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

September 2006

Open Arms MCC Packed and Moved Out Sunday, August 27th was packing day for Open Arms MCC, Rochester , NY . They moved their church to "PODS"- (portable on demand storage). On Sunday, September 3, they will be homeless and wandering, like the Hebrews of old. Worship will be at the Roadside Shelter at Ellison Park .  There will be a picnic immediately following worship.  They will unpack at the new church on Saturday, September 9th.  They will have an official dedication ceremony on a Sunday in October, date to be announced. ICM

Habitat for Humanity and MCC Rehoboth MCC Rehoboth in Rehoboth Beach, DE, recently celebrated completion of the building of a house in Georgetown , DE .  This was a joint effort of the Lewes-Rehoboth Association of Churches and Sussex County (DE) Habitat for Humanity.  Fourteen churches from the beach resort towns joined with Habitat to build a two-story, 4 bedroom, 2 bath home for a family in need.  Rev. Tom Bohache, Pastor of MCC-R, participated in the Habitation Ceremony on August 12, where the home was blessed and the keys officially handed over to Maria Lagunas and her five children.  Prayers, foods of several cultures, and tears were plentiful on this day, as well as the participation of many butterflies, who made their resurrection presence known!  MCC-R was mentioned frequently in the ceremony, because this was the church that began the process by clearing the land last December and completed the build in August by helping with landscaping; in between times MCC-R, with the lay leadership of Judy Gibson and Liz Bowman, participated in several work days, "setting the standard" (in the words of one of the speakers) for the participation of the other churches.  Habitat for Humanity has expressed interest in helping MCC Rehoboth to erect its building on land that the church has purchased just outside the city limits of Rehoboth Beach .  Praise God!

The Rev. David North and Holy Redeemer MCC, College Park, MD receive award on Saturday August 26, the Prince George Community Crisis Center held its Volunteer Appreciation Awards Ceremony. The Rev. David North and the congregation of Holy Redeemer MCC were presented a plaque of appreciation for its participation of many of the CCSI programs. A few are the Warm Nights Program, the Christmas Party for the Homeless Women's and Children's Shelter, the Super Bowl Party for the Homeless Men's Shelter, and Feed the Homeless Program.

News from New Light, MCC, Hagerstown, MD Rev. Michael Hydes, Pastor of New Light MCC wrote: They had the crosswalk America group at the church on Wednesday, August 23 (see their website www.crosswalkamerica.org for photo's and info) and they have been blessed by their visit.  They are walking with them in Washington , DC .  Rev. Delores Berry will be preaching at their Homecoming Service on Sept 10th where they install new members and deacons.  Community triangle (www.communitytriangle.com ) now has 175 members with as many as 50 each month attending 'dinner out'.  New Light has been cleaning a stretch of Highway 40 in the 'adopt a highway' program, thanks to Jon Howard and many volunteers.  The HIV/AIDS pantry is running well serving those in dire need, and a steering committee group has been formed that is looking at transitional and hospice housing for those with HIV/AIDS in the  Hagerstown  area. New Light is instrumental in creating this.  The 'Queer Library' is an amazing local resource and many people use the wireless access they provide for the church and immediate area.  A.A., N.A, Positive Influence, and Trans Support group all have their home at New Light and their Bible Study, mid-week worship, pot luck dinner, and movie nights are all well attended.  Elaine Lyon works as our REACH coordinator with David Washington and they are heavily involved with the cold weather shelter and Interfaith Alliance.  Recently New Light members mingled with members of the local synagogue, Mosque, and local churches for an 'Interfaith Picnic' that was a great step forward to understanding and acceptance in the community.  Their Church retreat is October 13-15th and the theme is "Love is".  More than half of the church membership are involved or attending.

Electronic Deposits Now Available at St. Jude's MCC, Wilmington, NC St. Jude's MCC is now offering electronic services for tithes, offerings, and pledges. The first withdrawal for August will occur on August 29th. Rev. Elder Ackerman recommends that all of our churches consider this type of service.

ORDINATIONS - The following ordinations have taken place or will take place within our Region:
Rev. Kristen Clare Foley was ordained at MCC Baltimore, MD, on Saturday, August 19.
Rev. Harry Patterson was ordained at MCC Washington, DC on Saturday, August 19.
Rev. Elect Janet Avery will be ordained on Saturday, September 9 at MCC Washington, DC, 11am.
Rev. Elect Ursela Cargill from Christ the Liberator will be ordained at Six Mile Run Reformed Church of America, NJ, on Saturday, September 16 at 4pm.
Rev. Elect Lori McPherson will be ordained on Saturday, September 23 at MCC Washington, DC, 5pm.
Rev. Elect Jennifer Glass will be ordained on Wednesday, October 4 at Vision of Hope MCC in Mountville , PA , 7pm.
Rev. Joe Cobb will be ordained on Sunday, October 8 at MCC of the Blue Ridge in Roanoke , VA , 3pm.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW CLERGY!

Resource Center for Regional Conference My Dear Partners in Ministry: Let me introduce mys elf…I am Rev. Dee Dale and I pastor MCC Louisville.  I am very excited that Rev. Elder Diane asked me to serve as the Coordinator of the Resource Center during the Regional Meetings of Regions 3 & 5.  The reason I am excited is because I believe in sharing resources others have developed, as well as, helping our churches do fundraising. I want to invite your church to participate by bringing resources of ministry you want to share and items you wish to sell during the Conference.  If you would like to participate, please fill out the form below and return it to me by October 1, 2006 .  Our space is limited, so I need your information as soon as possible. We will create a Resource Packet for each church containing free information and a DVD of the activities and highlights of Regional Conference.  If you choose to sell your resources or other items, please tag them clearly with the price and the name of your church.  The Resource Center will operate with only one cashier.  We will track the sales of each vendor and settle up with you on Sunday, November 5.
Contact RevDee@aol.com or Rev. Dee Dale 1300 Ambridge Dr., Louisville, KY 40207

You can find flyers to post at your church or to use in bulletins at:
http://www.mccconferences.org/regionalconferences/publicity/


Recommending a Great Book
Adam DeBaugh of Chi Rho Press, your LGBT Christian Publishing House As a member of this list-serve, really recommend this book:
"Come Home! Reclaiming Spirituality and Community as Gay Men and Lesbians," second edition, by Chris Glaser. First published in 1990 by HarperCollins, the second
edition was published in 1998 by Chi Rho Press with the addition of five new chapters to the original 20.

"Come Home!" is perhaps Chris Glaser's best book. It is divided into five sections, each with five chapters. The five sections are entitled, "Welcoming God's Acceptance," "Receiving Our Inheritance," "Discerning Our Call," "Making Our Witness," and "Declaring Our Vision."

Bishop John Shelby Spong called "Come Home!" "powerful, sensitive, and provocative. . . . Glaser stands inside his own humanity as a gay male and hears the word of God through the Bible. Christians, gay and straight, need this book if we are to be the body of Christ."

This is a brilliant and important book by perhaps the best-known Gay Christian writer in the U.S. today.

The Rev. Carter Heyward called "Come Home!" "an enthusiastic compelling testimony to the power of faith in the lives of many gay and lesbian Christians."

Virginia Ramey Mollenkott said, "If courage, honesty, and insight are beautiful, then this is one beautiful book. . . . I rejoice that in this book all the gay men and lesbian women who have been robbed of their spirituality are issued an urgent invitation: Come home!"

"Come Home!" by Chris Glaser offers a vision of faith, hope, and affirmation inviting gay men and lesbians to come home to their spirituality through Christian faith and community. Order your copy today!

"Come Home!" is available for $19.95 each, $14.95 each for six or more copies, plus shipping and handling. See it on the Web site at this link:
http://www.chirhopress.com/products/product_details/BookRevComeHome.html

Regional Elder Schedule

September 4 - 5 Labor Day Holiday 6 - 8 Office 11 - 15 Office 18 - 22 Office 25 - 26 Office 27 Travel Day 28 MCC Winston-Salem 29 Travel Day 30 MCC Charlotte

PLEASE NOTE an email change:  Effective immediately, please use revarleneackerman@mccchurch.net or arleneackerman@mccchurch.net for correspondence with Elder Ackerman.  Shortly she will no longer be using the AOL account for business regarding Region 3.  Thank you.

The Administrative Assistant, Jennifer Glass is normally in the office from 9:30 - 2:30 Tues, Weds, & Thursdays.

August      
            19 – 20                      Open Arms MCC - 25th Anniversary
             21                              Travel Day
             22 – 28                      Board of Elders Meetings- Ft. Lauderdale, FL
             29                              Travel Day
             30 - 31                       Office

Nov. 2 - 5           MCC Region 3 & 5 Conference in Pittsburgh, PA (Monroeville)
                    http://www.mccconferences.org/regionalconferences/pittsburgh.html

Rev. Elder Arlene J. Ackerman
UFMCC Regional Elder
Region 3

PO Box 276
Landisville, PA 17538

Phone: 717 898-3713
Fax: 717 898-3714

E-mail: arleneackerman@MCCchurch.org

Newsletter Archive

MCC HEADQUARTERS HAS A NEW MAILING ADDRESS!
       MCC Headquarters
       P. O. Box 691728
       West Hollywood, CA 90069
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.