December, 1989 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE Page 13

Emmanuel MCC is growing

by Susan J. Tabell

Emmanuel Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) is celebrating a new beginning. In September, MCC installed a new pastor, the Rev. Kathi Jo WilliamsSmith, and since the end of October, the church has been conducting worship services and all church-related activities at its new West Side site, located at the corner of Denison and Lorain, in Cleveland.

The rental of the building is a milestone for MCC, which started in 1986 as Emmanuel Community Christian Church and became a part of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC) in 1987. UFMCC is a denomination

started in 1968 by the Rev. Elder Troy D. Perry in Perry's living room. UFMCC has grown to a worldwide ministry with over 250 churches in 14 countries.

MCC began meeting at the Unitarian Church in Rocky River, and until this past October, met at the Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center in Cleveland. Since acquiring its own building, MCC is able to provide a Sunday morning service, starting at 10:45 a.m. A Sunday evening service will begin in January, 1990.

A Fall Harvest Ball held last month was MCC's first social event since the relocation. Future events are planned in order to promote a sense of committment and stability to the gay community.

On a national level, the denomination has an 80 percent gay membership. Locally, the membership is 95 percent gay. Recently, in a Plain Dealer article, MCC was given the distinction of being a gay church. While the denomination is, in fact, mostly gay the church declares itself a ministry open to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and heterosexuals with no regard to race, nationality, age, economic status, or physical, emotional or mental impairments. A person does not have to be a member of Emmanuel or any church in order to partake in the worship service or communion. While MCC's membership is small-only 23 as of this writing-it has almost doubled since June 1989 when membership was 14.

Membership classes are offered the first Saturday of every odd numbered month and consist of a total of four classes held on alternate Saturdays. The next membership class starts in January 1990, and will be held at the church. Completion of the membership classes is required if a person is interested in becoming a member or a friend of the church. A friend of the church cannot vote on church decisions but presents himself or herself as being supportive of the church and its policies.

MCC's new pastor. the Rev. Kathi Jo Williams-Smith, is a lesbian who moved here from Springfield, Missouri, with her lover of four years, Smitty WilliamsSmith. They reside in Lakewood with the Reverend's 11-year-old daughter, Angela. This is the Reverend's first parish since receiving her license this past summer. She was a member of Springfield MCC for many years. She is a graduate of South West Missouri State and holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in psychology and a minor in religious studies. The Reverend has earned graduate hours in guidance and counseling in religious studies at S.W. Missouri State and is just six hours short of obtaining a Bachelor of Theology from UFMCC's denominational seminary, Samaritan College in Los Angeles.

The Reverend offers counseling to gays and lesbians who are finding it difficult to accept their identities. Her office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays, between the hours 4:00-8:00 p.m., and Wednesdays, between 4:00-7:30 p.m. Counseling sessions are available on individual, couple or family baises. PWAS also are welcome.

Bible study classes are held every Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. at the church. They are open to members and non-members who would like to learn more about homosexuality and the scriptures. Anyone not able to attend due to disabilities should contact the church at 216-651-0129. At-home or in-hospital visits can be scheduled for either Bible study, worship services, or counseling sessions.

MCC's transportation committee, run by volunteers, tries to provide transportation to those who are interested in attending a church function but have no means of transportation. MCC also has a fund-raising committee, budget committee, social committee, choir, monthly newsletter (Good News), and a food pantry operation called the Deacon's pantry. All committees are run by volunteers within the church. Other areas of involvement are education, maintenance of the church, and advertising. A Deaconite training, the training of a church officer to provide help to the Reverend, is also available to anyone interested.

MCC's ministry, recognizing the need within the gay community, performs the Rite of Holy Union. Although no state in the U.S. sees it as a legally binding contract, MCC declares the Rite as a "spiritual joining of two persons" before God. There are certain requirements two people must meet before the Rite will be performed. Some of the requirements are as follows: the couple must

The fundamental effect

Fundamentalist religions have a far reaching effect on a gay person's religious life, family and friends long after a person has severed relations with an organized faith.

Robert Downing, a former Jehovah's Witness and co-owner of the Chronicle, reported, "After I told my ex-wife about my

orientation, I was publicly kicked out of the church. My name was read from he church platform during services, describing me as 'being guilty of conduct unbefitting a Christian.' No one could speak to me or have anything to do with me. They call it 'disfellowship.' " Downing divorced his wife and has no contact with those friends he once had in Jehovah's Witness.

"I regret not having closer ties with my children, but the religion prevents it. My two children are married or in college. I see them frequently, but within a strained, structured atmosphere at their home, never in a social setting. Certain subjects are never broached and conversations are controlled by my children's religious guidelines. I can't discuss religion, my lifestyle or my lover."

Downing states that his decision not to affiliate with any organized religion is colored by the treatment he received at the hands of his former faith. "I feel that my act of coming out was so cleansing that any negative effect the religion could have was overshadowed. I could finally live a life that wasn't a lie. If I have a spiritual program now, it is a personal one."

When asked how he might counsel someone who discovers their gay sexual orientation while a Jehovah's Witness member, Downing said, "I would tell them to get out. Once you've left the control of that religion, you experience real freedom. They consider gays to be filthy, evil and deserving of everlasting death."

Carlie Steen, development director of SANE/FREEZE, and also a member of the Chronicle staff, was an active member of the United Methodist Church and a born-again Christian group. "I left the Methodist Church before I came out publicly. Both groups believe that there was only one answer for any question, and I feel there is more than one way to

EMMANUEL METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH

CLEVELAND. OHIO

have been in a exclusive relationship for at least one year; they must attend three counseling sessions and be free of any other legal union; and they must be of legal age. By offering the Rite of Holy Union, MCC affirms that gay and lesbian couples are committed to truly loving relationships and the union should have the blessing of God.

For the couples or individuals with children, MCC will provide a Children's Church. Held during worship service, the children will be "taught about Christianity at their level" by a qualified member of the church.

As part of the Great Lakes district, part of Emmanuels' business is done under the authority of the district which in turn is under the authority of the General Counsel. Most of MCC's business, however, is done in congregational, self-governing style. MCC's board of directors consist of five members with a sixth seat available. The board handles all administrative details of the church between congregational meetings. The monitor of the board is the Reverend and she is one of the five directors.

District conferences are held bi-annually to allow the fellowships district wide to share in informational-gathering sessions and to conduct the business of the district.

General Conference is held bi-annually and composed of clergy and lay delegates of each church in the ministry. In General Conference of 1983, UFMCC passed resolutions in support

perceive issue. As a result, I felt different from the people at church and in my born-again group. I thought it was important to respect differences among members in terms of their viewpoints on issues."

When asked how she currently relates to her friends and family on religious issues, Steen stated, "I attended my home church about twice a year. They are glad to see me, but I do not share my orientation with them. There has been a move in my church to recognize homosexuality as a bona fide relationship, but for years they have not succeeded." She does not count herself among the ranks of any organized religion today because of her dissatisfaction

"I would tell a gay person struggling against a fundamentalist background to find support for themselves wherever they can. She should discuss her gay orientation with family and friends who are both genuinely trustworthy and themselves somewhat dissatisfied with the religion. From that type of friends, a gay person would have a better chance of receiving support and an open minded view."

of a freeze on nuclear weapons and outlined a response to AIDS. It asked for pastoral care, education, and political activism, and stressed the need for social responsibility at local levels.

In 1981's General Conference, UFMCC passed guidelines for inclusive language in worship and life. This signifies UFMCC's commitment to ending sexism in the religious sect.

UFMCC in the past 21 years has come a long way. This month Emmanuel MCC will hold a dedication service to celebrate its new place of worship. As of this writing, the date has not been announced. Anyone interested in attending or finding out more about MCC should call or write MCC at 10034 Lorain Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44113 or call: 216-6510129. Please leave a message on the church's answering machine and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

A special Christmas concert is planned for the Sunday workship service on December 17, 1989. All are welcomed to come and share Christ's birth with MCC. ▼

Cleveland's Religious and Spirtual Lesbian and Gay Groups.

A Common Bond (Support for gay ex-Jehovah's Witnesses) 621-0228 Akron Metropolitan Community Church Cascade Community

Church

Chevrei Tikva

Dignity/Cleveland Emmanuel Fellowship Church

784-2663

773-5298

932-5551

531-4469

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376-8725

651-0129

Emmanuel MCC Family of God Community

Church

251-2918

Kehelatheh Metaphysics Study & Ritual Group

Lesbian-Gay Pagans of

. 321-1129

Youngstown and Warren 759-8794 Unitarian Society of

Cleveland

932-1898

Western Reserve Unitarian Universalists for Lesbian and Gay Concerns 871-4675