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ReflectionsontheFifteenthAnniversaryofMCC
byJeffreyPullingSamaritanExtendedStudies
Thisyear'sFellowshipSunday,Octo-ber9,isacelebrationoftheFifteenth
AnniversaryofthefoundingofMCC(October6,1968).AsIreflectonour
15
yearsoftryingtobuildachurchthatboth
proclaimsandlivesGod'sloveforall
people,IthinkoftheBiblicalthemeof
"blessedtobeablessing."Genesis
12:1-5
recordsthatAbrahamandSarah,the
ancestorsofIsrael,weresentoutbyGod
fromtheirsafe,comfortablehomeintoan
unknownfutureinanunknownlandwith
thepromisethatGodwouldblessthem
andthattheywould
be
ablessing.All
peoplesonearthwouldbeblessedthrough
them.
TheOldTestamentprophetZechariah
prophesiedthattheJudeans,whohadbeen
conqueredandsentintoexile,wouldbe
broughtbacktogetherasapeopleand
restoredtotheirhomeland.Therestored
andgatheredpeopleofIsraelwouldbea
blessing,eventhoughtheyhavebeen
anobjectofcursingandderision(Zechariah
8:7-13).IntheNewTestamenttheapostlePaul
beginshisSecondLettertotheCorinthians
withpraisetotheProviderofcompassion
andGodofallcomfort,"whocomfortsus
inallourtroubles,sothatwecancomfort
2JOURNEY,AUGUSTjSHPTEMBER1983
thoseinanytroublewiththecomfortwe
ourselveshavereceivedfromGod"(2
Corinthians
1:3-4
NIV).WeinMCChavebeenblessedbyGod
inorderthatwemightbeablessingofGod
tootherpeople.Wehavebeengivenmany
wonderful,excitingpeople,financialre-
sources,andadaring,demandingmission.
AllofthisistotransformusintoameansofGodblessingthisworldinwhichwelive.
Itisobvious,ofcourse,thatmostof
thepeopletowhomwearecalledtobea
blessingdonotseeMCCasablessing.We
standinthemiddlebetweenotherchurches,
whodenounceusforbeingGayjLesbian
orientedandGayjLesbian-affirming,and
GayliberationistsandLesbianfeminists,
whodenounceusforinvolvingourselvesin
thisoppressiveandbigotedreligious
institution,theChurch.Somehow,we
havetowitnesstobothsidesandkeepour
sanity.
Everythingunderthesunhasbeendone
inthenameofChristianity,butthoseofus
whohavebeeninfluencedandtouchedby
JesusofNazarethknowinourgutsthat
theessenceofwhatJesustaughtis
love,
notbigotry,intolerance,exclusivism,and
moralisms.JesusembodiedGod'slove
foreveryhumanbeing.MCCwascalled
intobeingnottoimitateotherchurches
buttobeadifferentkindofchurch.We
werenotgatheredtogethertobejust
anotherChristianchurchonlywitha
lavendartinge.Ratherwearecalledtobe
apeoplewhowillbothproclaimandlive
God'sloveforallpeople.
MCCexiststobeablessingtoGayand
Lesbianpeople.
MostGayandLesbian
peoplebelieveinGod,ofcourse,butfew
haveanyunderstandingofGod,letalonearelationshipwithGod.Manyaresoturnedoffbyinstitutionalreligionthatthey
wouldneverconsiderthattheChurchhas
anythingforthem.Manyhaveneverheard
thattheessenceoftheCreatorandSus-
taineroftheuniverseis
not
cold,stern
demands,butratheropen,searchinglove.
Wehavearoundusmanysexualminority
peoplewhoaremiserable,lonely,empty
anddesperatelysearchingforsomething.
WeexisttoshowGodtothem,toembody
God'slovetothem.
MCCexiststobeablessingtoevery-
onealienatedfromtraditionalreligion.
Weseearoundusagreatsearchformeaning.
Peoplearegraspingforsomething,any-
thing,thatcanmaketheirlifemean
something.Andforthemostparttheydo
notfindwhattheyarelookingforina
church.Mostchurchesdonotofferpeople
anymeaning,purposeanddirectionin
theirlives.Eventhosechurchesthatdo
attempttodosoendupwithjudgmental,
moralisticandnarrowreligion.MCCexists
foreveryone,whethertheybehomosexual,
heterosexual,bisexualorasexual.Weexist
toshowallaGodwhocares,aGodwho
cangivemeaninganddirectiontolife,a
Godwhomeetsusandchallengesusinreal
liferightwhereweare.MCCisanoption
forallseekinganalternativetotraditional,
patriarchalandjudgmentalreligion.
MCCexiststobeablessingtotherest
oftheChristianChurch.
Nowyoumay
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