Transgender Day of Remembrance
by Violet FennRedistributed from Reconciling Ministries FlashNet Today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Today, many memorial services will be held around the world to remember the lives of men and women that were killed because of they were transgendered. As of November 11th, eighty-eight (11 in the U.S) beautiful children of God are no longer with us because of hatred and bigotry at its worst.I am a transwoman. Though I have never been a victim of a violent attack, I have experienced bigotry. In June, I was asked not to return to

Street Theatre Challenges Pastoral Leadership
by Peter L. DeGroote Self-appointed “messengers” of God recently tried to get arrested by demonstrating in front of the Justice Department in Washington. Their goal was to use their arrest to challenge the protection of glbt from hate crimes by way of the 2nd Amendment guarantee of free speech. (They see the law as a threat to their hate mongering.) First, a summary: I am relying on the reporting of Dana Milbank writing in the Washington Post on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 under the title The Messengers of God can’t get arrested in this town. (

Bishops seek younger membership by 2019
By Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell(United Methodist News Service headline, November 5, 2009) At the age of 76 and as a 3rd generation Methodist/United Methodist, I like many others, am pleased that our United Methodist Bishops have expressed this commitment. My family tells me that my mind sometimes makes "peculiar" connections. When I read the story with the above title, I thought of President Ronald Reagan's often-quoted words; "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall". Reagan's comments about the Berlin Wall have been remembered as we observe the anniversary of the fall o

Impartial, Compassionate God of All Lives
Adrienne TrevathanTune: St. Denio (same as "Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise") Impartial, compassionate God of all lives, In Christ you have shown us your love actualized, Incarnate and weak in the arms of the poor, Destroying all systems that keep closed the door. Unholy, unjustified fear we incite, When we shun our neighbors yet cling to our rights. Your children still wander the streets left in pain, We pass laws against them to prove our disdain. Creator of beauty, we stand not in pride, We do not assume you will stay on our side. For yours is the sacred, unt

The Cause of so much Pain...
By Joey HeathThis is a part of a conversation I have been having with friend who happens to believe that homosexuality is against God's will. After I wrote it to him I felt like it was something worth sharing with other cause I realized I had just poured my heart out to him. I would also like to note that out of respect for him these are only my words and nothing he has said.For me I am simply told to be celibate and alone because I know I will never be attracted to women. I'm told because of that fact, I must turn my sexuality off. That is why I see it as so different. You are not being told to turn your sexuality off just channel it to a proper place. There