BEWARE OF EMAIL SCAMS
Recently a number of MCC staff members, Elders and US MCC Clergy have been falsely represented. Email addresses are used that are very similar but are NOT the actual church, Pastor or staff email addresses. The false email address may even show up in your inbox with the name of the Pastor, staff member or church office. They tend to ask you to do a favor and to be discreet in purchasing gift cards for them. They ask you not to phone rather just reply by email because the Pastor/staff member is in an important meeting.
Please do NOT reply to these! Delete and label it as Spam. If you have any questions, take a close look at the email address and make sure it matches the official published email address. This is a scam rather than a hacked email. Inform your Pastor or Board.
CLERGY CEU’s: Every week in the CONNECT we list Resources for you to get your CEU’s at no cost or low cost. If you are not seeing the Resources section, your message may be truncated. Scroll to the bottom of your email and click on “View entire message” to see all of the CONNECT newsletter. Check for events this week, Looking Ahead, Noteworthy and Resources.
[CLEAR]MONDAY, September 21
INTERNATIONAL PEACE DAY!
Let us pray for peace. Let us act for peace. Let us live in peace.
Let us be at peace within and between.
Rainbow Praise Concert on September 21st
at 12pmPT / 3pmET / 8pmBST
for International Peace Day!
JOIN THE CONCERT HERE: www.facebook.com/rainbowpraise1
MCC Richmond’s Centering Community (Richmond, Virginia, USA)
Mondays @ 11pm GMT / 6pm EDT (UTC-4)
A time of shared meditation and mindfulness practice open to all. No previous experience necessary … come just as you are!
Zoom Meeting: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7891407100?pwd=Z0p1NGIrNnNHOGtWL1I3V0xMZDBQdz09.
Meeting ID: 789 140 7100 Password: 953527
TUESDAY, September 22
TEA TIME! – 9pm GMT / 5pm EDT
Join the Community Development Team for Tea 2nd & 4th Tuesday of the month!
https://zoom.us/j/248584328 Meeting ID: 248 584 328
“Give me that olde time religion” 7pm EDT / UTC 11pm (UTC-4)
A weekly Bible Study by MCC Toronto, Ontario, Canada. To join the ZOOM meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84458664477?pwd=MlU1OVdBZmVsS3lTMi8vTGhiRDNMdz09
Meeting ID: 844 5866 4477 Password: 939641
Two Spirits: A Story of Life With the Navajo
Tuesday, September 22 – 5pm Pacific / 6pm Mountain / 7pm Central / 8pm Eastern / midnight UTC
Sanctuary’s Zoom Room:
www.SanctuaryOnline.live
Toby Jonson is the acclaimed and award winning author of numerous books exploring the intersections of spirituality, sexuality, and mythology. Come, hear Ken Martin interview Toby about his life, his work, and his book! It is not necessary to read the book in order to join and hear the interview.
WEDNESDAY, September 23
MCC Toronto (Ontario, Canada)
invites you to a 15 minute time of reflection on Facebook Live each Wednesday at noon Eastern, UTC 4pm (UTC-04).
Rev. Jeff Rock and Rev. Deana Dudley share inspiring reflections, scriptures and prayers to support us through these difficult times.
MCC Toronto Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MCCToronto/
MCC of the Lehigh Valley (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA)
Teach It, Then Preach It
series with MCC Baltimore (Maryland, USA)
“Bread of Life: Spiritual Feeding Through the Parables.” The Bible Study on the parable will be on Wednesdays at 7pm EST (UTC-4),
then the sermon on the parable will be shared on the following Sunday during our Worship Encounter at 10am EST (UTC-4).
Both will be available on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mcc.baltimore
Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpc-6rpz8vH9fFKeW6DL4SpE8H58_G0zVC
Church Talks and TED Talks
7:30pm EDT / 6:30pm CDT / 11:30pm GMT
Join MCC of Greater St. Louis (Missouri, USA) as we listen to a TED Talk on one of today’s leading issues and discuss its relevancy to the Church.
On Zoom http://www.mccgsl.org/zoom
Meeting ID: 314-361-3221 Password: 664979
THURSDAY, September 24
Prayer with Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston
Join Moderator, Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston for prayer every Thursday at 9pm GMT, 5pm EDT
Bring your joys, concerns, laments, and celebrations to Rev. Cecilia and one another. Meet us on Cecilia’s Facebook page every Thursday at 9PM GMT (5PM EDT/ BST 10PM) @Cecilia.Eggleston.50
The Unveiling, a study of the Book of Revelation
Thursday evenings at 7:00PM EDT via Zoom starting September 10th. The study will be facilitated by Pastor Dexter Brecht and Terry White from Imago Dei MCC (USA) For more information and the links to join, please email [email protected]
BILINGUAL PRAISE SERVICE
7:00pm EDT (GMT-4)
https://zoom.us/j/827025531#success
MCC Richmond’s Bi+ Discussion Group
On Zoom every other Thursday @ 7pm EDT / 11pm GMT
To join Zoom meetings or for more information about upcoming events please email [email protected]
- We are a confidential support and discussion group.
- We are especially welcoming to those identifying as pansexual, omnisexual, polysexual, bicurious, attracted to more than one gender, or those who just don’t like labels.
- We care about providing time for free-talk and personal support, but also enjoy focused topic discussions.
FRIDAY, September 25
FRIDAY NOON YOUR TIME – PRAY for Pastors, Pastoral Leaders, Boards, Lay Leaders and all MCC Chaplains.
SATURDAY, September 26
SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT
Elder Nancy Maxwell will explore the spiritual practice of walking a
labyrinth, as well as take prayer requests to the Council. Walking a labyrinth is found in numerous religious traditions—Greek, Hindu and the Native American Hopi tribe. This practice gained popularity in Christian practice in 1200 CE, when a labyrinth was created in the floor of the Chartres Cathedral near Paris, France. As is comfortable, you can share your thoughts about, and experiences with walking a labyrinth in the comment section during the broadcast.
SUNDAY, September 27
Worship Time!
There are virtual Worship Services happening in MCC’s all around the world! You can browse Facebook for notices or live streams of many services. You are encouraged to visit an MCC worship service in another part of the world. Choose a time zone that does not conflict with your home church service. Even if it is in a language you don’t understand, we all can understand the essence of prayer, praise, preaching and communion.
This is not a traditional worship service, rather a simple time of prayer.
Here is the link to connect to the zoom room https://tinyurl.com/ShortandSimpleService
This gathering meets at 8pm New Zealand time which is 8am UTC (+12).
Here is a time zone converter to check the time in your area!
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html?iso=20200830T080000&p1=22&p2=1440&p3=tz_ct
Looking Ahead
The Disciple’s Role in Social Activism
The objective of this series is to explore and discuss the role of Christians in the fight against systemic racism and poverty. The four-week study will explore four broad categories of oppression against people of color and people who are poor. Both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian scriptures have prominent themes woven throughout that explicitly testify to God’s justice for the oppressed, the poor and foreigner.
The classes will be facilitated by Lisa Noriega, Lisa Engle and other MCC of the Lehigh Valley (USA) Action Team Members. All are welcome.
Mark your calendars for 10am EDT / 2pm GMT on October 4, 11, 18 & 25
via Zoom ID 851 1250 3116
“Chat and Chew: The Heart of LGBTQ+ People”
sponsored by MCC Baltimore (Maryland, USA). This is a series of monthly conversations with the community held on the first Sunday of the month via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/mcc.baltimore) . Our next Chat and Chew will be on Sunday, October 4th at 4pm GMT / 12pm EDT (UTC-4) featuring Rev. Debora Ruffin. The topic will be “Understanding Trauma and How It Effects Your Spirit.”
Lenny Duncan is the pastor of the Jubilee Collective and a nationally recognized writer, speaker, preacher, thinker, and agitator. The conference will focus on and include a reading from Pastor Duncan’s book Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US.
Registration is US $10. Deadline 4 Oct. 2020.
esr.earlham.edu/pastors-conference-2020
Q2021 – Jan 7-10,2021
The Q Christian Fellowship Conference is an annual gathering where hundreds of LGBTQ+ Christians and Allies: gather for worship, fellowship, workshops, and keynote speakers; make lifelong friendships or reunite with those friends; experience healing, transformation, and hope; witness the thrill of God’s love and affirmation through each other.
Anyone of any age is invited to participate!
Key note speakers include: Dr. Emilie M. Townes, Dr. Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, and Fr. Richard Rohr.
For more information, contact https://www.qcfconf.org/
Sanctuary Online
www.sanctuaryonline.live
Sept. 29 – Book Club Discussion: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
NOTEWORTHY
JOB POSTING
Metropolitan Community Church of Omaha
JOB POSTING
Suncoast MCC, Venice, Florida, USA – Office/Communications Manager
The church seeks a welcoming, friendly support staff employee who has the skills to interact with a diverse group of individuals and the ability to perform a wide range of technical, administrative, communications and office tasks for the pastor, staff, and church volunteers. The church is an open and affirming congregation that is welcoming to LGBT persons. Position is for 20 hours weekly. https://www.mccchurch.org/category/mcc-jobs/
RESOURCES
Conducting Congregational Meetings during COVID-19
Video Replay – https://youtu.be/adCcfIl4Dg0
ZOOM Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/92215813904
This MCC Webinar shaed guidance on options, planning and conducting Congregational Meetings during this time of COVID-19 when most of our churches are not meeting in-person. Here are two resources for you.
Workshop Series on Prophetic Preaching
Join Rev. Dr. DeWayne Davis and great activists/scholars/preachers like Karoline M. Lewis, Rebecca Voelkel, and Curtiss Paul DeYoung. Workshops will be held via Zoom from September – May on the fourth Thursday of the month at 3pm EDT (UTC-4)/ 7pm GMT
For more information and to register: https://www.justiceconnectionconsulting.com/
Northeastern Seminary Free Mini-Courses
Consider “Reading Luke in a Polarized World.” How can the church become a witness to truth and an agent of God’s transforming power in a polarized world?
https://www.nes.edu/calendar/mini-classes/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=93903551&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-82Mf-IIX_Rm0ax3Mf1tAJRKoQT6niMAISizR3Ure8-Ol90HEex4n6CUl47djtRNmFbNQO89X-UXcKgg7iOjPRhlnVqbA&utm_content=93903551&utm_source=hs_email
Yale Divinity School
Video and Small Group Bible Study Resources
https://yalebiblestudy.org/leading-a-yale-bible-study/
Free video resources and study outlines. Register to participate in online discussions.
Church Musicians
Check out: https://www.facebook.com/theresourcefulchurchmusician/
Boston University, School of Theology – Online Learning and Spirituality Groups
These online mini-courses and spiritual reflection groups will help you, the working faith professional, create concrete, effective tools and/or ground your spiritual capacity to anchor you through the winds of change.
http://www.bu.edu/sth/academics/lifelong-learning/?fbclid=IwAR1p3XPg86BOu1Js9S1LPIPsYg88XHeNrOha3bdQxhJmzT0pj6N4aC9u0VE
The [email protected] Diversity Toolkit: A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power and Privilege
Your Input Sought
COLLECTING ORIGINAL WORSHIP PIECES BY MCCers
We are looking for prayers, calls to worship, communion liturgies, litanies, etc. that are related to the theme of sharing Christmas Hope in a COVID World. Send your resources and ideas with permission to share them with MCC to [email protected]
GOT GOOD NEWS TO SHARE?
Send the information to [email protected]
DO YOU HAVE AN ONLINE EVENT THAT IS OPEN TO OTHERS?
Please give us at least 2 weeks advance notice of events and include all details on how to register and/or login. Send your event notices to [email protected]
OUR MAILING ADDRESS
Please share with your Treasurer and Clerk of the Board
2775 NW 49th Ave. Ste: 205-327
Ocala, FL 34482
USA