only for life. Yes, ALL CREATION!
-CONSTANCE WALKER
this is the love I wish to share with you
frxm nowuntil death. To give all I have
to makeyou happy and achieve the goals
you desire. Yes, I knowthat in the future
there will be hard times in achieving what
you want in life, but remember I will be ~dropoHtan aIommunitu ClIqurdy
by your side to help you achieve this goal.
Youare the one I love for life, and I
hope and pray that sane day we will beun- WASHI NGTON D.C.
ited together, that it will last till the
dear Lord above calls one of us to our
eternal happiness. Yes to have true love
and true happiness we must first have a 705 7th Street, S. E.
true love for God. As He enters our daily
lives our love will be blessed and grow in Washington D. C. 20003
time and in holiness. Wemust remember -
Without God we are nothing. vJith Cod we
are everything. With him at our side our Rev. Paul Breton, Pastor
trials will be small for He will never let Sunday: 2:00 PM
us down.
BobMurphy
14
 I-----~·A Candid
Look--I
Whereis your main focus directed? I out a qualm to the bone yard, soul and all.
asked myself that same question and I ask
you to think on it and answer yourself
honestly. It would seem that,as I observe,
one half of the world is trying to brain-
. wash the other half intobelieving that
sex is the JOOstimportant, the prime mover
in everY'Tife, and if it isn t t , well you
.. are really square.
Lookat the movies, plays, advertis-
ing, books, newspapers and conversations
going on around you anywhere and you will
see what I mean. Try to buy a toothbrush
without hearing an ad drunrned into your
brain about which toothbrush will surely
give you the sexiest set of choppers this
whole earth ever clapped an eye on.
Strange, isn't it, when the world
seems overwhelmedby such tremendous prob-
lems that we are not certain whether we
will be able to breathe in ten years with-
out gas masks, that we are encouraged to
be sexy at all costs, more than any other
thing. Did you ever \oX>nder why it was nec-
essary to be so sexy? Well friends, I did.
I figured it was a good topic of thought,
seeing as no amount of toothpaste is going
to makeme any more kissable than I was in
the first place t though I might smell
better. In any case, I was considering
what it meant to us as gay cannunity, this
focus on sex. What it has done is side-
track purposes and values that count for
more to be sure.
The gay communityitself has stressed
the sex angle, as do many new organizat-
ions that have cropped up. They have not
earned a lot of respect over it by the
looks of things. The men sneer at the w0-
men libers, who look down their noses at
plenty themselves. The men start a liber'-
ation front of their. ownand I becane cur-
ious as to whether either one knowswhat
they want to be liberated frxm, Then there
is Gay Lib which is feared by the krrow
Straight Front because they worry about
what these people want liberty to 00. They
feel an uneasy threat because of a false
:iJnage of sexuality presented to them on
every hand by non-participants in gay life
whoknONinglyexpound the evils of gayness
to all without a shred of insight into the
real value of a humanbeing or group of
humanbeings who they easily dismiss with-
I
Yourarely hear discussed the accanp-
lishments, the art, the beauty, the help
and work which .has been given to this
world behind the scenes by these self-same
rejects. Why? Could it be that the focus
too long has been on the wrong subject?
Howmanyvery valuable and 'worthwhile pe0-
ple have been overlooked and made to take
the hindmost position by the pressures of
fear and have been led to believe they are
less than humanbecause of their sexual
preference? Whether that person is overt
or not, the threat is there. It blackmails
us into being less than we can be. It
causes us to focus and defend what needs
no defence, that we are here and kicking.
Soon this old globe will feel the
earthquake of a gay awakening. I would
like to think its purpose is more than
sexual. I believe that a Christ centered
gay life in the city of Denver can change
the focus to worthwhile things like love,
peace, canpassion , understanding and our
real worth as human beings, not just a
laughable handful of dizzy queens and
dykes who like to be exhibited to a "sup-
erior" straight world. Wetoo are a part
of this warLd and not the minority in n~-
bers that sane suppose, although our JIIl.l1-
ori ty lies in the organization and power
of a million voices raised as one, for we
have not arrived there yet, but it's grON-
ing. I would like to see the gay people
rise with the strength and all the accx:m-
plishments on hand that Camnuni ty implies.
Our strength lies in prayer, hard
work and organization in dedication to a
better image that is superior in qua1i~,
far reaching in accanplishment, and.an lJIl-
age with a worthy purpo~e which surpass:s
sexuality as a focal poarrt, To better thJ.S
world, to give it strength, to work.for
peace with all our hearts -- these thll1gs
are truly worth focusing upon for all man-
kind. It's the Jesus thing to do.
by Jane Vasbinder
Reprinted fran The CATALY~
 R:eportfrom Denver
Friends;

Greetings fram the Queen City of the

Plains!
It hardly seems possible, but by the
time this reaches you Todd and I will have
been in Denver six months. Yes, just six
months ago - after we were positive the
Lord was leading us - we arrived in Denver
as the first "missionaries" sent out by
J"'."
the Fellcwship. ::~r.; /
Howwell we remember the many send-
offs we received fram our many friends.
Howwell we rememberthe anxiety which en-
lBehold, I stand at the door and kno$.·
conpassed us both.· PI~ vivid· is ,?ur re-
General Conference of NCC. Also, by bene-
collectioI) of the tremendous fee~mg of fi:tirig frem·· the ministry of .Pastor' Bob
responsibility which-~·hgd. Aresponsib- Grace (OaKland, Oa:U.fOrIrlaMCC),and Pas-
ili ty toward GOd, to ..oursel ve~,· to the tOr Paul Breton (W~~6n, D.C. MCC) .We
Fellooship, to .the local gtOup of believ- have enjoyed the fellowShip of Jack Baker
ers and to Our cc:mmmi ty as a whole. Our and Warren Blumenfeld of the Natiopal Stu-
anxde'ty has been lessened but our feelings dent Assccdatiion"5 Gay Desk. Welook f~
of responsibility have increa~ed; fqr we ward witheag~ss to the Rev. Alice Nau-
knCM that we have only·. nOw begun to mcff 'arid our Spiritual Renewal Conference,
scratch the surface of the facadewhich November12, 1~, and 14~ 1971. ' . '
surrounds SO many in our cam\Ul1i ty • . . Wehave experienced. the joy of having
But, as He premised, our ·lDrdwas - pastor-s of insti tutiQi1alchurches contact
and continues to be - faithful to us. We us and ask "Whatcan we do to help. MCC?"
have seen our "baby", MCC-Denver,advance Wefondly recall fellOWship with Lutheran,
frxm just a handful of faithful beJ,ievers Methodist, Episcopalian, Baptist ,Unitarian
in a mission group, to a fully chartered and Universalist ministers. And, we great-
congregation within the Fellowship with ly appreciate the help which they have
fifty vary active membersand an average given us.
Sunday attendance of eighty. Oh, so much to remember. The college
With the Lord's help, we have seen campus appearances. The religious seminars
our church newspaper THECATflLYST,grow in which we have participated. The news-
frem a handful of copies printed monthly, paper interviews. The wonderful privilege
to a ful1-blCMn sixteen page publication of being a representative of the King of
which now covers the RockyMountain area Kings.
twice monthly. And, it is canpletel y self- Weremember, yes -- but we also look
supporting • forward. Weknowthe Lord has so muchmore
Most important 1y , however, we have in store for us in Denver. Our own build-
seen the Spirit of the Living God move ing is within easy grasp. Our personal
within and into the lives of many, many
services activity is expanding - but our
people within our carmunity • God is truly primary responsibility remains the same:
no respecter of persons - and how fortun- to proclaim the unsearchable riches of the
ate for us. He has spoken, and many have gospel of Christ.
heard His voice. Manyof the same people Pastor Darst, Todd and I have recarm-
who laughed at us and our mission just six itted ourselves to . the mission and the
short months ago, have nowgiven witness ~ndous privilege which is ours within
to a personal encounter with the humble . .tne 'Kingdonof God and Metropolitan Canm-
Carpenter f'rxm Nazareth. unity Church, Weshall overcone l
Wehave seen our local· congregation
became more fully integreated into the ~ In Christian Love,
versal Fel1CMship and therefore involved
more broadly in our total mission, by (Rev~) Ron Carnes
being active participants in the Second Pastor
16

I
 20m
. the· J'~~
Y1lnit-----
,-
Introduction by Rev. Pel'l'Y:I want to
introduce as a speaker far our worship
services a young man toho not long ago lJaS
mentioned in NelJ8lJeekmagazine for some-
thing that had happened to him. Bill
Johnson is a young man taho has studied
< for the ministry of the United Church of
Christ. BilL attended Pacific School of
Religion and lJas the first homosexual to
ever graduate from a school of theology as
an admi:titied. hanoeesua l, During his time in
school he came to a realization that he
lJasgay and that he was a Christian; that
it didn't change anything at all about his
Christianity. He lJent to the school and
let them know that he lJaSgay and that he
lJas proud , that he taaen+t: afraid anymore'-
NOlJ he is asking for ordination from the
United Church of Christ. We are waiting to
see iahat:win happen. Without any further
ado I want to introduce our speakerl Bill
Johnson. Let's give him a great big M.C.C.
lJelcome.
I want to thank Troy for the invitat-
ion to speak this morning. So muchhas
been happening in my life that its been
quite ·a long time since I've stood in the
pulpit and had the opportunity to speak to
a congregation of Christian people.
I'd like to ask you to stand with me
as I read sane ~rds of scripture. The
words of Jesus as recorded by the Gospel
writer John: "Godloved the ~rld so much
that He gave his only Son that everyone
whohas faith in Himmaynot die, but have
~drUplllitan (fiommunitu QI4urr4
MISSION
Fresno Mission of
Los Angeles Church
1362 "N" Street
Fresno, California
Deacon Ray Cook, Interim Pastor
by: William R. Johnson, B.A., MOt Viv.
•
eternal life. It was not to judge the
wor-Ldthat God sent His Son into the ~rld,
but that through Him the world might be
saved. The manwhoputs his faith in Him
does not cane under judgement, but the un-
believer has already been judged in that
he has not given his allegiance to God's
only Son. Here lies the test. The light
has cane into the world, but men prefer
darkness to light because their deeds were
evil. Badmenall hate the light and avoid
it for fear their practices shall be shown
up. The honest man canes to the light so
that it may be clearly seen that God is in
all that he does."
Oneof the real regrets that I have
in my life is that I have never read the
book "Throughthe Looking Glass" by lewis
CaI"ru11.I've been wanting to read it ever
since several years ago I cameacross a
quotation from that book which has meant a
great deal to me. The quotation is part of
the conversation between Alice and the
Queen. I want to share it with· you this
morning. "I can't believe that, "said Alice.
"Youcan't," said the Queen in a pitying
tone. "Try again, draw a long breath and
shut your eyes." Alice laughed. "It's no
use trying," she said, "one can't believe
impossible things. "I dare S?y you
haven't had much practice, " said the
Queen. "vJhenI was your age, I always did
it for half an hour a day. Whysanetimes
I've believed in as manyas six impossible
things before breadfast."
WhenI was in high school an9 COllege
I used to dream of a day when·~'1 ~ . could
openly be who I am in every dimension of
mypersonhood, including my sexual self. I
must confess to you that in those days I
felt it would be an impossible thing for
me to take the risks involved affinming
myself and seeking to live a life of hon-
esty and openness. But here I am today to
tell you that impossible things do happen.
Wecan believe impossible things. And let
me tell you briefly howthe impossible
happened to me.
I decIded to studv for the Christian
rninistry when I was Ii years old. At that
realtively young age I had scmehowcane to
understand that the true meaning. of life
is related to the giving of oneself to
other humanbeings and I thought that for
17
Life is measured by inches,
By steps taken one at a time,
Not by the height of the peak we seek,
But each little rise we climb.

The span of our life is measured

Minute by minute - not years;
We live in a very small world of our own
In a vast universe of spheres.

Yes, life is measured by inches,

But inches can add up to far;
A light- year is only inches away -
We can inch our way up to a star! STRANGE DOINGS in staid St. Peter's Square, but no surprise to Pope Paul VI
Helen Lowrie Marshall
who observed the performance of Samoan dancers from the window of his Vattea.
apartment, upper right. The visiting trou})e, in traditional costume, also attellcltll
mass and was persODaUf received by the POlltitf •.

the Pu~it----"~con-tin-ued--
me the ordained Christian mirii.stry vx:>uld ownego, you will never experience the
be a canfortable way of serving. I had a presence of the Holy Spirit. Youmight
~ot of growing up to do. Throughthe exper- think that it is there, but sensing ~d
aences of mycollege and seminary years, I experiencing are two different things. To
learned that there is no such thing as a experience the living, dynamicactivity of
canfortable ministry. Those whoare corn- the Holy Spirit in your life, you must be
fortable in the service of men are in all in a relationship with another humanbeing.
probabili ty not serving GOOvery well. I
grew to realize that the quality of a per- You must be in a relationship of mutual
t •• •• .
son S rnlnlStry lS dlrectly related to the honesty, trust and caring. Does it seem to
quality of humanrelationships shared bv you like an impossible thing to develop,
the minister and those persons he seeks to such relationships? Does it seem like ~
change. If we are going to be ministers impossible thing to be able to exper-Ience
~ we are all called to the ministry by in your very ownlife the ultimate, eter-:'"
Vlrtue of our discipleship to Christ our nal reality of God's Spritual presence?
Lord, And it is absolutely necessary that Remember Alice.
we be real as Christ himself was ~ to During the past few years I have ¢are
those he sought to minister unto. t<:>understand that there is no meaning:{n
. I becameabsolutely. and unequivocalIv Li.fe apart fran risk. Andany lumen being
convinced that the Spiri tud.l reali tv of whohas. attempted to relate ori more than a
Godrevealed to us in and through the- per- superficial level to another humanbeing
sonhood of Jesus of Nazareth. I knowthat knows that risk taken is a part of lifa.
there is a spiritual reali tv in life that It is hard to take the risks involved ~
is. hcl.y , ~ ha,:e exper-Ienced this Holy being honest with one another. It is hard
SPlrlt vx:>rkmgan my life. The Holy Spirit to assert our right to be whowe are in
does its most effective work whenever two relationship· with one another. YouknCM
or more persons are relcting to one most people find it impossible to take
another with honesty, trust and genuine significant riSKS because they are still
caring. That ~s simply to say that if you struggling with the necessity of being who
want to experlence the presence of the they are in relationship to their own
Holy Spirit in your life you must get in- selves. Andthis is the first step as only
volved with other people. In the security whenwe understand our ownselves and are
of your roam or within the cell of vour able to relate significantly to another
~B -
 e· e· e Fromthe Pulpit--
human being. The struggle to embrace our
selves is the most difficult struggle of
life and it is difficult for all persons.
It is not an easy thing for any of us to
stand naked before the mir-ror-of our own
selves and embrace the person that we are,
complete with our short earnings and abil-
ities, our hopes and our fears. It is not
an easy thing and it mi~ht even seen to
you an impossible thing.
I struggled for many years with the
fact of my own identity. There was no "J think it's about time these g1lys got
small amount of pain and many times I ran a three-day pass, Sergeant!"
avJayfrxm the encounter I was having with
myself. I was told more than once that I
could not be gay and be a minister. I
spent much time and money on psychotherapy, ~.etropoIitan aIommunit~ aIlyurrly
attempting to change, kn(.Ming all the
while that I did not really want to change.
Frxm the age of seventeen, I pursued my MISSION
course to the Christian ministry through
college and two years of seminary and then New Orleans, Mission of San Diego
during the summer of 1970, a little over a
year ago, I leaned forward and embraced Mailing: P. O. Box 50081
the image in the mirror of my own self. I
was able to do that because of two real- New Orleans, La. 70150
ities of my life. I had came to realize
that I had allewed many people, through
the years, to fully knew me as I am, in Services: 604 Ibervi11e Street
every dimension of my personhood. And
everyone of those people ··hadrernained in New Orleans, La. 70130
relationship with me. It became apparent
that my inability to accept their accept- Rev. David E. Solomon, Missionary
ance of me grew out of the fact that I was
still unable to accept my own self. The
fact of the matter was that I had to em- ~.etropolitan (!lommunit~ aIqurrly
brace myself before I was able to embrace
th~ and accept the embrace they offered
tc i":le. MISSION
The second reality of my life was
this: I had confidence that even while I
was having difficulty loving myse.lf, God's Milwaukee Mission of
love for me was constant. It remained for Chicago Church
me only to let go of my self concern and
my very presumptuous self sufficiency and Prince of Peach Parish
say yes to the pilgramage of faith. Let
me tell you, you can believe with all your Services: 2024 West Highland Ave.
heart the words that Jesus said, "God
z
loves this world so much that He gave His
only Son, that everyone who has faith in Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233
Him may not die, but have eternal life."
Many people spend their entire lives Mailing: 1114North 21st Street
oorrying about life after d!ath and never
really experience life after birth. But Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233
I'm going to tell you that I've been alive
now for almost a year. Last November 11th,
Rev. Paul W. Sydman, Pastor
a meeting of the student bodies and facul-
19

r
 Dr. Lamb
Suicide thougl1ts not unique
By LIl..-rence Lamb-, M.D.
Dewr Dr. ,Lamb ~. 'Please help me. iI don't understand
what's. wro~. I ~ed ~~kiIII
mysel1fItnday wiith.an ov~dose of
piRs, ,bUt I.~ldn'.t. I don't understand wty I was put o,n
earth.~vetyone was:wt:' her tor· some reason, but I don t
b8.ve one. I'm Ifl, .still shy. I disHke .people: ~d, at the
presen¢,'I'm:very ashamed ~mysel!f fo~ galru.~g back ~
po,unds ~One month. I eat until I getphysrcally Sick. I don t
knoW' why,but it's drivililg me crazy. '1hate myseJlfbecause of
it
lbaite ,to' liate m:yseU,but When I lost 4!ha.t20 pounds ~was
never iSO'proud.of;myselfi.n my entire lilfe.Th~ was pnde to
live on. Now1llhere's no !Pride ud I want to dies so badly.
11he' ,main ~son thai/: I can't go It:h~ with my sw.,cide
~tt~ts';rs ~ I dOn't want to ~.anyone (especially
my mmily) . I've triej to e~in my problems to. my mother
buot she }ust laiughs and says ~t [ dQri'tfuwe any problems.
I hate,~. and I don't want to live,. but I'm scared. to
die. lPt~belp me. I'm so miserable. ~ .you for bemg
th~, Jt~a .person 'someone .to talk to.
near'R'aader - I hope you 8II'efeeling betltet now.·:rhe best
_g I qlaild 1IhInkof to help you was to. have ~ New. York
SulCdde 'Prevention center Wormed of your problem and
... From th'e Pulpit
ties of the nine theological seminaries in
Ber~y was called to discuss the issue of
HanosexualitV in .the church. It had been
only five months since I had been able to
say yes to my own self and recarmi t myself
to letting God direct the course of my
life. And as I sat listening to the debate
that evening, it became increasingly clear
to me that the time had come for me to
take the risk of making myself totally
vulnerable to human rejection. I stood
there among four hundred people and made
a statement of faith and affinnation. I educational experience clergy ,and lay
had cane to the light and I had done what
seemed to me an impossible thing. Since
last November an unsuccessful attempt was
made to expel me fran the seminary. My
request for orddnat ion in the United
Church of Christ remains pending in the
Northern California Conference of the
United Church. I have found an overwelm-
ing support for my ordination request
among the people of my local church, the
Corrrnuni
ty United Church of San Carlos,
California. I have also experienced oppos-
ition. I endured a 4 to 3 negative vote by
the Northern California Conference Church
and mirri.s'trycarunittee , which has the
function of recommending or failing to
20
bope ~,COUld anrange for someone near your bometOget
in IImJdh ~th:yoo.
Many y~Wlg people do have emotionalPfOb~HealtJJ
authorities 'atcolileges and universities willl~~ qut..I~~.j
a difficult ~rl1e,estabti$ing life values and' gOals.You'~
not unique in having dtmculty.
Almost everyone has bad temporary tbouglits·ofsulCfde~. It
it Is anything more than a ~mporary' .th()light .Iuch a ~~~n
should talk over the problem.,~ hiS 4Oetor. ,~~ .~
wUL be necessary to see a phySchiatrist- .to,::4Iscuss ~ I
problems, to resolve the inner conflicts that !lave led t6 so
muCh unllappiness. , .
For people who are fortunate. en()Ugh ,to .1iVe,.tn,aIocaIlW
where a suicide prevention center isactsive,' he~ ~ ·ue
gotten JD periods ·of severe stress by calling_ center. If ~
haVe one, it .wln be listed in your te~ 'dfnctory. ~
centers have saved ~ lot of livesand',·hdped,·iDjtny' P!oPle
tliroughsome rough spots. ,
OVereating to the ~ your describe is often part oNhe
picture of emotional.di$t~.
No one shouldlgnoreanotherpersoti's "cry for,heJp'J<".e.t
be talks a})Qut,his death wish,or suICide. It is tlm.·tcWlatM
and totty to get help.
recorranendcandidates for- ordination. With
the support of my local church we have
appealed the request,. in spite of this
negative vote of expedience. My request is
currently under the jurisdiction of the
GOlden Gate Association of Northern Calif-
orni~,which has the final author-i'ty to
ordain. The Association includes' San
Mateo, San Francisco and Marin .. ,Cou.itties
•
Last June a task force was established
within the Association to develop an ed-
ucational program concerning orddnat.ion
and hanosexuali ty • The program has been
developed and is currently being imple-
mented. It is our hope that through this
people of our ahurches in the Golden Gat~
Association will grow to the point of
being able to win me .an affirmative vote,
that my request for oroination be granted.
The final vote on the matter should cane
FUNNY BUSINESS By R*r Botl.
. ,"
 • •. From the Pu/pif--
in late winter or early spring of next
year. If the vote is negative, I assure
you I will appeal and res~t my request.
In the meantime I shall continue to
participate in the developement of same
new ministries in Southern california.
Last March I accepted a call by the South-
ern california Conference of the United
Church of Christ and I have been in that
position since July. The call came to me
from a commission of this Conference which
is made up of lay and ordained church
people. I really want to say lay and
ordained'Christians who call me with-the
full knowledge that I am gay and it is to
their credit that they considered the fact
of my sexual orientation an asset rather
than a liability. Perhaps they have
grasped the meaning of the words that
were written by Thomas Murphy, words
which mean a lot to me. "Into this World,
this demented inn, in which there is abso-
lutely no roam for Him at all, Christ
comes uninvited. But because He cannot be
at hane in it, because He is out of place
in itand yet He must be in it, His place
is with those for whan there is no roam.
His place is with those who do not belong,
who are rejected by power because they are
regarded as weak. Those who are discred-
ited, who are denied the status of person,
who are tortured, banbed and exterminated.
With those for whom there is no room,
Christ is present in this world. He is
mysteriously present in all those for whan
there seems to be nothing, but the world
at its worst. It is in these that he hides
himself, for whan there is no roon;"
Do not think me courageous, L'm
simply doing what I must do and it is by
the grace of God alone that I have the
strength from day to day to walk on this
pathway of faith. We do not find faith
until we know what it is to take a risk.
Faith is moving toward God and man without
fully .understanding either. To spend a
lifetime trying to intelectually under-
stand God and man is foolishness. We must
:: pull off our masks, stop our game playing,
drop . our defences and pretenses and be-
cane vunerable. \oJe all need one another,
for the joining of life is meant to be
shared.
There is much darkness an sane of
our lives, but constant in that darkness ",
is the light to which God calls us. The
light of the truth .aboutwho we are"'m re-
lationship with God and our fellow man.The
light of God is like a candle that puts
warmth and light in the darkness of the
roan. The dark roans of our lives need to
be illuminated" and we can give light and
warmth to one anotner-,even ,as we give of
the eternal light which God gives to us. I
know that to live in the light is at once
a terrible and joyful thing,for it evolves
taking the risk of being who we really are.
I've taken a risk that I knew I had to
take. I do not know the outcome of this
venture of faith, but I do know that today
I live with the"joy that is unconquerable.
.A. joy that cannot be ccrnpared with any-
thing I have ever known in my life. And I
am confident that in faith, impossible
things can be believed and through it all
I have learned one important lesson. I
have learned that in life the imoortant
thing is not what happens to a man,in life
the important thing is what; a man does
with what happens to him.
•
Poling In de·fense
By Rev. David Poling
Some people in. ijjhjs country have always considered the
an
Christian Qhuroh 10 be, American franchise, operated mmt
somewhere in the midwest, willh particular interest to
Protestant rieeds.TIlis narrow view has not prevailed among
the world Christian bodies and the' ecumenical age bas
continued to unfold withchallertge and belt-ement.
The bi~est onganization 00 'W\hichmost lW()IIidChristian'
bodies belong Is, naturallly, the World Co\mcll Of Churohes
with .headquatWrS m Geneva, Switzerl1lil.d.
SpeCial attentlonhas been given lately todle 1'hiTd World
and the aspirations of underdeveloped peoples in dteir
struggle for .di'gnity aDd jUstke. Racism is the enemy and the
World Counoil. fias poured several hundreds of thousands of
dollars into assistance 00 suffering minorities.
The World Ceuncllhas given special priority to the 'Victims
of racial conflict in Mozamlbique and to some ,19 otlher
Af.rican groups ~eekiIligjustice and assertion of human Ilights.
Sha1f' criticism has been leveled at the Council !by an
article in the "Reader's Digest"whi~ asks in he8dline
phrases, "Must Our Churches Finance Revolution?"
. At first .gian~ 1Ihe iDigest rpiece seems damning and
absolute. The, individua[ who depends on Uror his total
awareness of ecumenical affairs is ~ing to feel either angt'ly
or terrified,
The main point is tlbis: The. Wodd Council, (which is
partWli supported by a grant ~,·Queen Juliana of' the
Netiler:lands, not known as.a fiery 5Ouhister) gave funds for
relief,medicalcare and housing of victirrts ofStrifedn Mrica.
Some of this .went to :revolutionaries who !have escaped from
the oppression dong ago governing theaMairsof South Africa
and Portuguese Africa. Other beneficiaries are .the
revOlutionilries' wives and children and O11phans of such
internal conflicts. The :Council is being raked for its concern
for men and womeristl'Uglgling for justice and. humanity.
21
 An Ordination Paper.....--~----·,-----
Written to fulfi1.Z requirements for
ordination in the United ChUI'chof Christ
by wiZliam Reagan Johnson. B. A., M. ot»,
Before his death in July, 1968, my
Father was a safety engineer at the Cam-
eron Iron Works in Houston. My Mother is a
hone-maker and professional seamstress. We
were a family of five. I have two brothers:
Cluck -, three years my senior, and Wayne,
my fraternal twin. Wewere all membersof
the First Evangelical Church of Houston,a
conservative, status-quo conscious congre-
gation that was related to the United
Church of Christ. I grew up in the church
and believed, with certain naivete, the
fundamentals of the Christian faith I was
taught in church school and confirmation.
When I was a senior in high school., I "Scmetimes it is hardest to love those who
served as President of our- local Youth
Fellowship, Vice-President of the Youth
Cabinet of the South Central Conference of
the United Church of Christ, and President
. of the Christian Youth Council of Houston,
the Youth Division of the Association of
Churches of Greater Houston. It was my in-
volvement with the inter-denaninational,
inter-racial Christian Youth Council that
caused me to begin the growth frxm naivete
td urxierstarrling concerning the Gospel and
Mission of the church in contemporary life.
My open association withB1ack youth in
Houston was frowned upon in my hane church.
My advocacy of civil rights for minorities
and of integrc;,.tion in church and school
was not warmly received. During the stmner
before my senior year of high school, I
attended the National Youth Forum of the
United Church of Christ in Atlanta. The
theme of the FoI'Um, ''The Rights of Man",
caused us to explore the basic human
rights denied to Black Americans because
of racial discrimination. My experience in
Atlanta, which is summaI"ized in a 1963
issue of YOlTI'H magazine, gave me an under-
standing of the challenge that faces the
contemporary church as well as a theolog-
ical basis for my commitmentto the civil
rights struggle. The words of I John be-
came real to me: "If a man says 'I Loue
Godand hates his brother. he is a l.ia»,"
In Atlanta, at the age of 17, I realized
for the first time that an overwhelm:i.ng
inconsistency often exists between the
Gospel of the Christ and the attitudes and
22
acti vi ties of the church which has been
charged with the responsibility of proc-
laiming and personifying that Gospel.
When I returned to H:>uston fran
Atlanta, my relatives and. friends knew
that I had experienced sanething at the
National Youth FoI'Umthat had changed my
life. Disdain at my involvement with Black
youth through the Christian Youth Council
was but an expression of a deeper anger
that my relatives at First Evangelical
Church expressed to me ••• anger that I
would so openly challenge their belief in
segregation and discrimination against
Black persons. I n:memberedthe words of
Rev. AndrewYoung, a uee minister whowas,
at that time, an aide to Martin Luther
King, Jr., who had told us in Atlanta:
are closest to you".
I was convinced that my position and
involvement were consistent with the
Gospel of the Christ and the ongoing mis-
sion of the church. I used JlDneyI earned
by delivering newspapers to support the
work of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference, the National Association for
the Advancementof Colored People, and the
Houston Council, I realized that I found
joy and purpose in sharing in the mission
.of the church. At the age of 17, I deter-
mined to study for the Christian ministry
in the hope that in sane small way I might
~.etropoIitZln ([llmmuttitt! ClIqurcq
TAMPA
Mailing: 3417 San Luis St.
Tampa, Florida 33609
Services: 2904 Concordia
Tampa, Florida
Rev. Lee J. Carlton, Pastor
Ordination paper ...
be used to enable the church t or- at least
scme small part of it, to be more true to
@
its Gospel and to its mission.
I determined to go to Elmhurst Col-
lege, a UCCrelated school in Elmhurst,
Illinois. I went on bo~ed money and
small grants for three years and on full
scholarship my senior year. Myfamily did
not contribute financially to my college
education because my Father was slowly
dying of a terminal mental illness that
had, drained the family t s financial re- when I became a memberof the Fellowship
sources. Mylife at Elmhurst College re- of Reconciliation. My skills in leadership
sul ted in a profound carmitment to inter-
were developed at Elmhurst College through,
personal relationships founded upon hon-
my involvement in student goverrment and
esty, trust and responsibility. Mycanmit- the service fraternity of which I was a
ment to the ongoing struggle for justice member. In my Junior year of college, I
and peace was significantly deepened. was elected to membershipin Onicron Delta
Through personal struggles and my involv:- Kappa, National Leadership Honorary.
ment in the struggles of others, I grew III During the sunmer of 1967, I found
maturity and faith. I becameconvinced of myself once again in discord with the mem-
the Presence of the Holy Spirit in the bers of First Evangelical Church of
realities of contemporary life. I sought Houston. 'The 1967 General Synod of the
to understand the demarrl of the Gospel United Church of Christ had adopted a pro-
upon contemporary issues, especially is- nourcererrt affirming the individual right
sues related to .human dignity t freedan of selective conscientious objection. On
from oppression amdpeace. MV mind busied the basis of my study of the VietnamWar
itself with theological questions while and the Principles of the Christian faith,
the relationships I shared caused me to I supported the pronouncementof the Gen-
search for answers that had meaning and eral Synod. At a congregational meeting
relevance to my day to day experience of called to discuss the issue, one college
life. I became increasingly convinced of student and one seminarian,both membersof
the validity and viability of a Christian the congregation, stood with me while over
life-style in contemporary society. .My 350 members of the congregation stood in
gnMing coomitment to life, to humandJ.g- opposition to the pronouncement. In Sept-
ni ty t to non-violence t and to peace t found ember-1967 the congregation voted to with-
one avenue of expression in ~ht 1967 draw fram the United Church of Christ and
officially did so in September, 1.968. I
was torn between my devotion to my family
and my cannitment to the Gospel. After
muchthought and prayer, I did what I had
4ftdr op 01 itan <lIommunitp to do. I transfered my local church mem-
bership to the First Congregational Church
of Houston. My personal act of conscience,
OAKLAND the transferral of my church membership,
is resented to this day by membersof my
440 Santa Clara Avenue family. "Sanetimes it is hardest to love
Oakland, California 94610 those who are closest to you", 'Thew::>rds
of AndyYoung rang true. Yet, I found
strength and peace in feeling in the
Rev. James E. Sa nd m i r e , Pastor depths of my being that I had rot violated
the integrity of the Gospel which has been
entrusted to me as a Christian.
Sunday: 7:30 PM In April,197l'· having decided to re-
quest ordination in the Northern Califor-
nia Conference of the United Church, I
transferred my local church membership to
. 2:3
 Ordination paper ...
#1dropolihul QIommuttitt! QIqurdy
the Corrrnunity United Church of Christ in
SACRAMENTO
San Carlos, California, a congregation
which I have cane to know, love and re-
spect. Having served for one year as Youth
Harmony Congregation Minister and, later, for five months as
Interim Associate Minister of the Oammun-
902 "J" Street i ty Church, I have developed a strong and
lasting relationship with the people of
Sacramento, California 95814 San Carlos. They are the people who kn<::M
me most fully, personally, as' well as
professionally. .
Rev. Joseph H. Gilbert, Pastor
By the fact that I have, in free will,
responded to the Gospel of the Christ, it
Sunday: 5:00 PM can be said that I have been called to the
ministry. Every person whodares to call
himself Christian is called to continue
the ministry begun by the Christ. Through
my experiences in high school and college,
I carre to realize that Christian womenand
men everywhere are bound together bY the
commonprivilege and responsibility to
minister to humanneed.
furing the past three years, lxMever,
while I have been a student at Pacific
MISSION School of Religion, I have becane incres-
ingly convinced that Godhas called me to
San Jose Mission of the ordained ministry of the church. I
have explored the depth of my canmitment
San Franciso Church to the ministry. I have given mySelf to
full pastoral responsibilities in four
5852 Meridan Avenue parishes, served as a chaplain intern in a
general hospital, and spent a summeras an
industrial chaplain in an electronics cor-
poration in Chicago. I have provided
leadership in public celebration, preached
San Jose, California 95118 and taught the Gospel and worked with many
groups and individuals whowere seeking to
deepen their commitment to the mission of
the church. I have received specialized
training in. group dynamics and process,
anti-racism and conflict management. I
have offered pastoral care and COUI'¥:!iling
MISSION
wherever it was needed or sought, have
served the Sacrament of Holy C'AJm1union on
several occasions, and celebrated the Rite
of Confirmation. I believe the ccmnitment
Tuscon Mission of
with which I accepted and perfor.medthese
Phoenix Church responsibilities reflects my conviction
that I have been called of GOO.
Contact M. C. C. Phoenix The call of God is intangible reali ~
It is felt and knownin my life as a swel-
Tuscon, Arizona ling tide that floods every dimension of
my life with a ccmpel.Lingdesire to serve
humanneed, to reach out to those who are
Deacon A. Mros, Missionary alienated and proclaim, in word and deed,
the GoodNews of what Godhas done and is
doing out of His love for humanbeings. I
24
'Ordi'nation paper ... A CODE FOR LIVING
Think big.
Talk small.
am no longer the high school senior who Love much.
several years ago decided to study for the LaugheasiIy.
Christian ministry. I have cane to the Work happily.
Play fair.
terrifying, joyous realization that I am Give cheerfully.
canpelled by the pa.7er of the Holy Spirit Receive gratefully.
at ~rk in my life to witness to the liv- Thank God.
And be kind.
ing Gospel of the Christ. During the sum-
mer of 1970 I was tonnented in mind and - Douglas MacLean, in
Science of Mmd
spirit by the knowledgetha~ I pe~0r:aIly
could not enter the orda1ned ID1n1Stry
without disclosing to the persons respon-
sible for the oniination the fact of my we are vulnerable to sin -- subordination
gay sexual orientation, which, as a matter of the will of God and alienation of our-
of personal survival, had remained well selves from Godand from our fellow man.
hidden. Durdngthe sumnerof 1970, I very Free will and sinfulness are natural can-
seriously contemplated forsaking the 0r- panions.
dained ministry as a vocation. I weighed I believe the man Jesus was the
seriously every alternative, including the Christ of God, the Incarnation of God's
consequences of seeking ordination frxm love and the personification of God's will.
the posture of canplete honesty and per- Jesus the Christ was of One spirit with
sonal integrity. I studied the Gospels God and knewthe joy of perfect carmunion
with purpose. Andthen, with renewed can- with God. Because of his oneness with God,
mitment and faith, I decided to return to Jesus the Christ was invulnerable to sin,
Pacific School of Religion to finish my yet he was not devoid of free will. His
course of study for the Master of Divini ty free will was manifested in absolute obed-
degree and seek oniination in the United ience to the will of God, which he person-
Church of Christ. I knowthat I have been ified in his life.
called to the ordained Christian ministry. The ministry of Jesus the Christ, the
The realization of that fact terrified me ministry which the church seeks to con-
at first, caused me to quake in my boots tinue, was a prophetic ministry. Affirming
at the realization of what i t ~uld' re- the past and the present, Jesus the Christ
quire of me, but today I knowin the very lifted humanvision to a canpelling under=
depths of mybeing tha~ it is God's ' wi~ standing of what carvand ought to be.
1 He
that brings me to trus manent and His introduced newhope into the lnman expel'-
grace alone that will sustain me as I seek, Ience , His Gospel, the GoodNewshe pro-
through woni and deed, to witness to the cla:imed, was a proclamation of hope - hope
Gospel and share in the effort of the founded upon the fact of God's love for us
church to be true to its mission. and the assurance of Godt S grace to us. He
Myexperience of life has been such confronted persons with their potential as
that theological questions have occupied humanbeings, proclaiming all the while,
mymind for many years. I am evolving by word and deed, the constant love and
theologically. I believe there is an grace of Godwhich, freely offered to us,
eternal spiritual reality in the created empower-s us to realize our full potential
order- that is properly called God. I be- as human beings. He engendered a con-
lieve God the Spirit created the natural sciousness of the relevance of God's will
order through an evolutionary process that to the religious and social. issues of his
established ecological inter-relatedness. time. He denouncediljustice wherever it
I believe Godthe Spirit, out of encanpas- existed. He demonstrated the power of love,
sing love for creation, granted to us the not only in his life, but also by the man-
responsiliili ty of free will. . ner of his death.
The free will which is. inate in The ministry of Jesus the Christ, the
humanlife, is the freedan of the individ- ministry which the church seeks to contin-
ual to detennine his attitudinal response ue, was an affinning ministry. Jesus in-
to his existential situation, whether it vested himself in himan need,enabling per--
be a response to God's interaction with sons to move from fragmentation to inte-
his life, or a response to his fellow gration in their personal lives. His was a
humanbeings. insofar as we have free will. ministry to persons longing for wholeness
25
Ordination paper ... ·
and health. He recognized the inter-relat-
edness of the spiritual, physical, E!!'ID-
tional and psychological dimensions of the
hunan experience. He souzrrt to enable in-
tegrity in individual 11ves - integrity
not only in the sence of congruence be-
tween words and deeds, but also in the
sense of intergrating all dimensions of
one's inclividual personhood into a mean-
ingful whole. By enabling persons to grow
toward a living, integrated consciousness
of their owntrue identy, Jesus the Christ
waS affirming their individual worth as
unique persons. He knewthat an integrated istry which the church seeks .to continue,
consciousness of one's own.ideni ty neces- was the most profoundly known in the
sarily includes a consciousness of one's manner of his death. The crucificion of
own sinfulness and constant need for re- the Christ was a demonstration of His ab-
demption. He offered his love, acceptance solute obedience to God's will.. He gave
and forgiveness to ALL men, regardless of himself to crucifixion, an act of profound
their condition and status in society. He sacrifice which undeniably demonstrated
proclaimed the GoodNews of the redeeming the demandof the divine;..humanrelation-
grace which Godoffers to all men. ship. Only through canprehending the mean-
The ministry of Jesus the Christ, the ing of the resurrection of the crucified
ministry which the church seeks to contin- Christ do we begin to understand the eter-
ue, was a rec:reating ministry. Jesus en- nal, victorious power of God's love for us.
ables persons to have a persortal exper- Whenthe power of God's love is understood;
ience of the divine-hunan relationship. We even in _part, the individual Ii ves with a
have all been called to open ourselves to mnfound· joy that remains unperverted by
the ddvine-hemenrelationship, and through the crucifying experiences of life.Through
the ministry of the Christ, we have been the crucifixion and resurrection of the
given insight into the nature of that re- Christ, we are called to invest ourselves
lationship. It is a relationship of FAITH, in the divine-human relationship. -Apart
madepossible by God's grace given to us fran that relationship, joy is partial. In
in love and our response to that grace and the crucifixion and resurrection of the
love, in faith and obedience to God's will. Christ, God absolutely and inexorably
The divine-htmlan relationship is a re- bound himself to us ,liberating us fran
creatiI},g experience that can be knownby the fear of death and pranising to all who
each of us. Jesus the Christ enabled per-
sons to experience the recreating rela-
tionship not because He VJ8.S, himself. God;
but because His oneness with God was such ~.etropolitmt ([llmmltniitl (flptrrq
that he could make the affinnation, "He
whohas seen me has seen the Father." He DALLAS
enabled persons to eXperience the grace
and love of God, to knowthat they were
enbraced with forgiveness, to know that Mailing: P. O. Box 1344
they stood in redemptive relationship with
Dallas, Texas, 75221
God. Weall have a profound ne~d for re-
creation since, because of our free will,
we are vulnerable to aimlessness, alien- Services: 4015 Normandy
ation and sin. The recreating experience Dallas, Texas
of the divine-human relationship brings
newmeaning into humanlife: purposeful-
ness, ocmnunionwith God and man, and a
consciousness of personal redemption. Rev. Richard Vincent, Pastor
The prophetic, affinning and recreat- Sunday: 7:30 PM
ing ministry of Jesus the Christ, the min-
2S

("THE
2) hepherd tlalm
The LO~D is my shepherd:
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down
in green pastures: he leadeth
me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he.
leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name's
sake.
Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil: for
thou art with me; thy rod
and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table be-
fore me in the presence of
mine enemies: thou anointest
my head with oil; my cup
runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days
of my life: and I will dwell
in the house of the Lord for
ever. Psalm 23
THOT: Be as careful of the books yop read, as of the
company you keep - both will influence your
character! -Paxton Hood
2ffiletr op 01 Hun ([1.1 m numitp Ollyurr ly
CHICAGO
Good Shepard Parish
Mailing: P. O. Box 9134
Chicago, Illinois 60690
Services: 3342 No. Broadway
Chicago, Illinois 60657
Rev. Arthur Green, Pastor
Sunday: 7:00 PM
Ordination paper ...
are faithful to His will the transfonna-
tion of mortal life into imnortali ty •
the light of this truth,
In
the Christian f s
life, our lives, if they be faithful to
the will of God as revealed by Jesus the
Christ, can only be dances of resounding
joy.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the
Spirit of God that was in the Christ,
still in the world, knownin the midst of
humaninteraction. vJheretwo or more per-
sons are involved in recreative interact-
ive V-X)rk. 'TheHoly Spirit anpowersus to
be obedient to God's will, which it is
continually makingknown to us. It, em-
powers the church to re true to the Gospel
of the Christ and to its mission of min-
istry. The Holy Spirit enables us to ex-
perience the divine-humanrelationship to
which Godcontinually calls us.
It is through the activity of the
Holy Spirit that we enter into fellowship
with God and with the eternal spirit of
the Christ in the celebration of the sac-
raments of Holy Cammunion and Holy Bapti~
The administration of the sacraments is
therefore a responsibility that should be
assumed only by those whocomprehendthe
import of what they are doing. They should
be administered with abounding joy and
thanksgiving for they are celebrations of
what Godhas done for us.
The mission of the church lies in
continuing the ministry to the humancon-
dition begun by Jesus the Christ ••• the
prophetic, affirming, recreating ministry.
The ministry of the church, like the min-
istry of the Christ, is primarily personal,
although, in our time, it must also be
inter-personal, social and political. The
mission of the church, in our time, must
include ministry to all persons, espec-
ially those whoexperience isolation and
alienation in our technological society,
whether they be within or outside the
church institutional. The church, if it
would be true to its mission, has a spec-
ial responsibility to open itself to all
persons who, because of the church's doc-
trine, arrogance or self-concern, have
fel t rejected by the church and, conse-
quently, by the Christ whose BodV the
church professes to be. The church must be
socially and politically the unfailing
voice crying out and working for justice,
humandignity and peace.
The GoodNewsof God's grace and love
which the Christ proclaimed to us, must be
27
preached by word and deed. 1m ordained
minister of the church must not only be
capable of educated, inspired verbal
preaching, but must also enable, through
his interaction t a Ii ving experience of
the Gospel of the Christ. ,God's grace and
love are reflected in the ministry to
human suffering and need, whenever it
exists in whatever form. Wherever love is
given . without expectation of reciPOCity ,
the nature of God's love is experienced.
The Gospel of Jesus the Christ is a living
Gospel that must be procla:imednot only by
what one says t but, IJX)l'eimportantly, by
what one does.
The mission of the church in our in-
personal, fragmented society t i.ncl.udes
ministry to hemorrhaging persons. 'Theper-
sonal struggles of life render manyof us
incapable of coping with or relating to
larger concerns. v.le are a people ' hemor-
rhage to death -- hiding ourselves fram
one another, bleeding silently inside,
hungerdng for carmunion with God and with
our fellow man, yet fearful of the risks
involved in honest trust relationships.
The church alone has the Gospel that has
the power to bring health to suffering
lives. The mission of the church, most
pr:imarily, is to individual persons, en-
abling them to experience the di vine-hunan
relationship through which personal inte-
gration and health are knoen,
As a candidate for ordination to the
ministry of the United Church of Christ, I
feel canpelled to share with you the prim-
ary carmitments to which I give myself. I
share these facts about my life with you
with as much honesty and integrity as
possible. For I knowthat to be ordained
to the Christian ministry is a profound
privilege and reSPonsibility.
The primary, JOOstintense carmitment
of my life is to God. I consciously strive
to be obedient to His will as it has been
revealed in the Gospel of the Christ and
continues to be revealed through the act-
ivity of the Holy Spirit. I have sought
and continue to seek to live a life that
is consistent with God's revealed will. My
camtitment to God canes before any other
commitment of my life and it is the im-
petus for the other carrnitments to which I
give myself. I am not ashamed of the
Gospel••• it is joy, it is life to me.
The second camrl.1Jnent of my life is
to the church. I believe in the gathered,
~B
sharing, caring , faithful covenant can-
munity we knowas the church. I ~ that
ministry must be understood as a corporate
as well as a personal resPOOsibili ty • The
church has been called into being by God
to be the physical presence of the contin-
uing ministry of the Christ. 1 It is there-
fore, so long as it is true to its Gospel
and mission, a sacred institution.
Mythird basic canmitment is to hunan
life. I amcampelled by the ~ledge of
what God has done for us to proclaim the
Gospel of the Christ, to celebrate the
sacraments and to minister to humansuf-
fering wherever it exists, in whatever'
form, at whatever cost to mypersonal can-
fort or security. By seeking ordination, I
have publicly carmitted myself to a life
of ministering to my fellow man. I have
carrnitted the warmth of my hand, the
attentiveness of my ear I J:he canpassion of
myheart and the practical help of my
abilities and experiences, to persons who
are suffering in body, mind or spirit. I
have ocmnitted .my life to ministry - joy-
fully, without reservatdon , without regret
Mycamli1Jnents to God, the church and
to hunan life, have led me to make spec-
ific carmitments to certain social and
political struggles that seek to alleviate
humansuffering. I have beoane intellect-
ually and emotionally deeply carmitted to
these concerns because I have had to per-
sonally relate to the suffering that these
struggles seek to alleviate.
I am canmitted to the struggle for
peace. I oppose militarism and war in all
their forms. I recognize the essential un-
ity of mankind and affirm the power of
love and truth for resolving human con-
flict. I am deeply carmitted to non-vio-
lence and deplore the violence of weapons,
poverty, ignorance, discrimination and de-
htunanization.
Ordination paper ... Views
I am ocmnitted to the struggle for
justice and humandignity for Third World
Peoples. The suffering of Black, Chicano,
Indian and other Third World People can
never be fully canprehended by those of us
whohave been their oppressors. I recog-
nize that my a.m racial and ethnic prejud-
ices have contributed to the suffering of
my Third World brothers and sisters. I am
convinced that so long as justice and
humandignity are denied to these oppres-
sed people the humanfamily will be frag-
merrtedby a cancer that is undeniably mal-
ignant.
I am ccmnitted to the struggle for
justice and humandignity for gay men and
wanen. Freedan of sexual carmunication and
expression is innate in humanfree will.
In our society, social and religious con-
demnation, based on fear and ignorance,
have farced gay persons to live lives of
dishonesty and fear in which, for the most
part, psychological and emotional suffers-
~ has been si1ent1v endured. As one who
finds genuinemeaning and fulfillment in
relationships with persons of my own sex,I
allowed the fear of .exposure to control
my life for many years. But having
affinned my personhood in all of its dim-
mensions , I have becane, by the grace of
God, a man free fran fear.
I k:ncM that I nave been called to the
ordained ministry of the church. I have
muchlove to give. I long to serve God,
the church and my fellow humanbeings. I
have a living, integrated consciousness of ~dropolihtn aIummunitu (flqurrq
who I am and I have put my faith and trust
in God, in all whohave been entrusted
with the Gospel, and in the power of truth. SAN DIEGO
I have prepared myself for the work
of ordained ministry t academically, emo-
tionally, psychologically and spiritually. Services: Weichel Hall
I recognize preparation is a continuing 906 North 47th Street
process. I have fully invested myself in San Diego, California
mywork••• joyfully , without regret. I have
been called to do. If there be doubt about Mailing: P. O. Box 8205
my commitmentto or qUalification for the San Diego, Calif. 92102
work of oroained ministry, I ask you to
look beyond these words of mine. Look to
the works that through the grace of God Rev. John H. Hose, Pastor
I have been enabled to do. For it is by Deacon Howard Williams, As st. Pastor
our fruits that we are, each one, truly
J<na.m.
~':f Sunda y: 7: 30 PM
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