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From The Rev. Dr. Nancy L. Wilson
Office of the Moderator
Metropolitan Community Churches
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ADVANCE NOTICE
2011 Launch of Fellowship Sunday
Offering Campaign Just Days Away!
~ Here's How To Sign Up In Advance ~
MCCers love to celebrate!
We celebrate God,
who loves and affirms us!
We celebrate our faith,
which inspires and sustains us!
And we celebrate one another, for together we are the
"community" in Metropolitan Community Churches!
This is our truth: We are a blessed people with so much to celebrate!
And during the month of October, we'll celebrate the 43rd anniversary of MCC's founding!
On Sunday, October 6, 1968, 12 people gathered in Rev. Troy Perry's living room in Huntington Park, California, for the very first MCC worship service. That first gathering of 12 has grown today into an international movement that is anchored to our founding vision.
Here's Your Invitation!
Did you know that MCC has only two denomination-wide offerings each year: the
Easter Offering for Global Ministries and the Fellowship Sunday Offering Campaign?
In a few days, I'll announce detailed plans for October's Fellowship Sunday Offering Campaign.
Today, I'm sending this advance announcement to invite your church to participate in this campaign by receiving a designated Fellowship Sunday Offering on Fellowship Sunday, October 9, 2011, or on a Sunday of your church's choosing.
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If you respond prior to the campaign's official
launch, I'll be thrilled to list your church and pastor
as 2011 Fellowship Sunday Pacesetters -- churches and
leaders "setting the pace" for a new era of global growth and ministry.
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All of the details will be included in the public announcement in the next few days -- I'd like to share some advance information with you, which I hope will inspire you to sign up now to participate in this year's Fellowship Sunday Offering Campaign.
Together, Let's Finish Our Unfinished Business!
Coming out of MCC's last General Conference, we had one piece of unfinished business, and it dealt with these questions: What systems and structures will best support the emerging international ministry of MCC for at least the next several decades, how do we infuse them with MCC values, and what must we do to assure that they are achievable, accountable and affordable?
The MCC International Task Force is now actively engaging this process, and it is vital that they meet in person, along with a consultant.
We have budgeted some funds for this work, but we need at least an additional $25,000 USD to complete the process that will bring forth the new ideas to galvanize and energize our people at General Conference 2013.
Accordingly, our 2011 Fellowship Sunday Offering Campaign has just one project -- providing adequate support to complete the work of the International Task Force before General Conference 2013.
Your church's participation is an investment in finishing our unfinished business and an investment in securing a bold future for Metropolitan Community Churches!
Here's How You Can Lead The Way
I am counting on you to help us fulfill MCC's God-given destiny through the support of these amazing folks on our International Task Force.
Won't you write to me this week at FellowshipSunday@MCCchurch.net and let me know you'll help lead the way by participating in this year's Fellowship Sunday Offering Campaign to support the important work of MCC's International Task Force?
And if you write to me before the official launch of the campaign, I'll be honored to include your church's and pastor's names as 2011 Fellowship Sunday Pacesetters when we publicly unveil this campaign.
The 2011 Fellowship Sunday Offering Campaign is a wonderful way for your church to celebrate MCC's 43rd anniversary and to invest in God's call to create authentic, sustainable, accountable structures and systems that will support MCC's growing international ministry.
P.S. I want you to know that our 2011 Easter Offerings for Global Ministries truly accomplished three Easter miracles. For the first time ever, income from the Easter Offering not only reached our goal but exceeded it! Second, the number of churches signing up as Pacesetters at Easter more than doubled over the previous year! And third, also for the first time ever, the total number of churches that participated in the Easter Offering was greater than the number of sign-ups. I know much of the thanks goes to you because of your timely leadership!
It would mean so much to me to hear from you this week.
