mcc

[pennyjane]

is there something wrong with mcc?  can't help but wonder why my post about it was taken down?  if there's a problem with it could somebody in the know let me in on it too?

[Sarah Louise]

There was no problem with your post, the system went down and Susan had to do a restore from midnight.

Repost it.

Sarah L.

[pennyjane]

ok...what i think i said <i've slept since then> was:  i was plesantly surprised when i visited an mcc last week.  i had expected a gay ambiance that i didn't find.  pastor jeff minor, Jesus mcc, indianapolis, seemed to me to be a pretty traditional, Jesus oriented preacher who used scripture for the basis of everything he talked about.

i just wanted to say this in case some others might share my previous misconception.  for those seeking an affirming church...i think you could do worse.  God bless us all with...

[Chaunte]

I'm sorry, but what is mcc?

Chaunte

[pennyjane]

sorry, metropolitan communtiy chruch.  it's an affirming chruch for lgbt's.

[Chaunte]

sorry, metropolitan communtiy chruch.  it's an affirming chruch for lgbt's.

Thank you.

[pennyjane]

you're welcome chaunte, are you by chance looking for an affirming church?

[Chaunte]

You know, PJ, I'm not sure.  Is MCC a denomination or a local community?

I'm not sure how long I am going to stay at my present parish.  Fr. Mark is a great homilist and wants me to stay.  However, I started there in male-mode.  I am wondering if it is better to leave the parish for a year or so before returning as me.  Besides, the choir director is not, in my opinion, using the best of hymnals.  

On the weekends I am not singing/playing at St. Mike's, I've been going down the road to St. John's.  I have only been me at St. John's, so there is no transition to worry about.  It's also not as conservative as St. Mike's.  Plus, Fr. Joe (the pastor) and I are going to try and start an LGBT support ministry together.  All roads may lead to Rome, but nothing leads to Wayne county where we live!

But being able to worship as an LGBT community is just as important as worshiping with the general community.  At $4+/gal for gas, driving 130 miles round trip to go to mass in both an accepting parish and with the LGBT community is simply outside my budget.

Long-winded answer to a short question.  But I think you've picked up on that about me.  

Chaunte

[pennyjane]

hi chaunte.  i'm not sure of just what mcc might be called.  i guess it could be a denomination.  the church is fairly widespread, you can find one in most larger communities and a few in smaller ones.  they established themselves as a response to lgbt people finding so much discrimination is the mainstream churches.

i can see that making that long drive each sunday can get pretty old pretty quick.  i think i would have to love that church quite alot to do that.  so i imagine they are pretty affirming for you to do it...i'm not sure you'd find much solice anywhere else given that.

your point about being in full transtion before the new church even meets you is one i found to be true as well.  the chruch i belong to now had never known me before transition and ts is really just a non-issue with them.  the chruch i belonged to when i transitioned kicked me out.  a couple of years later they invited me back so it may have been that if they hadn't felt so hurt and betrayed by my transition they may have been more affirming as well.

i also am very pleased to hear about the new affirming ministry you and the pastor are working on.  the more of this kind of thing...the better.  as christians it is our obligation to minister to everyone.  making our own churches more affirming is the best way to do that.  when i first called my new church to see if i might be welcome at services there was some question...there had to be something of an investigation and then a trial period.  today i'm sure there would be no question at all...in fact i'm often the person who would take the call.  that's one church...so, just a couple of million to go.

God bless you with...

[tekla]

I'm not sure that MCC has the unified theology and set dogma required to be a denomination in the traditional sense, I think a lot of that is left open to the church itself and the pastor.  So its more a loose affiliation than an actual faith system.

[kellibusey]

Thanks for this conversation about the MCC. A couple of years ago a friend and I got lost at a pride parade and ended up with the friendliest people who went by some weird name, Agape. They were just real nice.
Last year a straight friend finally got me to go to something called Agape Mcc. So since then I have steadily immersed myself further and further into the wonder of faith.
I am now a member and could recount how Agape in Los Angles sprang up in the civil rights movement and how that same sanctuary as recently as this year was the target of shooters.
Beyond that. The pastor who reached me is gay. Our beautiful staff pastors are lesbians. The interim pastor we have is a transgender man who's commitment to faith is absolute. Notice I did not limit the expanse of his faith to one religion or creed.
I guess I could say Agape is a motion, a movement of wonderful people who worship and have joy in each others great diversity.
Who knew!