As part of the requirements for my Queer Explorations course, I need to keep a daily journal of reflections on the readings, class discussions and assignments. It occurred to me that one way to do this is to enter these reflections into my blog, so that is what I’ll do. At the end of the course I can package them up for submission.
I met another student today and we had dinner together. It was really interesting to hear the story of their journey to MCC and what brought them to EDS to complete their MCC ordination requirements at this time. I look forward to getting to know this student better over the next few weeks and perhaps having the opportunity to share and learn together.
I discovered that my co-student is taking both the Queer Explorations course and the MCC Polity class. MCC Polity covers the governance, structures and unique mission and theology of Metropolitan Community Churches and is another of the requirements for ordination in MCC (in addition to an M. Div. and ordination candidacy).
The polity course is in the afternoons and is only two hours a day for a week, so it is possible to take both programs at the same time, which I didn’t realize when I enrolled a few months back. I decided to make the most of my time here and enroll in that course as well. From what I’m told there may be quite a few students in both classes. Although I expect that most of them, unlike me, have completed their seminary training rather than just being at the start of the process.
I have to admit to a small amount of concern that I might find myself out of my depth here. Will people think of me as an intruder or dilettante? I don't even have a complete baccalaureate degree, let alone a masters degree in Divinity.
But my experience in MCC so far tells me that this type of fear is unwarranted. We are all at different places on our journey with God and the church, but what unites us is our passion for God and for social justice. I have been doing theology in one way or another for twenty years, and keeping this blog the past year or so has helped me sharpen my instincts just a little in this area. I'm going to repent of my feelings of uselessness and unworthiness, trust God and just plunge in. Once you convince yourself, it doesn't matter what other people think.
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