Metropolitan Community Church of Edinburgh facts for kids
The Metropolitan Community Church of Edinburgh was a Christian church in Edinburgh, Scotland. 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 existed from 1995 to 2009. After 2009, it joined with the Augustine United Church.
How the Church Started
On June 17, 1995, the first Pride Scotland March and Festival happened in Edinburgh. This was a big event celebrating the LGBT community. Reverend Jim McManus from the MCC church in Newcastle and Reverend Roy Beaney, a leader for MCC in Europe, came to Edinburgh. They set up a booth at the festival. After the festival, they held a small church service at the LGBT Centre on Broughton Street.
Reverend McManus wanted to start an MCC group in Edinburgh. An article about their efforts appeared in The Scotsman newspaper. Michelle Russell was also interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland. On July 15, 1995, about a dozen people met at the LGBT Centre. They decided to form a church group. Their first worship service took place there the very next day. On August 2, 1995, during a big MCC meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, a special team was created to help the Edinburgh church grow. Reverend McManus was chosen as their first Pastor.
Working for Fairness
The church worked hard on several important issues to make things fairer for everyone.
- Ending Section 28: They helped campaign to get rid of a law called Section 28. This law made it difficult for schools and local councils to talk about LGBT topics.
- Same-Sex Marriage: They supported the campaign for same-sex marriage. This meant they believed that all loving couples should have the right to get married, no matter their gender.
- Make Poverty History: They also joined the "Make Poverty History" campaign. This was a worldwide effort to end extreme poverty and hunger.
The church spoke to the Scottish Parliament about laws for civil partnerships in the United Kingdom. A civil partnership is a legal way for couples to commit to each other. The church also wanted to be able to hold religious ceremonies for civil partnerships, but this was not allowed at the time.
In 2001, at a large MCC meeting in Toronto, Reverend Troy Perry gave the MCC Edinburgh church a special "Founders Award." They received this award for all their important work on social justice issues.
