On a quiet corner in The Patch neighborhood of St. Louis, a stone's throw from the Loughborough exit off Interstate 55, the Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Saint Louis shares a building with Carondelet United Church of Christ. Since 1973, this congregation has been a gathering place for LGBTQIA+ Christians, allies, and seekers in the city, building a progressive, justice-rooted community of faith with a celebrated choir, weekly open Communion, and a heart for radical welcome. The church's welcome sign might as well be its motto: "Come as you are. Believe as you do."
A Progressive Christian Community Where Everyone Belongs
The Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Saint Louis describes itself as a community of LGBTQIA+ people and allies "embodying the liberating heart of Jesus where everyone is invited to come as you are, believing as you do." Its vision is to be a hub for the entire LGBTQIA+ community, "creating a liberating movement within and beyond our church walls," while committing to racial and social justice. People are invited to bring their full selves, uniting spirituality, sexuality, gender identity, and a heart for justice.
Four core values shape the life of the church:
- Radical Inclusion. Love is the greatest moral value, and resisting exclusion is a primary focus of ministry. Everyone is welcomed at God's table.
- Queer Community. A safe and open community for worship, learning, and growth, with a commitment to equipping one another for the work God has called the congregation to do.
- Spiritual Transformation. A message of liberation from oppressive religious environments, offering an experience of God through the life and ministry of Christ that transforms lives.
- Justice and Mercy. A commitment to resisting oppressive structures, standing with those who suffer, and being guided by a commitment to global human rights.
As a Progressive Christian community, the congregation has adopted the Eight Principles of Progressive Christianity developed at the Pacific School of Religion. These include finding an approach to God through the life and teachings of Jesus, recognizing that others have other names for the way to God's realm, inviting all people to participate without insisting they become like the community, and forming themselves into communities "striving for peace and justice among all people, protecting and restoring the integrity of all God's creation." The congregation also embraces a working definition of "queer" offered by Lead Pastor Rev. Lauren Bennett: to differ from the norm, to look at every force active in life from an open, spacious, non-binary perspective, and to make visible what many disregard.
Sunday Morning Worship at 11 a.m.
The Sunday morning service is the heart of the week. Held at 11 a.m. Central, the service is intended for people from every kind of church background, including those completely new to church and spirituality. The worship experience features the church's award-winning choir, weekly Communion, praise and worship music, contemporary readings, and Scripture readings. Each week the table is open, and all are welcome. Services usually last about an hour.
Music is a defining gift of the congregation. The choir has long been noted as a hallmark of MCCGSL worship, and the church shares that music with a wider audience through its livestream on Sunday mornings on Facebook.
Coming in Person: The Patch Building
The congregation meets at 7423 Michigan Avenue, on the corner of Michigan and Koeln in The Patch neighborhood of Carondelet. GPS is recommended, since roadwork on I-55 is causing some detours in the area.
Two parking lots and plenty of street parking make arrival easy. The lots sit behind the building and on the opposite corner. The best entrance is the double doors on Koeln Avenue under the blue awning, which is closest to the sanctuary and is handicap accessible. The building is ADA accessible throughout.
People are encouraged to wear whatever makes them comfortable, as dressed up or as casual as they like, because that is what others will be wearing. As the church's in-house drag queen puts it, "Come as you are, dressing as you do." Visitors of all ages, from babies to seniors, are welcome, and the church names itself as a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people, people of color, and others who are often marginalized in church settings. People of any faith, including those who are simply searching and want to "try out" MCC, are welcomed without condition.
Worshipping from Home
For those who cannot attend in person, the service is livestreamed at 11 a.m. Central every Sunday on Facebook, where viewers can watch, chat with others, and participate as they are able. Bulletins, a First Time Visitor Packet, prayer request forms, and a connection form are all available online for those joining remotely. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the congregation has worshiped almost as many people virtually as in person, and the church has come to see online ministry as a vital extension of its calling.
Outdoor Worship: Rugged Spirituality
Twice a month, Pastor Eli and Professor Scott lead a hike of about three miles through the trails around St. Louis, stopping along the way to worship together in nature. Hikers are asked to bring water and snacks and to wear long pants and long sleeves. All hikes are subject to change based on weather and conditions.
Life Events: Weddings, Baptisms, and Funerals
The church is a longstanding home for sacred celebrations. A church from the Metropolitan Community Churches denomination was the first to legally marry a same-gender couple, and MCCGSL has been performing same-gender ceremonies for more than 45 years. Weddings and blessings of loving relationships are offered to gay and straight, cisgender and transgender, monogamous and polyamorous couples alike. Ceremonies can be held in the church's facility, in homes, in nature, or in any meaningful place of choice. The pastoral honorarium for weddings is $500 and includes pre-ceremony counseling, rehearsal, and ceremony, with additional fees for sanctuary and fellowship hall rental, pianist, vocalist, sound and audio/visual technicians. A planning window of three to six months is recommended. The church also performs Commitment Ceremonies and Holy Unions that do not involve the state.
Baptism at MCCGSL is offered in every form: infant, adult, sprinkling, and immersion. Members and non-members, the very young and the very old, are all welcome at the font. The congregation also practices re-baptism for those who want to ritualize the twists and turns in their journey, including those who have adopted new names. One cherished meaning of baptism in the community is "welcome to the family" - the human family, the family of faith.
When a death occurs, the pastors are available to walk with families through funeral or memorial services at the church or at another location of their choosing. They are equally ready simply to listen, for those who need a companion in grief.
The History of MCCGSL
The congregation was founded in October 1973 by the Rev. Carol Cureton. Its first worship service, on October 28, 1973, took place at Berea Presbyterian Church at 3010 Olive Street. At the time, St. Louis had no other active gay organization, since the Gay Liberation Front had disappeared in 1971. On March 11, 1974, MCC's global founder, Rev. Troy Perry, came to St. Louis and spoke to nearly 300 people, declaring that "God does not want you to change that part of you which God created" and urging them to learn to love themselves even if others hated them.
About fifty people attended the first services, and on April 21, 1974, the church became an officially chartered member of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, then a denomination of some sixty congregations and around 15,000 people. When members of the Berea congregation objected to hosting a church with a "special ministry to the gay community," MCCGSL began searching for a home. Several properties were taken off the market once owners learned of MCC's mission. The acquisition of a house on Waterman Boulevard, completed in December 1974, was believed to be the first time any self-proclaimed homosexual group in Missouri had owned its own facilities.
The church moved again in 1984 to Lafayette Square, into a building at 1120 Dolman that had been constructed in 1870 as St. John's Episcopal Church and later served a Ukrainian Rite congregation. By 1996, the Dolman building was sold, and the congregation began renting space at St. John's United Methodist Church on the corner of Washington and Kingshighway. The Rev. Teena Carpenter, called in 1998, led a period of tremendous growth, with average Sunday attendance climbing from about 100 to over 350.
The Rev. Carol Trissell, called in 2003, led the search for a permanent home that culminated in a $2 million renovation of a building at 1919 S. Broadway. The first service in that building was held on June 21, 2009. The Rev. Wes Mullins, called in 2013, became the congregation's longest-serving senior pastor. In 2018, seeking long-term financial health, the congregation voted to sell the Broadway building (now home to Lift for Life Academy Elementary School), and the last service there was Easter Sunday 2019. The church then entered its current partnership with Carondelet United Church of Christ, sharing the building at 7423 Michigan Avenue. Rev. Lauren Bennett, the current Lead Pastor, was installed on June 16, 2024, and is now in her seventh year with the congregation.
The Pastoral Team and Staff
The pastoral team is led by Rev. Lauren Bennett, who mostly grew up in the Evergreen State outside of Seattle. She came to ministry as a church skeptic who found a community of radical queer disciples.
Rev. Eli Anthony serves as Outward Pastor and Ministry Support Coordinator. He grew up in Southwest Florida, was raised Catholic, and discovered the Baptist Collegiate Fellowship before finding his way to MCC. He has been approved for ordination at the denominational level and is a familiar presence at rallies for immigrant and trans justice in Jefferson City and beyond.
Rev. Dr. Tijuana Gray serves as Online Pastor, bringing her voice to the digital community of the church.
The music team is led by Music Director Soumir Adams, whose life has been steeped in music from childhood, and Choir Director Curtis Farrell, a longtime church musician whose first job was playing for a United Methodist church in the tiny town of Virgil, South Dakota, in the eighth grade. Ahsa-ti Nu, a queer multi-disciplinary artist, sound engineer, educator, and activist from Dayton, serves as Broadcast Director.
Christine White handles the books as Bookkeeper.
The Social Justice Team
Social justice is one of the church's core values, and a new Social Justice Team has been established to deepen and expand the work. Led by Julie Hurst, the team collaborates with church leadership and the pastoral staff to plan educational programming, advocacy, and service projects. Each quarter brings book studies, movie viewings and discussions, guest speakers, testimony before elected officials, and letter-writing campaigns. Before elections, the team hosts a voter education forum. Alongside long-term advocacy, the team coordinates mission and charity programs to provide immediate support for those in the congregation and neighborhood.
Members of the church have traveled to Jefferson City to testify against bills that would ban gender-affirming care for trans youth and bar trans youth from school sports, and have stood in the Capitol rotunda with dozens of other organizations at rallies linking arms across issues. Trans Day of Remembrance and Trans Day of Visibility services are planned annually by lay members. The church has also joined rallies in support of immigrant communities and other justice efforts across the region.
Weekly and Monthly Offerings
Beyond Sunday worship, MCCGSL has built a steady rhythm of small gatherings, study, and movement.
Weekly
- Tea with the Vicars gathers on Tuesday mornings at 9 a.m. on Zoom with Pastor Lauren or Pastor Eli for an hour-long conversation that draws on themes from Sunday worship, community events, or major headlines.
- Create meets on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. for an old-fashioned sewing-circle style gathering to work on favorite projects, color, scrapbook, mend, knit, and make new friends.
Monthly
- Monthly Book Club meets on the second Monday at 7 p.m. on Zoom, reading and reflecting on the moral, ethical, and spiritual undertones of popular books.
- Botanical Gardens Meditations takes place on the third Wednesday at 8 a.m. for a walking meditation around the gardens.
- Chants and Cheers gathers on the last Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Urban Chestnut Brewery in the Grove, raising voices and glasses in a blend of beloved hymns, protest songs, queer chants, and soulful melodies drawn from traditions both sacred and secular.
- The Faith We Watch meets once a month for film and faith, exploring how movies can reveal glimpses of the sacred and open conversations about God and the world.
Members and friends also take part in a long-running outdoor worship tradition called Rugged Spirituality, hiking about three miles on the trails around St. Louis twice a month with Pastor Eli and Professor Scott.
Engaging Your Faith at Home
For those who want to go deeper on their own time, the church maintains an online collection of devotional writing tagged with topics ranging from poetry, social justice, and Activism to grief, lament, hope, AIDS, Gaza, Palestine, Joanna Macy, Dr. Jane Goodall, Mark Nepo, Jan Richardson, the Gifts of the Dark Wood, and Queer High Holidays. The writing is meant to feed the spiritual life both inside and outside Sunday worship and to provide materials for the "Talk With Your Neighbor" small group study series, which pairs sermon series with companion readings from scholars and theologians such as Yung Suk Kim, Mitzi J. Smith, Peter J. Gomes, Kittredge Cherry, Renita J. Weems, and Richard J. Foster.
Members can also honor a loved one with fresh flowers arranged each week by Riley's Florist for a special occasion or memorial.
The Board and Lay Delegates
The church is guided by a Board of Directors chaired by the Lead Pastor as Moderator. Current members include David Hanes (Vice Moderator), Tim Mullins (Clerk), Dennis White (Treasurer), Leona Bryson, Galen Elliot, Carole Ward, and Vicki Statsko. The Board meets monthly and supports the congregation's mission and vision.
Two lay delegates, Cheryl Stockton and Zeke Meyer, are elected by the members to serve as voting representatives at the denomination's General Conference and to facilitate the sharing of information between the local church and the global MCC throughout the year.
Contact, Giving, and Getting Involved
The church office is reachable at (314) 361-3221 and at info@mccgsl.org. Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday worship begins at 11 a.m. A mobile app is available for iOS and Android, and the congregation is active on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Giving is offered online through recurring and one-time donations, as well as a Christmas Concert Love Offering and a giving option to honor or memorialize a beloved person. Members and friends can also sign up to receive the church's email updates, submit prayer requests, or join the Social Justice Team. A First Time Visitor Packet and current Sunday bulletin can be downloaded.
For weddings, baptisms, or funerals, the pastors welcome a conversation by phone or email. Newcomers who want to learn more are invited to "Meet MCC" at any of the church's gatherings, with refreshments, conversation, and an open door.