"UCC's North Texas Association grants standing to 4,300-member Cathedral of Hope"

Reprinted from United Church News Written by J. Bennett Guess

Sunday, 29 October 2006

Nearly a year to the day after members of Cathedral of Hope in Dallas voted to request affiliation with the UCC, the denomination's North Texas Association of the South Central Conference voted to grant congregational standing at its fall meeting on Oct. 28. The affirmative vote was by an "overwhelming majority," one observer described it. With 4,300 members, Cathedral of Hope becomes the UCC's fourth largest congregation. The good news of the Association's vote was shared with Cathedral of Hope members on Oct. 29 during the congregation's annual meeting. “This is an historic day in the life of the Cathedral of Hope,” said the Rev. Jo Hudson, senior pastor and rector. “We are blessed to be a full partner in ministry with the North Texas Association and the United Church of Christ. We celebrate that our values of compassion, inclusion, tolerance and hope in service to the world by following Jesus are consistent with those of the United Church of Christ. We are proud to be a part of such a diverse body of churches and people.” The Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, said he welcomed the decision of the North Texas Association. "We will be enriched by the vitality of Cathedral of Hope's ministry even as we hope that incorporation into our 50 year history will be a gift to them," Thomas said. In accordance with the denomination's grassroots governance style, issues related to congregational standing and ministerial authority are dealt with at the Association level, meaning that Associations act on behalf of the UCC nationally when it makes decisions, such as receiving churches or ordaining ministers. Decisions by Associations cannot be overruled by the denomination's Conference or National settings. The Cathedral of Hope touts itself as "the world's largest liberal Christian church with a primary outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people." Its local and national ministries, outreach programs, pastoral counseling, and web-based and TV media touch thousands each day. The Cathedral of Hope began exploring UCC affiliation many years ago when, in 1997, a congregational vote authorized consideration of the move. Over the years, various lay leaders gathered information on the UCC and completed preliminary evaluations. In 2003, consideration of the UCC was again discussed by the congregation when the church voted to disaffiliate from the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. In January 2005, the church’s board of directors instructed its affiliation and expansion committee to resume exploration of affiliation in earnest. A congregational vote to request UCC affiliation was overwhelmingly approved on Oct. 30, 2005. Earlier this year, Cathedral of Hope's leadership voted to participate in the UCC's Stillspeaking Initiative and church leaders received training related to the denomination-wide media and hospitality campaign. In joining the UCC, Cathedral of Hope becomes another in a series of sizeable southern churches to join the UCC in recent years. Four years ago, the 5,500-member Victory Church in Stone Mountain, Ga., became the UCC's second largest church when it was received into the UCC's Southeast Conference. On Sept. 30, the Missouri/Mid-South Conference received the 300-member Holy Trinity Church in Memphis. And, earlier this year, the 300-member Garden of Grace Church in Columbia, S.C., the 250-member Holy Trinity Church in Nashville, Tenn., and a new African-American church start, Unity Worship Center, in Montgomery, Ala., also became part of the Southeast Conference.