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REGION 3 UPDATE
Antigua
& Barbuda, Barbados, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe,
Haiti, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St.
Vincent, Trinidad, Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands
and the U.S. States of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, the District of Columbia (Washington, DC)
February 3, 2005
Stewardship Institutes Scheduled In MCC Region 3
Mark you calendars for one of two Stewardship Institutes coming this spring. Stewardship training was listed by most of our churches as something you wanted more training in. Because your your feedback these seminars are being planned. The focus of the training will be on personal stewardship and second will be training in leading your congregation in stewardship.
We are offering these institutes in two locations to make them as accessible as possible for our local church boards of directors, stewardship teams and all leadership including pastors.
Dates and location: May 20/21 at MCC of the Lehigh Valley, Allentown, PA and June 3/4 at MCC Richmond, VA. We will gather for worship and a reception on Friday night and Mark Vincent will lead us from 9 - 5 on Saturday.
Registraton is expected to be about $20 per person thanks to a gift given by a member of MCC Washington to help with doing creative education. (Thank you, Dan.) The registration fee will cover a reception and lunch and help with travel costs for one or two people from San Juan.
The guest speaker is Mark Vincent. You can read his biography at designforministry.com. He is a noted author, speaker and consultant in the area of stewardship.
More information will be coming out in the near future. MARK YOUR CALENDAR TODAY!
Holiday Reflections In MCC Region 3
We had a very busy holiday season at MCC Christ the Liberator, North Brunswick, NJ. We had our annual Advent Dinner, a visit from our Regional Elder, a Christmas Eve service and our annual New Year's Eve Watchnight service. It was a festive and joy-filled season that led us into the possibilities of a new year.
MCC Pittsburgh
We began our Christmas celebration by preparing 75 food baskets for families with HIV at their annual Christmas party. On the Sunday before Christmas we were blessed with a service of scripture, contemporary readings, and of course lots of music and we shared in our Christmas dinner together. Christmas Eve was celebrated by candlelight (and snow). In January we had a special service honoring Martin Luther King Jr., and our role as justice seekers. On January 23, 2005, we had an anniversary dinner and celebrated 30 years of ministry in the Pittsburgh area. We honored the lives of those who built the foundation and proclaimed that our work has only just begun as we seek to follow God into the future.
MCCS Gospel Choir to Sing with Josh Groban!
Sometimes we have to work for our blessings--other times they sneak up on us with no warning at all! Clear Channel Touring called me this week to ask if the MCC of the Spirit, Harrisburg, PA, Gospel Choir were available to sing backing vocals for a concert at the Giant Center in nearby Hershey, Pennsylvania. While it took several calls back and forth to be sure there was no misunderstanding, we've received official confirmation--our choir will be singing behind Josh Groban as he performs "You Raise Me Up" at the close of his February 15 concert! Folks who attended our Regional Conference in Puerto Rico may remember the song as the one we dedicated to Troy Perry during our final worship service of the weekend. It's a powerfully moving song, and we are tremendously honored to share the stage with its composer as he performs it! For more information about the concert, or to purchase tickets, you may visit here.
Winter Storm Closes Over One Third of Region 3 Churches
The Jan. 23 storm layered the states of Region 3..... with anywhere from 3 to 40+ inches of snow. Many of our northern churches had to cancel worship for safety reasons.
Teenagers Wanted
Are you a teenager (age 13-21) being raised primarily by gay parents? Are you a gay parent raising a teenager (age 13- 21)? If so, we want to hear your story!
"Teens with Gay Families" (working title) is an hour-long documentary that will follow the lives of three teens whose primary parents are LGBTI. This show is one episode of a documentary series entitled "Logo Lens" set to air on Logo, the new gay-oriented network launching in February 2005 and sponsored by MTV.
Through this program we want to give a voice to this trailblazing generation of today¹s families. This is a unique opportunity to tell a true, nuanced story about the real-life similarities and differences faced by teens and the out gay parents raising them.
We are looking for articulate teens who are going through something major in their lives and want to share their experience as it unfolds.
For example:
-- A teen whose mom or dad is moving in with their same-sex lover for the first time. Perhaps combining 2 families, you know, like the "Gay Brady Bunch."
- A teen whose gay parents are getting married.
-- A gay teen in the process of coming out to his / her gay parents.
-- A straight teen bringing a date home to meet the gay parents for the first time.
-- A teen finding, or getting to know, or moving in with their egg or sperm donor. There are so many variations of this let's discuss!
-- A teen being raised by multiple parents (i.e. Mom-Mom-Dad, etc.) who are going through something interesting.
-- A teen who has been adopted by gay parents and is at some kind of crossroads.
-- A foster teen about to be placed with gay parents.
And any other story you think is important we¹d love to hear from you!
We are a producing team of three understanding gay and bisexual women with extensive documentary experience, specifically with teens. Samantha Kurtzman-Counter directed "Totally In Tune" for Disney Channel and was the Co-Producer of a sensitive documentary feature about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Lara Spotts created Disney Channel¹s "Totally Hoops" after working with teens for many years as a camp counselor. Leisha Hailey is a
current star of Showtime¹s "The 'L' Word" and former member of the band "The Murmurs."
So if you¹re between the ages of 13 and 21 and have some interesting stuff going on, call us at 213.250.5060 or email teenswithgayfamilies@hotmail.com
Reflection - Written by Rev. Elder Diane Fisher
I thought that squirrels hibernated in winter, but I think that in reality they nest. They gather the nuts they need to get through the long winter and pop out, when the sun shows herself, to forage and warm themselves. The part of Canada I originate from is extremely cold in the winter and it is a time of the Winter Long House. The Winter Long House is where the teaching and inner reflection happens. This was a time when we would gather together with friends and family and hear stories from the elders of our community. Through those stories we would learn and uncover things about our history and about life's learning. We were then encouraged to take what we had heard, add to it, change it and make our plans for the time of new beginnings, the thaw. Jesus took time in the desert to vision, to talk to God and get his direction. We must remember to do the same. Too often, we get caught up in the business of church and forget to take the time we need to develop our relationship with God, to take the time to reflect on our vision for the future. For most of our churches, this is a time of annual meetings of planning for the year ahead. We often work from a place of maintaining what we have, or base our direction on a financial reality, but do we take the time to vision and revision , do we take the time to really involve God in our forecasting for the future. The time of the Winter Long House is a time for reflection, planning and teaching/ learning. Jesus took time away from the crowds to teach the disciples, to share his vision for a world of peace, love, justice making and compassion. The disciples learned, asked questions, made mistakes and then tried again. But, in it all, they embraced what Jesus was doing and where Jesus was leading. They were "becoming/unfolding" and being prepared for the time ahead when they would take on the same roles, teaching, visioning, and sharing possibilities. At this time of the Winter Long House, more real for Region 5 (and Region 3) than for some others, take the time to renew your relationship with God, set the course of your ministry by the learning you have garnered, tempered and framed by the vision you have for the future and then plan on how to get there. Re-shape, re-form, re-imagine who you and the church can be in the world. The squirrels are in their nests, they have gathered and prepared for the time between the season of the Winter Long House and the season of New Beginnings. May your season of the Winter Long House be filled with learning and wonder, as you prepare for the Season of New Beginnings.
February 24, 2005
Valentine's Day In Region 3
Everyday I learn of another MCC pastor and members from Region 3 who facilitated a Holy Union, blessing or other marriage event at a local courthouse or newspaper interview. I participated in an event at the courthouse in Harrisburg, PA assisting Rev. Eva O'Diam as she led a union and blessing of two MCC couples who were denied a marriage license earlier in the day. Others such as Rev.'s Pat Bumgardner, Jeff Jordan, Karla Fleshman, Kharma Amos, Jim Mulcahy, Wayne Schwandt and others have also led the way. If you have participated in a recent marriage event please let me know. Together, we do make a difference!
MCC Featured On CN8
Rev. Karla Fleshman, pastor of Imago Dei MCC, Glen Mills, PA - Region Three, will be on Seeking Solutions with Suzanne on March 6th at 6:00 PM for a half hour episode to air on CN8 and on Comcast Cable Systems. The topic is "Same Sex Marriage: Legal & Spiritual Perspective."
2005 MCC Woman's Conference
The gathering of over 150 women met recently in Sarasota, FL for the annual MCC Woman's Conference. We began our time together on Thursday morning with Rev. Dr. Mona West who sang and talked to us about "Peace in the Valley" and the spiritual practice and history of the Labyrinth. After our session, we went out and walked the labyrinth and then shared our experiences. After sharing a noon meal and worshiping together we were blessed to hear from Rev. Aracelli Ezzatti who is an MCC clergy in Uruguay. We viewed a PowerPoint presentation and heard stories of the l/g/b/t community and the struggles they endure in Latin America. We looked at the 'Sad' face of Latin America, the 'Beauty' of Latin America and the 'Hope' for the future of Latin America. We ended the day with beautiful worship that centered around a created flowing river with candles, stones, and water bowls.
On Friday the main presenter "Iyanla Vanzant" author of many best selling books and star of the TV show "Starting Over", and a wise African American woman with a great sense of humor, led us in a day of stories, insights, challenges and practices that would give us ways to be more authentic in our relationship with God and to have integrity in who we are with God and with ourselves. Her ability to say it like it is was refreshing and liberating. I hope that next year more women from Region 3 will be able to come to this conference and experience the sense of connection and empowerment that happens when women gather.
Mind, Body, Spirit: A New Adventure in Service
MCC of Northern Virginia's Micah Ministries is sponsoring a "service vacation" to Appalachia this August. We're looking for volunteers to travel to the town of Beard's Fork, WV, and work with local residents on construction and education projects. We're excited about the opportunity to use our gifts to help an impoverished community as well as to experience firsthand how we can be a living testimony to faithful service and good works. For more information, contact MCC NOVA at info@mccnova.com.
Resources
Net Results go to www.NetResultsNetwork.org to sign up for Byte-Size Net Results. As always, to connect with Net Results products and services, go to www.NetResults.org. This is one of the best resources for local church leaders offering cutting edge insights to leadership, stewardship, conflict management and other essentials for effective church life.
Equality Federation is an excellent LGBT organization that helps national (US) LGBT groups network with statewide and regional LGBT orgs. This week, they are adding links to their website to help connect people with MCC -- and MCC is reciprocating with a web link.
Equality Federation also offers a listserve that helps these groups stay informed of activities and events. It can be a great way for you to keep informed of what is taking place, and to discover possible ways MCC can network with state and regional LGBT groups. To learn more about the Equality Federation, visit www.equalityfederation.org
Recommended Reading: - The Meaning of Jesus by Marcus J. Borg and N.T. Wright
ISBN 0-060060876-5 Two theologians with very different Christian viewpoints come together in one book to discuss who Jesus was, his ministry, his death and resurrection and more. This excellent resource shows how healthy and respectful discussion can enhance our faith. Begin to understand the strength of our Christian diversity in a healthy way. There will be a workshop based on the book offered at General Conference.
March
1 - 2 Days off
3 office
4 - 7 St. Jude MCC, Wilmington, NC - Offering 3 leadership training sessions and worship
8 Day off
9 - 11 Office
14 - 17 Office
18 - 21 MCC of the Hudson Valley - Board Training & worship
22 - 23 Days off
24 - 25 Office
28 PTO
31 Small Church Pastors Dinner
When Rev. Ackerman is traveling away from the office she can be reached via cell phone. See number below. Office hours are normally from 10 - 6. Mary, the office assistant is normally in on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 - 2.
Pastors of Region 3
If you are interested in having Rev. Elder Ackerman come to your church to offer leadership training or other services simply email or call her, a few dates are still available this year.
Remember, you remain always in my prayers.
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