“On the day I called, you answered me, You increased my strength of soul.”
~ Psalm 138:3
For weeks we have been heralding a call to revival. Now, it is here. Though the planning team has worked diligently, trying to think of every detail, we cannot fully know what to expect. When we are open, the Holy Spirit is primed to do great work beyond what we could plan. In addition to services on Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM, and an immersion baptism, our weekend includes a Revival Retreat with the theme: “Strategic Compassion: Serving with Head and Heart.”
The Revival Retreat aligns with the part of Our Mission that says we are called to:
~Create a welcoming and safe space to experience belonging in community.
~ Be fully engaged in our own spiritual growth and giftedness.
~ Support the growth of others on their spiritual journey to hope, healing and wholeness.
Our Revival Retreat Leader, Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson, notes that “Being part of a faith community opens the opportunities for incredible connections of love and caring. These connections are the basis of bearing one another’s burdens through compassionate care.”
To support our ministries, leaders and members, the Revival Retreat will help us “develop strategies for enhancing compassion and caring across church ministries, serving as a team.” The retreat will provide individuals with tools to live with head and heart when meeting the demands of daily life. And the retreat will provide tools for MCCDC to flourish as a faith community.
I look forward to seeing you throughout the many revival opportunities. And I invite you to the rich experience of our Revival Retreat. We will gather for breakfast at 9:30 AM and begin the agenda promptly at 10:00 AM. Lunch will also be provided. Please allow extra time for traffic. I look forward to seeing you as we experience a great weekend of revival.
By Faith, Rev. Elder Dwayne
THIS WEEK SEPTEMBER 2016
ELECTRONIC GIVING
With EasyTithe, supporting the church is as simple as clicking a mouse or whipping out your smart phone. Our new online system allows you to make a financial donation to the church with your credit card or direct debit from your banking account.
Click Here to Give Online
You’ll be asked to set up your MCCDC EasyTithe Account. You can set it up to make a one-time/anytime donation or make a recurring donation.
You also can give by text 202-999-3841. Please contact the church office with questions at 202-638-7373 or churchoffice@mccdc.com.
YOGA CLASSES
To nourish your physical body in addition to your spiritual body. Join us for yoga classes on Mondays at 7pm. The class is donation-based. If you are interested in starting or continuing please contact Rev Cathy at revcathy@mccdc.com or 202-638-7373.~ Namaste (“The Spirit in me honors the Spirit in you”)
ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHEDULE
Adult Sunday School is held from 10:15 to 10:50. Please bring your coffee or tea to the upstairs conference room for the brief yet powerful time together. For more information contact Rose Herring at churchoffice@mccdc.com or 202-638-7373.
TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY
Please join the Tuesday Night Bible Study from 7-8pm in the Welcome Hall. A time of community, fun learning and sharing. For more information please contact Dale Madyun-Baskerville at churchoffice@mccdc.com or 202-638-7373.
CHURCH NEWS
LANDSCAPING MORNING of SERVICE
9am-1pm, Saturday, October 8th!
Join other MCCers to beautify our church’s property in preparation for Easter and Spring. We’ll rake and collect debris, trim bushes, pull weeds, plant flowers and make our church and neighborhood prettier for the Spring. We’ll have fun while we work … and it is a great way to connect with other MCCers! If you can, please bring your landscaping tools (rakes, brooms, gloves, clippers, etc.). We’ll have some light breakfast foods to fuel us. Please RSVP to Greg Snyder, gcsnyder01@aol.com, 202-427-6313.
Ministry Leader Meeting
The Bi-Monthly Ministry Leader meeting will be held on Oct 5from 7-8:15. Please ensure your ministry is represented at this important meeting as we will be reviewing the 2016 budget and other requirements. Please contact Rev Cathy should you have questions or require additional information. RevCathy@mccdc.com or 202-638-7373.
NEXT MEMBERSHIP CLASS TO TAKE PLACE OCTOBER 23
If you have questions about MCCDC and what membership is about, class will be held on October 23rd from 12:30 to 2:30 in the lower level conference room. All are welcome to attend. A light lunch will be served. PLEASE register so that we may have enough food and materials. Contact Rev Cathy at revcathy@mccdc.com or 202-638-7373.
Gender Neutral Restrooms Coming Soon
We are pleased to announce MCCDC will be implementing gender neutral restrooms. In early August, we will replace the “Men” and “Women” signs with signs indicating our restrooms are gender neutral. Some time ago, the Board approved moving to gender neutral restrooms for our church. The Trustees began working on implementing this decision.
They met and discussed developing new signage and the types of locks to put on the exterior doors to the main floor restrooms. As they were discussing these matters, a clear and strong consensus developed among the Trustees that we need to implement true gender neutral restrooms and simply replace the signage and not install locks on the exterior entrance doors to the restrooms on the main level. The trustees shared this approach with the Board.
Everyone should feel not only welcomed in our church, but each person should feel that they truly belong here. This decision reflects our mission. The plan is to install signage that clearly indicates our restrooms are available to everyone and will display a depiction of either two toilets or one toilet and one urinal. The signs will inform people of the types of facilities available in each particular restroom.
The two restrooms on the lower level will remain private (locking) single occupancy use for people preferring that option.
If you have questions or comments to share about this change, please share them with the trustees know at trustees@mccdc.com or feel free to visit with them when you see them at church.
“I hope that everybody gets a chance to be who and what they are. I just know if I have to pee, I don’t care where it’s going to be.” — Dolly Parton, in the Advocate, June 6, 2016.
