Join us on Sunday, August 8 as we welcome Indiana Black Pride for our annual Community Worship Celebration! Highlights of the day include:

• Special guest speaker Rev. Candy Holmes! She has been part of MCC since 1987 and is a gifted preacher, healer, and musical director. She is known for her justice and ecumenical work.
• Songs by the Gospel Choir!
• A soul food potluck after the 11:00 am service! Main dishes will be provided. If you plan to take part in the potluck, please bring a side dish or dessert to share.

Rev. Holmes was a guest in the Oval Office when President Obama signed an executive order granting Federal employees with same-sex partners extended benefits on June 17, 2009. Official White House Photographer Pete Souza.

Pride Season is fast approaching and we’re going to work together to make it better than ever! Here are some ways you can participate:

• We will march in the Indy Pride parade on June 12, and would like as many of us as possible to join in, wearing a Jesus MCC t-shirt. More shirts will be available in the church bookstore on May 30, in sizes from Youth Small to 6XL.
• We’re looking for a few folks to staff the church booth at the Festival. Shifts will be two to three hours, and two or three people will be assigned to each shift. There’s no “proselytizing” involved—booth staff will pass out brochures, answer questions, and mostly, just be friendly.
• New this year: LGBT Family Picnic at Eagle Creek Park, also on June 12. Jesus MCC is a sponsor of this event, and we’ll have a church booth there, same as at the Pride Festival.
• Our Choirs and Instrumentalists will perform a three-song set at the Indy Pride Festival. Look for them on the main stage at 11:45 pm!
• We’re exploring the possibility of having a float in the parade next year. We want to put our heads together and explore ideas.

If you want to be part of any of these activities, please email David Squire.

Jesus MCC's group in the 2009 Indy Pride Parade.

Jesus MCC's Band and Choirs perform at Indy Pride.

As a congregation on the move, we want to be as diverse in age as we are in ethnicity and gender. To help move us toward greater diversity, we would like to invite all who are 35 and under to a focus group on Sunday, June 13, following the 11:00 am service. A pizza lunch will be provided.

Join Jeff and Melody for lunch and give us your insights into the ways we can move forward together to provide stellar ministry. We need to hear directly from you so be sure to be there!

Please let us know you’re coming so we can plan accordingly. You can register with the form in Sunday’s Weekly News, or email Melody Merida.

The AIDS Walk supports services and programs that help more than 10,000 Hoosiers with HIV/AIDS. Funds raised will provide assistance with shelter, utilities, food, medicine, and other daily living needs. The funds are managed by the Greg Powers/Direct Emergency Financial Assistance Fund (DEFA).

Won’t you sign up today to be part of Team JMCC? Your participation can make a huge difference to people right here in Indiana. The walk is Saturday October 10, 1:00 pm at University Park. You can join the team or make a donation online, or sign up and get details at church on Sunday.

If you can’t walk (or don’t want to) you can participate by gathering pledges or sponsoring someone else. You’re even welcome to join the team on Saturday for the team picture, turn in your pledges, and not walk, if that’s what you’d prefer. Our goal is to raise funds to help those in need!

As you may know, Fred Phelps and the Westboro Church have announced plans to picket at North Central High School’s production of The Laramie Project, a play about how the brutal slaying of University of Wyoming student Matt Shepard impacted an entire community.

You can read North Central Principal C E Quandt’s letter to students, families, and the community here.

He has requested, “all parents and community members to ignore the protesters, if you see them. Do not draw attention to them, do not engage with them, and do not give them any undue publicity.”

The best way we can counter this protest is to attend the play. Performances will be this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (September 24-26) at 7:00 pm at the North Central High School Auditorium. Tickets are $7 at the door.

The Jewish Community Center has also been mentioned as a possible site of a Phelps protest. They have also requested that there be no counter-protest or interaction of any kind with protesters.