A new LGBT ministry in Rapid City?

I mean the good kind.

The other day at the school board meeting I met the wonderful Pastor Martin Nussbaum of Rapid City, who told the assembled at the Jan 7 Rapid City School Board meeting that he felt "ashamed" when he received an invitation from the South Dakota Family Policy Council urging him to push the school board to NOT protect LGBT people.

He's been a long time voice in support of Christians that don't agree with Focus On The Family's contention that The Gay™ is a threat to their faith!

Anyway, the news is that Martin is interested in help start a LGBT-friendly church -- they may meet at the BHCFE, it's still in the drawing-board stages. But it's a good thing since the Met Church in Rapid City folded more than five years ago now, and this was a big loss.

Of course, I must say that all are welcome at my church, St Andrew's (hey, check out our new website which I made live a few days, ago), but Martin's effort with be wonderful opportunity for many people (LGBT and otherwise) who have felt shut out of opportunities to share their spiritual side with others.

This community needs support and it needs to support each other in Rapid City, in the face of the ignorance and hate that was so clearly displayed at the final reading of the School Board policy last Thursday (RCJ story). This guy was especially outspoken, equating homosexuality to pedophilia and recommending the ideas of long-discredited (and disbarred) psychologist Paul Cameron. This guy was also throwing out similar hate speech against LGBT people. Although South Dakota Family Policy Council political operative Dale Bartcher smilingly told the assembled board that this wasn't about The Gay, these two speakers made it clear that The Gay was indeed the issue that had filled the room. When will these people stop attacking me and my friends for wanting to include everyone?

After this, I am led to give even more full-throated support to Martin's effort. If you are interested in seeing this happen, or, better, taking part, please drop Martin an email!

(If you use the link, remove "DELETETHISTEXT" from the address -- an anti-spam measure!)