August 9, 2005



National Gay and Lesbian Task Force study finds that Social Security privatization will disproportionately harm lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans



'Social Security privatization is a gamble with the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elders. It is a gamble our community simply cannot afford.'

—National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman



WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 — The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force released a report today that finds that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans will be disproportionately harmed by President Bush's plan to privatize Social Security.



According to Selling Us Short: How Social Security Privatization Will Affect Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans, LGBT Americans, on average, have lower incomes than their heterosexual counterparts, which translates into lower Social Security benefits when they retire. In addition, same-sex couples are not eligible for Social Security’s spousal and survivor benefits provisions, making the LGBT community disproportionately vulnerable to the benefit cuts and risks inherent to the president's plan.



"There is a widespread myth that gay people are economically advantaged compared to heterosexuals. U.S. Census data and other national surveys indicate the opposite. In fact, gay and bisexual men earn anywhere from 13 percent to 32 percent less than heterosexual men," said Sean Cahill, director of the Task Force's Policy Institute, which published the study. "If we earn less, we receive a lower Social Security payment in retirement. Any proposals that cut retirement benefits will disproportionately hurt gay people."

Show (0) - Add comments:

OVER MY HEAD
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28; Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-33
August 7, 2005
By Rev. Dr. Jeanne Knepper

I was struck, in the story of Joseph and his brothers, by the sentence, “The pit was empty; there was no water in it.� There was water in the meadow at Shechem: Abraham had bought that meadow and dug a well on it. There was water in the meadow at Dothan as well. The brothers would not have taken the flocks there if there was no water. But there was no water in the pit. Joseph was in the relentless sun, trapped at the bottom of a dry pit seventy miles from the father who favored him, trapped in a dry pit knowing that his brothers wanted to kill him.

Have you been there? You were going along with your life, feeling pretty self-sufficient, liking your lot in life, presuming that it was the way that things should be and then, boom! Hurts you didn’t know you’d given, stories you’d told on others, thoughtless arrogance—whatever it was that you’d done, surely it wasn’t so bad that it should have led to this trouble, to this pit, to this big deep hole in your life. “Hey fellas, I didn’t mean it, “you might have called from the pit. “Hey, we’re brothers, remember.� To no avail.

His brothers disappeared from the rim of the pit. All he could see when he looked up was dirt and blue, dirt, blue and sun, hot sun. He smelled the roasting meat of their meal. It made his mouth water but didn’t help his growing thirst. I expect he prayed, “God, I want to go home. Change their hearts. Get me out of here, please, oh please.�

At some point in the long afternoon, Joseph heard the distant tinkling of camel bells. There in the pit, could the words have come to him, “Over my head, I hear music in the air. . . . There must be a God somewhere.� Could he have imagined that his brothers would sell him into slavery, that he would be lifted out of the pit and into a captive’s chains? Was this an answer to prayer? Was there any God at all?

Bad things happen. Sometimes to bad people, to people who make a habit of using, misusing and abusing others. Then, maybe it’s easy for us to say, “Well, they had it coming.� But what about the other times, when bad things happen to good people, or to sort of ordinary people, like Joseph, like us? What about the times when we’re in a pit of trouble, when we pray for rescue and what we thought might help only makes it worse? How do we pray from the bottom of the pit?

Show (0) - Add comments:

CONNECTIONS
UPUMC
• Staff-Parish Relations Committee, Monday, August 8, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Dinner and Movie, The Gods Must Be Crazy, Wednesday, August 10, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Donut and coffee sale, Thursday, August 11, 7:30am-Noon.
• UMW Teddy Bear Plus Potluck Picnic, Thursday, August 11, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall
• Introduction to United Methodism Class, Sunday, August 14, 21, 11:30am, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Trustees meet Monday, August 15, 7pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Lunch Bunch Picnic in Columbia Park, Tuesday, August 16, 12:30pm.
• Outreach Committee meets Tuesday, August 16, 7pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.

THE COMMUNITY
• Morrison Child and Family Services Training Meeting, 8am-5pm, Wednesday-Friday, August 10-12, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Back-To-School Readiness Fair, sponsored by the Caring Community of North Portland, Saturday, August 13, 11am-2pm, Roosevelt High School, 6941 N Central.
• Friends of Columbia Park Open House, Noon-2pm, Saturday, August 13, Columbia Cottage.
• TCAP Board meets Tuesday, August 23, 7pm, Columbia Cottage.

FUTURE EVENTS, FOR YOUR CALENDAR
• All-Church Beach Retreat at Camp Magruder, Friday-Sunday, September 16-18, 2005.
• Charge Conference, Wednesday, October 19, 7:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.

WEEKLY AT UPUMC
• Choir practices Sundays at 9:30am, Tuesdays at 6pm, Sanctuary.
• Men’s Group. Tuesdays, 10am, Narthex.
• Let’s Go Walking, Wednesdays, 1pm, Narthex.
• Morrison Child and Family Services, Errol Stephenson Hall and Nursery, Wednesdays, 9am-Noon.
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Narthex, Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 8pm, weekly.
• Overeaters Anonymous, Wednesdays at 7pm, Saturdays at 3pm.
• Peninsula CDC Youth Council, Mondays, 1-3:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.

THE NURSERY IS STAFFED DURING WORSHIP


PLEASE DON’T GO HUNGRY. WE HAVE FOOD IN OUR PANTRY, LOCATED IN THE HALLWAY LEADING TO ERROL STEPHENSON HALL, TAKE WHAT YOU NEED.

Show (0) - Add comments:

John Evans, who founded Love In Action in 1973, has written a letter repudiating the Ex-Gay work of that organization to John Smid, the group's current Director. In his letter, Evan's says, "In the past 30 years since leaving the 'ex-gay' ministry I have seen nothing but shattered lives, depression and even suicide among those connected with the 'ex-gay' movement."



Evan's letter reads:





July 30, 2005



Love In Action

ATTN: John Smid, Director

Memphis, TN

Show (0) - Add comments:

CONNECTIONS
UPUMC
• Dinner and Movie, My Fair Lady, Wednesday, August 3, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Write a note for UPUMC, Sunday, August 7, 11:30am, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Education Committee will not meet in August.
• Staff-Parish Relations Committee, Monday, August 8, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Administrative Council meets Monday, August 8, 7:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Donut and coffee sale, Thursday, August 11, 7:30am-Noon.
• Introduction to United Methodism Class, Sunday, August 14, 21, 11:30am, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Trustees meet Monday, August 15, 7pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Outreach Committee meets Tuesday, August 16, 7pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.

THE COMMUNITY
• National Night Out at Tamarack Village pot-luck picnic, Tuesday, August 3, 6-9pm.
• Cathedral Park Summer Concerts, Saturday, August 6, 6pm, Portland Festival Symphony. All at N. Edison under the St. Johns Bridge.
• Back-To-School Readiness Fair, sponsored by the Caring Community of North Portland, Saturday, August 13, 11am-2pm, Roosevelt High School, 6941 N Central.
• TCAP Board meets Tuesday, August 23, 7pm, Columbia Cottage.

FUTURE EVENTS, FOR YOUR CALENDAR
• All-Church Beach Retreat at Camp Magruder, Friday-Sunday, September 16-18, 2005.
• Charge Conference, Wednesday, October 19, 7:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
WEEKLY AT UPUMC
• Choir practices Sundays at 9:30am, Tuesdays at 6pm, Sanctuary.
• Men’s Group. Tuesdays, 10am, Narthex.
• Let’s Go Walking, Wednesdays, 1pm, Narthex.
• Morrison Child and Family Services, Errol Stephenson Hall and Nursery, Wednesdays, 9am-Noon.
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Narthex, Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 8pm, weekly.
• Overeaters Anonymous, Wednesdays at 7pm, Saturdays at 3pm.
• Peninsula CDC Youth Council, Mondays, 1-3:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.

THE NURSERY IS STAFFED DURING WORSHIP

PLEASE DON’T GO HUNGRY. WE HAVE FOOD IN OUR PANTRY, LOCATED IN THE HALLWAY LEADING TO ERROL STEPHENSON HALL, TAKE WHAT YOU NEED.

Show (0) - Add comments: