Tampa Bay’s Favorite Local Faith-based Establishment
There’s a reason St. Petersburg’s King of Peace Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) has grown from a congregation of 12 to an inclusive body of nearly 200 in its 45 years. Love.
“We’ve always been affirming and celebrating,” Rev. Elder Dr. Candace R. Shultis says of the church, which has served the area’s LGBTQ community and its allies since 1975. She proudly joined the congregation as senior pastor 12 years ago.
“I think you can say MCC is the original LGBTQ church,” she explains. “We’re not just accepting, but we are LGBTQ and we always have been. That’s our community.”
It’s one of the many things which sets MCC apart as a Christian denomination. Since its inception in 1968, it has been at the center of civil rights movements, addressing issues of race, gender, sexual orientation and global human rights from the front lines.
“Since before Stonewall,” Shultis notes, adding that MCC performed a same-sex marriage in 1969, paving the way for marriage equality. Since then, the denomination has grown to include more than 170 affiliated churches, ministries and communities in 33 countries worldwide, with more churches in Florida than in any other state.
While MCC’s support for equality as a whole has always been clear, so too has King of Peace’s for Tampa Bay’s expansive LGBTQ community. In 1993, the church founded and housed Metropolitan Charities, Inc., which has since evolved into Metro Inclusive Health – this year’s WAVE winner for Most Effective Local Non-Profit Organization. It now offers more than 100 health, wellness and community services throughout Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties.
King of Peace has also welcomed a number of other LGBTQ organizations in its current home on St. Petersburg’s Fifth Ave., including Equality Florida and St Pete Pride. The church now offers an extensive variety of worship services and community gatherings, supported by Shultis, Associate Pastor Rev. Gina Durbin and Director of Music Jeremiah Cummings, among many more.
“We’re here,” Shultis says, “and we’re here for you. We will welcome you with open arms – come get to know us and let us get to know you.”
