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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. |
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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! |
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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!
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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.
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| 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.
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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.
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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.
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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. |
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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. |
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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 |
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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