CALL TO ACTION TROOPS!! - JAMAICA HOUSE LIVE

THE PRIME MINISTER'S CALL IN PROGRAM AIRES EVERY LAST WEDNESDAY FROM 8:30 TO 9:30 pm ON RJR FM, NATIONWIDE RADIO, HOT 102 FM, KLAS FM, ROOTS FM, BESS 100FM AND IRIE FM.

The prime minister may be reached at the following numbers during the programme: 960-7739, 960-9853, 968-2019, 926-7527.

JAMAICA TOLL FREE: 1-888-991-7785

A link to Jamaicans in the Diaspora is being facilitated by the Jamaica National Building Society.

The numbers from the United Kingdom are 207-708-6670 and 207-708-6672.

The numbers from the United States and Canada are 954-535-5761 and 305-597-7940 and 1-888-532-1754 respectively.

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JIS LIVE STREAM: http://www.jis.gov.jm/

Advocacy Workshop February 2008

We were pleased to have MCC leaders George Griffin and Pat Bumgardner visiting our church service on Sunday February 24, 2008, following the tranquil service an advocacy workshop followed, above are some scenes from the spirited discussion.

The Canadian Response

Protest in response to homophobic violence in Jamaica with our brotha G.

Brotha Hurt by Homophobic Violence

Unfortunately this is what our brothas all edged to be gay suffer here in Jamaica, hatred and abuse by other Jamaicans who are hell bent on exacting their hate on other human beings with little regard for life. Our brotha here barely escaped his attackers (nearly 20 men) from his community where he lived with two other friends.

They were viciously attacked in the confines of their own home by a mob armed with sticks stones and machetes and was left unconscious to bleed to death. One of his friends is still missing nearly four weeks after the event. His other friend has removed to another part of the island.

Thanks to JFLAG at the time and kind concerned Friends and our mother church we were able to help these victims recover and bring their lives to some normalcy.

Peace and tolerance

H

A Personal Testimony

On Pentecost Sunday, I was again privileged to be part of the monthly national worship service of Sunshine Cathedral Jamaica.
I was heartened by the fact that yet again as gay, lesbian, bisexual persons, we had come together with our children and friends to worship in Spirit and in truth. We were open and receptive to the down pouring of the Holy Spirit and we certainly were not disappointed!!!

At sometime during the service I had to “hit” myself and ask “Is this really happening? …and here in Jamaica!!” It continues to astound and impress me that as persons from different socio economic groups, different geographical locations and even religious backgrounds, we simply come together to worship.

As I often do at these services, I go to another “place” and start to wonder what motivates individuals to come to these worship celebrations.
Why do we still come despite the constant threat that overhangs people’s lives and despite the risk factor that is included?
During that time I have fed myself with many different sophisticated answers
§ Creating a safe space emerging
§ Fulfilling a quest for spiritual direction and fulfillment
§ Creating and shaping the LGBT political agenda
§ Blah blah blah!!
At the very least, I have to concede that different persons come for and with different needs. What do we all have in common though?
The truth is that the main Driving Force is the faith-factor in which we are rooted and grounded and which gives the blessed assurance, the promise that better must come for the LGBT community here in Jamaica and in the region. As I look around our worship place I see Christine for example who is always present and who has had to flee from one town because of threats on her life. She also witnessed the violence at the funeral of one of her colleagues and I am sure has much much more to tell. But for her the faith-factor says that better will and must come. We hope that it will happen in our life time but we are faith-filled that happen, it must.

Sarah, Chris, Mary, Carl, Dorrett, Michael all know that the day will come (and is fast approaching) when LGBT persons will be able to live in freedom and peace.
Confident in the fact that we are children of God with a divine heritage, we know that God has no option but to be God and to protect and provide for our needs including our safety. We know that because it is one of the promises made to us as a chosen people, a royal nation, a people set apart. And we know too well how much we fit that description.

We are comforted by the old hymn Standing on the Promises of God My Saviour and especially the part of which says “Sanding on the promises that cannot fail”
Those promises have not changed, cannot be changed and will never change and …yes, they will stand even for us as LGBT persons. We will continue to stand secure in those very promises.

Each month we come to worship as a national body with the unchangeable faith and firmly planted in the promise that we will be nourished spiritually and that, like the woman at the well, we will draw from the well spring of salvation, the spiritual nourishment that will make us go away singing and come back bringing others for that spiritual nourishment that wells up for each and everyone of us. The promise and the evidence in our lives is that it is out of this spiritual nourishment that we are able to live on a daily basis. That nourishment is what keeps us focused and alive. That nourishment reinforces and refreshes us and it is from that nourishment that we pull strength and comfort. That does not mean that we are not bothered by the events around us. They are scary. Each time some violence is meted out to one of our members, we cringe and worry for our own safety.


But our faith dictates that we cannot be daunted and reside in that mode for ever. We must go on in and by faith. We must and will secure if nothing else, our own individual spiritual freedom.

As mundane as seems, it is practical faith that brings us together, it is the faith in action that is at work as we travel to and from theses worship services That faith is what we rely on to be able to reach back home safely. Faith is also evidence in the belief that God is in control and that all is good. What is seen as bravery in this defiant coming together is in fact for many of us absolute childlike.

Faith will lead to our deliverance.

Greetings from St. Lucia, the Helen of the East.

I am still trying to come to come to grips with my experience in Jamaica when eight of us from Belize, Barbados, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana went to Jamaica for the first Caribbean Mobilization Conference sponsored by Sunshine Cathedral Ft. Lauderdale and Jamaica. The theme was “Planting Seeds in the Caribbean”.

I have visited Jamaica on many occasions before. They have all been good visits during which I saw the Jamaican LGBT community at work. There I learned new and different ways to organize the Caribbean and St. Lucian LGBT communities around HIV.

But the August 2007 experience at the Sunshine Cathedral in Jamaica really took the cake. I was not totally sure what to expect when I agreed to attend so there was some sort of anticipation about the trip. I knew that it had to do with LGBT spirituality, God and worship. All of these were ok with me since was training to be a minister of religion and am still a practicing Christian.

The Conference which took place on our first full day in Jamaica was very useful and provided some good insights into MCC’s history, operations etc. I was very impressed and wondered why MCC had been such a well kept secret because so many of my LGBT brothers and sisters yearned for spiritual stimulation. I ended that first day energized but still feeling that my role was a little abstract and not concrete.

Well, if the Saturday workshop was the theory, then the Sunday worship service was the practical. It still feels as though I was in a dream as I entered this hall beautifully decorated with the signature rainbow colours and flowers. I watched in amazement as numerous members of the local community turned up for worship. They came from different locations, in different shapes and sizes each choosing different ways of celebrating their own sexuality. Some brought their children who seemed to be very at home in this church service and were warmly welcomed by the adults. I could not believe that this really happening in Jamaica. For the first time in my 45 years, I witnessed members of the LGBT community freely worshipping in spirit and in truth. I saw my brothers and sisters pour out their hearts to the Lord and call upon him.
I saw pent up repression and pain experience release. I saw love and support in action.
I was able to simply worship and be blessed.

I was struck by the number of persons (at least twenty) who were received as new members in the church. I was deeply moved by the fact that this included five heterosexuals. But the lingering image will always be how happy people were as they hugged and kissed and departed. And although we were there for about three hours the dream seemed to have ended as quickly as it started.

Later on, I sat on the Kingston water-front with my host-family, their children and my Belizean counterpart. We ate and chatted about what had happened and still I was lost, I could not believe.



This was an affirming experience that will have a great impact on my life.
Thanks to Sunshine Cathedral for creating this oasis in the desert, for making this possible for us in the Caribbean, for planting a seed which I hope will grow up in my own country of St. Lucia. Thank God for moving in this mighty and affirming way.

Torch Bearers, Pass on The Light!!

I write this reflection from the airplane as the three member-contingent from Jamaica makes our way home from the General Conference XXIII of MCC in Scottsdale, Arizona.

I cannot help but reflect on the absolute inspiration and the blessing that we have all received during these days of spiritual reflection and celebration. I am left with a variety of images floating in my head not least among which is the overriding image of being like a torch-bearer running in the Olympics, carrying the torch to the next leg of the race. In this case though our torch is a different kind… (The imagery just could not be straight! We have to live up to our reputation of being creative and non-traditional!!) Regardless, what is the most important are the facts that going back with us to Jamaica are, (among other things) the Cross and two candles that adorned the altar for the duration of the Conference.
Offered to us by the very creative Rev. Phyllis Hunt

I could get lost in the huge symbolism wrapped up in all of this. By any stretch of the imagination, these items represent a “piece” of the conference that is being taken back to reside among the believers in Jamaica. In that regard, it makes the conference-theme (Building on Hope Creating our Future) come alive and take root among us.

They also represent the vision of church that transcends borders and cultures, a church willing to share its resources one with the other in the name of international brotherhood and the preservation of human rights.

They also represent the energy and vision of the new church in Jamaica. A church that despite the crosses that might come its way will set about be a light to the world.

They represent the warm assurance and reminder that the entire conference and all other MCCers have us in Jamaica in their prayers, thoughts and love. A reminder that together we are a force to be reckoned with!!

They represent the fact that we are part of a young (forty years old is young because I am!!) but mature tradition that enables us to worship a God of inclusion while at the same time celebrating our sexuality.

They also challenge us to hold as sacred this vision not only for Jamaica but also for the wider Caribbean because although they will be used for each of the monthly national services in Jamaica, they will also be reminders that there is work to be done with our brothers and sisters in the wider Caribbean. They represent a challenge to spread the word far and wide!!

Young Jamaica, pick up your cross and your candles and walk!!

Thoughts from Suriname

Stand at the gate of the LORD's house and there proclaim this message:
“‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. Jeremiah 7:2


All over the world people are fighting for Freedom, Acceptance and seeking for love.
The difference is that they all do it their own way. I was moved by the way it is being done in Jamaica at the church service, especially for the MSM population, who faces the battle against HIV /AIDS and their sexuality every day, in Jamaica. Watching how men especially gaymen en other msm worship the lord was amazingly impressive. One thing I have learned from the experience is that we should never underestimate what they call: SPIRIT OF GOD.
Nothing is more powerful that the SPIRIT OF GOD.

In Suriname I never experienced such a heavy loaded church service and to be honest I was much moved. While the emotions where blazing through my body I realized that I should always give praise to the lord in everything I do and be thankful for all the blessings I receive every day.

Taking this experience with me has allowed me to not only be grateful of who I am today but it also gives me the power to continue sharing my love with all human beings no matter the race, background, position or sexual orientation.

Thanks to the MCC of Florida, USA and MCC Jamaica for inviting me to the meeting in Jamaica, Kingston.

With these last words I am now planting some seeds of love for everyone.

Best regards

Kenneth Van Emden
Suriname Men United

Reflections from a Bahamian Brotha

Written by Mike who is a gay Bahamian male who is presently studying in Jamaica


My experience of Sunday August 26, 2007 has left an indelible impression on my heart and spirit. There I was, in full worship mode…ready to receive what the very able priestess had to share by way of lesson.

There I was … in Jamaica, a country where knowledge of a ‘gay’ church service could [in many pockets] incite instantaneous violence…notwithstanding the same, I felt safe, loved, joined, and overcome with emotion.

The message was timely... delivered in love and in sync with the hearts and minds present as the spiritual connection was thick.

I gushed with pride and held back tears in an effort to fully absorb these precious minutes of which I speak. Jamaica AIDS Support provided the venue for the service which [in my mind] had significant value to me as so many fiends who have transitioned and have passed through JAS’ doors seemed to be cheering us on and adding the spirit energy.

Separate and apart from church at home in Nassau Bahamas, I have not experienced fellowship that honored and recognized me… my fellow brothers and sisters for the wonderful, diverse, colorful, passionate and loving LGBT people that we are. We are truly thirteenth stranders.

Further, the love and synergy that was evidently present at the church service was compounded by the message being interpreted before me in sign language for the hearing impaired within the audience.

Certainly (in a spirit of love) the organizers and initiators of these services have transcended mores, tradition, fear and negative repercussion allowing for a luminous opportunity for us [the gay, lesbian community] to embrace our Father, Mother and God in the ‘perfectness’ of our own creation…true reflections of Him/Her.

& so it is…

The New York Response

That's what friends are for, Thanks for speaking out

MCC Protest at Jamaican Consulate
By: ANDY HUMM
02/21/2008
http://gaycitynews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19318906&BRD=2729&PAG=461&dept_id=568857&rfi=6
Led by leaders of the Metropolitan Community Church NY, about 30 activists protested outside the Jamaican Consulate in Midtown on February 14 as part of a "Call to Love" to focus attention on the persecution of LGBT people in the island nation. Similar actions were held in Philadelphia, Toronto, Miami, and Washington, DC.
Reverend Pat Bumgardner, chair of MCC's Global Justice Ministry, spoke about the series of attacks on LGBT people over the last year, including a mob attack on three gay men on January 29. "Two of these young men, doing nothing more than existing in their own home, were clubbed and macheteed to the point of hospitalization," she said. "One lost an ear and may suffer paralysis from the attack. A third young man is missing and presumed dead." Nathaniel Cunningham, an out gay man with Jamaican AIDS Services, is seeking asylum here because of death threats. He told the lunchtime crowd, "These nightmares must end!"

JFLAG Watch !!

J-FLAG takes a swing at church community

The Gleaner, Wednesday February 20, 2008

The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) has taken a swing at the church community. Members of the local gay lobby group, in a release to The Gleaner yesterday, said recent comments made by local church leaders give the impression that they have little or no regard for the human rights and protection of individuals within the homosexual community."The latest response by the local church community to the issues affecting Jamaica's sexual minority group speaks loudly to the lack of humanity being extended by the Church," the release read.J-FLAG's response comes just days after Jamaican church leaders rebuked the actions of the Florida-based Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), whose leaders recently staged protests outside several Jamaican consulates, calling for more 'gay-friendly' policies to be adopted by Jamaica.The church community was, however, adamant that despite the demands made by the MCC, homosexuality would not be accepted as normal. Several church leaders indicated that they were not in support of mob violence against those who practised a gay lifestyle and that the Church was willing to provide counselling for those who wanted to change their ways. Continued silence However, when The Gleaner contacted the J-FLAG office, *Jason, who said he was the organisation's programme manager, said the Church's continued silence shows that members approve of such violence against homosexuals."The Church has not spoken out against the atrocities faced by the homosexual community and has waited until external forces have called for a more humanitarian approach towards dealing with the issue to come forward," said J-FLAG.In a previous interview, Bishop Everton Thomas, of the Jamaica Pentecostal Union, told The Gleaner that the Church in no way supported the killing or assault of homosexuals and recognised that they had a right to life, as any other Jamaican.

SCJ's Press Release in Response to Gleaner Article on 18.02.08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A Statement from the Leadership of Sunshine Cathedral in Jamaica

19 February 2008

“The Church Wakes up!! But look at for what!!”

Sunshine Cathedral-Jamaica (SCJ) finds it curious that persons purporting to speak on behalf of the entire Christian Church in Jamaica have finally broken their silence on issues facing homosexuals and persons alleged to be homosexuals in Jamaica.

Conveniently, this breaking of the silence has come because of the protests in North America by Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) on the anniversary of last year’s Valentine’s Day mob attack in Kingston and following the attack of three men in Mandeville. It is disturbing that this silence was never broken for the lives lost, bloodshed, and rampant abuse of Jamaicans who are either homosexuals or thought to be homosexuals. Instead, the age-old and predictable response of a handful of self-appointed leaders who purport to speak for the majority of Christian churches in Jamaica has been to keep silent and turn a blind eye as Jamaicans are mobbed, beaten and killed. Their continued silence in the face of rampant attacks and abuse, broken only when someone calls for Christian love towards those that are beaten, can only leave the impression that they approve of such violence. This is especially so given the discriminatory and harsh remarks used by these leaders in speaking about the vexed issues of violence towards homosexuals and in expressing their interpretation of God’s love and Christian teachings around this issue.

For the record, Sunshine Cathedral-Jamaica, a member of MCC, is made up of over one hundred and fifty Jamaicans (homosexuals and heterosexuals) who live, breathe and experience this violence on a regular basis. Contrary to popular belief this number also includes heterosexuals who themselves are (a) tired of the discrimination meted out to members of the homosexual community and (b) frustrated with the double standards that they have experienced from the pulpits of their faith communities. SCJ crafts, sanctions, participates in, and is totally a part of whatever related public action taken by MCC regarding Jamaica. Contrary to what many think, there is no foreign group dictating or leading the pace here. We are skillfully and creatively crafting our own destiny and response and are proud of the fact that we belong to an international organization that stands out as having the courage to cry out against violence directed towards us. The lesson being imparted to all is that “Injustice to one person is in fact injustice to all”

We would like to again reiterate that we did not make ourselves homosexuals; neither did we go anywhere to learn it. We were born here in Jamaica and most of us do not want to go anywhere else to live. Instead we insist that as a people we must be treated equally by the church, the Government, and all citizens.

Gleaner Article Link: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080218/lead/lead1.html

Guyanese Greetings

Greetings all,

I must say I felt privileged to be one of the representatives of Guyana to attend the MCC’s Sunshine Cathedral workshop that firstly, edified me of the MCC’s origin and purpose and secondly the need to spread the gospel (‘plant the seed’) of the MCC in the Caribbean. What I respect is the fact that God is at the center of its work in the context of Spirituality and ones Sexuality.

The MCC spreads a tolerant message that is accommodative and provides hope for the LGBT community globally, and more so in the Caribbean, that God loves us for we are His creation contrary to what some churches propagate. I am very delighted that it creates a comfortable space for LGBT persons to worship and to be enriched with the word of God.

I was totally oblivious that such a church movement exists and being very dynamic and touching so many souls especially Jamaica. I believe that this is something that other Caribbean countries will love to experience. The MCC in Jamaica is a model that other countries in the Caribbean, including Guyana, can replicate.

The church service was energetic and awesome. It was no different to that of any church services I have attended. The only difference is that it is a gay-friendly space where persons can worship without any hate sermon and to be greeted by homophobic clergy members and congregants. Everything was routine to that of any church and the message was one of love and tolerance. I was overwhelmed for my expectations didn’t reach that far. I felt accepted and respected as one supposes to feel any house of worship.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the workshop and church service. I am gratified that the MCC’s Sunshine Cathedral will be readily available to aid Guyana and the other countries that were present to set up their MCC space. Further, I love the hospitality extended by the organizers and hosts of the activities in Jamaica and I hope we can eventually work in solidarity in spreading the message of the Lord within our respective communities.


God’s Love,
Jermaine

Our First Workshop in Jamaica Involving Local Religious Leaders.

The Workshop was designed to present the ideological position of the SCJ and begin the dialogue of interfaith cooperation between SCJ and the existing church groups in Jamaica