Fund-raiser for Lesbian Immigration Support Group on 10th March to celebrate International Women’s Day 2012

The Lesbian Immigration Support Group (LISG) is a Manchester-based group of lesbian and bisexual refugees and asylum-seeking women and their supporters, offering both practical and social support.

LISG will hold a fundraising event on March 10th at the Nip and Tipple Bar  in Whalley Range (197 Upper Chorlton Road, M16 0BH), between 3pm and 7pm, to celebrate International Women’s Day.

They are inviting all friends, supporters and people who are interested in the group, in women’s issues, LGBT and queer issues, migration, asylum, (no) border,  human rights and social justice issues to join them for this celebration.

The event will have live music bands, poetry, performance acts, good company, and many other surprises!

Smartie tube collection for Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit

Thank you for all who have contributed so far to our Lenten fundraiser for the Immigration Aid Unit – which provides free legal advice and representation to asylum seekers.

Throughout Lent you took Smartie tubes and used them to raise money for the unit (through putting loose change in, or from money saved for giving something up).  We’ve raised £268 so far.

If you have a tube you’ve been meaning to bring back or if you want to make a donation please do just bring it along to church.  We will send the money off to the Unit after Pentecost.

Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga in Malawi – sign a petition against their inhuman prison sentence

Dear Friends,

Like me, I am sure you were shocked at the arrest, trial and sentence to 14 years imprisonment – with hard labour – recently passed on Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga in Malawi.  Steven and Tiwonge were arrested at their engagement party and tried for being gay – as if love could ever be a crime!

Manchester’s Lesbian and Gay Foundation have set up an online petition – which has attracted over 1100 signatures so far – to the new UK government demanding they put pressure on Malawi to overturn these convictions and sentences. 

Malawi has pledged to uphold the African Charter on Human Rights and under their constitution all citizens are guaranteed freedom from discrimination.  Now is the time for our government to put their words about civil liberties into action and put pressure on Malawi to deal justly with these two men.

We know from our own campaigns for sanctuary that petitions can be very effective in influencing politicians so I’m asking you to do three things – sign, promote and pray!

First please sign the petition.  You will find it at http://www.petition.co.uk/free-gay-malawians

Secondly tell your friends to do the same!  If you are on Facebook link to the petition and urge your friends to sign and link to it.  We can use the internet to good effect here.  Over the coming weeks we’re going to look at what Amnesty International suggest in terms of action for them.

Third, please keep Steven and Tiwonge, their families and their friends in your prayers. 

With much love,   
Andy

Andy Braunston
Pastor
Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester
www.mccmanchester.co.uk

ChangeMakers Manchester meeting in Chorlton, on Saturday 23rd January 2010, at 10am

Dear Friends,

There is an introduction to Manchester ChangeMakers this Saturday for the churches in Chorlton and I wanted to remind you of it.

ChangeMakers is a coalition of various faith and voluntary sector organisations which are seeking to work to bring about social change in various areas.  Member organisations get to vote on which issues should be addressed, take part in working groups to investigate solutions and then lobby those in power to effect change.  In London a similar organisation had great success introducing a London minimum wage for the low paid which is much higher than the national minimum wage.  In Manchester the issues which are being addressed so far are those around the needs of destitute asylum seekers, disaffected young white youths and the needs of carers of people with both mental illness and drug or alcohol dependency.

A range of faith groups have already joined and, on Saturday, there is a day to introduce the organisation to the churches of Chorlton.  People from our hosts, Wilbraham St Ninian’s, Manchester Road and Manley Park Methodist Churches, St Anne’s, St Barnabus and St Clement’s CofEs will join us at Chorlton Central Church.  We hope to get around 30 to 40 people to the event and 8 or 9 of our own people.

It is taking place on Saturday morning from 10am until 1pm. Please bring some lunch too.  I hope the MCC folk will be able to get a drink together afterwards to review what we’ve heard and discuss what we think.

Chorlton Central Church is on the junction of Barlow Moor Road and High Lane in Chorlton.  Parking is available on the streets around the church but can be tricky so leave a little time to park.  The website of the church is here:  and the postcode is M21 8BF

If you haven’t done so already, please let me know if you plan to come.

Love

Andy

Andy Braunston
Pastor
Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester
www.mccmanchester.co.uk

ChangeMakers, a broad based organising group is starting work in Manchester with a meeting on 23rd November 2009

Dear Friends,

I suspect that many of us are increasingly fed up with both local and national politics as they don’t often seem to make much of a difference.  We may care about certain issues, particularly as Christians, yet feel we can’t change how decisions are made.

Barak Obama, when he finished his college degree, went and worked as a “community organiser” using principles known as “broad based organising”.  In London an organisation based on these ideas was formed just as I was leaving in 1995.  It’s now called London Citizens and the churches, and other faith groups, are the leading movers behind it.  They campaigned successfully for the “London Living Wage” which meant that low paid workers for the banks and London Assembly (and anyone who had a contract from the Mayor) get substantially more than the national minimum wage – simply because of the pressure that London Citizens could put on them.   Similarly they managed to get all the candidates for mayor to support their campaign for an amnesty for “failed” asylum seekers.

These organisations work by getting local people to identify particular problems and then work on solutions.  They then get different faith groups and community organisations together to influence those in the public sphere who actually make decisions.  All the London Mayor candidates turned up to a meeting of London Citizens as they got 2,000 people together for the meeting; the candidates couldn’t afford to miss it.  The organistion isn’t party political but seeks to get things done by working on a small number of focused campaigns.

So why am I telling you this?  Church Action on Poverty has set up a similar organisation in Manchester called Change Makers.  Their mission is to build a powerful community-led organisation whose members take action on issues of social, economic, political and environmental justice.  They have a video on YouTube that you can see here.  ChangeMakers is linked to The Gamaliel Foundation in the United States. Organisers from Gamaliel regularly come over to the UK to run training courses with ChangeMakers.

They have identified three particular issues to work on in Manchester:

• the plight of destitute asylum seekers (a cause close to our own heart),
• the difficulties faced by those who care for people suffering from drug dependency,
• and mental health, as well as the problems of young white males who have no role models.

Change Makers approached us in September about joining up; I suggested they also talked to the other churches in Chorlton so that if they were interested there would be a project we could work on together.

There are two events that I want to tell you about and encourage you to come along to.  One is the First Assembly of Change Makers in Manchester.  This will be held at St Peter’s House, on Oxford Road (in the Precinct Centre) in the centre of town on Monday 23rd November between 7pm and 9pm.  If you want to go please let me know and I will give you a ticket.

The other is a taster day for churches on Saturday 23rd January at Chorlton Central Church.

It would be really good to get a group of us going along to both represent MCC and to help us consider if we want to be involved.  Both events will help us discern if this is something we can involve ourselves in.

Please do let me have your comments and let me know if you can come along – especially to the event on 23rd November.

With much love

Andy

Andy Braunston (revandy@mccmanchester.co.uk)
Pastor
Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester
www.mccmanchester.co.uk

Guest preacher – Nigel Biggs of the Boaz Trust – 22 November 2009

On Sunday 22nd November we welcome Nigel Biggs from the Boaz Trust who will be preaching for us.

The Boaz Trust is a Christian charity which supports destitute asylum seekers in the Greater Manchester area by housing and feeding them.  They were founded by evangelical Christians but wryly note that most of their support comes from liberals and Buddhists!

Nigel is looking forward to meeting us all and telling us about the work of the Boaz Trust.

Brightstar Collective event, Saturday 17th October 2009, 7.30pm in aid of the Congo Children Trust

Dear Friends,

I wanted to remind you of an event being hosted at church on Saturday 17 October at 7:30pm.

Neil is organising a special event consisting of original music, video, art and poetry to raise awareness of a charity called the Congo Children Trust.  This trust was set up by Ian Harvey, a friend of Neil’s, who is working in the Congo for three years to build a day centre and children’s home for orphaned children who are in acute need in the city of Lubumbashi.  Ian is a social worker who works with children who are asylum seekers in the UK.

The evening will feature a variety of artists from the Brightstar Collective, which includes some MCC folk and is organised by Neil.  There will be items in a variety of styles to appeal to varied tastes and age groups.  The event is being organised in conjunction with our friends at Wilbraham St Ninian’s and Chorlton Central URC, is being held at Wilbraham St Ninian’s Church in Chorlton, and is an ideal opportunity to invite friends along to something a bit different.

The evening is free of charge with a collection towards the end of the evening.  Please see Neil or Steve on Sunday for more information, or contact Brightstar Collective via their website.

With much love

Andy

Andy Braunston
Pastor
Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester
www.mccmanchester.co.uk

Beatrice, Andy, Ellen and Wells Must Stay Together, anti-deportation campaign

We’ve been asked to support an anti-deportation campaign called Beatrice, Andy, Ellen and Wells Must Stay Together.

Beatrice is from Malawi and the government wish to return her there despite the fact she has married an English man called Andy.  Both are committed attenders at their local church.

Since Beatrice Botomani, her daughter, Ellen, (17) and her son, Wells, (13) came to the UK from Malawi, they have lived mainly in Leeds. They are very enthusiastic and committed members of the congregation at Christ Embassy church and both Ellen and Wells attend the City of Leeds School.

Beatrice married her British husband, Andy, in June 2008, but they have been unable to find suitable accommodation near the childrens’ school. Although it has been accepted that their marriage is genuine, Andy’s ability to support his family financially has been called into question, an issue that could easily be resolved by allowing Beatrice to work.

Beatrice, Ellen and Wells spent over two months in detention earlier this year, during which time they were deeply traumatized. They felt like criminals when they were forced into a caged van for the journey to Yarl’s Wood IRC.

There is an on-line petition at http://www.gopetition.co.uk/online/30173.html which I encourage you to go and sign.

We know from our campaigns for Moses and Prossy that the kindness of strangers in taking a few minutes to sign a petition goes a long way to support the person under threat of removal, encourages them to see that many in our society take a different view to the Home Office on such matters, and it makes a difference to the case itself.

Raising money for the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit – Lancashire Loop Cycle Challenge

Would you like to have ‘fun day’ and raise money for a good cause? Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) provides legal immigration advice and support. Many of the people it represents have come to this country seeking asylum, people who have had to leave their home countries because they have faced violence or oppression; often their lives have been in danger.

As part of its fund raising programme for the current year, GMIAU would like to enter 10 cyclists in a sponsored cycle ride (the Lancashire Loop Cycle Challenge) taking place around the village of Cockerham, north Lancashire, on Sunday 27 September 2009.

This is being organised by the children’s charity ‘MedEquip4Kids‘ . Would you like to take part and help raise money for the GMIAU?  Apart from being a good cause, it should be a lot of fun as well in what is a very nice part of Lancashire. There are 3 possible routes to choose from  – 18, ’50′ and ’100′ mile’ – depending on your fitness, experience and enthusiasm.

If you would like to take part then please contact Duncan Poulton: duncan.poulton1@btopenworld.com

Support for refused asylum seekers

Refused asylum seekers left destitute in the UK

Background information

No doubt you will have heard or read reports about how the UK is meant to be a “soft touch” for asylum seekers. Yet, in reality, the level of support provided to asylum seekers is far lower than that of income support and is usually withdrawn altogether if a claim is refused. Many refused asylum seekers are, in fact, unable to return to their home countries due to the risks they would face because of, for example, armed conflicts, generalised violence and repressive regimes. As a result, many refused asylum seekers from countries where such problems are rife (including Zimbabwe, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Eritrea) are being forced into destitution, as they are not permitted to work here. To make matters worse, it appears as though this could be part of a deliberate strategy on the part of the UK Government. Certainly, this is the view of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, which recently reviewed the treatment of asylum seekers in the UK and reached the following conclusion:

“We have been persuaded by the evidence that the Government has indeed been practising a deliberate policy of destitution of this highly vulnerable group.  We believe that the deliberate use of inhumane treatment is unacceptable.  We have seen instances in all cases where the Government’s treatment of asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers falls below the requirements of the common law of humanity and of international human rights law”.

In light of this, we are calling on you to support the Still Human Still Here Campaign, which is fully endorsed by Amnesty International and many other reputable organisations (http://stillhumanstillhere.wordpress.com/).

The Still Human Still Here Campaign

The Still Human Still Here Campaign is dedicated to highlighting the plight of tens of thousands of refused asylum seekers who are destitute in the UK.

Supporters of the campaign believe that the denial of any means of subsistence to refused asylum seekers as a matter of government policy is both inhumane and ineffective.

Its supporters are calling on the Government to:

• End the threat and use of destitution as a tool of Government policy against refused asylum seekers 
• Continue financial support and accommodation to refused asylum seekers as provided during the asylum process and grant permission to work until such a time as they have left the UK or have been granted leave to remain
• Continue to provide full access to health care and education throughout the same period

What can I do?

We are asking you to write to your local MP in order to highlight the issue and ask for his or her support. Please feel free to use the model letter below (preferably adapting it, where possible) for this purpose. If you don’t know who your MP is, you can find out at www.theyworkforyou.com. Then, all you need to do is send your letter (addressed to your own MP) to:

House of Commons
London
SW1 0AA

If you receive a reply from your MP, please send a copy to The Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, London, EC2A 3EA

***START OF MODEL LETTER***
Dear …..

I am writing to you because I am extremely concerned about the plight of tens of thousands of refused asylum seekers within the UK.

As you are no doubt already aware, under current rules the vast majority of refused asylum seekers are not entitled to any form of financial support. However, you also need to know that due to the fact that many of these refused asylum seekers are unable to return to their home countries for perfectly legitimate reasons and are also forbidden from working under UK law, they are being forced into destitution. The “lucky ones” manage to survive thanks to the charity of other people, yet others end up begging or working as prostitutes.

Many of those who have been refused asylum are from countries where conflict, violence and human rights violations are rife, including for example places such as Zimbabwe, Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Eritrea. Fearing for their lives, these refused asylum seekers are unable to return home, but at the same time are unable to achieve any quality of life here in the UK because of the restrictions imposed on them.

What is even more worrying about this situation is the conclusion recently reached by the Joint Committee on Human Rights while reviewing the treatment of asylum seekers within the UK:

“We have been persuaded by the evidence that the Government has indeed been practising a deliberate policy of destitution of this highly vulnerable group.  We believe that the deliberate use of inhumane treatment is unacceptable.  We have seen instances in all cases where the Government’s treatment of asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers falls below the requirements of the common law of humanity and of international human rights law”.

I firmly believe that the current system is inhumane, unjust and inefficient and am therefore calling on you as my local MP to help end the destitution of refused asylum seekers by raising this issue with the Home Secretary and urging her department to:

• End the threat and use of destitution as a tool of Government policy against refused asylum seekers 
• Continue financial support and accommodation to refused asylum seekers as provided during the asylum process and grant permission to work until such a time as they have left the UK or have been granted leave to remain
• Continue to provide full access to health care and education throughout the same period

Yours sincerely,

 

***END OF MODEL LETTER***

Left for dead by police – Abranches Afonso Penicelo – Mozambique

 Left for dead by police – Abranches Afonso Penicelo – Mozambique

 

 

 

On 14 August 2007, Abranches Afonso Penicelo was beaten, shot in the back of the neck, set on fire and left for dead by five police officers. He died in hospital the following day, but his family managed to record his testimony on a mobile phone.

Abranches Penicelo’s death followed 10 years of police harassment. In September 1997, he and his brothers were arrested and accused of highway robbery. His brothers were released without charge, but Abranches Penicelo was held for one year and five months.

He was arrested again on 13 February 2007 and accused of robbery by the officer later suspected of killing him.

The case was dropped on 13 March 2007, but he was held for a further five days, although the judge had ordered his immediate release. The then Attorney General brought a case against the police, which was to be heard on 7 August 2007, but for reasons not known to the family the trial never took place. A week later, Abranches Penicelo was killed.

 What can I do?

 You can help by sending a letter to the individuals listed below.

In your letter, you should express your concern that Abranches Afonso Penicelo was killed by police officers. You should also call for an immediate, impartial and thorough investigation into his death so that those responsible might be brought to justice.

 1) Exmo. Sr. Dr. Augusto Paulino,

Procurador Geral da República,

Procuradoria Geral da República,

Maputo,

Mozambiquey

 

2) His Excellency Mr Antonio Gumende,

High Commission of the Republic of Mozambique,

21 Fitzroy Square,

London W1T 6EL

 

***START OF SAMPLE LETTER***

 Dear Dr Paulino/Your Excellency,

 I recently learnt of the death of a man called Abranches Afonso Penicelo in your country and was profoundly shocked to read that he had been brutally murdered by a group of five police officers.

 According to the information I have received, Abranches Penicelo had been harassed for 10 years by the police prior to his murder and it would seem that this had resulted in a case being brought against the police by the former Attorney General. For some reason the trial ordered by the Attorney General, which was scheduled for 7 August 2007, was never heard and Abranches Penicelo was murdered just 10 days later on 14 August 2007.

 I am sure that you will agree that the integrity of any justice system depends on the highest standards being maintained by all the parties directly involved in it. Therefore, it is particularly distressing to learn that the very forces of law and order who are meant to uphold the law should be involved in such a horrific murder.

I therefore call upon you to ensure that a comprehensive and impartial investigation into Abranches Penicelo’s murder is launched immediately and that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

 Yours sincerely,

 ***END OF SAMPLE LETTER***  

Prisoner of Conscience – Truong Quoc Huy – Viet Nam

Truong Quoc Huy – Prisoner of conscience, Viet Nam

Truong Quoc Huy is serving a six-year prison sentence for his political beliefs. He was arrested in an internet café in Ho Chi Minh City by plain-clothes policemen, just weeks after being released from a previous stint in detention and Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience. Until his trial on 29 January 2008, his family had no news about him and did not know where he was detained. His trial came unexpectedly on 29 January 2008 and he was charged under Article 88 of the national security section of the Penal Code (Conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam) and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment followed by three years’ house arrest. He will be due for release in August 2012 (six years from the date of his arrest in August 2006).

Truong Quoc Huy  was previously detained for nine months, along with his brother Truong Quoc Tuan and a friend. They were arrested while taking part in a chatroom discussion on “the voice of people in Viet Nam and abroad”. After his release, he said he would continue to criticise the government and expressed support for Bloc 8406, an online petition calling for peaceful political change and human rights

 

What can you do?

 

You can help by sending a letter to the following individuals, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Truong Quoc Huy and all the other prisoners of conscience in Viet Nam:

 

1) Nguyen Tan Dung,

    Prime Minister,

    Office of the Prime Minister,

    Hoang Hoa Tham, Ha Noi,

    Viet Nam

 

2) His Excellency Mr Tran Quang Hoan,

    Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam,

    12-14 Victoria Road,

    London W8 5RD

 

***START OF SAMPLE LETTER***

Your Excellency/Dear Mr Nguyen Tan Dung,

 

I am writing to express my concern about the treatment of a man called Truong Quoc Huy, who is currently serving a six-year prison sentence in your country.

 

It would appear that Truong Quoc Huy was arrested in an internet café in Ho Chi Minh City and subsequently charged with “conducting propaganda against the Socialist Rebublic of Viet Nam” in January 2008 simply for expressing his own peaceful opinions. As a result, the authorities in your country sentenced him to six years in prison, which is to be followed by a period of house arrest.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” and I am therefore firmly convinced that Truong Quoc Huy’s sentence fails to comply with international human rights standards.

Consequently, I wish to call for his immediate and unconditional release, along with all the other prisoners of conscience currently being held in Viet Nam.

Yours sincerely,

***END OF SAMPLE LETTER***

Prossy Kakooza CAN stay in the UK

Prossy akooza was granted asylum in the UK on Friday 17th October, 15 long months and 3 court cases after first applying.  She is now able to live, work, and study in the United Kingdom on the same basis as any UK National for the next 5 years.  After this, she will be allowed to apply for permanent residence and then citizenship.

 

Prossy has been amazed at the level of support from people including: 

• 5200 people from countries, and church congregations, from all over the world who have signed her petition to the Home Office asking that she be allowed to stay.
• 100s of people who have written or emailed the Immigration Minister.
• The 80 members and friends of Metropolitan Community Church, Manchester who have supported her with their love, prayers, money and concern.
• The 19 friends who went to court with her and helped her collect signatures on her petition at Pride festivals all over the country.
• The 10 friends who gave evidence in court on her behalf.
• The 3 amazing lawyers who drafted and prepared her cases (Ruth Heatley from the Immigration Aid Unit and barristers Mark Schwenk and Mel Plimmer)

But most of all the one person who has seen through this ordeal with quiet dignity, humour even in the darkest moments, and faith that all would be well – Prossy herself.

 

She writes: 

 

Dear friends:  I get to stay!!  Am still in shock, and am so sure it’s going to take days to sink in. But I have not stopped smiling since 12:00pm today, and won’t stop for a while.   I went with my friend Gwen and am so glad I did because when we left I was in a sort of daze!  When this woman handed me the paper and said, “You have been granted leave to remain” my jaw nearly hit the floor. Always the pessimist, I thought this was where she told me “but the Home Office is appealing”.  So Iasked if they were and she said no they were not.  I had a bit of a hooray shout when we got out – couldn’t contain it.   You have held me together, you have held me upright when all I wanted to do was roll up in a heap and give up.  You gave me the motivation to go on and fight!  Going with me to places to collect signatures, encouraging people to sign online, coming to meetings, writing statements, going to court with me, and most importantly – all the prayers.   And I don’t think you have any idea how the phone calls, texts and emails help.  They kept me sane.    There are no appropriate words I can use to say thank you.  All I can do is pray to my God to bless you all.  You have changed my life and for that I will forever be grateful. THANK YOU!   Lots and lots of love, hugs and kisses,   Prossy

Eduard Furman – Allegations of torture whilst in police custody, Ukraine

Eduard Furman

 

Tortured for a confession in the Ukraine.

 

Eduard Furman was allegedly tortured in police detention in April 2007 to force him to confess to a series of murders in the cities of Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv. He has spent more than a year in detention awaiting trial.

He was arrested in Dnipropetrovsk on 11 April 2007 by Interior Ministry troops. They took him to the Ukrainian State Security Service, where police investigators interrogated him about the murders. Eduard Furman says they beat him, pressed their fingers into his eye sockets, gave him electric shocks on his testicles and put a gas mask over his head before then proceeding to cut off the air supply.

He says he was then taken to a police station in the city of Brovary, where he was interrogated for four hours, beaten and put in a cell with a criminal suspect who tried to persuade him to confess.

He says that after being beaten again, he confessed to the murder of three people in the Kyiv region.  On 24 April 2007 he was charged with murder.

Although his lawyer complained to the Prosecutor General’s office about the torture, no investigation was opened into the allegations. (Information taken from Amnesty Magazine, Issue 150, July/August 2008.)

 

What you can do

Use the sample letter below to call for a prompt and impartial investigation into the allegations of torture of Eduard Furman, and for those responsible to be brought to justice. Alternatively, you can visit the Amnesty website (http://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions_details.asp?ActionID=462), which will enable you to send a message via e-mail.

 

Please send copies of your letter to:

1) Oleksander Medvedko

    General Prosecutor of Ukraine

    Riznitska Str. 13/15

    01601 Kyiv

    Ukraine

 

2) His Excellency Dr Ihor Y Kharchenko

    Embassy of Ukraine

    60 Holland Park

    London W11 3SJ

 

***START OF SAMPLE LETTER***

Dear Mr Medvedko,

 

I was extremely alarmed to read about the plight of a young man called Eduard Furman who has allegedly been tortured whilst in police custody in your country.

 

Mr Furman was arrested in Dnipropetrovsk on 11 April 2007 and it has been reported that he was subsequently tortured by police investigators who wanted him to confess to a series of murders in the cities of Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv. The allegations include claims of physical beatings, electric shocks and various other forms of abuse.

 

The Prosecutor General’s office was informed about the alleged abuse, but as far as I am aware, no investigation has been initiated.

 

Therefore, I urge the authorities to launch an independent investigation immediately and to ensure that anyone responsible for torturing Mr Furman is brought to justice.

 

Yours sincerely,

***END OF SAMPLE LETTER***

MCC Manchester member, Iain Baxter, serves as LGCM attache to the Lambeth and GAFCON (Global Anglican Futures) conferences

Our member, Iain Baxter,  has decided to volunteer his time over the summer working with the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement as an attache to both the Lambeth and GAFCON conferences of Anglican Bishops being held in the near future.  He writes:

“Press accreditation will mean I can attend most of the sessions and pilgrimages with the representatives and, of course, speak to many people.  I would really like you and all at MCC to pray for me.”

The GAFCON – Global Anglican Futures Conference – has been called by conservative bishops who are opposed to what they see as growing liberal trends in the world-wide Anglican Communion as evidenced by the consecration of the openly gay Gene Robinson to the episcopate.  Press speculation has been rife that these bishops wish to set up an alternative Anglican Communion which is more doctrinally conservative.  The conference is meeting in the Middle East – at first it was supposed to be in Jordan but now seems to be meeting in Jerusalem – where the large Israeli gay pride march is also due to take place!  One presumes their Lordships won’t be taking part in the march!

Iain asks us to pray for him, especially in the following areas:

• How much “reporting” should he do and where should this be sent?
• How should he seek to share his faith and life with those he meets over lunch and during the pilgrimages?
• Who should he seek an interview with? – maybe Bishop Nazir-Ali from Rochester in the UK and one of the Nigerian bishops, perhaps Archbishop Peter Akinola!

GAFCON starts today and is controversial within Anglicanism as it is widely seen as seeking to pressure the Anglican church in America to be less inclusive of our people, as well as urging a split in this worldwide Anglican denomination.  Please pray for Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury as he seeks the best way forward to deal with this issue and for Iain Baxter as he reports on this conference.

Further news:

As an accredited member of the press on behalf of LGCM, Iain has got to work quickly and yesterday interviewed the Archbishops of Sydney (Peter Jensen) Nigeria (Peter Akinola) and Henry Orombi of Uganda.

Iain asked them to condemn homophobic beatings and killings of lesbian and gay people and, at first, they refused. Iain cited the case of Prossy Kakooza to them, focusing on the Primate of Uganda. Again he refused
to condemn.

Jensen from Australia, living in a liberal democracy, had the sense to unequivocally condemn such attacks but the other two refused to nod or agree with him! Riazat Butt, a journalist from the British liberal daily, The Guardian, took up the questioning telling the bishops they hadn’t answered Iain’s questions.

As a result the Guardian correspondent has filed a story on this lack of condemnation of homophobia. It is online now and we hope it will go into tomorrow’s print edition.

Iain has also been interviewed by Ruth Gledhill, the religious affairs correspondent of The Times, and she has written a very good piece – “the only Gay at Gafcon” – on her widely-read blog,  clearly bringing out Iain’s MCC membership (he is a deacon here in MCC Manchester) and his powerful journey from his evangelical Methodism – he once spoke against lesbian and gay folks at a Methodist governing conference!

Both articles link to the MCC coverage on Prossy Kakooza so we hope these pieces will draw a wider audience to her campaign.

Please pray for Iain over the next week as he continues to be one of the few (out) gay folks at GAFCON and as he gently challenges the Bishops to think through the pastoral effects of their doctrinaire positions.

Ruth Gledhill’s piece in Times Online is at:

http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2008/06/the-only-gay-at.html

and Riazat Butt’s piece in the Guardian blog is at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/23/anglicanism.gayrights

The Thinking Anglicans site includes the transcript of the press conference at:

http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/003171.html