Rev. Caedmon Grace returned Sunday to the Metropolitan Community Church for the first time since his March 20 motorcycle accident in which he was seriously injured.
Grace, 38, said he was “absolutely thrilled” to return to MCC after having undergone six surgeries, numerous blood transfusions, and a stay at a rehab facility.
Grace was in a wheelchair with his left leg elevated as it was broken in three places. He thanked everyone for the get well cards and emails.
“You have moved me and touched my heart,” said Grace. “From the depths of my heart, I love you.”
Caedmon told the congregation that Senior Pastor Dan Koeshall showed up at the accident site on the Interstate 5 onramp to Sea World Drive even before the ambulance took him to a hospital.
He has returned to work remotely by using his computer to access files as his recovery continues. He has been minister of congregational life since July, 2016 and is the first transgender person on staff at MCC San Diego.
While he was absent, he was able to watch church services on Facebook. A link to the Facebook page is on the MCC San Diego Web site.
97 people tuned in to watch Sunday’s 11 a.m. service which also was a celebration of the 47th anniversary of MCC’s start in San Diego.
Koeshall was an assistant pastor at a church in Escondido when he was removed in 1997 because the pastor and others learned he was gay.
“I searched out a church. This church was that safety net for me,” said Koeshall. “The pastor at the time was Rev. Tony Freeman.”
Freeman is now an elder in the denomination and delivered the message Sunday. He said the anniversary noted “47 years of bringing people closer to God and one another.”
The young church in 1970 began meeting in the Sherman Heights area.
Saturday, June 17, a memorial service for longtime member Fred Hammond will be held at 10 a.m. at MCC. Hammond, 91, died May 3 in a hospital where he was being treated for pneumonia after heart surgery.
Hammond began attending MCC in 1972. He was a father, a grandfather and served in World War II.
“Fred certainly touched many lives and will be sorely missed,” said Lee Bowman, minister of communications.
