This Saturday we will be “making a noise against homophobia and transphobia” in the middle of Newcastle city centre. This is part of IDAHO – an international day which recognises that we still have a very long way to go before the world is a completely safe place for 
 LGBT people to live in.

This week ILGA – the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Trans and Intersex Association, published its annual world map on lesbian and gay rights, and its report on State Sponsored Homophobia.  It is heartening to see on the map that there are more and more countries that have laws banning discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. The map is also gradually changing in favour or equal marriage.

In most of Africa and much of Asia however, the picture is very different – death penalty or imprisonment for up to 14 years or at the very least a lack of legislation that can make violent homophobia perfectly acceptable and encouraged by the state.

In worship this Sunday, we will reflect on our Bedrock Belief about Jesus:

At MCC Newcastle we believe:

Jesus offers everyone chances for new life and hope, especially to those on the edges of society. His life is
an important example to follow.

Jesus spent his ministry challenging injustice and reaching out to those who were dismissed as unimportant by the religious and state authorities of the day. We will represent Jesus as we make a noise against homophobia and transphobia this Saturday and every day.  

God bless,

Cecilia 

Every six weeks or so, I spend a day at St. Antony’s Priory in Durham, for a day of quiet reflection. During this time, I also meet with my Spiritual Director for about an hour. The role of a Spiritual Director, or Faith Companion, is to help us see where God is, in the midst of our everyday lives.

In worship this Sunday, we will be reflecting on our Bedrock Belief about God:

At MCC Newcastle, we believe:

God is always present. God loves and
accepts everyone unconditionally.

Sometimes the presence of God is easy to feel – we are at peace with God and feel God’s presence close by. Sometimes though, life is hard or busy, or just very mundane. It is not clear where the Divine is; we might even feel that God has abandoned us completely. At these times, we need to rely on our previous experience of God, or rely on the faith of others in whom we trust.

It is important to remember that we experience God in different ways at different times. Being able to identify and
name that may help us to feel God more fully.

When my partner Monica was struggling with cancer, I felt God’s presence as blessing, through the people who supported us, and grace, in the way that Monica and I each coped with our situation. Now, as I learn to live without her
and go through the grieving process, I experience God through the process of healing.

Just as St Antony’s is a great place for me to really have time to be with God, each person has their own way of “tuning in” to God’s presence – music, nature, being creative, just being still and silent. There is no right or wrong way – just the way that helps us to really feel the Divine.

This week, try and find some time to do what helps you connect with the God who is always there and always loves you.

God bless,

Cecilia

At the Annual Congregational Meeting last Sunday, the Members of MCC Newcastle unanimously adopted our
Bedrock Belief statements. This really is quite an achievement – the pages of Church history are littered with examples of Christians falling out – even killing each other, over what they believe.

Of course, in MCC Newcastle, we encourage each person to work out their own beliefs and many of us will be able to agree with the Bedrock Beliefs statements – and add to
them.

This week in worship, we are reflecting on the Bible.

 At MCC Newcastle, we believe:
The Bible is there to inspire and guide. It is not a rule book and can be read with love, compassion and
questioning.

At different times, the Bible has been used as a weapon of oppression – against women, against Black people, against LBGT folk. We need to reclaim scripture. We need to learn to read it with our minds, our hearts and our spirits. Although some of it might seem irrelevant and outdated now, there are still profound truths about God and God’s relationship with us. It is also where we find out about the life of Jesus in a unique way - we can’t find that information anywhere else. 

As part of marking the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) on Saturday 19th May,  I will be leading a workshop on “What the Bible Really Says” about queer people. This will be after we have gathered at Grey’s Monument and made a big noise against homophobia – with the theme “Equal Before God”.

Much of the homophobia today stems from misinterpretation of the Bible. If we are going to be people of faith who make a difference, we need to be able to show others what the Bible really says about them, and above all, what scripture says about the unconditional love of God.

God bless,

Cecilia

I’ve just returned from a two week holiday in the USA and had a fabulous time – sun, swimming and bird watching in Florida, then visiting friends in Pennsylvania. They live not far from the home of American chocolate – the Hershey’s factory. The founder, Milton Hershey and his wife Catherine set up a school in 1909 to home and educate orphan boys. The school exists today and still focuses on children from poor and deprived backgrounds.

Some of you will know that the Milton Hershey School has hit the headlines for refusing to admit a teenage boy who is HIV+. There is concern that if the boy becomes sexually active, he will be a danger to other pupils. 

Imagine what this public statement will have done to that
boy and all the other children and teenagers like him. 

Milton and Catherine Hershey founded their school from a
great desire to do good – prompted no doubt by their Christian upbringing. It is profoundly sad that Christian care and compassion has not been extended to this teenager.

This Sunday, we reflect on our bedrock belief that:

Church should be a safe home for all people. We
welcome diversity and believe it brings strength. We believe that ministry is open to everyone and through it, people develop their gifts.


It may seem so obvious that church should a home
for all, that we may might wonder why we even need to state it. However, every day, there is someone, like the boy who has been rejected from the Milton Hershey School, who thinks that there is no place for them.

Every month, hundreds of people visit our website. Every
week I receive comments from people who have read what we believe in, what we value, what our mission is. We are needed; we are each called to make a difference.

I invite you to keep all those affected by HIV in your prayers this week.

God bless,

Cecilia 
 

Christ is risen Alleluia! This is the traditional greeting for Easter Day, as we celebrate the mystery of the
resurrection – one of the many mysteries of our faith.

Sometimes, when we read the gospels or other parts of scripture, we might struggle to understand or to believe what we read. Nevertheless, when people of faith gather together and share their journeys, most individuals are able to say “This is what helped me get through a difficult time”. People sometimes also say “This for me is a really important belief.”

At MCC Newcastle, we believe:
 
·  God is always present. God loves and accepts everyone
unconditionally.

 ·  Jesus offers everyone chances for new life and hope, especially to those on the edges ofsociety. His life is an important example to follow.

 ·  The Holy Spirit moves in different ways,such as inspiring, challenging and healing us, and deepening our relationship
with God.

 ·   Faith gives us strength, hope and meaning through good times and bad.

 ·   The Bible is there to inspire and guide. It is not a rule book and can be read with love, compassion and questioning.

 ·  Church should be a safe home for all people. We welcome diversity and believe it brings strength. We believe that ministry is open to everyone and through it, people
develop their gifts. 

·   Worship is a two-way communication between people and God, expressed in different ways. It should be inclusive and bring people together. 
 

Over the next few weeks, between Easter and Pentecost,
we are going to reflecting on these “Bedrock Beliefs” of our faith community, here at MCC Newcastle. These have been drawn up after the visioning days and housegroups all over the region. They are the statements that try to encapsulate
the key aspects of the seven different subjects that are most significant for us. Our personal beliefs may add more to these statements, but I think they sum up well what we hold dear as a church.

As we come out of the darkness of Lent into the joy and light of Eastertide,   I invite you to use one of these statements as a guide to your prayer and reflection each week.

God Bless,
,
Cecilia