News from Metropolitan Community Church of Austin

The Electronic Newsletter of MCC Austin at Freedom Oaks

April 7, 2010

From Your Pastor

Here is a favorite story of mine from Teaching Your Children About God by David J. Wolpe:

A boy and his father were walking along a road when they came across a large stone. The boy said to his father, "Do you think if I use all my strength, I can move this rock?" His father answered, "If you use all your strength, I am sure you can do it." The boy began to push the rock... Read More...

What's Happening at MCC Austin

April

11 Sunday Worship at 9 and 11 a.m., and H2O at 2 p.m.

Sunday Morning Bible Study 9:30 a.m.

Red Carpet Luncheon following 11 a.m. service

14 New Reflecting On My Journey Class begins

17 Brenner-Beckstead Concert
18 Sunday Worship at 9 and 11 a.m., and H2O at 2 p.m.

Sunday Morning Bible Study 9:30 a.m.

20 Positive Perspectives

Sunday Worship on April 11
9 & 11 a.m.

"Where Do We Draw the Line?"

Rev. Elder Diane Fisher

John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As God has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Chosen of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

H2O ~ Living Water
Sunday, April 11 at 2 p.m.

...when you want to meet Christ, not expectations...

Spring Cleaning
Join us on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. for H20 Worship. This week we'll be exploring this time of year when so many people do spring cleaning projects. We'll ask the question, "What area of my life needs some spring cleaning right now? How can God help me heal that part of my life?"

New "Reflecting On My Journey" Class

Begins April 14

Are you looking for a way to connect and make friends? Are you looking for an opportunity to dig deep, and to think intentionally about your next spiritual step? Then "Reflecting On My Journey" might be just the thing for you. Walk through eight key questions to assess where you are on your spiritual journey, and what might be your next step. The class will meet from 7 - 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings from April 14 - June 2 and will be facilitated by Alycia Erickson, Director of Spiritual and Leadership Formation. The class will explore the following key questions and concepts:

How might my past spiritual and church experiences impact my current spiritual life?
Where am I with Christianity and Jesus?
How might sexual orientation affect a person's spiritual journey?
How might gender identity affect a person's spiritual journey?
Has trauma affected my relationship with God and the Church?
Listening to God
Taking charge of my spiritual life

Whether you are brand new to church or have been around this church stuff for a while, this class is for you! Please register in advance for this class so we have enough materials for everyone. For more information about the class, please contact Alycia Erickson. To register, please email or call Courtney Webster in the church office.

Going to General Conference in Acapulco?
We'd love to know!

If you are planning to go to the MCC General Conference this summer in Acapulco, we'd like to know. Please email or call Alycia Erickson in the church office (291-8601) if you plan on going. Viva la Mexico!

"No Experience Necessary" Bible Study

Stewardship Study in April

In conjunction with our Being Church ~ Building Community capital stewardship campaign, the Sunday morning study group will be discussing "Making Your Life Count." This study looks at giving through the light of scripture thereby helping individuals to gain clarity and establish priorities. Come and join the conversation on Sunday mornings at 9:30 in the Wray Education building just behind the Sanctuary.

See Susie Brenner & Linda Beckstead in concert at MCC Austin, April 17

"Our mission in our ministry is to share our stories with others so that they may experience the love that God has for everyone. Our ministry was formed in January 2005 when we decided to answer a call that had been tugging at our hearts for several years. We share our personal journeys with Christ through our music and stories!"

Susie is a singer-songwriter and released her newest CD in 2009. She is a recovering alcoholic celebrating ten years of sobriety and some of her music reflects her journey in recovery and her relationship with God. Linda retired from teaching in May 2009 after twenty-two years at a public high school. She is a storyteller and uses the journeys she's experienced to bring humor and thoughtful moments to the words she shares. To learn more about Brenner-Beckstead Ministries, check out their website.

Positive Perspectives HIV/AIDS
Support Group

Meets April 20 at 7 p.m.

The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening, April 20, 2010 in the Wray Education Building at MCC Austin. Positive Perspectives is a monthly support group with an emphasis on the spiritual aspects of life with HIV/AIDS. Positive Perspectives meets on the third Tuesday usually in members' homes and sometimes at MCC Austin. They focus on information sharing in a confidential setting for those affected by HIV & AIDS, while providing support for one another by letting each individual discuss what is on his/her mind. With members at various stages of the disease, this group offers a tremendous amount of first-hand knowledge, experience, and support of life for those infected & affected by HIV/AIDS.

Red Carpet Ministry Lunch

Everyone is invited to attend the Red Carpet Ministry Lunch. This month's Red Carpet Luncheon will be at the Brick Oven at 9911 Brodie Lane immediately after the 11 a.m. service on Sunday, April 11. It will be hosted by Larry Klott. Please make plans to join Larry for this luncheon. We especially welcome visitors and others who are new to the church to come join us so you can get to know more people in our church family. For more information, email Red Carpet Ministry.

BEYOND OUR WALLS: MCC News & Updates

MCC GENERAL CONFERENCE

CALLING ALL MUSICIANS, DANCERS AND ARTISTS

Worship with us at General Conference where we are featuring excellent speakers, dance, praise music, art, hymns, choirs and orchestras, new music, pop music, and creative use of multi-media. All of this to usher us into the eternal presence of the Creative Force that calls us all to IMAGINE! Don't miss out and register today! Read full article...

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Metropolitan Community Church
Help Us Recruit!!

. . . For the New Governing Board, which is one of the most innovative and important pieces of the new proposed structure!

Today we are publishing information about the Board Charter and qualifications for service on the proposed Governing Board. If the proposal passes at General Conference in Acapulco, we will elect our first Governing Board. Though the documents will be presented for approval at General Conference, these draft forms are to serve as our guideline for the first round of candidate nominations.

Help us recruit qualified candidates for these vitally important positions. Participate in the process of identifying these leaders who will shape and mold this Governing Board for the first several years, click here to find out how.

BEYOND OUR WALLS: News & Community Events

Austin Pride Run

The Austin Pride Run is one the major events of the Austin Pride 2010 weekend and the first ever GLBT race in Austin. It is a 5K (3.1 miles) that will allow participants to enjoy a run in downtown Austin in a fun environment. Starting from the Long Center, the runners will cover two laps of a route that will lead them across Lady Bird Lake (Town Lake) up to the 4th street warehouse district. The race will be gun-timed and results will be published but the goal of the race is to welcome everyone and share a good time. This race is a water themed event with a water spray on the course and with a Slip-N-Slide and finisher towels at the end of the race. Everyone; runners, walkers, families, kids, and doggies, are welcome. For more information or to sign up visit http://www.austinpriderun.org

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Way Off Broadway Community Players Presents:
The Fantasticks
By Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt
Directed by Barbara Schuler
Musical Director David Blackburn

"Try To Remember" a time when this romantic charmer wasn't enchanting audiences around the world. "The Fantasticks" is the longest-running production of any kind in the world, and with good reason: at the heart of its breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a purity and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers. Its moving tale of young lovers who become disillusioned, only to discover a more mature, meaningful love is punctuated by a bountiful series of catchy, memorable songs, many of which have become standards. For Show schedule and reservations click here or visit http://www.wobcp.org

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Unique Event for Music Lovers

The Austin Gay and Lesbian Pride Foundation presents Sounds of Pride on April 11, a unique opportunity to experience an evening of music and memories featuring a unique orchestra made up entirely of local gay and lesbian musicians, and their friendly allies. Guest soloist for this event is UT professor and violin virtuoso Brian Lewis. A reception of hors d, oeuvres and dessert and a cash bar will follow, as well as a chance to bid on products and services from local businesses at a silent auction. The event begins at 6PM and will take place at the Hyatt Regency Austin on Lady Bird Lake. All proceeds will benefit the Austin Pride Festival, which will be held June 3-6 at the Long Center. Everyone is encouraged to purchase tickets online at austinpride.org, or at the door. Prices are $25 and include both the concert, as well as the following reception.

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HUD Press Release: Collecting Data on LGBT Americans

HUD LAUNCHES WEBSITE TO GATHER PUBLIC COMMENT ON FIRST-EVER LGBT HOUSING DISCRIMINATION STUDY
Online 'suggestion box' seeks to inform HUD on design of historic research

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today launched a new website to allow citizens to offer comment on the design of an unprecedented national study that will examine housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. While there have been no national assessments of housing discrimination targeting the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) community, there is a body of evidence suggesting this sort of bias exists. HUD recently hosted town hall meetings in Chicago, San Francisco and New York City to solicit feedback on how it might approach such ground-breaking research. This 'online suggestion box' is intended to offer the public throughout the U.S. an opportunity to comment on HUD's study. Read the complete article here.

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CONNECT: FOUR SHORT PLAYS

By Allan Baker

Directed by Theresa Leckbee

April 1 to 17 at the Off Center, June 4 at the Rollins Theatre of the Long Center as part of Austin Pride 2010

Connect is a two hour program of short plays focused on the need to "connect": across the generations in a family (Voices), at the most important moment of your life (Five Minutes), at a critical point in a relationship (A Midsummer Night's Conversation), or even online on Saturday night (Click)! Though the program's last play, A Midsummer Night's Conversation, is new and rather daring, the other three have been previously produced: Click and Voices at Austin's FronteraFest in 2008 and 2007. Five Minutes was a FronteraFest "Best of the Fest" selection in 2006 and was produced for three weeks in New York City in 2006 as part of Emerging Artists Theatre's Fall Festival of Short Plays. Nominated by Emerging Artists Theatre as part of a nation-wide competition of plays from producing companies, it was produced again in New York City in June of 2007 as part of the Samuel French Festival of Off Off-Broadway One Act Plays. A ten-minute play based on the last scene, ...last and always, was produced by NativeAliens Theatre Collective as part of their Short Stories series during the 2009 New York City Gay Pride celebration. Click here to find out more.

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allgo & Another Option Productions
Present: Yolo Akili with performances by Queer Sol

7 p.m. April 10, 2010
The Historic Victory Grill

Yolo Akili is a nationally recognized artist, author, Iyengar yoga teacher and spiritual consultant. As a poet he has performed and featured at colleges, universities and numerous social justice conferences, including the Southeast Students against Sweatshops Conference, the 2009 National HIV prevention Conference, the State of Black Gay America Summit and more.

Queer Sol is a multidisciplinary artist collective founded by Queer People of Color to explore our diverse abilities, and share our experiences. Queer Sol seeks to provide a safe space for queer identified people of color and their allies to meet, dialogue, connect, and enact social change through artistic means.

Click here for more information.

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Our Prayers...

For our GLBT brothers and sisters around the world.
Adolescents considering Christian faith.
For MCC Churches as we study and respond to a proposed change in our organizational/leadership structure.
For all those who will help lead our Capital Stewardship Campaign.
For all who live along the U.S./Mexico as they live daily with the violence caused by the drug cartels.
For all who struggle with addiction or who are in recovery.