What Do Homosexual People Say About Themselves, And Their Experience Of God

In Adelaide in 1994 'a national gathering affirming the place of lesbian, gay and bisexual people, their friends, family and supporters in the life of the Uniting Church in Australia,' called Daring To Speak, Daring To Listen was held. It issued a statement to the church. I have added the bold type.

The Daring Statement Adelaide Monday June 13 1994

We who attended the daring to speak, daring to listen conference -
lesbian, bisexual, and gay people,
their friends, families and supporters -
claim our unity as the people of God,
and our rightful place
as faithful members of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Those of us who are bisexual, lesbian and gay people,
name ourselves as God's good creation.
We are called to the same fullness of life and relationships as other people.
We grieve for our sisters and brothers who
were afraid to be with us.
The presence of Christ in our midst,
and the Spirit, calls us to courage and hope.
We have always been
your elders, parish councillors, youth leaders, lay preachers,
ministers, and those who walk with you in ministry and mission.
The church has encouraged us to stay hidden,
often rewarding dishonesty and punishing honesty.
We now ask that you receive our ministries with affirmation and honour.

Those of us who are the parents of lesbian, bisexual and gay people,
call upon the church to
cherish our children as we ourselves have done.
We who conceived them, nurtured them and know them,
remind the church that those whom God has made
are not to be called unclean

Those of us who are the friends of gay, lesbian and bisexual people,
recognise in them the same grace and the same frailty
which we find in our selves.
From them we have received the Gospel,
and with them we will stand.
We have seen the enormous pool of power and talent
that is denied to the church and the mission of God.
We call upon the church to go beyond anti discrimination exemptions
and give to the whole community a new vision for justice and human rights.

We pray the church will
dare to listen
to look on our faces and see the image of God,
to hear the pain and feel the shared joy,
and to go struggling towards the truth.
We pray that the church will indeed know
the great hope to which it is called in Jesus Christ,
and that it will be open
to Christ's power to reconcile us to each other and God.


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    © Jan Thomas