今日吃瓜

Pastor Shane Andersen says God loves us – regardless of what the religious right may claim

Born Kenneth Anthony Goodenough in Bath, England on January 6, 1949, I was raised in a Salvation Army family.

I believe that my Christian faith stems from the moment my mother arranged to have me dedicated to God as an infant by Colonel Hamilton under the Salvation Army flag at the Bath Citadel. Colonel Hamilton was the personal secretary to the founder of the Salvation Army, William Booth. He performed this ceremony as a special favour to my mother, shortly before he passed away.

I came to Australia at the age of nine with my family and attended both Sunday School and worship services at Nundah Salvation Army in Brisbane. As a teenager, I used to go out with a small group of friends, preaching the word of God on street corners.

During my late teens, I was both a counsellor and in the choir of the Billy Graham Crusade and Youth For Christ organisations.

I felt the 鈥榗alling鈥� from God to become a Salvation Army officer. I left Nundah Corps because I felt I wasn鈥檛 doing any good in such a large church, and transferred to a tiny outpost in Fortitude Valley, where I really felt needed, and where I could do the most good as a Salvation Army cadet in training for officership.

At the age of 20, I had some conflict with my commanding officer at headquarters in Brisbane when I sought counselling with him about my homosexuality and my Christianity. He told me homosexuality was a sin, and that if I remained an active homosexual, I would not be able to go to Training College and become a Salvation Army officer.

Confused and upset with God and my church, I left them both behind, believing that God didn鈥檛 love me. Obviously I had to sort things out, but looking back, God knew this also, and put certain things into play.

A few months after I left the church, I wandered into Roma St, Brisbane, when I discovered a plaque on the wall of a building next to a small door, which simply said 鈥楥AMP Inc鈥� (Campaign Against Moral Persecution).

My curiosity led me to enter and go up a small steep set of stairs. At the top was a door and a security window buzzer. I pressed the buzzer, the window opened, and I asked the person what CAMP was all about. He told me it was a counselling and social centre for the homosexual, bi and transgendered community.

I had discovered a centre which was there to help me sort myself out. I worked there as a volunteer, and later on, after coming to grips with my homosexuality became a counsellor, helping others who found themselves in the same situation as I had.

Giving no further thought at the time to my relationship with God and my Christianity, I learned to have a healthy respect and understanding for my gay lifestyle. There were so many others out there who were just like me, who also needed assistance.

After a while, it was almost as if God had said, 鈥淥kay, Kenneth, let鈥檚 throw another spanner in the works, and get you back on track 鈥� now that you鈥檙e getting that part of you sorted out鈥�.

One Sunday evening, after working at CAMP, I felt the need to go for an early evening walk. I was feeling a bit alone, and wanted to think about things. I wandered further than I anticipated (as if being led), from the city heart to Fortitude Valley where I came upon an old picture theatre which was being used as a Pentecostal Church.

I stopped. I heard music and singing and I felt the urge to go in and sit down for a while. Well, after the church service was over, I wandered down the centre aisle (I have no idea why).

But three-quarters of the way down, an old lady I had never seen before came up to me and said 鈥淵ou鈥檙e Kenneth Goodenough, aren鈥檛 you?鈥� I blushed and said I was.

She said, 鈥淕od spoke to me in my prayers last night, and told me we would meet, and to give you this message.鈥�

I froze, thinking what the heck is going on here? She then went on, 鈥淕od told me to tell you to 鈥榗ome back to me, as I have work for you to do!鈥欌��

I rushed home, and in tears knelt down at the side of my bed, and prayed to God, asking for his guidance.

Shortly after this experience, I heard about Peter Bonsall-Boone who was running a group called Cross Section (Christian gay group) at CAMP in Sydney. I phoned him and talked to him about my life and what had happened, then flew to Sydney to meet with him,about the possibility of starting up a Cross Section branch in Brisbane. He was a great help, and a wonderful person. He encouraged me no end.

I started a group, and was the first to promote a gay Christian advertisement in the Brisbane Courier Mail, had special guests of understanding or known gay ministers, organised TV and radio interviews, etc, which led to the executive committee of CAMP asking me to do a special job for them.

They mentioned that there was a gay minister in the US named Reverend Troy D. Perry who had set up a church called the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) with a special ministry to the gay community.

He had been in touch with the committee of CAMP (Qld) via post, mentioning that he wanted to come to Australia for a speaking engagement. I was asked to organise his Brisbane tour. I jumped at the chance. I received all the information I could on him and his ministry, then sent out press releases to all the news media, arranging TV and radio interviews.

I advertised for folk to 鈥楬ear Rev Troy Perry speak about the Church and the Homosexual鈥� on July 10 1974 at CAMP headquarters, mentioning that Rev Perry was the author of the book The Lord is my Shepherd and He knows I鈥檓 Gay.

Troy arrived in Brisbane, along with Reverend Lee Carlton and his lover, and everything went pretty much as planned, with the exception of a few hiccups along the way with some of the media who thought that it was all a big joke.

During his stay with us, we went for a trip on a Brisbane river cruise, singing some great gospel songs, talking about MCC in LA.
Troy asked me to start up MCC in this city. I said I would think about that. Toward the end of Troy鈥檚 visit with us, he made some phone calls to Sydney, trying to set up interview sessions with the media down there, but seemed to be having problems.

The gay Catholic group, Acceptance, heard about Troy and what he was trying to do, contacted him, and the next leg of Troy鈥檚 tour was underway.

The Lord God must truly have wanted this ministry in Australia, as everything fell into place in time, with the opening of MCC in Adelaide and Sydney. As pastor, I had founded Christ鈥檚 Community Church, which later affiliated with and became known as MCC Brisbane. A little later, it spread to Melbourne, Perth, and some regional centres. I was ordained with ULC in 1981.

Just about 40 years down the track, and the Lord continues to guide us, and many gay, lesbian, transgendered, bisexual, intersexed and seeking individuals have been blessed by the ministry of MCC in Australia.

I hear folk who claim to be loving and understanding Christians saying all the time that an active homosexual is an abomination to God and themselves, taking verses out of the Bible which suits and strengthens their arguments against me, and all I can say to them is 鈥淲ake up and smell the roses!鈥�

I know the real facts from other parts of the Bible and from professionals. I have, in so many ways and at so many times, felt the love and presence of God in my life as an active gay individual.

At one MCC spiritual retreat on a country farm, we (Rev Lee Carlton and our congregation) participated in a Holy Communion outside the house with the birds chirping and cows mooing. In the middle of the service everything went quiet, and the birds and animals went silent for a short while.

Then a member of the group started to speak in tongues (okay, the sceptics will say that even the devil can speak in tongues). The message interpreted by our pastor was that of assurance and of the love of God for us all meeting at that place.

After the interpretation of God鈥檚 message to us, the birds commenced to sing, and the cows continued to moo. You can well imagine how we all felt after that experience.

When I attend an MCC service, the fellowship, warmth and love felt at that place is sadly missing from other established churches I have attended.

Yes, I have a firm belief in a living God. And yes, I know God loves me for what I am. And yes, I truly believe with all my heart that God does not see me 鈥� a practising homosexual 鈥� to be an abomination unto God鈥檚 self, or he/she would not have been instrumental in using me, and others like me, all around the world with similar experiences, to help get the ministry of the Metropolitan Community Church going in this country.

If this was not a special plan by God to spread the good news to the gay, lesbian, transgendered, bi, intersexed and seeking individuals in this community of ours, of God鈥檚 love for us unconditionally for what we are, then this ministry would not have continued past the first few years, let alone the 40-plus years that it has been here in Australia.

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