I

JUNE 1971
I VOL.2 NO.5
DUN A T ION FIFTY CE NTS

Publisher:
Donald Hughes
Editor:
Fred Convell
Treasu:rer :
Rev. Louis Laynes
Circulation:
Bob Quinn
Staff Photographer:
Pat Rocco
Feature Writers:
C. ShawnFarrell
Al Correa
Pat Rardin
Graphic Designer:
Connie Vaughn
Stc;UfWriters:
Kathy Laine
Marie Woody
Paul Winders
Board of Elders of Universal
Fellowship of Metropolitan
Canmunity Churches:
Reverend TrDy D. Perry
Reverend John H. Hose
Reverend Richard A. Ploen
Reverend Louis Loynes
In Unity is published monthJy by
the Universal Fellowship oD
Metropolitan Ccmnuni ty Churches.
Editorial Offices in Los Angeles
California.Mailing Address: 2201
South Union Avenue, Los Angeles,
Ca. 90007. Copyrighted 1971. All
rights reserved. Reproduction In
whole or part without permission
is· proh.i:bited. .
Address letters to Editor of In
Unity. No anonymousletters will
be considered for publication.
There is a monthly theme for the
magazine, which we will follow
for most of the articles. The
theme for July is ."Justice and
Freedom for all". All copy must
be into this office by June 10th.
The theme for August is "Surrnner
Vacations" • Pli copy must be in
this office by July lOth.
1 -PSALMS
r
WOMEN
WEDEACH
OTHER
IN
"SOCIALEVENT
OFDECADE"
BANGKOK - The BangkokPost today described
the recent marriage of a wealthy land own-
er and a young market vendor - both women.
"hundreds of people from miles around
flocked" to the ceremony in the northern
Province of Kamphaengphet,the EngliSh-lan-
guage newspaper reported.
"It rapidly took on the proportions
of the social event of the year, if not the
decq.de."
The land owner had always dressed in
men's clothing, the newspaper reported ,and
when she met the 24-year-old vendor three
years ago she decided not to reveal her
true sex.
"The ranance blossaned," the newspa-
per said, "But the secret finally came out
three morrths ago."
To the land owner's delight,the news-
paper said, the vendor decided it made no
. difference.
The mother of the "bride" asked for a
dowry of $200 but the land owner increased
it to $300 and threw in other valuables as
well. The couple now live in the hone of
the land owner.
GOD'S OPULENT GOODNESS IS ACTIVE IN MY
LIFE NOW. PRAISE GOD, I KNOW THIS!
NO longer travel a path dark with fear, lack,
I weakness, or worry. From this moment for-
ward I travel a path of light, for now I know
that God's opulent goodness is active in my life.
My heart tells me that God abides in me as
radiant wholeness. My mind reminds me of my
ability to think God's thoughts of life, love, joy,
and peace.
My life shows forth the light that shines from
within .me. My affairs are blessed with the very
order of heaven. My whole life is transformed. I
am made new.
Right where I am, I see the goodness of God at
work in me, in my mind, body, and affairs. My
relations with others are blessed by my new aware-
ness of God's harmony. Everything in my world is
peaceful, joyous, uplifted. Yes, God's opulent
goodness is active in my life now. Praise God, I
know this! I am abundantly provided for in every
area of my life.
T he lines have fallen for me in pleasant places,'
yea, I have a goodly heritage.
16:6.
 FROM THE PEN OF: With the month of June being schedul-
Reverend Perry ed for several weddings,I feel that we are
really showing that we are not afraid any-
more. We are truly proud to accept the
vows through the church and through God.

Until next month,

Yours an Christ,

"NOW
I PRONOUNCE
YOUMARRIED--"

M.C.C. was in existence about three

weeks when I was approached by ty,;o young
men whowanted to be married by me.I talk-
ed with them,(they did not attend MCC,they
were both RamanCatholic) and I asked as I
do even today with couples, "why"they want-
ed to be married? "We want the blessings
of God on our lives and in our relation-
ship with each other. Wealso want the
blessings of the Church. Wefeel we will
receive that in a wedding service", an-
swered the older of the tHO fellows.
Twoweeks later, I performed the wed-
ding service in my home. That was 2 1/2
years ago. A lot has transpired since then
and to date, I have personally married
sixty-six couples. Weare soon approaching
the day when a license ~~ll be issued and
there will be total acceptance of our mar-
riage. Our current rule is that ty,;opeople
living together as a couple for a period
of 6 morrths may be married by one of our
ministers. I perform this service and pro-
vide a certificate of manrdage," This cer-
tificate can be recordeq through the
county recorder if the couple wishes. There .4- •
are currently couples who have filed joint •...
r.~~
i

income tax returns and own_ property in "May the Lord bless you and keep you
joint tenancy. As far as I know,these have and cause His face to shine upon' you • • ."
not been contested or questioned. The time
for this is nearing and we must not be a-
fraid. Wemust stand up and be counted. FOR UNITY
This is the only way the laws will ever be
changed. ' We were one at the start
One of our deacons brought an article And now we are many.
in from the Daily Signal. The article was Not just the many of divers ity
titled: "TwoMen 'Married' in San Francisco But the many of divis ion, too.
Church". The article stated that the cere-
Truth is one. You are one.
monywas performed in Glide MemorialMeth-
odist Church, by Reverend Lloyd Wake. The -Why can It we be one?
event was witnessed by 20 persons and the And know in You the unity of Love?
pastor called ita "Covenant" ceremony.
Amen 2
 Looking for the Way?
Love God? Join Us Today!

MILWAUKEE

OULUD
• SACRAHUTO
AJI F RUCISCO • DElVER METROPOLITIAN
COMMUNITY
CHURCHES

• PHOENIX
~HONOLULU
• Tucsoll
• DALLAS

WORSHIP SERVICE DIRECTORY

CHURCHES Metropolitan canmunity Church

San Francisco
Metropolitan Canmunity Church California Hall
Los ~eles 625 Polk Street
220r ~Union Ave. San Francisco, California 94102
Los Angeles, Calif. 90007 415-864-3576
213-748-0123
Rev. HowardWells, Pastor
Rev. Troy D. Perry, Pastor Rev. Alice Naumoff, Asst. Pastor
Rev. John H. Hose, Assistant Pastor Sunday 1: 00 PM
Rev. Richard A. Ploen, Minister of
Christian Education MCCCommunityCenter
Rev. Kenneth R. Jones, Minister of 1760 Market Street
Visitation San Francisco
Sunday 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 7:00 PM

Metropolitan Canmunity Church Good Shepherd Parish,

<.
San DiV~o Metropolitan Corrrnunity Church
Chollas lew Methodist Church ( Chi
906 North 47th Street 3342 ~h Broadway
San Diego, California Chicago, Illinois 60657
714-234-9909 312-248-1525
Rev. John H. Hose, Pastor J
I
Deacon Howard Williams, Asst. Pag,tor Rev. Arthur Green, Pastor
Sunday 7: 30 PM Sunday 7: 00 PM

3
Christ Chapel, MIS S ION S
Metropolitan Camnunity Church
1259 Victoria Street
Costa Mesa, California 92627 TampaMission
714-548-6868 PO BOx1063, Tampa, Florida 33602
Rev. Lee J. Carlton
Rev. Rodger Harrison, Pastor
Sunday 7: 00 PM Eastbay Mission of SF Church
Metropolitan Corrnnuni
ty Church
Metropolitan Comnunity Church 440 Santa Clara
Miami Oakland, California 94610
Write P.O.Box 5077, Miami 33131 Sunday 7: 30 PM
920 Alton Rd. Jim Sandmire, Worship Coon:lina.tor
Miami Beach, Florida
305-377-1088 HarmonyMission of SF Church
Metropolitan Corrnnuni
ty Church
Rev. P. Bradley Wilson, Pastor 2315 1/2 L Street
Rev. DonaId Hoffman, Asst. Pastor Sacramento, California 95816
Sunday 11: 30 AM, 7: 30 PM 415-442-0503
Deacon Joseph H. Gilbert,
Metropolitan Canmunity Church Worship Coordinator
Phoenix Sunday 5: 00 PM
4 Oi E• Roosevelt
Phoenix, Arizona 85002 Milwaukee Mission of Chicago Church
602-274..,9567 Metropo1i tan Corrnnuni
ty Church
Contact Chicago Church
Rev. Robert J. Cunningham, Pastor
Sunday 1: 00 PM Denver Mission of LA Church
Metropolitan Camnunity Church
Metropolitan Oorranuni
ty Church Bethany Methodist Church
W~ton, D.C. 3501 West 1st Ave.
PO Box 1 Sunday 7: 30 PM
Riverdale, Maryland
Tucson Mission of Phoenix Church
Rev. Paul Breton, Pastor Metropolitan Oorranuni
ty Church
Broadway & Country Club
Metropolitan Corrnnuni
ty Church Tucson, Arizona
Dallas ~
First Unitarian Church \ Deacon Allan Mros, Missionary
5014 Normandy
Dallas, Texas ;
214-824-0770 / NewOrleans Mission of SD Church
Elysian Fields Parish
/
Rev. Richard Vincent, Pastor Metropolitan Canmunity Church
The Upstairs (Theater in back)
Metropolitan Oorranuni
ty Chunch I 604 lberville
NewOrleans, La,
Street
. Honolulu, Hawaii
2500 Pali Highway
Honolulu, Hawaii Rev. David E. Solamon, Missionary
808-247-2738
Dear Lord, help me today to r.emove every obstacle to the
gospel's spread beginning with me, and let me (10 som etliin g
Rev. Ron Hanson, Pastor affirmative to carry heaven's message to someone, I" Jesus'
Sunday 7: 30 PM name. Amen.

4

FAMOUS GAY LOVERS
What is meant by famous? Here in Los
Angeles?Across the nation? Or around
the world? If you are talking about
lovers of today, I believe you would
have to keep it on a local basis.And
as far as being famous locally,I be-
lieve that at least 75% of our con-
gregation knows Spider and Quinn.
On April 15, 1971, Spider and Quinn
celebrated their third anniversary
being together and on April 16, 1971
at 7:30 P.M., They were married by
Reverend Troy b. Perry at Metropol-
itan Community Church of Los Angeles.
This was the first "public" wedding
in our new church. That is, by "pub-
lic" I mean by invatation with about
200-250 in attendance.
The whole service was beautiful. It
started with Reverend Perry coming
down the isle. He was followed by
Spide~ and Quinn, who in turn were
followed by Sal and Grif. All four
wore black and white shirts of the
same style, but each shirt with a
different pattern. They also wore
white pants and black boots. Every-
thing about the service was beauti-
ful, from the first word spoken by
Reverend Perry to Willie's rendi-
tion of the song "Follow Me". As
they said their "I Do's" and t hen
kissed at the end of the ceremony,
the tears were falling profusely.
Among the guests present, were, of
course, members of MCC, Spider's
Mother and many of their friends
from outside of the Church. Inviting
them to the wedding was one way
to expose them to MCC.
5
I
The reception was held in our down-
stairs recreation room. Champagne
Punch, beer and lots of good food
was served by friends who were also
members of MCC.
There were tables set up around the
room and a special table set up for
the wedding party with the wedding
cake on it. The .wedding party table
was for Spider, Quinn, Sal, Grif and
Spider's Mother. It was sure wonder-
ful to see a relative at a wedding
in the Gay Community.
A special toast was drunk to the
couple, who in turn drank one to
all of their friends. Then, after
Spider and Quinn had their first
dance, all joined in dancing.
During the Reception, "Just Married"
signs were made for both the front
and back of their pickup and strings
of cans were tied to the back. When
they left, motorcycles led the way,
followed by Spider and Quinn in
their pickup and then by a whole
string of cars with their horns
blowing away. This procession went
about half-way across town.
With the beautiful wedding ceremony,
the good food and the abundance of
champagne, punch and beer, it was a
night that will not be easily for-
gotten by those who participated or
by the guests in attendance.
by Pat Rardin
fiink onthee,
and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day
arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns
at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remernber'd
such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change
my state with kings.
William Shakespeare
 uals have prayed but are still homo-
sexual. As for Father Harvey and his
chastity, even many Catholic priests
are disputing this today.

The other extreme is presented by

Reverend Thomas Maurer, an ordained
minister of the United Church of
Christ, who states that the Bible is
more or less just a history book and
that it just doesn't pertain to to-
day's morality. Homosexuals should
not "ape" the heterosexual society by
marrying, jointly owning property or
main~aining fidelity. Homosexuals
should create their own life style
and perhaps even show the straight
society how to live wi th the "new
ISGAYGOOD? morality". 'Maybe I'm old-fashioned,
but I believe that there should be
morality in all life styles and that
This book, subtitled "Ethics, Theology love in itself creates morality.
and Homosexuality", presents the
view of fifteen authors. The editor T~e rest of the book is well done
gives a rather long introduction but rather conservative. Father
which is constantly being interrupt- Henri J.M. Nouwen, another Catholic
ed by footnotes, 107 in all. The ex- priest, states that the most impor-
tremely varied views of these au- tan t thing a homosexual mu st do is
thors range from the very old and to learn to accept himself. If you
trite "all homosexuals are sick? to can accept yourself, your sexuality
the newer, but still trite "new mor- will not bother you (whether you are
ality". Both of these extremes are homosexual or,heterosexual).
just that- extremes. They are not
theologically speaking, good or Reverend H. Kimball Jones, a l'1ethod-
right. ist minister, states that mor~ stud-
ies on homosexuality need to be done
Professor Carl F.H. Henry, of the for a better and greater unde r-s t en ct-
Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary ing. The church should lead the way
states that homosexuality is a sin. in showing, teaching and practicing
The only way to get out of this sin- this understanding.
ful state is to pray to Christ t6
make you into a heterosexual. Father The only female contributors to this
John F. Harvey says that Christian- book co-authored one section in
ity is love, but neurotics are not which they discuGsed Lesbian moral-
capable of love. (And, of course,all ity. Almost everything they say per-
homosexualS are neurotic.) The only, tains to all homosexuals and hetero-
chance a homosexual has, according sexuals,too.They do come on a little
to this Catholic Priest, is to live strong in saying that the church has
a completely chaste life, to medi- forced many homosexuals into alco-
tate at least twenty minutes a day, holism, drug usage, promis~uity, and
attend Mass and Communion as often finally prisons and menfal :"nstitut-
as possible, have a carefully chosen ions. They are probably right in an
confessor and guide and keep fully indirect way, tho. (These two women,
involved in works of charity. . Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon,are also
co-authoring a book on homosexual
Every church will tell you that, al- morality which will be pu~lished
though all prayers are answered, you later this year.)
may not get the answer that you
think you should get. Many homosex- Dr. Lewis Willi~~s Ph.D. states that
aont on page 32 6
COMMUNES
AND
HOMOSEXUAL
DADDIES
uite a different alternative lies in the com-
munal family. As transience increases the
loneliness and alienation in society, we
can anticipate increasing experimentation
with various forms of group marriage. The
banding together of several adults and
children into a single "family" provides a kind of insurance
against isolation. Even if one or two members of the house-
hold leave, the remaining members have one another.
Communes are springing up modeled after those described
by psychologist B. F. Skinner in Walden Two and by
novelist Robert Rimmer in The Harrad Experiment and
Proposition 31. In the latter work, Rimmer seriously pro-
poses the legalization of a "corporate family" in which from
three to six adults adopt-a single name, live and raise children
in common, and legally incorporate to obtain certain eco-
nomic and tax advantages.
According to some observers, there are already hundreds
of open or covert communes dotting the American map.
Not all, by an:}; means, are composed of young people or
hippies. Some are organized around specific goals-like the
group, quietly financed by three East Coast colleges, which
has taken as its function the task of counseling college fresh-
men, helping to orient them to campus life. The goals may
be social, religious, political, even recreational. Thus
We shall also see many more "family" units
consisting of a single unmarried adult and one or more chil-
dren. Nor will all these adults be women. It is already
possible in some places for unmarried men to adopt children.
In 1965 in Oregon, for example, a thirty-eight-year-old
musician named Tony Piazza became the first unmarried
man in that state, and perhaps in the United States, to be
granted the right to adopt a baby. Courts are more readily
granting custody to divorced fathers too. In London, photog-
rapher Michael Cooper, married at twenty and divorced
soon after, won the right to raise his infant son, and ex-
pressed an interest in adopting other children: Observing
that he did not particularly wish to remarry, but that he
liked children, Cooper mused aloud: "Ideally, I'd like a big
house full of children-all different colors, shapes and sizes."
Romantic? Unmanly? Perhaps. Yet attitudes like these will
be widely held by men in the future.
Two pressures are even now softening up the culture,
preparing it for acceptance of the idea of child rearing by
man. First, adoptable children are in oversupply in some
places. Thus, in California, disc jockeys blare cornmer-
cials: "We have many wonderful babies of all races and
nationalities waiting to bring love and happiness to the right
families ... Call the Los Angeles County Bureau of Adop-
tion." At the same time, the mass media, in a strange non-
conspiratorial fashion, appear to have decided simul~a-
neously that men who raise children hold special interest for
the public. Extremely popular television shows in recent
seasons have glamorized womanless households in which
men scrub floors, cook and, most significantly, raise chil-
dren. My Three Sons, The Rifleman, Bonanza and Bachelor
Father are four examples.
7
We may even begin to find families based on homosexual
"marriages" with the partners adopting children. Whether
these children would be of the same or opposite sex remains
to be seen. But the rapidity with which homosexuality is
winning respectability in the techno-societies distinctly
points in this direction, In Holland not long ago a Catholic
priest "married" two homosexuals. England has rewritten
its relevant legislation; homosexual relations between con-
senting adults are no longer considered a crime. And in the
United States a meeting of Episcopal clergymen concluded
publicly that homosexuality might, under certain circum-
stances, be adjudged "good". The day may also come when
a court decides that a couple of stable, well-educated homo-
sexuals will make good "parents". ,
ANG.LICAN CHURCH URGED
TO BLESS HOMOSEXUAL TIES
King's Lynn, England. A former press
officer to the Archbishop of Canterbury has
appealed to Anglican Church officials to
consider granting the church's blessing to
homosexuals who wish to establish "a perma-
nent loving relationship."
Michael de-la-Noy told a congregation
at St. Margaret's Church that official
church teaching for centuries has made the
"disastrous error" of specifying that man's
sexual nature was intended entirely for
procreation.
"I am thinking of two homosexuals, men
or women, who will be homosexual whethe!
the Church likes it or not, who wish to es-
tablish a permanent, loving relationship,
who happen to be Christians, and who want
the Church's blessing on their relation-
ship," de-la-Noy said.
"Can there be any logical reason why
the Church 'should continue to condemn him
or her to a life of furtiveness, false
friendships, deception and all the other
unnecessary and destructive p~essures that
are at present piled upon a situation
fraught with enough already?"
He said there was an "urgent need" for
theological colleges and seminaries to con-
sider incorporation of courses on sexual
counseling.
::de-la-Noy, director of the Sexual Law
Reform Society, was dismissed from his post
as press officer to the Archbishop because
of his views on sex.
••• Put on love, which binds everything together in per-
fect harmony.-CoL. 3: 14_
 FUGITIVE LOVE

by Marc Thorsen

The outstanding historical case of homo-

phile devotion is given in the biblical re-
corn of Jonathan and David with its slan-
derous, vicious persecution-A love sealed
wlth a divine covenant that modernculture
repudiates with sniggering sensational
gutter publicity.

The soul of Jonathan. was knit with the

soul of David••• and David and Jonathan
made a covenant to the Lorn for he loved
him as his ownsoul. Saul (his father)
did not look on David with a good eye frxm
that day forward •. Saul spoke to Jonathan,
his son and to all his servants, that they
should kill David. But Jonathan loved
David exceedingly. And Jonathan told Da-
vid, saying: "Saul, my father, seeketh to
kill thee; wherefore look to thyself, I
beseech thee. "But David fled and escaped.
David fled frxm Ramatha , and carneand said
to Jonathan; "Whathave I done, what is my
iniquity against thy father, that he seek-
eth my life?--As the Lorn· liveth and my
soul liveth, there is but one step, as I David rose out of his place, which was to
may say between me and death. Deal merci- ward the south, and falling on his face to
fully then with thy servant for thou hast the ground, adored thrice; and kissing one
brought me thy servant into a covenant of another, they wept together, AndJonathan
the Lorn with thee. "-Then Saul, being said to David: "Go in peace and let all
angry against Jonathan, said, "Do I .not stand that we have sworn both of us in the
know? (Slander with "Congressional Irrnnuni- nameof the Lorn saying:The Lorn be between
ty?" - The "Blackmailers Charter") thou me and thee forever."
lovest David to thy own confusion and to
confusion of thy shameless mother (pev- David arose and fled from the face of Saul
vert). For as long as David liveth upon and came to Achis the king of Geth-- David
earth, thou shalt not be established, nor went from thence and fled to the cave of
thy kingdom. ("Thtotional instability" - Odollam--andDavid departed from thence and
"Psychoneurotic" - moderri,) Therefore now fled to Moab.
fetch him to me for he shall surely be put
to death (a criminal - an enemyof society, Nowit cameto pass--Jonathan slain in b,at-
- a security risk - modern). tle--David made this kind of lamentation
over Jonathan-;"I £rr'ievefor thee my bro-
And Jonathan answering Saul, his father ther Jonathan; exceeding beautiful and ami-
said: "Whyshal he die? Whathath he able to me above the love of women.As the
done?" And Saul caught up a spear to mother loveth her own son, so did I love
strike him. And Jonathan understood that thee.
it was determined by his father to kill
David. So Jonathan rose in great angev- I & II Kings - Ibuay Version
for he was grieved for David because his or
father had put him to shame (slander). I & II Samuel, R. V.
8
THE SEMINARY CORNER VIEW FROM THE SEMINARY

by Rev. Richard Ploen. Dean \' ,

This year we have

attend classes
had 28 people
at Samaritan Bible
. '1hrovf/A
Seminary. This is rem~rkable ~onsid-
\: \ :/ne
eringit
ation.
is our first year of oper-
'\ \

The faculty has a great deal of in-

£jtldtj
fluence on the learning processes
and the overall morale of the
dent body. Rev.
stu-
Roger Harrison,
1/);i7dotJ/
Pastor of our Costa Mesa Church,
taught second quarter. Roger has a HELP IN THE TIME OF NEED
wit that makes a subject, no matter
how dull, seem to come to life.
Lance Dannenbrink, although working Our everyday view of MCC congrega-
on his Ph.D., managed to travel into tions is necessarily limited to LA,
the big city regularly every Friday Costa Mesa, and San Diego. By induc-
to impart some bits of wisdom. Some tion we assume that the ministerial
of which he perhaps had just gleaned overload we see here exists in all
from his study. But this made it all of our churches and missions.
the more interesting. James Watson
also came in from Claremont for the We find there are simply not enough
classes in Pastoral Counseling. Some hours in the day for our Pastors to
of the "eager beavers" in the class answer all the demands made on them
could hardly wait to use some of for counselling, visitations, and
their new knowledge in their Field speaking engagements.
Work assignments. Rev. Perry is
teaching during the Spring quarte~ To all of the Pators and Ministers
keeping the sessions lively and per- of the MCC Fellowship from the stu-
tinent. Jon Bullock came to US quite dents in the Seminary: Thank you for
by chance and he has been a great your splendid examples of Christian
asset in our Practice of Preaching service. Since we do not have a sin-
and Sermon Preparation. Each one of gle Joshua among us, the best we can
the students has a sermon ready to do is offer our help with whatever
"tryout" should they be invited. would lighten your schedule.
John Hose, President of the Seminary
~as been guiding policies whili Within the obvious geographical lim-
teaching in both the fall and spring itations, here is a reservoir of
quarters. As Dean, I have had the help for you to draw on which at
chance of getting my licks in the present is virtually unused.
first quarter and then sitting back
to watch. To the Pas tors of our more d istan t
churches, 'please remember that the
The school is off to a good start Seminary does not have classes from
and we have God to be thanked for the middle of June to the middle of
this. He inspired US to start September. Possibly one or more of
Samaritan Bible Seminary and he has the students will be on vacation In
provided the facilities, the staff your area. If you don't know any of
and continues to send us students. the students, cont act the Dean- Rev.
We have a long way to go but by Richard Ploen-for names, addresses,
GOd's Grace we will be what He wants and telephone numbers.
us to be. "Lord,send a great revival
in our time." Amen •.••• -Lark B. Johnston,Seminarian
9
THE ART
OF LIVING
TOGETHER
by Robert ~alarzo Murphy
When we think of the word "art" we
think of a great masterpiece created by an
individual which is admired by many. It's
value is so high that many times the ordi-
nary person cannot afford to buy it but only
admire.
Let us turn our thoughts to the art of
living together as lovers (or,as in my case,
as married homosexuals). Many have the idea
that there is nothing to it when two indi-
viduals are living together. But as we have
found out, and I am sure most sincere cou-
ples feel the same way, that there is an art
of living together. It is a masterpiece that
is created by two individuals who are in love
and know it will take a life span to achieve
the masterpiece they are making together.
There is no monetary value placed on
this art but a value of love which grows as
the years go by. It is the art of learning
how to bend for your other half, the art of
needing each other and not being self-depend-
ent and self-centered. It is trust and to-
tal confidence in each other. It is working
together when problems arise and becoming
involved together which brings a deeper
understanding and a deeper admiration for
each other.
As a married couple, we have entered
into a personal and religious alliance with
each other. Remember, when we fall in love
with this individual we fall in love with
their faults and their funny ways just as
they must accept the funny ways and faults
we have. This is the reason that living
together is the only example of a happy
meeting of the immovable object and the ir-
resistible force. Without a little incom-
patability the spice of love would become
boring. It is so beautiful making up. I am
sure, in all honesty, there will always be
debates and even combat over everything that
is debatable. Always bear in mind, never let
a night pass when there is a disagreement
that your eyes do not close in loveand peac~
You may wake up in the morning and Almighty
God may have called your other half to his
eternal reward.
A Catholic Priest named Father Payton
has as his motto: "The family that prays to-
gether, stays together". Indeed this should
be our motto. Each day we should pray, in
our own words, to God for guidance. We too
often pray for things we want, but most of
the time we fail to make prayers of thanks-
giving. We will never cease needing God,
but if we start to, we better take an inven-
tory of our lives before we slip into a rut
which we may never get out of. When we start
to become independent and forget about God
we are fooling ourselves, as many times in-
dividuals have found out the hard way.
In our lives as lovers or married homo-
sexuals there will be less disillusion and
heartaches when we learn to understand that
from illusions come a deep and abiding love.
Love is the passionate and abiding desire to
produce together and spontaneously express
our real self. You must think more of your
partnership than of yourself as an individ-
ual. Love is an interweaving of interests,
facing of sacrifice,and contentment achieved
from mutual efforts. The more completely
one can express himself to his other half
the more deeply he can love.
When there is sincere love,the individ-
ual knows that differences of opinion are
not the same as loss of emotional unity. True
love is not blind--it sees faults as well as
virtues. Accept the fact that no one is per-
fect.
Love says with an honest and sincere
feeling "I know that I irk you and at times
you also irk me "; But we both will learn how
to work the irks out and we will do this to-
gether. We will cherish each other for what
we are, not for what we want each other to
be like. Love costs nothing. It is self-
discovery and self-fulfillment through
heal thy growth with and for the otherjper son,
Sincere love will grow as the years go by.
Experiencing love will lead to the discovery
of how to love better.
The strongest things in the world are
love and truth. They develop like a tree,
not in a steady process but an irregular on~
Love is patient till spring returns, love
can never be lost. Just as spring will ap-
pear, love will always appear. It's influ-
ence is always on our lives. I am sure that
even the Angel of Death does not take it
away.
When empty places appear in our love,
they are there to leave room for each part-
ner to turn around and feel free. A marriage
will always be easier if we mirror each
other. If you start off your relationship
with t~emendous differences, you can resolve
them over a lifetime of living together and
develop a strength that nothing can take
away. Each person has something to offer to
the other and that need never fails.It grows
as the tree of love grows. A good art of
living together is made of an improbable
combination. It is the strongest and most
10
 relaxed kind of unity there is.
I say the most important thingof living
together is that we both must start to catch
on to the fact that our lives together are
filled with many joys that neither of us i can stand alone
deserve. We must take the time to be alone and you cannot hear me laughing
together or we will forget to appreciate and all the time i am watching
what we have in this busy, bewildering, watching you
crowded, upset, exciting, and exhausting
life we share together. It began with the i can walk alone
two of us and it will, God willing, end with and you cannot see me walking
the two of us. This is how we entered into and i am all the time walking
our personal and religious alliance to each walking by you
other and this is how God planned it. Each
day I thank God for all He has given us.Yes, i can cross your way
we are homosexuals that love God and we will and you cannot see me smiling
never cease thanking God and praising Him and all the time i am calling
and doing His work according to His devine calling your name
plan.
i can hear your laughter
and you cannot know it
and a LL the time yollre thinking
PAX VOBISCUM thinking i am another's
Robert M. Murphy
i can read your thoughts
DON'T MISS IT and i cannot show it
and all the time you are wondering
wondering too
To a voracious reader,no new namesare
apparent in The GayGeniuses by W. H. Kagy, i can love and i am "too"
M.D.However,awealth of iittle knownfacts and you cannot know it
about these personalities is presented in a and all the time we're hoping
highly readable manner. waiting our touch
In the introduction the authorindi-
cates that he leans (perhaps a little too
heavily) toward parental causation of ho- by cag
mosexuality. ..Throughoutthe ensuing chap-
ters he points out a large numberof disas- IV!! CHANGI!O· MY
tercus childhoods to Slbstantiate his view. MIND,IWQN'T
ANSWE~~ BECAuse--
After reading the histories of sameof the WELL. JUST BecAUSE!
artists, it seems a miracle that they were
stable enough to do any writing, painting,
or sculpting.
There is only one word to describe
this collection of thumbnail biographies:
fascinating! This book is bound to shock
the straight world which has been protected
from the "unpleasant" facts about some of
the worldr s greatest men. Dr. Kagy points
out that nearly all the biographers and
historians have deleted facts which might
be distressing to the pUblic or to survi-
ving relatives.
In this book you can learn about choir-
boys and the clergy; a sheik and his camel-
drivers, what Hannibal and his father had
in comnon,the real story of Andersenr s
Fairy Tales, whyPeter and Fredenick were
great, and answer the question - "WasWilde
realy wild?".
11

I
 1S short-termed and emotion-charged
as illustrated by the individual
who gets a "warm") toas 't y fee ling
for the first time at a worship
service and trots up the altar to
declare his dedication of his life
to Christ. His experience with the
Lord was valid) but a week later,
under the pressures of everyday
living) that individual becomes as
spiritually empty as he was before.
He did not realize that one emo-
tional and spiritual experience is
by no means adequate to insure a
dynamic) mature) endless relation-
ship with God.
The only successful manner to de-
velop an enduring, meaningful rela-
tionship with the Lord is one that
LOVERS is characterized by the conscious)
thoughtful development of an atti-
~ Rev. H ow a r dR. We 11 s tude that combines emotion and in-
tellect. An attitude like this does
not come naturally, but is induced
Pastor of MCC-San Francisco
by a sense of perspective that must
be constantly developed)examined)and
Today I would like to talk about a modified to make one's<life more sen-
subject that few of US can take an sitive to the Lord's guidance. A
indifferent attitude toward. That is Christian attitude is one that is
the subject of lovers! grounded in unquestioning faith con-
stantly maturing by the tempering
Each of us has his own op1n1on action of personal spiritual exper-
about whether it is worth having ience. This attitude that I speak of
d 10ver.If we feel that it is worth gives US strength to maintain and
the effort) heartaches) and tears) deepen our relationship with God
then we probably think that we know during good times and bad. It helps
how to catch one! But there must be uS maintain perspective when we find
more to it than being sexy and ric~ ourselves subjected to life<'s temp-
Witness the short-terms of most gay tations and adversities. Such spir-
relationships) especially male re- itual strength) courage and wisdom
lationships.It seems that most lov- can never be drawn from an exclu-
ers who vow that they shall be to- sively emotional relationship with
gether forever and ever end up, at God because emotions) by their very
best, as glorified roommates and)at nature,require that we respond in an
worst, bitter enemies. involuntary) transitory manner. In
effect,the rigid consistency of com-
So what is the secret of a success- pulsive emotional behavior enslaves
ful relationship between two mem- a person so that he cann6t respond
bers of our community? Obviously) to the long-term challenges of the
there is no easy answer. It's worth- Lord's will for his life.
while to investigate the character-
istics of a successful love affair So let's climb down from our ivory
with Christ and then see if those tower and apply two approaches to
characteristics are essential to a how we might relate to lovers. Let's
successful relationship with a po- consider the emotional approach
tential lover. first.We are probably more acquaint-
ed with this approach because it
There are two ways that people ap- manifests itself as infatuation.
proach Christ. The unsuccessful way Infatuation occurs when we see the
cont on page 30 12
 Nee WA5HIN(;TElN
B.e.
THE METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH IN
WASHINGTON, D. C.
The Dedication of the Metropolitan
Community Church of Washington, D.C. took
place on May 2, 1971. Nearly one year's
work and experimentation culminated in a
small but effective church located on Ca~
itol Hill in Washington. The results are
outstanding.
In October of 1969, work was begun
by Paul Breton to establish the Homophile
Social League of Washington. Formed on
January 24, 1970, the league attempted to
provide an added social life to the gay
community. In April of 1970,a discussion
on Religion and the Homosexual was spon-
sored by the Homophile Social League.This
discussion drew an audience of well over
fifty clergy. From this discussion grew
the concept of a trial experimental ser-
vice.
During the next few months, these
efforts met with nearly hopeless rejec-
tion. Finally, an experiment was held
on September 27, 1970, at All Souls Uni-
tarian Church in Washington, D. C. A community of five members and as a meeting.
Roman Catholic priest, a Methodist minis-
ter and a Unitarian minister joined hands
for an interdenominational liturgy for
gays. Well over 65 people were in atten-
dance. There followed four months of
services in which those participating ex-
perimented, tried and learned. Without
advertising and often with lack of hope,
those services led to the interim forma-
tion of the Community Church of Washing-
ton in January, 1971. Paul Breton was
chosen pastor of the church by the con-
gregation.
Three events took place to confirm
the role of the Community Church. First,
Dr. Franklin Kameny of the Mattachine
Society of Washington, ran for the office
of non-voting delegate to Congress. At
the invitation of his staff, Rev. Troy D.
Perry came to Washington to speak to the
community. The Community Church of Wash-
ington was to host this event at Stephen
13
and the Incarnation Episcopal Church.How-
ever, the local Episcopal Bishop closed
the doors of the church but at too late a
moment to change plans. As a result, Rev.
Breton, Rev. Perry and the congregation
held a Communion on the steps of St. Ste-
phen's, followed by a "pray-in" at Wash-
ington's National Cathedral on February
14, 1971. These actions brought about
wide-spread coverage by all the news ser-
vices, including television. Rev. Troy
Perry so impressed the people of Washing-
ton that the congregation requested the
immediate ordination of the pastor and
incorporation into the Universal Fellow-
ship. Second, Rev. Breton was ordained in
an interdenominational service at All Soul
Unitarian Church on Sunday,March 14,1971.
The ordaining ministerswere two Methodist
and.a Roman Catholic Congregationalist
minister of the underground church mov~
ment. Third, a home for the church was
found and purchased. By April 24, 1971,
the house, located at 705 - 7th Street,
S.E., Washington, was occupied. The house
is serving as a home for a gay Christian
place for the Metropolitan Community Church.
The first two services in the new
home each drew nearly 30 people.Apparent-
ly the church will experience growth. A
Chaplain at Catholic University donated a
lectionary. The Diocesan Laborers at
Catholic University donated an altar and
two pews. An Episcopal seminarian and a
Methodist minister have donated a cross
and two candlesticks. These are among the
many gifts and warm feelings which local
clergy and laity have given.
The congregation of the Community
Church of Washington voted unanimously on
February 28, 1971, to join the Universal
Fellowship of Metropolitan Community
Churches. The proper steps for this
coming together are now being taken. As
all the other churches in the denomination
the Metropon±an Community Church of Wash-
ington, D.C. will make its mark' in the
community.
14
, M'tn1"stsr': 1M-ends, we ape,hefle to w1"tness the OeZe'bflat.[,on of Love wh1,oh _-..._~~....,.._
and al'e to shaZ'e 1"nmar'M-age. ]jet ue 'begin 'by Z'eml,nd1,ngoUZ'.eZves thGit tovs
must be a paZ't of ota' Uvea, and oon!e88 that we have not 1-oved i.no'U(Jh~
A'LZ: ,lat;~'f1,yOU:' Son has shown us now to tov« and 1"ntJitesU8 to Zov, fan. ahDt;;teflas he
Zdi'J,sus. W, oon!,ss that ota' Uves hav. not 'been a fuZ!1,ZZment 01 th1,s. We have
b,en pflcua1and .,Zf1".h, tmpatient with ethel" and aZZ too aoaommodat1"ng to oUflseZves.
W, have not tZ'U.ted ,no'U(Jh 1,n yoU:' Zove and 1"n the Zove o! eaoh othefl. We have not
been open w1,th ,aoh othefl, a~aid to tak the ohanae that 1,n ZOV1,ng we m~ n~t be·Zov,d
1"n f1etufln. Thefts ~e t1"mes when we have had the 0ppofltun1"ty to make Zove fOfl ene {lM
noth'fI a fleaZ1"ty,and we have flema1"nd s1"Zent. lathefl, pafldon th. unk1"nd wOfld, the
olmpat1"ent gestU:'e, and the seZf1"sh de,d. Fo~1"ve ota' !a1"Zur to beooms 1"nvoZved 1"n
the need. of othefls. Gflant t'hat we may waZk a'l.way.1,n 1I0ta'pzt,.ena, () as to cw:Mve
at the fuZZn s. of Z1"fe.
M1"n1"s,eztl (shaZZ sail an ab.oZut1"on, then) Let u. pztay. Deaf' LOfld, th,se ~o p,opZe seek
to beo~e a on.. The~ have d.ata,a to thflow tn thet1' human Zot tog.the1' and to shafl'
and Zov. eaah oth,%', tn the h.tghts and 1"n th. d.pthB, l,n ,1,okn"s and l,n h,aZth, 1"n
p%'osp.%t'ttlland pove%''bW, l,n enthusw,m and o'espatzt. BZ", th.s, two p.opZ, Ch%,1"st.
n.a%' th. wo%,o,o! th LON as tt ts found tn the Boo'ks of Samu Z, Then Jonathan and
Davl,O,mad a oov.nant, beoauB. 71, Zoveo' hl,m as h1"s own souZ And th1,sl ! am dtstf'e -
,ea !Ofl th•• , mil b%'oth fI Jonathanl v,%'1IpZ asant ha t thou been tQ meJ thll Zove to m
was wond,f'fuZ, pas.l,ng th, Zov, o! w"",,n,
BeZov,d 1"n Ch%"'t.t. I flem1"ndyou that .t,adt •• t ZOVB ts a f'equ1,,1'mn,nt1.f you (1J'B to
.~tve th, d,pths and %',aah th h,tght. o/'!ov, and doy and l',aa,. !ask you now. Is
yOU%' oommitment to '/:aytogethef' arzd 'Olaf' witn"s to UOUZ' Zov, as Zong a. 1"t 'haZZ
Za t? wt zz you Zov, and abid, thfIU dOli and hta't? (I1.f'st1'e%'son)?
(11.f1.t P,%'.on)1 It i. and I wl,ZZ. Ent%',at m not to Z.av, th", Oft to fI'tuZ'n ~om foZ-
ZOW1,ng a.ft.%'the'J !Of' whl,th'fIthou go"t, I wtzz gOI and wh", thou Zodg"t, ! w1"ZZ
Zoagel thy p opZ, .haZZ b, my p.opZe, and thy God my GodJ Wh,~, thou 4t.,t, w1"ZZ I
at" and th fI' W1"n 1 b bta'tedJ ;11 Lo1'd do.o to m , and mort' aZ.o, t! ought but
d,ath p~t th" ana m,.
M1,n1,lt'~: (S,oond 1"f',on)?
(Seoond P'%I'on) I It 1" and I wt n. 1Jlntzt,at m, not to Z'a1}' th", Of' to Z"~m ft'()ff/ foZ •••
Zowtng ~t'%I th"1 foZ' whtth,f' thou gos,t, !.wttz gOI and 1471,.%" thou ZodR"t, I wtzz
Zodg'l thy p,opZ •• haZZ '0, mw ~,opZ', and thy God ~ Qodl Wh'%" thou
di" and t'h Z" wl,ZZ !'0, b~,dJ
~,.t,
th, Lo~ do 10 to m., and mOfl' at.o, 1,! ought but
w1,zz I
d,ath p~t th, and m ••
(It%l,t P'~'on): 13 Zl"v1,ng tn , thtng, (Ssotma 1',%',on), I of!,'I'my.tlt! to you (tempt,t,ty
to b, your' pous, 1,n mazsZ"f,ag,.
(S,oona p,zt on): I aoo pt you aI my POUSB, and b,~tvl,ng as you do, (Ftflst P'l'.on), !
ol!'%' my"tl to you o~Z,t Zy to be YOUII 'pou •• 1,,: maflfltag,.
(11.1"'1; PtlfI,on), I aoo,p; you a my .pOUB', and oaZZ up~m th, Chztt.ti.an or..mnun1.'/:W to wtt .•.
n", OUl' untem.
W'ttne." 1hav ",mtd aM ~'l(j.;'lg, tn,m.,tu •• to .aoh o1;h,Z'b,!oZ',
aod am 'fih", oemmun'lty. W/!J 1;,,1;1,111 'l;hatth,,, al" 7'I;~M on,.
M1.n1..t '1'1 By th au'l;ho~ty u, 1;,d 1,n m, by th, Etd~~J of the Untp,l' at F,ZZow,h1,p of
M t'l'opoz1,tanOommun1.iy Ohurohe and as th .t,01;," 6~~an1; of Oo~.gat1,on
and und,:t1 p:t10pt1,rml of th taw. ()f th 8Mt. of and b t", 1;nlJ
i :t1a'6{f1i
OOUClMnt t:md 1;ne bOM of mamtZg' you hav, QOn1;1'aQ1;,a. in ;k, nam of 'IikB 1'a1/;;,,1' and
of th, 80n and of 1;h, noZy 51''''1'1.1;.
1.n m1.n,. L,t us P:t1~. Oh, Lo%'d, our God, who i.
Pt,a., pZao, YOU:t1hand, 'l;og,'I;h,'I'
15
 fiercest love~ we ask you to bless these rings which and have
exchanged as a sign of their love. Let them be a sign of the love anahonor which can
uphold and enrich their lives. We ask that the love~ which has drawn them together
and led them to enter this marTiage~ may grow stronger in their life together. That
this Christian marriage may begin with joy and endure in peace~ we pray to the Lord.
That all present may be inspired by the love of this Christian couple~ and by the
faith in tihe ' future that enables them to come together in the churoh, we pray to the
Lord. By the grace of the Holy Spirit~ God~ you pour into the hearts of all men the
,gift to this couple and -to the community so that;th~v may be knaa by their love,
through cbriet, our Lord. Amen. Nota, let us pray to our Lord in words we are taught:
Our Father. • • (then shall the kiss be exchanged) Live joyfully and gratefully in
his love. Fill the world with the Spirit of Christ and in all things and in the very
midst of human affairs~ become a witness of Christ. Amen.

Presented at Ha~ony Mission~ MCC Saaramento~ California

LOVE-The Only Strength That Makes cutting off all his past life. But
Things One Without Destroying Them will this relationship ever last?
Will it ever have any real meaning?
by Bill Thorne
Chairman) Board of Deacons Love does not mean cutting off the
MCC-LA past. It means creating whole new
futures together. It doesn't mean
On what do you base your relation- that everything has to be done to-
ship with another person? Do you gether.lnalmost every instance when
really base it on love or is your two people have a truly lasting re-
life together based on a loose ar- lationship they each expect and re-
rangement that some call "love"? spect a strong outside interest in
some field. This interest may be at
What is love? Love is a very simple work, in social service or a hobby.
yet complex thing that people find But in every case they do not expect
only fleetingly if at all. In 1 Cor- to be completely egocentric in their
inthians 13 there is perhaps the relationship. That would be building
simplest and most complete answer of a relationship upon sand.
all. "Love is patient and kind; love
is not jealous or boastful;it is not There is a story about a young man
arrogant or rude. Love does not in- who asked his prospective father-in-
sist of its own way;it is not irrit- law for his daughter's hand in mar-
able or resentful; it does not re- .rige.
joice at wrong) but rejoice in the
right. Love bears all things) be- The old man asked) "Do you like my
lieves all things) hopes all things, daughter? The boy said) "I love your
endures all things.Love never ends." daughter, sir". The old man said, "I
am sure that you love her but do you
Do you act this way with the person like her?"
that you say is your lover? So often
a person says they are in love and The moral is that to really love
insist that their lover cut off all someone with a deep love that lasts
ties to his life previous to their a life time,you must really know and
meeting and do only what they tell like the person rather than the out-
them to do. He can no longer belong ward shell that we all too often
to that organization and he must fall in love with. If you take the
conform to the new standards set for time to really know that other per-
him. son and accept him, then this world
This is not love between two people. would be overflowing with love and a
One might love the other enough to new total commitment to mankind.
do most everything for him,including
16
 by JCF

The areation myihs of all religions tell of a creator

Who brought the universe into being so that He might break
the monotony of His solitude. Nature presumably provided
so muah happiness that a higher areature -- Man was in-
troduaed in the image of his creator.
Man understands himself from" his origin to be a area-
ture meant for aompanionship. Alone he rejoiaes at~ and
with~ Nature: deliaate blossoms~ rugged mountains~ pungent
odors~ froliasome animals. Yet -- like his creator -- he
yearns for a more in e imat:e and personal e ommu nion , This he
seeks among his own kind. Ouemohelmed by the impossibility
of aloseness with total humanity he beaomes disillusioned
with merely oaaasional superfiaial aontaats.
Thus man wisely seeks to establish and aultivate his
own island of intimaay within the oaeans of soaiety to pro-
teat his vital balanae. In suah an oasis meaningful soli-
tude and invigorating fellowship aan be intimately shared.
So we aongregate just now as a body of friends in ap-
proving and supporting roles with and
in this aat of aelebration of aommitment to eaah other as
they publiaZy establish eu eb a haven for themselves.
You do now willingly aommit yourselves to the person
who stands by your side to establish a partnership based on
love and trust?
(I DO)

Do you now pledge to make t~is relationship the pri-

mary foaus of your lifestyle; though you will aontinue to
esteem family~ friends and aaquaintanaes you will now hold
them in a seaondary position to the mutual affeation you
will bestow eaah upon the other?
( I DO)

A strong aord of truth runs through a Covenant penned

Tennessee Williams. The poet's words seem soft and whimsi-
aal but there is strength here in his smoothly aovered
tru th:
COVENANT

If you are happy~

I will give you an apple~
if you are anxiousa
I will twist your arm~
and if you permit me~
I will be glad to hold you
alose to my heart fqrever
and do you no harm.

This is a bargain~
only two aan make it.
This is a aovenant
offered with desperate aalm~
17
 It being unaertain that
lovers aan drive out demons
With the gift of an apple
or the twist of an arm.

With what publia token will you show your aommitments?

(Rings)

These endless airalets beaome the symbols for your

union. The ring is formed from one of the rarest of earth's
metals. Your days together may beaome an oaaasion of rare
union ~hen you lavish upon them the skill and attention
brought to the art by the ringsmith. These rings visibly
herald the invisible joining upon whiah you two now enter.
Take the ring, eaah of you~ and plaae it on the proper
finger and repeat after me:
"With these rings we join ourselves together."
And noW that and have publialy
dealared their intentions of aommitment toward eaah other,
and have exahanged publia pledges of their private affirma-
tions of union, it beaomes by privilege to dealare them
joined together in union from this day forward.

"Celebration of Commitment" was prepared by JMC.F.

a falling star
a flighting speak aarOBS the sky
THESE
and yellow moon
and danaing alouds
i wanted to share these with you
but you were not there.
~w~~r1(0) ~(f{)~~~
by aag
a misty aurtain
and dewy leaves glistening
as a tired sun wipes the sleep from its eyes
the fresh stir in the air
and a breath of youth
these i wanted to share with you
but you were not there.

a arumbled wall
an d but te r f lie e
and twisted logs, protruding roaks
and a tiny gate
just for one
aovered with ivy and branahes
i wanted to share these with you
but you Were not there.

the meadow's tranquility, and blades of grass

and the flow of the hills
and the quietude
and the solitude of a lonely boy
wi th shaggy hair>
and dimpled aheeks
these i wanted to share with you
but you Were not there.

REV.RONHAYES - JUNGLE
MISSIONARY
ByAlbert A. Correa
Ten years ago I read an engrossing
book called "The Jungle Search for Nature's
Cures." Briefly, it was the story of a w0-
manwhotraveled into the Peruvian jungle
on a grant frxm a major phannaceutical com-
pany in search of medicinal plants whose
properties are the cherished secrets of a
few witch doctors. Curare, for example, is
nowllnPortantto, modern surgical techniques ,
Rciuwol:Ha'-a"raw 'ingredient of tranquili-
zers, and quinine, all have their origin in
the forests of the Amazon. The jungle and
the Indians she met were vividly described,
but no photos accompanied her text, so I
was pleased and excited whenJim Mason, co-
ordinator of the Northeast Parish arranged
for Rev. Ron Hayes to showcolor slides at
our house of his seven years in Peru. A
member of about forty AmericanProtestant
missionaries, Ron had the opportunity to
travel deeply into the Amazonjungle under
primitive conditions to VX)rkwith various
Indian tribes.
Ron Hayes himself could be the sub-
ject of an interesting article. Wefirst
met in January 1971 - and a rapid introduc-
tion it must have been, for I no longer knew
his name when he entered. Of rather less
than mediumheight, with short brownhair
and a clear, alert expression, RonHayes'
self-assurance seems curiously inconsistent
with his youthful appearance. He speaks
rapidly with no visible trace of self-con-
sciousness, has agreeable features and an
intelligent self-satisfied mannerwhich is
usuarryevident in people whohave a healthy
mental opinion of themselves. He is an or-
dained protestant minister, a memberof our
church and has conducted serrrons at some
evening services, but he is not an ordained
Metropolitan minister. I wanted to ask him
19
if he planned to join our ministry, but had
no convenient opportunity to do so.
Ron's slides and narrative were pre-
sented in an interesting and logical order,
patterned as a sort of travelogue beginning
in Limaand proceeding from there with his
observations. Every section of Limahas a
promenade which is closed to motor traffic
in the late afternoon; large numbersof peo-
ple stroll about for the next three or four
hours with the objective of finding someone
to have dinner with.
He showedus pictures OL the cathedral
where Pissaro is buried. Undergroundis a
network of catacombs connecting the various
cathedrals and these are filled with the
poignant remains of eleven million Indians
killed by the Spanish Inquisition because
they would not convert to Catholicism. At
it's peak fifteen thousand Indians perished
daily.
Slides were shownof a picturesque wood
burning train brought over from Glascow in
1929. The famous Inca ruins of MachuPicchu
were pictured; in 1572 the Spaniards exter-
minated the royal family and all their fol-
lowers leaving the ruins to lie forgotten
until they were rediscovered in 1911. The
Incas originated corn and potatoes. One
photo taken in a re.rrote village showedan
Indian womanwith food in one hand, glaring
at Ron's friend, Mark•. Her mouthwas part-
ed and her teeth were bared. Markhad come
close to her while she was eating; she then
growled but he ignored her warning (or may
have even been unaware of her presence), so
she bit him!
Food in these outreaches tends to be
adventuresome. Onephoto of vendors at a
roadside offerred patties madeof \eunUed
dried milk or a whole sheep's head as the
only selections. In larger towns one could
obtain boa constrictor meat marinated in
lemon juice,although RonHayes told us that
crocodile meat is the tastiest ; white and
firnl, he said it was mostly like lobster.
He showed us sane pictures of his pet cat
which grew up to be a 200 pound jaguar--
a beautiful aninkll.
Whenthe last slide had been shownI
was surprised to see it was after 10:00 PM.
We were all so interested that the evening
raced by. Ron left Peru in December1970.
It was in Peru that he read about Metropol-
i tan Corrmuni
tj Church in TIME magazine. We
all had refreshments and were able to enjoy
about an hour and a half of lively conver-
sation before bringing this fascinating
evening to a conclusion.
 has given me.
"It would be impossible to list
the many hundreds of references con-
sulted in writing this novel. I sho-
uld like, however, to acknowledge my
1ndebtedness to Mr. Graham Chambers
Hunter, w~ose book, 'Luke, First
Century Christian' (Harper and Bro-
thers), helped immeasurably to crys-
tallize my concept of Luke, as well
as giving me invaluable facts about
his life, and to Dr. Edgar Goodspeed.
through whose fine biography of St.
Paul (John C. Winston Company), I
first learned of the historical ex-
BOOK REVIEW istance of the leading feminine
by Pat Rardin character.
"My purpQse in writing 'The Road
THE ROAD TO BITHYNIA: This book was to Bithynia' is twofold: First. to
originally published hardcover by study the events of the life and
Doubleday and CompanYt Inc •• Whereas ministry of .Je sus , and the growth
Dr. Frank G •.Slaughter's later Bib- and spread of the early Christian
lical novels were published by World church through the eyes of an edu-
Publishing Company, gives a good in- cated Greek physician of the period
sight into Dr. Slaughter himself and who possessed an unusual warmth and
into the book in the author's Pre- breadth of character. And, second,to
face. Because of this I am going to seek in these events and in the phi-
quote it in full. as it was written losophy of the early Chriatian faith
in 1951. lessons which this most beautiful of
"Students of the New Testament all written stories has for us in
will recognize that portions of this the troubled world of today. Where I
novel are dramatizations from The have succeeded in these aims, credit
Acts of the Apostles. This is to be is due the man through whose eyes I
expected. since the chief characters have been privileged to look at this
of this book also played prominent fascinating and inspiring period of
parts in The Acts. and St. Luke is history, Luke, the physician. Whe
generally credited with authorship I have failed, the fault is my own.
of both it and the Gospel which To those who will quarrel with ~~
bears his name. Where appropriate. over the character of Paul an ';
dialogue attributed to the character there will be many --- I offer n
is taken from actual records of the apology. Although there is ample au-
speeches made by them in the Acts, thority in theological writing for
as· well as from the Epistle of St. all controversy portrayed in this
Paul. Except for a few passages from novel. I have tried to see and under
the Authorized or King James version stand Paul as first of a 1_1 a human
of the Bible, easily recognizable as being, with all the frailties and
such, all this quoted material is virtues which such a state implies,
taken from the Charles B. Williams remembering that it was a humble
translation of the New Testament, carpenter of Nazareth who showed men
published by Moody Press. I am ind- the Way, before ever they knew he
ebted to the Moody Press for their was the Son of God.
kind permission to quote from this "It is my si.ncere wish that many
translation without crediting indiv- will see in the' e pages, as I have
idual passages, which would, of been privileged to see through the
course, be impossible in a work of eyes of Luke the physician, Luke the
fiction. I am also indebted to Dr. man and Luke the Christian --- THE
Williams for the hours of genuine ROAD TO BITHYNIA."
pleasure which his beautiful "Trans- It is not easy to say more about
lation in the Language of the People" this bookt except to perhaps explain
cont on page 32 20
 sex were going to receive a license
in his county. This was simply be-
cause he personally does not believe
in gay marriage. But we did not stop
there. We then checked further and
found the 'common law' requirements
had been met. There was no license
needed from the county clerk.

On June 12 Rev. Perry married us. It

was a beautiful day, but the real
beauty is in the reflection of that
one day on every day.

So many people have asked,so we feel

a need to answer, why we think it is
important to be married. The real and
basic reason for marriage with any-
one shouldn't be for tax purposes, ~
last name for a baby, social status
or business interest. The main rea-
JAY & JUDY son is to declare before God,man and
state that you are dedicating your-
COM M 0 N - LAW MA R R lED
self to another individual and that
On April 25, 1971 we celebrated our you trust your keeping to that in-
third anniversary together. But more dividual. You declare that the two
important, on June 12 we will cele- of you, from that day, shall cease
brate the first anniversary of our to be individuals only that you may
legal common-law marriage. be even greater as one Unit. With
God's help, such a unit can grow as
Last May we saw an article about two no individual can. The basic concept
men in Minnesota who were applying of a Christian marriage begins with
for a marriage license. This promp- Christ.
ted us to obtain blood tests and
make plans to go to Minnesota.Before Marriage is no different than any of
leaving we went in for counseling the other growths God offers us. It
with Rev. Perry who checked out the contains some rough roads and ups
story. He discovered that the two in and downs. But with Him leading we
Minnesota were unable to obtain a know the way is no more than we can
marriage license. handle.

Rev. Perry then suggested we stay We would like to share a poem with
right here and attempt to be married you that was read at our wedding by
through our own state laws. As he our friend, William J. Margolis. It
said "It is better to stand up for is from his "A Book of Touch". Mr.
your rights,right where you are,than Margolis,as a Minister of the Temple
to be chased to some far off place of Man, has performed marriages for
to try." (How often have we been our community.
guilty of this?)
Jay & J11dy Heckman
We then thoroughly read the laws of
California while the attorneys In
the church also checked the laws. We
were convinced that there was no law
requiring the individuals who wish
to marry to be one male and one fe-
male. Rev. Perry then talked to the
county clerk who verified this, but
who also stated that as long as he
was the clerk no parties of the same
21
The true quiet praises, no matter their tumult,
must be of love, from love, the celebration of love;
the lights &. darks, ups and lates,
hates & hopes, all subservient, releasing
the celebrants from all reserve and fear.

Sing love! Be the BOng! 1& the ear that hears!

We are too many, 8&only this rapport

can make us one. I want you
to be me, 8&me, you. I want
your want, to give your gift,
to receive your receiving. I want grace.

And we have it.

Hallow'd be this existence,

8&graced be our sight
that we may see each other
as in a true mirror ....

Let our touching -- hands,

soft lips of words, our eyes
caressing the world 8&ourselves
within it, our songs of praise
8&lamentations, our real
& dreamed, our touching --

Let our touching be blessed, 8&bless

all, with our love and making ...
order.
Amen.

22
 and died In 1836. Her father. Samuel
Griscom, helped build Independence
Hall.
In 1923 a set of rules on the dis-
play and use of the flag was adopted
by representatives of patriotic and
civic organizations. In 1942 the U. S.
Congress Issued a joint resolution
that was approved by the President
and became the official code of:flag
etiquette. There are ten separate flag
etiquette rules and one of them is
that the flag must be' flown on the 16
h 0 1 Iday s as 1 1st e d in the res 0 1uti 0 n .
The 16 holidays are: 1) New' Year1s
June 14 - Flag Day Day, January I; 2) Inauguration Day,
-Submitted by Kathy Laine January 20; 3} Lincoln1s Birthday,
February 12; 4) Washingtonls Birth"!
On June 14, 1777, Congress adopted day, February 22; S) Easter Sunday,
the first Stars and Stripes as the Harch or April; 6) Mother1s Day, 2nd
national flag. It consisted of 13 Sund.y, in Hay; n Armed Forces Day,
stripes (the Congress colors) and a 3rd Saturday in Hay; 8)Hemorial Day,
union composed of 13 white stars on Hay 30;9) Flag Day, June 14, 10) In-
a blue field (representing a new dependence Day, July 4; 11) Labor
constellation). In its resolution Day, 1st Honday In September;12)Con-
adopting the Stars and Stripes, Con- stltution Day, September 17; 13) Co-
gress did not specIfy how the stars lumbus Day, October 12; 14) Veterans
were to be arranged. The circle was Day, November II; IS) Thanksgiving
one of many arrangements. Day, 4th Thursday in November; and,
16) Christmas Day, December 2S.
In 1794 Congress authorized an in-
crease in the number of both stars In an c Ien t time s E gyp tien s ,Ass y ria n s ,
and stripes to IS, since there were and other early peoples carried ident-
then that many states. In 1818 a law ifying standards into battle. These
was passed returning to 13 stripes consisted of figures of animals,
and adding a star to the union. for birds, fans, or sacred symbols fast-
each new state.On July 4, 1960, the ened to the tops of staffs.Sometimes
Stars and Stripes acquired its 50th a streamer of cloth hung below the
star. emblem. One style of Roman standard
Contrary to common belief, many his- was a square of cloth hanging from a
wooden crosspiece at the top of the
torians doubt that Betsy Ross (the staff. This was the forerunner of
reputed maker of the first American fabric banners. The standard of the
flag) made a Stars and Stripes for
Emperor Constantine was marked with
General Washington, although she may a Christian emblem, and for hundreds
have made others,since it is known of years afterwards the devices on
that she ~d make flags for the state
of Pennsylvania. The story of her flags were religious in nature. Some
of these have survived. The British
making the first flag was originally
told by her grandson, Wi Iliam Canby, national flag carries the tradition-
al crosses of St. George for England,
in 1870. According' to him, George
St. Andrew for Scotland and St. Pat-
Washington asked Mrs. Ross to make a
rick for Irland.
flag. She suggested five-pointed
stars, rather than six points, and The P'ledge of Allegiance ~as written
interestingly enough the stars in the by Francis Bellamy of Yout~s Compan-
Washington coat of arms have five ion and published by that magazine
points. The flag she was said to have rn-1892. It was also distributed In
made had 13 red and white stripes leaflet form and gradually came into
with 13 stars in a circle Qn a blue wide use by schools and young pe op le's
field. Betsy Ross was bo rn in 1752 groups. Later, many adult groups
23 coni: on page 30
AN OPEN LETTER TO ASSEMBLYI'IAN Church regularly, and vote. In Cor.
ROBERT H. BURKE Paul quotes from a Hellenistic vice
catalogue: "fornicators, greedy,
17732 Beach Blvd., Suite G.Junting- robbers, idolaters, revilers, drunk-
ton Beach, California 92647 ards, immoral, adulterers,effeminate
and abusers of themselves with man-
Dear Mr. Burke: April 26,1971 kind" (KJV). Would you find it diff-
icult to stand up in an open forum
My l1arch 25th letter was a per- in Orange County and condemn the im-
sonal communication to you asking moral, the greedy, robbers, idolat-
your support for the Brown Bill CA. ers, revilers ,drunkards, adulterers,
B.437). I expected you to uphold the thieves, and the effeminate? Why do
confidence of a Clergyman's Frivileg- you pick out only the "abusers of
ed Communication. You published this themselves" as the group to casti-
letter with neither permission nor gate? The Apostle Paul condemned the
consent. I sincerely regret that you perverted aspects of homosexuality
refuse to communicate man to man on and heterosexuality. So do I and so
such an important issue to us in do you. Any sexual perversion from
Orange County. Democracy works best wanton solicitation in toilets to
when all are willing to "reason to- discrete wife-swapping in the best
gether." Would you be willing to ad- sections of town is disgusting.
dress the UCI Forum on Homosexuality Paul gave his definitive state-
or Cal. State Fullerton's "Gav Life ment on love in I Cor. 13. He would
and Lib ·C~.as s? Il - not condemn any couple, straight or
In your article, "Should We Leg- gay, who held each other in such a
islate Immorality?" you speak as high concept of love. Jesus' words
Lawye r , Moral Theologian, Biblical omit homosexuality. He dealt gently
Exegete, Scientist, Historian, and with the sins cf the flesh, but
POlitician. ~et me congratulate you harshly with the Pharisees and pious
on such ca th 0 i .ici ty • 11y comme nts legalists. Jesus ate with sinners,
must be limited to my field of ex- associated with foreigners and tax
pertise,Moral and Biblical Theology. COllectors. He visits the lonely in
What does the Bible say about Orange County. By your own statement
Homosexuality? The Old Te s t ame rrt he must be condemned for failing to
makes 6 references to Sodom, only give "moral leadership for ourselves
one of which mentions homosexuality, and moral guidance for our youth."
and in this case , "gang rape". There You say the Brown Bill would
is a similar story in Judges19:16-30 bring degradation and obsession, "a
involving heterosexual "gang rape." common symptom of crumbling societ-
Both of these accounts, to use your ies." Last year, in conservative,
words ,deal with "the degradation and stable O.C. were there not more di-
obsession!! of a corrupt society. I vorces than marriages? You should be
would be as offended as much as you glad for a few gay couples who are
by the thought of legalized gang faithful to each other and responsi-
rape , You referred to Romans 1:18-32 ble members of society.
and I Cor. 6:9-19 . Pau L is dealing You say"history has been full of
with sexual depravity: people who examples where moral permissiveness
knew God and gave Him up in their lead to national disaster." The in-
wild downward hedonistic plunge."God quisition and witch burning prevent-
gave them up to a base m~nd and to ed disaster? U. S. Constitutional
improper conduct. Tl.ey were filled History came fl~m England. It is not
with all ma~ner of wickedness, evil, time for us to recognize the truth
covetousness, malice. Full of envy, in the Wolfended Com.?
murder, strife, deceit, malLgnity, Your "Report" sounds strangely
they are gossips, slanderers ••.• n like the railings of a "Redneck" a-
The Apos tle is not talking abou 1: a gainst the Blacks 15 years ago: pre-
gay couple .i.n Huntington Bc:ach who judice, emotion, Bible.
~re faithful to each other, who hold You state th2.t passage of AB 437
good jobs, pay their taXES, attend would encourage immorality. Nonsense.
cant an page 30 24
 IDEASTO INCREASE
MEMBERSHIP

San Francisco has provided some good

innovative ideas that all new churches
should consider. When their congregation
had levelled off to about a hundred, they
sent members out into the bars weekly with
literature on the church. They still do
this.
When Christ Chapel MCCdiscovered it NEWS Of OUR CHURCHES
didn't have very many womenat it's serv-
ices, they went to the girls bars and pass-
MCCSANDIEGO
ed out handbills inviting' our sisters to
church and it'worked!
MCCof Hawaii wants to attract some of San Diego MCC's Tres Femmes are plan-
the large number of young persons who spend ing a dance on the first Friday in June.
their time in the Waikiki Beach area, so Their youth group is also having a dance on
they are planning folk-rock services. the second Satur·day of June and on the
If this is what it takes to get them third ;:;unday of .Iune l"lCC-SDis going to see
in the door, then we suggest that perhaps Hair.
our newer Churches should consider 'these Many of the members of MCC-SDare in
and any other new .irmovat i,ve methods to get the service and are scattered to the four
more people interested. winds. Most of them would dearlv love to
hear from fellow cohorts back home. Their
assistant Pastor, Deacon Howard I-lilliams,
is acting as the cenTl'al clearing agent for
this "Gay Pen Pals" mission.

ELYSIAN FlELDS PARRISH OF

True love ste-als into tlu- heart
With Ieet as si lr-nt as till' lighhonw dawn M C C NEW ORLEANS
That kisses smooth the rough br()I\~ "I' till' dark,
Our mission in Louisiana :nay be small,
And hath it~ wi ll thrt,ui-d, blissful i!1'11I""lt'~,;, but its name is a rnouthful.! Their pastor,
:"Jot like a rocker. II hich. with pas,.,iilll;tlr' glare, Rev. David E. Solomon, is working hard try-
Whirs suddenly up. rhr-n bursts, all" i.'ales the night ing to find Q church to rent for worship
Painfulh quilcrillt! on the dazl'd I'-'I'~: serv.i.ces , Finally, he tells '_'S " •••••• the
A love th,11 gi,c~ alld takes, that 0;1'('111l.urlts, Lord directed me to a theater ~n the back
Not with fhl\'';I't'killt! ('Vt'S like Ill't'dll' points, of a bar in the French Quart '. The own-
But loviujr-k in.il , 1'1('1' looks l lu-m d(,1I1I ers of the bar discussed it, l)Jlsul ted with
KIth th.: "'l'l't tJlllillt! faith that still flll';.6vI'5; their attorney, and have made it availab:.c.e
,.\ 1m c that skdl II(' ru-w and fresh t·:,.-II hour, to EFP of MCCof l:ew Orleans on Sunday eve-
:\,; i,; the sUII";t'I'~ ~:tlldcn II1I:;tl'[\. nings at 7:30' p.~:. Free of charge!".
()r Ihe swext cornillg of the cI(,llill~'>Ltr. TIle first worship service was conducted
May 9, 1971, and six people attended. The
Alikl" and -'I't 111",;1 unlike, (,11'ry .I,ll.
fo.l Lovzi.ng Sunday., onl y four appeared, but
Alld seem ini; ('1'('1' IlI'st and Iair.-st ""II ...
Rev. Solomon said he has faith in the future
james I<IIS.\C!I Lf)[('(-I/ of this nission. A sa.lesman he met to order
his ('as sock got so .irrterestc J in hearing
abo. Met:..~politan Community lJ urch that he
25
_gave Rev. SolClIX)nthe cassock and surplioe M C C PHOENIX
he:-had.as a sample. They fit as if tailor- "
ed for h:iml He asked his landlady about a This young ohut'Ch is going great guns
table she had which was a good size for an fron the looks of their first two lOOl'lthly
altar and she gave it. The bartender of the issues of THE MESSENGER,
bar :in front of the theater where servioes The pastor, R~v. Robert J, Cunningham,
will be held donated the candlesticks. .One is making plans to either renew the lease on
of the members is making the cover for the their present meeting place or buy a building
table and the colored I'\..lIlners for the altar' fot' their chu:rcll heme, This decision, of
- he's also donating the cloth. Another coUl"se, depends upon oont:inued good offer.-
young man has offerred to try to obtain a ings. Meanwhilethey are redecorating their
chalice for them. Rev. David Solcm::m OOpes hall by draping sane wlndews andcovet'ing
to l?~te fellew~l? thru var~ous social over others with wall.board.. Nothing is bet •.•
aot1v1t~es. A sw~ party 1S planned, ter for tying a oh\lI'Ch body together that
and a Shrjmp and Crawfish Boil. redoing a building (witness MCC-LA). ~
people are getting theirs together with God~
Services a.:re eenduetee at 7: 30 P.M. at speed.
SanethiIlg other MCCpublications may be
The Theater of The Upstairs missillg is mald.ng sure their government of-
604 Iberville Street ficials get a copy of their publications. We
New Orleans J Louisiana don't have a thirlg to hide, so let them know
directly befo~ they get distorted, informa-
tion. The Phoenicians send a copy of THE
MESSOOERto the State Library of Arizona.
Me C DENVER Phoenix has a mission in Tuoson, that
everyone Knows. But sane tl1.ink it's dead!
Rev. Ron Ll! carnes J pastor of MCC of Be assured that it is still maldng l't'Op'ess,
Denver, Colorado, sent us a letter on May Deacon Allan Mros (Chairman of ~'llerv ...
17~ with the latest news, It was snowing iees) 113doing "missionary work" there and
in sane parts of the ei ty , despite the time then conducting theit' S1JI'K1ay Worship Servioe.
of the Yem:'. Rev. Cal'nes reports tha-t on
Sunday. May lath, thirty persons attended MCCMIAM Me C MIAMI
services, '!hey have 13 members and 4 friends
but areagressively JOOving to expand membel'I- We got a long newsy letter iran Vivian
ship. To achieve this objeotive
Rev.Ca:mu 1<.Lewis, Editor of ADVANCE-MIAMI, the news
attended a :recent meetil'lg of the Denver Gay publication of MCCd'1IAMI. Their Pastor is
. ~tign Fnmt ~ thirty five of their memo- ~v t Brad Wilson and their. assistant PastOl:!
bers were ,present, He had an opportunity :j.s Rev. Don Hoffman. Miami now has a good
to speak and hopes tha.t he has ~ sc:ne ehei:t group going. Meml:lers of the Church
of their members, Ten persons QiIl'ne rw pas .•. got together and donated a beautiful. oz;gan.
toral: counselliflg durirlg one week i eight Pastor Wilson has a beautiful veaee and fre-
hospital calls we:re made i one weddir!g was qUently sirlgs while backed by the choir. A
perfonned and attended by th:i.rt:y' or forty gtt)up of dedicated ~s donated a ~ ee
persons ..•....Rev, Allan ~ offieiated. the Ql~, so Paster Wilson WQuldhave free •.•
- The Denver eo~sation pntsently dan fOI' visitation and other duties that N •••
meets for S~y wership at 7: 30 P.M. at I quite :mawlil'lg. ot~ AQtiveCbut anonymous) .
meJIlbersdonated cash fer oho:W robes and oth-
Bethany United Methodist ChJJreh er larSe gifts to ~ver the needa of the
3501 West 1st Avenue (at Kirls) eh~,'
Denver. ColQrad@ Vivian lewis (WM is also a di~ctor,
eheir mem:bez!,ehoht ~~, and head.of
I.')enver Mec meets en Tuesday far an the Youth GtQup) teld ua that they have both
evenir!s Bible Study and Diseussion ~Up, . 11:SO AM aM 7; SO PMservioes, Wdnesday
Wednesdays they meet from 8;00 to 10;00 PM evenings there is \1Sually a choir dinner,
f~I1 ;reftesl'unents and· Womal I'ap sessions. Proceeds fn:m'i these dinners are being laid
Rev. ~e6 and Rev, HabereQm s~ pas... aside in the building"fund.t They want their
. teral duties. . awn buildirlg in less time than it took the
Pray fQr' the 6uee~s6 of o~ two b~ Mother Ch~, With theitl dedieated member-s,
thers and the ~wth Qf this new outpostw we th:lnk: they might do it J
26
 M.C C TAMPA Waikiki. The project is expected to
get underway in mid-June at the earr
Rev. Lee J. Carlton,who has won many liest.
Miami hearts,is doing trojan duty and making Rev. Ron Hanson is aggressively
great strides in Tampa. His first service moving to improve things for our
was conductedat the Franciscan Nun's Re- people in Hawaii. The Board of Edu-
treat. It had wonderful attendance by a cation wishes him to continue speak-
congregationwho had been asking for their ing to school groups about Homosexu-
own Church for many months prior to the Lord ality; he has talked with a Navy
sending Pastor Lee J• Carlton. If we can .Chaplain about problems of homosexu-
find more ministers of this caliber,how als in the Navy; and he organized a
easy our task will becane. group of eighteen Church Members and
guests for a rap session with Hono-
lulu's Deputy Chief of Police
CHRIST CHAPEL
Charles G. Duarte. The session
M C C COSTA MESA proved to be a meaningful dialogue
Our church in Orange County California, instead of a confrontation. Our
is establishingitself as the center for Gay fellow members in Hawaii seem to be
activity based upon the fundamentalsof MCC. making important strides. We have
The Pastor, Rev. Roger Harrison, keeps his their reporter "Chris" to thank for
flock active in faith as well as other areas the news above.
of life. On May 30th, Metropolitan Com-
The Pastor is Chaplain - Counselor and muni ty Church of Hawaii will be char-
Associate Professor-of the Social Ecology tered as a Member Church of the Uni-
Departmentat the University of California versal Fellowship of Metropolitan
at Irvine. With the aid of the ACLU, he Community Churches by Fellowship El-
organized a symposiumon "Hanosexua.li ty and der Troy D. Perry. With Pastor Ron
the l.a.w".Attorney Robert Green of the ACW Hanson's drive and originality weex-
moderated the speakerswho included Rev Troy pect great growth from this impor-
D. Perry, Drs. Martin Hoffman, Barry Dank tant group.
and Richard Whalen. Linda "Tess" Tessier
and Attorney David Young also gave their
views.
Christ Chapel played host to ~ge M C C DALLAS
County planners of the Christopher Street
West parade to be held June 27. Represen- Sunday, May 23, 1971 the former
tatives fram UCI, California State College Dallas mission was cnartered as a
at Fullerton,Christ Chapel and FOCUS Maga- Member Church of the Universal Fel-
zine got together on the design of their lowship of Metropolitan Community
float "A Church for All People". Churches. Fellowship Elder Louis
Christ Chapel meets each Sunday at 7 PM. Loynes conducted the Chartering ser-
After the first Sunday Service of each month vices on behalf of the denomination.
they throw a potluck supper. Each Saturday MCC in Dallas has been involved
there is a different social event: second lately in a degree of publicity when
one is a dance, dinner or picnic; third one three members of their Board ~ Over-
is Couples Club and the fourth one is Youth seers were invited to appear on HOT
Group meetring, LINE, KNUS-FM's Talk Show with Rod
Roddy. The show is live with tele-
phone call-ins and is taped and re-
played on KLIF. The trio were plea-
M C C HAWAII santly surprised by the reception
they had from the radio audience,
Rev. Ron Hanson) Pastor of MCC- most of· whom were very interested
Hawaii) has been talking w i,th Howard and encouraging. The radio station,
Cory) of the Waikiki Ministry) who however, received the brunt of the
has shown an interest in helping MCC crank mail protesting ~r. Roddy's·
start a morning service in Waikiki. generous attitude, so he proceeded
This would be a folk-type of service to contact several area ministers to
to appeal to the many young people provide a rebuttal against our
who live, or spend their tille in church.
27
'.

Unfortunately, he was unable to not always clear when news pertains

get a black minister who had prom- specifically to East~ay, but East-
ised to appear, nor could he obtain bay's Deacons sent IN UNITY a letter
a Catholic. After much difficulty, describing their present activities
he finally was able to get a Baptist and future ObjectIves.
Minister and a Jewish Rabbi to be on . This small active group appears
the panel. The Baptist Minister re- to be successfully fulfilling the
garded homosexual acts as sinful, needs of the East Bay area; they
but otherwise was quite cautious in hope to establish their own 24 hour
what he said. The Rabbi, however, Crisis Intervention Center and a
was very iiberal and apparently did counseling program for alcoholics
not consider it sinful at all. The and drug abusers in the future.
outcome of this two & a half hour
program was that only four of the
many callers were straight; all oth- GOOD SHEPARD PARISH )
ers were Gays who were listening, M C C CHICAGO
hoping to find an opening to put in Sunday, May 9, 1971, marked the
a word for the Community. first anniversary of our first serv-
Dallas has a varied set of acti- ices in Chicago. Four people attend-
vities for its members: They hold a ed that first memorable service. At-
regular Church service and a folk- tendance is now up to just about 100
type service as well. There are and the contributions are about
classes in Esperanto, classes in si- $1.50 per member, but we expect 1971
lent language (which I guess is like to bring dynamic growth patterns to
our sign language classes for com- this tremendou~ly important church.
munication with the Deaf). They Located as it is, in a major city
have informal rap sessions, bowling with a +arge gay urban and suburban
parties, monthly free buffet, Com- population~ Chicago should be giving
muni ty Picnics, and a "Last Tuesday San Francisco and Los Angeles a run
of the Month Party." Thei r monthly for their money by this fall.
publication OUR COMMUNITY is an at-
tractive and informative magazine. M C C SACRAMENTO

.M C C OAKLAND The Sacramento Mission may be

young and small, but their publica-
On May 9, 1971, the Oakland tion, HARHONY DIGEST, reveals· a
Mission asked to be chartered as great deal of vitality and civic
EASTBAY METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY awareness. They have rap sessions
CHURCH. Jim Sandmire has been asked specifically inVOlving Gay women, a
to serve as their Pastor and Bob packed Calendar of Events, and a
Grace was asked to serve as Assis- fund raising Drive to save the Sac-'
tant Pastor. ramento Symphony. They held a "Flo-
If the Universal Fellowship tation Ball" on April 23rd aboard
grants this Charter, MCC wi.ll have the DELTA KING in Yolo. The Sacra-
two Chartered churches of 'our Denom- mento Gay Liberation Front partici-
.i nat i on ser-vLng the important Bay pated and everyone had such a _good
Area. time socializing and jumping to the
Eastbay MCC appears to be an ac- music of a Rock group that no one
tive, alert and growing group. They had time to get seasick. They hope
have their own Community Center in to repeat this event again some eve-
Oakland, their own Choir group,Drin- ning soon and it might be worth go-
king-problem rap groups. barbecues, ,ing to Sacramento for! If they keep
dances, beach parties and smaller US advised, we'll let you know. Sev-
group activities, such as hiking, eral hundred participated, proving
photography, gourmet cooking, bowl- that this is a vital mission with a
ing and bridge clubs. vast potential membership. MCe San
They share space in "MCe SPEAK- Francisco has provided a Coordinator
ING UP", the San Francisco news pub- referred to in "MCC SPEAKI\TG UP" as
lication, and as "MCC SPEAKING UP" Deacon Ray Cooke, and in HARMONY DI-
contributions are not signed, it's GEST as Deacon Ray cook. Don't know
28
 which spelling is correct, but he
"and the local coordinator, Deacon
Jos~ph H. Gilbert, seam to be doing
a great job in this exciting Nor- Love is the warmth
thern California Mission. That we two share
Our Brothers and Sisters of It's the things you do
Sacramento are in the final process To show you care.
of obtaining·a new church home which'
was previously the headquarters of It's your loving arms
the U.S.O.
Holding me tight,
Also' from our friends at the Harmony
Assuring me that
Digest we have learned that Mr.Berry
LeSuer, formerly Editor of ARC News, Everything's right.
is now Production Manager for the
Harmony Digest. He joined the staff It's the way you are -
in May. So sweet and so kind,
The way you're always
On my mind.
M C C SAN FRANCISCO
It's your understanding
Our fellow members in the San Of all that I do,
Francisco Church are moving with all The sweet way you have
the intensity of a dynamo! Their Of praising me, too.
new Community Center on Market
Street provides a convenient place Love is something wonderful
to serve so many necessary functions That is always new;
Apart from their regular wor- And love, Darling, is that
ship service and Bible study groups,
wonderful something,
they seem to have many exciting
I'll always be in with you!
events such as a Swimming Party at
Mary Dawson Hughes
the Covered WagQn and MCC NIGHT AT
GOLD STREET ten percent of the
gross sales Were pledged to MCC by
the various proprietors of clubs on
Gold Street. For Members who don't
swim or drink, Bingo is available on
Satu r-d ay night. Family unit:s gather
man th Ly for, II Coup Les Night. ,:' The
San Francisco C~oir was first rate
when I heard it a year ago; hope we
can hear it again soon to see if the
Hother Church has surpas se d it yet
in quality. You are a part of all the things I love:
They are looking for a Deaf I hear your happy voice when skylarks sing;
Translator to assist our deaf b ro-. I sense your touch in the fragile buds of Spring;
thers in getting the '.<lordat Sunday
I see your eyes when bright stars shine above.
Worship Services.
San Francisco is truly blessed When a gentle breeze moves through the grass
to have Pastor HOY-lardWells and As- And bends the leafy boughs as it weaves'
sistant Pastor Alice Naumoss; with a A silent pattern in the fields and trees -
duo like that they may surpass the I see a gracefUlness 'that only you surpass.
membership of the Los Angeles con- I wonder, did I ever know the world
gregation in time! Before our love began? This very hour
I saw your beauty in a lovely flower
With its sweet-scented petals still half-curled.
c~ear y(mr love and they say it shows In all the fair things that I adore
Like Ii dewdrop glistening on a rose, I see you! Dear, and love you all the mOre,
Gebrge Webster Douglas
29 Nancy Baker Smith
OPEN LETTER· Icont ) LOVERS (cont )
The Hooker report states: "It should other individual as everything we
be emphasized that the repeal of ourselves are not. In effect, that
such laws would in no way affect ex- person is a knight in shining armor.
isting legal sanctions against sex- We refuse to recognize the other
ual behavior which violates public individual's weaknesses and hangups
decency or involves the seduction of because we have so many romantic
minors whether such behavior be stars in our eyes. We tend to spend
homosexual or heterosexual" (SA). an excessive amount of time dreaming
The LA "Times" reports there are about the relationship and building
8.5 million homosexuals in the USA. it up in our minds into something
Over 1,100 attended the opening of that, in actuality, it is not, at
the Rev. Troy Perry's MCC Church least not yet.
Mar. 14, 1971. There were 165 at I'm sure that you have seen it before
Orange County's MCC Church on Easten two people hit it off and a week
Time is running. out for putting down later they move into an apartment
our last minority. together,vowing that they will never
Yours truly, leave one another. Infatuation is
Rodger Harrison fine as long as it serves as fertile
Pastor, Christ Chapel ground for two people to grow into a
MCC-Costa Mesa commitment to one another. But in-
fatuation,taken by itself, is a time
bomb. Sooner or later infatuated
FLAG DAY (cont )
"lovel's" start to discover qualities
adopted It. At the Flag ·Coftference in one another that tarnish the
held In 1923. the original, phrase shining armor. They begin to feel
"my flag" was changed tollthe Fla9 cheated because each had assumed the
of the United States", and the fol- other was perfect. In effect, their
lowing year "of Amerlcall was added. initial emotional response to one
In 1954 a Congressional resolution another had blinded them to the re-
approved by the President added the ality that no one is perfect and no
words "un de r God." Persons In uni- one has the right to require per-
forms and some nonmilitary groups fection of anyone.
salute when giving the pledge.Other-
wise, civilians should stand at at- When this reality becomes apparent
tention, men removing their hats and and a sincere commitment has not
everyong placing their hand over taken root in their relationship, the
their heart. two individuals see their supposedly
unshakeable affair degenerate into a
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG roommate relationship. It may involve
casual sex bu + , if they pers is t in
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of playing the lover game by pretending
the United States of America and to to be lovers and by making forced
the Republic for which It stands,one artificial commitments to one an-
Nation under God. Indivisible, with other (commitments that neither one
liberty and justice for al1." has the strength to really adhere to)
the two people end up as. enemies be-
(Reference: New Standard Encyclope- cause forced commitments always end
dia - Volume 5. 1969 edition) up as broken commitments.

Infatuation relationships, unless

quickly supplemented with honesty
and ·sincere altruistic concern, can
~ove is the image of God; and not a only degenerate into parasitic re-
ZifeZess image~ nor one painted on paper~ lationships because one person will
but the Ziving essence of the Divine Nature value the other for egotistic rea-
which beams fuZZ of aZZ goodness. sons. Such relationships are doomed
to failure. Even parasites, feeding
Martin Luther on one another, have enough sense to
terminate such an arrangement, no
matter how good each other tastes!
30
 LoveT'B, (cont)
-

The successful approach to a potent- riage unless he is a Christian. But

ial relationship can be illustrated I would suggest to you that a Christ-
by something two successful lovers ian with a dynamic, growing commit-
told me a few weeks ago. They said, ment to the Lord will probably have
"Howard, since we have been living a much better chance of developing a
together, we've fallen in love with lasting relationship with a lover.
one another three times.And yet weve That frame of mind the Christian
never really fallen out of love! II must have for a dynamic relationship
In effect, what these two people with the Lord is the same as needed
were saying was that they redis- for a successful, dynamic relation-
covered each other on an emotional ship with a lover.
level three times. But their initial
oomm i.tment to one another ~A]asnot If you are honest Hith God you find
grounded in raw emotionalism but in it much ~dsier to be honest with a
a more enduring attitude toward one lover. If you put complete trust in
another. This attitude was character- the Lord to protect you and to guide
ized by honesty and a willingness to your life, then you will find it
recognize each other as imperfect easier to trust your lover' and to
but willing to give without expect- realize that trusting the other is
ing anything in return. It was this to let go. It inVOlves an element of
constantly maturing attitude that risk and a leap into the unknown,
carried them over the rough times both of which take courage. If you
when their emotional response to one have the capacity to exhibit humil-
another was at a low ebb. It Has this ity before God,you have the capacity
attitude, manifested in a growing to overcome an attitude that sees
commitment, that gave them a sense others as existing simply to satisfy
of perspective and foresight when your own needs. Such an attitude
the vissicitudes anc adversities ef treats others as if they were merely
live battered their relationship. obstacles to overcome or clay for
you to mold as you please.
There is no"magic"to their marriage.
If there is any magic, it resides in If your hope is firmly rooted in
the fact that they even met each your childlike faith in Christ, then
other. Everything else worthwhile your hope for a successful relation-
about their relationship is the re- ship with a .Love r is not an empty,
sult of a constant, sincere effort baseless hope but one that is an ex-
en their part to encourage the pression of the fullness of the pre~
growth of their oomrrri rmcrrt to one sent, a present alive with a sense
another. Their ability to effectively of the possible - a hope that exudes
respond to that commitment resuLts vibrant, exciting potential.
from their attitude of patience,
honesty, trust, humility hope, cour- If you have the courage to march In-
age, and forgiveness. to the r-e aLm of the unknown with the
Lord, then you have the courage to
Such an attitude is not natural, or march through the valleys of life
inherent like emotionalism. Sometimes and face up to the temptations hand-
two lovers determined to make a go in-hand with your lover.
of it will flnd themselves facing
terrible te~ptations to give up, to Our Chris tian faith tells us that
flow with the tide of social opinion the attitude that breeds love and
and to take the easy road out. It's gives rise to a successful relation~
just like maturing Christians who ship between tHO people is a direct
are constantly faced with the temp- manifestation of the attitude that a
tations to conform to the world, and Christian exhibits toward his Lord.
do what is natural and easy instead Our honesty toward another person
of responding to the challenge of will be rewarded, out trust will be
Christ to be-of a spiritual mind and justified, our humility shall be
forsake building our lives around compens at ed , our courage wi 11 not be
wordly values. in vain, and our hope shall be ful-
I a-n not going to suggest that a. filled.
person cannot have a suc ce ssfu L mar-
31 -
 BOOK REVIEW (cont ) IS GAY GOOD (CONT)
a little more about it. This was Dr. most of the "morality" used today
Slaughter's first Biblical novel and from the Old Tes +amerrt came Ln to be-
as such his beginning into Biblical a.rig by interpretations about the
research. The character of Thecla is time of Christ. The original words
also supported by such Biblical his- "know them" (Genesis 19 :5) were used
torians as Harnack, Sir W. M. Ramsy in other places in the Bible wh er-e
and Elizabeth Hazelton Haight. The they did not mean sexual. knowledge.
marriage of "virgins" (who are mar-
ried in name only) was an early Rev. Troy Perry s~ates that m~ny of
Christian custom. It is also known the so-called sins of the Old Testa-
that Luke died at the age of 74 in ment are ignored tcday. Wha.t vrou Ld
Bithynia. we do without women teachers? How
Of course, if you really under- many people today wear a cotton
stand this book you know that Luke shirt with woolen pants? How many
reached his "Bithynia" many years people today eat rab~it, oysters,
before he actually went to that shrimp, lobster or rare beef?The New
country. This is my favorite of Dr. Testa..'Tlent·
(Romans 1:26-27) stresses
Slaughter's Biblical novels, per- "changing" and "leaving" heterosex-
haps because I believe -every man is uality. Since most homosexuals were
always looking for his "Bithynia" never heterosexuals, there can be no
and this book truely shows the Way. changing or leaving.
Luke's special trip to and
through Galilee is authenticated by Norman Pittenger, Senior Resident
the fact that the Gospel of St. Hember of Kings College, Cambridge,
Luke is the only Gospel that has the believes in the Christianity of love.
whole and complete story of the Whether that love is homosexual or
birth of Jesus. Luke, as a scientist heterosexual, he states that all
of his day, needed more than just Christians should be trying for this
the word of Paul, Paul who had never state of love. Very few ever really
even seen Jesus. Also, as a doctor, reach it, but as lo~g as you are try-
he had studied philosophy and found ing a~d going in that direction,that
nothing new in the phi:osophica1 is what counts.(not your sexual ori-
concept of "Do onto others as you entation).
would have done onto you".
It is known that Matthew wrote This book is actually based upon
down the sayings of Jesus, however, each author's thoughts and views a-
wha t happened to them after the cru- bout an essay written by Dr. John
cification, no one really knows.That von Rohr, a professor of Historical
one scroll could have been around in Theology at Pacific SchOOl of Relig-
Luke's day is quite possible. These ion). You can easily see why the
books, being novels, do not have to Bible is interpreted in so many dif-
show all references being used.There ferent ways when you see how each
fore you are never quite sure what one of these authors decide exactly
Dr. Slaughter has found to be fact what Dr. John von Rohr was trying to
(that is not in the Bible), what he say in his essay. The editor gives
is guessing at or if he is just us- Dr. von Rohr a chance for a rebuttal
ing his imagination. (Such as the at the end of the book.
fact that Paul did convert a The1ca,
a woman was bound to a bull in the In this rebuttal he reaffirms many
arena and Paul and Luke did have of the author's stands by stating
some controversy over marriage, but that we definetely need legislative
I don't know if these were all the changes and that we need to find
same woman). I don't believe it re- "Jays for discussion and education.
ally matters as these books, novels The Church needs to lead the action
though they be, still help you to by starting to be Christi~n.
understand the Bible and the people
of the Bible.
by Pat Rardin
32
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