MCC split -˜an opportunity’
Metropolitan Community Churches in Australia are seeing growth among young people and interest in the ministry at a rate mainstream churches would envy.
Fourteen people have signed up to take part in the latest round of new intake for the MCC ministry to be held in Sydney next month.
MCC Good Shepherd pastor Robert Clark from Granville said it demonstrated the continuing relevance and need for MCC in a variety of worship styles.
It’s wonderful that there’s this much interest generated, especially that a lot of people interested are younger people. I believe there are also a couple of clergy people from other faith traditions who are interested as well, Rev Clark told Sydney Star Observer.
There are so many young people from the GLBTI community who have been hurt by mainstream churches in the past. Sometimes when they come back into the traditional setting those old pasts come back to the surface, they’re looking for something new and vibrant that they can relate to. They often look for that charismatic version.
Last week SSO revealed former MCC Sydney interim pastor Rev Karl Hand and several congregation members were leaving to start a new Pentecostal-based MCC in Paddington.
The new charismatic-style church was a positive development, Clark added, as there was plenty of room for growth in that field. This was also an opportunity for Rev Hand’s previous church, he said.
With all the challenges that have been facing MCC Sydney at this time, once they have established themselves with a new pastor there, that particular church will grow, and they have a wonderful young ministry group there that is reaching out, he said. The young people of today are the church of tomorrow.
This comes as a young local reverend-to-be is on the list of candidates for the position of new MCC Sydney pastor.
Gavin Ward, 28, has spent the past 18 months as a student pastor at Good Shepherd in Granville and will be ordained as a minister next month.
Clark had nothing but praise for the former Anglican boy who turned to MCC after wrestling with his sexual orientation and his faith.
I selfishly hope he’ll join MCC Sydney rather than leave for an overseas position, Clark said.
Ward told Sydney Star Observer it was no secret he was interested in being the pastor of MCC Sydney, but wanted what was the best for the church -” whether that be him or someone from abroad.
SSO understands one Australian and two international pastors are on the shortlist.
info: Gavin Ward’s ordination is at 3pm, 22 November at St Stephen’s, Macquarie St, Sydney.
i think that if we focus on the large picture, we miss the small picture. Why focus on all the crap in the world, when we have crap in our own lives that is just as important.
If we give our own community the time of day, maybe the grander problems of global crisis wouldn’t happen.
The thing is, if all you ever do is focus on the big problems, you’ll be despressed and miserable cause nothing ever changes. Let’s focus on our community, supporting our community, and celebrating our community.
I am so pleased to hear of these recent developments with the MCC community in Sydney. I’m an outsider from San Francisco, but I have attended worship services at MCC Sydney and remember less than a year ago the congregation was dealing with the disappointment of Reverend Pat’s announcement that she would not be coming to Sydney MCC. Still, the Sydney congregation has moved ahead and transformation continues to happen as a new spiritual community emerges. I encourage you to take a deep breath, relax and feel the air of change filling your lungs! How grateful I am that when I felt spiritually spent and vulnerable I was able to come to a gay house of worship where I felt embraced and loved. My prayers are with you during this time of growth and change. Trust that all is exactly as it is meant to be.
PS-can’t wait to experience the new evangelical service!
For God’s Sake!!! Enough all ready!!!
First we have an MCC smear campaign and now we have an MCC election campaign. Who is interested in your in house politics? I am beginning to see why there was a split. Too much politics, not enough church.
Haven’t you heard… we are in the midst of a global economic crisis. Now that’s news.
John, hopefully you’ll forgive us if SSO gives a little publicity to a local boy’s ordination achievement. He isn’t doing any grand-standing here, and didn’t approach us at all.
It’s interesting that this article didn’t get as much attention as the one last week.
All MCC’s are a great place – as is any church that welcomes the children of the Rainbow. I would like to see more of it.
I do have a question though – If Gavin has to be voted by the congregation, isn’t this article a bit of Grand-standing for him?
GO GAVIN!!!!! This sort of article is what we should be producing. Not opportunities to dig at our own community.
MCC Sydney is a great place, as is MCC Good shepherd and MCC New Coast.
All wonderful opportunities for us to meet people where their need is.
Whether you are in Western Sydney, Inner Sydney, On the central coast or Newcastle. There is a christian community for you, who door is open for all…