November 25,  2015, Wednesday         Volume 9, Number31
.
Your Center For Compassion In Action, 
Spiritual Growth and Personal Development
In This Issue

Upcoming Events

Church Happenings
In the Life of Our Church.
Our Community 
This Week 
SUNDAY SERVICES
10:30 AM
SERMON:

"RESTORE HOPE" 
Wed &Thurs
10:00AM to 3:00PM
(813) 239-1951
Upcoming 
 
Thanksgiving Luncheon Nov. 26 Noon Social Hall

Greening of the Trees November 28 
MCC Sanctuary

Church

Happenings


 "What I Heard" Sunday 12:00 PM Chapel

 

Lessons & Carols Avent Series Tuesday MCCT Chapel 7:00 PM


 
December 1st

Worlds Aids Day

In The Life of Our Church
Thanksgiving Luncheon, after services Nov 26 10:30 am
Our Community
MCCT Emergency Food Pantry Open Wednesdays 11 am to pm. 
HIV TESTING HERE AT MCCT On Sunday, Nov 15th,
This is a Free Test

Join Our Mailing List

MCC Tampa

Serving Tampa Bay

Since 1971


         
  "Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance." Eckhart Tolle

Beloved Community, 

Tomorrow is the day that we set aside to focus on gratitude. That sounds great, in theory, but I know it is not entirely realistic on this day we call "Thanksgiving". It is easy to get caught up in the busyness and complicated emotions that generally accompany the holiday season. Perhaps you are reading this as you hide in another room, avoiding a particularly difficult family member. Or maybe you are looking at your email right now and lamenting that no one has reached out. Thanksgiving and Christmas can be exceptionally challenging for many of us. In the midst of the holiday chaos-whether that comes from excitement, disappointment, or a bit of both-let's take a moment to be grateful for what we bring to each other's lives.

I am so thankful for you, yes YOU. You, sitting there, looking at your phone, tablet, or computer screen right now: you are an important part of the MCC Tampa community. I am grateful for you. I thank God for you, every single day, not just on this one Thursday in
November. Please take this moment to celebrate that you are prayed for and loved. If you feel so moved, offer up your own prayer for gratitude and love for our community as well.

I hope you will be joining us for the Thanksgiving Day worship service at 10:30 AM and for the meal to follow. You are welcome here, our doors are open and the table is set, just for you.

You are loved,

Rev. Jakob

      
Upcoming
Upcoming 

THANKSGIVING LUNCHEON -
THURSDAY 10:30 AM NOVEMBER 26th FOLLOWING 
Join us for a potluck Thanksgiving meal after the holiday service. Please bring a dish to share.

GREENING OF THE TREES - SATURDAY, NOV. 28 - 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Come out to help the Sacred Spaces ministry decorate the church for Advent & Christmas! Volunteers are needed. MCC Sanctuary, Contact Program Leader: Ross Scudder

CELEBRATE ADVENT SEASON - SUNDAYS, NOV 29, DEC 6, 13 & 20 - 10:30 AM
The season of Advent, a season of waiting, is designed to cultivate
our awareness of God's actions-past, present, and future.
In Advent we hear the prophecies of the Messiah's coming as
addressed to us. We heighten our anticipation for the ultimate
 fulfillment of all Old Testament promises, through the colors,
image and sounds in preparing for Christmas.
  
Evening With Gregory at Lisa's Cafe December 4, 5, 11, 12, 18 and 26. Call 727-394-2833 6:00 to 9:00PM
Gregory will be preforming on select Friday and Saturday Evenings in December at Lisa's Caf�, 13331 Gulf Blvd. Madeira Beach, FL.  When you dine on one of these evenings Lisa will give 10% of your check total to aid our Music Ministry.  Mention to Lisa that you are from "MCCTampa" when you make your reservation, and tell her to seat you near the piano.

LESSONS and CAROLS ADVENT SERIES -  TUESDAYS, DECEMBER 1, 8, 15, 22 - 7:00 - 8:00PM
This series will be influenced by the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
 a service of Christian worship celebrating the birth of Jesus that prepares the way for Christmas. In 1880, the Bishop of Truro, later  the Archbishop of Canterbury, organized a 10:00 p.m. service telling the story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus as told in nine Bible readings from Genesis, the prophetic books and the Gospels, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols, hymns and choir music.
Tradition says he also had the added purpose for families to attend
service to keep men out of the pubs Christmas Eve!  So no excuses, come prepare yourself this Advent season.
Program Leader: Ross Scudder

MEMBERSHIP CLASS - SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6 - 12:15-2:15 PM
Periodically, we hold new member classes for those who are interested in finding out more about the United Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches and may be considering church membership to MCC Tampa. If you have been worshipping with us, and you would like to learn more about our church, we invite you to consider attending our upcoming new member class. Participation in the class does not commit you to church membership, but it is an opportunity for you to find out more about the life and ministry of our church and to give prayerful consideration about entering into membership. Facilitators: Rev. Jakob Hero & Debbie Blanton

STEWARDSHIP MEETING - Every Other THURSDAY DEC 3, & 17   6:30 - 8:00 PM
The Stewardship Ministry will explore "Reclaiming" the spiritual gifts of  "Time, Talent, and Treasure." We welcome all interested people looking to grow our Stewardship Program.

TUESDAY DEC 8th 7 PM Hamburger Mary's, Tampa
Join us for Drag Queen Bingo to benefit MCCT
Reservations are recommended. Call 813-241-6279. $10 will get you 3 cards for all 10 games. MCC Tampa supplies the winning prizes for each bingo game. If anyone wishes to donate an prize item, please contact the church office

PERFORMING ARTS MINISTRY - MONDAYS- 7:00 - 8:00 PM
Our Drama Club meeting has evolved to become a ministry in the church. Our desire to perform plays and create opportunities for live entertainment require people interested in acting, writing, production, lighting, sound, and stagehands for future performances.
Join us for our future planning meetings.

A CHRISTMAS CABARET - SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 - 7:00 -9:00PM
Come for an evening of seasonal fun and spiritual meaning by singing & dancing in cabaret style performed by the Music Team and special guests. There is no admission but, don't forget to have cash for opportunities to donate.
          MCC Tampa Performing Arts presents 
 "A Queer Carol"  by Joe Godfrey.
Friday DEC 11th & Saturday DEC 12th, 7:00 PM Tickets $10.00.
   
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE MCCT 7:00PM and  DESSERT SOCIAL (Preceding service Social Hall)
Christmas Eve is widely observed around the world.  Since tradition holds that Jesus was born at night (Luke 2:6-8), the Christmas Eve service is celebrated in commemoration of his birth.  This special time in the Christian calendar is reflection in the fact that Christmas Eve is referred to as Heilige Nacht (Holy Night) in German and Nochebuena (the Good Night) in Spanish. Come experience your own Christmas Spirituality on the "Silent Night, Holy Night."
                   
  PLEASE JOIN US EACH SUNDAY AFTER SERVICE FOR COFFEE AND  
REFRESHMENTS IN SOCIAL AREA AT THE BACK OF THE CHURCH



      

Happenings

Church Happenings
BULLETIN & Weekly News Letter SUBMISSIONS -
Please send complete information for the bulletin announcement to: [email protected]The deadline for approved submissions is 
12 PM NOON each Tuesday.
 
MONTHLY BOARD MEETINGS - The monthly board meeting is on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:45 PM in the MCCT Chapel.  All board meetings are open meetings. Next meeting Tuesday, DECEMBER 1st.  Board Workshops are the 4th Tuesday of each month at 6:45 PM, next one is DECEMBER 15th, in the MCCT Chapel. Congregants are welcome to attend.

PRAYER SHAWLS - 
WRAP YOURSELF IN PRAYERS Prayer shawls are available for you or someone you care about who is in need of comfort during difficult times. Let us help.

JEWELRY GEMS! - FIRST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH AT CHURCH
Benefit the church and buy a piece of homemade jewelry to wear. The bracelets and crosses are designed with Swarovski crystal or Czech glass.
 
ITEMS NEEDED FOR UPCOMING BINGO EVENTS -
We have an ongoing need for items for bingo prizes; gift cards, wine, event tickets, etc.  Please drop off in the church office on Sundays or during normal office hours Wed and Thurs 10 am to 3 pm. 
 
ATTENTION AMAZON SHOPPERS 
The next time you shop at Amazon.com please go to smile.amazon.com instead and select Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa as your charity of choice.  Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible Amazon Smile purchases to MCC Tampa whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.com.  

Conference Fund Collection To Be Used For 2016 General Conference Expenses
We have only 7 months left to prepare for General Conference expenses for our pastor and lay delegates. To date we have covered the Conference registration cost, but need to work on rooms and flights.  We estimate this cost to be around $6000. Please help as much as you can. This collection will be taken up on the last Sunday of each month. Because these funds are designated expressly for the Conference, the church does not have to pay tithes on them to the denomination. So, please bring a little more to church on the last Sunday of each month so that our Lay Delegates and Pastor will be ready to represent us next July 2016. Thank you!

TAKE THE TEST & LEARN YOUR STATUS! - When was your last HIV test?  Has it been a while?  If so, its not too late!  Metro Wellness & Community Centers will be providing confidential HIV testing services at MCC Tampa. This is a FREE TEST.
Test results provided within 20 minutes! 

RECYCLING - MCC Tampa accepts newspapers, magazines, paper, cardboard. The
church benefits from collecting these items while helping the environment.

Having a Party, Wedding or Other Event?
 MCC Tampa has Rental Space from the Chapel to Social Hall to Sanctuary.  
Contact Robert Krebs in the office on Wednesdays or Thursdays for an event request form and reserve your date.

      
DAILY AA MEETING 6:15 AM (Classroom MCCT)

NA WOMENS GROUP Every Tuesday Night 7:00 PM (MCCT Social Hall)

EMERGENCY FOOD PANTRY AT MCCT-  Wednesdays 11 AM to 2 PM

SAVE THE DATE - 2016 Homeless Point in Time Count will be Thursday, Feb 25, 2016.  During the Homeless Count, hundreds of volunteers, coordinated by the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative, canvass the streets, alleys, and wooded areas  to locate, count and survey literally homeless people.  Maybe your ministry, friends, family or coworkers can help in this important day of data collection to help community planners better understand the gaps in services to our homeless neighbors. 

MCC TAMPA
We are looking for volunteers for our audio and visual teams, we will train you.. Please see Paul after Church in the sound booth  or contact Robert in the Office during church office hours.  Come Join the Fun !
 
We are currently looking for adult volunteers to coordinate and assist with Children's Ministry.  Background Checks are required of all volunteers who work with our  children.

      

In the Life of Our Church

          Check out our Affinity Magazine on our website www.mcctampa.com for program leaders, current weekly & quarterly activities and for names and emails of our board of directors here at MCC Tampa.             

 

Contributions To MCC Tampa
Contributions can be made to MCC Tampa by visiting our website www.MCCTampa.com
or by Mailing contributions to 408 E.Cayuga St,Tampa, FL 33603-3702, or of course by giving in person during the offering collection in worship services or the Ipad KIOSK giving on Sundays. Financial gifts to MCC Tampa are tax deductible charitable contributions. 

 Recurring Credit Card or Debit & One Time Donations or on a Monthly Basis Can also be arranged.   Thank You! 

To learn more about what is happening in the MCC Fellowship and MCC Tampa,

 visit these Websites at:
www.mccchurch.org or our website at www.mcctampa.com

�Copyright 2015                         Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa

 All Rights Reserved 

        
YOUR CENTER FOR COMPASSION IN ACTION

SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

                      MCC TAMPA     408 E Cayuga Street, Tampa, Florida 33603   Phone  813 239-1951