The Golden State Gay Rodeo Association Greater San Diego Chapter (GSGRA-GSDC) is holding their second annual Valentine Bear Auction on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 8:30 p.m. at Hamburger Mary’s/Kickers, located at 308 University Ave. in Hillcrest.

Join the GSGRA-GSDC for an evening of bear baskets that will be auctioned off to benefit the 18th annual San Diego Rodeo, which takes place April 28-30 at the Lakeside Rodeo Grounds in Lakeside.

Organizations interested in participating and donating a themed bear basket can e-mail Tony Nicholson at tonynick2005@yahoo.com.

For more information on the 18th annual San Diego Rodeo and other events, call (619) 298-4708 or visit www.sandiegorodeo.com.

The Center will host a special workshop on intimacy for same-sex couples. “Too Close, Too Far: The Dance of Intimacy for Same-Gender Couples” will be presented by Dr. Heather Berberet on Monday, Feb. 27, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St. in Hillcrest.

Back by popular demand, this workshop will focus on one of the central issues of intimate relationships: the balance between having a life and having a love at the same time. Through the sharing of ideas and real-life examples, Berberet will illustrate the many ways the “dance of intimacy” can be played out in same-gender relationships. During this workshop, she will also share with participants the single most essential skill in maintaining a healthy relationship.

For more information on this free workshop, contact Dr. Erin Sicard at (619) 260-6380, ext. 106 or e-mail esicard@thecentersd.org; or call Caroline Higgins at (619) 260-6380, ext. 105 or e-mail chiggins@thecentersd.org.

Odyssey Hospice of San Diego is offering a monthly GLBT bereavement support group throughout 2006. The meetings, which begin Feb. 21, will take place on the third Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at David’s Coffeehouse. The group will be facilitated by the Rev. Reggie Avant, a spiritual care coordinator and chaplain with Odyssey Hospice.

Nationwide, Odyssey Hospice offers help to ease terminally ill patients’ pain and discomfort, and provides education and psychosocial, spiritual support to both the patient and their family. Bereavement support for families continues for 13 months after the loss of a loved one. Ongoing grief groups are part of the organization’s community support.

David’s Coffeehouse is located at 3766 Fifth Ave. in Hillcrest. For more information about the GLBT bereavement support group, call Reggie or Alexis at Odyssey Hospice, at (858) 565-2499.

The Center’s Senior Services and United Standard Funding have joined together for a special seminar on reverse mortgages. The seminar will take place at the 50 and Better Lunch at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St.

“This seminar was developed to inform homeowners who are ‘50 and better’ about the options available to them through reverse mortgages while they enjoy lunch at The Center,” said Claudia Lucero, coordinator of Senior Services at The Center. “This seminar is a government program, and it is for educational purposes only. Participants will have a chance to learn how reverse mortgages help to tap into the equity of their homes tax-free with no monthly payments as long as they still occupy their homes. Social security and medical benefits are not affected by the use of the reverse mortgage program.”

There is no fee to attend and the lunch is complimentary. For more information and to RSVP, contact Claudia Lucero at (619) 692-2077 ext. 206 or e-mail clucero@thecentersd.org.

The Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego’s spring concert series, entitled “Bang! Bang! The Music of Cher,” will return to the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre in La Jolla April 8- 9.

“Cher has given us four decades of chart-topping hits, and ‘Bang! Bang!’ will be our musical tributes to this amazing diva,” said Gary Holt, the chorus’ artistic director. “She has become a larger-than-life personality, and for many gay men it’s easy to relate to Jack McFarland’s girlish glee when he worships at Cher’s altar on ‘Will & Grace.’ Her music encompasses nearly every genre from teen-pop to folk rock, and her songs weave magical stories and fill us all with hope.”

The show will include the Cher hits “Believe,” “The Beat Goes On,” “If I Could Turn Back Time” and “Strong Enough,” and will also feature dancers.

Other upcoming concerts by the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego this season include a Pride concert in July and a French-themed show in August.

A longtime pastor of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC), the Rev. Elder John Gill will serve as interim pastor at MCC San Diego after pastor Tony Freeman steps down at the end of March.

The announcement was made at MCCSD’s church services on Sunday, Jan. 29, by Al Smithson, vice-moderator of the board of directors.

Gill was one of the first pastors in the MCC denomination, and was licensed in 1971 after receiving his masters of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1970. He was the founding pastor of the MCC in Atlanta, Ga., and went on to lead Metropolitan Community Churches in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Houston, Texas, and currently St. Petersburg, Fla., where he has served for 11 years.

Over the years, Rev. Gill has been involved with many groups and organizations benefiting the GLBT community.

Gill was appointed interim pastor by the regional elder with the unanimous support of MCCSD’s board of directors, Smithson said.

Under the agreement for his pastorate, Rev. Gill cannot be a candidate for permanent pastor. He will begin his term as MCCSD interim pastor on Palm Sunday, April 9. The Rev. Freeman’s last Sunday as senior pastor will be March 26.

MCC continues to hold their worship services every Sunday at The Center at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.

Families by Design and The Center present the workshop “Relationship: Fact and Fiction” on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 6:00 p.m. at The Center, located at 3909 Center St. in Hillcrest. The workshop will be presented by Families by Design founders Lon and Sandy Golnick.

Explore the source of disappointment and frustration in relationships, whether couple, family, work or community relationships. Reveal the paradigm in which we are mired and which renders our relationships unworkable. Unveil a new paradigm or model of relationship in which the disappointments and frustrations disappear.

RSVP by Tuesday, Feb. 14, to Tania at tania@sdfamilymatters.org. For more information, call (760) 603-8343 or visit www.familiesbydesign.com.

The Center’s Positive Action program has announced the formation of a new monthly speaker’s series for the HIV community, the Poz Seminar Series.

The series will begin on Monday, March 6, at 6:00 p.m. with a presentation by Dr. Daniel Lee of UCSD’s Owen Clinic. Lee will share the most recent information available on lipodystrophy.

The Poz Seminar Series is a collaborative effort between The Center’s Health Services, The Center’s Positive Action program and UCSD’s Anti-Viral Research Center (AVRC).

Future topics for the Poz Seminar Series will include sexual dependency, HIV and crystal meth, HIV transmission and more.

The seminars will take place at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St. in Hillcrest. It is not necessary to RSVP. There is no cost to attend and complimentary refreshments will be provided. To find out more about upcoming dates and topics, visit www.sdpozaction.org; contact Carolyn Hunt at (619) 692-2077 ext. 133, e-mail chunt@thecentersd.org; or Jack Degnan at (619) 543-8080, e-mail jdegnan@ucsd.edu.