Metropolitan Community Church of Edinburgh facts for kids
The Metropolitan Community Church of Edinburgh was a special Christian church in Edinburgh. It was also called Holy Trinity Metropolitan Community Church. This church was part of a bigger group called the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). The MCC started in 1968 to welcome and support people from the LGBT community. The Edinburgh church was active from 1995 to 2009. After that, it joined with another church called Augustine United Church.
Contents
How the Church Started
First Steps in Edinburgh
On June 17, 1995, the very first Pride Scotland event happened in Edinburgh. This was a march and a festival. Reverend Jim McManus from the MCC church in Newcastle came to Edinburgh. Reverend Roy Beaney, who helped lead the MCC in Europe, also came.
They set up a stall at the festival to tell people about the MCC. After the festival, they held a small church service. This service took place at the LGBT Centre on Broughton Street.
Forming a New Group
Reverend McManus wanted to start an MCC group in Edinburgh. He used the people he met at the festival to help. An article about their efforts appeared in The Scotsman newspaper. Michelle Russell was interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland.
On July 15, 1995, about a dozen people met at the LGBT Centre. They decided to form a new church group. The very next day, they held their first worship service there. A few weeks later, on August 2, 1995, a special group was formed to help the church grow. Reverend McManus was chosen to be their Pastor.
Growing the Church Community
Finding New Places to Meet
At first, the church met at the LGBT Centre. But in October 1995, they needed more space. The chaplain at the University of Edinburgh, Reverend Iain Whyte, invited them to use the university's Chaplaincy building. This was a bigger place for them to worship.
Becoming an Official Church
In November 1995, two people from the Edinburgh group went to a big MCC meeting in Europe. On November 17, 1995, the Edinburgh group officially adopted its own rules. They became known as Holy Trinity Metropolitan Community Church, Edinburgh. It was connected to the MCC church in Newcastle. Reverend McManus was officially elected as their pastor. The first people became official church members on February 16, 1996.
Moving and Growing More
In 1996, the church moved again. They started meeting at the Edinburgh Quaker Meeting House. They began holding services twice a month. In June 1996, the church took part in the second Pride Scotia event, which was held in Glasgow.
In April 1997, new leaders were chosen for the church. Reverend Doreen Shambrook from the MCC European District helped with this process. After a special weekend meeting in January 1998, the church decided to hold services every week. They started meeting weekly at Augustine United Church. In January 2010, the Metropolitan Community Church of Edinburgh officially joined with Augustine United Church.
Working for Fairness and Change
Important Campaigns
The church was very active in helping with important social issues. They worked to change laws and make things fairer for everyone.
One big campaign was to remove Section 28. This was a law that made it hard to talk about certain topics in schools. The church also supported the campaign for same-sex marriage, which meant allowing same-sex couples to get married. They also supported the "Make Poverty History" campaign, which aimed to reduce poverty around the world.
Speaking Up for Rights
When the Scottish Parliament was thinking about laws for civil partnerships in the United Kingdom, the church spoke up. They gave their ideas and sent a special request to the Parliament. They also tried to get the right to perform civil partnerships in a religious setting, but this was not successful at the time.
Receiving an Award
In 2001, at a big MCC meeting in Toronto, Reverend Troy Perry gave the MCC Edinburgh church a special award. It was called the Founders Award. They received it for all their hard work on social justice issues.
See also
- LGBT-welcoming church programs
