A Message from the Moderator
April 4, 2018
Fifty years ago today, the world changed. It wasn’t the first or only pivotal day in history, but it is one we must never forget.
On April 3, 1968, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., preached his last sermon in Memphis. A storm raged outside, both literally and in American society. The evil of racial injustice had plagued the United States for centuries, and Dr. King was on the forefront, the very front lines, making change. The next morning, an assassin’s bullet ended his life. It did not end his mission.
Only a few months later, a defrocked clergyman named Troy Perry put up fliers in his neighborhood outside Los Angeles, seeking LGBTQ folks – then just called “gay” or “queer” – interested in starting a church. A dozen people showed up. Fifty years later, Metropolitan Community Church has nearly 150 congregations in more than 30 countries and on every continent except Antarctica.
MCC is young, and so was Dr. King – only 39 when he was murdered. Rev. Troy Perry’s vision – and Dr. King’s – continue to move. We move people, we change attitudes, we advance equality, we embrace God.
Dr. King’s dream is a vital part of American history and societal fabric. Some believe that integrating schools and lunch counters means that no one is required to sit in the back of the bus. That’s not the case; fulfilling the dream of equality is about more than water fountains and the Civil Rights Act. It’s about how we approach each other regardless of race, how we regard one another regardless of economic disparities, and it’s about bringing privilege and inequality into the daylight, into our collective conscience, and about acting to resolve – and with resolve – to make things better.
I believe that if Dr. King had lived, if evil had not taken him from all of us, that he would have stood with MCC’s leaders in our earliest days, and that he would stand with us still. His leadership, his faithfulness and his charisma would be welcome.
Although recent major strides in LGBTQQI equality have been realized, we’re not done. Both Dr. King’s dream and MCC’s vision have a future, and a strong one. You are a part of it, and I thank you for that. MCC continues to hold the ground for social justice, for equal access to a spiritual home, and for improvements all over the world that send a message.
Dr. King’s dream lives, and MCC is proud to carry a portion of it. We will continue to advocate for freedom, equality and liberty in every corner of the world. We will never stop dreaming of a world where our commonalities are stronger than our differences. And we will never, ever forget the remarkable leadership and incredible sacrifice of Martin Luther King.
The night before he was murdered, a storm surrounded Dr. King. A storm surrounds all of us now – a storm of persecution, violence, discrimination and strife. Like Dr. King, like the Dream, we will persevere. The future is bright. Don’t give up. Never, ever give up. Dr. King wouldn’t, and we won’t, either.
Sincerely,
Rev. Elder Rachelle Brown,
Interim Moderator
