Rev. Ceejay Agbayani
Clergy, MCCQC
Spreading God's Word
By Kiki Tan
PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 2009

And then there’s the “big challenge (of spreading) the Good News to Pinoy LGBTs; that we now have a church like MCC where you could go to and worship God without any problems with your sexuality.”

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Agbayani adds: “Pinoy LGBTs are still skeptical with the idea of a gay church. They think that gay church is blasphemous and hypocritical. And that our sexuality can not mixed up with our spirituality. The idea of a church for homosexuals is not possible. You know, I believe that issue of homosexuality is a religious thing. Although, of course, I know that gay rights is a human rights. But as long as we changed our minds, thoughts about homosexuality is not a sin. We can not have a clear mind about our spirituality. Our spirituality will follow (us until) our sexuality is secured. Meaning, if a gay person recognizes and acknowledges that it is okay to be gay, then his or her longing for a God to worship, praise, and adore will surely follow.”

“If we transform minds and hearts, we will transform our lives, then we will surely have a different history. Dialogues and forums, conferences and conventions, I think, will be of great help. The more venues to discuss our experiences (will provide us with) chances to know what to do. We will know how to counter the present anti-gay culture.” Rev. CEEJAY AGBAYANI

GROWING NUMBERS

Agbayani expects for MCC to soon have its own “physical church,” perhaps when the membership reached over 150, and “money will not be a problem anymore.”  This way, “spreading the Good News will be much more easier.”

For now, though, there are achievements Agbayani is proud of – e.g. “to be the first openly gay seminarian in Union Theological Seminary; to be the first Filipino clergy of MCC ordained in the Philippines (Mendoza was ordained in the US); to be the first Filipino clergy to have a formal theological degree under Master of Divinity; to have helped establish MCCQC, the first local church of MCC in the Philippines; and the growing of MCC in Baguio City, even as there are already plans to have churches in Cebu City and in Davao City.”

For Agbayani, “we will grow if people knew we are here. That is why (I am motivated to) promote MCC via Web sites, social networks, mIRC, and other modes of promotion and propaganda. My desire is that one day, MCC could have its own billboard in EDSA.”

ACCEPTING GOD

As a Christian denomination, MCC’s most prominent stance is in believing that homosexuality is not a sin.  “We believed, based also in the Bible, that homosexuality is not a sin. And that the Bible is not ant gay but rather pro marginalized – we recognize and believe that Jesus Christ would never ever discriminate,” Agbayani says.  “What is interesting with MCC is that we never argue on the Table of the Lord, whether it is transubstantiation or consubstantiation, what matters to MCC is that we worship God in spirit and in truth regardless of our sexuality.”

Not that the LGBT community has been the best audience, truth be told.
“(I remain disappointed with the LGBT community in the Philippines) because we are divided with political ideologies. Can we not be united with one common cause of action without ideologies, but rather common experiences?” Agbayani says, adding that he remains hopeful, nonetheless, since “we can be united, if we will all work very hard to have it. There is hope. We can tear down the walls, we can build up hope.”

For Agbayani, the solution is in education.  “If we transform minds and hearts, we will transform our lives, then we will surely have a different history. Dialogues and forums, conferences and conventions, I think, will be of great help. The more venues to discuss our experiences (will provide us with) chances to know what to do. We will know how to counter the present anti-gay culture,” he says.  Thus, “the gay community should organize itself, otherwise, who will help us? ‘Di ba tayo din ang makakatulong sa atin?”

Thus, for now, the push is to give LGBT’s a venue to worship – a venue that proves that God is love.

And it’s all in a day’s work for Agbayani.