Hoping to strike a balance between black and gay voters, presidential candidate Barack Obama enlisted Andy Sidden for his controversial Embrace The Change gospel tour. It would seem, however, that Sidden’s not entirely uncontroversial.
The North Carolina-born Reverend (pictured, looking creepy) once worked with the massive gay-founded Metropolitan Community Church. In July of 2002, while working as a pastor at South Carolina’s MCC-Columbia, Sidden campaigned to join the ranks of MCC’s elders. He didn’t get his wish. Less than one year later, the United Church of Christ – an equally inclusive church – asked Sidden to lead their pack. Sidden agreed.
In doing so, however, Sidden may have inadvertently destroyed MCC – Columbia.
In this op-ed, MCC elder Gill Storey discussed MCC-Columbia’s disaffiliation from the larger congregation. The reverend questions Sidden’s motives and perhaps underhanded deal with UCC:
As recently as July of 2002, Andy Sidden stood for election to MCC’s Board of Elders, our denomination’s spiritual leadership body. Mr. Sidden failed to achieve the required votes in both the Lay and Clergy houses to be elected and soon thereafter became the pastor of his present church. So it has only been three years since Mr. Sidden went from wanting to help lead the denomination to possibly leading a parish out of the denomination.
It might also be noted that MCC-Columbia didn’t seek references from UFMCC when Mr. Sidden was applying to be their pastor. Whereas it may certainly be the case that Mr. Sidden has served his congregation well and to their satisfaction, I can’t help but believe that all parties would have been better served by a process of direct dealing and open dialogue. As it is, we are facing the loss of a beloved congregation, and per MCC’s policies, Mr. Sidden’s leading a church out of our Fellowship will be considered a de facto resignation of his MCC clergy credentials.
MCC-Columbia closed their doors soon after and become Garden of Grace United Church of Christ. Could it be Barack Obama’s found his vote-grabbing soul mate?
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Hopefully this topic will come up today when Michelangelo Signorile hosts Sidden on his radio show.
Rt. Rev. Dr. RES
I am aware of several former MCC congregations, one in Dallas, TX for example, who have moved to the United Church of Christ. This individual has a lesbian pastor and is a megachurch with several ministers on staff.
Regardless of his excardination from one Christian body and incardination into another, Mr. Sidden has, IMO, a need to clearly and without apology, speak to the contextual theology that speaks to moral same-sex lives as singles or couples. It is hoped that Mr. Sidden speak with the UCC leadership and especially their theological commission discussing these issues .
It is also hoped that Mr. Sidden speak with the Rev. Dr. Mel White of Soulforce.org – a formerly het married man who once wrote for Falwell and Robertson, and came out of the closet, and is life partnered and co-founded Soulforce. They both had some MCC history together and no man I know in your country can effectively speak to the major fundamentalist opponents of the community.
Rt. Rev. Dr. RES
If you have never visited this website, may I suggest it. Some of the videos might change your perspective on many different subjects.
http://www.soulforce.org
Rt. Rev. Dr. RES
erratum…..This individual congregation has….
Dawster
is there ANY way we can get a better picture of this guy. even after i leave the website, i see the image of the beady-eyed priest ready to give a mustache ride to pubescent boys…
Frank
I am a member of Pastor Sidden’s congregation both when it was MCC Columbia and now as Garden of Grace UCC and I can’t imagine what kind of “underhanded deal with the UCC” you think Rev. Sidden may have made. But then again, you seem to have something against Rev. Sidden from the outset, beginning your piece with an insult of his photograph. Juvenile insults aside, you then base the bulk of your story on an editorial from MCC Elder Gill Storey, who was writing, in effect, an angry and bitter letter against Rev. Sidden and our congregation because we chose, as did many other former MCC’s, to leave a denomination that we felt was not serving our needs. The move from MCC to UCC was not dictated by Rev. Sidden and was not some seedy, underhanded deal as you would have us believe, but was a thoroughly and prayerfully debated, discussed, and voted upon decision that took well over a year to arrive at – and while our congregation overwhelmingly supported the move to the UCC, it was not completely unanimous and if the MCC wanted to continue its presence in Columbia, it certainly could have. But alas, MCC does not appear to have the will to keep MCC-Columbia alive – perhaps MCC’s priorities should be examined? Nowhere do you mention that congregations are leaving the MCC in droves due to their mismanagement and inability to be fiscally responsible to their ministries. I personally voted for us to leave the MCC after I learned that just a tiny fraction of my tithe to the UFMCC (The MCC’s governing body) was used for outreach and evangelism – just 6.1% in the 2007 budget, while salaries take a whopping 61.5% of their 3.1 million budget – see for yourself on the UFMCC website. The UCC, on the other hand, sends our tithes to the UCC’s “Our Church’s Wider Mission” (OCWM). In 2007, the UCC OCWM has budgeted 32% to worldwide ministries, 18% to local church ministries, and 16% to justice and witness ministries, 15% to general ministries, including administration. That leaves 15% for the UCC pension and just 5% for the Executive Council. Is it any wonder congregations are leaving the MCC in droves? It’s a wonder you’re not doing a piece on the greed and poor stewardship of the MCC instead of picking on a faithful pastor leading his small 125-member congregation.
Anne
There has been a clear strategy by the UCC to pull MCC churches into their fold. The UCC has been dealing with their own loss of churches (the greatest of any Protestant church last year) and have been trying offset those losses by targeting MCC churches. This doesn’t mean that the former MCC churches didn’t come to this conclusion on their own, as Frank clearly states, rather they are probably unaware that they were targeted by the UCC. Also, I don’t believe MCC churches are leaving due to financial problems. Cathedral of Hope in Dallas left before the MCC could release their findings into the investigation they conducted about financial irregularities at CoH and the timing didn’t appear to anyone as being coincidental.
It’s terrible what is happening to the MCC and far too few people have the courage to stand up and point out that they are a target of the UCC.
Rev. Chuck Currie
Without evidence you’ve made several unfounded charges and even made fun of Rev. Sidden’s photo. What kind of website is this? You ought to be ashamed.
Rt. Rev. Dr. RES
Mr. Currie-
May this old retired Canadian Anglican bishop suggest to you that this website, and many other gay websites, are peopled with the walking wounded from decades of spiritual violence lopped upon them by many denominations within the Mystical Body of Christ.
As with all wounded, you pray for a healing process. I am unaware of the politics at play between the MCC and the UCC, and therefore, I have no particular word except praise for both gay affirming twigs if not branches of Christ’s Church.
Someone mentioned that I write like another great Canadian writer and educator, Robertson Davies (1913-95) who could always find a heroic quality to those who opposed him. I find that virtue admirable. For example, I have a detractor here who can fit more F bombs, scatological terms, simple vulgarities in one paragraph than any other person I have ever sparred with.
Mr. Currie, my comments are not about Mr. Sidden’s support for Senator Obama. It is not about the fact that he and a theocratic homophobe are sparring together in a unity programme. My concern is that he prays and takes counsel from other clergy who have been in such ethics wars and present himself and his community with a strong defence against spiritual violence and more, the Christian message of Christian gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons.
May God grant you understanding, and with some of these folks, you will have to come with forgiveness and compassion as you learn when to duck. LOL. In christ, Bishop RES
Dave
Rev. Currie please do not instruct gay people how to feel much less to feel ashamed.
David Plunkett
Hello. My name is David Plunkett, and I am the assistant to the Dean at Cathedral of Hope-UCC. If I may, I would like to offer some information that, hopefully, will clarify the discussion about our church.
The Cathedral of Hope was not targeted by the United Church of Christ. The congregation first explored dual affiliation with UFMCC and the UCC in 1997. However, UFMCC did not allow dual standing, and the North Texas Association of the UCC did not allow member churches to call or ordain openly lesbian or gay clergy.
We disaffiliated in July 2003 to become an independent church. The congregation voted overwhelmingly in October 2005 to seek affiliation with the UCC. The ensuing 16 months before we were installed as a member church of the North Texas Association allowed the other churches to decide if they wanted to be in relationship with us.
Finally, to clarify the term “financial irregularities” used by Anne in a previous comment, several independent audits conducted since our disaffiliation have proven that the allegations made by a very small group, led by one particularly disgruntled congregant, were false.
Thank you for the opportunity to share this additional information!
Blessings,
David Plunkett
Holli Emore
I have been a member of Rev. Sidden’s congregation since about 2000, and for most of that time was very uncomfortable with the denomination to which this wonderful church belonged. This was long before Rev. Sidden became part of our lives. I’ve been active with several denominations, and have consulted with many churches around the country, and I can honestly say that Pastor Andy is the most caring, dedicated, hard-working, genuinely Christian pastor I have ever met. While I no longer attend the church regularly for unrelated personal reasons, I am proud to maintain both my membership and my personal friendships with Andy and my fellow members. Garden of Grace is the one faith group that I have ever felt completely accepted me as I am spiritually. The many people discussing this story around the world would gain insight by listening to those of us who are actually here and went through the entire process of disaffiliation from MCC. As a consultant, I feel that it was done in an orderly and appropriate manner.
James Simmons
I have been attending the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas since 1985, and I have been a member since 1986.
The idea of disaffiliating with UFMCC, as we did in 2003 was nothing new. In fact, I first wrote a letter to the senior pastor and board of directors in 1996 suggesting that we explore the idea of disaffiliating with UFMCC and giving a long list of reasons favoring such action.
I was also a member of the Financial Overview Team that conducted the internal investigation into the alleged financial improprieties by various clergy and employees prior to disaffiliation. I was aware of every single accusation. I saw every piece of paper that the investigators were provided in support of every single transaction that was in question. And finally, I, along with several other financial professionals reviewed every significant accounting transaction going back several years.
There was no evidence whatsoever of any financial impropriety by either the senior pastor or any staff member. A subsequent certified audit report by an independent CPA firm verified our findings. We left no stones unturned and no suspicious or questionable transaction went uninvestigated.
Lastly, a representative from UFMCC had the opportunity to address our congregation before the vote to disaffiliate. This individual, chosen and sent by UFMCC was provided access to the entire congregation and was given unlimited time to answer any and all questions that the Cathedral of Hope congregants wished to ask before they cast their votes.
After all was said and done, almost 90% votes cast were in favor of disaffiliation from UFMCC. The largest member turnout in the history of the church participated and cast their votes. After all of the ballots had been collected, they were taken offsite, under lock and key, and under heavy security provided by uniformed police officers to be counted and certified by an independent CPA firm. The integrity surrounding the process was unquestionable.
Throughout the entire process, there was no mention ever made of UCC. In fact, no one from UCC paid a visit to our congregation until we extended the invitation well over a year later. And again, the vote to join the UCC denomination passed by an overwhelming majority.
No one is screwing MCC. The denomination is on a path of self-destruction of its own choosing, and until the denominational elders decide to mentor and support their pastors rather than condemning and undermining them, that path of self-destruction shall certainly continue unabated.
James Simmons, CPA
Dallas, TX