CHURCHES DOING MINISTRY
On 5 September New Light MCC (Hagerstown, Maryland) will host an afternoon Pet Blessing service in conjunction with a Barbeque at a member’s home.
Healing Spirit MCC (Rochester, Minnesota) is participating in a Habitat for Humanity build. They worked several days in July and will be back on the site next month and in November, too. They share their shifts with the Hindu community and a Catholic church.
Open Arms MCC (Rochester, New York) will have workshops next month on Discovering Your Own Personal Mission Statement and on Discovering Your Own Personal Vision Statement.
Life is a Feast … Help Yourself! is the theme of the spiritual retreat for MCC NOVA (Fairfax, Virginia) 10-12 September.
This is Pride Month for many of our European churches. Earlier this month MCC Hamburg (Germany), Brightwaves MCC (Brighton, England), Markens Liljer MCC (Copenhagen, Denmark), and MCC Bristol (England) participated in the Pride activities in their cities. This weekend MCC Manchester (England) and River of Life MCC (Dorchester, England) will do likewise.
New Life MCC of Hampton Roads (Virginia) gathers on the beach every Sunday evening for a time of meditation, reflection, and sharing.
First MCC of Wichita (Kansas) received a $15,000 (USD) grant from the Cargill Corporation for their Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry. It was presented to Kim Roseberry and Rueben Jarrett, co-directors of the ministry. The grant will fund non-food items, such as health and grooming products for the 400 clients they serve each week.
The Pride Group from J.P. Morgan will join with MCC Bournemouth (England) for a work day on 4 September.
MCC Tampa (Florida) is celebrating their 39th Anniversary this weekend. On Saturday Rev. Phyllis Hunt and Vilia will host a brunch at their home. Then on Sunday evening Ray Boltz and Azariah Southworth will be featured in a concert.
The children and youth of MCC of Topeka (Kansas) raised $554 (USD) at their art auction to benefit the church’s general fund.
MCC Winston-Salem (North Carolina) is hosting a Second Chance Prom on Saturday evening at Club Odyssey. There will be music, a silent auction, appetizers, entertainment, and, of course, dancing.
August on Broadway was the theme at Open Door MCC (Boyds, Maryland). Each Sunday’s service and music was based on a Broadway musical, including My Fair Lady, Holly Dolly, The King and I, and The Sound of Music.
This weekend MCC Newcastle upon Tyne (England) will be only one of several MCCs attending Greenbelt, a truly inclusive Christian festival. Over 21,000 campers will enjoy visual and performing arts, music, discussions, comedy, spirituality, and presentations in Cheltenham.
aChurch4Me? MCC (Chicago, Illinois) has joined the Lakeview Action Coalition to address such issues as affordable housing, access to health care, environmental stewardship, and harassment of transgender persons by the police.
MCC of the Chesapeake (Annapolis, Maryland) will host a Creation Spirituality Retreat on 11 September at Cove Point. They will play, celebrate, walk the four paths, and explore their inner artists, prophets, and mystics. And, of course, they will eat!
On their Spiritual and Personal Enrichment Thursdays, King of Peace MCC (St. Petersburg, Florida) offers such series as self defense, beginning sketching, Jesus and the Kingdom, writing down your soul, and learning to cook exotic quick breads.
Next month MCC/ICM Los Angeles (California) will begin as many as 13 home groups, with two being Spanish language groups. The theme will be Building Faith and Growing Friendships.
Living Springs MCC (Bath, England) has a most unique item to raffle … a luncheon for four in the Mayor’s Parlour at the Guildhall, which has just been refurbished, something that happens only once every 25 years.
New Covenant MCC (Laurel, Maryland) is offering semi-monthly Revive services, which involve praise and worship music, candlelight prayer in the Taizé style, guided and individual meditation, anointing, personal prayer, Lectio Divina, and artistic expression. The service is guided by projected words and images instead of by paper bulletins.
At MCC Key West (Florida) they are stretching and learning relaxation techniques with semi-weekly yoga classes.
MCC Albuquerque (New Mexico) is planning a Homecoming Sunday for 12 September complete with a potluck dinner.
On each Sunday this month congregants at Resurrection MCC (Houston, Texas) were given the opportunity to go to lunch with Board members to enjoy a meal, discuss the sermon series and meet new friends.
Several members of SunCoast Cathedral MCC (Venice, Florida) have been actively involved in working with Equality Florida to get a Human Rights Ordinance, including sexual orientation and gender identity, passed in their city.
An End of the Summer Ice Cream Social is planned for Saturday night at Pikes Peak MCC (Colorado Springs, Colorado). They will enjoy watermelon, ice cream, and fun activities.
The Rising Action Theatre, which produces plays, musicals, and one-person shows for the LGBT community, is moving to
Sunshine Cathedral MCC (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida). Beginning with their September production, they will perform in the Robert Graham/Paul Fasana Chapel & Little Theatre.
Congratulations to MCC Austin at Freedom Oaks (Texas) on their capital campaign, Being Church ~ Building Community. They raised $1,052,016 (USD) in pledges and one-time gifts, so now they are in the process of borrowing an additional $500,000 and soliciting bids from contractors in order to launch the first phase of their building plan which will include a sanctuary, gathering space, nursery, classrooms, offices, and parking spaces.
LifeJourney MCC (Indianapolis, Indiana) hosted the worship service during Indiana Black Pride. Rev. Candy Holmes was the guest preacher, music was provided by their Gospel Choir, and the service was followed by a soul food potluck.
MCC of the Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Pennsylvania) hosted the Kidspace Tent during Pride earlier this month. They provided fun activities and the opportunity for the children to celebrate diverse families.
The Dynamic Dolphins at MCC Richmond (Virginia) help the church attract first-time guests by improving the ways people see their building, signs to direct them once they are inside, their website, social networking, partnerships with community organizations and much more.
The folks who are part of Vision of Hope MCC in Mountville, Reading, and York, Pennsylvania, all gathered together for a worship service and picnic in the park.
RAIN GARDEN
ries of classes and experiences to help participants discern where they are spiritually and understand where they would like to be. Each person will be equipped to create his/her own Rule of Life… a planned rhythm for living in which people are gradually transformed into Christlikeness. 