Rev. Elder James Sandmire , MCCLA Senior Pastor (1975 – 1976)

The Prophetic Vision for Metropolitan Community Churches
Third General Conference held in Los Angeles, Labor Day Weekend, 1972
Message by Rev. Jim Sandmire, former pastor of San Francisco MCC and MCC Los Angeles

Left to right: Reverend Troy D. Perry and Reverend James E. Sandmire

God has truly called us–MCC–to be an
authentic voice of our time

I believe we are the
new establishment church

I believe we are a
new expression of the Gospel

I believe God has called us to be a
guide for other churches
which need to be shown the way
toward a rediscovery of Jesus’ love

Jesus–Who consorted with outcasts,
championed the weak, and raised the humble.

Jesus believed religion should serve to bring all people
close to God, and to one another in spiritual love.

If Metropolitan Community Church is here to stay,
I urge a greater commitment to opening the Fellowship
to more young people,
to more heterosexuals,
more minority groups,
and a lot more on the distaff side!”

The love of God,
need for a Savior,
the sacrifice of Christ,
salvation through the grace of God,
the value of Christian life,
renewal of our spirit in baptism,
Holy Communion,
and honest prayer,
these are the minimum all must believe.
No more should be required.

Our religious services should remain open, participative,
and particularly attentive to the needs of individual congregations.

An exciting thing is that we are not bound
by anything other than devotion to God,
divine scriptures, and the Holy Spirit.
The result, constantly restated in vital and living ways,
can be an ecumenical faith
grounded in what we have been taught by Jesus Christ.

Reverend James E. Sandmire

I believe God would desire that we stop talking
about going out of business
and start actually being the
new prophetic voice to the world

A church like Metropolitan Community Church
has never before existed anywhere on earth:

If it is God’s will,we shall be available to spiritual manifestations.
If it is God’s will that Metropolitan Community Church
shall continue to grow and go forward, then
all gifts of the Holy Spirit
that identify the church
will be ours

The approbation that followed was accepted by Jim
who quietly remained beside the podium for a few moments.
“Amen,”
he said before modestly resuming his seat.

The following text is from the book “Don’t Be Afraid Anymore” by Reverend Troy D. Perry with Thomas L.P. Swicegood, pages 49-53:

Jim was born a Mormon, the healthy son of robust pioneer parents with genealogical ties to the powerful leaders of their denomination. His grandfather was president of their own congregation. In high school, Jim learned easily and was an honor student, but not exactly a saint in the Mormon tradition. However, following his graduation from Harvard Business School, Jim bid farewell to a “wild and riotous life” and undertook a two-year period of missionary work, which was expected of him and his peers. Soon afterward, Jim and an attractive young woman were unceremoniously informed by authorities in the church that it was “God’s will that they should wed.” The marriage lasted nine years. Mrs. Sandmire’s pregnancies were periods of joy which never lasted, for none of their infants survived childbirth. Others were adopted to fill the void.

During this same period when Jim Sandmire was becoming a leader in the Mormon church, he simultaneously, as so often occurs, arrived at the stage in life when maturing sexual urges refused to be denied. Jim forswore living the life of a closeted homosexual. The result was divorce, a major reorganization of his life, and the particularly painful rejection of a homophobic theology he could not, with any integrity, continue to accept.

Jim moved to California, settled down with his life partner, Jack Hubbs (who he lived with for 30 years), and started a very successful business. According to Jim, the business world would have made him wealthy had he not crossed the path of Troy Perry, after reading about Troy in a popular gay newspaper called “The Advocate”.

Sandmire was glancing at the paper one evening in his living room when he discovered a prominent article. “Will you just look at this!” declared Jim, shoving the newspaper into his lover, Jack’s, hands, “A gay church! Can you imagine? What will they think of next? It has to be a travesty–or some terrible joke!”

But curiosity is a great propellant. Jim came to hear our message, then had to begin rearranging his life all over again. One week after hearing Troy’s sermon, he joined the congregation of Metropolitan Community Church. Two Sundays after that he became a deacon. Within another fortnight, at the urging of Reverend Howard Wells, pastor of MCC’s first church in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jim organized a midweek prayer group, which rapidly evolved into Metropolitan Community Church of Oakland, California. After a little time, while still a deacon, he became the pastor of MCC San Francisco.

On September 3, 1972, the final day of our Third General Conference held in Los Angeles, Jim Sandrmire, having become highly regarded as a licensed minister in our Fellowship, was scheduled to preach the main sermon. Then later, prior to the completion of the same morning service, he was to be ordained. The church at Twenty-second and Union was filled to capacity by eleven o’clock that Sunday morning. Thirty-five Metropolitan Community Church congregations from cities as far away as Chicago, Boston, and Miami were represented.

The Mother Church had two renovated auditoriums consisting of a pleasant, spacious sanctuary with stage and altar, and a smaller adjoining chamber. Above the rear of the main room was a wide strip of balcony. All locations, including standing areas, were full. Outside, late arrivals stood, prayed, and listened to the ensuing service from loudspeakers. All in all, fifteen hundred persons were present.

As usual, the sanctuary had a clean, fresh appearance with its bright green carpet, upholstered theater seats secured in neat rows, and antique-white walls. Suspended from the center of the high ceiling was one large, highly polished brass chandelier. An impressive, multicolored stained glass window in the east wall depicted gentle Jesus beckoning to us from a bright meadow where he appeared to be slightly suspended without earthly support.

On the stage, Reverend Ploen, Reverend Hose, Reverend Troy Perry and a number of others were seated as Jim Sandmire, wearing his black ministerial robe, approached the pulpit. Jim’s hair, prematurely silver and white, was neatly combed back from the top and sides of his head, accentuating the penetrating eyes and dark eyebrows.

He was not an emotional speaker. His manner has always been intellectual. If you wanted to know what Jim wished to convey to you, it was necessary to be attentive. When the congregation hushed, following a rousing hymn led by white-robed Willie Smith, Jim began a spiritually provocative exhortation. Jim’s Message (Prophetic Vision for Metropolitan Community Church’s future and calling)

“One of the most attractive doctrines of our early Fellowship,” said Jim with characteristic sincerity, “was that we were building a refuge–a refuge for people of all Christian faiths who had been unable to worship comfortably in other established churches. In so doing, we said that Metropolitan community Church would endure only so long as it was needed, and not any longer.

“Now, I know a lot of us believe that means M.C.C. is simply in business until such a time as the churches of our childhood decided to open their doors to those of us who are gay–which assumes that the more they become willing to accept us as a whole and healthy Christians, the less M.C.C. will need to remain in existence. In my onion, that is incorrect.

“Dissolution of M.C.C. under any circumstances would be a terrible tragedy, particularly if God has truly called us to be an authentic voice of our time!”

A few persons in the auditorium said “Amen,” more out of habit than conviction. They were not certain where Sandmire’s sermon would lead. “I believe we are the new establishment church,” Jim said with an increased note of optimism, temporarily allaying any apprehension. “I believe we are a new expression of the Gospel. I believe God has called us to be a guide for other churches which need to be shown the way toward a rediscovery of Jesus’ love.”

“Amen!” from a few more members of the gathered congregations. Jim raised his hand. “But,” he said firmly, a measure of admonition entering his voice, “I fear we have allowed ourselves to become complacent, satisfied with our own situation now that we have a grand building here in L.A., and so many other find churches in the Fellowship. Have we become too satisfied? Are we becoming less than dedicated to the outreach God has called upon us to accomplish?

“My concern is that although most of us are gay, we are in danger of becoming a pale reprint of all the self-righteous, do-nothing churches we came from. The irony is that we seem to become less active in pursuit of gay and lesbian rights, several of the denominations we fled years ago seem finally to be responding to renewal, partly because of us, and they are attempting to change their direction in order to view the humanity of homosexuals with a more positive attitude.

“Therefore, if the Fellowship is to continue as a meaningful religious experience, we need to make these essential assumptions: out theology needs to remain basic, centered on the love of God, with genuine expressions of goodness and responsibility to others. An earlier example of what I mean was set nearly two thousand years ago by Jesus–Who consorted with outcasts, championed the weak, and raised the humble.

“Jesus believed religion should serve to bring all people close to God, and to one another in spiritual love. If Metropolitan Community Church is here to stay, I urge an end to middle-class introversion and the beginning of a greater commitment to opening the Fellowship to more young people, to more heterosexuals, more minority groups, and a lot more on the distaff side!”

Among the listeners that day were a few women who clapped hands enthusiastically at the suggestion of their greater representation. The women’s applause was joined by our male majority, and Jim Sandmire was pleased. He smiled in his own thoughtful, unhurried manner, and then continued. “We should not be too concerned,” he said, “that different churches in our Fellowship may adopt varying spiritual trappings. Devotion need not be a wholly rigid ritual.

“The love of God, need for a Savior, the sacrifice of Christ, salvation through the grace of God, the value of Christian life, renewal of our spirit in baptism, Holy Communion, and honest prayer, these are the minimum all must believe. No more should be required.

“Our religious services should remain open, participative, and particularly attentive to the needs of individual congregations. An exciting thing is that we are not bound by anything other than devotion to God, divine scriptures, and the Holy Spirit. The result, constantly restated in vital and living ways, can be an ecumenical faith grounded in what we have been taught by Jesus Christ.”

“Amen, amen,” murmured a sprinkling of voices throughout the sanctuary.

Jim’s voice became more intense, but only slightly louder. He said, “I believe God would desire that we stop talking about going out of business and start actually being the new prophetic voice to the world!”

Applause began spontaneously, but Sandmire motioned for his audience to withhold approval. “A church like Metropolitan Community Church has never before existed anywhere on earth,” he said, hesitating until he had everyone’s attention. Then he resumed with simple eloquence.

“If it is God’s will,” said Jim, standing motionless with his arms to his sides, speaking as if to each individual in the auditoriums and the balcony, “we shall be available to spiritual manifestations. If it is God’s will that Metropolitan Community Church shall continue to grow and go forward, then all gifts of the Holy Spirit that identify the church will be ours.”

The approbation that followed was accepted by Jim who quietly remained beside the podium for a few moments. “Amen,” he said before modestly resuming his seat.