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), North Carolina, South Carolina July 2007 General Conference Reflection It is hard to believe that General Conference is already over. What a powerful few days of worship, connecting, refreshing, networking and learning, all in 115 degree heat. It was a powerful moment for me to meet with the delegation from our MCC in Jamaica , to experience the children and youth as they contributed their gifts and to hear all of the speakers. And, to meet with numerous people about pulpit searches, challenges in their churches, resource gathering, planning and just catching up. I must say that the Region 3 Gathering blew me away ! For those who have not heard, churches and individuals gave gifts in celebration of my 30 years as MCC clergy. As Rev. Robin Gorsline from MCC Richmond made the presentation of a rather large check I found myself surprisingly speechless. It came with the instruction for my partner and I to take some much needed time away together. What a blessing of affirmation. For those of you who contributed thank you and bless you and for those of you who have lifted me up in prayer, God bless you. We are in this ministry together with God and I believe that God is doing a great thing through us all. You touched my heart and I will never forget this moment. By now, many of you have learned that our next General Conference will be in three years in Acapulco , Mexico in 2010. And, in 2009 our next Regional Conference will again be in Pittsburgh , PA (at a larger hotel) Begin planning now so you can attend. MCC Region 3 Future Dates $15 per person, includes lunch The Northern Sub-Regional Gathering will be a great opportunity for those in the central part of our region to get together for training, support, and worship. This is will be a wonderful chance to meet and network with others in the Region. Worship will be celebrated together. We will receive an offering to help with the cost of bringing people outside the continental U.S. to MCC gatherings. Apart from worship, the focus will be three fold: 1) Breaking the Growth Barriers; 2) Conflict Mediation – setting up effective Conflict Resolution Teams within the local church; 3) The Many Faces of Spirituality. Friday, September 7 7:30 pm Opening Event with Music Saturday, September 8 9:30 am Registration 10:00 am Worship 10:45 am Break 11:00 am Sharing Session 12:00 pm Lunch 1:00 pm Workshops: Breaking the Barriers The Many Faces of Spirituality Conflict Mediation 3:30 pm Closing Worship 4:30 pm Gathering ends Advance Registration required. Email today to say that you will be attending: October 20 An opportunity for those in the southern part of our region to get together for training, support, and worship. There will be a SPECIAL Guest Presenter. More details coming soon! Mark your calendars now! You Are Not Going To Believe What MCC Has Done! – Message from Rev. Donna Stroud, MCC of the Upstate, Duncan , SC There are no words that would ever describe the support that we have received here in South Carolina from the MCC family. When Sean Kennedy was killed, the local community began to work together and we received support from local, state and national GLBT organizations which made the grief and fear easier to bear. However, when MCC support began to pour in with literally hundreds of e-mails, I could have cried with relief. When I arrived at the Candlelight Vigil on Sunday evening (June 3), Mrs. Kennedy came to me, hugged me, and said “You are not going to believe what MCC has done!” I had a book containing 145 e-mails to give to the Kennedy family – e-mails that came to my e-mail address at MCC of the Upstate. Mrs. Kennedy told me that she had received 177 e-mails at her home from MCCer's all over the world. I have since received 24 additional e-mails which I will forward to Mrs. Kennedy. E-mails came to the church from 27 states and 8 countries throughout the world! I am simply astounded. I should not be surprised since I know that anything God does is always amazing! On behalf of MCC of the Upstate, I wish to express our gratitude to every single person who has lifted us up in prayer and shown such extraordinary support. It has been overwhelming. All we ask now is that you continue to pray for us as we move forward in this very difficult situation. So we are no longer strangers and sojourners, but we are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22 God's peace, Donna ___________________________________ Rev. Donna Stroud, M.Div. In addition, there was a lot of press coverage at that time. Rev. Donna Stroud of MCC of the Upstate is quoted in every one of these articles: -- A June 4 article on the rally in The Greenville News . -- A May 30 editorial in The Charleston City Paper -- A June 6 article about the vigil in The Greenville News Also, if you have a couple of minutes, we encourage you to visit the on-line video news coverage of the rally at GreenvilleOnline.com -- the 1:41 minute clip includes quotes by Sean's mother, a great shot of Donna, and Donna's remarks at the rally. The clip can be found at: http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070604/VIDEO/70604028 Rev. Donna Stroud as Faith Based Coordinator for The SC Equality Coalition The South Carolina Equality Coalition has asked Rev. Donna Stroud, pastor at MCC of the Upstate, Duncan , SC , to be the Faith Based Coordinator for South Carolina . As coordinator she will be working to identify and coordinate open and affirming clergy throughout South Carolina . Rev. Stroud has been involved with the Coalition as a delegate since last year when they worked on the marriage amendment. The South Carolina Equality Coalition is their state organization that is working hard on hate crime legislation, hospital visitation, etc. MCC Presenters at Episcopal Divinity School Class Rev. Patrick Cheng spoke on Thursday, June 21st, at 6:30 p.m. at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge , MA , as a part of its week-long Understanding Queer Christian Theologies class. (It's an exciting program -- scheduled speakers for other nights include Marvin Ellison, Angela Bauer, Steven Charleston, Virginia Mollenkott, and Gene Robinson.) His talk was called "Something Old, Something New: The Trinity and Queer Asian Theology." He looked at what queer theologians have said about the Trinity, and proposed a way in which LGBT Asians of faith might use classical notions of the Trinity as a lens to better understand ourselves and God. Rev. Robert Griffin, also presented during the week on the experiences of LGBT people of color. ORDINATIONS The following ordinations have taken place or will take place within our Region: Rev. Jane Nelson was ordained at MCC Richmond, VA, on Sunday, July 22. Rev. Lu Johnson was ordained on Sunday, July 29 at Open Arms MCC, Rochester , NY . Rev. Elect Terri Steed will be ordained on Saturday, August 4 at St. John's MCC Raleigh, NC. Rev. Elect Marilyn Bowens will be ordained on Saturday, August 18 at St. John's MCC Raleigh, NC. Rev. Elect Carlton Rutherford will be ordained on Saturday, September 8 at St. John 's MCC, Raleigh , NC . Rev. Elect B. K. Hipsher will be ordained on Saturday, October 27 at MCC of Northern VA. CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW CLERGY! Prayer Pennies at New Life of the Hampton Roads MCC, Virginia Beach , VA The New Life Social Justice Team has joined forces with a group of missionaries to feed hungry children at 2 schools and an orphanage in the Dominican Republic . One of their members, Linda Hardy, has been on mission trips to the Dominican Republic . She was forever changed when one School Director told her that the biggest challenge faced everyday is deciding which child gets to eat. There is not enough money to feed all the children. That's where the church is helping – by donating pennies, coins and dollars!! “Prayer Pennies” jars are available at the church. They ask donors to PRAY over the coins so that God continues to expand this ministry so that ALL children get fed EVERYDAY!!! Check out their webpage: http://www.newlifemcc.net/NewPrayerPenniesPage.html Torch bearers, pass on the Light!! Reflection by Garfield Mullings I write this reflection from the aeroplane as the three member-contingent from Jamaica makes our way home from the General Conference XXIII of MCC in Scottsdale , Arizona . I cannot help but reflect on the absolute inspiration and the blessing that we have all received during these days of spiritual reflection and celebration. I am left with a variety of images floating in my head not least among which is the overriding image of being like a torch-bearer running in the Olympics, carrying the torch to the next leg of the race. In this case though our torch is a different kind…(The imagery just could not be straight!!. We have to live up to our reputation of being creative and non-traditional!!) Regardless, what is the most important is the facts that going back with us to Jamaica are, (among other things) the Cross and two candles that adorned the altar for the duration of the Conference. Offered to us by the very creative Rev. Phyllis Hunt. I could get lost in the huge symbolism wrapped up in all of this. By any stretch of the imagination, these items represent a “piece” of the conference that is being taken back to reside among the believers in Jamaica . In that regard, it makes the conference-theme (Building on Hope Creating our Future) come alive and take root among us. They also represent the vision of church that transcends borders and cultures, a church willing to share its resources one with the other in the name of international brotherhood and the preservation of human rights. They also represent the energy and vision of the new church in Jamaica . A church that despite the crosses that might come its way will set about be a light to the world. They represent the warm assurance and reminder that the entire conference and all other MCCers have us in Jamaica in their prayers, thoughts and love. A reminder that together we are a force to be reckoned with!! They represent the fact that we are part of a young (forty years old is young because I am!!) but mature tradition that enables us to worship a God of inclusion while at the same time celebrating our sexuality. They also challenge us to hold as sacred this vision not only for Jamaica but also for the wider Caribbean because although they will be used for each of the monthly national services in Jamaica , they will also be reminders that there is work to be done with our brothers and sisters in the wider Caribbean . They represent a challenge to spread the word far and wide!! Young Jamaica, pick up your cross and your candles and walk!! Article in Jamaica Observer
It is evident that a significant portion of the Jamaican population is homophobic, undoubtedly because of their forefathers' 400 years of painful sodomisation during slavery. In a recent comment, Sunshine Cathedral's minister Rev Nancy Wilson, said: "Over the years, a lot of attention has been focused on the male homosexual community in Jamaica where intolerance of that lifestyle is very high…” Read more at: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/html/20070615t180000-0500_124362_obs_don_t_push_from_the_back__ it_s_a_painful_act_.asp Living Positively Retreat at Open Door Center for Spirituality Living Positively, a retreat for people living with HIV/AIDS and their partners and caregivers, led by Joshua Love , HIV Program Director for the Metropolitan Community Churches. For further information about this and other retreats in our first season, please e-mail Adam DeBaugh at Adam@ChiRhoPress.com . August on Broadway at Open Door MCC Open Door MCC, Boyds, MD, is celebrating August on Broadway for the second year in a row. During the month of August, Broadway musicals will be the theme for the Services each Sunday morning. With Scriptures and Music based on dominant themes from the Musicals, along with special performances from the shows themselves, the Church will examine several Broadway hit shows with regard to everyday lessons we can learn for our own lives. This years Schedule for August on Broadway includes: August 5th: Rent, August 12th: Sweeney Todd , August 19th: The King and I , August 26th Company . The August on Broadway Services will be each Sunday Morning at 10 AM. For more information or directions call 301.916.5777 or visit www.opendoormcc.com ORGENA ROSE LAUNCHES EAST COAST TOUR! Fresh off the heals of shooting her 3rd movie this year and singing at the MCC General Conference, Orgena Rose launches her It's All About Love CD East Coast Tour! (For more information about the movies, visit the links from imdb.com) Jake's Corner (2008) - Full cast and crew#cast Snappers (2007) - Full cast and crew#cast ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EAST COAST SUMMER TOUR 2007
*SUNDAY, JULY 15TH - MCC PHILA - Morning 11AM *SUNDAY, JULY 15TH - FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF GERMANTOWN - 7pm *SUNDAY, JULY 22ND -Vision of Hope MCC - Morning 9:00 am and 11:00 am *SUNDAY, JULY 22ND - MCC Lehigh Valley - Evening 6pm
*Sunday, July 29th - MCC Fredericksburg - Evening Service 6pm *Sunday, Sept. 9th - Christ Church of Peace -Morning Service To get tickets or for more information, please contact the venue directly. We'll see you there! Deprogramming gay Christians, Associated Press story http://asap.ap.org/stories/1581005.s From perennial discourse about gay marriage to the Ted Haggard incident last year to the never-ending issue of gay bishops in the Episcopal church, sexual orientation plays a central role in the world of Christianity today. The Orlando-based group Exodus International recently attracted more than 800 people to its Freedom Conference in Irvine, Calif., to "provide help to those who personally struggle with homosexuality and to those affected by a loved one who does," according to its Web site http://exodus.to. Exodus tries not to send a hate-based message, but encourages people to live the way they think God prefers: pursuing heterosexual partnerships. "I don't believe that being in a gay or lesbian relationship is what God has intended. But that does not mean that God doesn't love that person," said Mindy Boyd, a singer-songwriter at the conference who used to be in a lesbian relationship. However, not all Christians think it's important for the faithful to be straight. "I believe passionately in a God who made us as we are and who loves us deeply," says Rev. Pat Bumgardner, of the Metropolitan Community Church of New York , which specifically bills itself as a Christian ministry dedicated to welcoming gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender congregants. There are Metropolitan Community Churches all over the world ( http:// www.mccchurch.org ) working to dissuade others from the common Christian notion that being gay is a sin. Watch the asap video report from the Exodus Conference here: http://asap.ap.org/data/interactives/_lifestyles/es/es8/ . Regional Elder Schedule Rev. Elder Ackerman will be taking the month of August off. We pray that you will offer her your support in taking this time for rest, reading, writing and reflection . While she is away, Rev. Jen will be available in the Region 3 Office and there will be an Elder on call. Rev. Elder Arlene J. Ackerman PO Box 276 Phone: 717 898-3713 E-mail: arleneackerman@mccchurch.net MCC HEADQUARTERS MAILING ADDRESS! Please update your mailing lists and files. Please begin using this new address, effective immediately. Please share this information with your church staff and your church treasurer, in your church's newsletter, and with anyone who may need to contact MCC Headquarters. |