WHO WE ARE

In May 2008, the congregation of upRising (formerly MCC Austin) elected Rev. Karen Thompson as Sr. Pastor. In this role she holds responsibility for planning and conducting worship, serves as head of staff, and leads the Board of Directors as its Moderator. A graduate of Austin Presbyterian Seminary, Rev. Karen began her journey to ordination as a Presbyterian. However, the Presbyterian Church’s refusal to ordain openly gay pastors at that time, combined with Rev. Karen’s growing desire to work in and with the LGBTQ faith community, led her to ordination in MCC. Rev. Karen’s hope is that the people who find their way to upRising will experience the transformative power of God’s unconditional love, will find a spiritual home, will worship and serve and grow in their own spiritual journeys, and will in turn invite others to join us. She loves cycling, quilting, reading, and writing. Her life is blessed with three children, their three partners, and three grandchildren.










The Pastor’s Blog
Christmasing Throughout the Year
Today I’m writing about two of my great loves—words and Karen Carpenter. Yesterday I was listening to Christmas music, and though I usually keep the volume at a nice low background level, I turn it [...]
Anniversary 44 — We Can Celebrate Without You, But We Don’t Want To
It’s been 44 years since a dozen brave souls decided to bring to Austin Rev. Troy Perry’s vision for a Christian church that didn’t just accept LGBTQ+ people, but celebrated them. Thank God that [...]
A Rose By Any Other Name
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” Shakespeare penned centuries ago. I do not disagree. But I think, like many things, his claim is relative. Consider your grocery list—do you find [...]
“We Didn’t Think Any Church Would Marry Us”
Last Thursday we got a call in the church office from a desperate wedding planner. She told us that the officiant the couple had hired had called the previous night and cancelled on them. The [...]
Highlights from General Conference
As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say, "The breath goes now," and some say, "No," A Valediction Forbidding Mourning by [...]
Always in Hope: Two Important Updates
In addition to celebrating Pentecost this Sunday and the many exciting REVEALS we’ll be making in conjunction with the “birthday of the church,” we have two important items that we want to make sure you [...]
Send Me Your Pictures!
I will forever be grateful to the Lily Corporation for awarding us a $27,000 grant to pay for my 3-month sabbatical earlier this year; to the MCC Austin board of directors and staff who led [...]
The Rite of Re-Entry
Remember that scene from Apollo 13 when they’re trying to explain to the TV audience the danger that the Apollo 13 crew faces on re-entry? In their illustration, the earth is a basketball and the [...]
Board of Directors
Members of the Board of Directors of upRising are elected by the congregation during the annual congregational meeting, and they serve a two year term.
- Board members are charged with the following responsibilities:
- Ensuring adequate financial resources for upRising to pursue its mission and vision
- Ensuring effective management of the church’s funds and other assets
- Ensuring sound risk management policies
- Participating in selecting the candidate to be elected by the congregation as Sr. Pastor when that is necessary
- Supporting and advising the Sr. Pastor and providing constructive feedback
Lay Delegates
Lay Delegates are the official representatives of the local congregation to the General Conference of Metropolitan Community Churches. Their primary responsibility is to attend and represent the congregation at the General Conference by voting, by gathering information about the denomination to take back to the congregation, and by sharing the views of the congregation with the denominational leadership as appropriate. In between General Conferences, Lay Delegates serve as the communication link between the local congregation and the denomination. They are elected by the congregation at the annual congregational meeting and they serve a three-year term.