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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) May 8, 2003 Pastor of Open Arms MCC Announces Resignation - Rev. Ron Helms, the pastor of Open Arms MCC in Rochester, NY, announced his resignation effect June 22. He writes, "It is my heartfelt hope that my resignation will be a clear time to honor one another and perhaps gain a new time clarifying God's call to Open Arms MCC and to journey onward seeking God's limitless dreams for being a relevant voice for faith, social justice and inclusivity for our community. MCC Richmond, VA Announces Pastoral Candidate - MCC Richmond is pleased to announce that Rev. Dr. Robin H. Gorsline has accepted their invitation to candidate for the position of Senior Pastor. Currently affiliated with MCC New York, Rev. Gorsline will be in Richmond the week of May 11th - 18th. We ask that prayers be raised in praise and thanksgiving for this opportunity for MCC Richmond and Rev. Gorsline. We pray that all will accept the grace they have and are yet to receive, and that God's call may be clearly heard and answered. Rev. Gorsline has a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Union Theological Seminary and a Masters of Divinity Degree from Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA. He is currently working as a the Director of Administration for the Bar Association in New York and on staff at MCC New York. MCC of the Chesapeake Begins Rainbow Families - The mission of Chesapeake Rainbow Families is to provide a safe place for children of GLBT families and their parent to meet for talk, support and social activities. They have also affiliated with COLAGE which stands for Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere. You can look up COLAGE on the web at www.cologe.org. We have affiliated with COLAGE because of its outreach and the resources available through this organization. Youth Ministry At Vision Of Hope MCC - Our church in Mountville, PA currently has 46 active children and teens involved on a regular basis in the life of the church. They have a children's choir, Sunday school broken out by age groups, they participate in vacation bible school with the UCC church nearby, have a parents group and sponsor regular events for families. Clearly, this church is a kid friendly place. New Life MCC Announces New Music Director - Effective June 9th, the Rev. Lisa Belongia will become the new music director for New Life MCC. Rev. Lisa is extraordinarily well qualified and is a powerful Christian voice for us in music management. Rev. Lisa will not be just a music director; she will be responsible for the development and perfecting of a Christian Arts program in our church. Rev. Belongia completes her position as co-interim pastor of MCC Richmond on June 1. Progressive Religious Leadership Mini-Conference was great! - Christ the Liberator MCC, North Brunswick, NJ, held the conference at Ramada Inn with catered breakfast and lunch and a vender's table. Rev.'s Paul Raushenbush from Riverside Church and Kristen Klein-Cechetinni from MCC-NY were speakers, as was Leadership Coach Dr. Denise Bane and Rev. Robert Griffin and me. The powerful keynote address was by Rev. Dr. Judy Dahl. We had 41 people there (about 12 more than last year) and the evaluations wereoverwhelmingly positive. Dr. Dahl stayed over and preached at CTL on Sunday morning. It was for us a "spiritual renewal" weekend. 3 MCCs, a New Thought church, 2 Psychologists, 1 Sociologist, 2 Interfaith ministers, 1 Baptist minister, 1 member of a Unitarian Universalist church, and 4 MCC clergy were among those represented at the conference. Rev. Durrell Watkins Campus Ministry Workshop At General Conference - In a workshop (scheduled July 3, 3.30-5 PM) I will be presenting ideas for building Campus Ministry Cooperatives and building relationships with University Administrations. I am hoping to have a representative from University of Texas office of Student Affairs, but would also welcome input from others who are actively involved in MCC Campus Ministries. They can contact me at TrinRev@att.net or at 352 375 8117. Rev. Paul Whiting Conference: Body - Sexuality - Spirituality - MCC Cristo Sanador will host this conference on Saturday May 17, 2003, from 10:00 AM. For centuries some religious traditions have devaluated the body and its expressions. During the past few decades, some religious and spiritual movements have initiated a reflection that integrates the multiple dimensions of the human being: body, sexuality and spirituality. This conference will be an opportunity to look at the body from various perspectives: from the theological and biblical points of view, from the non traditional spiritualities (yoga, reiki), the arts, and psychology. During the activity we will have the participation of Ana Vargas (Queer Reading of the Song of Songs), Edgard Danielsen-Morales (Queering the Sacred Texts; Reiki exercises), Jaime Santiago (The Body as Canvas), Anubis (yoga exercises), Néstor Millán (Body, Art and Inner expression), Manuel Guzmán-Arizmendi (Body and proclamation), and Pablo Navarro-Hernández (Film, Body and Spirituality). May 29, 2003 MCC Richmond Elects New Pastor Rev. Robin, along with his partner, Jonathan Lebolt, are now back in New York, saying their goodbyes to longtime friends and preparing to come to Richmond. They will be returning in a few weeks for MCC Richmond's Silver Anniversary Celebration. Then, they will return to New York once again to begin packing. Rev. Robin will be joining a number of us from MCC Richmond at MCC's General Conference in Dallas, Texas July 1-6, 2003. After Conference, he will return to New York where he and Jonathan will complete packing for their return to Richmond. They will be here permanently mid to late July. Father In Law of Rev. Gail Hicks Passes Away Rev. Jeff Pulling Passes Away General Conference Update Great news! Thanks to the success of our new on-line registration technology, we are able to extend two deadlines: the late registration deadline and the deadline for guaranteed hotel rates. Both deadlines have been extended to June 15 -- and rates are guaranteed through that date. After that date, conference registrations will only be accepted on-site at the Anatole Hotel in Dallas. For registration details and conference hotel information -- or to easily register on-line -- visit www.MCCchurch.org. Regional Elder Travel Schedule - May
Shalom----- Rev. Elder Arlene J. Ackerman PO Box 276 Phone: 717 898-3713 E-mail: arleneackerman@MCCchurch.org |
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