Circle Of Hope Ministry
Trans Gender Support - NETS
Our ministry recently established a trans support ministry. We earnestly want to help people with sexual identity issues.
Now, this is an odd thing for a church to do but here is why.
We have a young man named Eben Chadwick, who comes to our small ministry as often as he has the strength to do so. He has many problems
in his life; one of the most painful is his sexual identity. His maleness is simply in the wrong body and as we have tried to help him over the years,
we have come to realize that it is all too big for us to do alone.
It is too big because he needs a sex-change operation, which neither he nor we can afford and because it is not just Eben... There are others.
And it is not just about operations to make the outside fit the inside. And it is not just about people in the state of Maine. It is bigger than all this.
Our focus is concentrated on health needs... counseling, hormone therapy, surgery, etc. We want to help people who are suffering because
they cannot afford any of this. And we want to reach out to people who don't even know this help is available... People who think they are all
alone.
We want to address the social issues as well. No medical operation can remove the constant pain that society inflicts upon people they see
as "different".
We want to support all people but will start with Maine and then the five other New England states: New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts,
Connecticut and Rhode Island. Even within these six states it will take a while to establish support.
Here are our goals:
1 Become knowledgeable of the health care providers that have extensive knowledge of and concern for Trans gender issues.
2 Encourage people with sexual identity issues to seek these health care providers; counselors, therapists, primary physicians, surgeons etc
3 Give financial aid to anyone who cannot afford therapy and/or surgery.
4 Encourage people with sexual identity issues to create community.
5 Facilitate/organize situations where trans people, individually or as a group, can have positive, social interaction with other
communities... The rest of the world.
6 Help educational, social and governmental organizations/institutions come to know, acknowledge and deal with Trans gender health
and social issues.
7 Become knowledgeable of legal problems that trans people have. Find lawyers (in each state) that have extensive knowledge of and
concern for Trans gender issues.
8 Give financial aid to anyone who cannot afford legal aid, though we will concentrate the finances on social and health care issues.
Who are the plans for?
1 Anyone with sexual identity issues. Anyone, period.
2 Young or old, rich or poor, male to female, female to male, religious or non-religious, etc.
Who are we?
Our ministry is very small but is a member of the larger United Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches
(see their Web site http://mccchurch.org/).
An introductory paragraph from the UFMCC web site says:
Rev Troy D. Perry founded Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) in 1968. This Fellowship of Churches plays a vital role in addressing
the spiritual needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and Trans gendered community around the world. For those of us who were raised in a
religious atmosphere, homosexuality was usually associated with shame and guilt. As a result, many of us were cut off from the spiritual
dimension of our lives. Metropolitan Community Churches provide an opportunity to explore a spiritual experience that affirms who we are.
Though we are part of this larger umbrella-church, we are doing this as an individual group. We have come to this decision as an outgrowth of
our concern for and desire to help Eben. Not just Eben but all men and women with this often silent, behind- closed- doors struggle. We want to
help them come out into the light and introduce themselves to the world just as they are, with their unique issues... Issues that need to be
acknowledged, understood, addressed and enfolded into the social fabric.
It is a big thing to do, we have to sit down and write a charter and Standard Operating Procedures, etc we know, we know. But for now, if you are
interested in being part of this in any way please give us a call or send e-mail. Go to our Contacts page.
You are also invited to join us at our monthly NETS gatherings. We Meet on the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays for the month , From 7:30pm to 9:00pm ;
Except for when we have our NETS movie night , we meet up an half hour earlier ( 7:00pm to 9:00pm ) at Immanuel Baptist Church in
Portland, Maine. The church is on the corner of High Street and Deering Street. We meet in the church parlor accessed through the back door,
which is off Deering Place (a small side-street behind this magnificent church). Our weekly, 2:15 p.m., Sunday services are also in this parlor.
Well there you go. We hope to hear from you and may God bless you.
Now, this is an odd thing for a church to do but here is why.
We have a young man named Eben Chadwick, who comes to our small ministry as often as he has the strength to do so. He has many problems
in his life; one of the most painful is his sexual identity. His maleness is simply in the wrong body and as we have tried to help him over the years,
we have come to realize that it is all too big for us to do alone.
It is too big because he needs a sex-change operation, which neither he nor we can afford and because it is not just Eben... There are others.
And it is not just about operations to make the outside fit the inside. And it is not just about people in the state of Maine. It is bigger than all this.
Our focus is concentrated on health needs... counseling, hormone therapy, surgery, etc. We want to help people who are suffering because
they cannot afford any of this. And we want to reach out to people who don't even know this help is available... People who think they are all
alone.
We want to address the social issues as well. No medical operation can remove the constant pain that society inflicts upon people they see
as "different".
We want to support all people but will start with Maine and then the five other New England states: New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts,
Connecticut and Rhode Island. Even within these six states it will take a while to establish support.
Here are our goals:
1 Become knowledgeable of the health care providers that have extensive knowledge of and concern for Trans gender issues.
2 Encourage people with sexual identity issues to seek these health care providers; counselors, therapists, primary physicians, surgeons etc
3 Give financial aid to anyone who cannot afford therapy and/or surgery.
4 Encourage people with sexual identity issues to create community.
5 Facilitate/organize situations where trans people, individually or as a group, can have positive, social interaction with other
communities... The rest of the world.
6 Help educational, social and governmental organizations/institutions come to know, acknowledge and deal with Trans gender health
and social issues.
7 Become knowledgeable of legal problems that trans people have. Find lawyers (in each state) that have extensive knowledge of and
concern for Trans gender issues.
8 Give financial aid to anyone who cannot afford legal aid, though we will concentrate the finances on social and health care issues.
Who are the plans for?
1 Anyone with sexual identity issues. Anyone, period.
2 Young or old, rich or poor, male to female, female to male, religious or non-religious, etc.
Who are we?
Our ministry is very small but is a member of the larger United Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches
(see their Web site http://mccchurch.org/).
An introductory paragraph from the UFMCC web site says:
Rev Troy D. Perry founded Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) in 1968. This Fellowship of Churches plays a vital role in addressing
the spiritual needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and Trans gendered community around the world. For those of us who were raised in a
religious atmosphere, homosexuality was usually associated with shame and guilt. As a result, many of us were cut off from the spiritual
dimension of our lives. Metropolitan Community Churches provide an opportunity to explore a spiritual experience that affirms who we are.
Though we are part of this larger umbrella-church, we are doing this as an individual group. We have come to this decision as an outgrowth of
our concern for and desire to help Eben. Not just Eben but all men and women with this often silent, behind- closed- doors struggle. We want to
help them come out into the light and introduce themselves to the world just as they are, with their unique issues... Issues that need to be
acknowledged, understood, addressed and enfolded into the social fabric.
It is a big thing to do, we have to sit down and write a charter and Standard Operating Procedures, etc we know, we know. But for now, if you are
interested in being part of this in any way please give us a call or send e-mail. Go to our Contacts page.
You are also invited to join us at our monthly NETS gatherings. We Meet on the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays for the month , From 7:30pm to 9:00pm ;
Except for when we have our NETS movie night , we meet up an half hour earlier ( 7:00pm to 9:00pm ) at Immanuel Baptist Church in
Portland, Maine. The church is on the corner of High Street and Deering Street. We meet in the church parlor accessed through the back door,
which is off Deering Place (a small side-street behind this magnificent church). Our weekly, 2:15 p.m., Sunday services are also in this parlor.
Well there you go. We hope to hear from you and may God bless you.
