MCC in Scotland
The Metropolitan Community Church grew up from within, and has a particular ministry to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and Queer community. Founded in 1968, we believe in the liberating love of God - a message for all people - God made you exactly as you are, for a very special purpose!
We ask the difficult questions, and don’t promise easy answers! We look for where God is (everywhere!) and ask why the church doesn’t fit in those places! And, most important of all, we remewmber that we, as a church, are called to be the body of Christ Jesus in our world. That means where there is hurt, isolation or fear (especially when it has been caused by the church!) it’s our duty to reach out with love, patience and humility. Sometimes we’ll get it wrong; the point is to just admit it and learn together!
Currently there are over 300 Metropolitan Community Churches in countries all over the world. Until recently there has only been one in Scotland. Things are changing! We currently have groups meeting regularly in both Glasgow and Inverness, and people from all over the country expressing interest in establishing a group where they are.
MCC in Scotland hopes to do 2 key things:
- Offer resources to people all across Scotland to connect in with the MCC. We will do this predominantly through virtual community, through regional and topical forums and discussions online. Folk will be able to chat online, and find out more about the church, receive advice and information, and link in with others who live close to them, or further afield. This will be followed up with visits, and bringing people together for retreat days and regional residentials. We will encourage people to set up their own small groups where they stay, for Bible studies and to learn more about MCC, Queer spirituality, and God's inclusive love. Some of these groups will grow into Churches. Others will be able to link in to larger church groups, for instance in the nearest city. There will also be the opportunity to download videos of sermons, mp3 music and other files including prayers and blessings, from MCC churches and groups across Scotland.
- Connect up MCC churches and groups across Scotland. Through this site, MCC Edinburgh, the new groups in Glasgow and Inverness, and smaller groups as they grow, will be able to keep up with what's happening with their siblings all over the country. We'll be able to share news and ideas, links to each other's webistes, and organise events together. This will also be a great place for keeping up to date with events in the rest of Britain, our region (Region 4 - Western Europe and Africa) and the rest of the world, including our Elder, Rev Elder Glenna Shepherd and the international denominational leadership.
The vision of MCC in Scotland is holistic. This also has 2 key focuses:
- Holistic attention to the health needs of people. We are whole people, created in the image of a whole God. To be healthy, we need to integrate our emotional/ mental, intellectual/ cognitive, physical, sexual, spiritual/ religious selves. That means looking after the health of each of these parts, and bringing them together. No one part can be fully seperated from the next. We won't have good sexual health, if we don't have good self esteem. We won't have good physical health, if we are stressed out. We won't have good mental health, if we don't believe that God loves us. It's that simple! As a growing community, we must learn to look after each other and all our parts!
- Holistic ministry. Ministry means many things to many people, from preaching, to pastoral care, to prayer, to song. It can be provided by ordained ministers, or by good friends. Sometimes we are even ministered to by the kindness of strangers. One person can't do all these things. That's why we need teams! We all have different gifts, and we can all learn from each other. To foster community across Scotland, we'll need all sorts of teams - small groups, people who help bring small groups together, people who know the best contacts in their areas, people who are good at making others feel welcome, people who have large or small amounts of time to offer. And, down the line, there will be jobs we haven't even imagined yet!
