"Bear" Culture

Reaching the S.F. Chronicle today, I learned a new term/cultural trend, that of "Bear" culture. Here's the first paragraph from Reyhan Harmanci's article:

If you stopped a San Franciscan on the street (especially Castro Street) and asked him or her to define "bear," the answers would probably have nothing to with the furry beasts found in the wild. Bearculture - the subset of gay men who eschew the gym in favor ofcultivating body hair and beer bellies, and favoring lumberjack plaidsand denim - has long been a staple of Bay Area life. The Lone Star barin SoMa, along with the Eagle Tavern, are ground zero for the husky men.

Okay, so, that's new information for me--I didn't know this cultural pocket existed. Upon reading this article this morning I found myself in prayer, praying that the churches here in the Bay Area would reach and love these men with the gospel. If you've ever been to San Francisco/the S.F. Peninsula/the larger Bay Area, you know that this is a unique place--a very different, difficult, and exciting place for being the church and doing ministry. I, and many other pastors here, covet your prayers as we seek to preach the gospel, lead the church, and reach and love those who haven't bowed their knee to Jesus.