MCC gets new home out west
The MCC Good Shepherd congregation hopes its new hall in Granville will be a safe community centre for all gay men and lesbians in the western suburbs.
Rev. Robert Clark says the five-year agreement with Parramatta City Council is very generous in providing the former Girl Guide hall to the church, and wants people to know they’re there for the long-term.
The council has consulted a number of gay and lesbian groups in the area as part of a 25-year plan, which Clark hopes will dedicate space for a gay and lesbian centre.
We intend to fill that void at the moment by providing that service and working with other clubs, he says. If they want to come use the space they’re very welcome.
We’ll be running tai chi classes here, and Community Action Against Homophobia out west hopes to run an art show later in the year.
With many community support organisations focusing on the eastern suburbs, Clark believes the west needs greater focus.
I think a lot of people have the impression that the whole gay and lesbian community lives around Oxford Street and Newtown, but the majority of GLBT people live in the suburbs and sometimes the suburbs are out west, he says.
Clark says even though they’re starting small, these small inroads into the community will be really beneficial to the community at large.
The charity group, MCC Welfare Services, will also operate out of the hall, providing start-up kits for disadvantaged people without basic household items.
The former Girl Guide hall will undergo remediation works paid for by a congregation member, providing a new kitchen, signage, painting and floor polish.
Clark hopes that generous community members will see the opportunity that premises present to the area and further assist with landscaping and computer equipment for the charity work.
Stressing that the church has moved beyond being exclusively for the gay and lesbian community, Clark notes that the church has become like a big tent.
We have straight couples, we have single elderly women who come to the church because they feel comfortable.
A lot of people who come also feel that it’s a safe place for them to be who they are, whereas in their mainstream churches they’ve never felt that way.
The inaugural service on the new premises at 37 East St, Granville, will take place on 4 March at 6:30pm.
