 MAINLINE BRIEFS UCC may stem membership slide by gaining a 'Cathedral' By John H. Adams The Layman Online Thursday, November 10, 2005 The congregation of the 4,000-member Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, which describes itself as "the world's largest liberal Christian church with a primary outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people," has voted to affiliate with the United Church of Christ.
Bringing aboard the Cathedral of Hope would – at least temporarily – stem the UCC's rapid decline in membership. The denomination has lost nearly half of its members since the 1960s. The Dallas congregation was previously allied with the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, a consortium of congregations that reject traditional beliefs that homosexual practice is not compatible with Scripture. Many homosexuals prefer membership in mainline denominations to reflect broader acceptance of their lifestyles. "The United Church of Christ has long been at the forefront of societal change, most recently, of course, by becoming the first mainstream denomination to support equal marriage rights for same-gender couples," said Rev. Dr. Jo Hudson, the congregation's senior pastor. "Their values are our values, and we look forward to joining in partnership and continuing the work for which God has called us together."
The congregation's Web site says, "The Cathedral of Hope marries heterosexual couples and homosexual couples. We use the same ritual, exchange the same rings, and say the same vows. The only difference is that heterosexual couples walk out of the church with about 1,100 civil rights and protections that the same-gender taxpayers don't" have. The North Texas Association of the United Church of Christ will review the congregation's application to join the UCC. One congregation in the Presbyterian Church (USA) apparently considers Dallas congregation as a model. East Liberty Presbyterian Church calls itself "The Cathedral of Hope in Pittsburgh." Four more Episcopal congregations leaving ECUSA Four Episcopal Church (USA) congregations in northeast Ohio have voted to sever their ties with the denomination and affiliate with the Diocese of Bolivia in South America, the Akron Beacon-Journal reported today. Their decisions follow similar votes in October by six Episcopal congregations in the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, which is based in Jacksonville. The Florida congregations voted to align with the newly formed Anglican Alliance of North Florida. Representatives of the congregations in Ohio and Florida are discussing property and other issues with their bishops. In previous cases, Episcopal bishops and the denomination have attempted to prevent departing congregations from keeping their property. In California, a Superior Court judge ruled that the ECUSA had no right to take over the property of St. James Church, which voted to leave the denomination and join a conservative Anglican body. Decisions are expected soon in two other Episcopal cases soon. The four Ohio parishes – St. Luke's in Fairlawn, Church of the Holy Spirit in Akron, St. Barnabas in Bay Village and St. Anne's in the Fields of Mission – have about 1,300 members. The Beacon-Journal quoted a news release as saying that the four congregations were leaving the ECUSA because of "divergent understandings of the authority of Scripture and traditional Christian teaching.'' The precipitating event for the exodus of local parishes from the ECUSA came during the Episcopal General Convention in 2003 when the Rev. V. Eugene Robinson, who left his wife and children to live with a homosexual partner, was consecrated as an ECUSA bishop. Robinson confronts Roman Catholics Meanwhile, Robinson, during a speech in London, took on the Roman Catholic Church, calling the Vatican's ban on ordaining homosexuals "vile," according to BBC News. The news agency quoted Robinson as saying that "Pope [Benedict] Ratzinger, may be the best thing that ever happened to the Episcopal Church," because "so many Roman Catholics are joining the (Anglican) church. I find it so vile that they think they are going to end the child abuse scandal by throwing out homosexuals from seminaries. It is an act of violence that needs to be confronted." There's no evidence that Roman Catholic defections have boosted membership of the Episcopal Church (USA). Roman Catholic membership in the United States rose from 43 million in 1970 to 62 million in 2000. ECUSA membership has declined from 3.4 million in 1965 to 2.1 million currently. The London Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship, which includes senior lay and clergy members, had urged the Archbishop of Canterbury to move the Bishop's talk to a secular venue to prevent "damaged relations" between sections of the church. UMC bishops: Homosexuality no barrier to membership Two days after the highest court in the United Methodist Church ruled that a local pastor had the right to refuse to allow a gay man to become a member of a congregation, the denomination's bishops declared that homosexuality is not a barrier to membership. "With the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church, we affirm 'that God's grace is available to all, and we will seek to live together in Christian community,'" the bishops said, quoting from the Social Principles in the Book of Discipline. "'We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons.'" "We also affirm our Wesleyan practice that pastors are accountable to the bishop, superintendent and the clergy on matters of ministry and membership," the bishops said. |
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