| FROM THE HEARTS OF THE COMMUNITY |
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"A few lines, written in the year 1987"
by Alice Mason
MCC NOVA
Love unbound,
Love released.
Joy around,
Joy increased.
God in their lives,
God in their eyes.
Spiritual Renewal
A Tribute to Delores Berry
Power in her voice,
Power in her body,
Power in her words,
Power in her faith,
Power in her wisdom.
Your power, all around her.
Pastor
She shines in the beauty of Your love.
She feels the pain of Your people.
She speaks the wisdom of Your words.
She lays her hands on Your children,
And helps them find Your peace.
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NEWS & EVENTS |
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SPIRITUAL FORMATION SERIES
May 14, 21, and 28 7:00 pm
"The Challenge and Power of Forgiveness"
An opportunity for education, discussion and reflection.
Join us for three evenings of focused reflection about forgiveness, one of the most important concepts and spiritual disciplines of Christianity and many other faith traditions. Take time for personal reflection, group discussion, and exposure to the experiences and insights of many others who have personally wrestled with this topic on individual, communal, and global levels. CLICK HERE for more information.
DiMENSions MEN'S BIBLE STUDY
Wednesday, May 14, 7:30 pm
"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.
Matthew 18:20
At 7:30 pm on Wednesday, May 14, Kyle White will moderate DiMENSions at 6133 Willston Drive, Unit #1, Falls Church 22044. Over dinner together, our men's Bible study group provides 90 minutes of fellowship with Our Savior and with each other. Please join us as we share our experiences and grow along our spiritual paths with the Lord, regardless of your church affiliation or beliefs. For further information or travel assistance, contact Kyle White at 703.200.9503 or KyleChas@aol.com.
CHILDREN'S MNISTRY COOKOUT
Sunday, May 18
On Sunday 18 May, following church the children's ministry will be having a cookout and outing at nearby Burke Lake Park. For those not familiar with Burke Lake off of Route 123, the park has a walking path, boats, train ride, carousel, ice cream stand, miniature golf, fishing pier and a Frisbee golf course. Please bring a dish to share; hamburgers and hot dogs will be provided. Come and enjoy the spring weather and the fun company and games.
SUNDAY FOOD DELIVERY FOR THE HOMELESS
Fairfax County has 2000 homeless people. The Fairfax Area Christian Emergency & Transitional Services (FACETS) runs a food delivery program for the homeless.
MCC NOVA is trying to organize a monthly or bi-monthly Sunday food delivery. We need people who can shop for food, prepare meals, and/or deliver meals. A team of 6 can prepare the requested 120 meals in 2 hours (plus clean-up). A team of 2 can deliver the food in an hour and a half. Whether you have one hour or one hundred, you can help. Contact Pat Monahan (pmmonahan@cox.net) or Judith Raleigh (judkat@aol.com).
NURSING HOME MINISTRY NEWS
Please note that the nursing home visit scheduled for Sunday, May 9 will not take place due to scheduling conflicts. For more information, please contact Grace Borell: 301-514-3772 or AgentGrace@mris.com.
WALK IN THE CAPITAL PRIDE PARADE WITH MCC! And get a t-shirt!
Saturday, June 14
Join us in downtown DC as we unite with seven other area MCC's to form a walking contingent in the 2008 Capital Pride Parade and ask the question "Would Jesus Discirminate?" Each walker will be wearing a T-Shirt asking this question. Our goal is to have more than 200 people walking as a group with Metropolitan Community Churches. If each of our congregations could get only 20 people to commit to marching, we would have 160--a great start towards our goal. In fact, we would like to double our goal and see the largest-ever participation from MCC (and perhaps even the largest parade contingent, period). Our goal for MCC NOVA is 50 people! Will you help us reach this goal? As an incentive, every marcher will receive a FREE T-Shirt with the above logo printed in either hot pink or white on black. Beginning this Sunday, there will be a sign-up sheet for you to pledge your participation as a marcher. Or, you can RSVP via email to info@mccnova.com. Note: shirts will be distributed on-site. You are also encouraged you to invite friends who will lend their support and join as marchers. Not able to march? You can still participate and get a free shirt by signing up to staff the mega MCC booth with other area MCCer's at the Capital Pride Festival on Sunday, June 15. Join us! Our collaborative witness will be historic, and the process of working together will unleash the power of partnership as siblings in faith. |
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MCC NOVA is invited to join our friends at New Covenant MCC in Laurel, MD
for Soulforce Action! |
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The American Family Outing
Between Mother's Day Weekend and Father's Day Weekend, 2008, diverse families from around the country will create meaningful conversations about faith, family, and LGBT people. The Soulforce web site says "We seek first to understand, and then to be understood, as we engage the families at six of America's leading mega-churches."
In Maryland, our chance comes the weekend of May 23, 24, and 25 as Soulforce comes to train us through the host church, New Covenant Metropolitan Community Church, meeting at Oaklands Presbyterian Church in Laurel. Members of New Covenant and other local churches will meet at Oaklands on Friday, May 23 at 6pm for required training. We hope to meet with members of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville to begin a dialogue during a Saturday picnic on the grounds at Oaklands. On Sunday, May 25, we will attend services at Hope Christian Church in Beltsville.
This could be a chance to make a real difference with people who have never put a face on the idea of GBLT families!
If you are interested in attending Friday's training (a requirement for attending the other events), please contact Patty Glasgow at pgglasgow1@verizon.net or at 410-997-0291.
For more information on Soulforce and this particular action, visit Soulforce.org.
There will be more specific information closer to the event when Soulforce has received a response from Hope Christian Church.
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MICAH MINISTRIES CALENDAR |
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Micah Ministries is MCC NOVA's social justice ministry. Below are our current plans for this calendar year. Please let Micah know what you would like to participate in. Judith Raleigh is the team lead and she would love to hear from you.
COSTA RICA FUN FACTS
MCC NOVA's 2009 service project team will travel to Costa Rica February 14 - 22, 2009! We currently have a team of 19 people who have committed to making the trip. If you would like to learn more about the service project please visit: http://www.globalvolunteers.org/costarica/default.asp.
Costa Rica is a land of courtesy, domestic enterprise, hospitality, and gentleness. Aggressiveness, brusqueness, and violence are shunned. Ticos say they are lovers of peace and conciliation. Costa Ricans avoid confrontation when possible; they may even say they will do something when they really don't intend to do it, just so they won't have to disagree. People value privacy and quiet behavior but will vigorously defend personal honor. A strong work ethic is prevalent among most segments of society, and rural people especially accept hard labor as a necessary part of life
Attention Costa Rica Team:
Save the Date!
Sunday, May 18
Team Meeting after service
Our Daily Bread Food Drive On-Going
AIDSWalk Washington ü
Homeless Shelter Dinner ü
Pride Planning On-going
Ministry to Animals TBD
Foot Ministry to Homeless TBD
Global Outreach February 14-22, 2009
DID YOU KNOW?
That MCC NOVA hosts Civics Class for immigrants organized through Liberty's Promise?
Liberty's Promise supports young immigrants in need while encouraging them to be active and conscientious American citizens. Their programs aim to make the immigrant experience an affirmative one for young newcomers while instilling in them a sense of pride and support for American ideals of democracy and freedom. By doing so, Liberty's Promise seeks to reaffirm our fundamental egalitarian and democratic traditions for future generations. MCC NOVA is proud to partner with Liberty's Promise. |
| SPOTLIGHT ON MINISTRY |
 SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING:
To Emma Chattin on her 10th Anniversary as MCC NOVA's Administrative Assistant. We are incredibly grateful for the consistent work you do to support the ongoing life of our community.
To all who supported Rev. Fernando Frontan's visit with us last week: to Sabrina for doing so much translation work in advance and for translating all weekend, to Kyle and Matthew for serving as hosts, to Jane and Jeanne for their hospitality at his welcome dinner, to Matthew for translating for DiMENsions, to Cathryn for arranging his presentation at Robinson Secondary School, to all of you who supported his visit with your presence at the many events this week, to Frank for running the computer and to Enrique in Monterrey for his technical support to ensure the webcast of Sunday's worship was such a success, to all the worship leaders (Kurt, Holly, Jenny, Ben, Cindy) who read in Spanish, to the choir for their musical support, to the sound team (Gail), and to Darius for his gifts of improvisation, and finally to Fernando himself for his incredible generosity and inspiration. What a blessing!
To MCC NOVA's Team Bingo (aka The Fab 24) for the excellent job they did hosting our Bingo fundraiser to benefit our service trip to Costa Rica. Thank you Ben, Chris, Cindy, Errol, Gail M, Gail S, George, Ginny, Irene, Jane, Judith, Kala, Karen, Kate, Kharma, Kurt, Margaret, Matt, Michele, Pat, Peggy, Scott, Tracey, and Vanessa.
To Sarah, Tracey, Cathryn, Frank, and Ben - the Sabbatical Committee - for lunch, and for beginning to engage the questions of the congregation about the pastoral sabbatical later this year.
To Alicia, for helping us observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month and for bringing the Clothesline Project display to MCC NOVA.
To all who came out to support the Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry (NOVAM) Imagine! dinner and fundraising activities at the Torpedo Factory last week.
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| COMMUNITY NOTES |
Wanted: Office Space
Attorney seeking one windowed office in Fairfax/Fairfax City/Oakton/Vienna/ Fair Oaks/ Centreville/Chantilly, preferably with access to shared copier, waiting room, etc.
Contact Sheri Abrams at sheri@sheriabrams.com or (703) 934-5450
Please let us know. We often have people who are looking for housing and would love to know about your resource. Contact Rev. Kharma.
CAPITAL HOSPICE IS SEEKING VOLUNTEERS
Are you interested in making a difference? Adult daytime, evening, and weekend volunteers are needed to visit hospice patients at home, work in our Van Ness office, join our Speakers Bureau. We also need volunteers with cars, language skills, a strong desire to work with people. Patient Care Volunteer Trainings are held three times a year. Volunteers will learn about Capital Hospice services and programs and techniques in caring for and communicating with hospice patients. To apply, please contact Volunteer Services at 202-244-8300 or visit www.capitalhospice.org
AREA PFLAG GATHERINGS (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays)
1. Annandale-Little River United Church of Christ, 3rd Sunday, 4:30 pm.
2. Falls Church--Temple Rodef Shalom at 2100 Westmoreland Street on the 2nd Thursday at 7:30 pm.
3. Manassas --Bull Run Unitarian Universalist Church, 4th Monday at 7:00 pm.
4. Reston --Washington-Plaza Church (Lake Ann), 1st Tuesday, 7:30-9:30 pm.
5. Bethesda MD-2 separate meetings at 2:00 pm on each 3rd Sunday: one focused on Trans-people and their families-Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church.
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| SUPPORT MCC NOVA! |
DO YOUR SHOPPING ONLINE AT iGive.com and a percentage of your purchase goes to MCC NOVA
Shop at any of the more than 600 stores at i.GIVE.COM and a percentage of your purchase goes to MCC NOVA! Tell a friend about iGive.com and MCC NOVA gets $5.00! Its easy, just click on iGive.com to sign up.
SHOP AT THE MCC NOVA SPIRIT-WEAR STORE!
Now you can proudly wear t-shirts, sweatshirts and more emblazoned with MCC NOVA's new statement of calling logo! Simply go to our website at www.mccnova.comand click on the link to our online Spirit-wear store or go directly to www.cafepress.com/novacom2
TO SUPPORT MCC NOVA DIRECTLY, YOU CAN MAKE
A SECURE, TAX-DEDUCTIBLE  CONTRIBUTION BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK: | |
You've heard the ancient saying, "The whole is worth more than the sum of its parts."
