European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups

Easter in the LGBT family in Chisinau

Christ is risen, Christ is Risen indeed!

I want to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Easter.

Easter is the time of year when I am reminded of the hope that emerges from the tomb, much like the promise of new buds in spring.
The buds hold the promise of a beautiful flower and from some of these buds will come the fruit which nourishes us.

The life of Christ has much to nourish us and fill us with hope. Jesus stood with the marginalized and the oppressed, not the rich and powerful. He preached peace, acceptance and love.

My hope for you this Easter season is that the peace of Christ will grace your lives, the acceptance of Christ will lead to tolerance for all people, and that the love of Christ holds the promise of Human Rights for all people.

Happy Easter, Chisinau.

Blessings,
Rev. Elder Diane Fisher, Bishop
Metropolitan Community Churches

The Truth, which will set you free

We will soon be launching a study of the so-called "homophobic passages" from Scripture and their significance. In the beginning, the study will be dedicated to members of the Moldovan LGBT community and their friends and family.

The study will be facilitated by experts from the HD staff with training in this domain. Within the framework of the study, we will be using lectures, a video by Reverend Diane Fisher, Elder of the Metropolitan Community Churches, and reference materials prepared by the European Forum of Christian Gay and Lesbian Groups.

The duration of the course is approximately 6 months, and it will take place with a frequency of once per month. To this end, we will be forming separate study groups for speakers of Russian, Romanian, and English. In order to be efficient, these will bring together no more than 12 people.

Those desiring to participate in this course are requested to register on line, at the address: haide.hd@gmail.com . We encourage you to contact us as soon as possible, and thank you in advance for your understanding in case we are not able to satisfy all of your requests immediately.

Respectfully,
The HD Team

We need a safe space for spirituality

Here are the results of an opinion poll, launched on the HD blog at the end of January:
in all, on the three language versions of the blog, 25 people responded – 3 to the English version, 7 to the Russian, and 15 to the Romanian.

To the question “As an lgbt representative, do you feel a need for a safe spiritual space in Moldova?
2 people (8%) said they didn’t know
2 people (8%) said they felt no need for something like this
3 people (12%) said that they manage these issues by themselves
18 people (72%) said that they felt the lack of such a space

Looking at these totals, we see that, of the 25 people who participated in the survey, more that 2/3 of them felt the necessity for and the current lack of a safe space for spirituality, a fact which sports our hypotheses and our initiative to work in this direction.

This number is also a sufficient base for starting either a support group or a Bible study group. Our next survey is specifically about this, and we invite you to take an active part in it, so that we can better understand your needs and expectations in this area.
Have a great, inspiring day!

The HD Team

If there is no love, there is nothing else

On February 16th, 2008, for Valentine’s Day, we gathered together as promised to celebrate this event.

Let's celebrate Valentine's Day together!

In total, we brought together about 34 people desiring to take part, so you can understand how joyful the celebration was, especially for us, the organizers, who are always delighted with a large and active turnout.
On this date, outside of representatives from the LGBT community, we had as guests at the celebration our friends from the Peace Corps and Amnesty International Moldova, who, it seems, felt good there beside us, and with whom we shared our joy at loving and being loved.

All together, throughout this gathering, we had parts that were noisy and part that were quiet, interactive games and time for meditation, communication and assimilation of information.

Together we warmed up the atmosphere with lots of good humor and merriment during the team games. We tried to reflect with everyone about the definition of love and its traits and characteristics, different but at the same time common for each of us. We referred to the significance and past associations that this notion has held for each of us. We created a love story, rather unusual at first glance, but true in parts. As we found out later, love is the same in all times, for anyone, male or female. The stories of Ruth and Naomi, David and Jonathan, and Jacob and Rachel tell us of this. You can find these in the book of Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, and Genesis, beginning with chapter 20.

Also, one of the most beautiful definitions of love was one we read altogether, so that in the end each of us would take straight home with them a memory of these words, printed on a picture postcard that was even put together by members of the HD Team...

„Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Follow love.”
(1 Corinthians 13, 14.1)

To complete this marvelous picture, we viewed together video clips with all sorts of couples, homo and heterosexual, on camera. We saw that love has neither limits nor color (we know this). We sparked such a flame of support for love; that which we carry for one another or which we desire with all of our heart. It was a special and moving moment, framed within a space correspondingly arranged, full of bibles and symbols signifying love.

A special message came from our partners as well as sponsors at the MCC, Diane Fisher and Florin Buhuceanu. Diane sent us a video greeting and an invitation for a bible study (which we will communicate with you further about) based on video sessions; material prepared by her personally. Florin sent words of blessing for all people who are or have been truly in love, who have lost or are searching for love, and for everyone who has the courage to love the way they are.

We conversed and got acquainted further over tea and coffee, and ate our fill of delicious desserts. We spoke to one another in a setting where, already from a good beginning, we had found out many interesting things about one another, during the moment when we had made our de rigueur introductions, each in his or her own fashion. In a word, we felt good, a fact which many other participants have communicated to us. You are welcome at our meetings, and, as the great Romanian writer Marin Preda say:

„If love is no love, there is nothing else”

P.S. If you missed the event, are curious, or have pleasant memories of the event, below you will find some of the central thoughts from the messages of that evening, along with links to some of the video clips viewed.
In the pictures you will see the small gifts and symbols of recognition created by the HD team for participants.
We hope that this will help to keep in your heart both beautiful memories in connection with this event, and the warmth of love, which surrounds us.

The HD Team

Romans 13:10
Love does not do evil in its midst: love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the Law

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love, has not known God, for God is love

1 John 4:16
And we knew and believed in the love that God has towards us. God is love, and who stays in love, stays with god, and God stays in him.

John 3:16
For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, for whoever believes in him shall not perish, but shall have eternal life.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9zyrjLzBt8Q

http://youtube.com/watch?v=u2okRPx91W4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=m516sGXdm7o

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Cip-3kHFd8M&NR=1

http://youtube.com/watch?v=meWnr8rA5Uw

Let’s celebrate Valentine’s Day together!

We are glad to announce you that HD is organizing a special event for the Valentine’s day week end. We want to celebrate it together with lgbt, friends and family community.
You can wait for our invitation, or you can write us for registration to the address haide.hd@gmail.com. See you soon!

A safe spiritual space ...

Representatives of Moldovan LGBT community have lived a new experience: one of a safe spiritual space.In order to achieve that, we have invited guests long ago to come visit us, made plans and gave them a thoughtful attention, then organized a meeting with presentations and discussion, sharing our experiences and concerns, hopes and sorrows.

This event brought together members of lgbt community from Moldova and other countries, community friends and partner organizations. It was organized by the HD initiative group, with the support of foreign lgbt Christian groups.

We went even farther: we have celebrated the Holy Communion together. We have celebrated God’s love for us. We have celebrated our love for each other and our same sex unions, which are blessed and accepted in front of God, just like David and Jonathan’s union, or Ruth and Naomi’s. These were blessed to have each other and to share their feelings, and they are a blessing for us today and other people during the history:

Ruth said: "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."
This wording that has been traditionally used by heterosexual couples as wedding wav, is in fact one made by a women to another one!

So it was: there were two women, loving each other and willing to have a blessing over their relationship. And since they really wanted that, the opportunity occurred, according to their wish.It doesn’t matter they had to travel a day and night to get to the place, and it doesn’t mean that God’s love have to be looked somewhere far in a distance, no. It’s just like always, people are the ones who are opposing it, but also people are the ones to make it shine over all the disappointments and despair.

And since there is a group of people who committed themselves to make this happen, it did.On the 9th of December 2007 we had a blessing ceremony over a women couple and it was just wonderful!

This is to let us all know, that we just need to dare for more, knock at the Heaven’s doors and they will open, just like it happened that incredible week end.You can join us! You are welcome.

P.S. Definitely this first attempt to create a safe spiritual space for representatives of lgbt community of Moldova was a successful one, according to the number of participants, the special atmosphere, and the outcomes of the event.
It took place on 8th and 9th of December 2007 and intended to anticipate Christmas.We say it was just on time, in order to create the holiday atmosphere.
We want to express our gratitude to all people who contributed to the implementation of this project!
It became a reality first of all thanks to implication of Open Church of Norway, represented by Gard Nielsen and Tora Loland, and the participation of Metropolitan Community Churches’ representative in Eastern Europe Florin Buhuceanu.
We also want to thank our guests and participants we had the pleasure to have at the celebration.

With respect and best wishes,
HD team.