HISTORY OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GREATER SAINT LOUIS

Historical Timeline
Rev. Sue Yarber

First Public Worship Service October 28, 1973

Rev. Carol Cureton pastored with 10 people in attendance following a flier campaign

“Yes, Virginia, there is a church where gay people can worship freely”

MCCGSL rented space from Berea Presbyterian located at 3010 Olive Blvd.

On April 24, 1974 MCCGSL became a chartered church in MCC because it had fifty members and could support a full-time pastor.

MCCGSL brought property at 5108 Waterman and occupied that space by December of 1974. MCCGSL was the first gay and lesbian organization in St. Louis to own property.

Rev. Carol Cureton was interviewed by radio and paper. She became involved in the Suicide Prevention Hotline due to the high incidence of suicide in the GLBT community.

By 1977 our attendance was between 130 -150 and evenly split between men and women.

Rev. Cureton left in November 1977 to take a position at the denominational level as Clerk of the Board of Elders.

Rev. Jim Harris, Rev. Roy Birchard and an interim pastor all served the church between 1977 and 1980. None of them held a long tenure at the church and due to the strain of changing leadership the church stepped back from active community involvement.

In 1980 Rev. Tom Jordan was elected as pastor and called to MCCGSL.

The Waterman building was sold in 1984 and the church secured a church building at 1120 Dolman. Rev. Jordan left in February 1988 following a period of economic plight and mismanagement.

Several interim pastors served until Rev. Brad Wishon was elected and called as pastor in 1990. Rev. Wishon got the church actively involved in the community again and through active participation at Gay Pride events and service to EFA the church grew in number.

The building on Dolman was sold in November 1996 due to the financial demands of caring for a historic church building. We rented space at St. John’s United Methodist Church and worshipped here for the first time in December of 1996.

In March of 1997 Rev. Wishon left to pastor another MCC church. Interim Pastor Charlie Arehart and Associate Pastor Jim Martin served the congregation in the interim period .

In June of 1998 Rev. Teena Carpenter become the pastor of MCCGSL. Rev. Carpenter brought growth in number and in service to the church and to the community. During her tenure our membership doubled and attendance tripled. We became in community events such as Habitat for Humanity, Komen Breast Cancer “Race for the Cure,” and the AIDS Walk.

Purchase of Office Building in Spring of 2001. Staff moved to facility located at 4247 South Grand Blvd.

Rev. Teena Carpenter left in September of 2002 to serve another MCC congregation.

Rev. Sue Yarber and Rev. Dale Chavis along with our interim pastor, Rev. Kirk Foster led the church until Rev. Dr. Carol Trissell was elected as Senior Pastor and called here in October 2003 . The church has grown in membership and has become more connected with the local community. Under Rev. Dr. Trissell’s leadership our team ministries have flourished and we now have a Community Support Team, Congregational Education Team, and Out N About activities. We continue to develop our small group ministries. We are a part of a collaborative of area congregations that work to make the Central West End a better place to live, work and worship. The Holy Collaborative is committed to improving the quality of life for all St. Louis residents. We are now a part of Metropolitan Congregations United, an ecumenical effort to address issues of public interest on behalf of all citizens of the St. Louis metropolitan area.

(This article was taken from the May 26, 1998 issue of The Advocate, written by Don Romesburg.)