Least We Not Forget Where We Came From
I have been hearing some rumbling throughout the church world about a few members in churches who no longer wish to be a part of MCC. When I hear this, my MCC history and the history of the church come to mind. I ask myself where we would all be today if it were not for the efforts of Metropolitan Community Church; Not only as a denomination, but as suppressed people in America. I ask myself where oppressed people would be if it were not for the efforts of Martin Luther King, Troy Perry, Nancy Wilson, and Frieda Smith, just to name a few. They did not achieve the goals we have met without the devotion and dedication of many friends and members of the church.
In my beginnings with MCC I lived in Denver, Colorado. I remember the church services we had there, which amounted to evening services in a basement with drippy pipes. One may ask why we had to have services at such a time, not to mention such an environment. The answer is quite simple really; we were not welcome anywhere else and in those days grateful for the space provided to us. However it was clear our work was cut out for us.
Some have stated that social injustice has no place in MCC or any congregation. I could not disagree more, and cannot think of a more appropriate place to address and overturn social injustice. It starts with you! I remember when we all stood with pride, hand in hand, singing United We Stand – Divided We Fall. Each of us makes up the components of MCC church. As gay, lesbian, transgenderal, and bisexual people, the uninsured rights each of us shares today are rights many of us did not have as teens or as young adults. Many of us can remember when it was illegal not to have a certain amount of clothing society perceived as gender appropriate. Many of us remembers a time in our lives there had to be a door person to turn off the music so people would quit dancing when the police came into the dark and dingy bar, which in those days was our only option to be around people who shared our lifestyle. Many of us remember sitting in horror when it was announced at church New Orleans MCC was burned to the ground with their entire congregation trapped inside, only to find out the police held no interest in finding the person(s) who were accountable for taking over 30 lives. None of these rights are guaranteed and we are in a climate in this country whereas our community is losing ground, not to mention there are those within society who would love nothing more than to see division and less unity.
Talk has brewed amongst a few stating 14% is too much to pay UFMCC. Once again I could not disagree more. Mainstream denominations who don't have to deal with issues such as social injustice may be able to thrive on 10%; however if we are to continue to make a difference with the prejudices we face as a community 4% to continue to fight for our safety and freedoms is certainly not too high of a price to pay.
Least we not forget where we came from and our beginnings. Have we come to a point in history whereas we do not care about our brothers and sisters, both as a denomination, as well as the only unprotected minority group? Where is our loyalty to those who gave up so much and asked for so little so we would have what we have today, which still needs improvement? Additionally I would suggest if one were to look at the history of protagonists within the church, after they have come in and used their vote to disrupt harmony, many disappear.
Each of us must look into our hearts and pray. One thing I have learned over the years is my actions and reactions have an effect on the lives of others. Sometimes those effects are not seen immediately. Today I choose to remain loyal to UFMCC and the denomination I have known most of my life and have grown to appreciate and love. For those of you who do not wish to belong to MCC, coming in and voting MCC out is nothing short of theft from all those who worked so hard. I choose to stand up and do my best to insure my brothers and sisters will always have MCC within the community I live. I challenge each of you to look into your hearts and do likewise. This is not about each person individually, rather a collective effort of all people who have the responsibility to continue being the keeper of their brothers and sisters.
Together We Can Make A Difference!
Lorretta Woodbury