Cathedral
of Hope votes overwhelmingly to join UCCWritten by
J. Bennett Guess
Tuesday,
01 November 2005
The 4,300-member Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas, has
voted overwhelmingly to seek denominational affiliation with
the UCC.
On
Oct. 30, during a congregational vote, 94 percent of voting
members answered “yes” to the question, “Shall
the Cathedral of Hope affiliate as a member church with the
United Church of Christ?” The congregation’s decision
now awaits response from the UCC’s North Texas Association,
which is the denomination’s setting charged with taking
up a request for “congregational standing.”
“The Cathedral of
Hope and the United Church of Christ seem like a natural
fit,” said the Rev. Jo Hudson, an ordained UCC minister
who serves as senior pastor and rector of the Cathedral. “The
United Church of Christ has long been at the forefront of
societal change, most recently, of course, by becoming the
first mainstream denomination to support equal marriage rights
for same-gender couples. Their values are our values, and
we look forward to joining in partnership and continuing the
work for which God has called us together.”
Ironically,
at a time when UCC leaders are conceding that an estimated 20
congregations are likely to leave the denomination in response
to a decision in July by the UCC’s General Synod to affirm
same-gender marriage equality, the 1.3-million-member church
also is attracting interest from existing congregations in unprecedented
numbers. In October alone, six existing churches joined the
UCC, which may be a single month’s record.
Cathedral
of Hope’s decision comes amid speculation that two other
large-membership churches will consider joining the UCC in 2006.
In
Minneapolis, the 2,000-member Plymouth Congregational
Church has planned forums about the UCC in anticipation
of a May 2006 congregational vote. And, in Tulsa, Okla., the Higher Dimensions Family
Church – a charismatic, integrated mega-church founded
25 years ago by Oral Roberts Evangelistic Ministries – has
made known its interest in UCC affiliation. The church’s
founding pastor, Bishop Carlton D. Pearson, has indicated his
enthusiasm for the UCC at recent gatherings of the denomination’s
Northern California – Nevada Conference and Kansas – Oklahoma
Conference.
In
Dallas, the Cathedral of Hope began exploring affiliation with
the UCC in 1997, when a congregational vote authorized church
leaders to look into the possibility. Information was gathered,
but never acted upon. However, church leaders say the question
arose again in 2002 when the congregation voted to disaffiliate
with the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches.
In
January, the church’s board of directors instructed its
affiliation and expansion committee to resume exploration of
affiliation “in earnest.” The committee’s
positive recommendation prompted the congregation’s full
consideration.
If
standing is granted, Cathedral of Hope would become the UCC’s
third-largest congregation, following after the 9,000-member Trinity
UCC in Chicago and the 5,500-member Victory UCC
in Stone Mountain, Ga. The Cathedral of Hope also would
become the largest in the UCC’s South Central Conference
(Texas and Louisiana), which currently has 13,600 members in
85 congregations.
Touted
as “the world’s largest liberal Christian church
with a primary outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
people,” the Cathedral of Hope’s local and national
ministries (including a satellite campus in Oklahoma City);
outreach programs; counseling services; and radio, television
and internet ministries reach thousands every day
