LGBT SPIRITUALITY


Dear Lord,
Thank you for all your blessings.
I should be grateful if you could kindly help and bless RFGN in its mission to support our LGBTs brothers and sisters who are facing homophobia, rejection, persecution, prejudice, discrimination, harassment, loneliness and depression in life.
Thank you.
Amen.
Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists
OneBodyOneFaith
OneBodyOneFaith was founded in 1976 as the Gay (later Lesbian and Gay) Christian Movement. In 2017 we changed our name to OneBodyOneFaith, and our Statement of Conviction, on which all our work is based, reads like this: “It is the conviction of the members of OneBodyOneFaith that human sexuality, sexual orientation and gender identity in all their richness are gifts of God gladly to be accepted, enjoyed and honoured as a way of both expressing and growing in love, in accordance with the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. Therefore it is their conviction that it is entirely compatible with the Christian faith not only to love another person of the same sex, but also to express that love fully in a personal sexual relationship; We believe that expressing our gender and sexuality with integrity is important as a way to grow in love and discipleship; we long for the day when Christians fully accept, welcome, affirm and offer equality to everyone in their diversity.”
https://www.onebodyonefaith.org.uk/about-us/
The Evangelical Network
TEN’s mission is focused on the LGBT community and its allies to:
Provide a safe place for LGBT people to discover and rediscover Christianity
Bring together people with a shared faith to worship, evangelize and disciple
Give people from all different backgrounds an opportunity to be educated about Homosexuality and Christianity
Afford ministry and growth opportunities to people in the LGBT community
Hold an annual conference open to all that is designed for networking, fellowship, education and worship
Offer a safe place for LGBT people and the evangelical church community to dialogue
Be a voice in the public and media that supports the LGBT community and its struggles for equality, and to speak out against negative stereotypes.
This mission is accomplished through an affiliation of churches, ministries and individuals working together.
Bat Kol
(Adi 29 Jerusalem)
Bat-Kol organization was founded about 15 years ago, back in 2005. Today it’s a home for over 500 omen of various queer and religious identities. Today, it’s the only NGO of LGBTQ women in Israel. Bat-Kol’s uniqueness is that it always works on two parallel yet separate paths. The first, a more discrete and protective course of action, providing a safe environment for women who have yet come out of the closet, in various stages of the process. The second, a public path, standing in the frontline of changing public awareness and promoting tolerance for the LGBTQ community, and more specifically, the religious LGBTQ community.
In the private part of its’ activities, Bat-Kol holds group meetings in many different locations, various events and workshops for creating a warm and found community for women who are in need for social support. These private group meetings provide the opportunity for women to share their experiences, difficulties, successes and more, combining women of various ages, and various stages of their queer identity. Furthermore, Bat-Kol holds many social events, some based on location, on theme, or Jewish holidays, to strengthen the power of the community and the connections between the members of the organization, providing an alternative for those who were excluded from their families or communities for being queer.
In its’ public activities, Bat-Kol faces tides of hatred aimed against the LGBTQ community. In many cases, DE legitimization of a Jewish queer way of life. An indication for that can be seen in this coming election with a party running solely on an anti-gay campaign (Noam) that delegitimizes gay families, which have fundraised a generous budget dedicated solely to call for the right to be normal, stating that it’s best to stay in the closet rather than to be openly gay. Bat Kol faces these hatred trends along with other LGBTQ organizations, providing a unique perspective of women who are both gay and religious to various extent. Bat-Kol promoted a rally dedicated to the memorial of trans women who are no longer with us, who were secluded all their lives from their families and communities, for being transgender of a religious background.
Bat Kol also participates and promotes feministic agenda in various boards in the Israeli parliament and strive to increase cooperation with various women’s organizations.
In light of recent public trends of violence and anti-tolerance for the other, for the different, and more specifically, against the LGBTQ community, we at Bat Kol feel a sense of urgency to increase and improve our efforts and services to better aid our target audience. We plan to expand our services and provide more professional support in very much needed territories such as legal aid, financial consultancy, self-defense workshops, professional support and more. For this we have started founding an allies group to help provide the backbone for this activity.
We look at a new horizon, one in which men and women are equal, where people of different faith or queer identity are not discriminated or hated. We know it’s a difficult task, but we are not discouraged, we believe in the power of creating a small change one by one.
https://www.bat-kol.org/english/
HOD (organization)
Hod (Hebrew: הו”ד) is an independent Israel-based organization run by and intended for Orthodox Jewish homosexuals. It was established by the Orthodox Rabbi Ron Yosef in 2008. The organization opposes anal intercourse between men, following the prohibition in Leviticus.[1]
Hod’s goal is
… to initiate a public dialogue in the religious community, among its leaders, its rabbis, encompassing both the Halakhic and social scopes, in order to obtain recognition of religious gay men as a part of the religious community which cannot be neglected anymore. A dialogue that would lead to an improvement of the social situation of the religious homosexual man, within the religious society.
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Hod_(organization)
The Agunda-Israel’s LGBT Task Force
The Aguda – Israel’s LGBT Task Force (Hebrew: האגודה למען הלהט”ב בישראל, HaAguda Lemaan HaLahatab BeYisrael), known commonly as the Aguda (Hebrew: האגודה, HaAguda, meaning “the association”), is an Israeli non-profit LGBT rights organization. Founded in 1975, the Aguda is based in Tel Aviv and focuses on volunteer-based initiatives and services for the LGBT community.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aguda_%E2%80%93_Israel%27s_LGBT_Task_Force
Eshel
Eshel’s mission is to create a future for Orthodox lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals, and their families. Through its innovative and culturally sensitive programming, Eshel works with each individual, family, and community in creating a place for their LGBTQ members. Eshel envisions a world where Orthodox LGBTQ individuals can live out their lives in the Orthodox communities of their choice.
https://www.eshelonline.org/eshels-mission/
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (“CBST”)
MISSION
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST) is a vibrant spiritual community and a progressive voice within Judaism. Founded in 1973, CBST attracts and welcomes gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender, queer and straight individuals and families who share common values. Passionate, provocative, and deeply Jewish, CBST champions a Judaism that rejoices in diversity, denounces social injustice wherever it exists, and strives for human rights for all people.
We are a house of prayer, offering both traditional and liberal services and lifecycle events.
We are a house of learning, continually expanding our knowledge and deepening our understanding of our religious and cultural heritage.
We are a house of refuge and healing, offering community support and pastoral care.
We are a house of conscience, fighting for the full equality of LGBTQ people locally, nationally and internationally.
We are committed to Israel and engaged in supporting efforts to secure peace, justice and equality for all.
Fatiha Foundation
The Al-Fatiha Foundation is an organization which advances the cause of gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims. It was founded in 1998 by Faisal Alam, a Pakistani American, and is registered as a nonprofit organization in the United States. The organization was an out shoot of an internet listserve that brought together many gay, lesbian and questioning Muslims from various countries.
In 2001, Al-Muhajiroun, an international organization seeking the establishment of a global Islamic caliphate, issued a fatwa declaring that all members of Al-Fatiha were murtadd, or apostates, and condemning them to death. Because of the threat and coming from conservative societies, many members of the foundation’s site still prefer to be anonymous so as to protect their identity while continuing a tradition of secrecy.
Al-Fatiha has fourteen chapters in the United States, as well as offices in England, Canada, Spain, Turkey and South Africa.
https://lgbt.wikia.org/wiki/Al-Fatiha_Foundation
Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD)
The Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD) is intentionally an all-volunteer, multiracial, mixed-gender organization, representative of the myriad communities that comprise LGBTQ and Muslim. MASGD works to support, empower, and connect LGBTQ Muslims, while challenging root causes of oppression, misogyny, and xenophobia. MASGD aims to increase the acceptance of gender and sexual diversity within Muslim communities, and to promote a progressive understanding of Islam that is centered on inclusion, justice, and equality. LGBTQ Muslims are margins within the margins at the intersections of xenophobia, Islamophobia, gender-based oppression, racism (including colorism and anti-Black bias), and patriarchy.
This organization is supported through the Funding Queerly Giving Circle, which is housed at Astraea.
https://www.astraeafoundation.org/stories/muslim-alliance-for-sexual-and-gender-diversity-masgd/
True Freedom Trust
True Freedom Trust Is A Christian Ministry That Offers Pastoral Support And Biblical Teaching On Same-Sex Attractions.
True Freedom Trust (TFT) is a UK-based teaching and pastoral support ministry that holds to the orthodox biblical view of sex, gender and relationships. Our passionate desire is to be full of grace and truth as we teach God’s word in churches, conferences and Bible colleges, and as we provide pastoral care for those who struggle with same-sex temptations and gender incongruence.
We run conferences around the UK aimed at encouraging and equipping Christians to hold firm to biblical teaching and to trust in the God of all grace in the midst of struggles and temptations.
Metropolitan Community Church Sydney
Metropolitan Community Church Sydney is an affirming Christian Church for all people, and especially LGBTIQ identifying people.
We have built a house of worship for the loud and proud, the lost, the lonely and the enquiring alike. We have welcomed those with families and those without. We have catered to women and men who have felt alienated by other churches. We have supported beloved friends who are living with HIV. We have welcomed refugees, new migrants and visitors from abroad.
The Spirit truly does move at MCC Sydney. We are committed to teaching and learning more of the message of Christ, and helping each other learn and grow with God and to spreading the gospel in a supportive, non-bullying manner. If we had to pick a single thing we wanted to be famous for, we’d probably say the way we welcome anyone who wants to worship with us.
Jesus said: “A new commandment I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
At MCC Sydney, you are loved, you are accepted and you are free.