MCC of the Lehigh Valley

Website: https://www.mcclv.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MCCLehigh/

About this MCC church:  MCCLV’ers love God and serve God in a variety of wonderful ways. MCCLV offers outreach to the Lehigh Valley through its dynamic music ministry and the church provides regular service opportunities with the homeless and marginalized. There are social justice advocacy events as well as fellowship activities to meet others. Multiple spiritual growth classes are offered every week. Are you looking to give of yourself and grow in God? The faith community of MCCLV would love to journey with you in pursuit of the spiritual life.

Since it’s founding in 1984, MCCLV has always warmly welcomed the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In fact, the majority of people who attend MCCLV identify as LGBT. Heterosexual allies are also warmly welcomed at MCCLV.

Inspirational worship is offered every Sunday at 11:30am. God could not imagine a world without Metropolitan Community Church of the Lehigh Valley! MCCLV is part of the great movement of churches that started over 2,000 years ago at the dawn of Christianity. While MCCLV is a part of that history, it is also a part of the fabulous future of the church.

In 1984 a small group of 12 individuals from the Lehigh Valley gathered for worship at the Lambda Center in Allentown, led by Lutheran pastor Rev. Craig Stahler. In early 1985, MCC of Philadelphia sanctioned the group as its Lehigh Valley Parish Extension. Soon after, the majority of the group was ready to identify with The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC). On October 11, 1987, the group became independent of MCC of Philadelphia and, for the first time, was named the Metropolitan Community Church of the Lehigh Valley (MCCLV). Over the next several years, MCCLV grew both physically and spiritually with changes in location and changes in church leadership. MCCLV was blessed to have several pastors serve the church, including student clergy Irene Katz, the Rev. Laura Brown, and the Rev. Michael Weeks. In 1989, the Rev. Peter Helt was appointed as Pastor of MCCLV. Rev. Helt moved to Allentown and would serve the church for nine years. During his tenure, the church took up residence at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley. In 1999, MCCLV’s current pastor, Rev. Beth Goudy, was called to become the spiritual leader of MCCLV.

​In January of 2003, the church moved to the Merchant’s Square Mall in Allentown and, for the first time, had a 24/7 place of its own to call home. MCCLV would remain at that location for just over 5 years. In 2008 MCCLV moved to the Silkwerks building on the north side of Allentown and rented there until mid-2015. MCCLV’s current location is shared space with Church of the Manger United Church of Christ and St. Jude’s Old Catholic Church in Bethlehem.