Cornerstone MCC ....The Church that Love is Building!
A congregation of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC): Cornerstone MCC
Church is a Ecumenical, Evangelical and Eucharistic Christian Church which seeks to provide a House of
Prayer for All Peoples, especially those who have been made to feel excluded and marginalized by religion
and society. In faith we offer hope, healing and reconciliation through God's transforming grace by
communicating Jesus Christ's Gospel message of Divine Inclusive Love for all.
Here at Cornerstone we teach that God has a plan and purpose for each life and we encourage each
individual in their life journey toward discovery, wholeness and fulfillment in their Divine destiny.
We desire to worship God our Creator, make disciples for Christ, do justice, love mercy, care for creation and
celebrate Life in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit!]
MCC Statements of Vision, Purpose, and Direction
MCC Statement of Vision
Metropolitan Community Churches are on a bold mission to transform hearts, lives, and history. We are a
movement that faithfully proclaims God’s inclusive love for all people and proudly bears witness to the holy
integration of spirituality and sexuality.
Just as Jesus did, we are called to:
Do justice, show kindness, and live humbly with God. (Micah 6:8)
Explore life’s questions with open hearts and minds.
Raise our voices in sacred defiance against religious (and political or systemic) exclusion.
Reach out to those with no hope.
Lift up new generations of remarkable, far-reaching spiritual activists.
---------------------------------------------
MCC Statement of Purpose
As God’s liberated people, we boldly . . .
Reclaim our Holy Identity
At MCC,we believe that even in our humanness, we are holy. We are liberated from other people’s definitions
of who we are. We are made both body and spirit. We believe that our sexuality is a holy gift from God so we
no longer distance our bodies from our experience with God. We are a people who proudly participate in the
communion of body and spirit.
Advance our call to Social Justice and Action
At MCC, we believe that Jesus led the way in acts of compassion and acts of justice. Because we have been
a people in the margins of society, we understand fully the grace that God has extended to us. We seek to
distance ourselves from exclusion and draw ourselves closer to including all those who are marginalized in
any way. We stand boldly with those who resist the structures of exclusion, as Jesus did, and work to insure
freedom for all people. In the margins, we are blessed.
Tell the story of God’s Transforming Grace
At MCC, we come as we are to Christ and are changed by what we find. We experience a God with open
arms, inviting all to take the sacred journey of faith and transformation. We are growing in our faith and claim
that our place in society has magnified our place in God’s family. We are one of the many voices of God that,
until now, has been lost in the margins!
Nurture the value of Community
At MCC, we believe our ultimate ministry is in the world. We know that in order to prepare ourselves for
radical service that changes lives, we must equip ourselves and others in the safety of a supportive
community. We strive to live out a message that rejects the idea that any are excluded from the family of God.
Build bridges that Liberate and Unite
At MCC, we have experienced the soul destruction that comes from hate filled rhetoric. In restoring our souls,
we have come to find that our voices will speak the liberation that comes through peace, compassion, love,
respect and grace. As followers of Jesus, we believe ineveryone’s holy privilege to work out their own
salvation. While we are a Christian church who follows Jesus, we respect those of other faith traditions and
work together with them to free all those who are oppressed by hate, disregard and violence.
------------------------------------------------
MCC Statement of Direction
MCC has staked its claim. As one of the world’s emerging churches, we are proclaiming a spirituality that is
liberating and sufficiently profound to address the issues of our chaotic and complicated world. We live out
our belief that in the margins we are blessed and we are offering multiple ways for people to access our
message of liberation and inclusion. Through church planting, church revitalization, alliances, the internet,
and our work in acts of compassion and justice, we will expand our reach substantially over the next few
years. MCC will become a name known to an increasing number of people as a place where all are
welcomed and our service to those who are excluded is a primary focus of our ministry . We will be leaders in
the world about the union of spirituality and sexuality by articulating our message and spreading it effectively.
-----------------------------------------------
MCC Core Values
Inclusion
Love is our greatest moral value and resisting exclusion is a primary focus of our ministry. We want to
continue to be the conduits of a faith where everyone is included in thefamily of God, and where all parts of
our being are welcomed at God’s table.
Community
Offering a safe and open community for people to worship, learn and grow in their faith is our deep desire.
We are committed to equipping ourselves and each other to do the work that God has called us to do in the
world.
Spiritual Transformation
Providing a message of liberation from the oppressive religious environment of our day or to those
experiencing God for the first time is what guides our ministry. We believe that when people are invited to
experience God through the life and ministry of Christ, lives will be transformed.
Social Action
Working to talk less and do more, we are committed to resisting the structures that oppress people and
standing with to those who suffer under the weight of oppressive systems, being guided always by our
commitment to Global Human Rights.
-----------------------------------------------
MCC's Statement of Faith...
DOCTRINE, SACRAMENTS AND RITES
A. DOCTRINE: Christianity is the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and is the religion set forth in the
Scriptures. Jesus Christ is foretold in the Old Testament, presented in the New Testament, and proclaimed by
the Christian Church in every age and in every land.
Founded in the interest of offering a church home to all who confess and believe, the Universal Fellowship of
Metropolitan Community Churches moves in the mainstream of Christianity.
Our faith is based upon the principles outlined in the historic creeds: Apostles and Nicene.
We believe:
1. In one triune God, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, of one substance and of three persons: God,
our Parent-Creator; Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God, God in flesh, human; and the Holy Spirit,
God as our Sustainer.
2. That the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, showing forth God to every person through the law
and the prophets, and finally, completely and ultimately on earth in the being of Jesus Christ.
3. That Jesus...the Christ...historically recorded as living some 2,000 years before this writing, is God
incarnate, of human birth, fully God and fully human, and that by being one with God, Jesus has
demonstrated once and forever that all people are likewise Children of God, being spiritually made in God’s
image.
4. That the Holy Spirit is God making known God’s love and interest to all people. The Holy Spirit is God,
available to and working through all who are willing to place their welfare in God’s keeping.
5. Every person is justified by grace to God through faith in Jesus Christ.
6. We are saved from loneliness, despair and degradation through God’s gift of grace, as was declared by
our Savior. Such grace is not earned, but is a pure gift from a God of pure love. We further commend the
community of the faithful to a life of prayer; to seek genuine forgiveness for unkind, thoughtless and unloving
acts; and to a committed life of Christian service.
7. The Church serves to bring all people to God through Christ. To this end, it shall arrange for regular
services of worship, prayer, interpretation of the Scriptures, and edification through the teaching and
preaching of the Word.
B. SACRAMENTS: This Church embraces two holy Sacraments:
1. BAPTISM by water and the Spirit, as recorded in the Scriptures, shall be a sign of the dedication of each
life to God and God’s service. Through the words and acts of this sacrament, the recipient is identified as
God’s own Child.
2. HOLY COMMUNION is the partaking of blessed bread and fruit of the vine in accordance with the words of
Jesus, our Sovereign: This is my body...this is my blood. (Matthew 26:26-28). All who believe, confess and
repent and seek God’s love through Christ, after examining their consciences, may freely participate in the
communal meal, signifying their desire to be received into community with Jesus Christ, to be saved by Jesus
Christ's sacrifice, to participate in Jesus Christ's resurrection, and to commit their lives anew to the service of
Jesus Christ.
C. RITES: The Rites of the Church as performed by its duly authorized
ministers shall consist of the following:
1. The RITE OF ORDINATION is the setting apart of duly qualified persons for the professional ministry of
this Church. It is evidenced by the laying on of hands by authorized ordained clergy, pursuant to these
Bylaws.
2. The RITE OF ATTAINING MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHURCH shall be conducted by the Pastor or Interim
Pastoral Leader before a local congregation at any regular worship service. In accordance with criteria
established by the local church, a baptized Christian may become a member in good standing of the local
church group through a letter of transfer from a recognized Christian body or through affirmation of faith.
3. The RITE OF HOLY UNION/RITE OF HOLY MATRIMONY is the spiritual joining of two persons in a
manner fitting and proper by a duly authorized clergy or Interim Pastoral Leader of the church. After both
persons have been counseled and apprised of their responsibilities one toward the other, this rite of
conferring God’s blessing may be performed.
4. The RITE OF FUNERAL OR MEMORIAL SERVICE is to be fittingly conducted by the ministers of the
Church for the deceased.
5. The RITE OF LAYING ON OF HANDS or prayer for the healing of the sick in mind, body or spirit is to be
conducted by the ministers of the Church, at their discretion, upon request.
6. The RITE OF BLESSING may be conducted by the ministers of the Church for persons, things and
relationships, when deemed appropriate by the minister. This includes the dedication of a church building to
the glory of God.
Visit the UFMCC web site.
A congregation of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC): Cornerstone MCC
Church is a Ecumenical, Evangelical and Eucharistic Christian Church which seeks to provide a House of
Prayer for All Peoples, especially those who have been made to feel excluded and marginalized by religion
and society. In faith we offer hope, healing and reconciliation through God's transforming grace by
communicating Jesus Christ's Gospel message of Divine Inclusive Love for all.
Here at Cornerstone we teach that God has a plan and purpose for each life and we encourage each
individual in their life journey toward discovery, wholeness and fulfillment in their Divine destiny.
We desire to worship God our Creator, make disciples for Christ, do justice, love mercy, care for creation and
celebrate Life in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit!]
MCC Statements of Vision, Purpose, and Direction
MCC Statement of Vision
Metropolitan Community Churches are on a bold mission to transform hearts, lives, and history. We are a
movement that faithfully proclaims God’s inclusive love for all people and proudly bears witness to the holy
integration of spirituality and sexuality.
Just as Jesus did, we are called to:
Do justice, show kindness, and live humbly with God. (Micah 6:8)
Explore life’s questions with open hearts and minds.
Raise our voices in sacred defiance against religious (and political or systemic) exclusion.
Reach out to those with no hope.
Lift up new generations of remarkable, far-reaching spiritual activists.
---------------------------------------------
MCC Statement of Purpose
As God’s liberated people, we boldly . . .
Reclaim our Holy Identity
At MCC,we believe that even in our humanness, we are holy. We are liberated from other people’s definitions
of who we are. We are made both body and spirit. We believe that our sexuality is a holy gift from God so we
no longer distance our bodies from our experience with God. We are a people who proudly participate in the
communion of body and spirit.
Advance our call to Social Justice and Action
At MCC, we believe that Jesus led the way in acts of compassion and acts of justice. Because we have been
a people in the margins of society, we understand fully the grace that God has extended to us. We seek to
distance ourselves from exclusion and draw ourselves closer to including all those who are marginalized in
any way. We stand boldly with those who resist the structures of exclusion, as Jesus did, and work to insure
freedom for all people. In the margins, we are blessed.
Tell the story of God’s Transforming Grace
At MCC, we come as we are to Christ and are changed by what we find. We experience a God with open
arms, inviting all to take the sacred journey of faith and transformation. We are growing in our faith and claim
that our place in society has magnified our place in God’s family. We are one of the many voices of God that,
until now, has been lost in the margins!
Nurture the value of Community
At MCC, we believe our ultimate ministry is in the world. We know that in order to prepare ourselves for
radical service that changes lives, we must equip ourselves and others in the safety of a supportive
community. We strive to live out a message that rejects the idea that any are excluded from the family of God.
Build bridges that Liberate and Unite
At MCC, we have experienced the soul destruction that comes from hate filled rhetoric. In restoring our souls,
we have come to find that our voices will speak the liberation that comes through peace, compassion, love,
respect and grace. As followers of Jesus, we believe ineveryone’s holy privilege to work out their own
salvation. While we are a Christian church who follows Jesus, we respect those of other faith traditions and
work together with them to free all those who are oppressed by hate, disregard and violence.
------------------------------------------------
MCC Statement of Direction
MCC has staked its claim. As one of the world’s emerging churches, we are proclaiming a spirituality that is
liberating and sufficiently profound to address the issues of our chaotic and complicated world. We live out
our belief that in the margins we are blessed and we are offering multiple ways for people to access our
message of liberation and inclusion. Through church planting, church revitalization, alliances, the internet,
and our work in acts of compassion and justice, we will expand our reach substantially over the next few
years. MCC will become a name known to an increasing number of people as a place where all are
welcomed and our service to those who are excluded is a primary focus of our ministry . We will be leaders in
the world about the union of spirituality and sexuality by articulating our message and spreading it effectively.
-----------------------------------------------
MCC Core Values
Inclusion
Love is our greatest moral value and resisting exclusion is a primary focus of our ministry. We want to
continue to be the conduits of a faith where everyone is included in thefamily of God, and where all parts of
our being are welcomed at God’s table.
Community
Offering a safe and open community for people to worship, learn and grow in their faith is our deep desire.
We are committed to equipping ourselves and each other to do the work that God has called us to do in the
world.
Spiritual Transformation
Providing a message of liberation from the oppressive religious environment of our day or to those
experiencing God for the first time is what guides our ministry. We believe that when people are invited to
experience God through the life and ministry of Christ, lives will be transformed.
Social Action
Working to talk less and do more, we are committed to resisting the structures that oppress people and
standing with to those who suffer under the weight of oppressive systems, being guided always by our
commitment to Global Human Rights.
-----------------------------------------------
MCC's Statement of Faith...
DOCTRINE, SACRAMENTS AND RITES
A. DOCTRINE: Christianity is the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and is the religion set forth in the
Scriptures. Jesus Christ is foretold in the Old Testament, presented in the New Testament, and proclaimed by
the Christian Church in every age and in every land.
Founded in the interest of offering a church home to all who confess and believe, the Universal Fellowship of
Metropolitan Community Churches moves in the mainstream of Christianity.
Our faith is based upon the principles outlined in the historic creeds: Apostles and Nicene.
We believe:
1. In one triune God, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, of one substance and of three persons: God,
our Parent-Creator; Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God, God in flesh, human; and the Holy Spirit,
God as our Sustainer.
2. That the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, showing forth God to every person through the law
and the prophets, and finally, completely and ultimately on earth in the being of Jesus Christ.
3. That Jesus...the Christ...historically recorded as living some 2,000 years before this writing, is God
incarnate, of human birth, fully God and fully human, and that by being one with God, Jesus has
demonstrated once and forever that all people are likewise Children of God, being spiritually made in God’s
image.
4. That the Holy Spirit is God making known God’s love and interest to all people. The Holy Spirit is God,
available to and working through all who are willing to place their welfare in God’s keeping.
5. Every person is justified by grace to God through faith in Jesus Christ.
6. We are saved from loneliness, despair and degradation through God’s gift of grace, as was declared by
our Savior. Such grace is not earned, but is a pure gift from a God of pure love. We further commend the
community of the faithful to a life of prayer; to seek genuine forgiveness for unkind, thoughtless and unloving
acts; and to a committed life of Christian service.
7. The Church serves to bring all people to God through Christ. To this end, it shall arrange for regular
services of worship, prayer, interpretation of the Scriptures, and edification through the teaching and
preaching of the Word.
B. SACRAMENTS: This Church embraces two holy Sacraments:
1. BAPTISM by water and the Spirit, as recorded in the Scriptures, shall be a sign of the dedication of each
life to God and God’s service. Through the words and acts of this sacrament, the recipient is identified as
God’s own Child.
2. HOLY COMMUNION is the partaking of blessed bread and fruit of the vine in accordance with the words of
Jesus, our Sovereign: This is my body...this is my blood. (Matthew 26:26-28). All who believe, confess and
repent and seek God’s love through Christ, after examining their consciences, may freely participate in the
communal meal, signifying their desire to be received into community with Jesus Christ, to be saved by Jesus
Christ's sacrifice, to participate in Jesus Christ's resurrection, and to commit their lives anew to the service of
Jesus Christ.
C. RITES: The Rites of the Church as performed by its duly authorized
ministers shall consist of the following:
1. The RITE OF ORDINATION is the setting apart of duly qualified persons for the professional ministry of
this Church. It is evidenced by the laying on of hands by authorized ordained clergy, pursuant to these
Bylaws.
2. The RITE OF ATTAINING MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHURCH shall be conducted by the Pastor or Interim
Pastoral Leader before a local congregation at any regular worship service. In accordance with criteria
established by the local church, a baptized Christian may become a member in good standing of the local
church group through a letter of transfer from a recognized Christian body or through affirmation of faith.
3. The RITE OF HOLY UNION/RITE OF HOLY MATRIMONY is the spiritual joining of two persons in a
manner fitting and proper by a duly authorized clergy or Interim Pastoral Leader of the church. After both
persons have been counseled and apprised of their responsibilities one toward the other, this rite of
conferring God’s blessing may be performed.
4. The RITE OF FUNERAL OR MEMORIAL SERVICE is to be fittingly conducted by the ministers of the
Church for the deceased.
5. The RITE OF LAYING ON OF HANDS or prayer for the healing of the sick in mind, body or spirit is to be
conducted by the ministers of the Church, at their discretion, upon request.
6. The RITE OF BLESSING may be conducted by the ministers of the Church for persons, things and
relationships, when deemed appropriate by the minister. This includes the dedication of a church building to
the glory of God.
Visit the UFMCC web site.
