BISHOP CHRISTOPHER SSENYONJO, Uganda: ¨Spiritual mentor, pastor, and guide--at great cost to his reputation and security--inspires ALL¨

Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo, Integrity-Uganda Founder

¨In August of 2007, I had the privilege of visiting with members of Integrity-Uganda in Kampala. During my two weeks there, I was continually struck by the fortitude and courage of gay and lesbian young adults who were taking great risks for the sake of human rights in their country. Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, as chaplain to Integrity-Uganda, was their spiritual mentor, pastor, and guide. His love for these young people - at great cost to his reputation and security - is an inspiration. The hospitality that he and his wife, Mary, offered to them and to me is a memory that I cherish.

The Rev. John Kirkley . The Episcopal Church Diocese of California

It was a great joy to be able to return this hospitality when Bishop Christopher visited the San Francisco Bay Area in May. Our celebration of the feast of Pentecost was especially grand with the Bishop as the guest preacher at St. John the Evangelist y El Buen Samaritano, San Francisco. A bilingual liturgy (Spanish & English) with the Gospel lesson spoken in 14 languages was the perfect setting for Bishop Christopher's prophetic witness to the power of God's love to transcend differences and unite us in common mission.

The Right Reverend Marc Handley Andrus is the eighth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California

That evening, Bishop Christopher was the guest of Bishop Marc and Sheila Andrus for a reception at their home. He spoke with humility and gratitude about the difference we can make in Uganda by opposing the anti-gay legislation proposed there. His profoundly moving stories about the need for dialogue, education, and advocacy regarding LGBT human rights in his home country underscored the importance of our continued financial support of Integrity-Uganda's work. It is a matter of life and death.¨ HERE

ALL AFRICA ANGLICAN BISHOPS CONFERENCE, August 23 to 29
Entebbe, Uganda

Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury

Dear African Bishops of the Anglican Communion,

You are from over 400 dioceses in Africa. You are Anglican Bishops who are expected to gather together with the Archbishop of Canterbury at a one-week All African Bishops' Conference that will take place in Uganda from August 23 to 29, 2010.

Bishops, are you prepared to minister pastorally and sensitively to ALL, irrespective of sexual orientation?


"Securing Our Future: Unlocking our Potential,"(Hebrews 12:1-2)

Bishops of the Anglican Communion from over 400 dioceses in Africa are expected together with the Archbishop of Canterbury. A one-week All African Bishops' Conference (AABC) will take place in Uganda from August 23 to 29. HERE

According to Edward Gaamuwa, the chairman of the organising committee, the council of Anglican provinces of Africa meeting in Pretoria, South Africa in 2001 resolved to hold an African Anglican Bishop Conference to focus on African needs.

"The Anglican Church is very old in Africa but African problems and issues are still being treated as an appendix to other issues at the church's international forum," Gaamuwa said in an interview.

Some of the aims for this conference include mobilising the bishops to tackle the obstacles that continue to keep the continent in conflict, poverty, corruption, poor leadership and disease.

There is also the need to create a platform for interaction and partnership development and also to expose church leaders to various models for resource mapping, investment, management and global technology.

And how the Anglican Church in Africa is spearheading and participating in global initiatives that seek to address the threats to human dignity...read it all HERE


The persecution of LGBTI Anglicans/others ought NOT BE IGNORED by African Anglican Conference Bishops meeting in UGANDA!

It´s particularly troubling that the LGBTI Anglican/other ¨issue¨ that is confronting deep rooted ¨immoral fiber¨ of ¨exclusionists/haters¨ in Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya isn´t even on the AGENDA for the African Anglican Bishops ...apparently an excuse for easing tension for the also attending more ¨inclusive¨ South African Bishops. Anglican Bishops from South Africa whom I´m amazed would have need to be ¨protected¨ when THEY are the very BRAVE ones in Africa who have REAL EXPERIENCE when ministering ¨hands on¨ to LGBTI Anglicans.

Clearly much of what the ¨African Bishops Conference¨ intends to rehash are regional problems that have little or nothing to do with ¨listening to solutions¨ or avoiding more bloodshed when excluding and abusing LGBTI Anglicans in Africa (and addressing forced ¨closeted behavior¨ that is deadly for everyone and contaminates families and everyday lives with ongoing deceit). True, Africa is riddled with dictatorships, bloody civil wars, greedy property grabs, heterosexual social disease, child witchburning and rampant, vertical, corruption throughout society HERE ...but the persecution of LGBTI citizens ought NOT BE IGNORED!

Many African Anglican powerdriven Bishops such as Archbishop Orombi/Uganda--who excommunicated and removed the retirement pension of Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo for the fabricated ¨crimelike¨ stewardship of ¨ministering to LGBT Ugandans¨-- aren´t able to face REALITY and live in a world outside of their own narrow-minded and self-righteous self-protecting. Meanwhile, many African bishops continously pontificate and demonize others and further/endorse the ignorance, fear, bigotry and hate often directed against their/our brothers and sisters at The Body of Christ (see pending anti/kill-lgbt law pending before the Parliament of Uganda, the thieving of Anglican Church property in Zimbabwe and the failed Anglican Church endorsement AVOIDING ¨human rights equality¨ changes for a new constituition in Kenya...it passed popular vote ANYWAY and citizens have a dim view of religious leaders, Archbishop Wabukala/others, in Kenya as a result HERE ). Anything to save face, cover-oneself for ill-actions, outshout and play ¨big man¨ while avoiding the REALITY of facing a wrongful, yet popular, lie and taboo against ¨the Gay¨ invasion HERE . The ¨agenda¨ of encouraging deadly fears amongst bigots is, in fact, a spiritually irresponsible sin of omission at the Anglican African Bishops Conference next week in Uganda.

LGBTI Anglicans and others are exploited, victimized, raped, enslaved and demonized in UGANDA, NIGERIA, KENYA and CENTRAL AFRICA

HERE, and HERE, and you must read HERE, Nigeria HERE,
Kenya HERE, Sudan HERE and the Anglican Province of Central Africa HERE.

Lord have mercy

· Thanks to Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo, Uganda
· Thanks to Integrity, Uganda and U.S.A.
· Thanks to Changing Attitudes, United Kingdom
· Thanks to The Rev. John Kirkley, Diocese of California
· Thanks to Bishop Marc and Sheila Andrus, Diocese of California
· Thanks to Anglican African Bishops Conference, Uganda
· Thanks to Box Turtle Bulletin, sidebar

THE ALL AFRICA BISHOPS CONFERENCE, venue:

Imperial Resort Beach Hotel
August 23 to 29
Entebbe, Uganda
PO Box 895,Entebbe, Uganda
Telephone: +256 (0) 414 303000
Fax: +256 (0) 414 303333
Web: www.imperialhotels.co.ug/impresortbeachoverview.html

BLESSED BEYOND BELIEF: ¨My husband and I hosted Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo, founder of Integrity UGANDA, on his recent visit to Sacramento...¨

Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo, UGANDA, Integrity UGANDA Founder, honored and received in Sacramento, California -- by Dean Brian Baker, Bishop Barry Beisner, his wife, Rev. Anne Hallisey and Integrity, U.S.A., Vice President Albert Ogle.

¨There are times in our lives when we offer to do something because we believe in the cause, only to realize again that in the doing we are blessed beyond belief. Such was the time when my husband and I hosted Bishop Senyonjo and the Rev. Albert Ogle during the bishop's visit to Sacramento in May of this year as part of his tour on behalf of LGBT Ugandans.

Dean Brian Baker and Bishop V. Gene Robinson

Bishop Christopher was in Sacramento to meet up with Bishop Robinson, spend a day of lobbying at the Capitol in support of Gay Marriage, and then to appear at the EQCA Awards that evening as Bishop Robinson was again recognized for his work on behalf of the LGBT community. We were also lucky enough to have Bishop Christopher speak at Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento. The Bishop is such a man of strong faith that being in the same room with him makes you have hope, and stand just a little taller.

California State Capitol, Sacramento

I have to tell you of an incident that occurred on his last day in our home because it is just a small example of the dignity of the man. We were in the kitchen finishing breakfast and getting ready for the day when the Bishop asked permission to use my phone to call his wife as he had not heard her voice for several days, and I of course said yes. As I was doing the morning kitchen clean-up thing, he placed the call. While I don't understand Ugandan, I understood the tone completely, it was great love and joy in talking to his wife.

After a few minutes he said, "My wife wants to talk to you. Her name is Mary." When I took the phone and said hello, the first words out of her mouth were, "Thank you for taking care of my husband. I pray for his safety every day." My heart swelled and broke at the same time. Here was a couple who have sacrificed so very much for the sake of LGBT people, and she was thanking me for a simple offer of hospitality. They were thanking me, and yet I owe them so much for their courageous stand. Talk about being blessed!¨Steve Skiffington


Bishop Christopher's historic pilgrimage continues to be a blessing as we work together to reap the seeds sown by his witness to God's abundant, inclusive love. And Integrity is hard at work helping make that happen. You can be part of that work and witness by:


Renewing your Integrity membership today HERE -- or joining Integrity if you're not currently a member HERE

Forwarding this blog post to your friends and family and encouraging them to become Integrity members.

Keeping the work of Integrity and the witness of Bishop Christopher in your prayers as we all work together toward God's dream of a world free of homophobia and bigotry, where the whole human family is fully included and celebrated as beloved children of God. HERE

· Thanks to Integrity UGANDA
· Thanks to Integrity U.S.A.
· Thanks to The Rt. Reverend Christopher Ssenyonjo
· Thanks to The Very Reverend Brian Baker
· Thanks to The Reverend Anne Hallisey
· Thanks to Steve Skiffington, Integrity Coordinator, Sacramento
· Thanks to The Reverend Canon Albert Ogle, V.P. Integrity U.S.A.
· Thanks to The Rt. Reverend Barry Beisner, Bishop of The Episcopal Church diocese of Northern California

Board of Directors/Integrity: Honors the dedication of the Reverend Canons Andrew Rank and Barnabas Hunt, Society of St. Paul

Anglican Hero, Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo, Uganda

St. Paul’s Cathedral, San Diego, California, gave one of the largest gifts of any congregation and city to both Integrity’s General Convention Fund and the recent tour of Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo of Uganda.

Anglican Heros: The Reverend Canon Andrew Rank, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and The Reverend Canon Barnabas Hunt

¨...At a recent meeting of the Board of Directors of Integrity, a resolution was passed honoring the dedication of the Reverend Canons Andrew Rank and Barnabas Hunt to creating a fully inclusive church. As members of the Society of St. Paul, they joined Integrity in 1995 and have been major supporters of Integrity’s work to ensure the sacraments were available to everyone, including the ordination of LGBT candidates and the consecration of openly gay or lesbian bishops. HERE


UPDATE:

Since hosting the first national convention on the West Coast in the early 1980s and calling for LGBT rights within the Episcopal Church, St. Paul’s Cathedral in the Bankers Hill area of San Diego has visibly campaigned against Proposition 8, and deployed its priests and clergy to go door to door in spreading a message of equality. It has also openly denounced hate crimes and false claims made by leaders of the ex-gay movement in their attempts to turn LGBT individuals straight.


The cathedral serves as a beacon for tolerance, welcoming people of every faith regardless of their sexuality. The cathedral also recently hosted the first “Believe Out Loud” workshop for Province IX and led the Bishop Christopher Senyonjo tour of the USA and Ireland.


The Award will be presented to the cathedral on Friday 16th July at the opening of the Festival in Balboa Park HERE

BOLD, BRAVE and BEAUTIFUL ¨PRIDE WEEKEND¨ NEWS from ¨Friends of Jake¨

Same Sex Blessings to begin at The Episcopal Church diocese of San Diego

¨...But the pinnacle of the weekend was an announcement during the Rev. Canon Allisyn Thomas's sermon on Sunday. She informed us that Bishop James Mathes has given St Paul's permission to offer same sex blessings. There were many tears of joy in the congregation, as long-time couples realized that they, at last, can fully belong. (BP was singing in the summer choir, so I had to wait for the Peace to be able to sneak into the choir to hug her tight!) The details of the process are to be worked out, but the expectation is that gay and lesbian couples will be required to adhere to the same rules, policies and procedures as straight couples as far as possible. Which is as it should be.

San Diego is a large, very diverse diocese, encompassing a fairly conservative part of the state. Needless to say, it is not of one mind. The Bishop requires any parishes considering blessings to embark on a self study patterned on the Diocese-wide document on Holiness in Relationships, and then the clergy must ask his permission. I am absolutely certain that there will be parishes whose priests do not choose to participate, and for whom this decision will be met with some dismay... read it all, by IT HERE

· Thanks to Integrity, U.S.A.
· Thanks to Integrity, UGANDA
· Thanks to The Society of St. Paul
· Thanks to The Reverend Canon Barnabas Hunt
· Thanks to The Reverend Canon Andrew Rank
· Thanks to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Primate
· Thanks to Flickr Photo Sharing
· Thanks to St. Pauls Cathedral
· Thanks to Friends of Jake, IT, sidebar
· Thanks to Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo, UGANDA

NO ANGLICAN COVENANT.

TAKE ACTION AGAINST BIGOTRY, IGNORANCE and OUTCASTING/SOCIAL ISOLATION and THE ABUSERS of FELLOW ANGLICANS/others at The Anglican Communion:

The ANGLICAN UN, United Nations, HUMAN RIGHTS Observer, Mrs Hellen Grace Wangusa from Uganda, has an office and staff provided by the Episcopal Church (USA) at the Church Center 815 Second Avenue, New York, 10017. The direct office line is (001) 212-716- 6263 and the email address unoffice@episcopalchurch.org


Lionel Deimel, Anglican HERO, click HERE,¨No Anglican Covenant¨