| International Newsletter of Metropolitan Community Churches
In this Issue Justice and Social Action Many of us need this in our countries! MCCers in Australia participated in a special week to honor the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It was a time of celebrating their culture and building understanding between the indigenous peoples and modern Australians. There were marches, flag raisings, storytelling events, art displays, artifacts workshops, entertainment, didgeridoo and boomerang exhibitions, music events, picnics, and more.
Trinity MCC (Gainesville, Florida) has begun participating in Gainesville Harvest, which provides food items for the area's homeless.
MCC of the Upstate (Duncan, South Carolina) donates food to the Tyger River Community Center. They hosted a Beach Blanket Bingo to raise money for Affirm, which is a support group for gays under the age of 20.
Louvenia Watkins is leading the collection of soda can pull tabs for the Ronald McDonald House by the folks at Christ Chapel MCC (Santa Ana, California).
Every quarter folks from Vision of Hope MCC (Mountville, Pennsylvania) clean a section of a nearby highway. The Glass House partners with them and provides a cookout afterwards.
Taylor Davis led the SunCoast Cathedral MCC (Venice, Florida) team in the 2008 CROP WALK to end world hunger, raising $1731 (USD) for the program.
MCC Melbourne (Australia) has been volunteering for a mobile soup kitchen in the Footscray area. They serve sandwiches, tea, and coffee from a van that is run by St. Vincent DePaul.
Congregants of MCC Key West (Florida) help prepare, package, and deliver meals through the Cooking with Love program one Saturday each month.
Missions Trip! Folks from Jesus MCC (Indianapolis, Indiana) took another trip to the Navajo Nation this year. They were headquartered in Gallup, New Mexico, to do home repair and assist children and adults with developmental disabilities. As a fundraiser for this trip, they parked cars at the Brickyard 400 car race.
Concert pianist Sam Lupica gave a recital to benefit the food bank at MCC Richmond (Virginia). Admission was $10 (USD) plus canned goods or non-perishable food items. A reception followed the concert.
Open Arms MCC (Rochester, New York) has adopted Joe Soel's 50 member unit serving in Iraq. They are collecting items and sending care packages to them.
Trinity Charities, an arm of Church of the Trinity MCC (Sarasota, Florida) has launched a new website http://www.gotdonations.com/ . People can list household items that they are willing to donate and homecare and healthcare professionals can match the donation with people who need that article. Local items are picked up and delivered once a match is made.
We all need to focus on Trans issues! MCC of the Blue Ridge (Roanoke, Virginia) hosted a seminar on transgender issues. The morning session was a panel of transfolks and a time for questions and answers. After lunch participants discussed how to move forward with a bill to stop workplace discrimination in their state.
Volunteers from MCC of the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs, California) staff the Cooling Center for those who are less fortunate and need a place to retreat from the desert heat and enjoy refreshments. On Tuesdays they provide a movie and on Wednesdays they play Bingo complete with prizes.
The Fellowship Ministry and Helping Hands Ministry of MCC of the Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Pennsylvania) are teaming up for a dual weekend Blitz Build with Habitat for Humanity. They will work on houses for the less fortunate in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
A group from FirstCoast MCC (St. Augustine, Florida) had a great time walking together and raised money for the St. Augustine Parkinson's Disease Support Group at the same time.
School bells! Many MCCs assist children as they return to school. Agape MCC (Fort Worth, Texas) had a schoolhouse angel tree for congregants to select items which would go to children served by Child Protective Services in Tarrant County. They also adopted three families with single moms to provide school clothes and supplies. MCC Louisville (Kentucky) donated almost 1000 spiral notebooks for children and teens through Highland Community Ministries. St. John the Apostle MCC (Ft. Meyers, Florida) participated in "Undie Sunday" to furnish grade school age children new underwear, socks, backpacks and school supplies. MCC Lubbock (Texas) gathered all kinds of school supplies for the children housed at Women's Protective Services.
MCC El Paso (Texas) hosted Equality Texas for an event and also presented a showing of For the Bible Tells Me So. There was excellent community attendance, which was great for the church's outreach.
We're going green Pikes Peak MCC (Colorado Springs, Colorado) is now publishing their bulletin pages in their weekly e-newsletter in an effort to save trees.
MCC San Diego (California) is selling sturdy, cloth, reusable bags with the church's name for folks to use instead of plastic or paper store bags when they are out shopping.
MCC Sydney (Australia) did an energy and water usage audit on their church. They realized that they would have to plant 35 trees every year to have them convert the church's CO2 emissions over the 100 year life span of each tree. They encourage all of us to do such an audit, because understanding the impact of our carbon footprint is the first step in truly "using less, using wisely, and walking softly on God's earth".
Not only do the folks at Valley Ministries MCC (Stockton, California) bring cans, plastic, and ink cartridges to church to recycle, they even offer a monthly pick up from your home for these items!
"Would Jesus Discriminate?" Campaign Update The Metroplex MCCs planned a number of events during September and October as part of their WJD? campaign. They are having outreach evenings at five area malls, marching together in both the Dallas and Ft. Worth Pride parades, being visible at the Texas State Fair and Coming Out Day activities, sponsoring campus events at area universities, and wearing their WJD t-shirts to a Joel Osteen preaching evening at a local stadium!
New Creation MCC (Columbus, Ohio) used the WJD? theme for their float in the Pride parade and won an Honorable Mention award. The float featured Rev. Margaret Hawk "marrying" two men in their chapel on wheels asking Would Jesus Discriminate?
MCC now has two new resources for assisting churches in planning successful Would Jesus Discriminate? Town Hall events. There is the WJD? Town Hall Meeting Tool Kit and the MCC Town Hall Meeting Press Release Kit. All you have to do is download them and put them to use in your community!
Download Town Hall Meeting Press Release
Download Town Hall Meeting Toolkit
Or even easier, go to the new WJD? website at www.WouldJesusDiscriminate.com to access them!
If your church would like to begin participating in the campaign, there are conference calls for sharing information on a regular basis. Contact
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be added to the notification list.
The coalition of Florida churches has erected their first billboard! For a picture, visit www.WouldJesusDiscriminate.com .
FirstCoast MCC (St. Augustine, Florida) gave away 450 free WJD t-shirts during a Pride event in September. Now they are putting out yard signs in their city, in the Jacksonville area, and other neighboring towns.
Ecumenical and Interfaith Activities MCC Good Shepherd (Granville, Australia) participated with other LGBT religious groups in the first interfaith service in their area. The event, which attracted 100 people, was partially underwritten by money from the Marrickville Council's Community Grants Program.
Following the shooting at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Our Hope MCC (Athens, Georgia) invited their local UU church to join them for a Service of Healing. About 30 people from MCC, UU, and Ba'Hai rang chimes; lit candles; sang; honored the dead and injured; prayed for the children, members, and perpetrator; examined their responsibilities in a world where violence occurs; and committed themselves to ongoing efforts of peace, non-violence, and forgiveness.
In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate Asalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh, The Muslim Community of Knoxville was honored to host A Show of Interfaith Solidarity and Support. The event was co-sponsored by MCC Knoxville (Tennessee), the Tennessee Valley UU Church, and the Knoxville Interfaith Network. The service was held in the parking lot of the Annoor Mosque followed by refreshments in the activity area of the mosque.
MCC Auckland (Aotearoa/New Zealand) hosted a worship service with the Auckland Community Church.
Folks from MCC Newcastle upon Tyne (England) pitched their tents together and joined others for the Greenbelt Christian Festival.
Forging a Friendship! Congregants from MCC Sydney (Australia) visited the Gallipoli Mosque. Makiz Ansari and her brother Sadiq led the tour and talked about the Muslim faith and its similarities to Christianity. Following a question and answer time, the group enjoyed a lunch at the mosque.
HIV and AIDS Ministries There was a special HIV fundraising breakfast at the Region 2 conference with proceeds from the $50 (USD) per plate event going to the Mother of Peace Orphanage in Zimbabwe.
Rev. Mike Ellard is featured on Easy, Fast, and Free, a video by the AIDS Coalition of Silicon Valley to promote HIV testing.
MCC San Francisco (California) fielded a team for the AIDS Walk in Golden Gate Park.
The children of MCC Topeka (Kansas) do several fundraisers each year to contribute to the Mother of Peace Orphanage in Zimbabwe. They believe in helping others around the world.
A team from All God's Children MCC (Minneapolis, Minnesota) participated in the four day, 300 mile, Red Ribbon Ride. Others joined them at the State Capitol for the closing ceremony.
(back to top) Conferences, Classes and Retreats The next Annual Exponential Church Planting Conference is scheduled for April 20-23, 2009. Rev. Elder Arlene Ackerman invites all interested persons to mark the date on their calendars.
Do you ever feel Jesus has been kidnapped by the Christian Right? Holy Covenant MCC (Brookfield, Illinois) is participating in a 12 week discussion on Saving Jesus, which includes writings of biblical scholars like Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Amy-Jill Levine, Helen Prejean, and Bishop John Shelby Spong.
At the Region 5 gathering at MCC Hartford (Connecticut), they listened to a special speaker on Trans issues, thanks to a grant from the Boston Gay Rights Fund, to promote understanding and making all feel welcome in our churches.
95 degree south Florida temperatures couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of 37 congregants from MCC of the Palm Beaches (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida) for their first annual retreat, a weekend at Jonathan Dickinson State Park with the theme Investing in Tomorrow Today. Leadership development counselor Jim Docter facilitated motivational workshops as folks pondered the purpose of their church. They also surprised Vice Moderator LuAnn and Deacon Gail with a "roast" for their 20th anniversary.
Region 4 Conference will take place November 6-9 in Birmingham, England. And given airline prices from North America, it might be the perfect weekend trip if you live in the States or Canada! Featured guests are Rev. Dr. Erin Swenson (England), Dr. Lisa Isherwood (England), and Dr. Vicky Gunn (Scotland). The preachers will be Rev. Elders Nancy Wilson, Jean White, and Glenna Shepherd, and Rev. Thomas Friedhoff (Germany). The AIDS in Region 4 Plenary will be led by Preben Sloth (Denmark), Rev. Paul Mokgethi (South Africa), and Neil Jones (England). Sharon Cox (South Africa) and Rev. Jide Macaulay (Nigeria) will speak at the Justice in Africa Breakfast. Workshop themes will include Theology, Church Administration, Spiritual Life and Practice, and Mission, Identity, and Inclusivity. To register for the conference and a hotel room, go to www.MCCchurch.org/region4conference . Church and Pastoral Anniversaries Good Hope MCC (Cape Town, South Africa) will celebrate their 25th anniversary in October.
Trinity MCC (Gainesville, Florida) celebrated their 25th anniversary with a day-long retreat led by Rev. Elders Nancy Wilson and Lillie Brock and then a joyous community-wide worship service and celebration reception.
New Hope MCC (Santa Rosa, California) celebrated their 23rd anniversary recently.
MCC Edinburgh (Scotland) celebrated their 13th anniversary with the arrival of their new interim pastor Rev. Jonathan Jones from Anchorage, Alaska, who is originally from Australia! Now that's what we call being a global denomination!
Rev. Elder Troy Perry was the special guest for the 37th anniversary festivities at MCC Tampa (Florida). Following dinner, the MCC Tampa Cabaret entertained everyone. There was even a group of "dykes in drag" performing the Cellblock Tango from Chicago. The Sunday morning service was followed by a luncheon and the evening assembly featured a showing of Call Me Troy with new footage about the California marriage ruling, and a Q&A time with Rev. Troy. Rev. Candace Shultis and others from King of Peace MCC (St. Petersburg, Florida) joined in the celebration.
Good Samaritan MCC (Whittier, California) recently celebrated their anniversary.
Rev. Elder Diane Fisher was the guest preacher for the 35th anniversary service at MCC Hartford (Connecticut).
Hundreds of people from West African and European countries gathered in Lagos, Nigeria, to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of House of Rainbow MCC. They enjoyed a Special Vigil Night of Gospel Praise from 9 pm one evening until dawn. There was a celebratory worship service including renditions in song and dance by the Anniversary Choir and special guest artists. They also utilized the Would Jesus Discriminate? theme in the weekend activities.
Resources Who's Afraid of the Teddy Bear's Picnic is written by Pam Smart, a psychotherapist and member of Brightwaves MCC (Brighton, England). She writes as therapist and child, as astute analyst of the events of a horrific childhood. Through facing her past - a past that is made of the worst of the worst things that should simply never happen to children - she reconstructs a life. Her honesty and clarity in reporting events that wreaked such havoc in her young life attests to the wonder of her life today - to the power of therapy, love, and God in the life of this amazing woman. ~ Rev. Elder Glenna Shepherd The book is £10 and available through www.chipmunkapublishing.com or www.amazon.co.uk .
Rev. Dr. Bob Goss authored a new Bible study, How the Bible Was Formed and Came into Existence, which explores the differences between the Catholic and Protestant Bibles, looks at how the Jewish community determined what books would be part of their scriptures, focuses on how the Christian scriptures were formed, and explains the process by which some books were incorporated and others were excluded from the current Protestant Bible. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Dr. Keith Swain is the author of Dynamic Duos: The Alpha Beta Key to Success in Gay Relationships which was released by Alyson Books last month. It addresses the unique needs of gay men who want a long term relationship and is based on scientific research. Check his website for information about book tours near you. www.dynamicduos.info
Faith In America founder Mitchell Gold's new book, CRISIS: 40 Stories Revealing the Personal, Social, and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing Up Gay in America, is now available. This book helps to educate parents, clergy, teachers, politicians and the media about the ongoing crisis young gay people experience in our culture today and offers suggestions on ways to stop it. http://books.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=Mitchell+Gold++CRISIS&r=1
Rev. Elder Arlene Ackerman, along with Rev. Jim Mulcahy and Debbie Krusemark of Open Arms MCC (Rochester, New York) will present a TAP class, Breaking the Single Cell Barrier, on November 19 from 7-10 pm (EST). The registration fee is $20 (USD). If your church is hovering at the 50 mark in attendance, join this class to discover some new and exciting ways to break the growth barrier. http://www.mccchurch.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=TAP_Training_Access_Preparation
Celebrating Forty Years of Faith, Hope & Love 1968-2008
Don't forget to let Judy Dale know of any special events your church is doing to celebrate MCC's 40th Anniversary. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Congratulations! At their annual convention the US National Association of Black and White Men Together honored both Rev. Elder Diane Fisher and Sunshine Cathedral MCC Jamaica for the justice work they are doing.
(back to top) Tri-lingual Website Region 6 has launched www.mccregion6.net in the three primary languages of their Region (English, Spanish and Portuguese). New pages are constantly being added. They are committed to having all information available to everyone at the same time! If you can help with the English to Spanish or English to Portuguese translations, please email
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.
(back to top) Strife in Nigeria As you may know, life is treacherous for LBGT folks in Nigeria. Many members of House of Rainbow MCC have been assaulted, beaten, robbed, and threatened. They are receiving emails, phone calls filled with hatred, prejudice, judgments by bigoted people. Many online internet chat rooms and blogs are also creating forum for homophobic abuses, the anonymity of these groups are a threat to the civil liberties of LGBTI people in Nigeria. The message below is from Rev. Jide Macaulay.
We now have a dedicated website, please show your support and visit as often at www.rainbow.freedom2be.org . While there you can
- Sign the Petitions
- Send an email to the African Commissioner
- Send a message of Support to House Of Rainbow MCC
- Circulate this Campaign amongst your network/Mailing list/Groups etc.
- Donate to Support our work Locally
Thank you so much!
Eastern Europe Rev. Elder Diane Fisher left on October 4 and will return on November 6. She will be in Warsaw, Poland, for a few days for the OSCE/HDIM meeting, where she has been asked to present again this year. Then she will be in Bucharest, Romania, for nearly a week, visiting with a few groups there. Next, she'll be off to Kiev, Ukraine, to work with some new groups. She is hoping to follow that with a meeting in Budapest, Hungary, with a group there. Then she will go back to Bucharest for a few days to hold some trainings. She will wrap up her trip in Vienna, Austria, at the ILGA Europe (International Lesbian and Gay Association) and ILGA World conferences, where she has been asked to represent MCC globally.
EditorJudy Dale, Metropolitan Community Churches
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