Hello my name is Henry

[henry1944]

I was ordained to the ministry in 1970. I am and always was a gay man but I tried so hard for so many years to deny my true feelings for other men. I tried marriage but this didn't fix my homosexuality. I left the ministry and live in a small community and continue to hide my true sexuality although I have come to accept it now. There is no outlet for my religious and homosexual leanings so I suffer in silence. Phoenix is the largest communiity nearby and perhaps there is a gay church that will accept me.
It is very lonely in my isolatiion and I would love to have some gay friends who are also Christians.

[Gennee]

Welcome to the forum, Henry. I'm pleased that you are seeking to reconnect with your spiritual beliefs. You will be hearing from other folks here. I encourage you to be who you are becasue god created you the way you are.

Gennee
:love::wave::pray::love:

[Pablo Rafael]

Hi Henry,

Lonliness seems to be common theme in the lives of many gays. The many years I spent in the closet were very lonely. I was in the teaching ministry in the Lutheran Church (LCMS). "Coming out" cost me my job, but the freedom that it gave me to be just me without apologies was life changing.

I have found a welcoming faith community in the Episcopal church. Being part of a church is important to me. It makes me sad that so many gays have been forced to choose between their faith and their sexuality.

You are a close neighbor to me here in SW Colorado. Out here in the West a few hundred miles is just next door. :-)

Please join in with our discussions and let us know your thoughts.

Tu Amigo, Pablo

[BenL]

Welcome, Henry.

I can only second what Genee and Pablo have said. I knew that lonliness, too, even in the midst of a crowd.

Two things to remember, IMHO: (1) Coming out is a process, not an event, and (2) the hardest person to come out to is yourself. So, you see, you're well on the road already.

I will add another thing. I believe that God calls us all to ministry. God has a ministry for you ... you simply may not have discerned it yet. It may not be paid. It may not even require ordination. But it is your ministry and no one else's.

Integrity, the GLBT organization in the Episcopal Church USA, held a quiet protest when the archbishop of Canterbury spoke to the U.S. church's General Convention this summer. They knew that the topic would be mission; the whole decade has been dedicated to cultivating mission. So, the whole gay delegation wore T-shirts in different colors of the rainbow that said: "Here I am, Lord. Send me." It was their way of saying, "Don't forget us; we are called to mission, too."

Good luck, Henry. I hope you find an accepting congregation. Feel free to start your quest for friends right here at Soulforce.