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Articles

Government of Uganda called on to protect rights of gays and lesbians

A coalition of 120 religious leaders has called on the government of Uganda to protect the human rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBT) citizens in the East African nation.

In a letter to Ugandan President Yoweri, the faith leaders call for an end to government sanctioned verbal assaults and legal attacks that abridge the human rights of LGBT people.

According to the Rev. Nancy L. Wilson, moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches, the international faith communion that organized the clergy letter, “We are especially concerned that members of the Museveni government have recommended criminal penalties against LGBT people based solely upon whom they love and have censored attempts by LGBT people to speak freely on their own behalf.”

Rev. Wilson added, “At our best, faith leaders share a mutual goal with the leaders of government — we are both charged to care for the oppressed and to protect the most vulnerable among us. The threats by some Ugandan government officials thwart the realization of that goal.”

The letter, whose signers include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, Rev. Dr. Jane Spahr, Rev. Troy Plummer, and Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, notes, “The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights affirms the equality of all people and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects the right to equality, freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association. We are only asking that you hold up the solid principles your government espouses.”

The Rev. Pat Bumgardner, chair of the Global Justice Ministry of Metropolitan Community Churches, added, “I share a deep concern with many faith leaders that this hostility by Uganda’s government officials comes in the midst of the HIV and AIDS pandemic that still ravages so much of the African continent. The pandemic will be addressed effectively only in an environment where human rights are promoted and basic freedoms are protected. Stigma and discrimination push people deeper into closets of fear, making prevention and treatment much more difficult.”

Noting that Uganda has the potential to model compassion and understanding to the world, the faith leaders wrote, “We reach out to you in fellowship and ask that you publicly condemn all harassment against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Uganda.”

Message from the Pastor of Church of the Trinity MCC

We are well on our way into the season of Lent — that 40-day period not counting Sundays that will lead us to Easter. I think all of us were caught off guard by Lent this year. We just barely had time to put away the Advent and Christmas decorations! The timing of the season moves from year to year based on the date for Easter, which is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal or spring equinox. Lent hasn’t been this early since 1913!

Traditionally Christians observe Lent by giving up or taking on something in an effort toward self-examination and preparation for the resurrection work God wants to do in us. Now for those of us who gave up chocolate for Lent in this year when it comes so early, Valentine’s Day is going to be tricky.

It is not too late to enter into this important spiritual season, so here are some suggestions for observing a Holy Lent:

• Give up some hours on the computer or in front of the television in order to be more present to God, your spouse, your family and friends.
• Give up being judgmental.
• Take on a special time each day for prayer, even if it is just for ten minutes.
• Take on an act of generosity. We are collecting food for Trinity Charities’ Food Pantry during Lent.
• Every year we provide Lenten coin folders and take a special offering on Easter for some larger work in the world. This year we will designate our Lenten / Easter giving to the work our denomination is doing for Global Justice. This is another way to observe Lent.

It is Lent and I wasn’t ready for it to come so early. But I had a wonderful thing happen to me on Ash Wednesday that provided a way for me to enter this season with thanksgiving. Many of you know that I received word a few weeks ago of the death of my Spiritual Director of eight years in Dallas, Rev. Martha Gilmore. When I got that word, it became very important to me to find every last thing Martha had ever written to me. There was one card in particular — the last thing she sent to me — that I could not find. She had sent it to me a little over a year ago after she had called to tell me her cancer had metastasized to her brain.

On Ash Wednesday morning as I settled into my prayer chair with a cup of coffee, I pulled a book off my shelf about Lent in the hopes there would be something to inspire me to enter yet again into this holy season. When I opened the book Martha’s card fell out (just like Martha to show up on the first day of Lent). In the card Martha wrote of her cancer, “This has plunged me into a deeper place of uncertainty, but I am holding tight to God’s promise never to leave us alone.”

And I thought to myself, that is what Lent is about: holding tight to God’s promise never to leave us alone.

[The message above was written by The Reverend Dr. Mona West, Senior Pastor at Church of the Trinity MCC as part of her Lenten message to her congregants.]

Beyond Hook-ups!

As a service to our community, the Gay Male Empowerment Project of SunServe will sponsor a daylong series of workshops that explore intimacy, dating, and sex among men. Presentations will be made by counseling professionals with special expertise in the area of gay male intimacy and relationships.

The lineup includes: “Finding Mr. Right, Not Mr. Perfect”; “What Do You Do When You Are in the Mood”; “Unlocking Our Inner Sexual Universe”; “Inter-NET-action”; “How Do Couples Do It?”; and “The Man in the Mirror”. A post-event social will be held at Storks on Las Olas.

Please plan to join us on Saturday, March 1^st, at the Sun-Sentinel Community Room, located at SE 3^rd Avenue and Las Olas Blvd. in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The cost is $25 per person (lunch included). Registration is online at www.sunserve.org or call 954-764-5557. Scholarships are available. Guys, you won’t want to miss this one!!

Black History Month profile: Bruce Nugent

Bruce Nugent, also known as Richard Bruce and Richard Bruce Nugent (July 2, 1906 – May 27, 1987), was a gay American writer and painter in the Harlem Renaissance. He was born in Washington, DC, to a prominent African American family. Spending a large part of his life in New York City, he died in Hoboken, New Jersey.

He was the first African American to publish a story (Smoke, Lilies, and Jade) that featured unabashedly homosexual characters and desires. This story appeared in the first and only issue of the art magazine Fire!!. He collaborated on this story with other authors. From 1926 to 1928 he lived with the writer and his partner Wallace Thurman at 267 W 136 St. in Harlem (New York City)...

He is a principal character in the 2004 film Brother to Brother. In 2002 Duke University Press released Gay Rebel of the Harlem Renaissance: Selections from the Work of Richard Bruce Nugent which included examples of his writing and artwork.

[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bruce_Nugent]

Lenten groups forming

There are six Sunshine Cathedral groups meeting during Lent to study and pray together this year. One of the groups is meeting in Montego Bay, Jamaica and another group is meeting at a rehabilitation facility here in the Fort Lauderdale area. That leaves four other groups for Sunshine Cathedral members in Florida to join.

Lenten groups meet weekly in various locations. The groups involve discussion, bible study and life-application, and prayer. This is an exciting way to observe Lent, to grow spiritually, or just to make new friends. To join one of the following four groups during Lent, contact the group leader to learn the time and location of the group meetings. Groups can be between 10 and 20 people in size. If the group you first contact is maxed out, contact another group. We want everyone who is interested to find a group! The group leaders to contact are:

Marcie Fox — Marcie has pets, so people with allergies be warned. Her group will be meeting in Pembroke Pines on Sunday afternoons. Contact Marcie by phone (home 954-885-1413; work 954-462-2004 ext. 200) or by email: marcipat@bellsouth.net.

Walt Weiss & Rob Napolitano will be hosting a group in Fort Lauderdale. They will meet for brunch after the second service on Sundays and then meet at their home for study and prayer afterward. People who worship at one of the first two services may join them for brunch, and people who worship at the third service can catch up with them after brunch for the study and prayer time. Contact Walt and Rob by phone (home 954-761-8066) or by email: mrlure2002@aol.com.

Judy Boles & Roze Patterson will be hosting a group in Fort Lauderdale. To learn about their time and location, contact them by email: jbolesnoel@aol.com.

Joe Mumpower will be hosting a group in — Florida. He lives in Hollywood, but he will be hosting his group on his boat. To find out the day and time and how to get to the meeting location, contact Joe by email: joemumpower@aol.com. Life jackets are required!

If anyone is still interested in becoming a group leader and starting another Lenten group, contact Pastor Durrell Watkins: durrell@sunshinecathedral.org. Groups will begin meeting the week of February 10^th.

Another attack in Jamaica

According to a statement from JFLAG (Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals, and Gays) and confirmed by a report in the Jamaica Star online, there has been another homophobic attack in Jamaica. On 31 January 2008 The Jamaica Star reported that intruders broke into a private home and attacked three men who were in the house. The men who suffered the attack were accused of being “homosexual”. At least two of the men were brutally beaten and “chopped” with machetes, while the third is missing and possibly dead. The survivors apparently require extensive medical attention.

The leadership of Sunshine Cathedral Metropolitan Community Church unequivocally condemns this recent attack and we hope other people and organizations will speak out against unprovoked violence whenever it occurs.

To the survivors of this vicious and unwarranted attack, we at the Sunshine Cathedral offer our sincere wishes for a full and speedy recovery. We continue to pray for our sisters and brothers in Jamaica and we dare to imagine a day when goodwill, peace, and civility will triumph over human prejudices, hatreds, and suspicions.

We call upon all religious people who use religion to justify and promote their homophobic prejudices to see that the rhetoric of hate and condemnation contributes to acts of dehumanizing violence. We further ask all religious people to remember and share the spiritual values of love, mercy, justice, goodwill, kindness, and generosity. We ask all religious people to lift up and live by the Golden Rule, which is to do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Finally, we call upon the Jamaican authorities to investigate this heinous attack and to do everything possible to protect all Jamaican citizens from future acts of senseless violence.

Leadership and Bible study opportunities

The Canon Pastor is offering two courses for Light University during the 8-week term. On Monday nights at 7:00 pm, Rev. Durrell Watkins is teaching The P³ Way of Conscious Living. This is a foundational course that explains the “DNA” of Sunshine Cathedral. Everyone is welcome to enroll in the course and church leaders are especially encouraged to take the course. Theology, Prayer, Christian Caring, Sexuality, and Stewardship are among the topics that will be covered.

On Thursdays at 7:00 pm, Rev. Watkins is teaching Introduction to the New Testament. This is an interesting survey course to help you become more intimately acquainted with the Christian scriptures. Learn about the Gospels, the writings of St. Paul, Sexuality and the Scriptures, and even a sneak peak at the book of Revelation!

If these courses sound interesting to you, enroll in one or both of them this week. Courses are being offered for a low $25!!!

Israel60 Film & Lecture series announced

“Israeli Landscapes: Cinematic Viewpoints” will be presented by the Jewish Federation of Broward County; the Broward County Jewish Film Festival at the David Posnack JCC; and the Broward Board of Rabbis. Co-sponsors: Temple Bat Yam and Congregation EtzChaim in association with The Express Gay News present The Bubble on February 24, 2008. This event will be held at Temple Bat Yam at 5151 NE 14^th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. The film show time will be at 2:00 pm. A discussion led by Dr. Miri Talmon-Bohm, Rabbi Harold Caminker, and Rev. Grant Lynn Ford will follow the showing of the film. Admission is free.

The Bubble is the story of Yelli and Lulu who decide to do whatever it takes to keep their roommate, Noam, together with his boyfriend, Ashraf. The only trouble is that Yelli, Lulu, and Noam are all Israeli; while Ashraf is Palestinian. So what the three friends must conspire to do is to attend a rally that calls for the end of the occupation of Palestinian territories, but it’s a plan that may tragically backfire on all of them.

For more information, contact Adam Bronstone, Director of Communal Planning and Research, Jewish Federation of Broward County, at 954-252-6913 or by email at abronstone@jewishbroward.org.

1^st Congregational Church announces concert

On Sunday, February 24^th, from 4:30 to 5:45 pm, the First Congregational Church of Fort Lauderdale, United Church of Christ, will host a pops concert in the church sanctuary presenting music from popular Broadway musicals. This event will feature performances by members of the First Congregational Church Choir and Handbell Choir. There will also be special performances by friends of the church. A free-will donation will be taken to benefit the church music program. For those who love the musical theatre genre, this is an event not to be missed.

For an added treat, following the aforementioned performance, at 6:00 p.m. there will be a buffet dinner in Elliot Hall, adjacent to the church. Great homemade cooking will be the fare for the evening. A suggested donation of $5 will benefit the First Congregational Church Thursday Lunch Program for the homeless.

Doors are open to everyone at First Congregational Church of Fort Lauderdale, which is a welcoming, open, and affirming church for people of all races, genders, ages, sexual orientations, professions, previous religious affiliations, nationalities, or mental and physical conditions.

The church is located at 2501 NE 30^th Street, Fort Lauderdale. For more information regarding these events or about our church, call Bob Demmert at 954-563-4271, or email firstucc@bellsouth.net.

Black History Month profile: Alberta Hunter (1895 – 1984)

Blues singer, lyricist, and actress Alberta Hunter, a distinctive stylist and one of the top recording artists in the 1920s and 1930s, experienced a dramatic comeback in her old age.

Alberta Hunter was destined to become a legend. Born on April 1, 1895, in Memphis, Tennessee, where she was reared, Hunter left home at age fifteen for Chicago, where, lying about her age, she launched her singing career in the city’s nascent saloon and club scene, performing first with King Oliver’s legendary Creole Jazz Band.

Possessed of abundant talent and stage presence, Hunter rose quickly to become one of the city’s leading attractions in the 1910s and 1920s. Noted for singing the blues over troubled love affairs, she also wrote some of her own material, including “Down Hearted Blues.”

Buoyed by her success in the city that had become the premier center for blues entertainers, Hunter began making recordings in 1921. She made more than 100 recordings for numerous labels, occasionally using pseudonyms to record while under contract with rival companies. Among her best-known recordings are those of “’Taint Nobody’s Business If I Do” and “Aggravatin’ Papa”.

In the days of Prohibition, almost anything went, and in the notorious “buffet flats”, where many of the saloon singers also entertained, homosexuality was, if not fully accepted, at least tolerated and acknowledged. Although Hunter never discussed her lesbianism, she also did not keep her relationships hidden.

During her long-term relationship with Lottie Tyler, they shared apartments in New York and traveled to Europe together. Friends later recalled their relationship as volatile. Hunter was notoriously tight with money, while Lottie was something of a dilettante without much income of her own. Eventually, Lottie fell in love with another woman.

Hunter also maintained serious flirtations with men but none developed into a lasting relationship. While her love affairs failed to develop, however, Hunter’s remarkable career flourished from the 1920s through the 1940s. Her recordings and her performances throughout the United States on the black vaudeville circuit and the T.O.B.A. (Theater Owner’s Booking Association) made her famous.

Like other African-American entertainers, Hunter also traveled to Europe, where racism was less oppressive. She performed in London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen. In 1928 she was featured opposite Paul Robeson in the London production of Showboat. Hunter credited herself as the “first colored girl singing in languages”.

During World War II she led several USO companies on missions to entertain American troops. She even gave a command performance for General Eisenhower at war’s end.

By the 1950s, however, the bookings had dried up and the ever-pragmatic, humanitarian-minded Hunter sought a new career. She conned her way into a New York hospital’s training program for licensed practical nurses by subtracting a dozen years from her age.

Hunter was forced to retire from nursing in 1977; the hospital believed she had reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 (she was actually 82). That same year the indefatigable Hunter embarked upon a remarkable return to performing. Her voice deepened and enriched by the intervening years, she proved a sensation. She performed regularly at The Cookery in Greenwich Village and was a hit with audiences worldwide. A tiny woman swinging large dangling earrings that seemed to weigh more than she did, Hunter became the toast of the talk-show circuit as well. She was full of energy, life, and humor.

During the last six years of her life she recorded two new albums and oversaw the re-release of her older material. She died on October 17, 1984, aged 89.

[Source: http://www.glbtq.com/arts/hunter_a.html]

Ash Wednesday

Here are some interesting facts surrounding Ash Wednesday from the Wikipedia Encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash_Wednesday).

In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days before Easter. It falls on different dates from year to year, according to the date of Easter; it can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.

At Masses and services of worship on this day, ashes are imposed on the foreheads (or tonsure spots, in the case of some clergy) of the faithful. The priest, minister, or in some cases officiating layperson marks the forehead of each participant with black ashes, in the shape of a cross, which the worshiper traditionally retains until washing it off after sundown. The symbolism echoes the ancient Near Eastern tradition of throwing ash over one’s head signifying repentance before God (as related in the Bible). The priest or minister offers the worshiper an instruction while applying the ashes.

The ashes used in the service of worship or Mass are sacramentals, not a sacrament. The ashes may be prepared by burning palm leaves from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebrations. They are blessed according to various rites proper to each liturgical tradition, sometimes involving the use of Holy Water. In some churches they are mixed with light amounts of water or olive oil which serve as a fixative.

In most liturgies for Ash Wednesday, the Penitential psalms are read; Psalm 51 is especially associated with this day. The service also often includes a corporate confession rite.

In some of the more free-church liturgical traditions, other practices are sometimes added or substituted, as other ways of symbolizing the confession and penitence of the day. For example, in one common variation, a small card or piece of paper is distributed to the congregation on which a person is invited to write a sin she/he wishes to confess. These small cards are brought forth to the altar table where they are burned.

In the Roman Catholic Church, ashes, being sacramentals, may be given to any Christian  as opposed to Catholic sacraments, which are generally reserved for church members (except in cases of grave necessity). Similarly, in most other Christian denominations ashes may be received by all who profess the Christian faith and are baptized

In the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday is observed by fasting, abstinence from meat, and repentance — a day of contemplating one’s transgressions. The Anglican Book of Common Prayer also designates Ash Wednesday as a day of fasting. In other Christian denominations these practices are optional, with the main focus being on repentance. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Roman Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are permitted to consume only one full meal, which may be supplemented by two smaller meals, which together should not equal the full meal. Some Roman Catholics will go beyond the minimum obligations demanded by the Church and undertake a complete fast or a bread and water fast. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are also days of abstinence from meat (for those Catholics age 14 and over), as are all Fridays in Lent. Some Roman Catholics continue fasting during the whole of Lent, as was the Church’s traditional requirement, concluding only after the celebration of the Easter Vigil.

As the first day of Lent, it comes the day after Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), the last day of the Carnival season. The origin of the name “carnival” is disputed. One theory states that the word comes from the Late Latin expression carne vale, which means “farewell to meat”, signifying that those were the last days when one could eat meat before the fasting of Lent. Other sources, however, suggest that the name comes from the Italian carne levare or similar, meaning “to remove meat”, since meat is prohibited during Lent. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “Carnival” is derived from Latin carnem levare (removal of the meat) or carnem laxare (leaving the meat).

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Ash Wednesday”.

Foundation changes name

On January 10^th, the Sunshine Cathedral Foundation changed its name to the Sunshine Community Foundation. At the same time, the Board changed its name/title from Board of Directors to Board of Governors. The Foundation’s new name acknowledges that our campus is changing and growing. Our address, 1480 SW 9^th Avenue, has become a hub of activity and much more than a place to worship on Sunday mornings.

Members of the Board considered this name change over a period of months under the leadership of the Governance Committee Chair, Robert S. Graham, MD. Bob was the Founding President of the Foundation from the start in 1999 and its leader during the early years. The practice continues that the election of the Board of Governors of the Sunshine Community Foundation is confirmed by the Cathedral Board of Directors.

The Sunshine Community Foundation owns our campus and was formed to support the growth of the Sunshine Cathedral and its ministries. The Foundation is charged with capital improvements to the facilities and is responsible for the building of endowment funds to secure the future of the church and the campus.

As the number of people and more groups and organizations use our campus, the needs and flexibility for the uses of our facilities have also changed and expanded. For example, the new Chancel will also double as a Performing Arts Stage for the Gay Men’s Chorus and other groups that need an inexpensive, yet functional place to perform.

There are 25 other groups and organizations that now call our campus their home. The Sunshine Community Foundation campus is a unique center for many kinds of functions. It’s exciting to see more and more GLBT activities coming to our campus.

Foundation’s 2008 officers

At its annual meeting in January, the Foundation Board of Governors elected the following officers for 2008: Chair — Jim Pamplin; Vice Chair — Chuck Zettler; Treasurer — Bobbye Schuler; Secretary — Bob DeCamillo; Assistant Secretary — Keith Muller; Assistant Secretary — Jeff Selzer. These officers also serve as members of the Board.

Others elected to serve on the Board: Shabnam Alibhai; Peter Cinelli, MD; Bill Coffey, Ph.D.; Bob Graham, MD; Bob Hebble; Gregory Kurdian; David Ratcliffe; Greg Ullman; and Reverend Durrell Watkins, ex officio.

Jeff Tuckey continues to serve on the Staff as President and CEO and Andy Cline serves as the Executive Assistant.