MCC Brighton - About us

INCLUSION WITH NO PRIORITIES

WE ARE:

A Christ inspired community that celebrates diversity and embraces relational faith.

Relational Faith:

Faith that relates to the world around us with Love, Acceptance and Openness. Respecting all people, animals and nature as part of God’s diverse creation.

AIMS:

To meet people where THEY are.
To broaden expectations of Christianity and Christians by proclaiming full inclusion with no priorities.
To fight exclusion and isolation through volunteering and community works.
To make our meetings fun, lively and relevant to people of all faith journeys (and none).

What do people say about us?

“To me MCC Brighton is about worshiping in a place I feel truly comfortable” Rosie Pryer-Vaz

“MCC is a church where I can express myself without prejudice or fear and where there is no “Normal”” Suzy Miles

“MCC Brighton is a place where free thinking and open discussion about the Bible and God is encouraged” Andrew Ramage

“We don’t prize tradition over people and experience, spirituality is valued above religion” S-J Ramage

“As members of Joy MCC in Orlando, Florida, we were delighted to find a church family like our own while travelling abroad. MCC Brighton is our home away from home. We’d be lost without them” Immani & Jasmine - Cocoa Beach, Florida

In November 2014 MCC Brighton began something very different, we began to be Church not just attend. A part of this change were meetings at which we discussed who we wanted to be and what we believed. Out of these discussions was born the Inclusivity Cross.

To us the cross is the very essence of MCC Brighton, a symbol of who we are inside. It says not only who we are but who we want to continue to be, it guides us, inspires us, keeps us grounded and focussed as well as reaching others.

The phrases contained within the cross are:

Inclusion with no priorities – We do not put any group above or before any other group, we are all equal.
LGBT+ - The plus denotes that there are more than just LGBT people in Brighton and Hove and we welcome people however they identify.
No dress code – There is no need to dress up, be who you are, always.
People do not belong in boxes – We do not “Pigeon Hole” people, we accept them just as they are and who they want to be.
No assumptions – We make no assumptions about people, we get to know them and listen to their stories.
Come as you are – No pretence, no costumes just be who you really are.
Welcome and support the socially isolated/excluded – We support projects that address social isolation and exclusion and we openly welcome people whatever their circumstances.
Positively affirming – However people identify that is how we see them.
Spiritual home – We want our church to be a true spiritual home for anyone that is looking for one.
Every voice counts – Everyone has something to say, something to share and we listen.
Unexpected voice in the world – We don’t just follow a party line, we are ourselves in everything we do and broaden people’s expectations of church.
Fun, lively, relevant worship- We enjoy worship and put a lot of work into making it fun, making it lively and relevant to us all.

However, the cross is not just a graphic, a clever logo, it is us proclaiming who we are and what we believe. It is a public declaration of what makes MCC Brighton unique.

We chose a cross for the design as we are at our heart a Christian organisation, we are a “Christ inspired community” with an emphasis on community. We seek to make the teachings and ideals of Jesus Christ a part of our everyday lives and a part of everything we do.