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MCC | PO Box 1374 | Abilene | TX | 79604 |
Saturday, December 18, 2010
MCC Announces: Door Opens for Full LGBT Equality U.S. Congress Votes to End "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Report From the MCC Senior Leadership Team
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MCC | PO Box 1374 | Abilene | TX | 79604 |
Sunday, December 12, 2010
E-News 12 - 18 Dec 10 -6
You have received this newsletter because you (or someone using your email address) requested it. If you no longer wish to receive these newsletters, send an email with the subject of "unsubscribe" to Newsletter@mcccorpuschrsiti.org Thank you
E-News
Week of 12 - 18 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
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 is still collecting the fixin's for Christmas meals. Please bring in any canned vegetables and gravy mixes, boxed mashed potatoes and stuffing mix, etc. All donations are greatly appreciated. Share some Christmas spirit with people in need this season.
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
Movie Night – On the 2nd and 4th Saturday night of every month, we will gather at the church, at
The Christ-Centered Prayer group: A prayer group focusing on quiet listening is held on Fridays at
AA group: meets here 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 $1291.65 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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We've Only Just Begun to Fight!
U.S. Congress Fails to End "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Just moments ago, the United States Senate failed to pass a key procedural Defense Authorization bill that contained an amendment to repeal the ban on lesbian and gay soldiers serving openly in the military. The vote not only ended our hope of lifting the ban during this session of Congress, but made even a discussion impossible.
I join my voice to that of human rights activists around the globe decrying not only the failure of the United States Senate to end the 17-year ban, but the lack of courage and conviction in disallowing even a conversation on the merits of the measure.
The ban, known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," has long been used as a weapon of mass division, often diverting attention from the principles of equality and justice for all in favor of fanciful projections about who would and would not be able to shower in safety; who would and would not be able to keep their focus on the battlefront. Today U.S. legislators lost their focus: representing all of us equally and fairly.
It is nothing short of shameful that those elected to represent a public who overwhelmingly called for the end of the ban, chose political machinations over honoring their call to serve our common interests. It is nothing short of shameful that the real progress toward acceptance and inclusion witnessed in the military personnel survey compiled as part of the research mandated in consideration of an appeal vote, was completely ignored. Our national leaders chose fear and projection over the strong inclination of the American people for acceptance of diversity.
While I am pledging myself to continue to carry on this good fight, I am also mindful of the debt of gratitude all of us owe to the many, many people who lifted their voices and sometimes jeopardized their careers in pursuit of equality.
I am mindful of the debt of gratitude we owe to people like Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen and General Colin Powell. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King said, "In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends." On this eve of momentary defeat, we are blessed to remember that many of our friends broke their silence in the cause of justice and equality for all.
I am mindful of the debt of gratitude we owe to all the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender military personnel whose presence on front lines across the globe and whose dedication to the principles of freedom and justice for all remain unwavering.
And I am mindful of all those who have given their lives in silent witness for the principles they cherished. Today we owe a debt of gratitude to them and to those whose refusal to keep silent has or will lead to their discharge.
"When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one," reads the inscription on the tombstone of gay activist and solider, Leonard Matlovich. On this day of momentary defeat, I ask you to join me in praying that the courage of those like Matlovich, along with the boldness and tenacity of people like Colonel Margareth Cammermeyer, Lieutenant Dan Choi, The Rev. Elder Jeri Ann Harvey, The Rev. Dr. Lea Brown and The Rev. Dr. Robert Griffin, to name a few, may continue to inspire all of us in our quest to make truth our weapon of choice in the battle for freedom.
This Advent season I call on the Members and Friends of Metropolitan Community Churches and people of good will around the world to join me in pledging to carry on the fight for human equality on all fronts, including the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and to not rest until we see this battle through to victory.
The best way to honor those who have fought this good fight is to take on their mantle. I promise to continue to do that, and I ask you to join me. — Now is not the time to retreat. Now is the time to email and call all of our representatives in Congress and let them know how upset we are that they placed political maneuvering above the principles of justice and quality for all. We can all honor those who have fought so hard for the end to discrimination and injustice, by pushing forward.
As fervently as I pray for the day of peace, when all war and strife shall cease, I also pray for the end to discrimination and policies that exclude some and separate us from others, because I know that only when we honor and treat all life as equal will the Day of Peace come.
History, I believe, will hold a special place for those LGBT American who promised to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" long before that Constitution protected or defended them. It will hold a special place for those who lived as if they were free and equal long before the governments of this world acknowledged their humanity. May they hold a special place in all our hearts as well, as we promise to fight like heaven for the day of good will among and for all God's people.
Grace and Peace,
+Nancy
The Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, Moderator
Metropolitan Community Churches
The statement prepared in conjunction with The Moderator's Global Justice Team,
The Rev. Pat Bumgardner, Chair, and The Rev. Dr. Robert Griffin.
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The secret passage is: Isaiah 60:3 "Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn"
Ask someone next Sunday if they know what the "Secret passage" is and then you'll know how many of us are reading the "E-News"!
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