I DID IT! - Preached on LGBT teen suicides

I DID IT - preached on LGBT teen suicides and came out as an Ally and my parishioners were supportive and appreciative. I do have most of a full text, but didn't preach exactly word for word. Hoping the audio recording came out so I can revise my hard copy to read exactly as preached. Will try to post something later.

My nephew. And still thinking & websurfing

I had a whole list of things I wanted to do today, but most of the day has been preoccupied by thinking about LGBT issues and whether to preach, and looking for resources, and reading and learning. I'm a little frustrated by lack of local organizations or resources... at least in my internet searching. I'd love to take part in Ally Week that will happen later this month, but the one program is really run by Gay Straight Alliances which are student programs. I'm not a teacher and I don't have any children in school. I don't even know if local high schools have a chapter. I looked like at one time a local community college did, but that myspace page for it looked pretty outdated and inactive.

Still Thinking about LGBT issues & Preaching

After I posted yesterday's entry both here and to an egroup I belong to, I found myself continuing to think about it, and whether or not to preach this week. It seems like it's working on me, like sermons often do... especially if I start my sermon prep earlier in the week, but I haven't made the space to really pray about it yet.

I don't know about you, but the shower (or driving in the car, or some other busy task that keeps my body occupied but lets my mind wander) is a place where parts of a sermon often come together. It's where I might get ideas of something I want to say and how to say it, or what the introduction is to kind of set up the sermon and have me poised for where I want to go, and often at the last minute it's where things gel enough that all the thoughts and ideas I've encountered get weeded through enough that suddenly the several main points and a possible order or outline that makes sense clicks into place. The only problem with that is that you are now dripping wet, and so you have to try and remember what came to you long enough to write it down. Sometimes, if I suspect this is going to happen, I'll take the clipboard and ballpoint pen (won't smear) with me and have them on the counter just outside the shower so I can write down what has occurred to me. If it happens while I'm driving, I will sometimes call home and leave myself voicemail messages.

Preaching on LGBT Suicides?

Similar to the article at The Episcopal Cafe, and was quoted in it, is this Open Letter to Religious Leaders at the Washington Post.
Open Letter

http://tinyurl.com/2dqdx6l

A UU minister talks about the current situation/events and encourages us to offer support for LGBT youth and adults, perhaps even from the pulpit, as National Coming Out Day is October 11.

Given some of the history in my parish of previous rector causing a split and leaving because of GC 2003 & Bp. Gene Robinson, I have some anxiety about talking about this in the pulpit even tho the ones with the most issues left with previous rector. (I did talk about similar intolerance issues related to Muslims the Sunday after 9/11 and people were appreciate and supportive afterward).

A Season to Be Present

As I write this we are several days into a new season. Autumn began officially on September 23rd this year. Vacations have been taken and we are beyond the “lazy days of Summer.” You can sense the change happening all around us as school gets into full swing, the nights dip into the 50s and 40s, the trees along Main Street begin to show us their brilliant red and gold hues, and we find ourselves thinking about wearing long sleeves or a jacket.

To me, when September and October arrive, with them come the sense that it’s “time to get back to work.” I think part of that comes from being a student for so much of my life. I’ve grown accustomed to the change in rhythm that comes with a new Fall Semester. I think part of it is also related to the rhythm of parish life and the Church Calendar. Things that were put on hold during the summer start up again as people return from their travels, and at the same time we find ourselves thinking about Diocesan Convention & stewardship, and nearing the end of our longest Church season and needing to plan for Advent.

Busy Day

It's 9:30pm, been on the go since 7:30am until about an hour ago... including being notified of a death of friend of parishioner that I'd ministered to some including prayers this week at the start of hospice care (might be involved in funeral), newsletter article/pics, laundry, being at our booth at the local Harvest Festival, an Open House & Dinner at the local Islamic Center and phone call to parishioner to check on their spouse who has been in the hospital. Starting to lose some steam, but still need to finish figuring out tomorrow's sermon. At least clothes for tomorrow already ironed and all set out, which I'm not always good at doing the night before. :)

Still feeling drawn toward faith (particularly 2Timothy re: first lived in family/elders, and the concept of "rekindling").