The Last Word: Holiday Greetings, Dear Friends

The Last Word

Holiday greetings dear friends,

As an introduction, I am the Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Hartford (MCC Hartford) and an Elder in the global MCC denomination; a ministry and social justice movement that was founded in 1968 by a de-credentialed (because he is gay) Pentecostal minister named Troy Perry. Rev. Perry’s divine calling was to provide love and support as a special ministry to those in the LGBTQ+ community who were not welcome in their places of worship and told that God does not love them because of who they are and who they love. MCC was, and is, called to share the truth—that God’s love is unconditional and this divine love is for ALL; no exceptions, conditions, or exclusions.

Founded in 1973, MCC Hartford shares this calling; faithfully proclaiming a gospel of love and liberation, and sharing God’s love with those in the LGBTQ+ community, who have been hurt by religious intolerance or suffer from rejection by family and society, more broadly. Like all MCCs globally, MCC Hartford shares a mission to seek social justice through activism and to advance queer civil and human rights; believing that spirituality, sexuality, and gender are divine gifts.

As a trans Pastor, I am particularly passionate about MCC Hartford’s newest ministry TV365 (trans voice and visibility 365 days a year). This special outreach ministry is in its 5th year providing love and support to trans folx in real and tangible ways – while also providing spiritual care to the souls we meet as we live OUT the truth that trans and nonbinary people have dignity and worth and are beloved of God. TV365 has helped hundreds over the years find help to: meet short term critical/emergent basic needs, change legal documents, access support groups, move from homelessness to homes, and much more.

The “least of these” designation is a human (not divinely) created phenomenon and we, at MCC Hartford, seek to make the “last first” by providing physical and spiritual care through its ministries—to alleviate suffering, physically and spiritually, within the queer community. That said, a true welcome and warm hospitality are a priority during Sunday worship services and fellowship after. Our hope is that each leaves feeling loved, affirmed, and supported by those who gather to worship here. We affirm and celebrate that we are all created in the image of God as an expression of God’s love in the world. Wherever you are on your spiritual journey and whatever religious experience you may have had (or not), MCC Hartford is a spiritual home where love lives, chosen family is a reality, and where ministry is life-affirming and sometimes even life-saving.

It will come as no surprise when I state the obvious: we are in difficult, often scary, and very uncertain times; however, it is important to remember the LGBTQ+ community is resilient and has had many victories over a long history. MCC was started months before the Stonewall riots, and we hold gratitude for our courageous queer ancestors upon whose shoulders we stand as we continue to fight for what all deserve: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…fundamental, inherent rights that are to be protected, not granted only to some. Remember also that MCC, along with many organizations and faith communities are working worldwide in solidarity; though this rarely makes the ‘headlines.’

At this holiday time, however we each choose to celebrate and observe, let us also remember that we are uniquely and intentionally created with joy (called “bundles of joy” at birth) and loved by those who surround us. Like our ancestors, we are stronger, more courageous, and more resilient than we realize. My prayer is that we draw closer to one another to face the current storms and challenges while we also remember we have survived such adversity many times before. May we choose, in radical response, to offer loving kindness and compassion, and share hopefulness through our words and actions to help encourage others. Love holds incredible power—power that hate fears. Love holds even greater power when we love together. It is time to believe in love and to believe in each other. I believe. My hope is that you will too.

With love and hope for 2026,