I know it’s early for a newsletter, I may even get two out this month! But I wanted to ensure that you had the details for Tim’s service, an opportunity to attend the Network Gathering worship and workshops via ZOOM this weekend, and the opportunity for the poetry you write to be a part of the Unheard Poetry project.
Please continue to lift Will and his family in prayer. Please lift Keith, who is very unwell; Simon’s partner Joseph; Nigel, Wendy, Robert, Dameon, and all who are unwell, living with chronic pain, or affected by the pandemic.
This week will be the 26th week we have streamed pour Sunday worship service. That’s a full six months. There are days when it feels like a new (unwanted) normal. Then there are days when I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and just pray that it’s not an oncoming train! Hopefully, we will be looking at worshipping together again late October, although it’s contingent on the virus path and how safe we can make a space. I will keep you in the loop.
Please continue to also pray for your deacons, board, and church officers. This isn’t easy for anyone and there is some amazing work being done behind the scenes.
Be safe out there. You continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.
Love and blessings
Rev. Michael.
Take part in this weekend’s Network Gathering VIRTUALLY!
Dear friends!
Soon the European Network Gathering in Stuttgart/Germany will start. Unfortunately, due to Corona, only a few can travel to Stuttgart. That is really sad. But we plan to be live in the Internet with two of the three services and all three workshops on “St. Francis of Assis and MCC”. There will be two possibilities to be directely with us in Stuttgart
Via Zoom (with chat): https://zoom.us/j/91444914067?pwd=STI0Q2hzYU1GY3lZelVuT0J3Y0dYdz09
Via youtube (without chat): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvbwHY09ZmYB19LToQrEPRQ
(watch out for “livestreams“)
Those links are working for all 5 events. The streaming will start about 15 minutes before the actual start so that we can get the technic up and running.
The dates are
Opening service: Friday, 4. September 2020
at 19.30 MESZ (Stuttgart) and 18.30 BST (London) and 20.30 OESZ (Helsinki)
St. Francis I: Daring to live in Faith. Saturday, 5. September 2020
at 9.00 to 10.30 MESZ (Stuttgart) and 8.00 to 9.30 BST (London) and 10.00 to 11.30 OESZ (Helsinki)
St. Francis II: Living with conflict and still building a Sacred space for all. Saturday, 5. September 2020 at 14.00 to 15.30 MESZ (Stuttgart) and 13.00 to 14.30 BST (London) and 15.00 to 16.30 OESZ (Helsinki)
St. Francis III: MCC and St. Francis. Sunday, 6. September 2020
At 9.00 to 10.00 MESZ (Stuttgart) and 8.00 to 9.00 BST (London) and 10.00 to 11.00 OESZ (Helsinki)
Closing Service: Sunday, 6. September 2020
At 10.30 MESZ (Stuttgart) and 9.30 BST (London) and 11.30 OESZ (Helsinki)
We look forward to welcoming you to those events!
Blessings
Axel, Jochen, and Sören
Members of the MCC Europe Network Team
Wednesday evening Study group.
DREAM, THINK, BE, DO,
…is a 20-week video-based study from the Living with the questions course. The course is expensive (and rightly so, it’s very well crafted), but during the pandemic, they are very generously offering it free of charge. Each week there is a 20-minute video (which has a good audio track for those of us who may be visually impaired) that will be a part of our Zoom conference call. There are intermittent breaks for conversation. The Zoom room will be open from 7pm – so if you’d like to check-in and chat beforehand it’d be lovely to catch up. The study itself will run from 7:30pm to 8:30pm.
If you would like to participate then just use the usual Zoom sign in and password. If you would like to explore the subjects in greater depth then there is a resource sheet to go with each week that has additional readings and study suggestions.
You can see the promo video HERE
You can download the accompanying resources HERE ( – just scroll down the page and click on Downloadable Discussion Questions.)
Whether you phone in, or use ZOOM on your device, I think you’ll find it a refreshing change and a wonderful insight into the work of some of the world’s most progressive Christian teachers.
See you there!
Rev. Michael.
Tim Steele – funeral service
Wednesday 9th September 4:30pm Woodvale South Chapel.
As Will mourns, we mourn with him – lifting him and his family in prayer. If you would like to support Will by attending the streamed service online then the details are below.
The funeral for Tim Steele (28) will be held on Wednesday 9 September 2020 at 16.30 BST. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, only 30 mourners are permitted in the Chapel. However, the service will be streamed on www.obitus.com -Username Kilu9394 password 789126
Should you wish to make a donation in lieu of flowers, please choose a mental health charity you feel appropriate. Thank you.
Over the weeks you will have noticed special music in our Sunday service. Offerings of music continue to come in and I’m so grateful for everyone who is contributing. If you’d like to have something considered for inclusion please email me and let me know! Pastor@thevillagemcc.org. Thank you.
Worship with us on facebook HERE
AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP YOUR CHURCH REACH
OUT THEN PLEASE SHARE THE SUNDAY SERVICE ON FACEBOOK!
Keeping up to date with MCC Internationally
Do you receive emails from the MCC denomination? There are updates on the way churches around the world are meeting this crisis, along with prayers, support, and much much more. If you would like check out what newsletters are available then please email:communications@mccchurch.net
A Book you may find interesting:
Hello, My name is Susanna, and I’m a lesbian Christian. It took me over 10 years to reconcile my sexuality with my evangelical faith, but now I’m happily married to a wonderful woman. I also just completed a Master of Divinity degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary near Chicago (I moved from the UK to study). In my early twenties, I’d never have imagined I could follow a calling to Christian ministry AND find love. Truth be told, I never imagined I would ever be truly happy.
It’s been a long journey of personal acceptance. I’m excited to share with you, however, that I’ve used this experience to write a novel that features the intersection of religion and sexuality. Love the Sinner is a book that aims to share the unconditional and inclusive love of God. It redeems the conservative Christian cliché alluded to in the title, with a fictitious narrative that is LGBTQIA affirming (see plot description below).
Love the Sinner is available now at www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08FBHRSYQ
I wanted to make you aware of this remarkable resource for all Christians, especially those who are LGBTQIA. Using story – rather than a non-fiction genre – makes it unique in the fields of queer theology, Biblical interpretation, and pastoral care. In addition to introducing you to Love the Sinner, I wondered if you could help spread the word. Perhaps you could inform people on your mailing list about Love the Sinner, share the link with your followers on social media, or even write a review. If there is any way you can assist me in getting this book to folk who will be encouraged by it, I would be extremely grateful.
I believe that readers will find this debut novel both enjoyable and informative. Love the Sinner aims to combine a fun plot with the real experience of a young Christian girl who is discovering she doesn’t fit the heteronormative model that is expected of her. I hope that readers like my book, but more so, I hope that it touches minds, hearts, and spirits.
Thank you for taking the time to read about Love the Sinner.
Peace and Blessings,
Susanna Adlem
www.facebook.com/SusannaAdlemAuthor
www.twitter.com/SusannaAdlem
Description
Confused by same-sex attraction, is eternal damnation the price she must pay for love?
When Erica Talbot enrolled at one of England’s most established boarding schools, she didn’t expect to develop feelings for another girl. Priding herself on being a committed Christian, the sixteen-year-old faces homophobia in both herself and those she thought were her friends.
True to the classic school-story, Love the Sinner journeys with a naive young heroine as she and her pals get up to all kinds of mischief. Amongst midnight adventures, pillow fights, and taking on the school bullies, Erica saves the day. That said, this debut novel also gives the time-honoured genre a fresh approach. With a religious lens and LGBTQ perspective, Love the Sinner asks the question: is it really possible to be a gay Christian?
Note of caution: This book contains some scenes of a sexual nature and the occasional use of strong language that readers could find offensive. Love the Sinner is a useful resource for Christian teens, but parents, guardians, and youth workers may want to read it themselves before making it available to under 18-year-olds.
About the Author: Susanna Adlem, MDiv
Susanna is a Ph.D. student, full-time mum, and the author of Love the Sinner. She spent over 10 years reconciling her own sexuality with an evangelical faith, so her writing reflects this journey of acceptance. Susanna is passionate about sharing the unconditional love of God, the all-inclusive grace of Jesus Christ, and the compassionate guidance of the Holy Spirit. She has a Master of Divinity degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, where she is currently working towards a doctorate in Church history. Susanna grew up in the United Kingdom but now lives in Chicago with her wife and son.
❤ Pastoral Care ❤
Your pastoral Care team consists of the deacons, (Isla, Wendy, Charlie), and I. When the pandemic first broke we tried to reach out to everybody at least once a month. As time has gone on we have reduced our pastoral care calls to those who have either requested them or are at high risk. Of course, we don’t want to miss anybody out so if you would like to connect then please give me a call. All pastoral care is offered confidentially and information is only shared outside the team when we consider someone to be in imminent danger. Information is shared within the team on a need to know basis so that we can coordinate care. Much love – Rev. Michael.
Are you a secret Poet?
My name’s Sam and I’m a queer poet and mental health practitioner based in Brighton. During the recent pandemic, I became part of Unheard Poetry, a small but growing organisation with a simple belief: poetry is for everyone. Sadly, many people never have the confidence or the space to share their poetry. That is where we come in: we want to make poetry more accessible to all through translating it into multi-media formats and bringing poets, artists, and communities together. For example, this is a poem we produced in our first series:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p5eodtYaIo&t=1s
One of our aims is to champion underrepresented perspectives and currently, we are curating a series that focuses on LGBTQ+ voices. Given that Pride could not go ahead in its usual form this year, we have chosen the theme ‘Pride and Protest’ to keep its spirit going. We want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to engage with the project. This could be through submitting a poem, creating artwork in response to one, or audio-recording poems for us. All contributors have the option of being credited or remaining anonymous if they prefer. Sending solidarity and best wishes, Sam and Leo You can contact Sam at sam.p.oliver@gmail.com
A little note from Keith – The Village MCC treasurerGiving to The Village MCC
‘The Village MCC’ is self-financing, we do not receive any central funding. If you would like to support the work we do, there are a number of ways to do so.
Regular giving:
If you would like to set up a regular monthly Payment to The “Village’ Church, which is the best way for us to budget for our work, please email the treasurer at; thevillagemcc@outlook.com, you will then be sent the details of how to do this.
Single donation
If you wish to make a single donation You can send a direct payment from your bank account using the following details From the UK:• Lloyds Bank
• sort code 77-91-29
• account number 40361660
• account name The Village MCC
• Please use the reference ‘Collection’ • Please also email the Treasurer at thevillagemcc@outlook.com to let them know to expect a payment.
• There is also a donate button on the Church Website at thevillagemcc.org if bank transfer is not possible.
If you do not have access to the internet, you can still make a donation with your debit card. Please email the Treasurer at; thevillagemcc@outlook.com to arrange a phone call to make this payment.