Just how did the term "THOUGHTS FROM PAULA" come to be?
"'Thoughts From Paula' will be your spot in MCC's worship services. Just wait. It will happen." This prediction was made in 1972 by my friend Steve.
When moving to Los Angeles from San Francisco in the Spring of 1964, Steve, a Gay man, was the first person I met. Upon arrival, I stayed with my friend Aleisha in Huntington Park, a town located in the industrial east suburbs of Los Angeles. (In the early 1960's Aleisha, a post operative [male to female] transsexual, had worked as a performer at the world famous Finocchio's in San Francisco). Steve was a hairdresser at the beauty salon where Aleisha was Receptionist.
The very first worship service of Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) was held in 1968 with a group of 12 people in Huntington Park. By then I had moved to Hollywood, California. At the time I was a secretary at the William Morris [theatrical] Agency in Beverly Hills. Every Sunday I drove out to Bell Gardens (east of Los Angeles and a few miles north of Huntington Park) to worship at the Full Gospel Assembly of God. By then, Steve was living in central Los Angeles.
"You are going to a church where if they knew what you are, they'd crucify you!" exclaimed Steve. "It doesn't matter," I retorted. "GOD knows and understands."
Nonetheless every time Steve and I got together, he would encourage me to get involved with MCC which, by this time, was meeting at the Encore Theatre on Melrose Avenue in the Hollywood area. While I was in favor of MCC's ministry to the Gay community, Steve's advice fell on deaf ears. I was happy working on a job, and going to a church, where they did not know I was transgendered and only knew me as Paula, a woman. At that time I didn't feel that I could get the total acceptance I needed any other way.
By 1972, MCC had purchased and moved into an old opera house in downtown Los Angeles. Steve had purchased a home in the Eagle Rock area of Los Angeles. Steve never gave up on encouraging me to get involved with MCC. It was here that Steve not only predicted that I would get involved with MCC; he also stated that I would be given a weekly spot in their worship services, and that spot would be entitled "Thoughts From Paula." (Every Christmas, in lieu of traditional cards, I mailed out an inspirational letter under that heading).
Steve's prediction was eventually fulfilled, albeit not in the location and time frame specified. By 1976 I had moved back to my hometown, Portland, Oregon. In 1976, The Rev. A. Austin Amerine, a former Assemblies of God minister, started MCC in Portland. It was then that the Holy Spirit directed me to get involved with MCC. This was my "first step out of my closet." From May 1, 1963 (when I changed my identity from Larry to Paula) until September, 1976, I had stayed out of the Gay community altogether.
In addition to becoming church secretary at MCCP (Portland), I eventually became Editor of THE CHALICE, the "official organ" of the local church. Soon I started writing community news stories for THE NW FOUNTAIN, a Portland alternative lifestyles newspaper founded by Dave Porter. Eventually I became Religion Editor for the FOUNTAIN. During the 1980's Steve's prediction from 1972 started to find its fulfillment when I started writing a THOUGHTS FROM PAULA column for the CASCADE VOICE, another Gay-oriented publication. Neil Hutchins was the Editor.
THOUGHTS FROM PAULA is (and was) exactly what the title implies. Whatever I happened to be thinking about at the time of writing. Sometimes the content is spiritual -- other times it is not. (Sometimes my "human side" comes out.)
The column continued on with other Gay newspapers that came later. The EAGLE NEWSMAGAZINE of which "Raunchy Robert", a popular leather personage in Portland's Gay community, was Editor. Later, when the late Lady Elaine Peacock started publishing THE ALTERNATIVE CONNECTION, I was one of the first writers she approached. And then, later, the column continued on in another Gay publication, CITY WEEK. Christopher (can't recall his last name) was Editor.
Over a time frame of about 20 years the column was immensely popular. When writing for CITY WEEK, I did a series on various pets (dogs and cats) in my life. According to the Editor, people loved this series. These experiences of my life will be featured in my upcoming autobiography "THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING PAULA."
Moving ahead to 2006 - Daniel Spiro (Producer of the SISTER PAULA cable access television outreach and international podcast ministries) created a web site for my ministry. A year earlier I commenced sending out a weekly THOUGHTS FROM PAULA email column to friends and folk who responded to the media outreach.
An inspirational book is now being written, entitled:
THOUGHTS FROM PAULA
A Born Again Trans Christian
This book will be the final fulfillment of Steve's prediction, made 34 years ago. Each chapter will be from THOUGHTS FROM PAULA columns from the various Gay publications, and the sisterpaula.org website.
copyright SISTER PAULA NIELSEN, PO Box 2206, Portland, OR 97208
-- Sister Paula Nielsen
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
