SafeHaven and PPC presents - For the Bible Tells Me So (June 21)

21 Jun 08 - SafeHaven and PPC presents - FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO

FILM SYNOPSIS
Can the love between two people ever be an abomination? Is the chasm
separating gays and lesbians and Christianity too wide to cross? Is
the Bible an excuse to hate?

Through the experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very
American families -- including those of former House Majority Leader
Richard Gephardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson -- we discover how
insightful people of faith handle the realization of having a gay
child. Informed by such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu,
Harvard's Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend
Jimmy Creech, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO offers healing, clarity and
understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and
sexual identity.

There will be a discussion moderated by Miak from The Free Community
Church, following the screening.

RSVP - This event is by invitation only.
As there are limited seats, prior registration is required.
For an invite -please email [pelangipridecentre at yahoo dot com] with
your name (in full), contact number, the name/s of your guests.

Details at a Glance
Event: Screening of "FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO"
Date: Saturday, 21 June 2008 (210608)
Time: 4pm
Venue: Pelangi Pride Centre - 54 Rowell Road (in Little India)
Cost per person: $6 (cost of 2 drinks and finger food)

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For directions on how to get to the new PPC:

Come into Hindoo Road from Jalan Besar. Look for tall HDB block 639 at
the end of the road. Corner terrace house with grapevines growing.
Come in from the back door.

Come to the HOPE Concert (Dec 13)

The HOPE Concert (short for HIV Outreach: Prevention and Empowerment) represents Safehaven and FCC's greatest outreach event to date, simply because of the audience number (Kreta Ayer can hold a maximum of 1100 pax), and the involvement of so many different performers (Hossan Leong, Selena Tan, Jason and deMarco, and others).

The purpose of the concert is simple. To raise HIV Awareness and to get people talking. Which is also the theme of the concert: Conversations. To raise awareness, we need to get everyone talking about this strange, and often taboo, creature called HIV. We sweep the topic under the carpet so much so that no one dares to admit they are HIV positive to friends and family, when what they need most is support and encouragement. Even the officials from MOH advise you to keep quiet about your status, to avoid prejudice and bias.

To buy tickets, please email information@oursafehaven.com

Safehaven presents: Metropolitan Community Church & the Gay Christian witness in the 21st Century"

Safehaven

Proudly presents:

Rev. Troy Perry (Founder of MCC) & Rev. Pat Bumgardener (Paster, MCC New York)

"Metropolitan Community Church & the Gay Christian witness in the 21st Century"

Date: 8 August 2007
Time: 730pm
Venue: FREE Community Church Main Hall, 100A Eu Tong Sen St, #04-02 Yangtze Building

Synopsis:

Safehaven is proud to present a special treat this National Day in the form of Rev. Troy Perry. Troy, the founder of MCC, which now boasts 250 congregations around 23 countries, with a combined congregation of tens of thousands.

Troy will be speaking on the Gay Christian witness in the modern world, and what it means to start a new church that is affirming, accepting and supportive of GLBT individuals and what role MCC plays in modern America.

Background:

Troy D. Perry (born July 27, 1940 ) founded the Metropolitan Community Church , a Christian denomination with a special affirming ministry with the lesbian, gay, bisexual , and transgender communities, in Los Angeles on October 6, 1968.

Troy had been involved in Christian ministry since he was 13. As a young man, he entered full-time ministry in a Pentecostal Church and married a pastor's daughter, with whom he had two sons. He was unable to ignore his homosexual feelings which ultimately brought an end to his marriage and his ministry.

He never expected to return to Christian ministry, but he did, founding a congregation which grew into the MCC denomination. He retired as Moderator of the MCC in 2005, and the Reverend Elder Nancy Wilson succeeded him at an installation service on 29 October 2005. He remains active in public speaking and writing.

Troy lives in Los Angeles with his long term partner, Phillip Ray De Blieck, whom he married under Canadian law at Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto.

TimeOut Singapore: Report (May 10)

On 10 May, about 250 people crowded into a ballroom at the Amara Hotel. They weren’t waiting for a celebrity appearance or even donuts; they were there for a forum titled ‘Christian Perspectives on Homosexuality and Pastoral Care’.

On the drawing board since before Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s comments about decriminalising homosexuality, the talk was organised by Safehaven, a ministry of the Free Community Church. ‘I wanted to put theologians together to present the “for” and “against” perspectives in one setting,’ says Alphonsus Lee, one of the organisers. But as moderator Augustine Anthuvan of MediaCorp Radio reiterated several times, the event was not intended to be a debate, but rather an opportunity to open a dialogue.

Dr Tan Kim Huat, a professor of the New Testament at Trinity Theological College, addressed the varied interpretations of Biblical passages on the issue. Anthony Yeo, consultant therapist for the Counselling and Care Centre, discussed the social and religious challenges he’s seen his patients face, concluding that gays and bisexuals ‘don’t need persecution from the Church; they have enough struggles of their own’.

The panelist who got the most [fb02] ack from the largely partisan audience was Edmund Smith, pastor of Real Love Ministry in Malaysia. Mr Smith describes himself as an ‘ex-gay’. Several times throughout the night, he emphasised that although he gave up the ‘gay lifestyle’ and considers homosexuality a sin, neither he nor his ministry is anti-gay. Nevertheless, many of the audience’s questions were aimed his way, which led him to comment: ‘I was gay from age 13 to 24 and I was never gay-bashed. But I’ve been bashed the most as an ex-gay – by the pro-gays.’

On the other end of the popularity spectrum was Rev Dr Yap Kim Hao, who earned applause when he pointed out: ‘Jesus Christ forbids divorce, but many Christians have divorced. What makes one so much a greater sin that the other? Especially when Jesus Christ never mentioned homosexuality but explicitly condemns divorce?’ He also got the most laughs, after arguing against the idea that one makes a conscious decision to become homosexual. ‘Who in their right mind would choose to be gay, when they’d be relegated to a small, despised minority?’

As Mr Anthusan predicted, attendees on both sides of the issue probably left with more questions than answers. But there were at least two conclusions reached by the panelists that night: [fb01] rst, that it is important not to lose sight of the fact that this discussion is about people more than issues; secondly, that dialogue is an end in itself, and a positive one at that. In fact, organiser Lee is already considering holding another discussion. More info at www.oursafehaven.com.

by Billie Cohen