For more than 70 years, we’ve built a reputation as a place where people are encouraged to ask questions, debate issues, and seek truth. Our doors are open to all who wish to walk a journey of faith. As a result, today we are a vibrant ecumenical congregation, comprised of people from more than 20 different faith communities.
Developed by our Pastor, Rev. Dr. Ben Boswell, Confronting Whiteness is an intentional spiritual journey of anti-racism to aid people racialized as White to identify and dismantle their Whiteness.
This is a space designed specifically for and by People of Color at MPBC. Hush harbors & brush arbors have historically been spaces where people of African descent—during & after the antebellum era—have gathered to share in faith with each other. Many marginalized groups have these spaces—secret gardens & clearings in nature—that are used for retreat for the sake of life & survival. It was in these spaces that the breath of spirituality was embodied & experienced fully—where dreaming & reimagination came alive. Facilitated by Rev. Tara Gibbs.
We traveled to Montgomery for the 2022 Alliance of Baptists Fall Gathering. While there, we experienced The National Peace and Justice Memorial, a memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslavement, lynching, racial segregation, Jim Crow, and police brutality. The Legacy Museum tells the story of how our nation went from enslavement to mass incarceration.
We take great pride in being a safe place and creating safe places for persons of all genders and sexual orientations.
PRIDE 2022 | We had our largest showing yet at Charlotte's PRIDE parade.
MPBC Members Honored with Champions of PRIDE awards | MPBC members Debbie Warren and Devin Green were awarded the Champions of PRIDE awards by #CharlottePRIDE for their work and dedication of exemplifying the spirit of PRIDE.
Fostering LGBTQ+ Allyship Conference 2022 | Thanks to the sponsorship of local and national organizations, we raised over $2,000 and learned about what it looks like to continue fighting for LGBTQ+ equality.
AIDS Walk 2022 | MPBC raised $12,552 in support of those who are living with, at risk, or have had their lives touched by HIV. We also continued our winning streak as the #1 Congregational Fundraiser again this year! Thank you to all who donated and/or participated.
Not only are women central to our leadership at MPBC, but we also advocate for women in our community recognizing that empowering women lifts our society.
Reproductive Justice Making a Women's Lectionary Can This Ground Forgive Sermon
Because we center intersectionality in our work at MPBC, not all of it can be categorized with precision as we do above. Below, you will find other resources about our initiatives for inclusion in our church and beyond.
Land Acknowledgement | Long before before Columbus got lost at sea and white settler colonists arrived to displace indigenous nations, the Catawba people created a beautiful civilization on this land that they tended to carefully and sustainably. The Catawba call themselves “the people of the river” because they have always lived along this particular watershed. It is their longest and most cherished relationship. The Catawba called Charlotte the “land of the persimmons,” a plant which once heavily populated our city. We acknowledge the Catawba people are still here and we offer our deep gratitude to the Catawba people for being the host people of this land that we worship on and for their stewardship of this place we now call our home and our church.
Awakening to Immigrant Injustice | The Awakening Series was a year-long focus for our congregation. The series is mostly educational and is intended to create a deep understanding and compassion for the world’s most marginalized individuals. It encourages a critical examination of structural, historical, sociological, and theological obstacles to the establishment of equity, wholeness, and fulfillment of all people.
Recommended Reading on Immigrant Injustice | There are so many great resources for learning more about immigrant injustice. The following is a list of resources for you to consider as supplements for your personal journey of awakening.
