Rev. David Holzhauer, former pastor of Holy Covenant Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in Hinsdale, passed away March 19.
Holzhauer most recently served as assistant pastor at King of Peace MCC in St. Petersburg, Fla., but he led Holy Covenant MCC in the western Chicago suburbs from 1987 to 1989.
Gay men who were kicked out of their own churches because of their sexuality, founded MCC in 1968. MCC prides itself on non-traditional, contemporary spirituality worship.
Holzhauer grew the building fund for the Holy Covenant MCC, which was used to purchase the location that the congregation currently worships in Brookfield.
“Once during the Pride parade, he walked up and down the contingent and tried to talk people on the sidelines into buying building blocks for the Holy Covenant building fund. That was one of the methods he used to get that started,” said Rev. Gordon McCoy, north central network lead for MCC and a pastoral colleague of Holzhauer while he was in Chicago.
McCoy also recalled Holzhauer opening his own home to congregation members for dinner.
Frederick Ratchford, Holzhauer’s longtime partner, died two weeks before Holzhauer on March 4.
A memorial service was hosted at Memorial Park Funeral home in St. Petersburg, Fla., March 25.