Just out., January 19, 2001, Page 15, Image 15

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mews
K eeping
the
------------------------------------------------
F aith
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he Metropolitan Community
Church of Portland, the largest les­
bian and gay church in the Pacific
Northwest, turns 25 this month.
Metropolitan Community Church of Portland turns 25 by Pat Youne
Preliminary plans are under way
for a celebration in May. Among those invited
will be the Rev. Elder Troy Perry, who founded
the first M CC in Los Angeles in 1968. Since
then, M CC has grown to more than 300 con­
gregations in 16 countries.
It took a few attempts for Portland’s M CC to
get off the ground. In 1972, about a dozen peo­
ple tried to establish a church as they wor­
shipped in a YMCA chapel.
When the Rev. Austin Amerine, an M CC
pastor from California, visited Oregon on a busi­
ness trip, he worshipped with them. Later, he
heard the group had
stopped meeting. Little
did he know he would be
returning to Portland a
few short years later.
Meanwhile, another
attempt was made to
establish an M CC in
Portland. This time,
about 15 people met at a
Methodist church. They
lover, he moved to the Rose City
“Because we come from the
sat in a circle while a for­
and has been going to Portland’s entire gamut of religion, some
mer Baptist minister
M CC ever since.
people say it is watered down
delivered
words
of
“What struck me the most theologically,” Harvey notes.
encouragement.
about M CC at
“Other people say that
They easily could
that time was
is OK because you can fit
have remained small and
the role of the
in where you feel comfort­
secluded. But instead,
layperson and
able and there are not a lot
they wanted to reach out £
the priesthood
of do’s and don’ts that you
into the community,
of all believ­
have to follow.”
embrace diversity and
ers,” Harvey
It has been a challenging
find a full-time pastor.
The Rev. Roy Cole
says. There is
process for MCC to get to
With those ideas, the
little a layper­
where it is today. “The inclu­
group laid the foundation for a permanent M CC
son cannot do, “and that
sive language was a struggle
in Portland. And so, in January 1976, Amerine
was unheard of.”
for us in the late ’70s and
moved to Portland and became the first pastor.
But that’s not the only
early ’80s,” remembers Dave
With his leadership, membership quickly rose characteristic of M CC, ac­
Dishman, who has been a
from that small group to about 175. What Port­ cording to Harvey. The
member since 1978.
land’s M CC needed next was a permanent home.
role of women is equal, the
The men and women
In September 1977, M CC purchased the language is inclusive, and
didn’t always understand
church on the comer of Northeast Broadway the decision-making proc­
each other, and discussions
became a bit heated at times.
and 24th Avenue. It has been at that location ess has more of a grassroots The Rev. Austin Amerine
ever since.
orientation.
Dick Burdon, who joined
The building has seen a few changes through
the years. In the late ’80s, a fire caused by a can­
C o n t a c t I n f o r m a t io n
dle destroyed the stained-glass window. The
interior has been remodeled, and the building is
ortland isn’t the only city in the region with Lane NE. Call 503^363-6618 or e-mail
salemsweetspirit@aol.com.
now wheelchair-accessible.
a Metropolitan Community Church:
Chuck Harvey and his wife attended their
• Vancouver: M CC of the Gentle Shepherd
• Eugene: Bread of Life M CC meets 4 p.m.
first service in January 1979. “It was so incredi­ meets 10 a.m. Sundays at 913 W. 13th St. Call Sundays at Condon Chapel, First Congrega­
ble, and I knew I was home,” he remembers. 360-695-1480 or e-mail mccgs@aol.com.
tional Church, 23rd and Harris. Call 541-
“So, we kept coming back every Sunday.”
345-5963 or e-mail MCCEugene@aol.com.
• Salem: Sweet Spirit M C C meets 11 a.m.
Harvey helped start an M CC in Salem later Sundays at American Legion Hall, 4774 Lilac
that year. After he got a divorce and met his
P
--------january 1 3 , 2 0 0 out] ^ 5
M CC in 1980, recalls how he learned about
using inclusive language.
"I remember that very distinctly, because the
first time I was asked to give the prayer, I did not
observe the language,” he says. “And after the
service, the women came to me and laid it out
pretty clearly that 1 had not followed the rules.”
The church always has been socially active.
In September 1987, it sponsored a 50-hour
AIDS vigil.
“A political statement was made by doing
this," Burdon recalls. “But it was also a much-
needed spiritual healing for the gay community.”
Dishman thinks mainstream denomina­
tions have followed a lot of M CC’s ideas for
their reconciling congregations. “We
started a lot of trends: open and
affirming gay-friendly
congregations, inclusive
language, gender balance
and such.”
According to M C C ’s
current pastor, the Rev. Roy
Cole, a recent trend he has
observed is that more families
and children are attending the
church.
Last year, M C C became a
member of Ecumenical Ministries.
Cole says he “wants to build a
strong relationship with Ecumenical
Ministries and continue to help our
kindred denominations in their move­
ment toward full inclusion for members of our
community.”
There is still a lot for M C C to do. Last
year, Esther’s Pantry became a program of
M CC. Cole has plans to expand Esther’s
Pantry into the communities of color that are
hardest hit with A ID S by “developing more
culturally relevant materials for African
Americans, Native Americans and Spanish
Americans.”
It seems M CC will be active in the commu­
nity for a long time.
“Back in the early days, there was a con­
cern that we would just be a way station and
we would eventually melt back into the
m ainstream ,” Dishman remembers. “But
there will always be somebody who objects to
gays and lesbians being active in the main­
stream church.” j n
M etropolitan C om m unity C hurch of
P o rtla n d meets 9 and 11 a.m. Sundays at
2400 NE Broadway. Call 503-281 -8868 or
e-mail mccpdx@aol.com.
P at YOUNG, a Portland-based free-lance
writer and gay and lesbian historian, is unting a
book about I992’s Ballot Measure 9.
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