A COMMUNITY OF GRACE
Somewhere, there are people
to whom we can speak with passion without having
the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a
circle of hands will open to receive us, eyes will
light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us
whenever we come into our own power. Community
means strength that joins our strength to do the work that
needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we falter.
A circle of healing. A circle of friends. Someplace
where we can be free.
~
On Being Community by
StarhawkWHAT IS
GRACE?
 GRACE is a
member led faith sharing group that offers a safe and confidential space for
gay and questioning Asian and Pacific Islander Christians, allies, and
supporters to come together for community, social support, worship, prayer
and spiritual sharing.
GLBTQ Asian Christians are challenged by
religious and cultural forces. We strive to create a caring community for
spiritual nurture and exploration.
Supporters, friends and allies of all races,
ethnicities, genders and sexualities are both welcome and encouraged to
participate!
LATEST GRACE NEWS
NEW WEBSITE
See our upcoming GRACE website at:
http://gayasianchristians.org.
The new PACTS website is found at: http://pactsnetwork.org.
GRACE GATHERING, MARCH 25th
For
information on the latest GRACE activities, please see:
http://gayasianchristians.org
We apologize for any inconvenience as we are all volunteers and these
sites are currently under construction
and in transition..
NETWORK ON RELIGION & JUSTICE
FOR API LGBTS
Tuesday, March 14, 6-9pm
PANA Office, Berkeley
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/API-LGBT-NRJ/
Contact Sharon at PANA:
shcolligan@psr.edu
UPDATE ON API COMING OUT, COMING HOME
EVENT
Here are some articles about the "Coming Out, Coming
Home: Family, Faith & Religion in Asian & Pacific Islander Communities"
event and the evening Banquet:
QUEER ASIAN SPIRIT & SERMON RESOURCES
Queer Asian Spirit affirms and
supports the spiritual lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and
queer people of Asian descent everywhere. Based in New York, they maintain
a website
and e-list. You'll find a link to GRACE in the community section. The
coordinator is the Rev.
Patrick Cheng, a MCC minister. Check
out their
sermons section which was
recently updated:
- July 31, 2005. "Fed
by God," MCC New Haven. How God feeds us
as LGBTQ people.
- June 19, 2005. "Family
Values," MCC New Haven. A Father's Day sermon on true family values.
- February 6, 2005. "Jesus
Comes Out," MCC Hartford. The Transfiguration as Jesus coming out to
his friends.
INTERVIEW WITH JEFFREY KUAN
Last Fall, Rev. Dr. Kah-Jin Jeffrey
Kuan was interviewed on the program Mosaic by Ron Swisher regarding the
ordination of gays and lesbians. Rev. Kuan is Associate Professor of Old
Testament at the Pacific School of Religion. Dr. Hugh Burroughs is the
Executive Producer of the Mosaic program.
Click here to see the video.
API & LGBT RELATED EVENTS
NETWORK ON RELIGION AND JUSTICE
FOR QUEER ASIANS & PACIFIC ISLANDERS
We are looking forward to our
our involvement with the Network on Religion & Justice for API LGBTs We are
glad to be working together and hopeful about the possibilities of our
straight allies and friends educating and advocating for us in our religious
communities.
The next meeting of the growing Network for Religion and Justice for API
LGBTs has been set:
Tues, Jan 10,
6-9 pm, PANA House.
Please RSVP to
shcolligan@psr.edu
or call 510.849.8260. You can sign up for our email list from the following
website:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/API-LGBT-NRJ
There is some free parking
for the meeting available in the PANA House driveway, for up to six cars. We
hope you will be able to join us!
Sunday, Jan. 8,
Jan. 22, 4-7pm
CCUMC Pan Asian Ministry meeting.
Reaping the Spiritual Harvest:
Whosoever Conference, July 2006, July 14-15
Whosoever made history in
1996 by becoming the first online magazine for gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender Christians. To celebrate this ten-year anniversary, Whosoever
will host a conference at Virginia Highland Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on
July 14-15, 2006. The "Reaping the Spiritual Harvest" conference will
feature both workshops and keynote speakers, such as: Harry Knox, Director
of the Religion and Faith Program at the Human Rights Campaign; and Candace
Chellew-Hodge, founder of Whosoever Ministries, Inc. Lesbian Christian
singer Marsha Stevens will give a special concert. The "Reaping the
Spiritual Harvest" conference will give GLBT Christians and their allies a
chance to reap the benefits of this movement as they come together for a
time of spiritual renewal and community building. For more information about
the conference, visit
http://www.whosoever.org/conference.
HAYWARD PRIDE
Sunday, August 20, 11:30am to 7:30pm (TENTATIVE
DATE)
2 All Ages Dance Parties On Main Street; Community Health Fair; Free
Entertainment & Charity Casino Hosted By Turf Club & Club Rumor; VIP Area
& Stage; Special VIP Entertainers (contracts currently in negotiation, to
be announced); Expanded Leather Alley; BBQ; Vendors & Exhibitors;
Community Outreach
Plus a Saturday evening Benefit Dinner with charity casino and live
entertainment.
More past activities...
CONTACT
RESOURCES / ARTICLES / SPEECHES
Gays & Lesbians Are
Persons Too! A Position Paper by Leomyr L. de Jesus, May 9, 2004.
Rev. Dr. Jeffrey
Kuan's speech on Marriage Equality delivered at the Asians and Allies
for Civil Marriage Rights Rally on Aug. 8th, 2004 at Larsen Park, San
Francisco.
Gay Activism in
Asian and Asian-American Churches by Kwok Pui-lan.
The Bible and Homosexuality - The Church's Dance in the 21st Century.
John Shelby Spong. March 31, 2004.
The Bible and Same-Gender Marriage - Mary Tolbert. December, 2004.
Homosexuality
and the Bible by Rev. Dr. Walter Wink, Professor of Biblical
Interpretation at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City. Fellowship
Bookstore, Box 271, Nyack, NY.
Homosexuality and the Bible...Bad News or Good News?
1994 Universal
Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. Revised by Nathan L. Meckley. Originally
published as: 'Homosexuality: What the Bible Does and Does not Say'.
Homosexuality And The
Bible: Good News? by Rev. L. Robert
Arthur. Chinese translation by:
Canaan Church,
Kaohsiung, Taiwan. New version coming soon!
"Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Youth Suicide" by
By
Warren J. Blumenfeld
& Laurie Lindop.
Asian
Pacific American Same-Sex Households: A Census Report on New York, San
Francisco and Los Angeles by Asian American Federation of New York.
Commissioned by the C.J. Huang Foundation.
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"Jesus didn't turn people
away.
Neither do we." |
WELCOMING CHURCHES & GROUPS
SpongeBob goes to church: Despite being
spurned by James Dobson's Focus on the Family for being too "tolerant" and
especially for holding hands with a starfish, SpongeBob learns "all are
welcome" in the UCC.
Read the full
story.
Association of Welcoming &
Affirming Baptists Churches - members of the association of Baptist
churches (primarily American Baptist) that are inclusive, welcoming and
affirming.
Affirmation
organization of GLBT United Methodists
ChristianLesbians.com - Gay-Welcoming Congregations throughout the
country listed by state and denomination.
Dignity USA
organization of GLBT Catholics
Evangelicals Concerned
organization of Evangelical Christians
The
Franciscans of Divine Providence is a union of the Franciscan Friars and
Sisters of Divine Providence - an LBGT affirming, Ecumenical, Independent
Catholic Religious Orders of Priests, Brothers and Sisters.
Gay
Christian Outreach - Support, fellowship and resources for GLBT
Christians, their family and their friends. The Founders and The Gay
Christian Outreach Leadership Team welcomes all GLBT Christians, their
family and their friends regardless of age, denomination, gender or
orientation.
LGBT welcoming church listings by
GayChurch.org.
Gays for God - GLBT Directory of Faith Communities - Congregations and
faith networks. In your area, there are congregations that affirm gay people
of faith. Find them by denomination/religion or by location.
Gay
Christians.org - Lists of gay friendly churches in the following
denominations: Baptist, Episcopal, Lutheran, MCC, Reconciling (Methodist),
Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Unity Churches Association and
Canadian Resources.
Grace Online
- an affirming Christian community welcoming all to partake in the
freely-given grace of Jesus Christ. We exist to proclaim God's unconditional
love to all and to provide fellowship, friendship and spiritual
opportunities to those seeking it.
Integrity Partners Affirming
Episcopal Congregations
Lutherans Concerned
organization of GLBT Lutherans
More Light Presbyterians
seeking the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
people of faith in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church
(USA)
The Oasis - List of Welcoming Congregations with ministry for Episcopal
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Straight people regardless of age,
race, ethnicity, gender, class or ability.
Open &
Affirming Ministries - Disciples of Christ Churches.
Welcoming
Ministries Search - Provides the ability to search 1,416 local churches,
55 campus ministries, 37 Judicatories, and seven national and international
ministries that have publicly declared themselves welcoming of lesbian and
gay people.
LGBT WELCOMING API CONGREGATIONS IN THE BAY AREA
PINE UMC - the
first Asian American church in the country to become a "reconciling church"
publicly stating they are welcoming towards glbt individuals. Every year
Pine Church celebrates the San Francisco Gay Pride Weekend with a service to
remember the calling to keep our our doors open to all of God's children.
PROGRESSIVE PAN ASIAN MINISTRY - An intentionally progressive, open
and affirming, justice-oriented ministry which meets at the PANA house in
Berkeley for worship, potluck, and reflection. For more information contact
Burt Yin at 510.582.4368 or
byin@sbcglobal.net.
RELATED LINKS
HOTLINES
- Gay and Lesbian National Hotline
1-888-THE-GLNH (1-888-843-4564)
Monday - Friday 4pm-midnight & Saturday noon-5pm EST.
Peer-counseling, information and referrals
- Confidential SF Bay Area API Helpline for support, resources for API
individuals and families in the coming out process. (510) 818-0887.
- Suicide Hotline. You are not alone! If you (or someone you know) are
having thoughts about suicide, call 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433). Because of
the horrific pressures they often face, gay teens are 3 times more likely
to attempt suicide than their peers. Gay men are six times more likely to
attempt suicide than their peers.
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR API YOUTH
- Education
Fund for Queer Asian & Pacific Islander Youth living the San Francisco Bay
Area -
Pride Scholarship Application, 2005-2006. Deadline May 31,
2005
- GAPA's George Choy
Scholarship application can be downloaded from:
http://www.gapa.org/Scholarship.
There will be TWO $1000 scholarships
given
out in 2005. The postmark deadline for this year's awards is August 1,
2005. Feel free to email hao@gapa.org if you have any questions.
THEOLOGICAL RESOURCES
Chai, Alice Yun. "The Struggle of Asian and
Asian American Women Toward a Total Liberation: A Korean Methodist Woman's
Vocational Journey." In Spirituality and Social Responsibility:
Vocational Vision of Women in the United Methodist Tradition, ed.
Rosemary Skinner Keller. Nashville: Abingdon, 1993.
Kim, Ai Ra. Women Struggling for a New
Life: The Role of Religion in the Cultural Passage from Korea to America.
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1996.
Kim, Jung Ha. Bridge-Makers and
Cross-Bearers: Korean American Women and the Church. Atlanta, GA:
Scholars Press, 1997.
Lee, Jung Young. Marginality: The Key to
Multicultural Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995.
Lewis, Nantawan Boonprasat. "Reclaiming
Liberative Trends: Owning Asian American Women's History of Struggle." In
Revolution of Spirit, ed. Nantawan Boonprasat Lewis. Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans, 1998.
Mapping a Pan-Pacific Feminist Theology."
Special Issue of Journal of Women and Religion 13 (1995). Center for
Women and Religion, Berkeley, CA.
Matsuoka, Fumitaka. Out of Silence:
Emerging Themes in Asian American Churches. Cleveland, Ohio: United
Church Press, 1995.
Nakashima Brock, Rita. "Interstitial
Integrity: Reflections toward an Asian American Woman's Theology." In
Introduction to Christian Theology, ed. Roger Badham, Louisville:
Westminster John Knox, 1998.
Nakashima Brock, Rita and Naomi Southard.
"The Other Half of the Basket: Asian American Women and the Search for a
Theological Home." Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Vol. 3,
No. 2 (Fall 1987): 135-150.
Ng, David, ed. People on the Way: Asian
North Americans Discovering Christ, Culture, and Community. Valley
Forge: Judson Press, 1996.
Russell, Letty, Kwok Pui-Lan, Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz,
and Katie Geneva Cannon, eds. Inheriting Our Mother's Gardens: Feminist
Theology in Third World Perspective. Louisville: Westminster, 1988.
Sung Park, Andrew. Racial Conflict and
Healing: An Asian American Theological Perspective. Maryknoll, New York:
Orbis Books, 1996.
“And I will walk among
you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people. I am the Lord your
God who brought you out [of the land of Egypt], to be their slaves no more;
I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.” (Leviticus
26:12-13)
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