Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto is a congregation of the worldwide Metropolitan Community Church
movement located in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
and is an welcoming congregation
openly affirming lesbian
, gay
, bisexual, heterosexual and transgender
people. MCC Toronto was instrumental in changing the law on same sex marriage in Ontario.
MCC Toronto is now the largest Metropolitan Community Church
congregation in terms of membership.
in Los Angeles
requesting that they send someone to Toronto to start a new church. In July 1973, Rev. Bob Wolfe arrived in the city and the first worship service was held with 12 people on July 17, 1973. Rev. Wolfe, who died in July 2005, worked hard to plant the new congregation and talked a suicidal young gay man down from a city centre roof and used the ceremony where he was honoured by the city to lambaste politicians for failing to reform anti-gay laws. In the early years, worship services were held at the Church of the Holy Trinity
.
In 1977, Rev. Brent Hawkes
succeeded Rev. Wolfe as pastor
.
In 1985, the church bought its first church building, at 2029 Gerrard Street East. This was the first property owned in Canada by a lesbian and gay organization.
Responding to the AIDS
crisis, MCC Toronto hired a full-time person to co-ordinate its AIDSCARE program in 1990. Since then its volunteers have provided home hospice care for hundreds of individuals. MCC Toronto have facilitated support groups for HIV
, AIDS and other heath issues. In 1997, the Church expanded the AIDSCARE program to CommunityCARE and now provides support for clients with a range of illnesses and requirements.
In 1991, the church moved to its present location at 115 Simpson Avenue, a building that previously was occupied by Simpson Avenue United Church.
On Christmas Eve
and during Pride Week
, the church holds services at Roy Thomson Hall
and on Church Street
because of the number of congregants.
While the church has not held any state funerals, Rev. Hawkes was the officiant at the state funeral of Jack Layton
at Roy Thomson Hall on August 27, 2011.
The congregation has continually supported equality for sexual minorities. This support has included significant legislation: in 1986, they supported Bill 7, adding sexual orientation to the Ontario Human Rights Code
; in 1994, they supported Bill 167, which would have changed the definition of "spouse" in Ontario; in 1996, there were intervenors in the Supreme Court of Canada
case of Egan v. Canada
in the constitutional question of same-sex spousal recognition under the Old Age Security Act, which resulted in rights of gay and lesbian couples being recognized and sexual orientation being read into the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; in 1999, Rev. Hawkes testified in M. v. H.
on spousal support provisions in family law, which held that same-sex couples receive equitable treatment under the constitution.
In the fall of 2000, MCC Toronto began working for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada
. The church's lawyers developed a strategy that was built on a combination of the Ontario Marriage Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
. On January 14, 2001, Rev. Hawkes married two same-sex couples but the Registrar General of Ontario refused to register the marriage documents. The church took the provincial government to court and the case was heard in November 2001. The decision was ultimately in the church's favour, although not until the Netherlands
and Belgium
legalized same-sex marriage.
Metropolitan Community Church
The Metropolitan Community Church or The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is an international Protestant Christian denomination...
movement located in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and is an welcoming congregation
LGBT-welcoming church programs
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender affirming religious groups are religious groups that welcome LGBT members and do not consider homosexuality to be a sin. They include entire religious denominations, as well as individual churches and synagogues...
openly affirming lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual, heterosexual and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
people. MCC Toronto was instrumental in changing the law on same sex marriage in Ontario.
MCC Toronto is now the largest Metropolitan Community Church
Metropolitan Community Church
The Metropolitan Community Church or The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is an international Protestant Christian denomination...
congregation in terms of membership.
History
In 1973, a group of individuals wrote to the head office of the Metropolitan Community ChurchMetropolitan Community Church
The Metropolitan Community Church or The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is an international Protestant Christian denomination...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
requesting that they send someone to Toronto to start a new church. In July 1973, Rev. Bob Wolfe arrived in the city and the first worship service was held with 12 people on July 17, 1973. Rev. Wolfe, who died in July 2005, worked hard to plant the new congregation and talked a suicidal young gay man down from a city centre roof and used the ceremony where he was honoured by the city to lambaste politicians for failing to reform anti-gay laws. In the early years, worship services were held at the Church of the Holy Trinity
Church of the Holy Trinity, Toronto
The Church of the Holy Trinity is an Anglican church in downtown Toronto, Canada at Trinity Square.-History:The modest Gothic Revival structure was built in 1847 by architect Henry Bowyer Lane, who also designed Little Trinity Anglican Church on King Street and St. George the Martyr Church in Toronto...
.
In 1977, Rev. Brent Hawkes
Brent Hawkes
Brent Hawkes, is a Canadian clergyman. Since 1977, he has served as senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto for LGBT parishioners, and is one of Canada's leading gay rights activists....
succeeded Rev. Wolfe as pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
.
In 1985, the church bought its first church building, at 2029 Gerrard Street East. This was the first property owned in Canada by a lesbian and gay organization.
Responding to the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
crisis, MCC Toronto hired a full-time person to co-ordinate its AIDSCARE program in 1990. Since then its volunteers have provided home hospice care for hundreds of individuals. MCC Toronto have facilitated support groups for HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
, AIDS and other heath issues. In 1997, the Church expanded the AIDSCARE program to CommunityCARE and now provides support for clients with a range of illnesses and requirements.
In 1991, the church moved to its present location at 115 Simpson Avenue, a building that previously was occupied by Simpson Avenue United Church.
On Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
and during Pride Week
Pride Week (Toronto)
Pride Week is a ten-day event held in Toronto, Canada, during the end of June each year. It is a celebration of the diversity of the LGBT community in the Greater Toronto Area. It is one of the largest organized gay pride festivals in the world, featuring several stages with live performers and...
, the church holds services at Roy Thomson Hall
Roy Thomson Hall
Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall located at 60 Simcoe Street in Toronto, Ontario. It is the home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Opened in 1982, its circular architectural design exhibits a sloping and curvilinear glass exterior. It was designed by Canadian...
and on Church Street
Church and Wellesley
Church and Wellesley is an LGBT-oriented community located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is roughly bounded by Gerrard Street to the south, Yonge Street to the west, Charles Street to the north, and Jarvis Street to the east, with the core commercial strip located along Church Street from...
because of the number of congregants.
While the church has not held any state funerals, Rev. Hawkes was the officiant at the state funeral of Jack Layton
Death and state funeral of Jack Layton
On August 22, 2011, Canadian New Democratic Party leader and Leader of the Opposition Jack Layton died after a bout from an unspecified, newly diagnosed cancer. Prior to his recent diagnosis, Layton led his party to gain a historic rise in seats during the 2011 federal election...
at Roy Thomson Hall on August 27, 2011.
LGBT Issues
MCC Toronto has assisted with the founding of other gay and lesbian groups. It helped organize the first PFLAG meeting and paid for the telephone line in their first year of operation. The church has provided office space for various community groups, such as the Toronto Counselling Centre for Lesbians and Gays, Lesbian & Gay Youth Toronto, and the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Ontario.The congregation has continually supported equality for sexual minorities. This support has included significant legislation: in 1986, they supported Bill 7, adding sexual orientation to the Ontario Human Rights Code
Ontario Human Rights Code
The Human Rights Code of Ontario is a provincial law in the province of Ontario, Canada that gives all people equal rights and opportunities without discrimination in specific areas such as jobs, housing and services...
; in 1994, they supported Bill 167, which would have changed the definition of "spouse" in Ontario; in 1996, there were intervenors in the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
case of Egan v. Canada
Egan v. Canada
Egan v. Canada, [1995] 2 S.C.R. 513, was one of a trilogy of equality rights cases published by a very divided Supreme Court of Canada in the spring of 1995...
in the constitutional question of same-sex spousal recognition under the Old Age Security Act, which resulted in rights of gay and lesbian couples being recognized and sexual orientation being read into the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; in 1999, Rev. Hawkes testified in M. v. H.
M. v. H.
M. v. H. [1999] 2 S.C.R. 3, is a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of Canada on the rights of same-sex couples to equal treatment under the Constitution of Canada....
on spousal support provisions in family law, which held that same-sex couples receive equitable treatment under the constitution.
In the fall of 2000, MCC Toronto began working for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The church's lawyers developed a strategy that was built on a combination of the Ontario Marriage Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada. It forms the first part of the Constitution Act, 1982...
. On January 14, 2001, Rev. Hawkes married two same-sex couples but the Registrar General of Ontario refused to register the marriage documents. The church took the provincial government to court and the case was heard in November 2001. The decision was ultimately in the church's favour, although not until the Netherlands
Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands
Same-sex marriage has been legal in the Netherlands since 1 April 2001...
and Belgium
Same-sex marriage in Belgium
On June 1, 2003, Belgium became the second country in the world to legally recognize same-sex marriage, with some restrictions. Originally, Belgium allowed the marriages of foreign same-sex couples only if their country of origin also allowed these unions...
legalized same-sex marriage.
External links
- Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto — official website