Announcing
the Candidates for Elder in MCC
Reminders About the Virtual Forums
and Special General Conference
A Word from the Moderator
Candidates Names and Bios
VIRTUAL FORUMS
Two virtual forums of approximately 90 minutes will be held in which the candidates for Elder will be presented, have the opportunity to speak, and answer some of your questions. Video recordings of the Forums will be made available.
Monday, January 11th
6pm EST /11pm GMT /
Tuesday 10am AEDT
in English

Saturday, January 16th
1pm EST/ 6pm GMT /
Sunday 5am AEDT
in Spanish and English
This is the link for both Forums - http://mccchurch.adobeconnect.com/gcwebinar/
Dear MCC Clergy and Lay Delegates:

I am excited to announce that nine new Elders were appointed to serve until 31st December 2023.

As Moderator, I have vetted and appointed these individuals and the Governing Board has approved the appointments.

Elders are volunteers who, as a Council with the Moderator, offer spiritual and pastoral support and leadership to the churches, pastors, and people of MCC.

I received 22 applications from individuals in 5 different countries. In the application process, individuals were invited to share their theological background, some of their spiritual practices, their international experience, their current efforts to make MCC more racially equitable, diverse and inclusive, and their thoughts on the role of Elder. 

One person is not able to accept the appointment at this time, so eight appointees will be presented for affirmation to the Special General Conference. Their photos and biographical information are at the bottom of this page. 

MCC rightly expects its leadership to reflect our rich diversity and this was an important consideration in the selection process, as well as character, competence and experience. Among those appointed, there are pastors of different size churches, a lay person and a chaplain. There is representation from 4 different countries and five time zones. Within the group of appointees, there are those who identify as genderqueer, bisexual, non-binary, Latinx, Native American, African-American, who are differently abled, are HIV+, have children, are trans and cis gendered. There is a range of both age and years of service within MCC.

Please hold the Elder appointees, their families and ministries as we continue this journey of service together.
 
God bless
 
Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston
Moderator, Metropolitan Community Churches
Rev. Alejandro Escoto
Rev. Alejandro Escoto is Associate Pastor at Founders Metropolitan Community Church Los Angeles (FMCC) and serves as the Pastor of La Iglesia Fundadora de la Comunidad Metropolitana Los Angeles (ICMF). He is a charismatic and passionate individual who brings a cultural vibrancy to the spiritual experience for all-people. He believes that no one should feel shame or guilt for worshipping God in their own language. Consequently, he has consulted with Hispanic/Latinx leaders who are called to lead a Spanish speaking service at their MCC church or open an ICM church within their community. 

His passion and commitment on issues related to the Hispanic/Latinx Community have earned him various honors including the Rev. Dr. Jeanne Audrey Award from the Claremont School of Theology for his outstanding service and leadership in the LGBTQ+ communities as well as the AIDS Health Care Foundation Pedro Zamora Award, for being a positive role model and living life “out, proud, and loud” as an openly gay, HIV+ Christian Latinx person.

Velma Garcia
Velma Garcia, is a long time member of UpRising A Church Without Walls fka MCC Austin, Austin TX, USA. Velma currently lives in Manor, TX USA with her partner of 5 years, Darlene S. Hernandez and their little dog, Miss E. Together they raised two children, and have the great pleasure of being “Mamies” to their 6 grandchildren. 

Velma currently serves as the MCC Network Facilitator for the Texas-New Mexico Network. the South Gulf Coast Network, the Southern Hospitality (SoHo) Network, and the All Florida Network. Velma is a Laity Empowered for Active Discipleship (L.E.A.D.) graduate and serves as a faculty member for L.E.A.D.

Velma loves bike riding, canoeing, snorkeling, American college football, and has a passion for prayer and spreading the “Good News” of God’s all-inclusive love to and for all of God’s creation!
Rev. Goudy
Rev. Goudy has pastored Metropolitan Community Church of the Lehigh Valley (Bethlehem, PA, USA) since 1999. Goudy’s greatest honors include journeying with God’s people in worship, justice advocacy, Bible Study, centering prayer, fellowship and outreach. Goudy is a religion columnist for the Morning Call newspaper and is president of the Bethlehem Interfaith Group. Raised in a progressive Roman Catholic household, Goudy graduated from the College of St. Catherine with a B.A. in History & Theology. After receiving an M.Div. degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School, Goudy became captivated by the vision of Metropolitan Community Churches. Goudy prefers to be called by their last name and is currently transitioning to more fully embrace God’s non-binary calling on their life. Goudy is married to Carol Stevens, RN, FCN and they enjoy cooking, movies and being spiritual nerds.

Rev. Karl Hand
I am the founding pastor of Crave Church, an MCC congregation in Gadigal country (Sydney, Australia), and I was a part of the team who planted this church in 2008.  

My family arrived in these lands called Australia from my native England when I was a small child in 1982. I was raised in the Pentecostal tradition, where I still feel most at home. As a teenager, I discovered a passion for Revival Theology.  

I was further enriched by the diversity of traditions that MCC shares, especially Liberation theology, and ancient and medieval spiritual traditions of contemplative prayer. I also have a Master’s degree in philosophy, and a PhD in New Testament studies, and have published some theological research about the historical Jesus and the Gospel of Luke.

Rev. Miller Hoffman
White, queer, and genderqueer, Rev. Miller Jen Hoffman was ordained by Metropolitan Community Churches in New York City.  

Hoffman's thesis, “Every Woman Who Will Make Herself Male: Genderqueer Expression in the Early Church” was deposited in the Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary in 2004 and earned the Roswell Dwight Hitchcock Prize in Church History. 

He has worked for LGBT civil rights with Lambda Legal Defense; for anti-violence justice and meditative practice at the Brooklyn-based Center for Anti-Violence Education; as a counselor and advocate for domestic violence and rape survivors with organizations in New York and Pennsylvania; as a mentor to local queer and trans youth in NY and PA; and as the pastor of MCC congregations in Binghamton, NY, and Boyds, MD. 

Hoffman is currently supporting sexual assault centers state-wide at the Pennsylvania Coalition against Rape. Mind-body-spirit connections to social justice and the connectedness of physical, emotional, and spiritual violence deeply influence his thinking and ministry, and his writing explores the places where personal action meets and impacts social change.

Rev. Carolyn J. Mobley-Bowie
Rev Carolyn was ordained as a Christian Minister in 1995 by the General Conference of Metropolitan Community Churches, held that year in Atlanta, Georgia.  

After fifteen years of service as the Associate Pastor at Resurrection MCC in Houston, Texas, she returned briefly to her native Florida, where God first anointed her as a singer, whose voice and love for God has often inspired others to respond to the love of God.  

She has served our denomination and movement as staff, supporting the Clergy Connection Program, as an Interim Pastor in Tulsa, OK, in Richmond, VA, and in Waterford, MI. 
 
While living in Richmond, Rev. Carolyn and her life-partner, Rev. Adrain were legally married, twenty plus years after their original Service of Holy Union.  Presently she serves as Co-Leader of the North Central US Network of MCC.

Rev. Maxwell Reay
Maxwell has been a member of MCC since 1989.  He was the founding co-pastor of Living Springs MCC, Bath and was licensed as Clergy in 1993. He also served as a volunteer with MCC North London and MCC Edinburgh. 
 
Since 2007 Maxwell has worked as Healthcare Chaplain for the Scottish National Health Service in Edinburgh. For 12 years his work focused on adult mental health care but a year ago Maxwell became the Chaplain for the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh. 
 
Maxwell co-ordinates “Our Tribe” which is the LGBTQI+ ministry at Augustine United Church, Edinburgh. This joint ministry with The United Reformed Church and MCC was established in 2010. 
 
He has served on the MCC Trans and Gender Non-conforming Advisory Council and on the Moderator’s Theologies Team of MCC. He is currently the MCC Vocational Coordinator for Europe. 
 
Maxwell is a gender queer trans man who shares his life with his husband Lewis, an extended family of choice and their dog Ruby.

Rev. Troy Treash
Rev. Troy Treash has served for seven years as the Senior Pastor of Resurrection MCC in Houston, TX. For ten years prior to Resurrection he served as the Executive Director of Reconciling Ministries Network. Troy flew nationally from his home base in Chicago, IL to advocate for equality for LGBTQ persons church by church, network by network, and conference by conference within the United Methodist Church. His ordained ministry began in 1991 in the trenches of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Houston, TX as the Director of the Bering Support Network.

He shares life with Walter, his husband of 22 years; Michael, their adopted son; one beagle, Tip; and one cat, Spot. He enjoys cooking, reading, weeding, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, oceans, and aspen trees. He struggles at times with teenager parenting, marathon zoom meetings, defeating white supremacy, and balancing life. He relies upon God’s grace.

Rev. Roland Stringfellow
Rev. Stringfellow, MCC Detroit, USA, was appointed and approved to serve as an Elder. However, since entering into the Elder selection process, his circumstances have shifted. He has, with integrity, decided that he cannot take on the additional responsibilities of serving as an Elder at this time. 




SPECIAL GENERAL CONFERENCE
26 January, 2021
Special General Conference Agenda:
 
To affirm the appointment of Elders in accordance with Bylaw Article V:E3 and VIII:5: 
 
A quorum shall consist of twenty percent (20%) of the number of lay people eligible to vote at General Conference and twenty percent (20%) of the number of licensed credentialed clergy eligible to vote at General Conference.
VOTING
Lay delegates and credentialed clergy will need to pre-register to vote. The registration link will be made available at the Forums, on the website and in an email during that week. The link to vote will then be sent out on January 22nd.


Voting will open at
8:00 am EST/ 1:00 pm GMT
26 Jan 2021
and closes at
8:00 am EST /1:00 pm GMT
27 Jan 2021
IMPORTANT NOTE: The actual link to use to vote will come from Mike Haase. After 22 January and prior to 26 January, please watch for an email from MikeHaase@mccchurch.net
Metropolitan Community Churches mccchurch.org