Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Metropolitan Community Church Historical Collection
Coll2009-006
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Title: Metropolitan Community Church historical collection
creator:
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2009-006
Physical Description:
12.2 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1969-2004
Date (bulk): bulk
Abstract: This collection consists of materials relating to the origins, history, and ministry of the Metropolitan Community Church,
including both its governing body, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, and the individual congregations
that make up the Fellowship. The materials include brochures, bylaws, calendars, circulars, congregation meeting minutes,
correspondence, financial papers, flyers, handbills, installations of pastors, invitations, news releases, newspapers clippings,
orders of worship, pastoral letters, programs, sermons, and photographs. The most substantial records relate to the Beach
Cities congregation in Santa Monica, California; the Los Angeles "Mother Church" for the years 1969-1979; and the New York
City congregation for the years 1974-1977.
Physical Description: 6 records boxes + 3 archive cartons + 1 archive half-carton + 1 oversize box(12.2 linear feet).
Container: 1
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in writing from ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives as the
physical owner. Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holder(s) of any copyrights in the materials. Note that ONE
National Gay and Lesbian Archives can grant copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for all other materials directly from the copyright
holder(s).
Metropolitan Community Church historical collection, Coll2009-006, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.
Many materials came to the archives through a donation by Fred Bradford in 1979. Other materials were pulled together from
other collections at ONE National Gay and Lesbian Collections.
Formerly boxes 104-84 through 104-93, and ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives Subject Files. Collection processed by Michael
P. Palmer, November 17, 2009.
To be supplied later.
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection consists of materials relating to the origins, history, and ministry of the Metropolitan Community Church
(MCC), including both its governing body, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC), and the individual
congregations that make up the Fellowship. The materials include brochures, bylaws, calendars, circulars, congregation meeting
minutes, correspondence, financial papers, flyers, handbills, installations of pastors, invitations, news releases, newspapers
clippings, orders of worship, pastoral letters, programs, sermons, and photographs. Because of the method in which the collection
was created (see the Note below), the materials are fragmentary: the most substantial records relate to the Beach Cities congregation
in Santa Monica, California; the Los Angeles congregation for the years 1969-1979; and the New York City congregation for
the years 1974-1977.
Note: Prior to the engaging of professional archivists in 2006, the staff of the International Gay & Lesbian Archives, predecessor
to ONE Archives, would occasionally remove materials pertaining to a specific subject, individual, or institution from whatever
personal or institutional collection in which they were found to a specially created "historical collection". This procedure
not only compromised the integrity of the collections from which the material was removed, but also resulted in collections
that did not present consistent coverage of the intended subjects. The Metropolitan Community Church Historical Collection
is one such "artificial collection": parts of its contents can be traced to the collections of J. J. Bertrund Belanger, Fred
Bradford and Chuck David, Jim Kepner, Morris Kight, John O'Brien, and Johan Vessup. Returning individual items to the collections
from which they were taken is impractical; this finding aid indicates the origin of a specific file whenever this can be determined.
The collection is arranged in 6 series: (1) UFMCC, (2) General Conferences, (3) Congregations, (4) Photographs, (5) Audio,
and (6) Memorabilia.
6 linear feet of newsletters transferred to ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives Periodicals and Newsletters Collection.
Original Register of Baptisms, Holy Unions and Members, February 1972-April 1975, of the Long Beach, California, congregation
(now disbanded), returned to the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Christian gay men
Christian lesbians
Christian gays
Gay liberation movement -- Religious aspects
Church work with gays
Homosexuality -- Religious aspects
Gays -- Religious life
Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches
West Bay Metropolitan Community Church (Santa Monica, Calif.)
Beach Cities Metropolitan Community Church (Santa Monica, Calif.)
Kepner, Jim (James Lynn Kepner, Jr.)
Metropolitan Community Church in the Valley (North Hollywood, Calif.)
Metropolitan Community Church of New York
Metropolitan Community Church (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Perry, Troy D.
Metropolitan Community Church (Santa Monica, Calif.)