Been a little busy lately. Organizing this:

The Committee on LGBT Concerns of the Diocese of New York, along with Integrity NYC Metro and Oasis Newark invite everyone to join us in the 2010 LGBT Pride March on Sunday, June 27th 2010. This year we have a float with music. The float is very basic. Our people will add the color, so dress accordingly and don’t forget the sunscreen. Please bring your parish banner or a sign identifying your parish.

Our meeting place is on East 38th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues. Everyone should be there and ready to go at 12:30 p.m. The March NYC Pride will do their best to get us moving shortly thereafter. Due to security regulations, you may not join the March en route.

If you will be unable to attend your local Sunday service you are warmly invited to join with Integrity NYC Metro and Oasis Newark in worship at the Church of the Transfiguration, One East 29th Street for their 11:00 a.m. Eucharist. Meet in front of the church after the service and walk the 9 short blocks to the March staging area together. (about 10 minute walk).

After the March, please join with your fellow marchers at a Festive Choral Evensong at the Church of St. Luke in the Fields, Hudson Street south of Christopher, at 6:30 p.m. The Rt. Rev. Herbert A. Donovan will preside. Rev. Altagracia Perez will preach. Refreshments will follow on the grounds.

If you have any questions, or for more information, please contact Paul Lane at pride@lgbt.dioceseny.org

Bishop Senyonjo's visit to St. Luke's

St. Luke in the Fields is my home parish.   Bp. Christopher Senyonjo visited us last week.  
Here is the article from "Walking With Integrity":

The story below was provided by Paul J. Lane, Diocesan Organizer for Integrity in the Diocese of New York. The photo shows Paul on the left, Bishop Christopher in the center, and Chap James Day [Integrity's Province 2 Coordinator] on the right.

The aroma of the incense hung heavily in the hot, humid air as the Ugandan prelate mounted the steps of the pulpit in the old village church, St. Luke in the Fields, in New York’s Greenwich Village last Sunday [June 6, 2010].

The Right Reverend Christopher Senyonjo, the retired Bishop of the Diocese of West Buganda, Uganda, took as his subject the second reading of the day: Galatians 1:11-24; Paul discussing his conversion from his former life as a persecutor of Christians. The congregation listened in rapt attention as the bishop spoke of his own "conversion" and how, by listening to the stories of LGBT people, he came to believe that LGBT Christians are full members of the body of Christ. He told of how he also has been persecuted and how, if a new bill proposed in the Ugandan Parliament becomes law, he himself may be jailed for his inclusive stance. He also spoke of how, in Uganda, openly LGBT persons are not able to receive any treatment for HIV/AIDS.

The Rev. Mary Foulke, Senior Associate for Pastoral Care and Outreach at St. Luke’s "was delighted to welcome Bp. Christopher to St. Luke’s and to make this connection with those around the world who embrace a critical Biblical theology in support of liberative practices of welcoming and standing up with those on the margins. Bp. Christopher is a wonderful example of many grassroots priests, bishops and lay leaders in the Southern Hemisphere that are doing great work and who don’t get the press or attention that others with more conservative American support seem to attract."

Paul J. Lane, the Chair of the parish’s LGBT Life @ St. Luke’s Committee and Diocesan Organizer for Integrity for the Diocese of New York says that "as a parish, this is only the beginning of our relationship with Bp. Christopher and Integrity Uganda. Our goal is to be able to raise $1000.00 for Bp. Christopher’s ministry and we began that journey today. The stories of our LGBT brothers and sisters around the world must be brought to the attention of those of us who live in more accepting societies." St. Luke’s history as been one of full inclusion as well as support of such organizations such as Integrity USA and Changing Attitude Nigeria, having in the past hosted Mr. Davis Mac-Iyalla, the exiled leader of CA Nigeria.

After the service, Bp. Christopher was an honored guest at the annual parish picnic, where he was able to speak directly to many parish members, including a group of seminarians from his own alma mater, Union Theological Seminary.
Integrity USA, a 35-year-old LGBT advocacy group within The Episcopal Church, is the sponsor of Bishop Christopher visit.
 
And here is the link:
 
http://walkingwithintegrity.blogspot.com/

The "White Washing" of America

A friend alerted me to this article this morning through FaceBook, so I went to the source.   It seems that some of the "good people" of Prescott, AZ not only don't want to have to deal with non-lily-white people, they don't even want to see paintings of  brown skinned children.

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Altered mural fuels racial debate in Prescott

A group of artists has been asked to lighten the faces of children depicted in a giant public mural at a Prescott school.
The project's leader says he was ordered to lighten the skin tone after complaints about the children's ethnicity. But the school's principal says the request was only to fix shading and had nothing to do with political pressure.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/06/04/20100604arizona-mural-sparks-racial-debate.html#ixzz0pzFQVY93

Altered mural fuels racial debate in Prescott


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It seems that seeing a "person of color" in the heretofore "White" House is too much for many white folks.  If our presidency had looked more like the nation, we should have had 5 African-American presidents by now (12.5% of the population), 7 Latino presidents (15.4%) and 1 Asian (4.4%) .  And this is only as a percentage of  presidents, not of total presidential terms.  The hegemony of the white, protestant male is waning.  (If the Senate confirms Elena Kagen, there will be no protestants on the Supreme Court, only Roman Catholics and Jews.)

I fear that these "god-fearing", gun-toting, gay-hating white folks won't go down without a fight.  Egged on by the Becks, Limbaughs, Hannitys, O'Reilleys, Palins and Bachmans.  The extreme right-wing is taking over the Republican Party while its leaders are complicit or acquiesce out of fear of beint "tea-bagged".  While members of the Democratic Party are speaking out, they are not always doing it with adequate (IMHO) force, again, due to fear of losing seats: local, state or federal.  To quote Edmund Burke:  "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing."

Remember, Hitler came to power in Gemany without ever having won a parliamentary majority (44%) in March of 1933, the last "free" elections.  I'm just sayin'.

Been a little busy lately - but it really explains the name Ueber-G

Springtime is a very busy time for me and I've been very amiss in posting.  Here is why and it really explains my "nom de blog", given to me by my friend Counterlight.

I chair the LGBT Life Committee at my home parish, The Church of St. Luke in the Fields in New York City.  While we provide our parish with LGBT events, both educational and social, throughout the year, our main focus is LGBT Pride Month in June.  This job entails organizing a benefit concert by one of our extremely talented choir members, Mr. Todd Frizell, entitled The GayAttitudes - Blessed are the Fabulous; arranging for an Adult Education evening with a relevant speaker, the Rev. Tobias Haller BSG, author of "Reasonable and Holy - Engaging Same Sexuality"; helping to organize a Picnic for over 250 people with CenterKids from the NYC LGBT Center;  finding a preacher and bishop for our annual Festive Choral Evensong on Gay Pride Day; and overseeing the design and production of T-Shirts which help pay for it all.  I must say that I am blessed with a wonderful group of volunteers who have, over the years, made this job a joy. 

This year we are also blessed by a visit from the Rt. Rev. Christopher Senyonjo, retired Bishop of West Buganda, Uganda and chaplain of Integrity Uganda.

More information about St. Luke's Pride Month Events can be found here:

http://stlukeinthefields.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=308&Itemid=142

If this were not enough, as a member of the LGBT Concerns Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, I am also organizing our over 200 parishes, along with Integriy NYC Metro and Oasis Newark, to cooperate and march together, with music and a float in the annual LGBT Pride March  (I am reminded of the old joke:  "I don't believe in 'organized religion', I'm an Episcopalian.)  I also have to make sure we raise the $6000.00 to make this happen.

More about the LGBT Concerns Committee of the Diocese of New York can be found here:

http://www.dioceseny.org/pages/346-lgbt-concerns

I have also recently joined the Steering Committee of Integrity NYC Metro and been named the official Diocesan Organizer for the Diocese of New York for Integrity,  a 35 year old LGBT advocacy group within the Episcopal Church.

This is all in addition to a regular 9-5 job to pay the bills.

I've finally taken a week off from the 9-5 in order to make sure that all is in order for Pride Week, including my mental health.  

Presiding bishop issues pastoral letter to the church

I haven't blogged in a long time (more on that anon), but this is too wonderful not to post.

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_122615_ENG_HTM.htm