Cathedral of Hope (Dallas)
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral of Hope is a predominantly LGBT
congregation located in the Oak Lawn
area of Dallas
, Texas
(United States
). The Dallas Cathedral of Hope is said to be the world's largest inclusive "liberal Christian church with a primary outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons", with a membership of over 4,000 local members. CoH is led by Reverend Dr. Jo Hudson.
, Mid-Cities, Salt Lake City
, and Oklahoma City
. Its national outreach program reaches a further on-line audience nationwide. The Cathedral of Hope joined the United Church of Christ
in February 2007, having previously been the flagship congregation of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. Construction was recently completed on the Cathedral of Hope's Interfaith Peace Chapel, designed by the late prominent architect Philip Johnson
(Alan Ritchie Architects). Dedication of the building was on November 7, 2010.
The current senior pastor is the Reverend Dr. Jo Hudson, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a graduate of Perkins School of Theology
at Southern Methodist University
. Hudson was called to the cathedral in August 2004 and was elected senior pastor in February 2005. She succeeded the Reverend Michael S. Piazza
, who was elected senior pastor in 1987 and retired from that position upon Hudson's election.
The CoH is engaged in a long-range goal of expanding its facilities on its Cedar Springs
campus. The architect, Philip Johnson
, was commissioned in 1995 to create an Interfaith Peace Chapel and a new church with seating for 2,000. The Cathedral of Hope continues to raise funds for these projects and broke ground on the chapel in 2007.
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
congregation located in the Oak Lawn
Oak Lawn, Dallas
Oak Lawn is a neighborhood in Dallas, Texas , defined in Dallas City Ordinance 21859 as . The unofficial boundaries are Turtle Creek Boulevard, Central Expressway, the City of Highland Park, Inwood Road, and Harry Hines Boulevard. It is over in area...
area of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). The Dallas Cathedral of Hope is said to be the world's largest inclusive "liberal Christian church with a primary outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons", with a membership of over 4,000 local members. CoH is led by Reverend Dr. Jo Hudson.
Background
Additional campuses are located in HoustonHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Mid-Cities, Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, and Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
. Its national outreach program reaches a further on-line audience nationwide. The Cathedral of Hope joined the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
in February 2007, having previously been the flagship congregation of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. Construction was recently completed on the Cathedral of Hope's Interfaith Peace Chapel, designed by the late prominent architect Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and later , as a trustee, he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the first Pritzker Architecture...
(Alan Ritchie Architects). Dedication of the building was on November 7, 2010.
The current senior pastor is the Reverend Dr. Jo Hudson, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a graduate of Perkins School of Theology
Perkins School of Theology
Perkins School of Theology is one of Southern Methodist University's three original schools. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J...
at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
. Hudson was called to the cathedral in August 2004 and was elected senior pastor in February 2005. She succeeded the Reverend Michael S. Piazza
Michael S. Piazza
Michael S. Piazza is a spiritual visionary, author, and social justice advocate who currently serves as senior pastor of Virginia-Highland Church in Atlanta, Georgia, a congregation dually affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists and the United Church of Christ...
, who was elected senior pastor in 1987 and retired from that position upon Hudson's election.
The CoH is engaged in a long-range goal of expanding its facilities on its Cedar Springs
Cedar Springs
Cedar Springs is the name of three cities in North America:*Cedar Springs, Michigan, United States*Cedar Springs, Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada*Cedar Springs, Halton Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada...
campus. The architect, Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and later , as a trustee, he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the first Pritzker Architecture...
, was commissioned in 1995 to create an Interfaith Peace Chapel and a new church with seating for 2,000. The Cathedral of Hope continues to raise funds for these projects and broke ground on the chapel in 2007.
History
- 1970 – On July 30, 1970, a group of 12 people gathered at 4612 Victor Street in Dallas to discuss establishing a Metropolitan Community Church. In May 1971, the Rev. Richard Vincent is elected the first pastor of MCC-Dallas.
- 1972 – December 17, 1972, MCC-Dallas moves into its first church home at 3834 Ross Avenue. The building had been originally build as a small private hospital in the 1920s. In 1974, the Rev. James Harris was elected as the church’s second pastor.
- 1976 – On October 4, 1976, MCC-Dallas purchases a former Church of Christ building on 2701 Regan. In November 1977, the Rev. Don Eastman was elected as the church’s third pastor. The membership had grown to almost 400.
- 1990 – The Rev. Michael Piazza is elected senior pastor in November 1987. Membership grows to 600. In late 1990, MCC-Dallas becomes the Cathedral of Hope to reflect a new broader mission to reach out LGBT people in small towns everywhere with a message of hope. The church begins its “Pink-Period” quest to build a larger church to accommodate a growing congregation.
- 1992 – December 1992, the Cathedral of Hope completes its new church home. The Christmas eve service was broadcast around the world on CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. The congregation approached 1,000 members. During 1993 the Cathedral grows by a record 300 members. - 1995 – July 1995, the Cathedral of Hope commissions renowned architect, Philip Johnson to design a new cathedral campus.
- 1998 the membership grows to over 2,300 and the Cathedral serves a rapidly-growing congregation of more than 3,000. In 1999, CoH-TV begins hosting live Internet worship services via the Cathedral’s webpage.
- 2000 – In the year 2000 the Cathedral of Hope begins the “Century of Compassion” by donating more than one million dollars in direct assistance and volunteer community support annually. On July 30, 2000 the John Thomas Bell Wall – a National AIDS Memorial is dedicated. August 6, 2000 nearly 100 people attend the inaugural worship service at Cathedral of Hope – Oklahoma City.
- 2002 – On Sunday evening, July 28, 2002 the newly completed 22000 square feet (2,043.9 m²) Congregational Life Center is dedicated. Featuring new classrooms for children and youth, renovated office space for Hope Counseling Center and expanded office space for Cathedral staff. The close of 2002 sees a local and national membership of nearly 4,000.
- 2003 - Terri Frey accuses the Rev. Michael Piazza of financial impropriety, prompting the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches to open an investigation against him. Believing the investigators had overstepped their bounds, the church's board called for a vote to disaffiliate from the denomination, which passed with 88 percent support, effectively ending the UFMCC investigation. Church member Michael Magnia spoke to the larger issue of the church being too gay: "The tie with MCC was more about gays and lesbians. You're going to have a difficult time getting even progressive heterosexuals to come to a church that is anchored to a gay and lesbian church."
- 2005 – On February 6, 2005, the Rev. Jo Hudson is elected senior pastor. The Cathedral of Hope celebrates 35 years of ministry, service, and activism by beginning a capital campaign to build the next phase of Philip Johnson’s campus design: an Interfaith Peace Chapel and give birth to a new non-profit organization Hope for Peace & Justice. The Rev. Michael Piazza becomes Dean of the Cathedral and President of Hope for Peace & Justice.
- 2006 – In October 2006, the Cathedral of Hope was granted standing by the North Texas Association of the United Church of ChristUnited Church of ChristThe United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
as a member congregation of the United Church of ChristUnited Church of ChristThe United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
(UCC), becoming the fourth largest congregation in the denomination. - 2009 – In late 2009, the Cathedral of Hope began construction of the Interfaith Peace Chapel. Construction completed Nov. 2010.
- 2010 – In July, the Cathedral of Hope celebrated its 40th anniversary.