(for more information see www.MCCChurch.org
)
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MCC Region 3 gathering
"Affirming Our Spiritual/Theological Diversity or Spiritual journeys go in
different directions and that's OK. No reason to get bent out of shape if
yours is different than mine and mine is different than yours" (Phew!) -
September 12-13 - Harrisburg. Cost for the weekend is $25 and advance
registration s necessary by September 8. (Check the UFMCC website for
details.)
DVD's Available - Two new DVD's from UFMCC:
- 2005 General Conference Sermon Series
- Troy Perry: Pastor of Hope, and Prophet of
Inclusion.
Order forms on request.
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Subscriptions to "Around The Fellowship" are
free upon request. Encourage your church members and church leaders to subscribe
by writing to
info@MCCchurch.org.
==================================
World
Day of Prayer for Healing Homophobia.
I am inviting our MCC churches to set aside some time during worship services
that day to pray for an end to homophobia in our world. I am also
extending an invitation to other faith communities to join hands with
MCC on Sunday, May 29 to observe the "World Day of Prayer for Healing
Homophobia."
(From Rev.
Troy Perry's newsletter of March 17, 2005.)
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[The following is from an email sent by the Rev. Troy Perry, February 27,
2004]
Did you know:
In 1969, I performed the first same-sex church wedding at Metropolitan
Community Church of Los Angeles, then located in Huntington Park, California.
This was recently documented in Time Magazine's coverage of same-sex marriage..
In 1970, in the first-ever court case of its kind, MCC sued the State of
California seeking legal recognition for same-sex marriages. We lost that fight
-- but we launched three decades of debate and struggle for marriage equality.
In April of 1975, MCC performed the first-ever same-sex marriage
performed with a civil marriage license. The ceremony took place in Denver,
Colorado on April 21, 1975, and was performed by Rev. Elder Freda Smith and then
MCC clergyperson Robert Sirico, and the witnesses were Rev. Elder Charlie
Arehart and my longtime assistant, Frank Zerilli. I'll share this entire story
-- a missing bit of our LGBT history -- with you in another message soon.
In 1987, MCC participated in the first ever mass celebration of same-sex
marriage. It took place in front of the Internal Revenue Service Building in
Washington, DC as part of the second LGBT March on Washington. More than 1000
same-sex couples made their public wedding vows at that event.
In 2000, I was privileged to conduct what is still the world's largest
ever celebration of same-sex marriage. On that occasion, more than 3000 couples
made their public vows before the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC -- an event
that was covered by CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox News, The Washington Post, The New
York Times, the Associated Press and hundreds of media outlets around the world.
On June 10, 2003, based on a lawsuit brought by Metropolitan Community
Church of Toronto, a Canadian court struck down the heterosexual-only definition
of marriage, ordering that marriage licenses be issued to same-sex couples in
Canada.
In July of 2003, a longtime dream of mine was realized as my partner
Phillip and I were legally married under Canadian law at MCC Toronto.
This year, in 2004, I was so thankful and honored to be named one of the
"Voices of Freedom" by the Freedom to Marry Coalition in recognition of MCC's
work on behalf of marriage equality.
During February of 2004, MCC San Francisco, where Rev. Dr. G. Penny Nixon
is senior pastor, officiated at numerous legal same-sex weddings and conducted
California's historic, first-ever same-sex church wedding with a legally issued
civil marriage license. MCC clergypersons Rev. David Gant and Rev. Judy Maynard
did the same thing as civil marriage licenses were briefly issued in New Mexico,
and their ceremonies were carried around the world on CNN, The Los Angeles
Times, and numerous media outlets.
And on February 23, 2004, my partner Phillip and I filed our lawsuit
against the County of Los Angeles seeking California's recognition of our legal
Canadian marriage.
UFMCC 35th Anniversary - In 1968, a year before New York's Stonewall Riots, a series of most unlikely events in Southern California resulted in the birth of the world's first church group with a primary, positive ministry to gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender persons.
Marriage Equality Week - October 19, 2003 - Our denomination celebrated the right of all couples to be married. 22 right-wing and
religious fundamentalist groups announced plans to observe the week of
October 12-18 as "Marriage Protection Week". This coalition is
working hard to stop the movement toward same-sex marriage rights.
"The UFMCC is asking all of our congregations to stand up and respond
positively and proactively to these messages of intolerance, oppression and
hate. We must not be silent. We must make our voices heard!" (See
Links page for more information.)
Contributions - If you would like to make a special contribution in
celebration of the UFMCC's 35th anniversary please mail your donation to:
UFMCC
8704 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
