It’s pretty amazing, really, that any of us are able to sustain relationships. Yet we do. Some of us enjoy long, meaningful, rich relationships full of love and life. Others of us live in cocoons where we protect our love from what we perceive as harmful forces such as employers, churches, neighbors, families, and our friends. No one knows our love exists. Yet it does. More of us, however, weave our way in and out of relationships seeking answers and understanding. Searching. Floundering. Fearing. Exploring. Enjoying. Wondering… Am I meant to settle down, to commit forever? Is it possible to create life-long relationships? Is there anyone sane out there to date? If so, where are they?

Join Michele O’Mara, LCSW, on January 19 from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm here at the church to learn some of the following important lessons about love and relationships:

• Understand love and attraction and the impact of body chemistry on love,
• Identify the natural and healthy stages of relationship development,
• Know your personal relationship vision and how to attract and keep the partner you desire, and
• Develop basic how-to steps for your personal relationship success.

Registration
Cost is $30 per person, and partial scholarships are available. To register, go to Michele O’Mara’s website and register for Relationship Workshop 101.

If you need a scholarship, please see Melody Merida, or contact her at mmerida@jesusmcc.org or (317) 722-0000.

This workshop is required for those who are planning weddings or Holy Unions at Jesus MCC in 2008!

Last week we launched our national search for a Worship Arts Minister! You can download a complete job description and posting . Please share this with anyone you think may be interested.

Our search will be aggressively proactive. We will post throughout our denomination, in all regional music schools, and on web sites for church musicians and worship leaders. We will also actively network through musicians and worship leaders who are known to us personally. If you have a good lead, please email pastorjeff@jesusmcc.org.

Applications will be accepted through January 31 and interviews conducted in February, with a view toward making a selection in March. In the interim, our worship music program and choirs will be led by our accompanist, Jason Saylor. Jason is a gifted, formally trained musician who is generously taking on these extra duties despite working a very demanding full-time job.

We are searching for someone who can help us take our already wonderful worship services to a new level of impact, building on the foundation laid over the past decade. Let’s each of us begin now to lift prayers that God will bring us exactly the right person!

Great news! Our sermon webcast is now up and running! Each Sunday’s sermon is now posted by Wednesday of that week.

Many thanks go to everyone who has contributed to make this happen, including our Media Team, which does incredible work each week! Please lift this endeavor in prayer — may it reach out to those who are seeking a message of God’s love.

Still to come:

• Television-style intro and exit segments.
• a software upgrade that will improve several functions.
• same-day access: soon, we’ll have a team in place that will make the video and audio sermons available on Sunday afternoon. If you’d like to be part of this technical, behind-the-scenes team, please email the web manager.

Check out the webcast here: JesusMCC.org/listen/

We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions — please email or call the office.

Mark your calendar! If you have questions, please email the church office or call (317) 722-0000.

Our traditional Giving Tree items are available for you to take from the tree in the social hall. We’ll buy gifts for Indiana Youth Group and clients of the Damien Center.

Couples’ social event: Holiday Progressive Dinner on Saturday, December 1, at 6:00 pm. As of November 18, this event has sold out!

First Sunday of Advent is December 2.

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A week of hard work — housing repairs and working with adults and children with developmental disabilities — and building friendships and sharing the love of Christ. Jesus MCC’s first-ever missions trip is summarized in the photos below.

Click a thumbnail for larger images and more information.

There’s nothing more important to our church than your spiritual growth. Whether you’re just starting to explore the Christian faith, or you’re a long-time follower of Jesus, we want to do everything we can to help you on your spiritual journey.

That’s why we need your help.

We’re asking you to go to the link given below to take the REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey, which asks questions about your spiritual life and the role Jesus MCC plays in it. This survey is a unique research effort that involves hundreds of churches around the country.

The survey touches on a wide range of thought-provoking issues, and will take about 20 minutes to complete.

• This survey is completely anonymous. An expert third-party research organization will aggregate your input with responses from thousands of other people, so your survey will not be viewed individually.
• You will not be solicited for any products or services as a result of taking this survey.
• Your email address will not be distributed to another party.

We’ll close the survey on November 26 and begin crunching and interpreting the information. Take the survey here.

If you run into problems while taking the survey, please email lori@revealnow.com.

If you have questions about Jesus MCC’s participation in this survey, email dsquire@jesusmcc.org, or call the church office.

October 23, 2007
Day Four
Our team has limited internet access, but they are trying to see what they can do to send updates.

One of the team members, in a brief phone call, indicated that today went very well at the two homes where they are working, and three people will start helping with the disabled tomorrow.

The Missions Team on location — day one.

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Over the summer, our Church has been searching for a new Minister of Congregational Care. We have now completed a methodical, detailed search process — and are ready to make an exciting announcement.

Pastor Jeff and the Board of Directors have reached an enthusiastic and unanimous decision to hire Melody Merida as our new Minister of Congregational Care!

Read on to get to know Melody and understand why we are so excited.

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World Missions Day 2007!

September 23 is Jesus MCC’s first-ever World Missions Day! Our morning services will feature Pastor Nan Erbaugh from Lower Miami Church of the Brethren, Dayton, Ohio. Nan will give us an overview of the critical situation in Sudan, based on her travels with the New Community Project. The evening service will feature the Director of the New Community Project, David Radcliff, who will talk about how we can connect with a community in Sudan and show the love of Christ by meeting practical needs. After the evening service, David will share dinner in the Social Hall and answer questions.

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Today marks the ten-year service anniversary for our Minister of Worship, Julie Benson. As we look back over those ten years of faithful service, we give thanks!

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Jesus MCC’s first-ever World Missions Day is coming September 23! We will hear from two special guest speakers about the needs of communities in Sudan and about the New Community Project, an exciting global outreach organization that helps churches partner with communities in need, to offer the love of Christ by meeting practical needs. Our church is considering working with the New Community Project, so you won’t want to miss this special service!

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On Sunday evening, August 26, members of Jesus MCC’s Homeless Ministry and their guests attended Horizon House’s annual fundraiser, “Tackling Homelessness,” sponsored in part by Colts player Hunter Smith. The event was held at the Colt’s training facility, and featured a performance by the Christian rock group, Connersvine, Hunter Smith’s band. Several other Colts players, including Jeff Saturday and Dallas Clark were on hand to take pictures with people and to sign autographs.

But one of the highlights of the evening came when Joe Slaughter of Herff Jones got up to speak and present the Community Partner Award, which was given to Jesus MCC’s Homeless Ministry. (Herff Jones received the award in 2006.)

Homeless Ministry leader Charlotte Egler receives the Community Partner Award from Joe Slaughter of Herff Jones.

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Fellowship Galactica kicks off September 6 at David Wene and David Squire’s home. We’ll meet to watch an episode of Battlestar Galactica, and use that as a springboard for discussion about spirituality, morality, religion, and life in general.

We meet at 7:00 pm on September 6, 13, and 27, then on the first and third Thursdays in following months. Pick up a flyer at the info kiosk at church on Sunday, or contact Dave Wene at davidwene@hotmail.com for directions.

1. Where are we in the search process?

We posted the position of Minister of Congregational Care on May 27 and the application period closed July 8. Applications are now being evaluated and interviews conducted. Nine applications were received from a wonderful array of candidates, some from our church, but most from across MCC and other denominations.

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The Missions Board has scheduled our first-ever Missions Trip! Volunteers from Jesus MCC will be traveling to the Navajo Nation in New Mexico October 20-27, 2007 to share the love of Christ through completion of service projects. Clear your calendars for this monumental event!

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On August 26, at the 9:30 am and 11:00 am services, we will be celebrating our amazing children and youth! The celebration will include:

• Offering a prayer of blessing for our children, for our Children’s Church team, and for all the people in our church who are a part of the public and private educational system,
• Children and youth will participate in the worship service, and
• Third-graders will receive Bibles.

If you have a third-grader, please fill out the form in Sunday’s bulletin or email us with your child’s name and your name. We want to identify all of our third-graders so we can be sure they all receive a Bible.

Nuvo Newsweekly readers have voted Jesus MCC as “best place of worship” in Nuvo’s annual Best of Indy poll.

Many thanks to everyone who voted, and way to go, church!

You’re Invited…

to the Tackling Homelessness Fundraiser for Horizon House.

You can interact with Colts players, be entertained by Connersvine (Hunter Smith’s band), participate in silent and live auctions, and enjoy a BBQ buffet. It’s on Sunday, August 26, 6:00 pm at the Colts Training Facility, 7001 W 56th St.

We would like to have a table or two of people from JMCC. Tickets can be purchased for $85 by contacting Emmeline Sparks at (317) 423-8909 × 528 or rds@horizonhouse.cc. Dress is casual. For more information about this event or the Homeless Ministry, contact Charlotte Egler via the church: friends@jesusmcc.org or (317) 722-0000.

Are you partnered, or plan to get married some time this year? Are you single, but hope that a relationship will be in your future? Then this workshop is for you!

This workshop, Healthy Relationship for Gay Men and Lesbians, is an intensive, personalized four-hour class that will help you prepare for and create outstanding relationships. It will be presented by Michele O’Mara, LCSW, who specializes in counseling same-sex couples.

If you plan to get married in the next year, this workshop is strongly recommended! The workshop takes place Saturday, August 11, from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm at the church. Cost is $30 per person, and scholarships are available. Register with the form in Sunday’s bulletin, or online at Michele O’Mara’s website.

by Theresa Benson, member of the Homeless Ministry

I was talking to a few friends from Silicon Valley last week, and they were telling me how the heat out there has really shocked the system — the highs are blowing away the average temperatures by 20 degrees or more, and a lot of homes don’t have central air conditioning. Governor Schwarzenegger has opened “cooling centers” in public buildings to try to help people cope, but for a lot of people, it still means a lot of hot, uncomfortable nights at home. One woman I saw interviewed on the news said the temperature inside her home had reached 90 degrees!

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