Ministries Decried

Ann Japenga’s Dec. 6 articles on so-called “ex-gay” Christian ministries, while interesting, were unbalanced in that she ignored the existence of Metropolitan Community Churches and numerous gay and lesbian caucuses in other denominations. Metropolitan Community Churches, as well as many groups such as Dignity in Roman Catholicism, Integrity in the Episcopal Churches, Affirmation in the United Methodist Churches, et al., teach that God loves and accepts all of God’s children, including practicing gay men and lesbians, just as they are.

Metropolitan Community Churches in the area include Culver City, Highland Park, Glendale, Long Beach, North Hollywood, Ontario, Pasadena, Silver Lake, and Whittier. Many of these churches have AIDS Ministry teams that serve people living with AIDS in a variety of ways, including hospital visitation, peer listening, pastoral counseling, food distribution, and housecleaning. We receive no outside funding, and all of our services are free.

REV. MARIANNE VAN

FOSSEN, M. Div. Pastor,

Metropolitan Community

Church of the Pomona Valley