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Rev. Ron Anderson Is New Pastor
At Fort Worth MCC
FORT WORTH HAS A NEW MINISTER.
"So what?" you might say. "Fort
Worth gets a new minister almost every
day."
Ah, but not like this one. He has shoulder length blond hair, is very attractive,
and is Gay! He's the new pastor of Agape
Metropolitan Community Church, Rev.
Ron Anderson.
This reporter interviewed Rev. Anderson at MCC's new office and parsonage
and found him quite pleasant and sincere
in his ambitions to contribute to the Community.
Tried the Straight Route
Rev. Anderson was born and raised in
Kansas City, Missouri, where he had his
first sexual encounter with another guy
when he was nine.
"I've always been gay," says Rev. Anderson. "I can remember watching TV
shows and movies and admiring the male
stars. I didn't have a name for it then,
though."
At 15 he decided he would try the
straight route. He dated, went steady and
had his first heterosexual experience.
"I just didn't want it. 1 am just not attracted sexually to the female body."
Rev. Anderson acknowledged to himself
that he was a homosexual and always
would be.
Lover Killed in Accident
Rev. Anderson met his first lover when
he was 15, and they were together for
three years until his lover was killed in an
automobile accident. This was a very
traumatic experience for him; yet he developed the strength to overcome it.
During this time his faith kept growing,
and he felt a call to the ministry. He enrolled in Evangel College, an Assembly of
God school in Missouri. At 21, as he was
still preparing for the ministry, he met his
second lover.
By Ken Cyr
His second love relationship ended after
five years when his lover was drafted; and
Rev. Anderson found himself in San
Diego, California, where he discovered the
Gay Community.
Nowhere Else To Go
'i had never had problems about being
Gay until I found the Gay Community,"
he said. "Then I was hit with the phoni-
ness, hypocrisy and materialism of much
of the Gay Society, but I didn't know
where else to go."
Rev. Anderson turned his back on his
faith and set a course which too often unhappy Gays think will bring them happiness. He wanted nothing more than to
make a lot of money and be a "sugar-daddy" to his lovers. He had two short love
affairs and was becoming constantly confused.
Discovered MCC
Then he discovered MCC. He began extensive Biblical research and concluded
that what the establishment churches said
about homosexuality just was not true.
He knew his calling was sincere, so he
joined the ministry of MCC.
"The Gay Community has so much to
learn and MCC so much to offer," stated
Rev. Anderson when asked about his
opinion ofthe Gay Community.
"The Fort Worth Community seems so
plastic and non-acceptant of themselves.
They still believe that something is wrong
with them, so they try to compensate for
it with material things and with tricks."
Rev. Anderson thinks the Community
needs to be more honest and sincere, and
needs more self-liberating. "When you
liberate yourself as a beautiful person,
and start believing in yourself, then society will accept us."
We Have Nothing To Fear
Rev. Anderson feels that MCC can be an
example to the Community. "MCC offers
WHAT'S A DOB?
A REPORT ON THE WOMEN'S
ORGANIZATION
0Q
By Rob Shivers
, promises to minister to gU_ the people.
the love of Christ. We can be honest and
sincere with each other. God loves all of
us, but he down not love us for our material things;he loves us for what we truly
are. At MCC we can be ourselves; we
have nothing to fear."
Rev. Anderson was asked about the
problems which Agape MCC has had in
the past, the resignation of its first pastor
and a split in the church.
"All churches have trouble at first." he
said. "I think God is teaching us, helping
us grow closer to Him. Agape knows the
Spirit, and He is leading us. Everyone
makes mistakes; it's human."
Church Split Is Healed
"The Friends of Jesus (the split-off
group) has merged with Agape, and the
former pastor is returning to us as associate pastor at the end of September. The
members of Agape have realized some
mistakes and were forgiven and forgave.
They have been enriched by the Spirit
and filled with love because of it. Our
membership is growing and God's work is
being done."
Rev. Anderson is truly a dynamic person, and his pastorship is a blessing for
Fort Worth.
Agape MCC holds services every Sunday
at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The church office is
open every day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Counselling or information about the
programs of the church may be obtained
by calling Rev. Anderson at (817) 534-
9406.
We define ourselves as a Lesbian/Feminist organization, but you don't have to
be either to be a member, and you don't
have to be a member to participate. Just
being a woman is enough. Neither do
you have to be an activist. There is room
for you at any level of openness and involvement you wish to involve yourself.
So what then does a DOB do?
First of all, we seek to create an atmosphere where "Gay is Good" and where
we can enjoy sisterhood while expanding
our experience and knowledge of the
many facets of life. To this end we have
first and third Friday meetings, usually
featuring a guest speaker presenting one
of a variety of interesting topics.
We also have a Speakers Bureau to provide speakers and panel members for
schools and classes, churches, organizations, TV and radio shows and other
groups. We consider the Speaker's Bu
reau an important public education service. In this same vein we participate in
valid research projects and interview situations.
Another important DOB outreach is
GAYLINE, operating in conjunction with
our Lesbian Resource/Drop-In Center.
The telephone line serves the gay community and its families without regard to
sex. It also provides help in locating resources, answering questions, settling
problems, getting your head together or
whatever your need. We also offer (for
women only) peer counseling by appointment, a library and social activities. We
publish a monthly newsletter, as you can
see.
As a member of the Fort Worth/Dallas
Metroplex Gay Council and the Texas
Gay Task Force we keep in the mainstream of what's happening in the gay
community. As a member of the Wo
men's Coalition we keep in the mainstream of happenings that affect us as
women.
We probably can't meet every woman's
needs, but we try hard! We are convinced
that our women are the most beautiful
found anywhere (not just physically
speaking) . .. But then, come and see for
yourself. You're always welcome!
Daughters of Bilitis,P.O. Box 1242,
Dallas, Texas, 75221. (214)742-1947
(Reprinted with permission from The
Monthly DOB'R. publication ofthe
Daughters of Bilitis, Dallas)
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AGAPE METROPOLITAN
COMMUNITY CHURCH
2800 Purington
Fort Worth, Texts
Phone: 817-534-9406
Office Hours:
Monday — Saturday. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
PASTOR
Rev. Ron J. Anderson
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