MCC flock gains new minister
At a ceremony attended by hundreds, Gavin Ward was recently ordained as a minister in the Metropolitan Community Church after an arduous road to reach his calling.
It’s very exciting for me. I’ve tried working in many other places and had many jobs, but nothing has ever excited me as much as the prospect of working in the church does, a still overwhelmed Ward told Sydney Star Observer the day after the ceremony.
It has been seven years since Ward was introduced to the MCC and reconciled his sexuality and faith before he recognised his calling.
I was trying to work out what it meant for me to be gay and Christian and where that left me, and I had no idea MCC existed, so when I did find it, it really was an answer to a prayer.
I’ve always been involved in some sort of leadership with the church but it wasn’t until MCC that I realised this was something I could actually do for a job, and I guess after I’d been at MCC for a couple of years I started seriously thinking about it, so with the encouragement of Reverend Johnathan Jones and Rev Greg Smith I started my theological study and got more involved with the church.
The reason I love MCC is because it accepts everyone where they are and I just love working with people and bringing them to a point where they realise a heart moment, where they realise that, yes, they can be gay and can be Christian and God does love them just as they are. Being able to be with people as they go through that process is incredibly special and I see it as a great privilege.
Although Ward completed his training at the MCC Good Shepherd in Granville, he hopes to minister at MCC Sydney in Petersham. He will learn more about his posting early next year.
Good luck Gavin, just try not to have an opinion of your own and you’ll fit right in with the (lack of) principles of MCC.
What a fantastic move forward in the MCC to have Gavin Ward ordained. Look at his face and know that he is as excited about this new position as anyone else.
May he be guided by his faith and his peers as he begins this new journey with MCC and his journey with God.
Ordination is a journey I am working on as soon as I can and it is exciting to know that there is a new vibrance within the MCC and the church in general.
We here at MCC Melbourne are keeping you in our prayers and supporting you in your faith journey.
Jason Turner
MCC Melbourne