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Re: “Housing ordinances bring
‘unintended consequences’” (news,
March 7)
Thank you for bringing attention to
the ill-concieved ordinance that was
passed in Cobb County. It will impact
the GLBT community as many nonrelated
people do share households in
Cobb County. However, Cobb County
Chairman Sam Olens and Cobb County
officials are not telling you the truth as
to who was targeted by this ordinance.
They were not targeting college students.
That was an excuse they came up
with after we raised objections.
Cobb County officials are on a witch
hunt against Latino immigrants. Cobb
County and Marietta Police are allegedly
racial profiling against Latinos. The
Cobb County Sheriff is acting like he
rules the Wild West and actively violating
due process rights of people he is
seeking to deport.
The Cobb County Board of
Commissioners voted unanimously to
pass the family ordinance that will
impact the gay community. Cobb
County is not a welcoming place. In fact,
many Latino families are moving away
because of these heavy handed tactics.
Who will be next?
First they came for the immigrants...
I do hope the gay community
will chime in on these efforts because
we may be next.
JERRY GONZALEZ
Atlanta
Editors’ note: Jerry Gonzalez is executive
director of the Georgia Association of
Latino Elected Officials.
Dear Neighbors,
Grace and peace to you in the name
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We write this letter with hopes that we
may mend the relationship between our
congregations that has been damaged as
well as become better neighbors to each
other in the Midtown community.
Saint Mark UMC is proud of the fact
that we welcome all people to our
church regardless of sexual orientation
or gender identity. We grieve the
actions taken by your congregation to
revoke the use of your facility and cancel
our annual dance at the last minute,
causing many in our congregation to
feel disrespected and hurt, simply
because you find same gendered dancing
unacceptable.
We at Saint Mark do not find the
same offense you do in loving relationships
between consenting adults
whether they happen to be of the same
gender or different genders, and in fact,
we celebrate such relationships.
We also grieve the fact that you
judged our relationships and families as
inferior without knowing anything
about us. We are concerned that perhaps
inaccurate, pre-conceived notions
about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered
people formed your decision
to break your contract with us.
Our shared scriptural text says to us,
“Welcome one another, just as Christ has
welcomed you.” (Romans 15:7) With this
scripture in mind, we would like to
invite you to attend services at our
church and experience the welcoming,
loving Christ as we have. Also, we would
like to invite you to a time of fellowship,
food, music, worship and dialogue with
each other. We want you to know us as
the loving, Christ-centered people we
are, and we want to know you too.
Table fellowship is something Jesus
shared many times with his disciples,
and he called his disciples to do the
same after he was gone. Let us break
bread together, share our stories together,
and learn to love one another in spite
of our differences. Perhaps hearts may
be softened and we can be better neighbors
to each other. Our relationship as
members together in the body of Christ
and as neighbors in the Midtown community
has been damaged, but our
prayer is that you will join us in working
to heal it.
In Christ,
Rev. Jimmy Moor, Senior
Pastor Deana
Hilton, Business Administrator
Rev. Phillip Thomason,
Associate Minister Boyd Darsey, Staff Assistant
Rev. Mandy Flemming,
Associate Minister Christia
Holloway, Asst. to Rev. Moor
Rev. Josh Noblitt, Deacon Kathi Urban, Fine Arts Asst.
Jane Burke, Minister of Fine
Arts Amy Holloway, Fine Arts Asst.
Rev. Jackie Jenkins,
Children’s Minister Sherrie Graham, Chair, Admin.
Council
Anjie Peek Woodworth, Youth
Minister Mark
Haley, Club M.A.R.K. John Richardson, Assoc. Dir. of Fine
Arts/Organist Cheryl Thompson,
Club M.A.R.K.
Re: “Okla. lawmaker says gays
bigger threat than terrorists” (news,
March 14)
What about all the other countries
that approve of the gay lifestyle?
Canada is still around the last time I
looked. We are not murderers —other
people make us fight for what is our
right and that makes us bad? Our
country did that as well.
How sad that a seemingly educated
woman could sound off like this.
She should not only be banned from
politics but from humanity. I would
really like to know what societies we
have lost due to homosexualtiy. She is
a disgrace!
You’re bad and I’m good is what
started the witch hunts in the
Middle Ages.
I agree with Mrs. Kern. It might
not be as bad as terrorists but any
“reasonable” person knows that
homosexuality is just wrong. I know
some will say they were born that way
— I disagree. I’m glad she spoke out.
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