A Message from the MCC Moderator Rev Elder Nancy Wilson announcing the MCC Theologies Team:

Dear MCC Friend:
 
Since the earliest days of Metropolitan Community Churches, clergy and lay leaders alike have contributed to the important work of theological study and reflection. This has been part of MCC's contribution to the Church Universal.

MCC has a distinguished history in this regard. From contributions to a wide range of journals, publications and books to presentations before theological societies and ecumenical gatherings, and from programs at universities and seminaries to dialogue and debate in public forums, MCC has always challenged the conscience of the Church Universal around theological issues rooted in God's radical love.

We're standing at a pivotal juncture -- a place where the convergence of MCC's ministry and the pressing needs of our world calls us to renew and deepen our commitment to theological reflection. Our world needs the message of grace, love and inclusivity found in MCC's ministry, and theological study and reflection are the keys to understanding God's work in our world, enabling us to better share Good News with those who are hungry for God's love.
 
That's why I am so pleased to announce the formation of the new MCC Theologies Team.
 
This new MCC team brings excellence and expertise to this work, as well as diversity in background, geography, ministry and theology. Among its goals, the team is committed to creating safe space in which theological dialogue and exploration can take place within MCC.
 
To better acquaint you with this new work, I invite you to read the introduction to the new MCC Theologies Team, along with brief biographies of the team members, advisors, and staff support -- all found below. Also, in the coming weeks, we'll unveil a new section of the MCC website devoted to the work of this team, along with background information, writings, projects, photographs of team members, and much more.
 
I encourage you to hold the new MCC Theologies Team in your prayers as they begin their work, to read the introductory materials below, and to look for additional information about the team's new webpage soon.
 
Grace and peace,
 
+ Nancy

The Reverend Nancy L. Wilson
Moderator
Metropolitan Community Churches
www.MCCchurch.org

Introducing the New MCC Theologies Team 

In her Moderator's Report to the General Conference, Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson announced the formation of the new MCC Theologies Team (see Note 1 below). Rev. Wilson reports, "While this is a team in formation whose specific agenda is still being shaped, I am very excited that we are going to begin formulating a more intentional process of theological reflection in MCC worldwide."  This is a daunting task, but one that is ripe for such a time as this. 
 
In their initial conversations, team members agreed that this is a kairotic moment (see Note 2 below) for MCC and an opportunity to create safe space for theological conversations that explore and nurture the diversity of MCC's global movement. The team hopes to help empower all people -- clergy and laity alike -- to be reflective as well as practical theologians. It is also an opportunity for MCC to more fully engage in broader ecumenical conversations about queer and liberation theologies. Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson says, "Who better than MCC to contribute to this discourse, since we have the practical experience of doing queer theology for nearly 40 years? We have important perspectives that we need to share with one another and the wider religious world." 
 
During General Conference, three Theological Cafes were held to discuss various perspectives on Jesus, Baptism, and theological labels. These discussions, hosted by members of the MCC Theologies Team, were well attended and demonstrated the vast hunger people have for opportunities to engage in meaningful dialogue about matters of faith and justice. 
 
The MCC Theologies Team will have its first meeting later this year. 
 
 
NOTE 1: "Theologies" is intentionally rendered in the plural in order to honor the multiplicity of theological perspectives and traditions that exist within MCC. Earlier this year, several team members gathered with the Board of Elders for a day of discussion about theology with Dr. Mary Hunt.  Dr. Hunt noted that this diversity of theological understanding is one of MCC's greatest resources, and that being able to respectfully engage these without resorting to litmus tests for theological orthodoxy could be our greatest strength.
 
NOTE 2: This term comes from the Greek word kairos, which refers to an opportune or appointed moment in time when the way is made for God's purposes to unfold. In contrast to the more ordinary word for a quantity of time (chronos), kairos time is qualitative -- a moment that represents a great opportunity for God to work.

Members of the MCC Theologies Team

The Rev. Kharma Amos is the Chair of the Theologies Team. She is the Senior Pastor of MCC of Northern Virginia in Fairfax, Virginia, USA. Rev. Amos received her M.Div. from Lancaster Theological Seminary in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and is a current candidate in the D.Min. program at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
 
The Rev. Belva Boone is the Senior Pastor of St. John’s MCC in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Rev. Boone received her M.Div. from Wesley Seminary in Washington, DC, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. Since 1983, she has served MCC in various capacities, including 15 years on her district committee.
 
The Rev. Dr. Jim Burns is the Senior Pastor of MCC of the Rockies in Denver, Colorado, USA. A first-career MCC pastor, he holds degrees from Oberlin College, Yale Divinity School, and Iliff School of Theology. He was honored to receive a Laity Mutuality in Ministry Award at the 2005 General Conference.
 
Skip Chasey is a long-time active member of MCC Los Angeles where he has served on the board of directors and worship team, facilitated a bereavement support group, and co-founded the Los Angeles chapter of PLAY (People of Leather Among You), MCCLA's outreach program to the pansexual leather community. In addition to being a much sought after speaker on issues of integrating sexuality and spirituality, Skip is a practicing spiritual director and certified Grief Recovery™ counselor.
 
The Rev. Dr. Edgard Danielsen-Morales is the Associate Pastor of MCC New York. Rev. Danielsen-Morales was ordained in 2002 and began his pastoral work at Cristo Sanador in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Prior to moving to New York, he was a tenured Professor of Chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico.
 
The Rev. Axel Schwaigert is the Senior Pastor of Salz der Erde MCC in Stuttgart, Germany. Rev. Schwaigert received his Diplom in Ev. Theologie from the school of theological studies at Tübingen. He also spent a year in the Religious Studies Department at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania studying inter-religious dialogue, among other things.
 
The Rev. Dr. Mona West is Senior Pastor of Church of the Trinity MCC in Sarasota, Florida, USA. Originally ordained in the Southern Baptist denomination in 1987, she transferred her ordination credentials to MCC in 1992. Rev. West holds M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees from Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. She published Take Back the Word: A Queer Reading of the Bible with Pilgrim Press and is one of four editors of The Queer Bible Commentary published by SCM Press in 2006.

Faculty Advisors 

The Rev. Dr. Robert Goss received his Th.D. in Comparative Religion from Harvard University. He is the author of several books, including Jesus ACTED UP: A Gay and Lesbian Manifesto and Queering Christ: Beyond Jesus ACTED UP.  He is co-author and co-editor of numerous books, including The Queer Bible Commentary, published in 2006.  Rev. Goss, ordained as a Jesuit priest, transferred his credentials to MCC. He was on staff of MCC of Greater St. Louis for nine years, and currently serves as the Senior Pastor of MCC of the Valley in Hollywood, California, USA. Prior to returning to full time parish ministry, Dr. Goss taught religious studies at the university level for 10 years.
 
Dr. Marcella Althaus-Reid is a Professor of Contextual Theology at The University of Edinburgh School of Divinity in Edinburgh, Scotland. A native of Argentina, Dr. Althaus-Reid completed her first degree at ISEDET, Buenos Aires, the world famous centre for the study of Liberation Theology in Latin American. She received her Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. She is the author of Indecent Theology and The Queer God, as well as numerous articles, and is the executive co-editor of several books including Queering Theology (Continuum), Gender and Spirituality (Equinox), Liberation Theology: the New Generation (SCM), and Controversies in Contextual Theologies (SCM).  She attends MCC Edinburgh.

Staff Support

The Rev. Robert Griffin serves as Special Assistant to the Moderator, Program Director for the MCC Clergy Development Team, and Academic Dean for Light University/Sunshine Cathedral in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA. Rev. Griffin received his M.Div. from Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he is a Lecturer in Theology. He transferred his ordination credentials to MCC in 1990 and was the founding Pastor of New Light MCC in Hagerstown, Maryland. 
 
Connie Meadows serves as the Assistant to the Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches and provides staff support to the Moderator and the Board of Elders.  She is the Chair of the Multi-Cultural Task Force and also supports the Moderator's Global Justice Team and Ecumenical-Inter-religious Team. Connie is currently pursuing her Master's of Theological Studies at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.