|
Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church Rochester, New York
|
|
Highlights from the November 2006 edition's: November 7, 2006 ============================================================== Pastor's Reflection: I began my day by voting just after 7am; Paul did, too. I hope you exercised your citizen's right to vote. It IS important to participate in the democratic process. When we don't vote, we don't have much credibility when we complain that things don't go the way we want. I am still on a high from Regional Conference in Pittsburgh. On Sunday, some of those who attended will give you some of their memories and perceptions of conference. It's amazing that there were 15 of us from Open Arms there - loudly there! The planners of the joint Region 3 and Region 5 conference planned for 200 people, hoped for 300 people and got 430 people. The room we had for worship was filled! The director of music from MCCDC in Washington was leading music. The mass choir filled the stage. The individual singing talent was incredible. More than a few faces had tears running down. On Friday morning, I preached at worship. Fortunately, they had a headset mike for me so I didn't have to stand behind the podium. It was such an honor to be asked to preach for conference! As you know, I worried and worried and worried about it,but when it was time to get up and do it, I looked out and saw a whole row of Open Arms people and knew that it was just like preaching at home, only with more people and immediately relaxed and gave a sermon that was well-received. The theme of the conference was 'hope' and I strived for that in my sermon, drawing from our experience at Open Arms. If we can do it, so can any church willing to be open to the inestimable power of the holy Spirit. I told them, as I tell us, "we can't even dream big enough for the power of God." Many pastors had to leave on Saturday to conduct worship in their home churches on Sunday. That saddened me. Not for one moment did I have to worry about Sunday worship. We have good organizers, good preachers, good music. Our church can have quality worship under any circumstances. God has blessed us. I am so grateful to Terry and Renee and Steve for being here while so many of us were away. Conference is a renewing event. We mix with our peers from all over. We learn new things, get new ideas to bring home with us. Our next conference is next July in Scottsdale, AZ, and is a world conference. If you can possibly go, you won't regret it. Know that Open Arms MCC is known in the denomination as a church that has been taken on a whirlwind journey by God and is also known as a church in which the Spirit reigns. Once we signified our willingness to follow, we began this journey to God-knows-where. We say, "Yes, God!" Love, Rev. Jim ============================================================= Deacon's Corner: Yo God, Deacon Debbie ========================================================== Thanksgiving Food Baskets If you haven't yet brought items for the Thanksgiving Baskets, please do so. We will continue our annual practice of bringing food items for several weeks, leading up to November 19, when some of us stay after church to prepare boxes that contain all the preparations necessary for a hearty Thanksgiving Dinner. We deliver these boxes to AIDS Rochester for their clients and families in need. Each week, we will collect the items DURING worship service. Here's the schedule: October 29: large jars or cans of gravy, cans of vegetables, cans of cranberry sauce November 5: large cans of sweet potatoes, large bottle of juice or 2-liter bottles of soda, large cans of fruit November 12: boxes of jello, large bags or boxes of stuffing, one complete dessert (cake mix AND icing, pie crust AND filling, brownie mix November 19: 12-18 pound frozen turkeys, turkey-sized roasting pans, 5 or 10 pound bags of potatoes Please participate in this food drive. It's fun and serves a really good purpose. ========================================================
Announcements: 10 people attended Membership Class on October 29. We are trying to update our birthday list. If you recently started attending, please email your birthday to Paul, or tell him Marriage Ambassador Training will take place on November 18 from 9-4. There is no cost and a continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Space is limited so reserve your place ASAP. There is a sign up sheet in the fellowship hall. or call Anne and Bess or Donna and Sherri . Clothing Ministry meets the 3rd Thursday of each month at Asbury First United Methodist Church on East Ave. See Deacon Debbie for details. ============================================================= Prayer Requests: That Tuesday's elections will improve conditions in our country and elsewhere. For the Gay Pride participants marching in the parade scheduled for this Friday in Jerusalem. They are literally putting their lives on the line – please pray for their safety and protect them from the violence that will be directed towards them. November 15, 2006 ============================================================ Marriage Ambassador Training is on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 9-4 at church. ============================================================ Thanksgiving Food Drive On Saturday November 18th we will gather at 1 PM to begin wrapping and assembling our baskets. Join us downstairs in the back room to help. Please note: there is another event at church that day so please come in through the front door and be quiet and respectful as you walk through the fellowship area. THANKS!
After church on November 19th we'll take inventory and send shoppers out to buy whatever items we still need. Would you like to be a shopper? Talk to Deacon Terry and Bonnie R for your shopping list!
On Monday November 20th we need cars and drivers to transport the baskets to AIDS Rochester which is on University Avenue. If you are free that morning at 11 AM, please let Deacon Terry know and come for the rewarding experience of delivering the finished baskets! ================================================ Artsy-Fartsy Film Group
The Artsy-Fartsy Film group will meet at the Little Theater at 12:30 to see the film Keeping Mum. ===========================================================
Deacon's Corner:
Yo God,
Deacon Debbie ==============================================================
Pastor's Reflection:
It's 5:30 in the morning. I'm tired. For some reason November is one of my busiest months of the year with a lot of late nights. Yesterday I had a very long funeral for a 47 year old who died of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). His wife and children where phenomenal people. His brothers and sisters and extended family and 300 other people rallied around. It was the first time I had ever seen a standing room only funeral. The family was mostly Catholic except for one brother who is a very conservative pastor planting a church in Canada. Before he died, the man made it clear that he did not want that brother preaching his service; he just wanted him to speak as his brother. When it was time for that brother to speak, he walked up and unzipped his bible and started on a "sermon" that had little to do with his brother. He had such a strong agenda to preach Jesus and sin and salvation that he completely overlooked and disregarded the needs of the family at that time. You know that when 300 people come to a weekday morning funeral, the person who died must have been exceptional! As I watched the look of distress on the man's parent's faces and the looks of anger on the faces of the sisters and brothers, I really saw how preaching religion can be far from uplifting and can be divisive. For the first time in my life, I walked up to a pastor who was preaching, took him by the elbow and said "wrap it up, pastor; there are more speakers" and stood with my hand on his shoulder while he angrily finished." The mother silently mouthed to me "thank you." I was so glad to be part of a church that approaches faith and scripture so differently. We don't ever use the bible to beat people over the head! We don't ever overlook the pain in people's faces to forward an agenda! God be praised. We try to meet people where they are at when they come; we welcome them with our open arms and joyful faces; we almost overwhelm them with the delighted handshakes and hugs of our community greeting. Faith is to uplift and not to beat down. Praise God for that!
Last night, Pete invited me to speak to a men's group at the GAGV. What a great group of guys interested in the history of MCC and spirituality! What good questions and discussions! What an impassioned plug for Open Arms Chris gave. Life is good.
And tonight is a furtherance of the small miracle that we've experience for the last year and a half. You may remember that I was invited to speak to a class at Roberts Wesleyan. Tell me that's not one of God's interventions. And in spite of objections to the school by some, the school supported the professor and I was invited back a second semester. Tonight I will go back for the third time. Each time, it becomes a little less controversial. We have the opportunity, because of a straight ally, to put a face to being gay - and each time more students from conservative backgrounds get to see a religious figure who is openly gay telling our side of the story and they get to ask questions and they are less frightened by us because they see we are not the bogeymen they have been told we are. They get to hear how much we love God and try to live moral lives. They get to see that we are not so different from them. They get to see that we do not have equal rights. Life is good. Life is God.
Love, Rev. Jim ===========================================================
Announcements:
Marriage Ambassador Training will take place on November 18 from 9-4. See Anne and Bess or Donna and Sherri .
We are behind in food collection for the Thanksgiving Baskets. Please step up to the plate on this. On November 19, please bring 12-18lb turkeys or turkey certificates & turkey sized roasting pans. We also need 5 or 10lb bags of potatoes.
Clothing Ministry meets the 3rd Thursday of each month. The next meeting date will be this Thursday, November 16. See Deacon Debbie for details.
Jim S will be directing “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)” by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield at Monroe Community College Theatre (Bldg. 4), 1000 E. Henrietta, Brighton. Days & times are Fri. 11/17 at 7:30; Sat. 11/18 at 7:30 and Sun. 11/19 at 2pm.
Pastoral Leadership Meeting (formerly Deacon's Council) will meet Sunday, Nov. 19, after church.
Square Dancing: Tom O has started a Monday evening square dance class. It meets on Mondays at church at 7:30. If you are interested or want more information, please contact Tom
The next Artsy Fartsy film will be a matinee of Keeping Mum on Sat. 11/18. Details are available at www.little-theatre.com. We will meet at 12:30.
At Annual Congregational Meeting on December 3, we will vote for Board positions. We have two positions and two candidates: John W and Rebecca G. If you would like to run for the Board, please let Rev. Jim know ASAP.
Pete F is inviting any men who have no plans for Thanksgiving to come to his house for Thanksgiving dinner. Call Pete for info and to RSVP:
Dec. 3
Congregational meeting
==========================================================
For Sherry I and her family, as their mother, Arlene, has cancer of the epiglottis.
For Karen and Patsy as Karen has eye surgery this Friday.
For Kerry as she struggles with job issues.
For Mary B as she recovers from breast cancer surgery
For those who struggle with relationship issues.
For all our military personnel who are trying to make this world a better place in which to live.
November 22, 2006 ==================================================== HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Thanks to your generosity, we were able to assemble 28 complete baskets containing items for a complete Thanksgiving dinner, including turkeys. One basket went to a family Lu has been working with and 27 went to AIDS Rochester for distribution to their families. When they came to pick up the baskets, they didn't have room in their cars for all of them so Terry K pitched in and transported several. Please thank Terry K, Bonnie R and crew for their hard work. Without YOU, this ministry would not be possible. ======================================================= Lights of Love! This holiday season, we invite you to honor your loved ones in a new way. Dedicate a light on our beautiful Sanctuary Christmas Tree to the honor or memory of someone special to you, living or dead. Add a personal message of remembrance for us to record with each name in the Lights of Love Book of Honor. A card of acknowledgement will also be sent. Each glowing light reflects your gift of $5.00 per name to support the music ministries of Open Arms Church. The tree lighting ceremony will be held Sunday December 10 during service. Afterwards you are invited to join us for a Christmas luncheon. Contact Ric H or Anne T for more information. Forms are available in the entry foyer. Dedications can be accepted for the next several weeks. =================================================== Annual Stewardship Drive If you have not yet made your stewardship pledge for the 2007 budget year, please do so immediately. =================================================== Deacon's Corner: Yo God, Deacon Debbie ======================================================================= Pastor's Reflection: God knows there's enough to be sour about in this world: work situations, local violence, world violence, poverty, oppression, natural disasters, and so on and so on and so on. These things are more than enough to put me in a foul mood when I think of them. By the time I get to my office, I could have a black cloud hanging over my head, and if the roads are slippery, my attitudes towards other drivers is not exactly full of Christian love. When I listen to conversations around me, I often hear discontent, complaints, negativity. Negativity everywhere. But it's not easier to be negative than to be positive; in fact, it's harder. There's an old email that makes its way around the internet every few years about the number of muscles it takes to frown as opposed to the number it takes to smile. I guess I just used all these words to say that there's a lot of negativity around us and that it's easy to get infected by it; and once infected, to spread it. Just like the character Pigpen in Charlie Brown, it's easy to travel with a cloud of dirt around us. People new in recovery (and not so new) are encouraged to have an "attitude of gratitude". It's hard to be negative when we recognize how much we have to be thankful for. God, in whom we live and move and have our very being, has created a world of utter beauty around us and for us. How can we look at the magnificence of the lake or gently rolling hills or the myriad birds and trees and bushes around us without lifting our hearts to God in praise? How can we look at the people whom God has put into our lives without bursting with joy!?! How can we see our partners, spouses, friends, without seeing the beauty of God within them? And yet we can overlook all the above-mentioned blessings and all the others in our lives. We can find fault with those in our lives; we can list their weaknesses and overlook their strengths; we can find their flaws and neglect to see their beauty; we can list their faults and forget what drew us to them in the first place. The Psalmist tells us "the earth is the Lord's and all that is on the earth!" Our lives are the gift of God. Our task is to grow into all the magnificence that God wants for us and to become the most fully human person we can become. As we wake on Thanksgiving morning, let our first thought be a word of thanks that we woke upto a new day full of promse and then a word of thanks for having a day off and then a word of thanks that God has put such wonderful people in our lives. Let us so fill ourselves with thanksgiving that there's no room for one ounce of negativity. Let's develop that attitude of gratitude that makes the world a better place for having us in it. Rev. Jim =============================================================== Prayer requests: For rapid healing for Deacon Karen after her eye surgery For Rev. Kaye Fox as she prepares for cancer surgery on December 8 For Woody's friend, Shafer, whose father died, and for the whole family For rapid healing for Mary B who had breast cancer surgery For the MCC church plant in Binghamton and for Rev. Miller and Corinne as they nurture the church For our denominational leaders that they listen for the voice of God outside their comfort zones For LGBT Catholics whose bishops have issued regrettable guidelines for ministry to LGBT people For those who are traveling for Thanksgiving For those who are lonely on Thanksgiving For a spirit of Gratitude For peace ======================================================================== Upcoming Events Square Dancing: Tom Ophardt has started a Monday evening square dance class. It meets on Mondays at church at 7:30. If you are interested or want more information, please contact Tom
At Annual Congregational Meeting on December 3, we will vote for Board positions. We have two positions and two candidates: John W and Rebecca G. If you would like to run for the Board, please let Rev. Jim know ASAP.
Pete F is inviting any men who have no plans for Thanksgiving to come to his house for Thanksgiving dinner. Call Pete for info and to RSVP:
Dec. 3 Congregational meeting
December 24 11am Regular Sunday worship
December 24 8pm A Christmas Service of Lessons and Carols
Gay History Fair Committee Help Needed. Open Arms Gay History Fair is being planned for Saturday 1/27/07. This day long event is being offered to the public so we need all kinds of talent and help to make it impressive. There is a sign up sheet in the basement or talk to Bess W or Anne T. ==========================================
=========================================================== Annual Congregational Meeting is this Sunday from 1-2:30 =========================================================== Stewardship If you haven't yet submitted your pledge form, please do so as soon as possible. ============================================================ Deacon's Corner: Yo God, Deacon Debbie ================================================================ Pastor's Reflection: As time goes by, I am more and more glad to be a member of Metropolitan Community Churches. I watch other denominations struggle with homosexuality. And I watch institutionalized homophobia continue. It was heartbreaking to read the document from the National Council of Catholic Bishops on ministry to LGBT Catholics. Once again, hypocrisy wins out. Once again they tell us that our relationships are "disordered." Once again they tell gay and lesbian Catholics that to be right with the church, they have to live celibate lives without intimate relationships. They also insist on those celibate lives for priests, thus insuring that abuse will continue by forcing an unnatural state on human beings who need intimacy. In her sermon
at her installation at the National Cathedral last year, our Moderator, Rev.
We are not a church nor a denomination where people at the top make edicts that effect everyone. Delegates from the churches, clergy and lay delegates, have a democratic vote. At the local level, major church decisions such as the call of a pastor, the annual budget, election of board members, election of lay delegates are made by the congregation. Sunday, we will gather for our Annual Congregational meeting. We will elect two board members for the two open positions. This year we only have two candidates: John W and Rebecca G. We will also vote on the 2007 budget. It is a substantially higher budget reflecting increased costs of owning a building and growth as a congregation. We will receive reports. I love belonging to a denomination and a church that is congregational in structure. I love that we make all major decisions together. I love that we have able leadership from among ourselves to guide us from day to day. I love that we belong to a denomination that stands for social justice and is not afraid to look outside and inside for the pursuit of that justice - all under the guidance of the Spirit of God. Rev. Jim ============================================================ Announcements: Hope For All The Children: 6th ANNUAL WORLD AIDS DAY
BENEFIT CONCERT World AIDS Day Observance, Sunday, December 3 at 7pm at 3rd Presbyterian (Meigs at East Ave.) Our Open Arms AIDS committee is involved in this observance. Saturday, December 2, Ray and Lonnie will lead our first Creation Hike. 7 miles/3.5 hours. Meet at 10 at Maplewood Gardens parking lot. Please let Ray know if you're coming: Saturday December 9, 4:00pm Social Justice Souper Supper: “Freedom To Marry” is the film we’ll be watching and discussing as we eat. Lights of Love: Kindly submit your dedications as soon as possible. This is a wonderful way to send a message of love and appreciation to friends, family and co-workers. And don’t forget your spouse. Send a message celebrating your good years together. Remember a special moment of fun or let someone know how important they are to you. Honor someone gone from your life but not forgotten. Flyers can be found in the entrance foyer of the Church and can be returned by mail or dropped in the offering basket. The Gay History Fair Committee is looking for volunteers – sign up in the fellowship hall or speak to Bess or Anne. Choir rehearsal is held every Tuesday at 7pm. If you are interested in raising your voice, come and sing the good news. Christmas Services Christmas Day Pot Luck: David E sent this email: "I am planning a Christmas Day Pot Luck at my house for anyone who is without family and would like to be with their Open Arms Family on that day. In addition to asking each person to bring a dish to pass, each person is asked to bring a gag gift and after dinner there will be a drawing for the gifts. Plan to arrive sometime after 1 with the meal to be around 2 . After dinner, there will be tables set up for cards or other games. Also there is a TV in the den for anyone who would like to watch movies (I also have all the main fair Christmas movies). This is meant to be a relaxing day -- a family Christmas. The food will remain out for nibblers. People are welcome to stay as long as they wish (however, I do go to bed around midnight). Thanks, David" To contact David: Square Dance Lessons are on Mondays: contact Tom O for information: tophardt@mac.com Go to www.crosswalkamerica.org and look for information on a new "Christian" video game. You may want to sign the petition. =================================================================== Prayer requests: For those who are in need this holiday season For our troops who are away from their families For those who will travel
Until next time, let us pray for one another (oremus pro invicem)
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> This page Last updated on: October, 2006 By: Martha K. |
