E-News
Week of 19 - 25 December 2010
Church Office and Locher Food Pantry hours:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Telephone: 882-8255 email: mccofcc@gmail.com
locherfoodpantry@mcccorpuschristi.org
Intentional Interim Pastor: Rev. Ken Ehrke
In
Board of Directors:
Vice Moderator: Mary Jo Smith
Clerk: Thomas Dollard clerk@mcccorpuschristi.org
Treasurer: Russell Young treasurer@mcccorpuschristi.org
At-Large: Sharon Scott
From the Interim Pastor, Board of Directors and volunteer staff:
Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all,
Merry Christmas
Christmas Eve Service: Join us for Christmas Eve service on 24 December at
Usher Training: We will be having training for all ushers and anyone interested in being an usher on
Acolyte Training: We will be having training for all acolytes and anyone interested in being an acolyte on
Locher Food Pantry: The Locher Food Pantry needs your help. Did you know that twice this month the pantry has run out of food? It's true, we are now providing food to nearly 2000 people a month. So when you're out grocery shopping why not put some extra food in your shopping cart for the pantry and help us feed those in need.
Opportunities for Service
Galatians
"My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love."
Board of Trustees: There are two positions that need to be filled, if you are interested in being on the Board of Trustees, or if you want more information contact any member of the Board of Directors.
Board of Directors: With the departure of Chris Pettis, the Board now has one vacancy, if your interested in being on the Board of Directors, or what more information, contact any member of the Board of Directors.
Finance Committee: If you are interested in serving on this committee, or have any questions, contact any member of the Board of Directors.
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 Tom, or Andy to sign up. Tom, Andy or Howie will train you before you're expected to fly solo.
Got Muscles? The Locher Food Pantry needs you on Wednesdays to help unload the food from the Corpus Christi Food Bank. If you're interested be at the Church on Wednesdays at
Want to be part of the Worship Experience? We need singers, ushers, acolytes and people to help set up and clean up (Alter Guild). See Pastor Ken or the Worship Team (Andy, Lisa and Russell Y.)
Sunday School: We are looking for adults who are will to help teach our young people. If you're interested in the very important ministry, see Tom D, Mary Jo or Pastor Ken.
Ongoing
Bible Study! – The Bible Study is going strong! Wednesday Evenings at
The Christ-Centered Prayer group: A prayer group focusing on quiet listening is held on Fridays at
AA group: meets at the Church each Monday night at
T shirts: We are selling T-shirts for $10 each. The sizes run from Small-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 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 issue. Go to http://mccofcc.blogspot.com/ we are also posting UFMCC notices there.
READ THIS BEFORE YOU DO ANY
Please make every gift count this holiday season. You can find coupons at more than 1,600 top stores (including Amazon, Macy's, J.Crew, Toys R Us, Best Buy, Gap and more) AND a percentage of virtually every sale will be donated to MCC of
Or, add our toolbar to your browser at http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar - and your purchases will earn a donation for us even if you forget to go to GoodShop first!
There's no easier way to support us this holiday season! Please spread the word.
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. There is an introductory 0% financing. Go to https://www.cardlabconnect.com/mccofcc to apply or learn more! If you get this card and use it once, then pay it off and cut it up, MCC of CC will still get the $50!
Soda Machine Survey: The vending machine team would like to know what you think. Please take the survey located at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CTV9RBZ
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."
We received $1242.00 in offering this Sunday.
Just FYI: Our Bookkeeper, Andy Wilcox, says we need approximately $1028 each week to keep current with all of our bills.
Donate online! -If you have a PayPal or Alert pay account, simply send money to treasurer@mcccorpuschristi.org or click the appropriate button below. 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=HWB7L9PLBXBDJ Cut and paste the link if clicking does not work.
For PayPal payments: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=RHQY9482AWDZC
For Alert pay Payments: https://www.alertpay.com/checkout?BDVBfXhteHJleXVjdGUqQUFVXnZHRWw3fHQvamVpTmt9NXJxd0ZMQWhteGd5aHN2dGN0ZQA=
If you do not have and would like to have either a PayPal or Alert pay account, click the link you are interested in below and MCC of CC may get a commission:
Alert pay (preferred by editor, personal preference): https://www.alertpay.com/?Yxe%2fZIRsrFbS%2ffeN3AfnxQ%3d%3d
PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/us/mrb/pal=MP5445LVSFMNY
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. There is an introductory 0% financing. Go to https://www.cardlabconnect.com/mccofcc to apply or learn more! If you get this card and use it once, then pay it off and cut it up, MCC of CC will still get the $50!
GoodSearch--Did you know? Each time someone does a search using GoodSearch, 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 GoodSearch 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? Try these: Interim, Thanksgiving,
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!
From the Fellowship
Office of the Moderator
Metropolitan Community Churches
For Immediate Release: 09 December 2010
December 9th, 2010
Dear Ones,
Your faithfulness and generosity, and that of our MCC churches, has resulted in many life-changing and world-changing events in 2010. We live in times that demand a vital, liberating, engaged ministry as we reach out to all who need a God of love!
Because hundreds of visionary MCC people like you have sustained our mission and ministries this challenging year, we have been able to respond quickly to opportunities and to threats against us and our brothers and sisters, in the United States and around the world.
This was the year that would produce the headlines, "Hang Uganda's top Homos," inspired, in part by US Evangelicals preaching their brand of religious homophobia; it was a year in which the visibility of LGBT teen and young adult suicides would shake the US; it was a year in which "Don't Ask-Don't Tell," the policy excluding gays from serving in the US military, is being toppled in the courts and in the court of public opinion; it was a year in which political polarization and economic uncertainty, world-wide, challenged us to the core.
Yet, because you and I believe that by dedicating our time, talents and treasure to challenging injustice and building a strong, dedicated spiritual community together, we have blessings to count and achievements to celebrate in every area of our life as a church, spanning all our ministries.
As a denomination, the vision of our lay leaders, clergy and Elders brought us a successful General Conference in Acapulco, Mexico, where we
- held our first Latin American leadership meeting;
- welcomed Bishop Yvette Flunder and the Fellowship;
- held our first Youth-led worship service;
- featured the MCC Toronto Choir;
- were challenged by Lieutenant Dan Choi, and
- rocked with the "band" from Minneapolis!
We adopted a new streamlined structure, with
- Network leaders offering a new sense of connection between us and our churches;
- a new Governing Board, elected and accountable to General Conference, composed of extraordinary lay and clergy leaders who are already hard at work, and
- we made a commitment to form a new International Task Force that will transform our global structure and ministry.
Our new and renewed resources, programs for churches and opportunities for leadership development are mobilizing MCCers to grow in faith and in mission:
§ Church Summits are really making a difference as Elders offer their skills as teachers and coaches to our boards and church leaders; Program summits in Worship and Stewardship will begin in 2011;
§ First clergy preparation retreat was held in Asia, in The Philippines, with seven outstanding candidates from that country and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
§ First Leadership Mentoring Retreat was held for those who feel called to serve MCC;s local and global mission in some way-two more will held in 2011!
§ New MCC Church Plants, such as Open Circle in the Villages, Florida;
§ A new Church Planting Strategy Team called into being, working with North American Hispanic Church planting group; resourcing and coaching church planters;
§ MCC welcomed Rev. Harry Knox, from the Human Rights Campaign's Religion and Faith Program, to the ranks of MCC clergy as he becomes Senior Pastor of Resurrection MCC in Houston, Texas;
§ Published our new Trans Resource: MCC TRANSFormative Church Ministry Program (click here to view and download);
§ Published our first Planned Giving guide for Churches (view)
§ Planning PAD Conference in Washington, DC. In May 2011, with 600 participants anticipated!
§ Generosity and focus made this possible. Thank you.
This year, as in every year, there are opportunities-often heartbreaking ones-to bear witness to God's love and compassion. These crossed the thresholds of MCC around the world this year:
§ Haiti – MCC, with leadership from ICM in Santo Domingo, mounted a major response to the devastation, supporting Housing Works, an HIV/AIDS organization helping in Haiti; ICM Santo Domingo made three trips to Haiti to bring tents, food and medicine purchased with more than $46,000 given by MCC people;
§ Pakistan – the first three women enrolled in school funded by MCC; with professional certificates, they can support themselves and other women like them who do not want to be forced into arranged marriages;
§ MCC initiated "Clergy Against Bullying," a coalition of national LGBT religious leaders, allies from mainline churches and the United States National Council of Churches; and
§ Created a YouTube video, "God is not a Bully;"
§ Marriage Equality-we continue to be on the front lines, including in the UK;
§ MCC was represented at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna.
In these challenging economic times, MCC can press on to do the work of sharing good news in a world filled with hateful rhetoric, because your prayers and your gifts of time, talent and treasure make tearing down walls and building up hope tangible and real.
In so many corners of the world, people are still just beginning to hear the story of the gay church, the church with AIDS, the Human Rights Church, and our message of love and liberation. Teens all over the world need us and our positive message of God's love for all people, including LGBT kids.
Today I ask your help to prepare MCC to bear witness to hope in 2011. Our common mission needs you to be involved in significant ways:
§ Pray for MCC each and every day;
§ Tell someone you love about the life-saving, life-giving message of MCC, and invite them to join you in supporting our common work;
§ Support MCC financially. Giving supports our life-changing work. In this season of giving and thanks giving, join me and legions of others in giving generously where it matters so dearly. [Give online now!]
Thank you for your faithfulness. It is just what the world needs.
Grace and Peace,
+Nancy
Rev. Nancy Wilson
Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches
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