International Newsletter of Metropolitan Community Churches with the focus on MCC congregations all over the world.

In this Issue 

• Justice and Social Action
• We're Going Green
• Would Jesus Discriminate?
• Ecumenical and Interfaith Activities
• HIV and AIDS Ministries 
• Reports from the Moderator's Teams
• Conferences, Classes and Retreats 
• Church and Pastoral Anniversaries 
• Resources

Justice and Social Action

MCC Corpus Christi (Texas) is beginning a monthly transgender support group.
 
At their OutFest on 11 July MCC in the Valley (North Hollywood, California) presented their 2009 Justice Love Awards to Kerry Chaplin, interfaith organizing director for California for Faith Equality Against Prop 8; Dr. Terry Grand MD, founder of ACT UP for HIV activism; Dr. Jacob Hale, professor of philosophy at California State University at Northridge for community activism around transgendered issues and marriage equality; Steve Jimenez, Project 10 specialist who organized GALAA; and Michael Lara & The Bullet for community service and charity.
 
Heartland Community MCC (Springfield, Illinois) brings items for monthly food drives at food pantries in Springfield, Decatur, and Jacksonville, as well as contributing plastic containers to St. John's Bread Line.
 
Folks from Christ Covenant MCC (Decatur, Georgia) prepared and served a meal for 30 women and children at Hagar's House.  The best part is that they sat down to eat and visit with the residents before cleaning up.
 
Rev. Renae Phillips was interviewed by Chris Mason during his 48 state tour Driving Equality . MCC Lubbock (Texas) also made a donation to his effort.
 
Cyclists from MCC Manchester (England) will be participating on the team for the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit in the Lancashire Loop Cycle Challenge. The church has sponsored several immigrants. Participants can do the 18, 50, or 100 mile route in September.
 
Lunchboxes of Love at St. John's MCC (Raleigh, North Carolina) prepares box lunches and then proceeds downtown to distribute them to folks who are homeless.
 
Exodus MCC (Abilene, Texas) will host the garage sale for the West Texas Alzheimer's Association on 15 August.
 
From their Do Unto Others fund, MCC Seattle (Washington) awarded $75 (USD) each to Mary's Place and Everett Gospel Mission, both of which assist women and children with shelter, clothing, food, and other necessities.
 
Volunteers from FirstCoast MCC (St. Augustine, Florida) have been sitting on the beach at Huguenot Park in Jacksonville.  They have been educating people who visit the roped off area to protect thousands of Laughing Gulls and Royal Terns and their chicks.
 
Each month Holy Covenant MCC (Brookfield, Illinois) works with the Pilsen Night Ministry in downtown Chicago. They fill gently used backpacks or totes with donated food items, deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, disposable razors, shaving cream, lotion, socks, shoes, baseball caps, and T-shirts. They serve a meal they have cooked before handing out the packs.
 
On the first Sunday of each month, MCC of Northern Virginia delivers breakfast in Fairfax to people who are homeless.
 
Folks from Gentle Shepherd MCC (Tallahassee, Florida) gathered at the intersection of 4th Avenue and Central to distribute food to the homeless.
 
Savio, a non-profit agency providing a continuum of services to children, has reached out the MCC of the Rockies (Denver, Colorado) in search of quality foster parents.
 
This month the Elderly Outreach ministry of New Life MCC of Hampton Roads (Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia) visited folks at Virginia Beach Estates.
 
As part of their HANDS program (Holding All our Needs and Dreams to the Spirit) at MCC/ICM Los Angeles (California) in the attendance booklets people sign each Sunday, there are sheets to complete stating "I am in need of ..." and "I have to share ..." allowing those with abundance to share with those in need at this time.
 
On 8 August MCC United (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) will have their Big Give ... they don't sell the items like a typical yard sale, but give them away for a donation to the church.
 
Folks from Agape MCC (Ft. Worth, Texas) participated in a Vigil and fundraiser for Chad Gibson who was severely injured when the police and agents from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission raided a gay bar on 28 June, the 40th anniversary of Stonewall. http://www.dallasvoice.com/artman/publish/article_11525.php  
 
MCC Winston-Salem (North Carolina) has begun sending care packages to family members and friends who are serving overseas. The boxes include snacks, candy, gum, foot powder, baby wipes, deodorant, soap, towels, and other desired items.

We're Going Green

On 9 August Vision of Hope MCC (Mountville, Pennsylvania) will be out picking up trash along the section of roadway they have adopted.
 
Gentle Shepherd MCC (Phoenix, Arizona) turns in at least ten cartridges each month to Staples.  In return, not only do they know they are recycling, they also receive the benefit of $30 (USD) of free office supplies, saving the church $360 each year.
 
Living Springs MCC (Bath, England) cut down on the number of bi-monthly paper diaries that are sent out.  These will now go to just those who have no email facilities.
 
MCC Knoxville (Tennessee) folks are encouraged to shop at the markets run by the East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing (FARM) in order to purchase locally grown food, saving on the gas, emissions, and other unhealthy aspects of transporting food long distances.
 
At Imago Dei MCC (Allentown, Pennsylvania) they provide bins for recycling beverage containers, bulletins, and more.

Would Jesus Discriminate?

MCC Omaha (Nebraska) has begun phase one of their WJD campaign by participating in two training sessions and a follow-up meeting to help them better understand and communicate the Scripture supporting the campaign. 
 
MCC Anchorage  (Alaska) hosted a WJD Town Hall meeting.
 
Everyone from SunCoast Cathedral MCC (Venice, Florida) will be wearing their WJD shirts when they go bowling on the 31st.

Ecumenical and Interfaith Activities

 
Pride in Faith, a Maryland organization, offered A Jihad in Faith at MCC Baltimore with over 60 people in attendance.  Rev. David Smith is on the PIF steering committee.
 
Reconciliation MCC (Grand Rapids, Michigan), as part of their commitment with United Church Outreach Ministry, has baskets in the sanctuary for non-perishables and personal hygiene items for the major pantry for southwestern Grand Rapids, Wyoming, and Grandville.
 
MCC San Diego (California) folks are engaged in a class to help them know how to better converse with people of other faiths.  They are studying Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth.
 
On 7 August MCC San Jose (California), MCC San Francisco (California), New Spirit MCC/UCC/DOC (Berkley, California), and the Congregational Church in San Mateo will travel together to participate in a Taize service at the Mercy Center in Burlingame.

HIV and AIDS Ministries

Joy MCC (Orlando, Florida) offered free, confidential HIV testing on 19 July.
 
Named a Fundraising Excellence Team, MCC New York (New York) is in the top 8% out of 2885 fundraising teams for the New York Walk to Fight AIDS. They had 35 participants this year and raised $3255 for the Gay Men's Health Crisis.
 
Rev. Deborah E. Lake, author of Your Neighbor Has AIDS and a speaker at MCC conferences, is halfway through the Chicago AIDS Marathon's training program. Her goal is to participate in the the 26.2 miles Maui Marathon. www.deborahelake.com .
 
Rev. Paul Eknes-Tucker was among the more than 20 Red Ribbon Ride team members from All God's Children MCC (Minneapolis, Minnesota) this month. Rev. Robyn Provis and Kathy sang at the opening ceremonies at 6 am! The team raised over $17,000 (USD) and was greeted by other church members at the conclusion of the three day ride at the Capitol for the closing ceremonies.

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Reports from the Moderator's Teams

The Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Team

Stan Kimer, Chair
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After two years of service on the Moderator's Ecumenical and Inter-religious team, Rev. Araceli Ezzatti is retiring from the team.  We honor and thank Rev. Ezzatti for her ministry as the pastor of our MCC church in Uruguay and her untiring efforts to advance ecumenical work across all of Latin America.  She has been involved for over 30 years in various commissions of the World Council of Churches including the Faith and Order Commission and the Decade to Overcome Violence.
In a service at MCC New York (New York), Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson extended MCC Clergy Credentials to Stephen R. Parelli, the executive director of Other Sheep, one of MCC's ecumenical partners. Other Sheep is a worldwide multicultural ministry dedicated to empowering sexual minorities throughout the world with the good news of God's unconditional love for all. They team with other LGBT activitists throughout the world and recognize that ideological fundamentalism in various religions, especially Christianity, Judaism and Islam, constitiues a major obstacle to justice for our people.  http://www.othersheep.org/

The Global Justice Team

Rev. Pat Bumgardner, Chair
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Rev. Pat Bumgardner and Rev. Boon Lin Ngeo left  26 July to visit contacts and LGBT groups in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong for the first time. They have scheduled a radio interview in Beijing on global justice and Queer rights as human rights, and will have many opportunities to meet with local activists, both political and spiritual.  Following meetings in Hong Kong, they will renew contact with Good Samaritan Fellowship MCC, a parish extension of MCCNY, in Kuala Lumpur, offering a retreat on spirituality and global justice for the members of the community there. They will be joined by Rev. Steve Parelli and his partner, Jose Ortiz, as they meet and speak with various community groups and organizers.

Following their time in Kuala Lumpur, Rev. Boon will depart for a tour of cities in eastern Malaysia, including his home town.  This will be the first time MCC will be offering presentations and meeting with community activists in that part of the country.  Rev. Pat will leave Kuala Lumpur to return to Pakistan, where she will visit with previous contacts, pursue new partnerships and initiate MCC's educational project designed to make independence and safe space a possibility for a group of lesbian women outside of Lahore.  Please keep the Global Justice Team, those who are traveling and our vision of safe space for all God's children in your prayers.

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Conferences, Classes and Retreats

The Valley/Bay Area sub-region of Region 1 will have a gathering 23-25 October at Peninsula MCC (San Mateo, California).
 
Carlye Brookshire is leading three workshops this month at MCC Austin at Freedom Oaks (Texas) on Worship through Art to explore creativity as a means of connecting with God and worship.
 
The SoulShift program at Jesus MCC (Indianapolis, Indiana) is offering four study options this quarter ... Reflecting on My Journey, Discipleship 101: Building a Close Relationship with God, Discipleship 102: Thriving In Christian Community, and Unwrapping God's Gifts.
 
At MCC Toronto (Canada) on Monday evenings they gather for a time of silent meditation and Eckhart Tolle teaching (via DVD) on A New Earth Level II.
 
The sermon series this month at MCC Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Pennsylvania) is Your Sons and Daughters Shall Prophesy ... and that's exactly what's happening. Jessica Mitchell, Scott George, Gwen Castoral, and Brian Jones, all young people, are preaching.
 
At Chat and Chew on Wednesday nights at Harvest MCC (Denton, Texas) they enjoy a potluck and book study, currently Everything Must Change.
 
Rev. Robin Gorsline's sermon series at MCC Richmond (Virginia) is We Are Family! specifically in the ways we value, challenge, heal, feed, and forgive each other.
 
During the month of July, MCC El Paso (Texas) underwent a deep and introspective study, taught by John Patrick Anaya, based on Don Miguel Ruiz's  The 4 Agreements.  The 20 people who participated gained a greater sense of the "Dream" they were about to live.

Church and Pastoral Anniversaries

On 9 August Healing Spirit MCC (Rochester, Minnesota) will honor Rev. Dr. Nancy Horvath-Zurn on her 5th anniversary as their pastor.
 
Holy Trinity MCC (Edinburgh, Scotland) celebrated 14 years on 18 July.
 
26 July was the 35th anniversary of All God's Children MCC (Minneapolis, Minnesota).  They enjoyed a potluck picnic at Minnehaha Park that afternoon and a showing of Call Me Troy.
 
NewCoast MCC (Cooranbong, Australia) was six years old this month.
 
MCC Seattle (Washington) will celebrate their 37th anniversary by having a special service and potluck on 23 August.
 
For their 36th anniversary MCC Toronto (Canada) had a picnic at Riverdale Farm earlier this month.
 
Jesus MCC (Indianapolis, Indiana) will have a church picnic on 22 August as part of their anniversary celebration.
 
Living Springs MCC (Bath, England) is already planning their 20th anniversary celebration 26-27 September.  Late afternoon on Saturday they will enjoy a boat trip up the River Avon followed by a meal together. Then on Sunday there will be a potluck lunch and a celebratory service at 6:00. Their special guest for the weekend is Rev. Elder Glenna Shepherd.
 
MCC Santa Rosa (California) was 24 years old on 19 July.
 
Rev. Mike Shields will celebrate 13 years as pastor of Appalachian MCC (St. Albans, West Virginia) on 1 September.

Resources

Open Arms MCC (Rochester, New York) has sermons which can be downloaded from www.mediafire.com/openarmssermons .   Please note that these are mp3 audio files, not text files.
 
Inspired by the growing use of media and video in MCCs, a new worship resource has been released by Aaron's Rainbow Project. Whether as a compliment to a live praise team, or to actually lead the music, multi-media is a great worship resource. "Worship & Desperation" is a collection of original praise and worship music by Shawn Thomas intended for use in church services.  The project is available in the following formats:

• the original CD/album release
• songbook including piano, chord charts, vocals (with copying rights)
• accompaniment tracks on audio CD
• full and tracks versions of video/movie with lyrics for sing-a-long in worship
• choose mpeg or DVD formats

MCC congregations are already using these materials in their services are Cornerstone MCC (Mobile, Alabama), First MCC of Kansas (Wichita), Gentle Shepherd MCC (Tallahassee, Florida), MCC Baton Rouge (Louisiana), MCC Elizabethtown (Kentucky), MCC Louisville (Kentucky), MCC of the Blue Ridge (Roanoke, Virginia), MCC of the Palm Beaches (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida), MCC Topeka (Kansas), Spirit of Christ MCC (Joplin, Missouri), and The Rock MCC (Chattanooga, Tennessee), in addition to several other denominational and independent churches.

To learn more, visit www.aaronsrainbowproject.com/WorshipMaterials.html to view an example of the multi-media online, as well as learn about the other worship resources listed.  If you have any questions, or a specific need or compatibility concern, please feel free to email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 
The Alban Institute offers excellent seminars clergy and lay leaders.  Here are a few of their upcoming events. 

• The Practice of Discernment ~ 21-23 August ~ Shalom Retreat Center (Dubuque, Iowa) Discernment provides a way of uncovering (rather than making) a decision by "seeing," "knowing" or "acknowledging" the movement of God in the lives of others and in the circumstances and choices we face. (Full Description and to Register)
• Raising the Roof ~ 15-17 September ~ Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center (North Carolina)  Join Alban senior-consultant Alice Mann, noted author of Raising the Roof: The Pastoral-to-Program Size Transition, to learn how to address the obstacles and barriers to growth, as well as the deep links between size, community context, and a congregation's distinctive sense of vocation. (Full Description and to Register) 
• Shaping Holy Conversations ~ Sept. 29 - Oct. 1 ~ Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center (West Hartford, Connecticut)  Holy Conversations™ is Alban's approach to strategic planning.  It is based on the insight that before making plans to do things, congregations need to engage in discernment and dialogue around three core questions: Who are we? What has God called us to do? Who is our neighbor? (Full Description and to Register)
• Balancing Your Ministry ~ 10-12 November ~ Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center (North Carolina)   This workshop is designed to guide you through a review of your ministry through the lens of key theories developed by the Alban Institute; through practices of spiritual discernment; and with the aid of other self-assessment instruments. It will outline several workable approaches and begin the assessment process.  We will explore some coaching tools and processes, with peer- and individual-coaching to be held as needed. (Full Description and to Register)
• The Practice of Relationship ~ 15-17 November ~ Shalom Retreat Center (Dubuque, Iowa)  Just as prayer and Scripture call us into a more faithful relationship with God, they also call us into the practice of healthier relationships with one another. We learn to engage in "holy conversation" by building trust, respect, and an ability to truly listen to one another. In the midst of this conversation, we move from promoting our own agenda to being open to God's vision for our life together. (Full Description and to Register) 

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