This progressive church says you can be queer and Christian at the same time

BEFORE moving from Cavite to Pasig in 2022, Rhick Esteves, 24, had what he calls a spiritual journey.

It started with his disfellowshipping from his previous church, which rejected him for his queerness and asked other members to shun him over this.

“My family is not allowed to talk to me because I’m a practicing homosexual. They shouldn’t talk to me. They are required to shun me. I lost friends. I lost family members. Most of my relatives are not talking to me anymore,” Esteves told republicasia.

Cast adrift, he stopped praying and joining any religious activity and even shared Bible-hating posts on social media.

But he was still looking for a set of religious beliefs to follow. 

That was when he learned about Open Table Metropolitan Community Church, a progressive Christian community that welcomes people without restrictions. 

Open Table MCC has proved to be a haven and a home for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Discrimination, oppression

Despite many progressive developments regarding LGBTQIA+ rights, queer individuals like Esteves still face oppression, discrimination, and persecution, especially inside religious organizations.

Several conservative churches also stand firm against the passage of measures that would allow homosexuals to attain security and equal rights.

There are also those who believe that homosexuality is a sin and that one cannot be a Christian while also identifying themselves as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, as this behavior supposedly doesn’t please God due to its immorality.

It is because of people and beliefs like these that many queer Christians around the world experience ill treatment within their religious community, with some even being forced to leave the congregation as the harassment takes a toll on their mental health.

But some have found that there are also  progressive churches that affirm queer individuals and accept people regardless of their gender identity and sexuality.

Open Table MCC

One of these queer-accepting churches is Open Table MCC, which allows anybody to attend its services and activities and does not discriminate based on sexual orientation or expression, or gender identity. 

“Wala nang human conditions, race colors, sexual orientation, gender identity, babae, lalaki that will determine whether you can be part of the church or not,” said Reverend Joseph San Jose, Open Table MCC’s pastor.

Established in 2006, the church was formerly known as Metropolitan Community Church Quezon City. It was an extension of the first MCC chapter in the Philippines in Makati.

In October 2018, the church decided to change its name to Open Table based on its Statement of Faith that says, “Jesus Christ, you invite all people to your open table.”

The original MCC was founded by Pentecostal pastor Troy D. Perry in Los Angeles in 1968 to cater to the gays among the Christian community. He was also one of the founders of the first pride march that commemorated the Stonewall Uprising.

San Jose said the MCC is a church that was birthed from the wounding of other churches because of queer Christians.

This means that the church was established in order to provide an accepting religious entity to LGBTQIA+ individuals who were rejected by other churches, he said. 

“Ang MCC ay iniluwal ng panunugat ng ibang mga simbahan at binubuan ng mga sugatang LGBTQIA+. So they don’t want us, and at some point, some of the queer Christians could no longer stand and live in those communities,” he said.

“We came together, found each other, found out that we are Christians and we love God and that we cannot give up on God,” he added.

Similar to other Christian churches, Open Table MCC hosts worship and communion services every Sunday and several community hang-outs in their church in Mandaluyong City. 

It also holds Holy Union, a wedding dedicated to queer couples. 

Courtesy: Open Table MCC on Facebook

A safe space

Open Table MCC aims to provide a safe space for queer Christians who had traumatic experiences from their previous affiliations. 

Here, LGBT individuals can practice their faith without the fear of persecution from conservative congregations. They also have the opportunity to restore their faith that has once been shattered because of the anti-homosexual doctrines that their previous churches implement.

Esteves said the church provided him the chance to rediscover Christianity through a non-discriminatory lens.

He told republicasia that his previous church was so blatantly homophobic that he was removed from the fellowship because of his gender expression. The other members of the church were even required to shun him for being a homosexual.

But Open Table allowed him to participate in the ministry even if he is queer.

“Open Table provides a safe space for queer Christians like me who are not allowed to practice their faith inside their previous churches and were discriminated [against] in their congregation,” Esteves said.

“It’s a space where you can practice your faith without any prejudice, without hearing any hateful rhetoric, and I practice my faith together with other queer Christians, with allies,” he added.

Proclaiming God’s radically inclusive love

The progressive church based in Mandaluyong also aims to spread the message that God’s love towards humanity is all-embracing. 

“Mapagtanggap na pag-ibig ng Diyos as evident in the life of Jesus Christ,” said San Jose.

He emphasized that there is nothing humankind can do to make God love them more or less. 

God’s love is not based on sexuality, color, or who you love, he said. 

Allie Almazan, a 27-year-old Open Table member who identifies as non-binary, can attest to this inclusivity.

Almazan shared that people in the congregation can express and present themselves in whatever way they want without fear of judgment.

It’s a community of people of different beliefs and backgrounds who help each other, they said.

“I would say the inclusivity is really good in terms of being able to see different people from different walks of life,[with] different ways of expressing themselves, being in that little community, helping each other out,” they said. 

Joining the fight for justice

Unlike other religious groups that separate themselves from societal concerns, Open Table ensures that it is one with those who fight for justice and equal rights.

One of the missions of this church is to promote community engagement among its members, encouraging them to join causes for relevant issues in society.

“Medyo malakas sa amin yung liberation theology, yung justice, being involved in social justice, or at least awareness on social justice issues,” said San Jose. “Ibig sabihin merong mas malawak na gawain ng justice and isa lamang kami sa participant dun sa mas malawak na gawain.”

Esteves said one of the things that made him stay in Open Table is the fact that the congregation tries to mimic what Jesus did — fighting injustice, being vocal about injustice, and participating in efforts to make the necessary changes.

“A good example is our church’s involvement in the call for the urgent passage of the SOGIE Bill and our yearly participation in PRIDE events. We always try to look for other opportunities to be involved with the community, to help the country to move forward in terms of inclusion,” he said.

San Jose said the church is one with the desire for a law that would legally recognize the relationship of queer couples and provide certain legal protection and recognition for LGBT people.

Courtesy: Open Table MCC on Facebook

Calling for respect

As for conservative churches that reject LGBTQIA+ people, San Jose said these affiliations have the right to believe what they want to believe.

However, he stressed that these religious groups should likewise respect the beliefs of the queer individuals.

“I am one with those who want to uphold their beliefs, but they have to recognize that they are living in a secular society,” he said.

“Hindi lang ang kanilang paniniwala ang basehan kung ano ang tama at mali sa lipunan.”

These conservative churches don’t need to accept the gay community if they don’t want to,  but they should keep the hate within their churches, he said. 

God loves you just as you

San Jose also wants to remind Christians who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community that God’s love encompasses their sexuality and gender identity.

“God loves you as a queer person, and God calls you to do likewise,” he said.

And for him, it is unhealthy, dangerous, and traumatizing for gay people to stay inside unaccepting and discriminative congregations.

“The only reason to stay in your churches who reject you is if you’re doing something to change your church,” he said.