I am honored to welcome you to our web site as the Pastor
of the Metropolitan Community Church – New Haven (hereinafter “MCC-NH”). As a newcomer to Connecticut (from
North Carolina), and to this community of faith, I can assure you that the
people who comprise this congregation are among the warmest and most welcoming
you will find anywhere. They
called me to be their Pastor in November of 2007, and I relocated to New Haven
in January, 2008. Perhaps because
they had been without a Pastor for a while before I came, I have found them to
be hungry for spiritual nourishment and open to the Word of Truth that God is
so faithful to inspire every time we gather in God’s name for worship.
Whether you have formerly attended MCC-NH, or have never
visited us, I extend a heartfelt welcome for you to come home. We understand that, for many, a church
like ours is their “church of last resort.” Having been rejected or marginalized in other churches, many
come to an MCC to give church “one more chance” to be what church should be for
everyone:
1. A safe
place to come to God just as you are;
2. A place
where you don’t feel “tolerated,” but rather, you are warmly embraced and
valued as a beloved child of God and our sibling in Christ;
3. A place
where race, gender, and sexual orientation are never liabilities, but assets
that contribute positively to the blessings of diversity in community;
4. A place
where you can “come boldly to the throne of grace” – as boldly as anyone else
in the world – “to obtain mercy and find grace in the time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
We, at MCC-NH, are committed to being that place for you
and more.
But that’s not all.
At MCC-NH, we don’t just go to church. We believe we are called to be the Church – a part of the Body of
Christ Universal. We seek to
learn, together, exactly what that means for us, and to grow, together, into
our call. We are excitedly
committed to reviving old ministries and establishing new ones; so that, in
addition to being Church for and with each other, we will be what the Church
should be to the least, the last, and the lost who have not yet found their way
to us. We are social
justice-minded people, who welcome others to help us make a difference in our
community and in the world. That
may sound ambitious, but we’re certain it is what we’re called to do; empowered
by the One who is “able to do exceeding, abundantly, above all we ask or
think.” (Ephesians 3:20)
It’s a very exciting time at MCC-NH! It’s a time of revival and of new
beginnings. We live in a spiritual
posture of expectancy that God is ready to do great things in us, for us, and
through us. Could it be that God
led you to this web site, and is leading you to this church, for such a time as
this? If so, please come
home. We’re waiting to welcome YOU.
Peace
and Blessings,
Rev.
Marilyn