This morning I attended the 10:00 am worship service at Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ. As a long-term member of CoH (for more on my experiences in this vibrant. inclusive, and progressive community over the last eight years check out Long-Term Church Membership) and as a LGBTQ+ ally it was important to me to be present for Pride Sunday.
55 Years of Faithful Ministry
Cathedral of Hope will soon celebrate its 55th anniversary.
From humble beginnings as a small congregational affiliated with the Metropolitan Community Church to becoming one of the largest churches in the United Church of Christ, Cathedral of Hope has always been a beacon of love in and beyond Dallas, Texas. In the 1990s it gained wider recognition as the world’s largest congregation primarily serving the LGBTQ+ community.
For the last ten years, the Rev. Dr. Neil Thomas has served as the congregation’s Senior Pastor. During this time, the congregation has continued to expand its work of both advocating for justice for all people while also providing ministries to meet the needs of those in the community until such a time as a more just world is realized.
Pride Sunday
After years of real progress, this year Pride feels different.
The United States government has undergone radical transformation under the leadership of its current President. His continuous attempts to act beyond the considerable power entrusted to him have resulted in numerous lawsuits and was on full display yesterday as millions of people participated in No Kings Day protests. Importantly, some of the Presidential overreach has been targeted at removing rights from specific groups of people.
In a similar manner, the country’s largest Protestant denomination gathered this week in Dallas for its annual meeting. The Southern Baptist Convention chose to champion its own efforts to remove rights from others as a central component of this year’s event. More specifically, they passed a resolution titled On Restoring Moral Clarity through God’s Design for Gender, Marriage, and the Family that “calls for the overturning of laws and court rulings, including Obergefell v.
Hodges.”
In his Pride Sunday message, Break Through to Freedom, Rev. Dr. Neil Thomas mentioned the cultural moment in which we find ourselves while focusing on the power of love. He reminded us that freedom mentioned in the day’s reading (John 15:12-17) is a freedom that comes with responsibility. Jesus calls those who follow him to the work of peace and justice, the very work that is central to the mission and ministry of Cathedral of Hope. We are invited to be imitators of Jesus and to continue the work of making heaven more real on earth as it already is in heaven by embodying God’s love for all and by co-creating a better, more just, and more peaceful world for all.
Communion and Union
Every person who attends worship at Cathedral of Hope is invited to receive Communion. Unlike many megachurches that focus on efficiency in distributing the elements, Hope focuses on the experience. Rather than offering just a few stations staffed by clergy, Hope provides stations all across the front of the sanctuary using both clergy and lay minister of worship. As folks come forward, they not only receive Communion (on their own, as a couple, or as a group of friends), but also a blessing.
Finally, every Sunday morning service ends with all present uniting. People reach out to one another, link hands, and then lift their hands and voices. United in Christ, congregants are then sent out into the world to live lives of service.
Happy LGTBTQ+ Pride Month!
Note: I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of Cathedral of Hope and thankful for the opportunities I’ve had to serve other Open and Affirming Congregations in the United Church of Christ: Naples United Church of Christ (Naples, Florida) and Fort Myers United Church of Christ (Fort Myers, Florida).