A Ministry in the Boston Area Offering Hope for
Change to Those Who Struggle with Same-Sex
Attraction.
One of the first people I encountered last year (2004) when I was at Congress was a woman named Liz. She had a female friend involved in a lesbian relationship, and asked for suggestions on what to do/how to help her friend. (Last year and this year, if someone asked for help with a situation, I wrote down the person's name, as well as the name of their friend of loved one, so I would remember to pray for them). Well, when I arrived at Congress this year, Liz and her husband had a booth diagonally across from mine. She came right up to me to give me an update on her friend. It turns out her friend left her lover and the lifestyle just a few months after we talked last year, and has been following Christ since then! What an encouragement to hear that at the start of the conference.
In general, very few strugglers come up to the booth. Last year, only one new person came to Alive in Christ as a result of us being at Congress. So I think of it as an educational opportunity as much as anything else. We had some stuff to hand out: our brochure and recent newsletter, a brief FAQ handout, as well as the flyer for the upcoming Recreation Ministries (an Exodus affiliate) conference where I'll be giving my testimony. It's very interesting for me to "people watch"; you can sometimes tell someone wants to stop by and talk, but they won't because they're with a family member or a friend.
One of the main things people wanted to know is how to talk to their kids about their gay friends and what they're learning in school, and if I do speaking engagements, which was very exciting because I really enjoy speaking. I had 2 men come up to me who went through Alive in Christ at one point, both who are now happily married. One of them gave his testimony last year (I think) for InterVarsity at Baldwin-Wallace College (it's in the Cleveland area), and 750 college students showed up to hear! That was so encouraging to me as I lived in Cleveland for 2.5 years while I was in the lifestyle, and I even did a show at Baldwin-Wallace. I had one pastor come up who has a transgendered person in his congregation. He e-mailed me, and I sent him some resources and people to talk to (we had discussed this back in November on the list, and I saved the info "just in case"). I also spoke with the owner/director of SoulFest, a huge summer Christian music festival in NH, and he spoke very highly of Exodus and specifically ReCreation Ministries, who spoke and had a booth at SoulFest last year and in years past. Harvest USA was at Congress as well, so we kept sending people to each other's booths.
Overall, I left very encouraged and excited about what God is doing through Exodus. Almost every person I spoke with had heard of Exodus and knew what Exodus does. Many people just stopped by to tell me they appreciated me/Alive in Christ/Exodus, that we're very brave, and how crucial the work that we're doing is. I hope that encourages you all.
Love & Prayers,
Brenna Kate Simonds
Director, Alive in Christ