This Week at MCC of CC: MCC Headline News - General Conference registration deadline & much more!

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IN THIS ISSUE

NEWS BRIEFS MODERATOR CORNER

GOVERNING BOARD CORNER EMERGING MINISTRIES

LEADERSHIP PULSE UPCOMING EVENTS

MCC-ERS IN THE NEWS 2013 GENERAL CONFERENCE

General Conference Registration Deadline

You have less than TWO WEEKS to register for General Conference at the low promotional rate of $250 USD (reduced to $200 USD if you are SSI/SSDI, a student, or age 65+). The deadline to register at this reduced rate is 30 April 2012. This low rate is nearly half-off the regular registration rate, so do not miss your chance to lock in this special pricing today!

Prefer not to register online? You can contact Jennifer Justice at Conferences@MCCchurch.net to receive a mail-in registration form.

Don't have a pastor or lay delegate yet but want to take advantage of the low promotional rate? You can! Register using a name like "MCC Church Name Pastor" or "MCC Church Name Lay Delegate." When you elect your pastor or lay delegate(s), email the name change to Conferences@MCCchurch.net. It is as simple as that!

For more details and to register: http://believe.mccchurch.org.

2013 General Conference Worship Planning Team (Easter 2012)

Your Worship Planning Team has already begun meeting. You can tell they're hard at work making this General Conference experience the best one yet!

For planning purposes, the Chicago Pride Parade is scheduled for the morning of Sunday, 30 June 2013. If you would like to be a part of the festivities, you might consider arriving no later than Saturday, 29 June 2013.

NEWS BRIEFS

Welcome back, Rev. Elder Darlene Garner!

Want to journey with her?

Click here to read a powerful reflection from her sabbatical.

Pray for the Senior Leadership Team as they meet next week in Austin, Texas (USA).

This Sunday, 22 April, is Earth Day!

A prayer for the Earth by Jason O'Neill:

God of many names and God beyond naming,

we celebrate your creation and provision.

Forgive us for abusing this precious resource.

Remind us we are called to be good stewards.

Our love for you leads us to respect for all...

All living things and all of creation.

Make us aware of the impact of our actions.

We commit to steps to balance those actions.

Guide us in shifting the conversation.

We commit to changing our ways.

Amen.

GOVERNING BOARD CORNER

MCC's Governing Board announces several updates to their website. Click here for a list of those changes and direct links.

Click here to meet your Governing Board Nominating Committee for General Conference 2013.

LEADERSHIP PULSE

MCC's Office of Formation and Leadership Development invites you to join us for a Virtual Open House on Wednesday, 9 May 2012, at 6:00 pm ET (10:00pm GMT). During this one-hour webinar, we will give an overview of the current process for becoming clergy in MCC and answer your questions.

If you are considering a call to ordained ministry in MCC, this is an opportunity for you to gather information. If you are currently clergy in MCC, please invite those from your congregation who may be interested, and also consider attending for a refresher on the process so you have the latest as you advise people entering ministry.

All are welcome. Click here for details.

LEAD logo

We invite you to preview the MCC L.E.A.D. Store at mcclead.qbstores.com. You can purchase merchandise with the L.E.A.D. logo and support the L.E.A.D. program at the same time.

There is everything from shirts to towels, scarves to bags, and a couple other surprise items. And the best thing about the store is that 20-25% of the proceeds will go into a fund to create L.E.A.D scholarships.

These items are also a great way to promote the L.E.A.D. program in your local congregations.

MCC-ERS IN THE NEWS

Rev. Jeffrey Jordan-Pickett, pastor of MCC Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, USA), started a petition with SumOfUs.org, calling on Hershey's to stop HIV discrimination at its boarding school. Click here for details and to join the nearly 20,000 other signers.

MCC Rehoboth - Rev. K'Lynne, Shila

We congratulate MCC Rehoboth (Beach, Delaware, USA) on their recent groundbreaking! They buried a box of written commitments of time, talent, and treasure to make the building a success.

Exciting news from your church to share with other MCCers? Email us at Communications@MCCchurch.net for possible inclusion in future issues of Headline News.

MODERATOR CORNER

Rev. Elder Dr. Nancy Wilson shared:

I installed Rev. Hector Gutierrez as Elder while I was in Brazil for Easter. It was an amazing celebration with the local churches, clergy and lay leaders there!

Hector Gutierrez installation (Easter Sunday 2012)

Rev. Elder Dr. Nancy Wilson installing Rev. Hector Gutierrez as Elder - Easter Sunday 2012

I will install Rev. Dr. Mona West and bless Rev. Elder Gutierrez on Sunday, 22 April, at MCC Austin, Texas (USA).

We will be recording the service. Watch for the link in a future issue of Headline News.

EMERGING MINISTRIES

Interested in social justice around gender and race? Confused by trans* issues and the language we use? Looking for a good resource for your church? Click here to watch/download an informative news segment.

Want to help CeCe McDonald, whose story is shared in the above news segment? Click here to learn more about the case.

Click here to sign the Care2 petition.

Click here to sign the Change.org petition.

Angel Collie created a wonderful new resource: Top 10 Ways to Make Your Church More Trans-Inclusive.

https://www.facebook.com/MCCTM

UPCOMING EVENTS