Barbara Lungalang

Why would an evangelical, charismatic, fundamentalist, bible-believing Christian be an attender at a gay church? Furthermore, why would a straight, middle-aged woman, with all of the background described above, attend a church 40 miles away from home, whose congregation is primarily made up of gay people?

Confused? I was - still am at times.

My journey to MCC began around seven years ago when I began to work with a gay male colleague. My knowledge of anything 'gay'’ was truly limited at that point. As I got to know him, my respect for him as a knowledgeable, conscientious and trustworthy colleague grew. So also did my curiosity about a lifestyle I knew very little about. Sometimes I was shocked, sometimes surprised. We had many a heated argument/discussion about how we viewed things from totally different perspectives. He knew I held some strong fundamental Christian beliefs and I sometimes struggled with how I thought and how that influenced what I believed I should think about my ‘gay’ friend.

At the time there were many issues which came to the attention of the evangelical wing of the Anglican church. I had been an Anglican attender for some years although had spent many happy years with a small Baptist church in Manchester prior to that. Some of the things I heard from the pulpit about the evils of being gay (and that's putting it politely!) did not seem to me to convey the Christian message that God loves us all. I knew full well that we should love the sinner and hate the sin - I had heard it so many times.

When I thought about it, I began to wonder how much I had ever looked deeply at what I had been taught since I gave my life to Jesus when I was a teenager - I did question things even then, but my belief system had been formed by what I had been taught and heard and I believed in the absolute: things are either wrong or right, good or bad. How was it then that this gay man who seemed to me to be a caring, compassionate man who had been in a loving relationship for many, many years - longer than a lot of my heterosexual friends - was ‘wrong’? He didn't believe in what I believed in, but then was that a surprise given the ‘welcome’ he would have received in the Christian church? Never mind the Good Samaritan: it seemed that that parable had fallen to the wayside along with loving your neighbour as yourself.

I had spent an evening with him and his partner and a friend. We had enjoyed one of our heated exchanges when as an almost throw-away remark he said that I couldn’t be a Christian and not be homophobic. I disagreed at once but later began to wonder if perhaps that was true. His words had almost hurt me as I had grown to love him as a friend. I hated the thought that my beliefs had contributed to some of the issues of acceptance some gay people experience.

It troubled me; here was I, at that time struggling with my marriage, certainly a sinner falling short of many ideals of christian teaching, in danger of judging not just my friend but a whole host of people ‘made in the image of God’ who did not fit my image of Christianity.

He had given me a copy of the Pink Paper and on one of the pages was an advertisement for MCC. Some months passed and I felt more and more compelled to visit the church to see for myself what these ‘people’ were like. I doubted I would hear the Christian gospel or be part of a worshipful congregation but I needed to test it out for myself.

I guess the rest is ‘history’ as they say. MCC was very tolerant of me and patient and loving as I challenged my own constructs and perceptions and questioned what my new-found friends believed. I have been humbled at times by the way I have been welcomed and thanked for my attendance in spite of the stories I have heard of rejection and exclusion by the conventional Christian church of which I am part. I have been blessed and known that the Lord has been in the midst of gatherings of His people at the MCC services.

I have not always agreed with all that's said or done at MCC - but then nor did I at other churches I have attended. There is no doubt however, that there is a will to serve the Lord and to share the glorious good news of a risen Christ with any who will listen and hear. The only difference between this congregation and others I have attended is that most of the people are gay, lesbian, bi, transgendered or excluded for whatever reason from other churches.

If God is willing to love me unconditionally then why should I decide that it may be different for others? Am I one of those who throws the first stone because I am so right and everyone else is so wrong? In God's eyes we are all equally sinful but yet He loves us all regardless of who or what we are. ‘...nothing will ever separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus...' (Romans 8 v38,39.)

I have looked at my own preconceived ideas and challenged my own beliefs and come to realise that I am not always right, that life isn't as clear cut and absolute as I once thought. So, if you have a mind to, visit MCC for whatever reason. If you are ‘straight’ that’s fine because people are just people as my friend often says. It's not about labels, it's about who we really are and what’s in our hearts. There is nothing ‘scary’ or outrageous or likely to offend; people gather here in the same way others gather daily throughout the world to worship and love God - its as simple and wonderful as that.

Barbara Lungalang