The man shook as he told us his story of persecution: we could see the scars on his head and his hands. Another man in the group flinched as someone he didn’t know came into the room. I promised him “You will always be safe here.”  A woman cried as she told me how, as an out and proud Christian lesbian, she had been told she could not become a member of the church that she had been attending for months. “I am so glad to be back here” she said. A charity that works with children hired a room in the building we use, to run an event for LGBT people interested in adoption – “Because we saw you at Pride and thought this would be a good space to hold our event.” These three things all happened in the past month at MCC Newcastle. They are part of what we do, week in, week out. We offer hope and light to our community and beyond. Often it is in small, unseen ways – small gestures of kindness and compassion, such as the regular donations of clothing that people give to the West End Refugee Service. Sometimes we are able to bring hope at big events like Pride and World AIDS Day. People who may never worship with us follow us online and through social media. We are observed at a distance by many individuals, who may turn to us when life changes for them and they need a safe place to be.

A good while ago Mikee preached on Micah 6:8: What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. He suggested that at MCC Newcastle we are good at walking humbly with God – our worship is excellent and we offer many ways to go deeper in our spiritual life. He challenged us to really step up and step out in acting justly and loving mercy. This message has stayed with me and has continued to challenge me ever since. How do we move out beyond our church walls and how do we make it easier for groups to see us as a resource to support them in what they do?

This year’s Annual Congregational Meeting marks a key moment in our response to the challenge to love mercy and to act justly. The Board is proposing only two aims, which will help us to put our faith into action. Firstly, we are now ready to start looking for our own building, choosing a venue that is better suited to our needs and that will give us the flexibility to develop our ministries more fully. Secondly, we are going to focus on developing activities that intentionally reach out and serve those beyond our church walls.  We are called to bring hope and light. This is our time.

God bless

Cecilia    

This weekend I went to visit my aunt’s grave. Auntie Veronica (or Auntie Barometer as she was affectionately known) was a Catholic nun – Order of the Poor Child
Jesus. This Order was founded to look after poor children – teaching, running orphanages etc. In her time, my aunt was a teacher and also ran the children’s home in Sheffield, the town where I grew up. She also held different positions within the Order over the many years that she served.

When Veronica died, one of the sisters in the convent asked if I would like Veronica’s Daily Office book – the prayer book that she would have used several times a day for over fifty years. When I had a chance to look at this book in detail, I discovered that Veronica had tucked different items into the cover. One piece of paper was a photocopy of a photograph of an uncle of hers who was a monk, with some details of his life typed underneath. She had also placed in there a photograph of her and her parents on the day of her Solemn Profession – the day when she formally became a nun.

It moved me very much to find these items and to realise that my calling to ordained ministry is part of a thread that runs through my family. One day, I will place a photo of me on my ordination day in with the other photos and hopefully pass on the prayer book to someone else in the family is also called to set their life apart in some way for God.

Many of us at MCC Newcastle do not have children of our own and may wonder what our legacy will be in the world.  One of the things that I love about being part of MCC worldwide is feeling as though I am part of history. Our founder, Reverend Troy Perry, is still alive and well and active in ministry. I still am able to draw on the wisdom and support of many more experienced colleagues. At the same
time, I have now been in MCC for over 24 years and have seen other people grow and develop in their faith journey. Hopefully, I have helped and encouraged some of them in this.

Who is part of your faith family tree? Who has supported, encouraged and challengedyou?  Who are you nurturing and supporting in your turn? This week, perhaps you
would like to thank God for these people and even send them a card or a little message. It is good to be part of a faith family.

God bless,

Cecilia