Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 18:57:00 -0400 From: Chris Ambidge Subject: *Integrator* files for 1990 INTEGRATOR, the newsletter of Integrity/Toronto volume 90-10, issue date 1990 12 05 copyright 1990 Integrity/Toronto. The hard-copy version of this newsletter carries the ISSN 0843-574X Integrity/Toronto Box 873 Stn F Toronto ON Canada M4Y 2N9 == contents == [90-10-1] PUTTING IT TOGETHER AT CHRISTMAS / by Alexei [90-10-2] CHRIS GLASER CALLS US TO *COME HOME!* [Come Home! by Chris Glaser] book review by Norm Rickaby [90-10-3] NEXT PLEASE / by Bonnie LIZARD Bewley [90-10-4] CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS [90-10-5] GIRAFFES ABOUT TOWN [90-10-6] $$ THANK YOU! $$ ======== [90-10-1] PUTTING IT TOGETHER AT CHRISTMAS by Alexei Christmas! Every year I find myself asking what it means to me, and every year it changes; it unfolds. So what is it this year? Well, for several years now I've seen signs, posters and bumper stickers proclaiming "Jesus is the reason for the season!" Who can argue with that -- and it's cute. But recently it became clearer for me that people: human beings, women and men, young and old, in all our strangeness and diversity -- *WE are the reason for the season*! (I can almost hear a chorus of "Put Christ back into Christmas") But, really, we are the reason for the season. It's part of our creed: "... who for US and for OUR salvation came down from heaven ..." And that is the reason we celebrate. Our God thought (thinks) so highly of us (Christmas is saying) that gifting our life with divine presence in the flesh of Jesus is one of the most hope-filled "I love you!" messages ever expressed. A story by Dennis Wholey I read just a few weeks ago wonderfully reminded me of that message and I'd like to pass it on to you. A man took his daughter for the girl's first airplane flight. She was all antsy and nervous, so the father looked for something to keep her occupied. As he looked through the flight magazine, he saw a picture of the world. He tore out the page and tore up the picture of the world into little pieces. Handing them to his daughter he said, "Here, now put that together." In a matter of minutes the girl succeeded in getting the world back together and showed the picture to her father. "How did you manage that?" the father asked. The daughter responded, "Well, I didn't know what the world was supposed to look like so I looked on the other side and there was a picture of a person. I put the person back together and the world fell into place." Jesus is the child taking a first flight in human territory. Jesus is sent with the task of putting the world together -- a world that is very obviously in pieces. But Jesus does it by reassembling fractured people -- people broken down in spirit and mind and body, women and men who are depressed and hopeless. Young people and old folk who for so many reasons and in so many ways feel misunderstood, alienated and abandoned -- who, together with the world, are in pieces. On the other hand we are the antsy and nervous child on our flight through life and we're responsible for putting together our fragmented world. Jesus invites us and shows us how to do it -- by helping to put each other together, our world falls into place. May this Christmas be a time for falling into place for you. And throughout the New Year may the pieces of your world and of who you are become at least a little more connected and together by the love you receive and by the love you offer to yourself and to others -- for YOU are the reason for the season. [AUTHOR BOX: ALEXEI is a priest who exercises his ministry on the east coast of the United States] ======== [90-10-2] CHRIS GLASER CALLS US TO *COME HOME!* book review by Norm Rickaby [Come Home! by Chris Glaser Harper & Row $14.95 paperback] With the sub-title, "Reclaiming Spirituality and Community as Gay Men and Lesbians", here is a book that you ought to give as a Christmas present to somebody you really care about. In fact, give it to yourself. If you know Chris Glaser's story, you know that this is a man who could very well be writing books attacking Christianity and Christian churches for the pain and injustice they have inflicted on lesgay people. He has experienced enough of that over the years himself. Instead when you read both *Uncommon Calling*, his first book, and this one, you meet someone who has managed to cut through all of the nonsense and garbage to discover the true treasure and wonder to be found in the Gospel of Jesus. And so, rather than crying victim when doors have been closed in his face, Chris has discovered that being "outside" (of certain opportunities) placed him precisely where God could best use him to minister healing and reconciliation. Chris Glaser writes and speaks with genuine insight about how his/our day-to-day experiences inform and illuminate the stories and parables of scripture. He tells the familiar stories of the Bible in contemporary settings which, when examined, are entirely faithful to the original. The story of the woman at the well becomes the story of Sammy meeting Jesus in "The Spike", a leather and denim bar. The parable of the Good Samaritan hits home with power in a completely contemporary framework when a person living with AIDS becomes the one left for dead at the side of the road. (I will not give the ending of this one away - you must read it yourself to get the full impact!) Chris encourages lesgay people (and everyone else, for that matter) to face up squarely to the fact that everything we thought or learned as children cannot remain unchallenged when we become adults. Part of growing up is dealing with the falsehoods and untruths we "knew" as youngsters and discarding them. Doubting and questioning lead to maturity and psychological health. One of the untruths to be discarded "was that homosexuality was learned behaviour, when, in truth, it is homophobia that is a learned behavioural response, one which we who are homosexual learned alongside our heterosexual counterparts." Glaser also demonstrates his fine abilities as a teacher when he takes theological themes and succeeds in explaining them in language and concepts that are clear! But he never gets bogged down in theology. Early in this book he tells us that ideas, philosophies and theologies are not satisfying in themselves. "Reading theology," he says, "is like reading pornography: instructive, provocative, but always pale in comparison to the real encounter." Don't miss this book. Buy it, read it, give it away. It's not only a "good read", it will continue to delight you on every re-reading. ======== [90-10-3] NEXT PLEASE by Bonnie LIZARD Bewley Over the past three years, Chris Ambidge and I have been the Co- conveners of Integrity/Toronto. I have his permission to say, for both of us, that we have gotten a lot out of our involvement with Integrity and have enjoyed our time as Co-conveners. If you are thinking that sounds final, you are right. As with all organisations, if the leadership of Integrity/Toronto does not change, the group will stagnate. Also as with many people after a number of years of volunteering, Chris and I are a bit burned out. We will not seek re- election in January. We feel strongly that the work of Integrity/Toronto is very important and must continue. Our visibility within the Anglican Church has been improving. We are pleased that we have received positive responses from people as a result of our presence at Synod and as a result of *Integrator*. We hope that Integrity/ Toronto will maintain this visibility since we have finally reached the point where we are being used as a resource by people in the church. While we are resigning as your Co-conveners, we do not intend to leave the person or people who follow us in the lurch. We will be available to act as resources whenever the new Convener or Co-conveners would like our input. Please consider what the gifts are that you can offer to Integrity/Toronto. If you would like to run for Convener or another executive position, please let either Chris or me know ahead of time. ======== [90-10-4] CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS Jesus was ... ... a tiny child, so that you might be fully grown. ... wrapped in swaddling clothes, so that you might be freed from the bonds of death. ... on earth, so that you might be among the stars Jesus had no place at the inn, that you might have many rooms in heaven Jesus became poor, so that by that poverty, you might become rich [St Ambrose of Milan] The Executive of Integrity / Toronto wishes you the Joy and Peace of Christmas ======== [90-10-5] GIRAFFES ABOUT TOWN An irregular column telling of the activities of Integrity/Toronto, its members and friends o On November 23-24, the AIDS Working Group of the National Church sponsored a consultation at Aurora. This was aimed at developing liturgical resources for those working with and praying for People Living with AIDS. A dozen people attended (nearly half of them members of Integrity), and the weekend was a great success. Keep your eyes open for further reports on the work of these people. o Twice in the past few months, Integrity members have joined the studio audience of CTV's *The Shirley Show*, a programme that explores issues of current interest. The two shows were on same-sex couples, and on parents of lesgay children accepting their daughters/sons. This second featured our friends Ann Routledge and Mary and Laurie Jones from PFLAG, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. o Speaking of the media, Chris Ambidge and John Gartshore were interviewed by Sean Lucas of radio station CFRU (University of Guelph Radio) for the programme *Gaywaves*. They talked about lesgay people in the Anglican Church, and the work of Integrity. o The Michaelmas weekend saw John and Chris at the Integrity/North East Regional Conference in Philadelphia. The highlight of the conference was a workshop by Chris Glaser entitled *Reclaiming Spirituality and Community as Lesbians and Gay Men*. He is the author of *Uncommon Calling* (which was reviewed in these pages in December 1988) and the just published *Come Home!* Norm Rickaby reviews *Come Home! * above in this issue. [Editor's note: John is in the process of writing a full-length article on the Philadelphia conference, which will appear in the next issue or so] o The conference marked Integrity/Philadelphia's 15th anniversary. Happy birthday to them, and indeed to us: we were also founded in 1975, though we haven't had any formal celebrations. o December 12 will see Integrity's annual Interdenominational Christmas Carol service in the Nave of Holy Trinity Church. It will be a happy occasion, and we hope as many people as possible will come to sing our joy at the gift of the Christ-child. ======== [90-10-6] $ THANK YOU! $ ...to everyone who has made a donation to Integrity/Toronto this year. As regular readers know, this year we became a Registered Charity with Revenue Canada, Taxation. This registration has meant a substantial upswing in revenue, and every cent of it goes to furthering Integrity's goal of enhancing understanding of lesgay people in the church. We will be issuing Official Tax Receipts, good for a credit on your income tax return, to everyone who has made an identifiable donation to Integrity/Toronto. Those of you who made such donations in the first ten months of 1990 should find a receipt enclosed with this issue of *Integrator*. Please let us know immediately if yours is missing. Those of you who have not made a donation this year, it isn't too late! All donations which are in our hands by December 31 will receive a receipt early in the new year. To all who support the work of Integrity financially, *Thank You Very Much*. ======== End of volume 90-10 of Integrator, the newsletter of Integrity/Toronto copyright 1990 Integrity/Toronto Editors this issue: Bonnie Bewley & Chris Ambidge comments please to Chris Ambidge, current Editor chris.ambidge@utoronto.ca OR Integrity/Toronto Box 873 Stn F Toronto ON Canada M4Y 2N9