Gay pastor at peace with himself, church

Randy Eddy-McCain
Randy Eddy-McCain

For as long as he can remember, the Rev. Randy Eddy-McCain wanted to be a preacher.

As a boy growing up in Warren, he loved his Pentecostal church. He prayed fervently each night and was at church on Sundays and Wednesdays and any other time he could go. And when the time was right, he enthusiastically answered the altar call to give his life to Jesus.

To the young boy, religion inspired immense joy, but also a growing sense of guilt -- especially when Eddy-McCain realized he was attracted to other boys. Homosexuality was a sin in the eyes of his church. He knew that but he also knew that he felt called to be a minister.

"I felt very strongly from a child that that's all I wanted to do and these were two issues that seemed to not fit together," he said.

The years that followed were often filled with heartache and desperate efforts to change. It took a long time, but Eddy-McCain was finally able to reconcile his Christian faith with his homosexuality and he became the preacher he always wanted to be at Open Door Community Church in Sherwood. The church held its first worship service in 1996.

The 58-year-old shares his story in the recently released book, And God Save Judy Garland (Prescient Books), its title inspired by one of his nightly childhood prayers.

"When I was a little boy I loved The Wizard of Oz and I told my mother that one day I was going to marry Judy Garland," he said. His mother explained that Garland was already a grown woman but she suggested to little Randy that the actress needed his prayers. "So every night I would pray, 'Now I lay me down to sleep ...' and end with 'and God save Judy Garland. Amen.'"

Eddy-McCain said exposing his life's story so openly is like letting strangers read his diary. It's scary, but he hopes the book will offer some comfort to readers who might also be wrestling with their faith and sexual orientation and have no one to talk with about their struggles.

"There was no one I knew that I could go to ask how to make it work," he said. "So I struggled with it alone, but I think God was faithful to me. Some situations were very difficult and I felt sometimes like I was split down the middle of being gay and Christian."

He left the church for a while but couldn't stay away.

"I missed the church and I missed ministry and it haunted me," he said.

He tried being straight but finally couldn't deny his own feelings. He found an ally in author Tony Campolo and his wife, Peggy. She inspired him to start his own church.

Peggy Campolo will be at the church during its fall conference Sept. 26-28. She will present the Peggy Campolo Carrier Pigeon Award to author Brian McLaren, who will be a guest speaker at the event. Other participants include Jay Bakker, son of televangelists Jim Bakker and the late Tammy Faye Bakker Messner; author Frank Schaeffer; gospel singer Cynthia Clawson; and others.

As for Eddy-McCain, he says he is finally at peace with his faith and his identity as a gay man.

"When I finally came to the conclusion that God loved me, Randy McCain, a gay man, it was such a beautiful thing," he said, adding that his spiritual journey continues to evolve. "I feel like my faith in Jesus Christ is more alive than it's ever been and my love for Jesus is stronger than it's ever been ... Jesus never rejected me."

Today, Eddy-McCain and his husband, Gary, continue their ministry at Open Door Community Church and welcome all, regardless of sexual orientation, to come and worship.

Information on the fall conference is available online at sherwoodopendoor.org.

Religion on 08/30/2014

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