Posted on 03/04/2013 4:37:54 PM PST by vrwc54
AMHERST — An Amherst church that promotes tolerance and is led by a gay pastor has become the new chartering organization for a local Boy Scout troop whose national organization has retained a policy excluding homosexuals.
But for the Immanuel Lutheran Church, the Rev. Steven Wilco and Troop 504, which will be partners, the long-term objectives are the same: giving boys a place to grow and learn leadership skills, teaching them an appreciation for the outdoors and advocating for a change in the national Boy Scout policy.
Wilco, pastor of the church at 867 North Pleasant St., said there is always a tension between those wanting to push for change, as leaders of Troop 504 have done, and larger institutions that aren’t ready to do that.
“We understand institutions are complex. One of the best things we can do to is support it in taking a stand,” Wilco said.
Troop 504, which lost its longtime space at the former North Congregational Church of Amherst in December, is expected to hold its first meeting at Immanuel Lutheran Monday night.
Wilco said he is “always for inclusion,” and he acknowledged there was initial hesitation from church members about becoming the chartering entity for an organization that still is required to comply with the national Boy Scouts of America policy related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals.
“We want to be clear that this is a welcoming place. We ask that of everyone who uses our space,” Wilco said.
Lyle Denit, assistant scoutmaster, said Troop 504 endorses the church’s stance.
“We wanted an organization that would support us in urging change,” Denit said. “We basically don’t support the policy, we make that clear to families who are interested in joining, and we’ve made that clear to our previous chartering organization.”
The 25 members, who range in age from 12 to 17, come from Amherst, Hadley, Leverett, Pelham and Montague,
Taking a stand
In August, Denit and Nancy Bandman-Boyle, who serves as the troop’s committee chairwoman, signed a letter sent to the Gazette stating that they have been trying to distance themselves from the national policy for more than a decade:
“We are sorry for the pain this policy causes in our community, and we will continue to try to model a Scouting of inclusion, and invite all boys and their families to join us.”
Suzanne Seymour, executive director of the LGBT Coalition of Western Massachusetts, said she applauds both the church and the troop for their respective positions and thinks that the church is doing the right thing in chartering a troop, even if it has to continue complying with national policy.
“I think that is an effective way to go. It may be the only way to go,” Seymour said.
She cites her own experience as a young lesbian growing up in the Catholic church and how she depended on Dignity Boston to give her a sense of security. She said Troop 504, like Dignity Boston, is trying to change attitudes from within.
“Here are people who are willing to go out on a limb and don’t agree with a policy on the national level,” Seymour said.
New partnership
Aside from the policy regarding membership in the troop, both the church and the troop expect to benefit from their new relationship.
“It really is a partnership, in a sense a merging, of our organizations,” Wilco said.
The church has about 215 members, with 80 to 100 people attending the weekly services, he said.
After the congregational council, elected by church members, approved the Boy Scouts’ presence, the council had to determine whether sufficient space was available, as multiple groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, the Hampshire Birders, the Hampshire Young People’s Chorus and University of Massachusetts musicians use the building.
“For our congregation, it gives us a chance to interact with this long-standing organization and stretches us to see God in new ways and new places,” Wilco said.
Denit said the troop knew for a while that it might lose the area that had been called Troop Hall at North Congregational Church. Due to a shrinking congregation, the church was seeking to sell its buildings. Troop 504 had used the church almost continuously since its founding in 1917. But when the Korean Zion Church bought the church and parish hall last year, it informed the troop it wanted to use the space itself.
“We had known this would come up for a few years, so it had been on our radar for a while,” Denit said.
The discussion with Immanuel Lutheran began in earnest in the fall.
“It’s pretty close to our old home. Geographically we’re trying to say as close to our old North Amherst site,” Denit said.
Representatives of both organizations say they are excited about the opportunities the venture provides. The church owns nearby woods that Wilco said the boys may be able to use.
The church will provide a small closet for storage, while the troop may have a small shed built on the site. Denit said the troop could invest some proceeds from the annual Christmas tree sale to build it and offer the church some space inside.
Denit said he believes that members of the church can benefit from the troop’s presence.
“Ideally, a Scout troop is a part of service to the youth and to the community,” Denit said.
Since January, the troop has been meeting in various places, including the Hadley public safety complex meeting room, the Central Rock Climbing Gym in Hadley and at campouts.
Wilco said allowing the troop to remain in North Amherst was important for the church.
“We feel like it’s a bit of a statement for us — it’s about our vision to become an integral part of the community,” Wilco said.
“We’re happy to work with them,” Denit said. “This seems like a lot of energy that is useful for both of us.
this is sick and i;ve said it before.
Marriage and boy scouts is a stop in a bigger agenda, so I wish those ignorant la lan land fools which state it;s only marriage or it;s their business or it;s about love or even get Govt out of it need to wake the hell up.
Homosexuals look forward to the day when they can have sex with little boys legally and no fear or being jailed .
What kind of church is this and how about the line in the article which states the church teaches tolerance, er how about Christianity and Jesus and marriage and family?
A homosexuals pretnds to be religious, then gets a tax free haven where they can push their feces sex with little boys agenda, then they use this building to make a boy scouts group and sadly in MA the socialist cess pit there will be mothers which think this is great.
yep a boy going off camping with a homosexual, these people need locking up if thye cannot conform to nature etc
I am almost willing to believe that when they applied for their charter , the Scouts didn’t know about the fruits.
Either way their Charter should be revoked.
Sickening, isn’t it?
I am almost willing to believe that when they applied for their charter , the Scouts didn’t know about the fruits.
Either way their Charter should be revoked.
We're now Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and I resent the fact these nutcases even have the name "Lutheran" in their church name. There is nothing "Lutheran" about them. They are making a mockery of the name.
I agree that their Charter should be revolked. It was probably obtained through fraud.
The BSA has two hand-picked Obama butt-buddies directing the show from the top and these yokels are working the pressure from outside, as others will probably pile on making scouting not worth a damn.
Do they want lawsuits coming out the wazoo?
Oh, on second thought, Obama is rigging the system any way he can in order to destroy everything that is moral and good.
Michelle was right when she said that Barack would not let us rest on our laurels. Change is inevitable.
Good Lord!!
Kruz finally committed suicide by jumping off a viaduct in Toronto. Another pervert was Graham James, a hockey coach. When the storm blew up he was in Spain coaching kids.
The joker is that I used to frequent bars (no longer) where these old Neanderthal hockey has beens held court. Speaking in gruff voices about their exploits. Look sideways and they would saunter over. Hunching their shoulders high.
What is it when these so-called men quail and shut their mouths up, if the spectre of molestation occurs. I am going to start a cry for chemical castration. If it saves one kid, so be it.
Can they the scouts state they have nothing to do with this?
I remember Chic-fil A and a homosexuals who in NH gave free burgers to other homosexuals or those who supported their agenda that day.
Why is it that in the north east homosexuals have to infiltrate and destroy institutions which does not agree with their vile agenda?
Seriously these people used to state how they want their bedroom business private and now they are out there destroying the first amendment and now the 10th amendment
Reprobate evil.
“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.” (Jude 6-8)
The Bible sheds the light of truth on these filthy dreamers.
totally agree pal.
I will never shut up about this agenda, I have got to the point that even if strangers are talking about it at a function etc I speak up.
Silence is what helps their agenda.
The way things are going is wrong and it seems people are not seeing the bigger picture and agenda here.
People claim to be conservative or against this twisted agenda but will not speak up unless they;re with friends who they know agree with them, why?
Your post reminds of an elderly woman in England who spoke up about a freak parade passing her house and having to see and put up with this.
Two days later she got a visit by two cops telling her she will not be arrested this time but if she speaks up again then she will be as she is in violation to the incite to violence law in England.
The whole thing is plain nuts, we;re talking about say two men who like anal sex and now becasue they do we have to shut up and not speak up, well not me .
In the end the children are their targets, NAMBLA etc are all pushing this agenda and the fools who support this or ignore it won;t look more into this vile agenda
Amen!
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil...” Isaiah 5:20
could they do that or could the boy scouts put it out that this has nothing to do with them?
I don’t know. But I would think that the Boy Scouts could revolk their charter,because in my opinion, it was obtained through fraud.
Sodomite “pastor” and church leaders, who see nothing wrong with that, wanting to have little boys come meet with them. What could possibly go wrong? (Clue: Ask the Catholic Church how letting homosexuals into the priesthood worked out for them.)
It is common for pedophiles to threaten kids with bodily harm, harm to their parents or they will tell them that no one will believe them or they will torment the kids by telling them that they really wanted it. Many kids have been molested yet carry the secret around with them for many years maybe some even to their deaths. Recent pedophile trials reveal new victims coming out to tell of their victimization ten, twenty or thirty years after the crime. You would think that after so many pedophile cases making the news in recent years that parents would get a clue.
I learned something new while listening to the radio, a guest on the program who was a boy scout leader said that sometimes the pedophiles are younger men who were not married and purport to be former Eagle Scout from other troups. I never thought of this, I always pictured boy scout leaders as being mature married dads but I guess according to this man, they do not have to be dads to be boy scout leaders. I can see how young males who claim to have a history with the scouts can get into the scouts with the intention of molesting the kids.
Previously it was as if the homosexual was cloistered off somewhere private. Well who should care anyway? The building superintendant had a special high finish surface on the partitions, so cleaning staff could erase the messages, that night. Messages to meet at a local park.
What absolutely beat me was the reluctance of far stronger and younger security men than myself, to go in after these cretins. Cretins because they even cut a hole between partitions. It seemed to paralyze most of my co-workers. One individual we knew of kept on frequenting the washrooms. I got a polaroid camera and took shots of his writing. I just showed him his handywork and never heard from him again.
Just in case anyone thought that this was overzealous persecution of these men, I should remark that sometimes one would check on the washrooms and two men would be in one stall. One usually younger than the other.
So lenient were the local magistrates on one prominent town newspaper editor, they let him off jail time. It was kids in foster care he abused. He was allowed to associate with parentless kids after his molestations, saying he could now develop a proper relationship as a sort of big brother.
People seem to be absolutely nonplussed and only act when it is far, far gone.
Ws up in MA and on a road called 128. We had driven from the south and was nearly at our destination but that morning we got stuck in traffic, for the record traffic up north is awful/
Anyway couple of my kids, wanted the bathroom and so we decided to stop att he nearest rest room.
Well driving up there wiht lunatics who I am surprised passed their driving test was bad enough but then we pulled over at a road rest room.
I saw a guy outsdie the door and thought nothing of it but though to get the dog out fo the car and walk over with my boys .
I told my wife and daughter to wait there until we come back.
We approached the rest room and two more guys came out, thought nothing of it until we got closer and just got one of those bad feelings for some reason.
I said tot he boys lets wait here and have the dog do a piss.
We waited for about 5 minutes with one of my boys really holding it.
During that 5 minutes we saw trucks and cars pull up and a couple of guys just walk right up to other guys at he door , say something and then walk into the rest room.
Right there I got back into the car where my wife said “I think all these men are homosexuals looking to get off before they start their work day.
We called the cops as we left and was told that the rest room there was a frequent spot for homosexuals to meet.
I asked why can;t they be removed as people have kids and want to use those bathrooms but was told that they have tried and do not have enough cops to keep there all the time to monitor the place.
I am so happy I live down here, all our rest stops have a state cop and someone always on duty cleaning them but to me it showed how sick these men were.
These men were meeting maybe strangers or just casual sex partners, have anal feces sex and then go to work right after .
Just so sick and then I heard down in FT Lauderdale the Mayor had to close the public bathrooms down there because of the same crap we saw and then we heard about that Gov from NJ who was going to truck stops
Just what the hell is wrong with these people, it;s plain sick
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