My apologies. I’ve gone silent for quite a while. Partly due to getting over annoyances. It has also been quite a summer followed by the beginning of the school year here at the U of I. A whole bunch of excuses. But I promise I’ll try to stay on top of this.
In June, I made my first trip to California, specifically San Francisco. While we spent the majority of our time serving the homeless in the Tenderloin, I did have one afternoon to spend in the Castro District. Half of our team came with me as we went on a prayerwalk through the district but spending most of our time near Market Street. We didn’t have any time to actually talk with anyone. At mid-afternoon there wasn’t much activity anyway.
The ministry that we partnered with is very much interested in building a bridge with the LGBT community of San Francisco. There is actually, ironically, a Southern Baptist Minister who has gained much favor in the Castro, so much that he was asked to speak at Pride. We passed by his church but no one was there. It was obvious that their facility has received their share of attention since November’s Prop 8 decision. Worn notices were posted by the city defining harassment. I wished that I had an opportunity to speak with him. Maybe next time.
Overall, it was a great visit. Who knows. Maybe I might end up there someday.
A couple weeks later, I met with Sara who was a graduate intern with the UI LGBT office and got a job at the Center on Halsted in Chicago. We spent a while talking about her experiences, especially with LGBT teens and the struggles they face. It was great to see her.
Then, I walked a couple blocks to Starbucks to meet with Andy Marin who is the author of “Love is an Orientation” a book which has cause quite a stir in both LGBT and Christian circles. Once again, a great conversation as we talked more about networking and continuing the work of bridge building.
Most of the summer was routine back at U of I. The Rainbow Coffeehouse morphed into the Rainbow Lemonade Stand. The office welcomed new assistant director who is also originally from Chicago/Suburbs. So the transition is now complete and a new era begins. While I miss Curt and Khristian, I love working with Leslie and Katie and look forward to greater things yet to come.
