Here I sit, back in the church office for the first time since the end of June. All around me are the signs of all that has been going on in my absence. There is the fantastic artwork from our Messy Church Pride service – “What makes you proud?” – our families have written in hearts what makes them proud – “my two mummies”, “for being my teacher’s top writer”, “my fabulous family and pets”, “singing with the choir”. The powerpoint printout from Sunday’s service sits on my desk, reminding me of our current worship theme
– “Exploring Spiritual Types”. I am SO looking forward to worshipping again with everyone this Sunday! I’ve heard about the wonderful “Write a Psalm” workshop and have caught up with the news from Chill and Grace, our monthly
lunch.

One of the real strengths of MCC Newcastle is that we believe that everyone has a part to play in the ministry of our church. All of these activities, and others besides, are led by members of our congregation, using their gifts and skills.

Of course, the office is full of stuff for Pride this Saturday. Northern Pride is one of our greatest outreach opportunities and this year we have “Fabulous and Beautiful” stickers to give away, as well as everything else. Every year, we have at least one person who starts worshipping with us on a regular basis, because of seeing us at Pride. What is also important is that our presence is part of a “drip-drip” effect. People see us at Pride, at IDAHO, at other events around the region. They repeatedly hear our message of God’s inclusive love and they get a chance to observe – from a safe distance, what we are like as people.

Because of our constant presence at these events, people check out our website, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We might never see these individuals at worship, but they know that we are here if they need us, and some day, some of them will come and find us in person.

All of us have had to walk through the doors of MCC for the first time. For some, it is an instant homecoming, for others it is a scary step into the unknown. When someone comes to MCC Newcastle for the first time, it is great when they can
recognise one or two faces, either from Pride or from our amazing website. It helps to make them feel more at home straight away. If we can offer more activities and events beyond the worship service, we are more able to support
each person in their faith journey and in daily living. It takes all of us to offer a “safe, warm, welcoming home.”

Happy Pride!!

God bless,

Cecilia

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
 

In worship at MCC Newcastle, we are continuing our theme of #goodnewsgoesviral. Each week, we explore how an individual or group of people gets to hear about
the life and ministry of Jesus. It is a fascinating journey, full of different characters. If you have missed any of the services, remember you can listen to the sermons online.
 
I wonder how I would react if someone told me the story of Jesus today – if the events of 2000 years ago happened instead in the past month in England and I was hearing it all for the first time. Would I be curious, cynical, too busy to even
care? What is it about the story of Jesus that is so compelling? The answer to this question will be different for each of us. For me, the way Jesus engaged with people was new and refreshing. He often challenged their behaviour or tried to make them think in a new way. This was often tempered with gentleness and care. He reached out to those who were seen as “unclean” or marginalised. 
 
All of these things would challenge me, but they would intrigue me too. I don’t know what my logical and slightly scientific view of the world would make of the miracles he performed or the seemingly random way he told stories. What I think I would be attracted to, would be the truth of what he was saying. Sometimes we read or hear something, and it resonates with us deep down. It speaks truth to us in a way that we can’t necessarily articulate. This is why music and poetry can be so powerful. They touch us in a profound way.

The Good News is the same. It touches us in a way that we can’t necessarily explain, but we know to be true. Most of us are not necessarily comfortable with chatting about our faith, especially not to complete strangers. However, the way we behave and the values that we live up to speak for us. When people are able to observe us, and then they hear about our faith, they can see a connection and that it is intriguing or inviting to them.

We are spreading the Good News in many different ways, through our website, Facebook and Twitter. Most importantly, we spread it by how we are in the world. 

What does the Good News mean to you?

 God bless,

Cecilia