CRAVE to ordain female pastor
Sydney’s newest Metropolitan Community Church congregation is breaking new ground again by ordaining a female pastor, Penny Davis, in July this year.
CRAVE, founded in Paddington in 2009, will be the only MCC congregation in Sydney with a female pastor.
When ordained, Davis will be one of only three female MCC clergy in the Australia/New Zealand region, an area that historically has had predominantly male leadership.
Davis’ ordainment comes as the culmination of a spiritual journey which started 10 years ago, when she was a Hillsong employee undergoing so-called ex-gay therapies.
“My journey has led to this moment, where I stand as a confident woman who is being ordained and happens to be a lesbian,” Davis said.
Current pastor Karl Hand will work with Davis, which will also make CRAVE the only Metropolitan Community Church in Sydney with more than one pastor.
“I enjoy working with Penny. We’re a great team,” Hand said.
Hand said CRAVE is unique among inclusive churches in Australia because of its charismatic and contemporary style, its progressive evangelical theology and its informal, dynamic worship services.
“We want to move away from hierarchies of leadership, from corporate models and from bureaucracy, because Jesus didn’t work that way and we don’t believe the Spirit works that way,” he said.
“We believe in a spirituality of communion and shared leadership.”
CRAVE Metropolitan Community Church invites ministers from all denominations and any interested person to attend a special Sunday worship for Davis’ ordainment on July 25 at 3pm.
info: CRAVE holds its services at the Paddington Uniting Church, 395 Oxford St.
Dear Penny,
I wish that more churches would do like wise.
May you be a blessing to MCC.
May Jesus bless your work for him/her.
Hehehe, is so funny seeing my mug here :)
Thanks so much SSO for picking this up & to the CRAVE gang for their incredible love & support, you all ROCK!!!
All welcome on the 25th (& all CRAVE services for that matter)
Pen :)
Congratulations Penny,
CRAVE is such a fortunate community to have Penny as one of our Pastors.
hey congratulations
fantastic to see women ordained!!!
well down CRAVE and Penny
This is so exciting! Penny is an amazing women and speaker! Make sure you come and support her July 25th!
For more details about CRAVE MCC follow the link http://www.cravemcc.com
Go Cravers!!
Congratulations to Penny!!
This is such fantastic news for the gay community and the gay Christian community.
If you haven’t heard Penny before I would really recommend checking out CRAVE and hearing her speak. She is amazing!!