Occasional Updates from the Global Movement called Metropolitan Community Churches…
Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, Moderator Metropolitan Community Churches
Today we are publishing information about the Board Charter and qualifications for service on the Governing Board. During the General Conference in Acapulco, we elected our first term of Governing Board members. Elections for the next terms will be held during the 2013 General Conference in Chicago.
Our Nominations Committee is excited about the prospect of many, excellent and diverse candidates, and would like your help to recruit potential nominees. Serving on the Governing Board is an opportunity for clergy and laity to labor together on a unified, global MCC Board. This Board partners with the Moderator and the Elders to facilitate tasks and to support the continuation of the momentum in ministry that we have been building. This Board also works with our leadership and staff to creatively develop the resources to keep us moving forward into the future. To date, the Board has expanded its reach and work through teams that have already grown to include people who are not on the Board itself, whose gifts are crucial to their work.
Click here to go to the Governing Board home page to learn more about the Board and their activities since Acapulco. I would like to re-introduce the Governing Board Nominating Committee Cathy Alexander (chair), Rev. Catherine Dearlove, and Rusty Hall who have a message for you as well.
The applicaiton package is available HERE.
Grace and Peace, + Rev. Nancy Wilson Moderator Metropolitan Community Churches
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Registration is now open for
the second Retreat for L.E.A.D., the new Lay Leadership Certificate
Program!
The Office of Formation and Leadership Development is pleased to announce
the second L.E.A.D. retreat February 17-20, 2012, at The Balcones Retreat
Center, Marble Falls, Texas. The L.E.A.D. (Laity Empowered for Active Discipleship)
Certificate Program provides MCC laity with an opportunity for spiritual growth
and the development of leadership skills. Persons who complete the
L.E.A.D. Certificate will be placed on a Leadership List available to
Elders, Senior Staff, and MCC Clergy, for the purpose of creating a
leadership pool from which to choose trained laity to serve in
leadership positions in MCC at the local, denominational, and international
levels.
Twelve persons were selected for the first retreat in August of 2011, and since
that time, they have been actively pursuing their certificate requirements.
To participate in the upcoming
L.E.A.D. Retreat, individuals should complete the program application
found here: L.E.A.D. App link.
The cost of the retreat is $475 USD, which includes tuition, three nights’
lodging, and all meals. The location of the retreat at The Balcones
Retreat Center, Marble Falls, Texas (Balcones
Springs link) is accessible from either the Austin or San
Antonio airport. The
deadline for applications to the program is January 6, 2012.
The number of participants
for the L.E.A.D. retreat is approximately 20 individuals. The
L.E.A.D. Manual, which explains the program in more detail, can be
obtained at L.E.A.D. Manual link.
Our LEAD brochure is available at LEAD brochure link .
For more information or questions about the
L.E.A.D. program, contact L.E.A.D. Coordinators Barry Hundley barhun@aol.com
or Nancy Maxwell nancy.maxwell@washburn.edu.
Registration is now open for the second Retreat for L.E.A.D., the new Lay Leadership Certificate Program!
The Office of Formation and Leadership Development is pleased to announce the second L.E.A.D. retreat February 17-20, 2012, at The Balcones Retreat Center, Marble Falls, Texas. The L.E.A.D. (Laity Empowered for Active Discipleship) Certificate Program provides MCC laity with an opportunity for spiritual growth and the development of leadership skills. Persons who complete the L.E.A.D. Certificate will be placed on a Leadership List available to Elders, Senior Staff, and MCC Clergy, for the purpose of creating a leadership pool from which to choose trained laity to serve in
leadership positions in MCC at the local, denominational, and international levels.
Twelve persons were selected for the first retreat in August of 2011, and since that time, they have been actively pursuing their certificate requirements.
To participate in the upcoming L.E.A.D. Retreat, individuals should complete the program application found here: L.E.A.D. App link. The cost of the retreat is $475 USD, which includes tuition, three nights’ lodging, and all meals. The location of the retreat at The Balcones Retreat Center, Marble Falls, Texas (Balcones Springs link) is accessible from either the Austin or San Antonio airport. The deadline for applications to the program is January 6, 2012.
The number of participants for the L.E.A.D. retreat is approximately 20 individuals. The L.E.A.D. Manual, which explains the program in more detail, can be obtained at L.E.A.D. Manual link. Our LEAD brochure is available at LEAD brochure link .
For more information or questions about the L.E.A.D. program, contact L.E.A.D. Coordinators Barry Hundley barhun@aol.com or Nancy Maxwell nancy.maxwell@washburn.edu.
Check out the Huffington Post op-ed from the Presiding Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches on Marriage Equality and efforts to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-dr-nancy-wilson/timothy-dolan-doma_b_987659.html
Office of Formation and Leadership Development Announces Associate Director
The Office of Formation and Leadership Development is pleased to announce as its new Associate Director the Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos. Kharma has been involved as a volunteer for nearly ten years in the ongoing work of clergy development in MCC. She was part of the original team that designed our current credentialling system and was instrumental in shaping the Guidelines for Professional Ethics in MCC, formerly known as the ‘code of conduct.’ She has served as faculty for REVM, Intensives and online courses. During her nine-year tenure as the Senior Pastor of MCC of Northern Virginia, Kharma has been sought out as a Supervising Clergy by MCC students. Her success as a mentor and supervisor is evidenced by the fact that all her supervisees currently serve in Triple A ministries.
Rev. Dr. Mona West states, “I had the privilege to work alongside Kharma as a volunteer when we implemented the new credentialling system with the REVM program. More recently in my current role as the Director of the OFLD, I have called on her numerous times to serve on ordination interview teams and advisory boards. I know her to be a person of great integrity, and she has a passion for leadership development–especially clergy development–in MCC. I am excited about the ways her creativity and professionalism, as well as her training and experience, will shape the future of the OFLD and MCC. It’s going to be a joy (and a lot of fun!) to have her as a team member!”
Kharma holds the Master of Divinity degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary, where she is currently on the Board of Trustees. She completed her Doctor of Ministry degree at Episcopal Divinity School, writing a thesis titled, Queering Church: Integrating Queer Theology in Congregational Life in Metropolitan Community Churches. She is currently the chair of MCC’s Theologies Team and was accepted as a participant into the inaugural Moderator’s Leadership Mentoring Retreat in January 2010. From 2003-2005, she participated in the First Parish Project, funded by the Lilly Endowment, for the purpose of supporting young clergy as they transition from seminary to serving their first parish as solo or senior pastors.
Send your congratulations to KharmaAmos@aol.com.
The Office of Formation and Leadership Development is grateful to the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation for a generous grant to fund this position.
Women’s Conference 2012
February 2-5, 2012
Sarasota, FL
Rev. Dr. Elder Nancy Wilson and Bishop Yvette Flunder will explore developing trusting relationships and lead participants in modeling trust. This conference will empower all women in leadership positions and is designed for both clergy and lay leaders.
The Holy Trust conference is open to all women, transwomen and those who identify themselves as women who are interested in improving their leadership skills and connecting with others in the common pursuit for social justice.
Keynote Speakers:
Rev. Dr. Elder Nancy Wilson, Moderator, Metropolitan Community Church and Bishop Yvette Flunder, Presiding Bishop The Fellowship. To register visit: http://trinitychurchmcc.com/womensconf.html
Young Adult Leadership Mentoring Retreat (Oct 28-31)
This retreat is designed for individuals under the age of 35 interested in serving in MCC beyond the local church level, as a volunteer or as a full-time vocation, as clergy or as lay leaders. The retreat will be designed to include denominational leaders and staff and will provide registrant with an opportunity for discernment about vocation on a denominational or movement level with MCC.
MCCDC is proud to share that three of our own members have been selected. Tre’ Kelty, Chocolatte Hatch-Miller, and Brantley Sanderson will particpate in this first-ever Young Adult Leadership Mentoring Retreat.
For more information, including the tentative schedule, visit: www.mccchurch.org/connectnow/events/young-adult-retreat. You may also obtain an application at the information station. Four of our members have attended previous retreats (Kevin Highfield, DeWayne Davis, Tamara Dunlap-Elkins, and Kareem Murphy). Kareem will be serving as “faculty” for this Young Adult retreat. See any of them if you would like their reflection on their past participation, by contacting the church office.
A Reflection from the Young Adult Planning Retreat
During the last week of July, new member Brantley Sanderson participated in the first ever MCC Young Adult Retreat. The retreat brought together MCCers under 35 to connect, empower, and serve through worship, strategy discussions, workshops, and times of fun. Their work was equal parts connecting and equal parts serving. They crafted a vision for what our denomination will look like in 40 years as their generation builds on the amazing work that has been done before them. As our Moderator, Rev. Elder Dr. Nancy Wilson, encouraged us to “build our movement,” we encountered the Divine through the divinity of each other.
Brantley noted that one of the moments that he will most remember was when “Nancy” elaborated on how MCC began as a youth movement: Rev. Elder Troy Perry founded our denomination when he was only 28 years old – 28 years old!!! It made him realize the unbelievable work that can happen when we align ourselves with what God wants to do through us. All those gathered felt a sense that God is beginning to use the young adults of our denomination to open even more doors, to touch even more lives, and to be the church we are called to be. This will create change at our local churches, in our regions, in our countries, and across the globe. The young adults of MCC are ready to take up our place and move us into the next 40 years of our movement. How Great is our God!
This retreat was the forerunner of the aforementioned Young Adult Leadership Mentoring Retreat. This one was open to all. There will be an application process for the Young Adult Leadership Mentoring Retreat.
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