The Metropolitan Community Church of the Rockies was founded in September 1973. It was the second MCC congregation in Denver; the first (called MCC Denver) had withdrawn from the denomination of which we are a part (the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches). Four members of that church (Bob Taylor, Bob Campbell, Jack Pickett, and Frank Murr) wished to remain with MCC, so they began holding services in one of their homes.

Within four months, the new church called the Rev. Charles Arehart as its first pastor. He was a Methodist transfer clergyperson from Kansas City. The group began to grow, and soon moved into a VFW Hall on South Broadway, and then into its first rented church space; Epworth United Methodist Church. This mostly black congregation was willing to rent space to a primarily gay and lesbian congregation when almost every other church in Denver would not.

By May of 1974, MCC of the Rockies was officially chartered by the denominational office.

In November of that year, the church which had been MCC Denver dissolved, which opened up their meeting space at First Unitarian Church. Desiring to be on Capitol Hill, MCCR moved there and stayed for five years. In 1979, we had grown to the point of being able to buy our own building, a small church on the corner of South Bannock and West Evans. The first worship service there was held on Ash Wednesday of 1980.

The building quickly grew crowded, and many missed being on Capitol Hill. In 1986, a vacant, run-down church building was located. Built in 1906 as the First Congregational Church, its potential could be seen through the years of neglect. A bid of $225,000 for the church and a four bedroom house next door was accepted.

After a little more than three months of renovation work performed by church members, the first service was held on May 4. The building was soon listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Membership grew quickly, but in the next decade a new challenge began to be felt. AIDS had a devastating impact on the community, and a significant number of church members were lost. The emotional toll of holding several memorial services a week was very hard on the staff, and Rev. Arehart announced his resignation in March 1995. His twenty-two year pastorate was unusually lengthy for MCC. After a time of rest and recuperation, he returned to productive ministry.

Rev. Tony Freeman of Florida was hired as Interim Pastor and served for nine months. His leadership started to get the congregation used to the idea of change. A pastoral search was begun, by a team led by long-time member David Sorey.

In August of 1996, the church elected its second pastor, the Rev. Jim Burns. Jim had been pastor of MCC New Haven for ten years, and interim pastor of Resurrection MCC in Houston. Within a few months John Allison was added to the staff (first as choir director) and a very productive ministry team began.

Over the next several years, the congregation periodically developed Guiding Documents together. A 1997 program called ReVision gave us our Mission Statement, and a 2000 process called PerMission gave us our Faith Statement and Values Wheel. In 2003 we developed our Covenant For Building Community, and currently we are working through the steps of our strategic plan to take us through 2010, developed in a process called ZOOM. This congregational input reflects our core value that all members are called to participate equally in ministry together.

There have been many other changes in the life of MCCR in recent years. The church has doubled in size in ten years, and has become quite a bit more diverse, welcoming many more people of color, women, and younger people. We have worked hard to become a truly warm and welcoming congregation, and now emphasize serving our wider community through ministries such as our Food Pantry. Perhaps the most noticeable change is our worship style; our main services now reflect a cutting edge blend of popular and praise music, visual elements, and inspiring, down-to-earth messages. After thirty-four years of growth and change, MCC of the Rockies is still looking to the future!