Don't Be Afraid Anymore: The Story of Reverend Troy Perry and the Metropolitan Community Churches [Paperback]

Troy D. Perry (Author), Thomas L. P. Swicegood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1992

Today the Metropolitan Community Church--the first to minister to the needs of lesbians and gay men--boasts over 200 congregations in nine countries. But, for Troy Perry, excommunicated from the Church of God because of his homosexuality, this achievement has been marked by a struggle against adversity. Here is his inspiring story. Photographs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Estrangement from his family, an evangelical vocation and his homosexuality all led Perry ( The Lord Is My Shepherd and He Knows I'm Gay ) to found the Metropolitan Community Church in Los Angeles in 1968. The church was established to serve chiefly gays and lesbians of various religious persuasions. Despite modest beginnings, internal schisms and the firebombings of 12 of his churches, Perry's mission was bolstered by formidable self-confidence--demonstrated in this less than modest chronicle coauthored with freelance writer Swicegood--and came to flourish in hundreds of churches established across the nation. Included along with accounts of gay activism in the '70s and '80s are personal stories of religious discovery and social solidarity which gays, rejected by established denominations (Perry himself was excommunicated for his sexual preference) affirm in his churches. Though its congregations have been thinned by AIDS, the Community's reach now extends to 34 countries. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This is the powerful story of Perry and of the church he founded because he and others were rejected by Christian churches because of their homosexuality. Most interesting, perhaps, is the interactions with the National Council of Churches (NCC) and Perry's beliefs about what the Metropolitan Community Churches did for the NCC as a catalyst for shared Communion and other expressions of mutual Christian recognition among NCC members. There are also many notable events in the history of this 22-year-old denomination and its challenges to Christian ethical understandings. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 355 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr (March 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312069545
• ISBN-13: 978-0312069544
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,601,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Man, A Remarkable Church, And A Powerful Witness, May 4, 2001

By 

Bill Smith (Birmingham, AL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Be Afraid Anymore: The Story of Reverend Troy Perry and the Metropolitan Community Churches (Paperback)

In 1968, a full year before the Stonewall Riots that began the historic start of the gay liberation movement in the United States, a young gay minister started a church that would change the lives of countless gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and straight people throughout the world. Meeting with just 12 people in his living room, Reverend Troy Perry began a ministry of hope and healing that continues to this day to more than 300 congregations in 19 different nations.

This incredible book, written by Reverend Troy Perry, founder of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, and co-authored by Thomas Swicegood, details the early life of both Reverend Perry and UFMCC. Rather than simply a chronological retelling of the histories, the book is divided into individual themes: Reverend Perry's childhood, his struggles to accept his homosexuality, the history of women in the MCC churches, international outreach of the denomination, the impact of AIDS on the denomination, and other topics.

My favorite chapters involve the struggles of the early congregations. So many of us who have come to MCC in the past 10 years aren't aware of what the early congregations endured. Some of the more horrific stories involve arson of MCC churches, murder of church members, rejection of the congregations by their local communities, and in one case, an actual cross burning on the grounds of the MCC in Houston, Texas. But within the stories of horror are stories of hope, courage, and a love of God that stands pure and true.

I am unable to complete this review without offering a personal testimony to what this denomination, and this man means to me. For many years I too thought that God couldn't love me because I was gay, but one Sunday in February of 1996 I was taken to Covenant Metropolitan Community Church in Birmingham Alabama by two friends who thought I needed to see what MCC was all about. Reverend Perry was preaching that day in honor of Covenant MCC's 15 year anniversary, and when he told the congregation, "I want you all to turn to each other and say, `You're in the right place,' " tears began to flow from my eyes. I knew that I had found a home and that God loved me after all. Recently Reverend Perry was once again at our church to help us celebrate our 20th anniversary, and I was able to thank him for what he and MCC have done for me and my relationship with God. The tears flowed again, and I wasn't ashamed of a single one of them.

Reverend Perry is one of the most sincere, loving, and genuine Christians you'll ever meet, and I urge you to purchase this book even if you're not a member of an MCC congregation. You will encounter a man who is not a saint, but an ordinary person who has trusted God to give him the strengths and talents to do God's will and make a difference in people's lives.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book changed my life., September 14, 1998

By 

Mr. S. Harte (Edinburgh, Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Be Afraid Anymore: The Story of Reverend Troy Perry and the Metropolitan Community Churches (Paperback)

I discovered this book by accident in an Edinburgh book shop in 1993. I had no active interest in religion at that time but for some reason I felt compelled to buy it. I "devoured" the book in 24 hours and have re-read it several times since.

The book is an honest and inspiring account of Rev Perry's life and the circumstances surrounding the formation of the Metropolitan Community Church. As well as his own testimony, we are treated to the stories of many other people who have helped made MCC what it is in the 19 countries world-wide where its congregations (now over 300 in number) minister.

Two years later I helped found MCC in Edinburgh, Scotland as a result of reading this book. No other book as had such a direct impact on my day to day life.

Even if you are not religious, this book will gave you an insight on the striggles of lesbian and gay people of faith within a Christian church which has often closed its ears to Christ's message of inclusivity and hope.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Inspiring and Helpful, May 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Don't Be Afraid Anymore: The Story of Reverend Troy Perry and the Metropolitan Community Churches (Paperback)

I first read this book in 1992. I was going to school in Florence, Alabama and I drove 70 miles one-way to Huntsville, Alabama to a gay/lesbian bookstore. I read that book in one afternoon. It brought tears of joy to my eyes and my heart was deeply touched at the courage of Rev. Troy Perry He is an inspiration to all gay/lesbian people everywhere.Words just cannot describe how I feel.