MCC Newcastle

Step up and step out

12/4/2014

1 Comment

 
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    
1 Comment

She keeps me warm

9/10/2013

1 Comment

 
“Love is patient, love is kind.” This is one of the most well-known verses in scripture. It is the start of a section describing what real love looks like (1Corinthians 13: 4-7) and is frequently read at weddings. It is a beautiful piece of prose.

Many of you will have heard the Macklemore song “Same Love”, which unequivocally supports gay marriage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0

The female singer on the track is Mary Lambert and the parts that she sings on “Same Love” are from her song “She Keeps Me Warm.” This is a beautifully melodic lesbian love song, describing the beginning of a relationship – “What’s your middle name? Do you hate your job? What’s your favourite word?” At the end of the song, there is the refrain

“I don’t cry on Sundays “and the backing singers sing “Love is patient, love is kind.” http://marylambertsings.com/video/

This gentle singing out of a scriptural truth is such a rebuttal to all those who loudly, aggressively and sometimes cruelly denounce same sex relationships, especially on scriptural grounds. For me, “She Keeps Me Warm” is a wonderful track, not just because I love the melody and am a hopeless romantic (the video is fab). I love it because it effortlessly combines my spirituality and my sexuality. It reflects who I am, in a fully integrated way.

There are many wonderful, moving hymns and worship songs in which I can lose myself. There are powerful love songs that describe my emotional state far better than I ever could. It is just such a delight to find a song that brings these two aspects of me together.

Our mission statement at MCC Newcastle is “Be yourself. Find Meaning. Know God.” We try and create a space where we all can enjoy being fully ourselves, before God and with each other: a sacred space where our sexuality and spirituality can be fully integrated and celebrated. It is a space where we can live out “Love is patient, love is kind.” May love keep you warm this week.

God bless

Cecilia

1 Comment

Just like the sun

5/6/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
It looks like we might have had our summer already in the North East, doesn’t it? :-)
 
Most people feel better when the sun is out and the ordinary around us becomes beautiful. Then, the rain appears, skies are grey and we can quickly forget the warmth of the sun.

We have just celebrated Pentecost, a moment of high drama in the story of the disciples and the event that many see as the beginning of the Christian church. For a while afterwards, everything went really well. The church grew and the community lived in harmony, sharing all they had in common. Then human nature, the need for structure, not to
mention persecution and imprisonment, started to take their toll on the utopian vision that the early followers of Christ had for the church. Paul and the other apostles kept having to remind the disciples of the new life that they were called to in Christ and the difference that the Holy Spirit was making in their lives.

In our own faith journeys too, we have moments of great fire and passion - God seems close enough to touch. These are the moments that we need to remember and cherish, when our life is more challenging and difficult.

Deep under the city of Newcastle runs the Victoria Tunnel. In
some point in its history, in the midst of the darkness and damp, someone made a small crucifix and placed it on the wall in the tunnel. It is an amazingly beautiful and touching symbol of faith to find in such an extraordinary setting.
The tunnel curators do not who put it there or why, but it offers a lasting tribute to the faith of someone who wanted to have something to remind themselves and others of the presence of God, even 85 feet below ground.

May you feel the warmth of God’s love, just like the sun, this
week.

God bless,

Cecilia
0 Comments

Freedom to Love and Be Loved

9/3/2012

2 Comments

 
Picture
At the weekend, Cardinal O’Brien, one of the country’s most senior Catholics, made some very outspoken comments about gay marriage. He wishes to retain the definition of marriage as a lifelong commitment solely between a man and a  woman. He quotes the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and implies that widening the definition of marriage to include same sex couples would represent “a grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right”.

Sadly, the Cardinal fails to consider another basic human right – the right to freely exist and to love. There are five countries in the world where homosexuality is punishable by death and over 70 others, where being lesbian or gay carries a prison sentence. This of course does not include all the countries where violent homophobia and transphobia is encouraged or tolerated by the state.

I have yet to hear of a heterosexual couple who feel that their love and commitment to each other is lessened because others are allowed to celebrate and cherish love too. However, when people are killed, attacked or imprisoned, simply because of how our God created them and for whom they love, then we are all diminished as human beings.

Let us pray this week for freedom to love and to be fully loved, without fear.

 
God bless

Cecilia

2 Comments

    Pastor's Blog

    by Rev. Cecilia Eggleston
    Follow me on Twitter

    Picture

    Archives

    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    October 2011
    April 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011

    Categories

    All
    20th Anniversary
    Advent
    Bbc Newcastle
    Bedrock Beliefs
    Bible
    Calling
    Christmas
    Church
    Church Size
    Conference
    Core Values
    David Kato
    Diversity
    Easter
    Embrace The Space
    Faith
    Family
    Gay Marriage
    Gender
    Gifts
    God
    Good News
    Growth
    Hiv
    Holy Spirit
    Homophobia
    Human Rights
    Idaho
    Jesus
    Lent
    Lgbt Rights
    Lindisfarne
    Love
    Main Church
    Music
    New Website
    Prayer
    Pride
    Retreat
    Social Justice
    Trans
    Vision
    Visioning Day
    Worship

    RSS Feed


Worship with us Sunday 6.30pm at St. James's URC, NE1 8JF
Email: contact@northernlightsmcc.org.uk
Phone: 07770543407