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I'd say the same thing I've said over and over and over - that while God is perfect and wants all His children loved and appreciated and ministered to, human beings, even if the call themselves "Christians," are flawed people who sometimes judge and hurt and take advantage of others.

A flawed Christian's actions and attitudes are not truly reflective of God's love, and when such awful things happen it's important for that person to get into what the Scriptures say, how the Holy Spirit helps them interpret them, and strengthening their relationship with God on a daily basis, because that's the most important thing here - not whether they can reconcile with the human church or change their minds.

Obviously, this is not the congregation God has in mind to minister to the Gay Community and people with Aids. Your friend might be glad this was found out now before more harm than good was done in trying to get a ministry done by prejudicial and unkind people. The fact that they asked her not to come back indicates how closed they are to what God really wants. A Christian who thinks someone is headed down the wrong path prays for that person to be open to God's will, and recognizes that each person has free will to think and believe as they choose. They are open to being an influence for God, and serving others where they are, not where they think they ought to be according to some legalistic human-decided rule system.

I don't know about where your friend lives, but in our area, churches far outnumber any other kind of establishment, and it's not hard to find a new congregation by asking around and interviewing pastors.

I hope this doesn't put her off ministry completely. I've seen a couple of people get "battered" by the people of the church and never return to church and turn their backs on God, when it wasn't God's doing, it was the people's doing.

MsKelly...you make my heart sing..you are such a wise woman and your words if you dont mind, can I share them with this person ??? I wont unless you say its' ok ???
Thank you for taking the time to respond and they will make her feel better...she is so hurt, and is looking to work with an established ministry that helps people with Aids, so her heart is not totally broken, but the stigma does sting.
She will mend,I've seen her weather worse, your words were really appreciated - thank you !

It happens ALL the time. I have a friend who was a devoted member of his church as a young man. He was in the choir and the congregation loved him as did the minister and his wife, they had him to dinner often, he was in the youth ministry on and on.
Then someone saw him march in a gay pride parade. The very next time he saw the minister he was booted from the church, just like that.He was still the same kind, caring indivigual he was before he marched...what the heck is the problem?

There is a so called Church a couple of miles from me..Nice looking Church, nice looking people attend, the women wear long dresses and no makeup, the guys are always in suits..Looks really nice...BUT...they put the worse crap on their sign next to the road..Right now on one side it says "Pray For Our Perverted President.." I could not understand why the preacher put that crap on there until I saw the other side...On the other side it says something about Obama putting the first transvestite(?) on the job...In the past he has had signs that speak very badly of gay people calling them the words that are not commonly used except by haters..I have never saw any sign directed toward the Blacks but I do know they are not allowed there..I don't consider it a Church myself, I think its a cult even though the sign says Baptist..

UWW - yes, you may share my words with your friend.

I had a friend who was called to the pastor's office and shamed because on a Wednesday night she was asked to fill in for a singer that couldn't be there. She didn't know she'd be singing when she left her house. She sang in her jeans and a nice top. She got told because she sang without wearing a dress!!

The focus is just NOT where God's Word says it should be in many places these days!

Hey Wolfie...you are in very good company since Kennedy got kicked out of Mass recently. It is rather sad that this is done to anyone since religion should be for everyone. God understands, I'm sure.

I don't know about everyone else, but this is a subject that is near and dear to my heart because, at one point, a senior and much respected member of my church informed me that slavery was the natural state for African-Americans/Blacks. ... Needless to say, I was mightily offended.

It's interesting to note that historically it is always one person or a small group of people who revolutionize the world ... always with messages of love and tolerance. It is equally noteworthy how little impact the myriad of religious institutions across the globe have on poverty, war, hatred, intolerance, social injustices, etc. Oh, they start out well enough (thinking of, for instance, the Protestant Reformation); then, BAM! you've got witch trials spreading like wildfires across all of Europe and North America. Why? Are the adherents of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. ... is it because adherents of religions are or become less devout? Did they, do we, really understand the revelations of Jesus, Muhammad, Brahma, Siddhartha Gautama? If we, collectively really understood the teachings of these masters, I doubt that our world would be in the deplorable condition it's in right now. What does that say about our churches. More importantly, what does it say about our individual place in these institutions?

I don't know what your answers are to these questions BUT, I've said it before and I'll say it again, the churches, by all appearances, are not the answer. Seek God. This is not a collective quest; rather, it is a mandate to each and every individual to search for God and his/her place in God's universes. Jesus said, "...these signs shall follow those who believe: they will heal the sick, cleanse the leper, and raise the dead. ... they will comfort the widow, visit those imprisoned, feed the hungry." Anybody raise the dead lately? or even witnessed such a thing?

It is recorded that some Gnostics during the middle ages walked into a blazing fire when given the choice of converting to Roman Catholicism or burning to death. Know any minister, priest, deacon, bishop or even a pope who has that kind of devotion to God these days? I know I don't. Taking church leaders totally out of the picture, I would ask your friend, when you're still and striving to hear the voice of God, what does your heart tell you is right? I'd say, follow that voice. Excommunication is your cross. Carry it gladly and take comfort in knowing that you don't walk this road alone. Many came before you; many walk with you; and its a good bet that many will come after you.

I will not attend any church again until I find one openly accepting of gays and of female clergy. If there's any mention of hell or exclusivity in their doctrine, I'm outta there too. My God turns no one away.

Wow, thanks everyone !
She is reading this now, Ithink it is ok,with everyone, she cannot and wont read anything else...ok
done, thank you all !

Dee: Whoa ! Messages of hate from Churches is a veryvery bad thing. Its' kinda like the kkk idiots and otherlike groups parading the bible around ! Grrrrrrrrr ! so they don't preach hate against Black people, but they are not allowed in - is that because it is an exclusively white part of town or its' just known that you are not welcome here, because so many Black people that I know are Methodist or Baptist ??? I'm just curious....

To All: its' kinda like the minister who was preaching to kill Pres. Obama to his congregants and one member actually was caught with a rifle near the president in Arizona ! This is what he preached in his sermon - to kill the Pres because of his stance on abortion - ugh!

And...my neighbor who preaches to me about his holier than thou church which is ultra conservative tells me that I should attend a church like his, but I can't attend his because, well I'm Black-mixed race and they wouldn't likethat LOLOLOL ! Sick #$%@^ ! What he doesn't tell them is that he too is racially mixed and passes for the preferred skin color - the church doesn;t allow Hispanics or Blacks - he tells them he is Irish...i just dont get it !

This is not what Jesus had in mind. duh.