Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church is more commonly known as The Metropolitan Community Church. It is an international fellowship of Christian Congregations which is regarded as being a liberal mainline denomination. The specific outreach of the church is to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and the transgender communities. The community church is on Official Observer status by The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, who has denied membership to them.
The church had its start because of a failed romance and a failed suicide. A minister who had the powers of insight told Troy Perry a prophecy that he would be the minister of a church and have a new mission from God. The first worship service of The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church was in the living room of Troy Perry in Huntington Park, California on October 6, 1968.
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church has continued to grow. They do not exclude anyone. Their message remains the same that God loves everyone, even the homosexuals. The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church can be found in twenty two countries around the world and claims to have touched hundreds of thousands of lives over the thirty six years of its existence.
Their membership believes it is founded in the interest of offering a church for anyone who confesses and believe. Their faith is based on the principles based on the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.
They are led by a Board of Elders, consisting of a Moderator, vice Moderator, and eight regional Elders. The Board of Elders is responsible for leading the Church on spiritual matters and missions; they are responsible in development of the Church and for Christian witness. The Board of Administration is made up of seven members that are appointed by the board of Elders. The Board of Administration is the legal corporate board of the denomination and handles the financial matters.
History
The founder of The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is Reverend Troy Perry who was defrocked as the clergyman by one of the Pentecostal denominations in 1960. The reason he was defrocked is because of his homosexuality.
After a failed romance, Troy Perry believed he had allowed his young man to take the place of God in his life. He believed there were no other choices open to him and attempted suicide using a razor blade in 1968. He was discovered and taken to the hospital. While he was at the Los Angeles County General Hospital crying uncontrollably, a black woman shoved a religious magazine into his hand and told him there were people who cared about him. She was a minister named Vera Hockset, who had the powers of insight and who delivered an unexpected prophecy to him. It was Vera Hockset who told Troy Perry that God had a ministry for him.
Troy Perry knew God wanted a church where God could move. It was to be an outreach into the gay community. The first worship service was scheduled for October 6, 1968. The first Sunday church service was in Troy Perry’s living room where he set up some chairs and used a coffee table for an altar. He had borrowed a robe and the hymnals from the Congregationalist minister he had worked with. Twelve people showed up.
Troy Perry had organized the church to serve the religious, spiritual and social needs of the homosexual community of Los Angeles with the expectation to reach homosexuals wherever they may be. It was not specifically established as a gay church, but rather a general Protestant Christian church which included everyone. His first sermon had the central theme of being humble, being a spiritual human first, and homosexual second. The church kept growing from then on.
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church grew and attracted people from all kinds of backgrounds. This church was not going to be Pentecostal but would be ecumenical and traditional. They advertised in The Advocate. The church had grown so fast and soon another place had to be found and an intensive ongoing Christian education program. Their first ministerial recruit was Reverend Richard Ploen who was a teacher at a Christian college and had been a missionary in the Sudan Africa. He also used signed language for the deaf and would sign the sermons. The Reverend Richard Ploen has a Master of divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and a Master of Christian Education from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education.
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church decided on an open communion and an open confession asking for absolution to be granted. The Lord’s Supper would be done by dipping the bread in wine. There were questions about the worship service. The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church was using books of worship from the Lutheran, Presbyterian, and the Episcopal churches. The Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church conducted experiments with the worship service and believe they provide a well-organized ritual that give room for improvisation and change if it was warranted. The worship service became the core of the church.
Belief
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church believes the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God and it shows God to every person through the law of the prophets. They believe Christianity is the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. They believe they are the religion that is set forth in Scripture.
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church believe in one Triune God who is omnipotent and of one substance. They believe God is in three persons. God who is the Parent and Creator; Jesus Christ who is the only begotten son of God and God in flesh and human and God in the Holy Spirit who is God as the Sustainer.
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church believe Jesus Christ is foretold about in the Old Testament and is presented in the New Testament. They believe Jesus Christ is proclaimed by the Christian Church in every age and in every land. They believe every person is justified by grace to God through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church believe the Holy Spirit is God and makes the love of God known to all people. They believe the Holy Spirit is God and is available to all who are willing to place their welfare in the keeping of God.
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church believe and base their theology in the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. They require all their clergy, leaders and all their members to recognize the two Creeds.
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church believe in a wide variety of worship styles but require the Eucharist to be offered at least once a week. They practice an open Communion for anyone who wishes to partake in the Communion service. They allow either a member of the clergy or a designated lay person to preside over the Communion.
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church believe they are both socially and spiritually standing up for the rights of the minorities to worship God.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Jan 2006.<https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2743,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2006, January) “Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2743,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2006) “Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (January), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2743, (accessed).
