All Saints Metropolitan Community Church, Christchurch

Issued: 29th February, 2001

In response to last Friday's Press item; "Council to mull gay church idea," our congregation believes that the wider community would benefit from further information about our Church and its involvement in the proposed Christchurch City Council purchase of the historic stone church in Sydenham.

The Metropolitan Community Church is a Christian denomination with a primary, affirming ministry to gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered and intersex persons, their friends and families. Founded in 1968, the MCC is today composed of more than 42,000 members in 300 congregations in 16 countries.

The church is also involved in a wide range of community welfare projects, including chaplaincy to the HIV/AIDS community and support services to foreign students in our city.

Currently we meet every Sunday evening at 7pm for fellowship and worship. Consequent to a significant increase in the congregation, we are now evaluating the possibilities of seeking a larger venue for our services. During our enquiries a City Council member requested expressions of interest for prospective uses of the historic stone church.

As it would be an ideal venue for our church services, we promptly responded. It is therefore somewhat disconcerting that "The Press" should chose to raise a potential controversy by interpreting this as the Council considering "giving us a church". We had anticipated that the historic church would become a community resource, which our congregation, along with other groups would use for their respective meetings.

We would like to invite interested members of the wider community to attend our evening services. We congregate in the St Francis's Hall, Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 168 Stanmore Road, Avonside, Christchurch where we worship and celebrate the joys and possibilities of life at 7pm on Sunday evenings.

Our Mission Statement

The Metropolitan Community Church is a Christian Church founded in, and reaching beyond, the Gay and Lesbian communities. We embody and proclaim Christian salvation and liberation, inclusivity, community, and Christian social action and justice. We serve among those seeking and celebrating the integration of their spirituality and sexuality.

Further information can be found at the church website: http://rainbow.net.nz/AllSaints/

Chris Bailey Internet Services Coördinator All Saints Metropolitan Community Church

© Scoop Media