Looking for a gate

I remember Gene Robinson, the gay Anglican or (Episcopalean) Bishop, saying that as gay people, we have so long just been sitting at the gate and once we go in we will never be content with standing by the gate ever again. He was addressing the Union Theological Seminary and referring to a passage in the Acts of the Apostoles where the disciples heal this man who is just by the gate of the temple, who was ostracised, according to Gene's reading, and now is part of the community of believers, by entering the temple. 

This morning I went looking for the entrance to a gate that leads to a church. The place was called the Windhoek showgrounds and the His People Church rents out a hall for Sunday worship. The trouble is the main entrance of the showgrounds were closed, as they should be. So I spent almost half an hour running around some shady dirt roads in the complex that led to closed gates or just bushes by a riverbed, a classic scene for  robbery here in Windhoek. Thank goodness nothing happened. 

Eventually, I did go around via the back entrance and greeted the passerby, church goers who were on there way home.

You I always go to Churches, except my Catholic Church, after the sermon. I just go for the mingling, the fellowship, the people. I avoid hearing the sermons, because so many times you hear something at these Churches (by 'these' I mean contemporary Christian evangelical like Churches where you can sing basically the same worship songs like ' this is my daily bread...' all over the world) that is so heterosexist, so assumes you are heterosexual or even worse alienates your gay identity. So I just stopped going. But now, I wonder, is the problem with the Church or is it just me? I love the people, in fact today I went so I could talk to a friend Euan, who is a Scott, doing a technical assistance intership at the ministry of finance. He goes to the Church and he is a really swell dude, I met him from my friend Guillaume who was his roomate before he left to teach French in China. Two Sundays ago. I ran into him just outside his office (he was preparing the speech for the Finance minister on the budget) and I just opened up to him, told him about film 'Skoonheid' (google it!) about how it affected me as a gay man and how I was Christian too. He said something to the effect, 'yeah people should just be who they are , but sometimes Churches do not understand'. I felt a genuine connection with Euan then and I thank the Lord for that. Now this Sunday I wanted to connect with him again, on a deep spiritual level, but I was avoiding the Church service he goes to. Why? Am I keeping myself at the gate? Why do I not go in? There is no-one at the door checking for your sexual orientation as you enter so what is going on?

I saw Euan just as he was leaving, approaching the gate of the showgrounds, which I had finally entered. We chatted for a bit with two of his friends, two girls - one of whom is from Malawi but I did not want to bring up the whole gay persecution thing when we rode back in Euan's car, I mean I had just met her! So he dropped me off at my building, where I work and I said : 'So Euan I would love to catch up with you, we should do dinner sometime, would you like to?"

Euan crossed his arms as stopped the car and looked at me somewhat worried 'What do you mean dinner?"

Oh no, so here I was dressed in a very tight pink shirt and he knows I am gay, asking him out to dinner. So to console him I said: 'friendship dinner'. Relieved he said 'sure, yeaha and we have a braai I will invite you sometime'.

I thanked him and that was it.

I sure hope to meet more of Euan and learn more from him!