Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C.
| Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C. | |
|---|---|
| MCCDC | |
 MCCDC in 2011 | |
 | |
| Location | 474 Ridge Street NW Washington, D.C. |
| Denomination | Metropolitan Community Church |
| Website | mccdc |
| History | |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Founder(s) | Joseph Eugene Paul Breton |
| Dedicated | December 17, 1992 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Suzane Reatig |
| Style | Modern |
| Clergy | |
| Pastor(s) | Dwayne Johnson |
History
Early years
In January 1970 a group of LGBT people in Washington, D.C. formed the Homophile Social League (HSL), a club that held social events and educational seminars for the local community while also advocating for LGBT rights. HSL president Paul Breton, a former seminarian in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut who was active in the Gay Liberation Front and a founding member of the Gay Activist Alliance, served as league president. Later that year as part of their attempt to have local churches welcome the local LGBT population, league members planned an ecumenical service at All Souls Unitarian Church. It was the first step in starting a local congregation of the Metropolitan Community Church, a Protestant Christian denomination catering to LGBT people that was founded in 1968 by Troy Perry. Breton was introduced to Perry by a mutual friend, local LGBT rights activist and co-founder of the local Mattachine Society Frank Kameny, and sought advice on forming a local church chapter.[1][2]
In response to why league members wanted to hold a service, Breton stated: "What I hope will happen is that churches throughout the city will invite us to attend regular services, and that eventually churches will be able to accept homosexuals on a fully active basis. However, the experience of homosexuals in other cities leads us to believe we cannot be accepted. Because of recalcitrance of church members toward homosexuals, segregated homosexual churches have been set up."[1][2]
Around 60 men and 5 women attended the service held on September 27, in what was billed as "Washington's first worship service for homosexuals." The attendees prayed, sang hymns from a Unitarian Universalist book, partook in communion, and listened to speakers, two of whom were a Roman Catholic priest and a former Methodist minister. In the opening prayer Martha A. Taylor of Arlington, Virginia, said "Each of us has come here for his own reasons" and "You, oh God, know, we are no better and no worse than [others] because of our sexual orientation...It is the qualities exemplified through day-to-day living that determine the worth of each man."[3]
The congregation, which was originally named the Community Church of Washington, D.C. (CCDC), continued meeting at All Souls, but when a larger space was needed for a February 1971 event attended by Perry that included a wedding ceremony for two members, the congregation planned the event to be held at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church. When William Creighton, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, learned of the ceremony, he told CCDC that it could not meet at the Episcopal church.[4] The congregation instead held their service outside of St. Stephen. During his speech Perry said "Even though [Bishop Creighton] has locked us out of this church, God hasn't locked us out of His heart."[5]
In March 1971 Breton was ordained at All Souls by a Roman Catholic priest and three Methodist ministers. Breton called his ordination "a public ratification of a commitment in grace and conscience already made."[6] CCDC was chartered on May 11, 1971, as the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C. (MCCDC), by the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. The congregation moved to Breton's Capitol Hill house at 705 7th Street SE, but there was limited space to meet. This did not stop the congregation from worshiping though and Breton's house was also where additional wedding and commitment ceremonies took place.[1][7]
In late 1972 the congregation needed more space and began meeting at an abandoned church in Capitol Hill.[8] Breton continued serving as pastor until his resignation in 1973 to start additional MCC congregations in Baltimore, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.[1] A few months after resigning, Breton played a large role in assisting Perry and other MCC pastors with helping survivors of the UpStairs Lounge arson attack in New Orleans.[9]
Church growth
The congregation continued to grow in the 1970s and following Breton's resignation was led by John Barbone, a former Roman Catholic priest and vice principal of Mackin High School (later merged into Archbishop Carroll High School). To accommodate its growth, in 1973 MCCDC began holding services at First Congregational United Church of Christ's (FCUCC) chapel and later its sanctuary, though it was temporarily evicted from the facility after a vote by conservative FCUCC members.[10] The dispute was settled in 1975 and MCCDC signed a lease to continue meeting at FCUCC. That same year MCCDC joined the Council of Churches of Greater Washington, local chapter of the National Council of Churches, and Barbone resigned to start a MCC congregation in San Francisco.[11] MCCDC continued holding services at FCUCC until 1984. During this time the church was led by two other pastors, Jack Isbell followed by Larry J. Uhrig, the latter a former Methodist minister would lead MCCDC for 16 years.[1][12]
When the AIDS epidemic began in the early 1980s and large numbers of gay men began dying, MCDCC was one of the first local organizations that spoke out about the new disease and the dangers it brought to the gay community. On December 9, 1982, MCCDC hosted the area's first community AIDS forum, attended by around 200 people. At the event Uhrig spoke about not only the physical effects of the disease but also the psychological effects: "I'm concerned that deep levels of internalized self-oppression have allowed us to accept social judgment against us."[1][13]
Sanctuary
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Berger, Louis (September 2019). "Historic Context Statement for Washington's LGBTQ Resources" (PDF). District of Columbia Office of Planning. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ a b Medsger, Betty (September 14, 1970). "Homosexuals Seek Church: Ecumenical Service Planned Here Homosexual Group Seeks Church Here". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Church Greets Homosexuals". The Washington Post. September 28, 1970.
- ^ Boldt, David R. (February 13, 1971). "Bishop's Order Disrupts Homosexual Church Plan". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Homosexual-Oriented Worship Service Is Held". The Washington Post. February 15, 1971.
- ^ "Leader of Community Church in D.C. To Be Ordained at All Souls' Service". The Washington Post. March 13, 1971.
- ^ MacKaye, William R. (July 9, 1972). "2 Homosexuals 'Wed' in 'Holy Union'". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Rev. Paul Breton". LGBTQ Religious Archives Network. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ Delery-Edwards, Clayton (2014). The Up Stairs Lounge Arson: Thirty-Two Deaths in a New Orleans Gay Bar. McFarland. pp. 74–82. ISBN 9780786479535.
- ^ Hyer, Marjorie (May 27, 1974). "Church Ponders Homosexuals' Ouster". The Washington Post.
- ^ Johnson, Janis (May 20, 1975). "Catholic Homosexuals Pressing for Rethinking of Taboo". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Larry Uhrig, Pastor to Gay Community". The Washington Post. December 28, 1993. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ Dolinksy, Rebecca C. (2010). Lesbian and gay DC: Identity, emotion, and experience in Washington, DC's social and activist communities (1961–1986). University of California, Santa Cruz.
External links
[[Category:1970 establishments in Washington, D.C.]] [[Category:Christian organizations established in 1970]] [[Category:Churches completed in 1992]] [[Category:Churches in Washington, D.C.]] [[Category:LGBT culture in Washington, D.C.]] [[Category:Metropolitan Community Churches|Washington]] [[Category:Modernist architecture in Washington, D.C.]]