| Save The Date! Sunday, October 10th is Fellowship Sunday! The special offering for this year's celebration of Fellowship Sunday is dedicated to all of the programs and efforts that summon, support and sustain the current and emerging leaders of our movement and ministries. Look for more information and resources for Fellowship Sunday 2010. | | Just in Case You Missed It... Special Wrap Up Edition of Imagination Have you been waiting for the Worship Videos & Conference Resources? The wait is over! Click here to check it out! | | What's Going On In Your Community? Do you have news to share? If so, please click here to contact Judy Dale, the editor of the MCC Impact to help lift up and share what God is up to in your local MCC! | | YOUTH SUNDAY AT MCC OMAHA For six weeks the Sunday School teachers at MCC Omaha (Nebraska) worked with the youth, ages 8-15, learning about the various parts of a worship service and their meaning. The students chose the Scripture for the service, Revelation 22:1-2, which talks about the Tree of Life bringing healing to the nations. The youth read scripture, gave the call to generosity, lead the community prayer, consecrated Communion and prayed with congregants. It was incredibly moving to see 50 year old congregants kneeling down so a 10 year old could say a prayer of blessing. The sermon was replaced by a skit written by a 29 year old Sunday School teacher, who had never gone to church until coming to MCC two years ago, and was narrated by a 20 year old college student. At the end of the skit the children anointed Pastors Tom Emmett and Melissa Smithee with water, symbolizing the River of Life, and gave them leaves from the Tree of Life, challenging them to lead the congregation to bring healing to the nations. At the end of the service Pastor Tom accepted that challenge and had the children lead the congregation out of the church and into the world. The Spirit of God is raising up a new generation of spiritual activists as demonstrated by pre-teens and young teenagers, who are now asking when they can help with the service on a regular basis. | EQUIPPING THE (EUROPEAN) SAINTS FOR SERVICE The weekend of 5 - 7 November will find MCCers from across Europe gathered in Manchester, England for a time of excellent worship, 19 workshops, and, of course, some fun! They have already sold out of residential space and have just a few day passes left, which are £25 + food. More than 110 are registered. From liturgical to praise style worship, from English to German (with some Latin, French and Spanish), from "alternative" to traditional services, from thoughts about: bodies and souls, ministry and mission, diversity and disagreement, images of the divine and post modern spirituality, reaching the newer generations, helping deal with grief, offering healing to body and soul, spending time wandering in prayer, asking questions about transgender, singing and re-enacting, from early morning prayer to late nights in the bar, the goal is to renew their faith, strengthen their desire to serve God in the world, and help renew the mission of MCC in Europe. | | PEOPLE Martin Arthur, founder of the Wessex Chorus and a member of MCC Bournemouth (England), was featured on BBC1's Tonight's the Night with John Barrowman on 28 August. Chorus members and his partner, Mike Carlisle, had nominated him to have a song sung to him by John Barrowman in thanks for all his hard work in the community and charitable fundraising. Members of Wessex Chorus, friends, and family surprised him by joining them on stage. Click here to check it out. Rev. Leanna Hamilton is completing her MA in Theology and preparing to enter the PhD program in History. At Pride last month in Brighton, England, Rev Debbie Gaston blessed the parade for the fourth year. Then, for the first time, people of faith, led by Brightwaves MCC, walked together under the banner "Pride in Faith". The group included River of Life MCC (Dorchester, England), representatives of a progressive synagogue, the Quakers, members of an interfaith seminary, and others. Rev. Andy Braunston is gathering data for a paper on spirituality and lifestyle as part of his MA studies. If you would be willing to take a brief survey, click here. | | SPIRITUAL DISCOVERY IN COMMUNITY MCC Key West (Florida) has announced Spiritual Discovery in Community, their new programming to enhance spiritual lives outside Sunday worship. Each program will be offered on a monthly basis on Wednesday evenings. Spiritual Discovery through Contemplation will offer a short, non-traditional worship experience devoted to contemplation, meditation and/or reflection. Spiritual Discovery through the Written Word will explore various genres of literature containing moral and/or theological themes applicable to everyday life. They'll read one book per month and gather for shared observation and discussion. Spiritual Discovery through Cinema, Drama and the Arts will focus on provocative films and/or live theatre as an opportunity to explore one's understanding of faith through the lived experience. | ACTIVE NETWORK The Michigan/Ontario Network is planning an all day retreat for the laity. There will be worship in the morning and then two options for the rest of the day. One is Board Training for churches with less than 75 members and the other is a series of workshops on such topics as funeral planning, fundraising, and empowering laity. The day will end with a healing service. The cost is $20 (USD), which includes lunch and dinner ... free for those doing Board Training. They will begin at 9:27 am (yes, 9:27!) on Saturday, 2 October, at MCC Detroit (Michigan). If you'd like to register or need more information, contact Ann Cox at 246-681-1426. They have a Clergy Retreat planned for next May. | | LEARNING FROM ONE ANOTHER "Standing on the Promises" is a nine-part Testimony Series happening at MCC of the Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Pennsylvania). During theSunday worship service, congregants are testifying about how they have honored God's promises in their lives with the results of moving from mourning to gladness and from scarcity to bounty. We can all find encouragement and edification in hearing the faith journeys of our brothers and sisters in Christ. | | CHURCHES The Imperial Court in Phoenix, Arizona, will host a fundraiser for Gentle Shepherd MCC on 18 September entitled "Back in the Habit Again", an evening of laughter, entertainment, music, an auction, and raffles. Rev. Delores Berry will be in concert at MCC Illiana (Portage, Indiana) 25-26 September. Congregants will be joined by friends from Holy Covenant MCC (Brookfield, Illinois), achurch4me? MCC (Chicago, Illinois) and others for the weekend's events. Outreach that works! Trinity MCC (Arlington, Texas) hosts a monthly movie night at no charge featuring LGBT films, snacks, and a discussion time. The result? Participants are now beginning to attend church! The Young Adult Ministry at All God's Children MCC (Minneapolis, Minnesota) meets on Sunday evenings to empower participants to "love their lives, make friends, and grow spiritually". They enjoy such events as activities to expand their faith, karaoke and game nights, life 101 (dealing with the concerns of young people), and movies with meaning. Members of River of Life MCC (Dorchester, England) will be featured in the Equality & Diversity literature produced by the West Dorset District Council. A photographer visited the church to take pictures of couples, families, and individuals. A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLauren will be the topic for their Wednesday night study series at Pikes Peak MCC (Colorado Springs, Colorado) beginning 15 September. McLauren was a speaker at General Conference this year. MCC Austin (Texas) will be one of only 35 exhibitors selected for the Austin Gay and Lesbian Wedding Expo at the Hyatt Regency on Sunday. Rev. Elder Troy Perry was the special guest for the 30th anniversary of MCC London (Ontario). He spoke at the banquet, as well as preached on Sunday last weekend. The September Book Discussion at Joy MCC (Orlando, Florida) features Parker Palmer's Let You Like Speak. MCC Detroit (Michigan) is sponsoring a Gay Christian Bowling League. Divine Peace MCC (Pontiac, Michigan) will also have teams in the league. House of Rainbow MCC (Lagos, Nigeria) celebrated its 4th anniversary on 2 September with a special service in London, England. Click here to watch. Beginning this weekend for four weeks, several groups will be offered on different days by MCC Richmond (Virginia) to study Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity. Rev. Paul Gratz is hosting focus groups of 15 at a time in his home for dessert and sharing his vision of how First MCC of Atlanta (Georgia) can be as relevant as the "first church" was in its day. On 25 September Emerald City MCC (Seattle, Washington) will participate in the Seattle AIDS Walk and then host a church picnic. Appalachian MCC (St. Albans, West Virginia) hosts a monthly Leadership Bible Study at a local coffee house to provide a more relaxed atmosphere for their study and discussion. Rev. Bernie Barbour and MCC Amarillo (Texas) are hosting a five day cruise on the Carnival Triumph, sailing from Galveston, Texas, on 7 November with stops in Progresso and Cozumel, Mexico. A $50 (USD) deposit is due by 15 September. www.mcc-amarillotravel.com | | AN UPDATE FROM CRAVE MCC CHRISTCHURCH A very warm thank you to all those people who have sent messages to CRAVE MCC @ Christchurch following the 7.4 earthquake we had on Sat at 0430hrs here in New Zealand. The current estimate is around 20% of houses will need major repairs or rebuilding, and the central city is still cordoned off due the risk of the older buildings collapsing. The hospital where I work is well staffed with people just turning up to help, and mainly dealing with minor broken bones, cuts etc. A few people have had cardiac events and a record 21 births occurred on Saturday as well. The ICU has had a few admission with only two listed as critical at present. The members of MCC seem to have coped well, most living away from the worst affected area, and water and power returned to 80% of the city. Sanitation continues to be a problem however and water needs to be boiled. Several schools are currently set up as evacuation points and all the civil defense systems are working well. We are indeed blessed that the time the quake occurred and the strengthening of the newer buildings has resulted in far less devastation then could have happened. I have yet to see the Nancy Ave worship centre where we meet, however all buildings require inspection before entering and that may be a while. Due to the materials used for many local churches, some are quite badly damaged.
Again, thank you for your thoughts and prayers, especially the Elders and in particular Rev Nancy Wilson who were in touch so very quickly, Rev Stedney and of course messages of support and care from our parent church Crave MCC Paddington especially Rev Karl and Rev Penny. Kia Kaha Neil Hellewell, Worship Leader
CRAVE MCC Christchurch 5 September 2010 | | TRANSITIONS Rev. Lea Brown just announced her resignation as senior pastor of MCC San Francisco (California). Her last Sunday will be 19 September. MCC Montpellier (France) has a new home at the Centre Oecumenique and is gathering every other week at 5:30 pm. Kim Baker is the new music director at Joy MCC (Orlando, Florida), where he is a member. He has served as pastor, youth director, and other positions in various denominations for over 30 years. MCC of the Spirit (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) said farewell the end of August to Rev. Charles Tigard as he completed an 18 month interim pastorate there.
| | MCC BEING MCC On a recent Sunday morning, there was a bike accident outside MCC Los Angeles (California) and a woman was injured. What happened next could have happened in any MCC, but it certainly made an impression on the author of this blog, who was the boyfriend of the injured woman. It's worth reading, so click here.
| | HRC's CLERGY CALL The Human Rights Campaign is calling all US MCC and other progressive clergy to attend their third bi-annual Clergy Call in Washington, DC, 22-24 May 2011. Mark your calendars now and plan to participate in this important event. The previous Clergy Calls included a plenary conference, an interfaith celebration, a press conference, and hundreds of clergy meetings with their members of Congress, showing the strength of a growing faith-based movement speaking out for LGBT justice.
| | PRAYERS Jason O'Neill's grandfather passed away on 19 August. JasonONeill@MCCchurch.net Rev. Margaret Walker has been ill since General Conference. She was hospitalized for a while, but is finally home and doing better. RevMargaretWalker@MCCchurch.net Connie Meadows is recovering from double knee replacement surgery. ConnieMeadows@MCCchurch.net Rev. Diane Fisher is on sabbatical through the end of November. May it be a time of rest, renewal, and improving her French! Anna and Marina, who is the Lay Delegate for MCC Montpellier (France), lost their baby, Lisa, just one week before her birth. Pray also for the two fathers, David and David, and the possibility of future children for this co-parental family. | |
