ANGELFOOD FOOD BANK**: Comforting the elderly, the marginalized, the enfirmed at a small pueblo in Guatemala

San Miguel, The Archangel*, by Leonard Clark


Greetings Friends

In honor of the return/visit of Jenn and John Holden to Guatemala and in support of  The San Miguel Dueñas ¨Angelfood¨** food bank you are invited to a LUNCHEON on Saturday, August 27th in San Miguel Dueñas.

Please come and join in the festivities and the enjoyment of one another at the foot of the Fuego Volcano.

Last year, Jenn and John Holden, Juan Carlos Castillo, Tom and Elizabeth McCallaugh, Tom, Paul and Mom and I sponsored the first San Miguel Dueñas Food Bank party on ¨Boxing Day,¨ the day after Christmas at our home.  The party was a great success. Our intention was to gather food donations ( packs of rice, beans, sugar, cooking oil or pasta and the like) from our guests as they arrived for lunch and then donate the food anonymously after the party to the well-organized Church ¨outreach¨ service on the main square.  It worked!  The food was/is intended for folks in this community of San Miguel Dueñas who are elderly, shut-ins, in need of a little help and/or the enfirmed. 

Weekly, Fr. Carlos Enrique Marroquin and his Eucharist assistants visit the homes of the people who are unable to attend formal services and he offers them Communion and comforting individual spiritual care.  In addition, most of the elderly folks and sometime terminally enfirmed are also gifted with our food offerings, which are distributed by Fr. Carlos Enrique from all of the anonymous we´s.  We are thankful to be of service to this community and this next party on August 27th will be a continuation of our ¨Angelfood¨** Food Bank program.  Special attraction: This year Fr. Carlos Enrique Marroquin will be present to meet/greet and personally thank everyone...the food gifts will be delivered to the Parish directly after the party...every grain, every noodle, every bean, thanks to you, our generous friends.

PLEASE BE OUR GUEST

MENU

Cocktails/Greetings at 1:00 P.M.

· Rum, Vodka, Beer
· Fruit Juices
· Limonada
· Naranjara
· Soft Drinks
· Iced Tea
· Mineral Water

Note:  If you prefer wine please bring your favorite.

Juanchitos All-Central American Favorites:
·  Guacamole and Tortilla Chips
·  Mixed Nuts

Lunch is served 1:30-2:00 P.M.

Lisa´s Request Tostadas:  Spicey Beef and/or Savory Chicken
choice of salsas

Violetas famous rice:  with fresh veggies and chorizo

Leonardo´s Enchiladas:  Cheese with Mole

Cindy´s Fruit Kabobs: Assorted Fresh Fruit

Dessert/Postre:  It´s a surprise!
Coffee
Tea

Please RSVP:

Leonard Clark, Juan Carlos Castillo
santosiempre@yahoo.com
56568295 telephone (for easy instructions on how to find us)
in San Miguel Dueñas

* San Miguel, a hero in most religions as we have much in common:

Saint Michael the Archangel
A 13th-century Byzantine icon from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai
Archangel
Honored in	Anglican Communion, Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism, Oriental Orthodoxy, Lutheranism
Canonized	pre-congregation
Feast	November 21 (Old Calendar Eastern Orthodox Churches) / November 8 (New Calendar Eastern Orthodox Churches), September 29 ("Michaelmas"); May 8; many other local and historical feasts
Attributes	Archangel; Treading on Satan or a serpent; carrying a banner, scales, and sword
Patronage	Guardian of the Catholic Church;[1] protector of the Jewish people.[2]

Michael (Hebrew: מִיכָאֵל‎ (pronounced [ˌmixäˈʔel]), Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; Greek: Μιχαήλ, Mikhaḗl; Latin: Michael or Míchaël; Arabic: ميخائيل‎, Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition. He is viewed as the field commander of the Army of God. He is mentioned by name in the Book of Daniel,^[3] the Book of Jude,^[4] and the Book of Revelation, in which he leads God's armies against the Devil's forces during his uprising.^[5] In the book of Daniel, Michael appears as "one of the chief princes"^[3] who in Daniel's vision comes to Gabriel's aid in his contest with the angel of Persia (Dobiel). Michael is also described there as the advocate of the Children of Israel and as a "great prince who stands up for the children of your [Daniel's] people".^[6]
In Hebrew, Michael means "who is like God" (mi-who, ke-as or like, El-deity), which in Talmudic tradition is interpreted as a rhetorical question: "Who is like God?" (which expects an answer in the negative) to imply that no one is like God. In this way, Michael is reinterpreted as a symbol of humility before God.^[7][8]
Much of the late Midrashic detail about Michael was transmitted to Christianity through the Book of Enoch, whence it was taken up and further elaborated. Christian cultus devoted to the archangel was first initiated in the East, as a healer, at Chonae near Colossae in Phrygia and in the West, at the end of the fifth century, as a patron in war, at Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano. In late medieval Christianity, Michael, together with Saint George, became the patron saint of chivalry. Jean Molinet was one who glorified the primordial feat of arms of the archangel as "the first deed of knighthood and chivalrous prowess that was ever achieved."^[9] Thus Michael was the natural patron of the first chivalric order of France, the Order of Saint Michael of 1469. In the British honours system, a chivalric order founded in 1818 is also named for these two saints, the Order of St Michael and St George. Michael is also considered in many Christian circles as the patron saint of the warrior. Police officers and soldiers, particularly paratroopers and fighter pilots, regard him as their patron. He is the Patron of the Catholic Police Guild. He is also a patron of Germany,^[10] the City of Brussels,^[11] and Kiev.
Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael. Orthodox Christians refer to him as the Taxiarch Archangel Michael or simply Archangel Michael.^[12] Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists, and certain New Age Christian denominations refer to Michael as the Christ Michael, or Christ before he became man.^[13][14][15] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that Michael is the heavenly form of Adam from the Book of Genesis,^[16][17][18] and that Michael assisted Jehovah (the heavenly form of Jesus Christ) in the creation of the world under the direction of God the Father ...read it all HERE)

** Angelfood Food Bank was conceived by Jenn Holden
(she has just introduced another one in Redwood City, California)

ATTN ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP WABUKALA/KENYA: The Muslim Leadership of Kenya have initiated a respectful and peaceful ¨Listening/Learning¨ process for LGBTI Kenyans

The meeting with KEMNAC was authorised by the Chairman, Sheik Juma Ngao (file photo: Beige Suit) 

¨They are not intent on killing homosexuals as some extreme reports have suggested but are willing to learn counselling skills in order to live in peace with homosexuals.¨

The Revd Michael Kimindu, CA’s contact person in Kenya, reports that on July 14th and August 4th, he had two successful meetings with the Kenya Muslim National Advisory Council (KEMNAC).

The meeting with KEMNAC was authorised by the Chairman, Sheik Juma Ngao who was unable to attend himself because of other commitments in Nairobi.

After listening to the Council members talk about their knowledge of homosexuality and their ignorance, Michael says it is evident that one of the things they urgently need is correct information. They are not intent on killing homosexuals as some extreme reports have suggested but are willing to learn counselling skills in order to live in peace with homosexuals.

From the two meetings, the Committee wanted to know how they could develop a sensitivity to those who are homosexual without violating the teaching of the Quran and the Prophet.

Michael and MEMNAC have agreed to organize a seminar for 40 Muslim Religious leaders to be co-sponsored by GALCK and the Kenya Human Rights Commission.

Michael says that Changing Attitude is taking an important initiative in helping Muslims in Kenya to learn about homosexuality as a first step in overcoming their prejudice and homophobia. He comments ruefully that this means Muslims will be ahead of the Christians in Kenya in changing their attitudes towards LGBT people.¨   HERE

TO OUT-OF-TOUCH ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP WABUKALA: The Church in Kenya has lost respectability because it is not impartial or consistent

Anglican Church in Kenya Archbishop Eliud Wabukala recently was elected as Gafcon schismatics chairman

¨The actions and omissions of the Church leadership over the past five years point to a deepening crisis. The church seems unable to find the voice of the populi, which should concern the hierarchies of the Pentecostal, Anglican and Catholic denominations.¨

It is time for the clergy to do some soul searching if they hope to redeem themselves and their place as the moral and spiritual compass for the highly politicised Kenyan society...¨ read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to the Kenya Muslim National Advisory Council
·  Thanks to Chairman, Sheik Juma Ngao,  KEMNAC
·  Thanks to Changing Attitude, Kenya
·  Thanks to The Revd Michael Kimindu, Kenya
·  Thanks to GALCK and the Kenya Human Rights Commission
·  Thanks to Changing Attitude, United Kingdom

Conservative Chilean President: Sebastián Piñera introduced legislation today to recognize same-sex civil unions! BRAVO!

President Sebastián Piñera, Chile 

"All forms of marriage deserve respect, dignity and the support of the state. This puts opposite-sex and same-sex couples on the same footing, because in both cases it is possible to develop love, affection and
respect¨...please read it all,  HERE

·  Thanks to President Sebastián Piñera, Chile
·  Thanks to Towleroad, sidebar
·  Thanks to AFP, HERE

TEXAN FINDS HIMSELF: ¨I had an abundance of friends, a family that loved me, all the opportunities of an all American red-haired kid, and the pride of a Bible-beating, full blooded Texan.¨

Brock:  ¨I wanted to be loved and touched by a man instead of a woman.¨

¨I believe our society desperately needs the church to be an example of love and grace for the gay and lesbian community. We need the body of Christ to give council to the weak, reach out to the lost, and teach true direction that leads to life and not exclusion. The church has erred on many issues in the past. My hope is that by reflecting on those mistakes the church can come into a place of helping the gay community.¨

Brocks Narrative:

“What a pathetic mess,” I thought as I listened to him cry and boast about another one of his secret sexual encounters behind stall doors, public parks, health clubs, chat rooms, and bath houses. Here I was again at another Dallas ex-gay meeting, with a bunch of weenies in the back of the Church of Christ. The 20-something members of my group sat in a circle around a chair-less, pale-yellow room giving accounts of our madness.

I look back now and my heart breaks for these men, confused and tormented by their natural need. But the thousands of men and women in these groups aren’t weenies at all. By one means or another they have taken the first step in coming out of denial about their orientation, usually at the risk of losing many people they thought were friends.

I was trying to find myself, and my story wasn’t much different. I was reared in a grade-A, conservative, Christian household, home schooled through elementary, excelled through high school and college, an athlete, a musician, a worship leader in my youth groups, and a proficient Bible boy who could spit verses at the devil. I had an abundance of friends, a family that loved me, all the opportunities of an all American red-haired kid, and the pride of a Bible-beating, full blooded Texan. Yet a part of me had been dying inside since puberty. I wanted to be loved and touched by a man instead of a woman.

Because of my conservative background, I resisted giving into any kind of sexual temptation all the way up into college...¨ please read all of Brock´s narrative, HERE

·  Thanks to Brock, HERE
·  Thanks to Beyond Ex-Gay, sidebar, HERE

ANOTHER GRIM ¨GAY¨ DAY IN GHANA WEST AFRICA: ¨Being refugees, gay, unemployable, poor and despised by locals: could life be any more difficult?

Sekou Grear (left) and James Gayee. They had fled West Africa’s bloodiest conflict, a vicious civil war in Liberia

“We all hide in Africa.”

¨It was in Ghana, West Africa, that I was asked the most troubling question by an interview subject. Homosexuality is illegal there, but after phone-text promises of anonymity, two gay men met me in a suburban café outside Accra, Ghana’s capital. They had fled West Africa’s bloodiest conflict, a vicious civil war in Liberia, and now live 44 kilometres west of Accra in the Buduburam Refugee Camp. Being refugees, gay, unemployable, poor and despised by locals: could life be any more difficult? I was about to find out...¨  please read it all, HERE

MEANWHILE AT THE ANGICAN CHURCH IN GHANA/PROVINCE OF WEST AFRICA: ¨OUTRAGE¨

¨Contrary to a popular perception, occasioned by the election of a Gay Bishop by the Church of the Province of the USA (Episcopal/Anglican) that Anglicans as a world-wide Communion support the practice of homosexuality/lesbianism and all that goes with it, the Anglican Church in Ghana, indeed, the Church of the Province of West Africa is unequivocally opposed to the phenomenon.  Our Church is, therefore, deeply disturbed, indeed outraged, that it has even been mooted to hold in our beloved soil and country a conference of persons of different sex orientation..


THE MOST REV’D. DR. JUSTICE OFEI AKROFI

THE ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP OF THE CHURCH OF THE PROVINCE OF WEST AFRICA
AND BISHOP OF ACCRA.
¨While affirming the Constitutional right of freedom of expression and gathering, we are unable to accept and encourage the practice of such freedom as is around the phenomenon of same sex orientation because it thereby placards a practice that is “contrary to nature” (Paul’s Letter to the Romans 1 verse 27) and, therefore, is unacceptable to Christian conscience. It is even more disturbing that a practice which is normally done in secret is now being openly espoused and made a virtue, with consequent corruptive effects on society.


We, therefore, like other Christian bodies, applaud the move of the Government of Ghana to disallow the assembly. We further urge all Ghanaians to be circumspect in going about acts which are only “not natural” but also have corruptive influence on the moral fibre of society, especially the youth. We as well urge all Ghanaians to endeavour to maintain the traditional Ghanaian norms of decency and propriety. For a nation without memory of its past and sense of history is doomed to self-destruction.¨  HERE

Long live Ghana! Long live Freedom of Gathering and Speech! Long live Normal Standards of Decency and Propriety!

Archbishop  JUSTICE OFEI AKROFI

·  Thanks to Paula Stromberg
·  Thanks to "Sekou Grear" Ghana
·  Thanks to "James Gayee" Ghana
·  Thanks to LGBT Asylum News, sidebar

BIGOTS BEWARE/KEEP OUT: ++OROMBI/OKHO, DAVID BAHATI and ABUSIVE GLOBAL SOUTH GRANDSTANDING OPPORTUNISTS AT THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION

Attn: Dangerous/thieving Two Faced ¨evangelical¨ bigots at The Anglican Communion, Norwich Cathedral vault festoon 

¨President Obama issued a proclamation HERE on Thursday that could prohibit those engaging in LGBT persecution overseas from entering the United States.

The proclamation bars entry of immigrant and non-immigrant aliens who organize or participate in war crimes or serious violations of human rights — which could include those seeking to pass legislation in Uganda that would institute the death penalty for homosexual acts.

“The United States’ enduring commitment to respect for human rights and humanitarian law requires that its Government be able to ensure that the United States does not become a safe haven for serious violators of human rights and humanitarian law and those who engage in other related abuses,” Obama states.

ATTN: Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, ¨Spiritual Advisor¨ to MP David ¨Kill the Gays¨ Bahati, and Anglican Gafcon schismatic ¨Two Faced Grace¨ HERE and Murder of LGBTI Activist, Anglican David Kato, HERE and Corruption Abounds at The Anglican Church of Uganda, HERE

Specific language in the proclamation explicitly states that those who persecute people based on their “sexual orientation and gender identity” are among the categories of those who won’t be able to enter the United States.

Additionally, the proclamation prevents not only those who perpetuated human rights abuses overseas from entering the United States, but also those who have “attempted or conspired to do so.”

“The proclamation also bans admission to the United States for those who are complicit in organizing these abuses — not just those who carry them out,” a White House fact sheet states. “As such, it allows the United States to act before planned abuses and atrocities metastasize into actual ones.”

The proclamation gives the secretary of state, or the secretary’s designee, the authority to identify people who won’t be able to enter the United States based on this new guidance.

However, other language in the proclamation states that such an individual could enter the country if the secretary of state determines that the “entry of such person would be in the interests of the United States.”

Mark Bromley, chair of the Council for Global Equality, said the order gives the Obama administration “an important tool to use in dissuading extremist actions that are prejudicial to basic human rights, and in encouraging the development of inclusive laws and societies.”

ATTN: Anglican David Bahati, ¨Kill the Gays¨  MP of Uganda

¨Murder in Kampala¨ HERE
Anglican David Bahati´s Blood Quest, HERE
The Murderous Despots of Uganda, HERE

“The Council praises this move, which could in principle be used to justify the exclusion of hate-promoting politicians like Ugandan parliamentarian David Bahati, who introduced a ‘kill the gays bill’ in a previous legislative session in Uganda and may do so again,” Bromley said. “That bill, of course, would have carried dire consequences for LGBT individuals in Uganda.”

Bahati was previously invited to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in February 2010, but was later disinvited by organizers and didn’t make an appearance after he introduced his draconian anti-gay bill.¨  please read it all, HERE

HERE

· Thanks to The White House Press Office
·  Thanks to President Barack Obama
·  Thanks to The Washington Blade, sidebar
·  Thanks to The United States Department of State
·  Thanks to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

EXODUS FROM EXODUS: I was in love with the Lord, and fell in love with Linda. Six months later, Linda committed suicide...



¨Words are strange. Exodus refers to a “coming out” leaving the desert experience behind. Of course, “they” would view that as leaving homosexuality and coming into the promised land of heterosexuality.¨

Darlene Bogle
¨My Exodus from Exodus¨

¨My name is Darlene Bogle. I attended a Christian College in Seattle and had studied for the ministry. I believed that God had laid His hand upon my life and called me to be a voice of His Grace to the wounded and emotionally crumpled children who were just outside the traditional church ministry. I believed that Christ came to love all of his children and make them whole. In that Christian college, I not only experienced His call upon my life, but I experienced my first Lesbian relationship. I was in love with the Lord, and fell in love with Linda. Six months later, Linda committed suicide because she couldn’t handle family, church and society’s rejection of her sexuality. She was 17 years old.

I was devastated, went for counseling for the next few years to deal with my own journey of sexual abuse and the brokenness of my wounded and crumpled spirit.

For several years I lived a yo-yo experience of being in church or being in the gay bars. Both lives had degrees of rejection for the other. In l977 I determined to return to an active relationship with the Lord and leave my gay friends and longings behind. I finished my degree, and became a licensed minister with the Foursquare church. I started writing articles, speaking in Churches, and working on a book of my journey. In 1985, Long Road to Love was published and was followed in 1990 by Strangers in a Christian Land.

I was involved with Exodus International by this time because they were the only group offering support of Ex-gay folks. That is what I thought I was, because I was not involved with women. I soon formed a ministry called Paraklete, in Hayward, California. We were an Exodus referral ministry. I began to speak at Exodus conferences, teach nationally, and was on several TV programs such as Jerry Springer, Sally Jessie Raphael, CBS 48 hours, the 700 club and many local television shows.

I held a full time job as an Insurance Underwriter and was assistant pastor of my church. I directed the ministry, wrote and spoke at conferences or churches at every opportunity. I KNEW I was ex-gay because I any longer felt attraction for women. Of course, I had no attraction for men either, and in fact, I was pretty much a non-feeling person. I knew that sexual behavior could be changed, because I had changed my own behavior for several years. I preached that sexual orientation was a choice also, and for that, I NOW APOLOGIZE!

In 1988, Exodus LA (the Exodus conference in Los Angeles) had a picture taken with about 200 attendees. The Title across the photo was: Can Homosexuals change? We did. Now, as I look at this poster, more than half of the people in the photo are no longer in ex-gay ministry or involved in the Church. Their orientation wasn’t really changed, and neither was mine! We wanted to change behavior that we were told would separate us from a loving God. We were never told that we had an option, that God would still love us as Gay and Lesbian people. What grieves me is that so many have left the church because they believed that lie. I have come to believe that God not only accepts us but wants to bless our relationship with our same-sex partner...¨  please read it all,   HERE

·  Thanks to Darlene Bogle
·  Thanks to Beyond Ex-Gay, sidebar
·  Thanks to Survivor Narrative

HERE

SEXUAL DUPLICITY/CONNIVING/MURDER and INTRIGUE/DECEIT: The Real Life Daily Saga at The Church of England/House of Bishops/Lambeth Palace or A Movie About J. Edgar Hoover?

Indiewire reports that Warner Bros. has set November 9 as the release date for the Dustin Lance Black-penned J. Edgar starring Leonardo DiCaprio HERE

'J. Edgar' Gets Release Date

¨Aside from DiCaprio, the drama has a stellar cast including “The Social Network” breakout star Armie Hammer as Hoover’s assistant/closeted lover Clyde Tolson; Josh Lucas as famed aviator Charles Lindbergh; Ed Westwick as Agent Smith, an operative gifted with writing skills; Damon Herriman as Bruno Hauptmann, the man convicted of kidnapping and killing the Lindbergh baby; Judi Dench as Hoover’s mother; Naomi Watts as Helen Gandy, a Justice Department file clerk who ended up being Hoover’s personal secretary; Ken Howard as lawyer and jurist Harlan F. Stone; Jeffrey Donovan as Robert F. Kennedy; and Stephen Root as Arthur Koehler, a wood specialist at Forest Product Laboratories who uses his expertise to help Hoover investigate the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby by tracing the origins of the ladder used by the perpetrator...¨  read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to Towleroad, sidebar
·  Thanks to Indiewire

LURKING IN THE SHADOW OF DR. ROWAN WILLIAMS: ¨There are some dark corners in the Church of England where activity, unhealthy in terms of human wholeness and flourishing, takes place...¨
HERE

MEET ANGLICAN ¨NICK¨ (not his real name) of Monrovia, Republic of ¨Love of Liberty¨ Liberia

A closeted ¨love of liberty¨ life for Anglican ¨Nick¨ in The Republic of Liberia

¨Getting him to have a chat on a subject that is considered a taboo in Africa was not an easy task. But he finally decided to let the cat out of the bag on the condition of strict anonymity. Nick can be termed as a ‘closet gay’.¨

“I discovered my attraction for same sex when I was in the seventh grade in 1998. I didn’t become gay because I’m materialistic like the way others are for the love of money. I became gay because the feeling for the same sex is natural. I know it’s not easy for you to understand what I’m talking about - only those in my shoes know how it’s like. ”

Nick, a graduate of the B.W. Harris Episcopal High School, holds a BBA degree in Accounting from the African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU) and work at one of Liberia’s premiere banking institutions. Nick says he has to hide his sexuality in order to be accepted...¨ please read it all and meet ¨Kollie¨ too, HERE

·  Thanks to LGBT Asylum News, sidebar
·  Thanks to Gboko John Stewart
·  Thanks to Front Page Africa,   HERE

MEET A LESBIAN VOICE IN KISUMU--RENA OTIENO: Program Coordinator/Chairperson ¨3W¨ Lesbian Group beyond Nairobi

 Rena Otieno, Chair, Women Working with Women (3W)

¨In an effort to highlight the LGBTI movement in Kenya beyond the capital Nairobi, Correspondent Melissa Wainaina spoke to Rena, (pictured) the Program Coordinator and Chairperson of 3W, a Lesbian Group that falls under the umbrella of the Western and Nyanza Coalition NYAWEK (a regional coalition of groups dealing with sexual minority causes).

Please tell us a little about yourself early life, family and school.

¨I was born and raised in Migori County (Nyanza Province in the west of Kenya) in a family of nine. I’m the second youngest. I come from a very religious family. My late grandfather was a Seventh Day Adventist pastor and my dad is a retired pastor. My sisters, brother and in laws are evangelists, pastors, missionaries within the church.

My family valued education so all siblings have had a college education. My siblings are all employed; in government and some in the church in senior positions. They are respected both in church and in the community.

Having grown up in a rural setting my first exposure to TV was after I completed high school. We played a lot of gospel and country music, our family could sing and we formed a family choir and sang in neighbouring churches or camps and meetings.

From an early age, I had been attracted to other women even though I grew up devoid of any external influences that were homosexually related...¨  please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to Behind The Mask, sidebar
·  Thanks to Rena Otieno, Kenya
·  Thanks to Melissa Wainaina
·  Thanks to Western and Nyanza Coalition NYAWEK, Kenya
·  Thanks to Gay Kenya, sidebar