As a progressive Christian, I believe there are many names for God and many ways to a loving God; this article reflects one of those ways. Take from here what works for you. Celebrate life with joy and peace!
In June 1970, Howard Williams and a group of 12 people who had been meeting in his living room, held the first worship service at Chapel of the Chimes. (A small wedding chapel near Golden Hill.) By the end of 1971, the church grew to 100 and then six months later doubled with the membership going over 200 people! Do you think there was a need for a church that preached and lived the all-inclusive love of God to all of God’s children? Yes!
In 1975, Metropolitan Community Church purchased their first church property on Fern Street under the leadership of our pastor emeritus, Rev. David Farrell. In fact, it was the first property purchased and owned by an LGBT organization in San Diego! As membership grew to over 400, the church moved to a new property on 30th Street with an increase in their annual budget of 4,500 percent! Now, that’s a lot of faith! Thank God, for the generosity of this congregation that continues to this very day!
Then tragedy struck. Between 1983 and 1989 AIDS took the lives of over a third of the membership of this church. One out of every three people devastatingly gone. Talk about a tail-spin, energy sapping grief, tremendous loss. What do you do? Where do you turn? You turn to God!
In January 1986, Rev. David Farrell organized a prayer vigil. What a perfect response to tragedy and loss: prayer.
It was a 48 hour prayer vigil. The saints were called to pray, and pray they did, around the clock. This sparked such faith and hope, and it spread quickly. Others started praying; the World Council of Churches caught on to this response of prayer to this epidemic. And this prayer vigil, which started here at Metropolitan Community Church of San Diego evolved into what is now known as World AIDS Day. That is the power of faith in action through prayer!
This church was influential in launching many key organizations that grew into what is now a thriving LGBT community in San Diego; even The LGBT Community Center got its start in a tiny room with a crisis phone hotline in a room of our MCC San Diego church. Oh, we’ve come a long way, baby!
In scripture, we see Jesus on a journey. Along that journey he meets Matthew, a tax collector, and says, “Follow me.”
Now, Matthew had a pretty lucrative career. He was appointed by the occupying Romans and asked to collect taxes from the citizens as well as from the merchants passing through town. Tax collectors were expected to take a commission on the taxes they collected, but most of them way over-charged and kept the profits for themselves; needless to say, they weren’t too popular!
When Jesus called Matthew to be one of his disciples, Matthew got up and followed, leaving behind his lucrative career. When God calls you and me to follow or asks us to do something do we do it with as much abandon as Matthew?
Following the Great Commandment of Loving God with all of our heart and mind and soul and loving our neighbor as ourselves
Hearing the call to not judge others and respond always in love
Following the “Golden Rule”
We are part of a greater denomination of Metropolitan Community Churches founded by Rev. Troy Perry in 1968. Just last year, Rev. Troy received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast here in San Diego. MCC has, and continues, to make a profound impact on the religious landscape worldwide. Is our work done with so many other open and affirming churches around? No! Is there work of inclusion, community, spiritual transformation and justice that still needs to be done locally and around the world? Yes!
I like how Rev. Durrell Watkins from Sunshine Cathedral MCC in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. put it:
“In MCC we are intentional about doing anti-oppression work. We confront racism within ourselves and others. We confront sexism within ourselves and others. We work for peace. We celebrate human sexuality. We engage in respectful inter-religious/interfaith/ecumenical dialogue. We try to remember that God isn’t a man, or a woman, an American, a Christian, a Democrat, a Republican, or anything less than the Source of all life and the presence of all-inclusive, perfect love. It’s a lot of work and we aren’t always successful. So why do we do it? Because our world still needs healing!”
Metropolitan Community Church has been there for our community in times of need and in times of celebration; and we’ll continue to be there! We are here!
This is a day to celebrate where we’ve come from and to declare our mission of bringing people closer to God and one another. And to lift up our vision to be a vibrant, inclusive, progressive community of faith that transforms lives and transforms the world.
As an engaged church many will be inspired to passionately live out their life’s purpose. A symphony of talents will produce the transforming harmony of grace and love.
We will continue to meet people where they are on their spiritual journey. We will grow in diversity. And we will be a beacon for equality and a force for social change making a positive difference in our community and beyond.
