Cecilia Eggleston is a minister and leader within the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). She was the first woman and first lay person to be elected as district coordinator in the European District of the MCC.[1] She is currently the CEO and chief of staff of MCC worldwide.[2]
Career
Eggleston's involvement with the MCC began in 1989, and she was a founding co-pastor of Living Springs MCC in Bath, England. She also helped create Samaritan Education in Europe and chaired its board of trustees for several years. Eggleston participated in the Board of Ordained Ministry before becoming district coordinator for MCC churches in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Denmark. Her experience as chair aided her work on the Elders Task Force on Education.[1]
In 2003, Eggleston was elected to serve on the board of elders during a shift in the MCC's governance. She was ordained in 2004.[1] In 2005, she became the moderator of the MCC, a role previously held by Troy Perry; she is the second female moderator and the first to come from outside the United States.[3] Eggleston retired from the Board of Elders in 2007 and became the full-time pastor of the MCC's Newcastle congregation.[1][4][5][6] As part of the MCC's Strategic Review Team, Eggleston worked with the Board of Elders and Board of Administration to improve the MCC's denominational organization.[1] As of 2025, Eggleston is the CEO and Chief of Staff of MCC worldwide.[2]
Views and activism
In 2007, Eggleston spoke at the United Kingdom's National Holocaust Memorial event. She has been involved in local efforts to combat homophobia on the International Day Against Homophobia.[1] In response to the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings, Eggleston denounced anti-Asian racism resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8]
In 2023, Eggleston criticized the Church of England's decision to allow blessings of same-sex unions but continue defining marriage as between a man and a woman. She said this compromise "has gone on too long and has reached a new level of absurdity".[9] Eggleston has criticized gun rights activist and US congresswoman Lauren Boebert's statement that Jesus should have been armed, saying that "if the congresswoman would give our scripture only a cursory glance, she would know that Jesus willingly gave His life, and wouldn't have fought back no matter how armed He was".[10] Eggleston and the MCC have also opposed anti-LGBTQ+ laws in Florida and what the church refers to as Ron DeSantis's "extreme agenda".[11]
Personal life
Eggleston was the sixth of seven siblings. Raised Catholic, she came out as lesbian at thirteen years old and joined the MCC at age twenty. She is married to her wife, Orgena Rose.[12]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston | Profile", LGBTQ Religious Archives Network, accessed July 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Who to contact, MCC, accessed July 13, 2023,
- ^ Fieseler, Robert W. (2019-09-01). "Inside The Metropolitan Community Church, Which Has Been Telling LGBTQ People God Loves Them For 50 Years". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ "Newcastle LGBT church celebrates 20 years". BBC News. 28 October 2011.
- ^ Musgrove, Susan (April 29, 2013). "After my sex change, I'm now a woman in the eyes of God". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ McVeigh, Karen (May 21, 2015). "Church of England to consider transgender naming ceremony". The Guardian. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ Borja, Melissa May; Zhang, Kayla (2023). "'Please Love Our Asian American Neighbors': Christian Responses to Anti-Asian Racism during the COVID-19 Pandemic". Theology Today. 79 (4): 370–389. doi:10.1177/00405736221132863. ISSN 0040-5736. PMC 9805921. PMID 36618959.
- ^ Eggleston, Cecilia (19 March 2021). "A statement from Rev. Cecilia Eggleston on Atlanta attacks". Retrieved 11 March 2025.
- ^ Zipkin, Michele (February 17, 2023). "LGBTQ rights in the UK: Challenges, yet resilience". Philadelphia Gay News. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "MCC calls out Boebert for saying Jesus should have been armed". Dallas Voice. June 15, 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ Davis, Andrew (October 11, 2023). "NATIONAL Montana court, gay bishop, EEOC, Equality Forum, banned operas". Windy City Times. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ da Silva, Adriano (2021). "Violência LGBTIfóbica na comunicação digital: representações do jornalismo, redes sociais online e perspectivas inclusivas" [LGBTIphobic violence in digital communication: representations of journalism, online social networks and inclusive perspectives]. Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde Biblioteca de Saúde Pública (Institute of Scientific and Technological Communication and Information in Health Public Health Library). Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ): 103–106.
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