A Welcoming Congregation on William Howard Taft Road
Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church sits on William Howard Taft Road in the Mt. Auburn neighborhood of Cincinnati, just minutes from the University of Cincinnati and the city's urban core. Across more than three decades the congregation has become known well beyond its neighborhood as one of the most progressive churches in the region - a place that pairs traditional Presbyterian worship with a fierce commitment to radical inclusion, environmental stewardship, and justice work. Members describe the congregation with three short words on the front of the building: Belong. Become. Be Love.
A Statement of Belonging That Sets the Tone
At the heart of MAPC's identity is a 2023 Statement of Belonging, ratified to clarify exactly who is welcomed at 103 William Howard Taft Road. The congregation seeks to honor and love all persons without exception, including people of every age and ability, every sexual orientation, gender identity, and family form, every racial, ethnic, national, cultural, and economic background, every immigration status, every generation and personality, and every faith and belief background - including none at all. The statement commits the church to recognize and lift up every person's unique gifts, to listen and learn, and to live the values of Christ - love, justice, and peace - with reverence for God's creation.
MAPC is also a More Light Presbyterian Church, a designation for Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations that actively work for the full participation of LGBTQ people in the life of the denomination. The church's own published resources include an LGBTQ Inclusion Policy, a statement on Marriage at MAPC affirming that all are welcome, and an essay by Pastor Emeritus Harold G. Porter marking the twentieth anniversary of that inclusion policy.
Sunday Mornings: Worship, Education, and Coffee Hour
The Sunday rhythm at MAPC begins with Encounters with God - Spiritual Education, a discussion-based adult formation hour that meets from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. in the Geier Room on select Sundays. Topics range from education and economic issues to civil rights, sustainability, and LGBTQ support - all approached in a progressive, open-minded key.
At 11:00 a.m. the congregation gathers for Worship, which runs to about noon. Services are streamed live on Facebook and YouTube, and a PDF bulletin is posted so those watching from home can follow along. Communion is celebrated together on the first Sunday of every month, with an open table. After the service everyone is invited to the Social Room for Coffee Hour, which runs from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. and gives members and visitors a chance to linger over coffee and conversation.
Music is a real centerpiece of worship. On any given Sunday the congregation might hear choral music, organ or piano, brass, cello, woodwinds, or handbells, along with first-rate guest soloists. The music program is led by Director of Music Ministry Chris Miller and Organist Beth Troendly.
Children and Youth
MAPC describes its approach as intergenerational ministry - working with children, youth, and teens rather than simply doing things for them. Children begin in the sanctuary with their families for the start of worship, then move to Godly Play, a Montessori-inspired approach to Scripture in which children explore the Bible through stories and developmentally appropriate, imagination-stretching activities. Godly Play takes place in the classrooms on the second floor of the education wing.
Beyond Sunday morning, MAPC offers programs for older youth and teens, and the Get Involved page points families to ongoing options for young people at the church.
An Earth Care Congregation
Environmental justice is woven into everything MAPC does, and the church holds the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s Earth Care Congregation designation. The Earth Care team frames its work around four commitments:
- Green Faith: Worship and discipleship celebrate God's grace and glory in creation, cherishing, protecting, and restoring the earth.
- Green Learning: The congregation studies threats to the earth from academic and scientific perspectives and supports members in their own stewardship journey.
- Green Living: Members and the church building pursue sustainable energy, transportation, and waste-management practices, including Recycling Sundays and a documented push toward carbon neutrality.
- Green Outreach: MAPC engages in public policy and community partnerships to protect and restore the vulnerable earth, joining with people who are often overlooked to demand environmental justice locally and globally.
Resources made available to the wider community include readings on climate change, a local food guide, a guide to food waste and composting, and a study on becoming a carbon-neutral church. Each spring the Earth Care team publishes a letter to the congregation, and the church observes Earth Care Sunday as part of its annual worship calendar.
A Progressive History in Cincinnati
MAPC's commitment to inclusion is not new. In 1991, under the pastoral leadership of the Reverend Harold G. Porter, the congregation adopted a policy of inclusion that defied the Presbyterian General Assembly's 1978 anti-gay policy statement. The Cincinnati Presbytery pursued disciplinary actions against the congregation; MAPC weathered them, and the policy drew national attention as a groundbreaking progressive stand. MAPC became the first church to walk in Cincinnati's Pride Parade.
The Reverend Stephen Van Kuiken took up the pastorate just before 2000, continuing the work of full inclusion. After same-sex unions at the church brought further charges from the Presbytery in 2002, both Van Kuiken and Porter were found not guilty; Van Kuiken's pastoral relationship with MAPC was eventually dissolved by the Presbytery. In 2005 the Reverend Susan Quinn Bryan became MAPC's first female pastor, and she led the congregation until her retirement in 2014. The Reverend Stacey Midge continued the church's justice work until 2023, when the current Statement of Belonging was adopted. The Reverend Lucinda Perera Isaacs was installed as pastor in 2025.
A guiding line from Porter - a Pastor Emeritus of MAPC - still reads: Nobody should be overlooked. To do so is to offend the Gospel... Further, the church should be involved in the social, political, and economic orders of life.
Music Beyond Sunday Morning
Music at MAPC extends well beyond the chancel. The church hosts several ensembles:
- Chancel Choir rehearses on Thursdays from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the music room, September through June, under the direction of Chris Miller.
- Handbell Choir plays a three-octave set of Schulmerich handbells during worship and rehearses on Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., also in the music room. The handbell choir is open to anyone regardless of experience.
- October Festival Choir performs each year as a Cincinnati-wide musical event promoting love, acceptance, and enrichment.
- Brass Fellowship brings together student, amateur, and professional brass players from across the city.
Groups, Classes, and Bible Study
Learning together is a central pillar of life at MAPC. Beyond the Sunday morning Encounters with God hour, members gather in several other settings:
- The Open Stacks Book Club, an open-minded reading group facilitated by Nan Costello and Bill Bogdan.
- Zoom Bible Study, which meets on most Tuesdays at noon and welcomes readers of Scripture who approach the Bible with openness, imagination, and curiosity.
- Mount Auburn Nights Out, an ongoing series of group outings that take the congregation into Cincinnati for food, music, ballet, the zoo, and more.
- Education and Spiritual Nurture Committee programming, led by Anne Marciniak, Poppy Evans, and Sequoia Powers-Griffin, which adds adult education, book clubs, and special meditations to the calendar.
Justice-Seeking Mission and Outreach
The Justice-Seeking Committee, led by Linda Ford and Sequoia Powers-Griffin, organizes MAPC's outward-facing work. The congregation supports racial equity, immigrant and refugee support, LGBTQ support, affordable housing (including the Cincinnati Scholar House), elimination of the death penalty, fair voting districts, and Communities United for Action (CUFA). The committee also runs a card ministry for inmates.
MAPC partners with several local and national organizations to carry out this work, including the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area, Third Way Peace Fellowship, SOTENI, the Sierra Club's Miami Group, the Woman's City Club, Treehouse Cincinnati, SOS Art Cincinnati, and Ignite Peace (IJPC Cincinnati).
The Operations Committee, with Diane Myers as a key contact, maintains the historic church building and grounds, while Finance and Stewardship - led by Ruth Ann Van Loon and Lisa Foster - oversees the budget and the annual stewardship campaign.
Worship Leadership and Governance
The Reverend Lucinda Perera Isaacs serves as pastor. Christian (Chris) Miller is Director of Music Ministry, Beth Troendly is Organist, and Heidi Middendorf serves as Office Administrator. The session, MAPC's governing body, is currently served by Clerk Judy Cunningham and members Michael Adee, Patricia Boone, Poppy Evans, Anne Marciniak, Diane Myers, Amy Jo Poche, and Ruth Ann Van Loon. The Board of Deacons is co-moderated by Mark Schuller and David Foote, with additional members Van Ackerman, Brian Anderson, Rob Biddinger, Jane Carter, David Foote, Heather Graden, Rob McCullough, and Marlene Muse. MAPC also continues to count Rev. Harold G. Porter among its pastors as Pastor Emeritus.
Finding the Church and Getting Involved
MAPC is located at 103 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, OH 45219. Street parking is available near the building, and the church's own parking lot sits behind the building; additional street and lot options are open on Sundays. Visitors are asked not to park in the lots belonging to either adjacent apartment complex, where unauthorized cars may be towed. The office is open Tuesday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and the church can be reached at 513-281-5945 or office@mtauburnpresby.org.
Becoming a member is intentionally unhurried. New member classes are offered twice a year, no particular creed or dogma is required, and visitors are welcome to attend without any obligation to join. Members come from a wide variety of faith backgrounds - and from none at all. Anyone exploring MAPC is invited to come as they are, attend Sunday worship at 11:00 a.m., linger for Coffee Hour, and find out what it means to belong, become, and be love at a Cincinnati church that has spent decades working to keep its doors wide open.