‘Diversity is celebrated instead of shunned’ at Davenport church

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By Susan Anderson | Monday, May 05, 2008 | 6 comment(s)

Jeff Cook/QUAD-CITY TIMES Worshippers greet each other at the beginning of Sunday services at Metropolitan Community Church in Davenport. Buy this Photo!

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By Susan Anderson

QUAD-CITY TIMES

Hanging above the altar is a large wooden cross. Handmade by a member who has since passed away, it symbolizes the resilience and hope that resonate in this particular faith community.

When its former church building in Rock Island burned down in a fire caused by faulty wiring, the cross alone was left unscathed by the flames.

It was 1980 when a small group of residents from both sides of the Mississippi River came together to found the Metropolitan Community Church of the Quad-Cities, or MCC. It is a member congregation of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches that was established Oct. 6, 1968, in Huntington Park, Calif. Universal Fellowship is an international movement that has grown to more than 43,000 members and adherents with more than 300 congregations in 22 countries.

The Rev. Rich Hendricks began serving the local congregation as pastor in 2005. A graduate of Davenport West High School, he returned to officiate an “I do” ceremony for same-sex couples. Once he was introduced to the local congregation, Hendricks said he found a shared passion for community service and establishing a culture of love, acceptance and the celebration of diversity.

“I came here to specifically pastor this church because it is a very missions-minded church. They have a heart for serving and helping others, and are very active in many community organizations and causes,” he said. “That was important to me because my heart is with missions and helping others.”

Prior to arriving back in Davenport, Hendricks practiced law in Mississippi and Chicago, and he served as pastor of St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in McComb, Miss., where, in 1994, he founded and worked as executive director of St. Andrew’s Mission, Inc., a comprehensive anti-poverty agency. In addition to his duties at MCC, he is an addictions counselor at the Center for Alcohol and Drug Services, or CADS, in Davenport and an HIV/STD (sexually transmitted diseases) prevention specialist.

Metropolitan Community Churches generally are characterized as community-oriented and committed to social justice issues. The local MCC typifies that mission.

“The church has a local community tithe in addition to their denominational tithe,” Hendricks said. “A portion of each Sunday’s offering goes to a community charity that the congregation votes on each year.” This past year, for instance, the funds were awarded to Quad-Citians Affirming Diversity. Some past recipients include Churches United of the Quad-City Area and AIDS Project Quad-Cities. The church also participates on the fourth Friday of each month in Feed the Hungry, a program that provides hot meals to hungry and homeless people.

The mission of the church is to provide lively worship and a community where all are welcomed and celebrated for who they are. Larry Best has been with the church almost from its inception nearly three decades ago. “We don’t close our doors to anyone who wants to attend because this is God’s church, not our church,” he said. “We are a conglomeration of people from many faiths, and we are accepting of all people, no matter their race, creed, color or sexual orientation.”

Sharon Hege was looking for a church exactly like MCC, one that would welcome everybody. “I drove down from Clinton (Iowa) three times before I got up enough nerve to come in,” she said. “People were friendly and introduced themselves. The next night, I received a phone call from a member, and three days later, a note from the pastor arrived.”

Although the MCC appeals largely to the LBGT (Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender) community, according to the denomination’s founder, the Rev. Elder Troy Perry, “We are not a gay church. We are a Christian church. … a general Protestant church to be all-inclusive.”

“We don’t want to be known as ‘the gay church.’ We also have straight members,” Hendricks said.

Susan Stewart Lodmell and her husband have attended the church for the past 2½ years. “Our daughter invited us. We kept coming because of the welcoming atmosphere. You are welcomed no matter who you are,” she said. “Diversity is celebrated instead of shunned.”

Identifying herself as a feminist, Stewart Lodmell also expressed appreciation for the gender-neutral language used by the church and in its preferred translation of the Bible.

A typical worship service finds a blend of traditional elements, such as Communion and the Lord’s Prayer, with contemporary elements such as skits and poetry readings. The Communion table is open to all who wish to partake.

Hendricks conveys a progressive ideology to his congregation. “I don’t believe in religion. Religion is about rules and power and control. I am about spirituality and faith, loving God and loving others,” he said. “I preach a queer spirituality, which I define this way: We are all queer, and by that I mean different and unique. God calls us to embrace our differences and our similarities as children of God. He created wonderful diversity among us and we should be celebrating it.”

Contact the city desk at (563) 383-2245 or newsroom@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.

Metropolitan Community Church

Address: 3019 N. Harrison, Davenport

Established: 1980

Pastor: The Rev. Rich Hendricks

Membership: 87

Telephone number: (563) 324-8281

Services: 10 a.m. Sunday

Children’s Sunday school: 9 a.m. Sunday

Bible study: 7 p.m. Wednesday

ABOUT THE SERIES

Communities of Faith is a periodic feature designed to showcase houses of worship of all faiths in the Quad-City region. It is published on Tuesdays in the Salute section. If you would like your congregation to be considered for a feature story, contact us with details about your church and provide a name and the telephone number of someone to contact. E-mail the information to newsroom@ qctimes.com or call (563) 383-2345