What a Wondrous Gift

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_82920_ENG_HTM.htm is the link for the text of the Great ++Katherine's (Jeffers-Scori) message at the beginning of her webcast this morning.
And all I can say is Thank G-d our church has been blessed with this sister's skillful patient insight, her articulate mind and her compassion for all of us living together through these sad and troubling times.
For those of you who might feel so inclined to contact the Presiding Bishop, she can be reached at pboffice@episcopalchurch.org

As time approaches for the vote in Nigeria I'd beg you all to pray for Davis and our brothers and sisters in Nigeria. Those of you able to, please e-mail ++Cantebury, as he has to be made aware of the terrible position in which his inaction has left our LGBT Nigerian brothers and sisters. I've read suggestions that Davis be rescued out of Nigeria, but all that I've read of this heroic brother makes me seriously doubt he'd leave our brothers and sisters. It has to be made clear to
++ Cantebury that he, among others, is personally responsible for this horrible situation in Nigeria.

Writing from Canada, and seeing how hard the Primates came down on the Episcopal Church, I can't help but wonder if part of the reason they thought they could get away with it (and did) was because this same church is presided over by our first woman primate. Of course the real reason the Communion wasn't broken in Tanzania was due to ++Katherine's self-controll, and her insightful assessment of 'the bigger picture.'

++ Akinola's boycot of the Eucharist in Tanzania, his announcing that if TEC does to meet the September deadline it will be asked to leave the Communion, and his fathering this outrageous legalization of homophobia in Nigeria have all been public acts by a primate of our church. And where have his brother primates been in speaking out against such scandalous behavior?

Might we not have a classic example of the old-boys double standard here?

This is Personal- Davis could be You or I

This is the face of Tazania at work!
Davis Mac Iyalla is a leader of gay Anglicans in Nigeria, and he has received threats on his life, other threats to burn him with acid, he's been stalked, and if Akinola's bill passes he and our LGBT brothers and sisters will suffer what fate in Nigerian jails?
The following is an e-mail Davis managed to get off before he had to go in hiding.
This is our brother! Please pray, but also use the internet to let Nigeria and the world know that Davis is not alone.

Dear Friends,I don't know if members of this group can do much tohelp us in Nigeria?This morning I got a call from an unknown caller whowanted to find out where I am at the time. I ask himto introduced himself since I don't know him and hesaid so you are back from your trip and off the phoneon me. I called the number back and a woman picked andsaid it is a public call phone. My surprise is how hedid get my number which is very private.I have been talking with friends and supporters of howto go to a safe place for some time at list.the bill to ban us in moving fast to become law.The worst of all is that +Akinola is the master andbrain be hide this bill, recently he has been lobbyingthe presidency to put pressure on the senate and houseof representatives to speed up the process inpassing the bill.This evening I have receive news from Abuja that thebill is likely to be passed before the end of March.And members of Akinola staffs boosting that CAN willsoon be illegal and me will be sent to prison. Most ofmy members are now calling and sending me mails to askwhat will become of them if this bill is passed?This is one question that I don't have the answers toright now, my appeal to everyone is to help use anymedium that you can to drew the attention of the worldand church leaders to this Nigerian problem.If tears can changed things I think by now I wouldhave changed the situation of the Nigerian LGBTChristians.If you can dear brothers and sisters please give alast minute call to your bishops or anyone you knowthat can add there voices to put pressures on theNigerian government and +Akinola who is the currentpresident of the Nigeria Chastain Association that isrequiting that the bill be passed soon.Please spread this massage if you can.
ThanksDavis Mac-IyallaCA Nigeria
I think the time has come for us to actually do something.We have the internetWe have each otherand the Lord is with us.I mean this. If we don't do something Akinola is going to kill somebody. Williams will be blamed for the death and our Church will die.

A Lesson for Me Today

Within hours of getting this site up and running, I'd started gathering notes for a posting tentatively named 'Calling them on it-' a naming of some of the worst ugliness and denials of grace in this current debate the church finds itself in.

One great wall of shame, starting with cowardly ++Rowan Williams and + Peter Akinola , but also 'nailing' some of the reactionary priests and bishops who have posted on-line. A great idea perhaps, except the accumulative weight of their invective overwhelmed me- and to what end?

Sitting with this, I ended up realizing I was letting myself get caught in the same 'trap' of so much organized religion needs to survive ie: dualistic thinking;. Us & Them, good and bad etc. with the divide always at a safe distance from where we might be standing.

One of the great gifts of my years in Zen practice has been to show me how 'resorting to the dualistic' is usually a fearful defense mechanism, or at its most nefarious a grab for the illusion of power. And yet there I was 're-acting,' building my list. The courageous words of the Bishop of New York brought me to my senses. We are they- he said of his LGBT members he refuses to abandon.

So with +Akinola's hideous piece of legislation about to be voted on in the Nigerian parliament, I'd ask your prayers for the people of Uganda, +Akinola himself and the other church leaders who labor so tirelessly to stir up hysterical hate.

The other thing I was reminded of, sitting with the toxicity of my gay anger, is of the articulate intelligence of so many of the wondrous LGBT brothers and sisters I've met over my years and of how many of them and our allies are standing up and speaking out in these times. They don't need my list- they're at least as involved as am I.

So with this in mind I'd offer the following resources:
http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/ Thinking Anglicans
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/ens/ The Episcopal News Service
http://www.anglicanjournal.com/ The Anglican Church of Canada
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/ The Church of England

For those of us in Canada, please check out http://www.wholemessage.ca/ for details on 'The Whole Message Conference' organized by Integrity (don't you just love that name) April 13-14 in Ottawa. Essentially the conference is to work out a LGBT response to the edict of Tanzania for this summer's Canadian Synod .
Facilitating Saturdays plenary "Theological and Scriptural Models of the “Inclusive Church” will be my fellow Montrealer, Rev. Patricia Kirkpatrick (McGill) one of the Canadian church's preminent Biblical scholars.

ONE GREAT RAINBOW WAVE

Dear Friends
As many of you will know, the Anglican Communion is in some deep trouble right now.
And a lot of otherwise-good people are saying and doing a lot of self-righteous, ugly stuff which is hurting and confusing a lot of good people of faith.
And two good people in particular are suffering the brunt of this abuse and viscous ugliness.
I'm referring of course to ++ Katherine Jeffers-Scori, Primate of the American church (The Great Katherine in our house) and dear +Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, our brother and friend in faith and life.
Knowing that the prayers, actions and aspirations of people of faith can make an essential difference- and never more so than in times as these, I'masking each of you to make ++Katherine and +Gene a particular and personal cause or point of practice in your prayers, your sitting, in your lives.
Whatever your faith practice; wether it's in prayer, sitting or just a mental hug you send them daily, I'm asking this personally for these heroic individuals of faith.
Please remember them by name- Katherine & Gene- and send, wish or pray for them all as you would for someone you know or love personally who might be suffering such abuse and ugliness.
And as for those who are propogating this ugliness? To Quote dear +Gene, they're not our enemies, only our frightened brothers and sisters- and boy are they scared!
Lauching this, I am only too aware of the great body of LGBT grace and faith which is out there and I am in awe of how clearly we are being used by something so much greater than ourselves to break free hearts and minds from fear, which is essentially always an underestimation of
G-d's passionate live from Her creation.