Region 3 Conference HOTEL UPDATE
Saturday night, July 10, the conference hotel is sold out. Another hotel has been lined up. You can make hotel reservations for the conference hotel for all other nights except Sat. and/or book a room at the back up hotel which is only 5 blocks away. The new hotel is a small luxury hotel. The rate will be $140 plus taxes, two night minimum. You can make hotel reservations and register for the conference by going on-line to mccchurch.org and click on Regional Conference and then Region 3..
Open Door MCC Elects New Pastor - Rev. Rob Taylor
Let the bells ring and the people sing. It is official!! Rev. Rob Taylor has been elected as our full time pastor. There are 95 eligible members; we had a 60 members present at the congregational meeting yesterday April 25, 2004. The result of the voting was an overwhelming, record breaking 100%. All of this is contingent on Rob being approved for UFMCC clergy credentials.
Continuing the 15% To UFMCC
MCC New York - Has continued at the 15% level since the beginning of the year. Thank you!
Prayer Request
Rev. Venson Phillip Mathew's mother passed to eternal life on the evening of Maundy Thursday
Easter Updates
MCC Lehigh Valley (Allentown, PA, USA) experienced another powerful Holy Week in 2004. Palm Sunday began with a rainbow processional and the draping of the rainbow colors over the cross, giving a great start to Holy Week. On Tuesday evening MCCLV had
its final "Purpose Driven Life" course and looks forward to its "Purpose Driven Church" course in May. Then on Wednesday of Holy Week, people gathered for the final installment of the Lenten Movie Series. "Boys Don't Cry" was viewed and fellowship was shared over subs and snacks. Thursday was MCCLV's annual Seder Meal service with MCCLV coming together to share in re-telling the story of liberation of the people of Israel. Good Friday MCCLV had its Tenebrae Service, "Shadows Around the Cross." Resurrection Sunday was a celebration of new life with three worship services and a potluck Easter dinner. Over 120 people gathered at MCCLV on Palm Sunday and on Easter Sunday. All praise and glory to God for the good things God does in the midst of the Lehigh Valley and beyond!
MCC Howard County
Holy Week and Easter at MCC Howard County, Columbia, MD provided an opportunity for our community to bear witness to the New Life emerging in our church. All of our worship services during these holiest of days brought increased attendance from last year's services. Our observances witnessed the gifts of our new Music Ministry and choir. And the positive spirit and deepening faith of our Body of believers became palpable as we journeyed through the way of the cross into the joyful mystery of Resurrection. For Palm Sunday, our new choir led the procession of palms and our gifted worship leaders offered a dramatic reading from the story of Jesus' Passion according to Luke. On Maundy Thursday, we joined with another local church for the second year to share a Love Feast, Footwashing, and Communion service in the tradition of the Church of the Brethren. On Good Friday, we shared a meditation on some of Jesus' last utterances from the cross, with many opportunities for silence and chanting in the style of Taize worship. And on Easter Evening, we had a joyful celebration of the Resurrection, complete with a specially adorned Easter altar, a procession of the Paschal candle, a beautiful choral anthem, the renewal of baptismal promises with the rite of sprinkling, and fresh loaves of home-baked challa bread for the Eucharist. We had 44 worshipers for our Easter worship, with infants and grandparents among us! After our worship, we shared a community dessert potluck, featuring some of the most delectable gifts from our many gifted bakers. Folks lingered until almost 9:00 p.m., newcomers and members alike, enjoying the abundance of Christ. Our community and its leaders expressed deep gratitude for the spirit, growth, and commitment embodied in this Season of our life together.
MCC Charlottesville Votes To Close
The remaining seven members of MCC Charlottesville voted to hold their last worship service on Easter Sunday. Over the last few years MCCC has declined in attendance to fewer than 12 people and had built up a large debt. As of today, this group of dedicated people has paid off all of their debt except to UFMCC, and they still hope to accomplish this in their last few weeks. In meeting with Rev. Elder Ackerman they explored ways to continue relationship with MCC; one approach may be to continue as a bible study group of MCC Richmond. Their Interim Pastoral Leader, Carrie Humphrey is considering the formation process with MCC Richmond in the near future. MCC Charlottesville has had a rich history beginning in 1990. Their faithful witness has touch many peoples lives. It is our hope to plant a new MCC in the area in the next few years.
Appointments To UFMCC International Judiciary Committee from Region 3
Congratulations to Rev.'s Catherine Houchins, Dr. Ana Vargas, Dr. Edgard Danielsen-Morales, Karla Fleshman, and Venson Phillip Matthews. They along with 9 other lay and clergy people from around UFMCC make up the new international judiciary pool, a two year appointment by the Board of Elders.
Intensive Spanish Language Program
Does your church have a Hispanic ministry? Are you thinking of starting one? Do you have a population near your church for whom Spanish is their native tongue? Do you have people in your church who feel they want to learn Spanish? Is your church in a region
with other churches in Spanish speaking countries?
If the answer to any of these questions is "yes", please tell your church members to go to the fellowship website, www.mccchurch.org and click on the headline about the Intensive Spanish Language Program developed by Rev. Elder Darlene Garner of Region 6. Rev.
Elder Garner has obtained rock bottom prices for this program in collaboration with IMAC, a high quality school for Spanish in Guadalajara.
Rev. Elder Darlene Garner, Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson and others will be participating in this program in Guadalajara, Mexico in August. We would love to have other members of MCC churches and their friends join us for this opportunity to learn Spanish in an immersion program and to join in fellowship with the MCC churches in Guadalajara.
Ministry Idea From Open Door MCC
Online Bible Study to begin soon: With the weather getting more beautiful and the summer approaching, finding time for extra things can get crazy, especially for those of us who live a significant distance from Open Door. We are trying something new. Beginning in May, we will have 9 week Bible Study of the Fruits of the Spirit which will be online. I have never tried anything like this before, but it may just be a new way to blend technology and faith to meet the needs of a busy church family! (By the way... the Fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.) There will be no cost for this study. Sign-up info to follow. We will be using a yahoo group where participants can logon and post thoughts to the website.
IN THE NEWS
Women denied license will marry today anyway
(The following excerpts are from the front page of the Democrat & Chronicle, Rochester N.Y.
Anne & Bess are members of Open Arms MCC! )
By Jim Memmott
Senior editor
ANNETTE LEIN staff photographer
Anne Tischer, left, and Bess Watts, who plan to marry today, make cookies for their church in their home. "For me personally the wedding's statement is the ability of two hearts to love each other," Tischer says. [Day in Photos]
(April 29, 2004) -
The music on Anne Tischer and Bess Watts' telephone answering machine is the song, "Going to the Chapel." "Going to the chapel, and we're going to get married," sings Bette Midler in a celebration of marriage, love, spring and never being lonely anymore. The song has special meaning to Tischer and Watts, who live in Gates and will be married in a religious ceremony at Washington Square Park at 2 p.m. today. The ceremony won't have legal recognition, as same-sex marriages are not recognized by the state, and the women's request for a license Tuesday was declined by Rochester City Clerk Carolee Conklin. Conklin says that they were the first same-sex couple to apply for a license from the city. Watts and Tischer's very public marriage ceremony will add fuel to the already heated debate here over same-sex marriage. The intensity of this debate has struck people on both sides. "I believe in gay marriage," says Tischer. "But I never thought I would live to see it part of a national debate." "This is kind of a ball that has taken off rolling down the hill like there's no stopping it," says Eileen Rochniak of Irondequoit, who opposes same-sex marriage. Though they may be surprised that the issue is a national topic, people here are not surprised that the topic has taken hold in Rochester. According to statistics analyzed for www.ePodunk.com, a Web site of community information, Rochester has a comparatively high number of people living in same-sex partnerships. Rochester's score in the "gay index," a figure derived from responses to the 2000 U.S. census, was 161. This means the area is 61 percent above the national norm for gay and lesbian people sharing a household. Buffalo, by comparison has an index figure of 97; Syracuse is 124. "Rochester is one of the most unique cities in the world," says Chuck Bowen, the head of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley. "It's very affirming and accepting."
The women are members of Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church in Rochester, a congregation that welcomes gay and lesbian people. The Rev. Jim Mulcahy, the church's interim pastor, who has officiated at many same-sex weddings, will perform their wedding ceremony. Mulcahy said that several other ministers and at least one rabbi will attend the service to show support for same-sex marriage equality. "We want to make a point that many local clergy perform these kind of ceremonies and that we believe it is an injustice for the state to deny equality to same-sex couples," he said. In explaining why they are having the religious ceremony even though it won't have legal force, Watts and Tischer stress that it will have both public and personal meaning. "We want to show support for marriage equality," Watts says. "And for Anne and me, it's the real thing." Tischer adds, "For me personally the wedding's statement is the ability of two hearts to love each other. That can't be ruled by a legislature. That's something that's given as a gift of God." Later this year, the couple hopes to be wed in Massachusetts, where same-sex marriages will become legal May 17. The governor of Massachusetts has said that out-of-state couples won't be allowed to wed, though several groups and individuals have said they would challenge his interpretation of the law. A civil right? The women emphasize that because they cannot be legally married here, they face hurdles and inequities not faced by married heterosexual couples. They argue that marriage clarifies everything from inheritance rights to health proxies. It makes jointly owning a home easier and it gives surviving partners access to benefits such as Social Security pensions. "We want the legal security of marriage," Tischer says. Jennifer L. Gravitz, a lawyer here who works with many gay and lesbian couples, says that the legal rights extended to married couples are almost too extensive to enumerate. "For 240 years, the word 'marriage' has been recognized and built into our system," says Gravitz, who was married to her partner in Canada after same-sex marriages became legal there last year. More than 40 states have laws or phrases in their constitutions that clearly state that marriage is between men and women. Some of the legal challenges to this definition argue that it discriminates against same-sex couples, as it denies them the benefits given to opposite-sex couples. This civil rights or fairness argument has yet to be decided by the courts, says David B. Filvaroff, who teaches a seminar on civil rights at the State University at Buffalo Law School. "It's new territory," he says. "And I think there will be continuing litigation about it unless and until it gets to the Supreme Court." Warren, the minister, sees the civil rights argument as a reach. "I think that's offensive to those of color and to those who have faced horrible discrimination throughout their lives," says Warren. "To cast it as a civil rights issue is to do a disservice to those who have been persecuted." Bob Day, 67, of East Bloomfield, Ontario County, is both African-American and gay. Looking back on his life, Day can point to cases in which he has been discriminated against because he is African-American and other cases because he is gay. In both cases, he argues, his civil rights were denied. "When you suffer the lash, it stings just as well if it's coming because of the color of your skin or because of your sexual orientation; it's just as painful," he says.
Thoughts to Ponder
"At times you may feel it's the end of the world.
Just remember that what the caterpillar calls the end of the word
the creator calls a butterfly."
Martha Beck
"Disconnecting from change doesn't recapture the past.
It loses the future."
Kathleen Norris
"No one ever procrastinated their way to the top."
Billboard in New York City
May 12, 2004
Region 3 Conference Update - July 8 - 11
Rev. Steve Taylor will be presenting two keynote addresses: 1. "THE NEW WORLD WE LIVE IN: FOREIGN POLICY, NATIONAL SECURITY AND PEOPLE OF FAITH" This is looking at where we are in today's new world and what we need to do to make progress as a people and as people of faith. And, 2. "Cross Cultural Learning and Unlearning: Necessary for UFMCC" A look at how to learn from the multitude of cross-cultural encounters that we face everyday and what we can learn from them as a World Church.
Jim Birkitt will also be presenting a workshop on "How To Keep Your Church In The News" -our local churches are now generating lots of press coverage. This workshop will update us all on current techniques to keep local churches in the media.
The conference is in San Juan, Puerto Rico. You can register on-line by going to ufmcc.com and click on Regional Conferences and then click on Region 3.
Photo's Wanted
Please email photos of church events, church leaders, and your facilities. The photos will be used as part of a presentation at the Region 3 conference. Send them to ajoy1@aol.com prior to June 5.
MCC clergy unite to support gay marriage
Ministers solemnize illegal marriages in U.S., England By CYD ZEIGLER
Friday, May 07, 2004 NEW YORK - In an act of civil disobedience intended to express solidarity with two New Paltz, N.Y., ministers charged with solemnizing illegal same-sex marriages, clergy in several states and in England performed same-sex marriages last week. The marriage ceremonies in Florida, New York, Oregon and in England were meant to call attention to what members of the Metropolitan Community Church described as unfair enforcement of the New York State civil marriage law. The statute in question states that it is a misdemeanor to perform a marriage without the benefit of a license. Because city clerks across New York have refused to grant those licenses to same-sex couples, the solemnization of any same-sex marriage runs afoul of the law, according to the Ulster County prosecutor who brought the charges against New Paltz ministers Kay Greenleaf and Dawn Sangrey back in March. Clergy members counter that they have been performing same-sex marriages for years, ever since MCC ministers began officiating at such unions back in 1969, according to Rev. Pat Baumgardner, pastor of MCC in New York City. Ulster County District Attorney Donald Williams' action marked the first time clergy had ever been arrested or charged in the United States by a civil authority for solemnizing a same-sex marriage. The same charge has been brought against New Paltz Mayor Jason West, who brought a national spotlight to the tiny Hudson River town when he began marrying gay couples on Feb. 27.Each of those charged faces up to a $500 fine and a year in jail for each of several counts of breaking the same law. This week, voters in New Paltz gave the mayor a thumbs-up when they voted for West's hand-picked candidate in a special election for a seat on the village board. The mayor's opponents had called the election a referendum on West's gay-marriage stance. New Paltz D.A. ratchets up the marriage fight "Until the Ulster County D.A. took the ridiculous stand that he did, it was basically a matter of conscience," Baumgardner said. "One of the reasons for our action was to point out the selective application of the law and to point out that any time the law is selectively enforced, it has to be unjust."Baumgardner, who has been solemnizing same-sex marriages for 20 years, herself performed one marriage April 29. Every year the MCC performs 6,000 same-sex marriages nationwide, according to Baumgardner. Baumgardner said 20 states have laws that expressly make the solemnization of a same-sex marriage a misdemeanor; the other 30 and the District of Columbia are ambiguous on the issue, she added. Thirty-nine states now have either a Defense of Marriage Act or a constitutional amendment banning the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau said on March 19, the day after MCC performed three same-sex marriages on the steps of City Hall, that he would not prosecute anyone. A police department spokesperson declined to comment on why police didn't arrest clergy who performed marriages in the Bronx and previously at City Hall. "There has been no definitive ruling from the courts on the legal and constitutional issues surrounding same-sex marriages in New York," Morgenthau said in a statement. "The criminal courts are not the appropriate forum for the resolution of these issues; ultimately, they will be resolved in civil lawsuits."Baumgardner admitted that she did not believe she would be arrested or charged for performing public ceremonies in New York City. She did note that that the district attorney in Rochester, N.Y., where MCC oversaw marriages on April 29 as well, sat on a decision about whether or not to prosecute. Finally, he decided he would not."Police departments in major metropolitan areas have more to worry about than two people falling in love and getting married," Bumgardner said.MCC's clergy plans to perform a series of public same-sex marriages."The religious right are not the only people who are spiritual or who go to church on Sundays," Baumgardner said.
MCC Baltimore Plans For 10 Anniversary With Their Pastor
We are planning a 10th Anniversary celebration for our pastor, Rev. David Smith. The event will be held at the church on Saturday, May 22 at 6:00 PM starting with a dinner. After that a walk down memory lane for the last 10 years and then a party. Everyone is invited.
Rev. David North Celebrate One Year Anniversary
On May 2, Holy Redeemer MCC, celebrated the one year anniversary of it's Pastor, Reverend David K. North. At the service there were 38 congregants. The Reverend Greg Howell, Assoc. Pastor of National City Christian Church of DC preached the sermon. Mary, the Assoc. Pastors wife also attended. After the service many of the people attending the service gathered at Moose Creek Restaurant for a celebratory brunch. Thank God for Rev North accepting the calling to pastor Holy Redeemer. He is a blessing.
Rev. Candace Shultis Graduates With D. Min.
Rev. Shultis will be graduating on Monday, May 10th at 2:00 pm with a D.Min from Wesley Theological Seminary. The dissertation title is: "The Creation of a More Diverse Congregation: A Study of the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, DC". The church will be holding a reception on Sunday, May 23rd at 1:30 pm. Congratulations Candace!
Regional Elders Travel/Church Schedule
May 5 New Light MCC, Hagerstown, MD - Board Meeting
7 - 8 Vision of Hope MCC, Mountville, PA - SGI follow-up weekend
12 Large Church Pastors Gathering, MCC New York - I will also be meeting with ordination candidates. 11 - 13 includes travel days.
15 - 16 New Light MCC - Workshop- Community, Cause & Corporation, worship, Board meeting, meeting with interim pastor.
*23 - 30 Board of Elders Meetings, Santa Rosa, CA, plus the dedication service of the A. Austin Amerin Retreat Center
June 3 - 6 Region 5 Conference, Provincetown - training the Region 5 Church Planting team.
8 Mid Sized Plus Church Pastors Gathering, Richmond, VA - a gathering for pastors whose churches average in Sunday attendance from 100 - 200. I will be traveling on the 7 & 9*.
24 Mid Sized Church Pastors Gathering - for churches whose average Sunday attendance is 55-100. Location to be announced.
* INCLUDES TRAVEL DAYS