Cathedral of Hope (Dallas) facts for kids

The Cathedral of Hope (CoH) is a special church in Dallas, Texas, in the United States. It is part of the United Church of Christ. This church is known for being very welcoming, especially to LGBTQ people. Many people say it is the largest "liberal Christian church" that focuses on including everyone, with over 4,000 members.

The Cathedral of Hope building in Dallas.

The main church building was finished in 1993. It has a tall, 78-foot Bell Wall called the John Thomas Memorial. This wall remembers people who were affected by a serious health crisis. A famous architect named Philip Johnson designed the Bell Wall. The church building shows the welcoming Christian faith it represents, even though it is in a more traditional area. An education building was added in 2002. It cost about $20 million to build. The main church can hold up to 1,200 people at one time.

Reverend Michael S. Piazza was the main pastor for almost 20 years, starting in the late 1980s. During his time, the church grew a lot, from 250 members to over 3,000. He also helped the community during a major health crisis.

The church also helps people online across the country. In 2007, the Cathedral of Hope joined the United Church of Christ. Before that, it was a main church for the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. In 2009, they started building the Interfaith Peace Chapel, also designed by Philip Johnson. This chapel was finished and opened on November 7, 2010. Reverend Dr. Neil Cazares-Thomas became the senior pastor in May 2015. He has helped the church start a food pantry that feeds over 300 people every week.

History of the Cathedral

Early Beginnings

On July 30, 1970, a group of 12 people met in a home in Dallas. They wanted to start a Metropolitan Community Church. In May 1971, Richard Vincent became the first pastor of MCC-Dallas. For the first year and a half, the group met in homes. They even used a coffee table as their altar.

Inside the Cathedral of Hope.

In 1972, MCC-Dallas moved into its first church building at 3834 Ross Avenue. This building used to be a small hospital. In 1974, James Harris became the church's second pastor. On October 4, 1976, MCC-Dallas bought another building at 2701 Regan, Dallas. This building used to be a Church of Christ.

In November 1977, Don Eastman was chosen as the church's third pastor. By this time, the church had almost 400 members. Michael Piazza became the senior pastor in November 1987. Many new members joined because of his sermons. The church grew to 600 members.

Growing and Changing

In late 1990, MCC-Dallas changed its name to the Cathedral of Hope MCC. This new name showed its goal to reach out to LGBT people everywhere with a message of hope. The church started a project to build a bigger church for its growing members. This new building was finished in 1992. That same year, their Christmas Eve service was shown on CNN. The church now had almost 1,000 members. In 1993, the church grew by a record 300 members.

In 1995, the Cathedral of Hope asked the famous architect Philip Johnson to design a new church campus. By 1998, the church had over 2,300 members. It served a fast-growing group of more than 3,000 people. In 1999, CoH-TV started showing live church services online.

In 2000, the Cathedral of Hope began its "Century of Compassion." It started giving over one million dollars each year to help the community. On July 30, 2000, the John Thomas Bell Wall was dedicated. This wall is a national memorial. The church held more than 1,500 funerals and memorial services for people affected by a health crisis.

On August 6, 2000, almost 100 people went to the first church service at the Cathedral of Hope in Oklahoma City. On July 28, 2002, a new 22,000 square foot building was opened. It had new classrooms for kids and teens. It also had more office space for the Hope Counseling Center and church staff. By the end of 2002, the church had almost 4,000 members both locally and nationally.

A view of the Cathedral of Hope campus.

In 2003, some members formed a group called the Cathedral of Hope Reform. After some discussions, the church's board decided to vote on leaving the MCC denomination. The vote passed with 88 percent support. This ended the investigation. Michael Piazza took a three-month break after the vote. Some members who wanted to stay with MCC started their own church called MCC of Greater Dallas.

On February 6, 2005, Jo Hudson became the senior pastor of the Cathedral of Hope. Michael Piazza became the dean of the cathedral. In 2005, the church celebrated 35 years of helping people. It started a fundraising effort to build the next part of Philip Johnson's design, an interfaith peace chapel. The church also started a new non-profit group called Hope for Peace & Justice.

In October 2006, the Cathedral of Hope became a member church of the North Texas Association of the United Church of Christ (UCC). It became the fourth largest church in that group. Construction on the Interfaith Peace Chapel began in 2009 and was finished in November 2010. In July 2010, the Cathedral of Hope's 4,000 members celebrated its 40th anniversary.

Jo Hudson left her role on May 19, 2013. Jim Mitulski became the temporary senior pastor on August 1. After a year-long search, Neil Cazares-Thomas became the new pastor on May 24, 2015. He had previously served in churches in England and Los Angeles. In July 2015, the Cathedral of Hope celebrated its 45th anniversary. In 2019, the Houston campus joined with another church to become St. Peter United Church of Christ.

Leaders of the Church

• 1971–1974: Richard Vincent
• 1974–1977: James Harris
• 1977–1987: Don Eastman
• 1987–2003: Michael S. Piazza
• 2005–2013: Jo Hudson
• 2013–2014: Jim Mitulski
• 2015–present: Neil Cazares-Thomas

The Cathedral of Hope at night.

Helping the Community

The main church in Dallas helps the community through its Dallas Hope Charities.

• iCare is a program where volunteers serve lunch to people in need every Monday. They also give out donated food, toiletries, and other items from the church's food pantry.
• BACH (Breakfast at Cathedral of Hope) is a weekly breakfast served to people in need every Saturday morning.
• Sometimes, during iCare and BACH meals, volunteers offer haircuts and medical checks.
• On the last Sunday of each month, volunteers gather for Pack the Pantry night. They collect and organize donated food for the church's food pantry.

Remembering Members

The Cathedral of Hope has a special place called a columbarium. This is where church members can choose to have their ashes placed after they pass away. Even if members do not use this service, their names are remembered on a wall in the columbarium area.

See also

• List of Christian denominations affirming LGBT