A Scottish friend and I were talking about de-cluttering. She explained that when her father died, her mother moved house and found it difficult to let go of things. “There was this wee cup with no handle and a chip in it, and I’d say ‘Why are you keeping this?’ and my mum would say “Oh that was a wee present from Mary. I can’t get rid of that”. When my mum died, I found I couldn’t throw out these things either and so my flat is full of her stuff.” This is the challenge isn’t it – what do we take with us and what do we let go of? On Sunday 15th June, we will be renaming our church. We will also be celebrating all our history as MCC Newcastle. In reflecting on our journey so far, we will be able to consider what we want to take forward with us into the future and which things have been valuable and now need to be left to be honoured as part of our past. Doubtless, there will be many funny stories to be told, as people share memories of incidents and individuals. There will also be sad or painful moments as we remember those who have died or difficult times in the life of the congregation. All of the people in the stories and the moments we have shared with them have helped us to become who we are today.
I once observed that the DNA of MCC Newcastle was “fun, music and learning.” These are things that have always been part of who we are. Excellent music is the foundation for our inspiring worship, we socialise and laugh together a lot as a faith community, and we spend time going deeper in our relationship with God by learning more about our faith in different ways. These are some of the things that I know we will take forward as Northern Lights MCC. Many people remark upon how warm and welcoming it is when they first attend worship with us. This is another part of who we are which will not change as we continue to develop and grow.
For all that I hope will stay the same, I also hope for change. I hope that we will do even more to make a difference to those around us, without expectation that they will become part of our faith community. I hope that we will find even more ways of proclaiming God’s inclusive love for all people. I hope that we will be able to find ways of opening up our building to help even more LGBT and related groups to find a home. I also hope that we will find a way to support a project outside the UK and form real relationships with the people that we work with there. We can shine our Northern Lights of hope worldwide if we really want to. What are the aspects of MCC Newcastle that you value and want to see continuing as we become Northern Lights MCC?
God bless
Cecilia
I once observed that the DNA of MCC Newcastle was “fun, music and learning.” These are things that have always been part of who we are. Excellent music is the foundation for our inspiring worship, we socialise and laugh together a lot as a faith community, and we spend time going deeper in our relationship with God by learning more about our faith in different ways. These are some of the things that I know we will take forward as Northern Lights MCC. Many people remark upon how warm and welcoming it is when they first attend worship with us. This is another part of who we are which will not change as we continue to develop and grow.
For all that I hope will stay the same, I also hope for change. I hope that we will do even more to make a difference to those around us, without expectation that they will become part of our faith community. I hope that we will find even more ways of proclaiming God’s inclusive love for all people. I hope that we will be able to find ways of opening up our building to help even more LGBT and related groups to find a home. I also hope that we will find a way to support a project outside the UK and form real relationships with the people that we work with there. We can shine our Northern Lights of hope worldwide if we really want to. What are the aspects of MCC Newcastle that you value and want to see continuing as we become Northern Lights MCC?
God bless
Cecilia
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