Fw: 3-17 to 3-24

 

----- Original Message -----

From: MCC of CC Newsletter

To: Newsletter

Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 8:16 PM

Subject: 3-17 to 3-24

MCC of Corpus Christi

E – Newsletter

March 17^th 2010 – March 24^th, 2010

www.mcccorpuschristi.org

This Week

PFLAG Meeting—On Tuesday, March 23 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Paul's United Church of Christ on Lipes Blvd.  PFLAG is an organization that helps parents and family members of transgender, bisexual, gay and lesbian people.  This meeting is open to everyone.

Coming Soon

Dessert Auction! – On March 28^th, we will conduct one of our famous Dessert Auctions! Bring your baked goods, your appetite and your checkbook and enjoy the fun of a live Auction to raise funds for our General Conference expenses.

Holy Week Services—We will be holding special worship services on Thursday, April 1 at 7:00 p.m.  This will be our annual Maundy Thursday service.  On Friday, April 2 at 7:00 p.m. we will have our Good Friday Service.  Please plan on attending.  Because of these two special services, there will not be a Wednesday night Bible study on Wednesday, March 31.

Special Easter offering--During worship on Easter Sunday, April 4, we will take up a second offering so that worldwide representatives can attend the General Conference of the Metropolitan Community Church.  Many of these leaders are doing some of the most difficult, even dangerous work, in some of the most isolated conditions.  The additional training and support that they will receive by attending Conference will make a huge difference in our worldwide MCC ministry effectiveness.  Please give as you are able.

Day of Silence—TAMU-Kingsville will be holding their annual Day of Silence on Friday, April 16.  This is an event that witnesses to the silencing of gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual people.  If you are interested and able to attend, please contact Pastor Carol.

Board of Directors meeting—On Sunday, April 18^th at 1:00 p.m. will be our next Board of Directors meeting.  Everyone is welcome to come and observe. 

Awards Nomination Forms— forms to nominate people for an award to be presented at the Annual Awards Banquet are available on the table in the sanctuary.  Please fill them out and turn them in to Lisa or Sharon. If you can't find Lisa or Sharon, put them in the Suggestions Box.  Thank you!

Annual Awards Banquet – The 3^rd annual Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday, May 1^st, 2010 at MCC of CC.  The suggested admission price is only $1 per week, or $52.  This promises to be a fun filled night with excellent food.  See Pastor Carol or the Mortgage Retirement Committee for more details.  All proceeds will go to the Mortgage Retirement Fund.

This Month

Toilet Paper: Please bring Toilet Paper to church with you!  We are collecting these items to give to the Food Pantry patrons who need them.  Thank you!!!  As always, grocery bags are greatly appreciated!!

Ongoing

Transgender Support Group—A monthly transgender support group meets here.  Each third Saturday of the month, our Transgender brothers and sisters are invited to come and learn more about who we are as people of faith.  This is a closed meeting and all participation is confidential.  To learn more about the group please speak with Lisa B. Lancaster.  She will be glad to assist you.

The Christ-Centered Prayer group: A prayer group focusing on quiet listening is held on Fridays at 9am.  Yes, in the morning!!!  Come and increase your peace.

Bible study is at 6:30 every Wednesday night.  There are now two parts to the Bible Study.  For those who wish to continue studying the book:  How to Want What You Have, half of the Bible Study will be devoted to this book.  If you want to discuss a daily Lenten meditation, that material will be available as well.  We continue to enjoy a meal together afterwards.

Sound System: Would you like to assist with the sound system or the PowerPoint presentation (Especially when Tom and Andy are out of town)? Please see Pastor Carol, Tom, or Andy to sign up.  Tom, Andy or Howie will train you before you're expected to fly solo.

T shirts:  We are selling T-shirts for $10 each.  The sizes run fromSmall-3x to raise money for the Conference fund. See Andy or Pat. They make a great gift. We have 2 styles available, ask to see them! 

Facebook group page:  Our church now has a "Facebook" group page.  A good place to post church photos, prayer request, events, etc...  The possibilities are boundless.    Login to Facebook and search for MCC of Corpus Christi

MySpace page: MCC of CC has a MySpace page!  Find us at http://www.myspace.com/mccofcorpus

MCC of CC Blog! This newsletter is posted in a blog each week.  Go to http://mccofcc.blogspot.com/  We are also posting UFMCC notices there.  This week, 4 items were added.  One of these 4 is below in the "Fellowship News" section of this newsletter.

FINANCES

As it says in Mark 12:42-44: A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

Thank you!!—On Sunday, March 14, we collected over $1,100. toward our general fund.  This helps us stay on track with our bills.  Thank you so much for your generosity!!

Donate online! -If you have a paypal account, simply send money to treasurer@mcccorpuschristi.org.  If you do not have a paypal account, you can use your credit card at https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=Y8BQY6ARBK9C4

Support MCC of CC with your everyday purchases! Turn your everyday spending into meaningful donations. With our custom credit card, cash donations for every purchase you make—plus a $50 first purchase bonus—will be donated to MCC of CC.  Go to https://www.cardlabconnect.com/mccofcc to apply or learn more!

Good Search--Did you know? Each time someone does a search using Good Search, a charity gets 1 cent.  If you put MCC of Corpus Christi in the "Who do you GoodSearch for?" box, MCC of Corpus Christi gets that penny.  You can set Good search as your homepage and/or default search engine.  You can also download and install a Good Search toolbar to ensure MCC of Corpus Christi gets donations when you buy online!  Visit http://www.goodsearch.com/nonprofit/metropolitan-community-church-mcc-of-corpus-christi.aspx for more details!

Need some suggestions to search? Since this is Lent, try these: Lent, Temptation, Fasting, Prepare, Sunday, Prayer, and Locher Food Pantry.  You never have to buy anything for MCC of Corpus Christi to get the credit.  Happy searching!

Goodshop.com:  Goodshop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 % of each purchase to your favorite cause!  More than 1000 great Stores including Old Navy, Dell, Expedia, Best Buy, eBay, Macy's, and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with Good Shop and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting your favorite cause. Be sure to put MCC of Corpus Christi in the "Who do you support?" box. And if you download the toolbar from http://www.goodsearch.com/nonprofit/metropolitan-community-church-mcc-of-corpus-christi.aspx you will ensure MCC of CC gets credit from every store available when you shop online!

Fellowship News

Metropolitan Community Churches     Tearing Down Walls.  Building Up Hope.           Stucture Review Update     March Update   On 28 February 2010, Metropolitan Community Churches announced its new structure review proposal.  Just in case you have not had an opportunity to review the documents that comprise this proposal, click here.   All of the structure review documents and information is housed on the new Structure Review website and the comment forums for each section are now open.  Click here to view MCC's new structure review website.   One of the first items on the implementation schedule is the appointment of the nominating committee for the governing board.   This committee is tasked with the following:   ·  Nominating Committee for the Governing Board           o  Composed of the Moderator and three people         o  Recruits and screens applicants for election to the Governing Board        o  Presents candidates to the General Conference for election As we move closer to General Conference please hold each member of this committee in your hearts and prayers as they come together to do this amazing work.  In the coming weeks, look for more information from this committee.   P.S.  Coming Soon!  Don't forget to check your inbox for the Clergy and Lay Delegate Survey.     John Vespa - Committee Chair     John Vespa is a member ofMCC Toronto and has been attending there since 1993. John has served on the MCC Toronto Board of Directors for six years and has had significant involvement in fundraising for the Triangle Program hosted by MCCT.  John has been serving on the UFMCC Board of Administration (BOA) since 2003. Professionally John is seasoned human resources executive with significant private and public sector experience in organizational design, talent management, change management and human resources strategy. John has worked closely with the BOA and staff on a number of human resources policy and workforce issues over the years.  John will Chair the recently announced Interim Nominating Committee for the MCC Governing Board. The Committee will recruit, screen and present candidates for the Governing Board that will be elected by General Conference.   Helen Berry   Helen Berry has been a member of MCC Newcastle in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK since 1999.  She currently serves as Vice-Moderator and has served as Secretary of the Board there.  She is the author of Wilderness People:  Real-Life Stories from an Inclusive Church, an oral history based upon stories of 25 members of the congregation in Newcastle.  Berry has a PhD in History from Jesus College in Cambridge, UK and is a lecturer in UK universities in early modern history serving in a senior academic position (equivalent to a tenured Professor) and has held various management positions.  She is a former member of the academic governing body of the University and has served on Newcastle University's Board of Governance Review Team.  She regularly serves on appointment committees for tenured positions and has received training at the University of Warwick's Business School on good practice in selection procedures in the public sector.    DeWayne Davis     DeWayne Davis is an active member of Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C., where he previously served as a Member of Board of Directors.  DeWayne is currently the Domestic Policy Analyst in The Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations where he represents before the U.S. Congress the domestic social policies established by the Episcopal Church's General Convention and Executive Council, including issues of human rights, welfare, poverty, hunger, health care, violence, civil rights, the environment, and issues involving women and children. He also serves on the Steering Committee of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership.  He is a clergy candidate in care at MCC-DC and is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity degree from the Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Sign-up for the NEW MCC People of African Descent (PAD) Blog Today!   Read Rev. Elder Darlene Garner and Rev. Candy Holmes' post  Love and Justice Win! Check out the new post.   Join the MCC PAD Facebook Connection Group. Join here.   Join now at www.mccpadlink.blogspot.com or at www.mccpad.org.

Social Action

 

Hi Elizabeth, Marriage equality comes to D.C.! You helped make history – now help make some more. Watch the video and pass it along – let's reach 2 million signatures for marriage equality! Incredible. Just this morning, I watched the first three marriages of same-sex couples in Washington, D.C. It was a milestone for three loving families. A milestone for our nation's capital. And, importantly, it was a sign of America's continued march toward equality. As part of that march, we've collected more than 1 million signatures on our petition for marriage equality. To help celebrate today's victory, I'm hoping you can help us reach a new goal: 2 million for marriage. Watch the touching video from today's ceremonies – then pass it along and ask your friends to sign our petition for marriage equality. The three couples who were married today, right here, at HRC's headquarters, have already shared decades of love and commitment between them. Now, finally, that love and commitment is recognized and protected under the law. Today's weddings and the many that will follow in our nation's capital stand in stark contrast to the signing – just a few miles away from here – of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act a decade ago. Elizabeth, this movement has once again made history. Now it's up to us to make more. Help us celebrate today's landmark weddings by passing along this joyful video – and let's get started toward another million signatures for marriage equality. On a day like today, especially, I have to thank you for helping us get here. Now back to grinning ear to ear... Warmly, Joe Solmonese P.S. So far, more than 250 couples have joined our wedding registry, making the struggle for equality a central part of their commitment to each other – if you know someone with a ceremony coming up, let them know about http://www.hrc.org/weddingregistry.

 

Is anyone up for a road trip?  Equality Texas is hosting a Project Training on March 27th. 

 

Here is the link for further information:

 

http://www.equalitytexas.com/content.aspx?id=581&region=9

 

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