Collection

Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco 20th Anniversary of AIDS Service Records

Span Dates: 1986-2001
Bulk Dates:
Volume: 1 carton

Description

This collection contains materials from "A Community Says Thank You: A Service to Honor Health Care Workers for 20 Years of Caring for People With AIDS." The event, which commemorated the 20th anniversary of the AIDS epidemic, was held at MCC San Francisco on June 3, 2001. The collection includes ephemera related to the event, as well as memorials to people who died of AIDS before 1991. There are flyers, memorial programs, newsclippings, photographs, ribbons and t-shirts.

Hist/Bio Note

On February 22, 1970 Howard Wells conducts the first morning worship service of Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco in “The Upper Room” of Jackson’s Bar on Powell Street, near Bay Street. Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco (MCCSF) is chartered on April 26, 1970 as the second church in what would become the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. The charter states the church’s primary purpose is “to bind together the children of God for the the purpose of sharing in the worship of God in the Christian tradition…” 1987 – 1988 The first MCCSF Men’s Group begins meeting on Wednesday nights in January and the “Antibody Negative” Support Group began its first meetings and a support group for AIDS caregivers is established. The monthly peer support group is for those who are providing support to persons with AIDS or ARC personally or professionally. The AIDS Ministry Team began “The Second Annual AIDS Forum” on Wednesdays in May 1988. The AIDS Ministry Team of our church was established to provide “individual support volunteers” for persons affected by AIDS or ARC who wished to share in fellowship with other people of faith. On January 8 MCCSF sponsored “Until that Last Breath: Women with AIDS” – a visual arts exhibit in the church sanctuary. “Through photographic, video, and writing, the exhibit portrays through tender, intimate images of the personal struggles, hopes, and fears of women with AIDS. “ On March 10, A Lenten Ecumenical Worship Experience “WE HAVE AIDS” was held at MCCSF. The event was sponsored by the Commission on Faith and Order of the National Council of Churches, U.S A. with Rev. Ron Russell-Coons – a contributor to the book AIDS Issues: Confronting the Challenge. A memorial service was held on May 20 for Rev. Jim Sandmire, 2nd senior pastor of MCCSF and on September 2 for Rev. Howard Wells the founding pastor of MCCSF– both of whom had died of AIDS. On May 28, an AIDS healing service was held at MCCSF: “We are the Body of Christ …and We Have AIDS”. 1990 -1991 On March 20, 1990: “A Celebration of Lives” is the first in a series of monthly gatherings at MCCSF to honor our losses and ourselves. The gathering offers an “opportunity to acknowledge and talk proudly as community about the people in our lives who have died or who are dying.” The first worship service focused on the ‘feminine divine’ – called “One of Many Names” – was held in our sanctuary on September 12, 1990. Recognizing the need for a supportive place for those who are still experiencing their grief, MCCSF began holding special “Rituals of Remembrance” services every four months beginning in May 1991. 1992 – 1993 On September 23, 1992, MCCSF conducts a “Death & Dying” forum that includes an interfaith perspective from a Buddhist Monk, a Rabbi and a Christian minister. On February 21, 1993 the first new stained glass window – the ‘faith’ window” in the church sanctuary was dedicated in memory of Martin Upp. The window was one of twelve stained glass windows designed and installed by Ken Scott illustrating the theme “Heavenly Winds: Breath of the Divine.” 1994 -1995 AIDS had become the leading cause of death for all Americans age 25 to 44 and will remain so through 1995. MCCSF newsletters/church bulletins will list under “Cycles of Life” an average of three to five memorial services a week at the church into 1995.

Finding Aid

https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c841740d/entire_text/

Location

GLBT Historical Society 989 Market Street, Lower Level San Francisco, California 94103
https://www.glbthistory.org/

Tags

AIDS | Activist (religious institutions) | California | MCC | San Francisco