Hello My Name is Drucifer

[Drucifer]

At least that's what my friends call me.

My real name is Drew VanDyche and I am a 1988 graduate and survivor of the Love in Action program when it was still under the auspices of Frank & Anita Worthen in San Rafael, CA. The LIA of yesteryear looks very different than the one that is talked about in the media today and I have very fond memories of the men in the "program" who struggled with the reconciliation of their faith and their sexuality.

From what I have heard from my counterparts, only 2 or 3 men (including John Paulk) from that year are still attempting to follow the path of the ex-gay. And though there is much controversy surrounding these "ministries," I cannot say that 1988 was a wasted year, for it gave me a taste of something that I had been hungering for and still hunger for today; family. For me, it was a life-changing event, only not in the way that the powers that be had hoped. I received much gold and treasure from the experience and a compassionate heart for others who struggle.

Because of this desire and need for community and family, God/the Universe, has given me the opportunity to do a practice run in Berkeley, CA in creating what I would have wanted had it been available to me at the time. A space where responsible choices in self-discovery and exploration are encouraged and communication about those choices and how they affect self and others is welcomed. Our house is very liberal with minimum "rules" and the ones that we do have are mostly logistical and consideration of others based; in regards to our self-actualization, we hold each other accountable according to what each of us "tells" the others that we want and we are open to communication in regards to whether or not how we are behaving/living our life is serving that aim. The streams that I currently pull from in my own walk are the human awareness institute (www.hai.org) and the mankind project (www.mkp.org), plus I have done Christian-based Theotherapy (located in Pittsburgh, PA and Nashville, TN) and I did a year of study for my masters in psychology before recognizing that the licensing track didn't suit me. If interested in what we have going here, please contact me off-line.

Thanks,
Drew

[Daniel]

Hi Drew,

Great to meet you here.

Forgive me, but I'm not exactly clear as to what you are organizing, attempting and doing. Could you spell it out simply for this layman?

Do you have a mission statement? And is your 'house' an actual one?

Peace to you,

Daniel

[Gennee]

Hello Drew and welcome. You mentioned something that's been on my heart for a while. Encouraging self-discovery and exploration in a non-judgmental setting is great needed. I applaud you for your efforts. I would like to know more about your group.

Gennee