This Week’s Reflection

Another sleepless night
Praying hope comes with the morning light
Right now you’re feeling like you’ve lost this fight
And fear is screaming out your name
So you say “God help me!”
You wonder if God’s even listening
Truth is, I’ve wondered the very same thing
So, you don’t have to feel shame
Let me walk with you through this valley
And tell you all that I’ve learned to be true
Don’t lose heart, Don’t you dare let go
I’ve been where you are, You are not alone
I know it gets shadowy, I know it gets hard
But we’re gonna make it home, So don’t lose heart
~Steven Curtis Chapman

Persistence, endurance, perseverance. Such traits are needed, especially at times like these when the landscapes of our lives seem to change at a moment’s notice. We need focus, strength, trust, and faith to endure. As you move along, living your life, do you ever find yourself wishing for a change, hoping for something different, looking behind at what might have been? Or perhaps life seems like a blur, moving so fast that there’s hardly time to think, plan, or relax. Perhaps you face difficult circumstances that try you to the very core of your being. Yet you persist, you endure, and you persevere because God has invited you to, and given you what you need to do so.

There are so many aspects of our lives that demand our attention. Perhaps it’s your vocation, your family, your call to ministry, your sense of duty, your strong desire for justice, your sense of outrage at the ongoing and increasing injustices around us? These are times that call for each of us to persist, endure, and persevere. Not in the sense of harming ourselves, yet in the sense of staying with our goals to fulfillment.

The gospel lesson for Sunday is Luke 18:1-8, the story of the persistent widow and the unjust judge. Jesus tells the story to encourage his followers to persist and endure in prayer. Today, in addition to the prayers of our spirits and hearts, the story can also encourage us to persist, endure, and persevere in using the prayers of our bodies in overcoming systems of injustice and inequity. We must persist in the work of educating ourselves to recognize cultures of supremacy, systems of hate, and behaviors of oppression. We can endure the setbacks to progress, while persevering in efforts to make lasting and substantive change in our world. We can learn much from the widow in this story, a person in a marginalized community who continued until she received justice.

Join us for worship on Sunday in person or online at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Eastern or on demand. We are looking forward to exploring these possibilities and praising God together with you.

Peace,
Rev. Cathy Alexander
Associate Pastor

Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. MCCDC joins the national movement to raise awareness, fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate for policies that support the millions of people affected by mental health issues.

• Sunday, May 7: “Getting Real About Mental Health” — presented by MCCDC’s Drama Ministry
• Sunday, May 14: “How Grief and Loss Impacts our Mental Health” — addressed during worship by our pastors
• Sunday, May 21: “Addition & Recovery” — presented by Volunteers of America after the 11:00 a.m. worship service
• Sunday, May 28: “Moral Injury & Mental Health” — addressed during worship by our pastors

For more information on these programs, or if you’re looking for related resources, contact Rev. Cathy at revcathy@mccdc.com.

Older Adult Ministry

MCCDC’s Older Adult Ministry will hold its next meeting at 2:00 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, May 7th to discuss our traditional summer activities: a pool party and Atlantic City trip.

Here are four ways you can join the conversation and fellowship:
• Come to the sanctuary at Fifth & Ridge NW
• Click here to open Zoom and join automatically
• Launch Zoom and enter Meeting ID 824 9552 3942
• Dial (301) 715-8592 by phone, using the same Meeting ID

Nat’s Night Out

Join your MCCDC family for Night Out at the Nationals on Tuesday, June 6th at 7:05 p.m. The Nats will play the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Tickets are $35 and include a free Nats jersey! To reserve your seat, visit donate.mccdc.com and select “Nats Tickets” from the drop-down Fund menu. Please pay no later than May 30th.

Contact Dale Madyun-Baskerville, baskerd6109@gmail.com, with any questions or to get more information.

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Facility Updates

Parking Lot Gate Repaired

We’ve recently completed repairs to our parking lot gate. It will be open for worship on Sundays. If you need access at other times, please contact Melvin in the church office.

Handicap Access

Remember also that we have a convenient, handicap-accessible entrance to our Sanctuary from the parking lot. Those doors are also unlocked for Sunday worship. Contact Melvin Moore Adams at 202-638-7373 or churchoffice@mccdc.com with questions.

Pathways 2 Generosity, Prayer #59 by Clara Carter, MCCDC Prayer Supporter

by Clara Carter, MCCDC Prayer Supporter

“Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It liberates us from the prison of self –preoccupation.” ~ John Ortberg

Dear God, we pray to always be willing to listen and obey your voice in quiet moments, and when you speak to us through spiritual leaders and angels. We are grateful for spiritual gathering places all over the world where all people can come to worship you and uplift one another. Help us draw more souls into the beloved community through your love and the great works we are assigned to do according to your purpose.

Sometimes it’s challenging to convey our gratitude when we are troubled, but help us to be grateful for everything you do. Thank you for granting us the strength and courage to keep going when the going gets tough. Gratitude is the prosperous gift that open the doors of heaven and releases blessings of peace to trust in you regardless of current circumstances being experienced.

Thank you for the wisdom to know that all things are not beneficial for us to do. Though we may be tempted, deliver us from being subdued by anyone or anything that may separate us from your love.
Praise you, God, in your many precious names. Amen.

“I have the right to do anything,” you say – but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything” – but I will not be mastered by anything. ~1 Corinthians 6:12

Estate Planning

Estate planning is important for legal, financial, and personal reasons. If you missed the recent Zoom session with attorney Michelle Lanchester, simply email revcathy@mccdc.com for a link to the recording.

Worship Volunteer

We still need volunteers to sustain in-person worship. Please visit volunteer.mccdc.com and fill out the form for the dates and positions in which you can serve your church. Have questions about roles and responsibilities? Contact Chocolatté Miller, chocolatte.miller@outlook.com

Support for Tim Helm

Beloved longtime MCCDC member Tim Helm is recovering from spinal and back wound complications at BridgePoint Hospital on Capitol Hill. Tim welcomes your calls in the afternoon and evening at (202) 368-9877.

Tim, our love and prayers are with you!
~Your MCCDC Family

Prayer Corner

Please lift the following people up during your prayer time:

Johanna Hardy• Jerry Giem • Tim Helm • Min. Diedre Gray • Bill Campbell • Denise Wright, her mother Lucy Mae Coombs and her Aunt Lottie Mae King. • Rose Williams• Cecilia Hayden-Smith and Esther Smith’s health• Delores Fowler • Vernessa D. Wilson • Family of Ms. Brittany Harrell • Veronica Franklin• Rev. Dr. Robin Hawley Gorsline • Glenn Conway • Michelle Lax •Anthony Goode • Valeria Myers’ children Chantelle & Donald • George Kerr, III • Randy Punley • Lynn Sulyma • Marcus Garnett •Renee Valentine’s brother • Arden Shutt • Evelyn Jones• Steve Sloane • Jeffrey Luckenbach • Cathy Batson’s niece Lisa • Cynthia Melman •Kim Battle • Joshua Benkins’ father Isaac •Elaine Durden-Hunter’s recnet loss of her mother Earline • Angela Terrell • Mike Washington •Carol Washington mother’s health •Angela Dodd for healing •Buck Carlson •Lolita Gleaton for healing from her cancer • Mezyi Choi request prayer for her success healing from surgery • Lost of Melvin Moore Adams’ sister Krissandra Moore •Kia Murphy • Doris Carter Washington of Alexandra, Va. request prayer • Loss of Melvin Moore Adams’ sister Krissandra Moore • Patricia Ryan due to the loss of her brother Mickey
•John Hylton • Summer Allen • Healing and recovery for our 9:00 a.m. interpreter Ashley P.

“Church Ministries & Events”

Virtual Choir

Come and join the Virtual Voices of MCC Choir! Lift your voice in our virtual rehearsals while singing from the comfort of your home. For more info, email Music Minister Deidre Mouton Gray at msdeedeemusic@gmail.com.

Spiritual Gifts, Get Involved!

Your’re invited to consider sharing your spiritual gifts by making a Scripture Reading Video or sharing a Video Testimony on what MCCDC means to you.

It does not have to be long and the AV team is standing by to help you with the video. Please email me at revdwayne@mccdc.com for more information.

Moving Spirit Dance Ministry

Come dance for God! No experience needed. Email Cathy Batson at cathybatson1@verizon.net for more information. Check out past performances on our YouTube channel, including “I Can Only Imagine” (April 2019) and “Mighty River”(February 2018).

Singing to God

Join the Virtual Voices of the MCC Choir. Lift your voice in our virtual rehearsals while singing from the comfort of your home. Email Music Minister Diedre Gray at msdeedeemusic@gmail.com

JOIN PRAYER FROM NOON TO 12:30 PM Monday thru Saturday

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7078722334

Meeting ID: 707 872 2334

The dial in is 301-715-8592

Meeting ID: 7078722334

Intercessory Prayer Team
Meets the 2nd and 4th Thursdays each month at 7 pm
Contact LaMar Jenkins at 202-750-08887

Bible Study Tuesdays at 7:00 pm Eastern

Click here to Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/434566329
or Dial: (301) 715-8592 ,Meeting ID: 434 566 329
Contact Dale Madyun-Baskerville at mccdcbiblestudy@mccdc.com for more information.

Pastoral Care Meeting
Meet 1st and 3rd Wednesday, each month at 6::30pm
Contact pastoralcare@mccdc.com for more information or interest in joining this vibrant church ministry this Fall

Writing Ministry
Meets Monthy
For more information, contact Jacqueline Laughlin at yemayah@icloud.com.

Barnabas Culture Sessions

Barnabas Culture, Session 7:00 p.m. Eastern, Thursday. Click Here to Join The Zoom Thursday Nights. For more information contact MCCDC Ministry Intern Rev. Teresa Tygart at Email preachertygart@gmail.com.

Join Us on YouTube and subscribe to the MCCDC YouTube Channel!

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