By the time that you are reading this, General Conference will have started and I will be immersed in worship, workshops, fellowship and fun. General Conference is MCC’s international gathering, which happens once every three years. People travel from all over the world to conduct
the formal business of the denomination and to experience what it means to be part of the larger body of Christ.
There are always new friends to make, old friends to catch up with and absent friends to remember. The Founder of MCC, Reverend Elder Troy Perry will preach on Sunday
morning, before we head off to Chicago Pride. During the week, we will hear from several different preachers and speakers, including the current Moderator, Reverend Elder Nancy Wilson, and a good friend of MCC Newcastle, Rev. Pressley Sutherland. There will also be guest speakers from outside MCC who often cast a fresh and challenging light on our ministry. General Conference is always an opportunity to learn – more about our individual faith journeys, more about our collective calling to make a difference, more about the lives of MCCers around the world.
In Celtic spirituality, there is the concept of a “thin place” – where the division between heaven and earth is at its narrowest. For me, when I am at gatherings like General Conference, it feels like a thin place. So many fabulous and
beautiful, faith filled people all in one place and so much evidence of the Holy Spirit at work – it really is a little bit of heaven on earth.
Thin places can be places of healing; they can also be places of transformation and change. They don’t have to be massive events with lots of people. It could just be you and God. For some people, being on our recent church day retreat at St Antony’s Priority will have felt like a thin place, where God is so tangible, you can almost reach out and touch the Divine.
I don’t know what healing and/or transformation will take place for me whilst I am in Chicago. All I know is that I need to be open to whatever the Holy Spirit offers. Angels come in many guises and there always one person who says or does something that is pivotal for me….and they probably will never even know.
Blessings to each of you from General Conference!
God bless,
Cecilia
the formal business of the denomination and to experience what it means to be part of the larger body of Christ.
There are always new friends to make, old friends to catch up with and absent friends to remember. The Founder of MCC, Reverend Elder Troy Perry will preach on Sunday
morning, before we head off to Chicago Pride. During the week, we will hear from several different preachers and speakers, including the current Moderator, Reverend Elder Nancy Wilson, and a good friend of MCC Newcastle, Rev. Pressley Sutherland. There will also be guest speakers from outside MCC who often cast a fresh and challenging light on our ministry. General Conference is always an opportunity to learn – more about our individual faith journeys, more about our collective calling to make a difference, more about the lives of MCCers around the world.
In Celtic spirituality, there is the concept of a “thin place” – where the division between heaven and earth is at its narrowest. For me, when I am at gatherings like General Conference, it feels like a thin place. So many fabulous and
beautiful, faith filled people all in one place and so much evidence of the Holy Spirit at work – it really is a little bit of heaven on earth.
Thin places can be places of healing; they can also be places of transformation and change. They don’t have to be massive events with lots of people. It could just be you and God. For some people, being on our recent church day retreat at St Antony’s Priority will have felt like a thin place, where God is so tangible, you can almost reach out and touch the Divine.
I don’t know what healing and/or transformation will take place for me whilst I am in Chicago. All I know is that I need to be open to whatever the Holy Spirit offers. Angels come in many guises and there always one person who says or does something that is pivotal for me….and they probably will never even know.
Blessings to each of you from General Conference!
God bless,
Cecilia
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