Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto
| Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto | |
|---|---|
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| 43°40′02″N 79°20′52″W / 43.667148°N 79.347644°WCoordinates: 43°40′02″N 79°20′52″W / 43.667148°N 79.347644°W | |
| Location | 115 Simpson Avenue, Toronto |
| Country | Canada |
| Denomination | Metropolitan Community Church |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Founded | July 17, 1973 |
| Clergy | |
| Pastor(s) | Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes Rev. Jeff Rock (Senior Pastor Elect) |
The Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto is a congregation of the worldwide Metropolitan Community Church movement located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is a welcoming congregation openly affirming lesbian, gay, bisexual, heterosexual and transgender people. MCC Toronto was instrumental in changing the law on same sex marriage in Ontario, when two same-sex marriage ceremonies performed at the church on January 14, 2001 initiated the process leading to the Halpern v Canada (AG) decision of 2003.
MCC Toronto is now the largest Metropolitan Community Church congregation in terms of membership. On Christmas Eve and during Pride Toronto, the church holds services at special venues, as the popularity of the events exceed's the church building's capacity. The Christmas service is held at Roy Thomson Hall, while the Pride service is held on Church Street in the heart of the Church and Wellesley village.
In 1973, a group of individuals wrote to the head office of the Metropolitan Community Church in Los Angeles requesting that they send someone to Toronto to start a new church. In July 1973, Rev. Bob Wolfe arrived in the city and the first worship service was held with 12 people on July 17, 1973. Rev. Wolfe, who died in July 2005, worked hard to establish the new congregation. He became best known for talking a suicidal young gay man down from the roof of Toronto City Hall, and used the ceremony where he was honoured by the city to lambaste politicians for failing to reform anti-gay laws.
In the early years, worship services were held at the Church of the Holy Trinity.
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