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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Join us July 20 at 7:00 pm as our Indiana Fever battle the Detroit Shock! Jesus MCC’s choir will perform the National Anthem and children from the church will have a chance to receive a ball from a player! Tickets are available at the Fever web site and at the box office.

This report was submitted by our Lay Delegate, Curtis Boyd.

Metropolitan Community Church’s 23rd General Conference was held July 2-6 in Scottsdale, AZ at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Although the Princess is a very large hotel and conference center, almost all of the MCC conference events were held in one main building, thus minimizing the walking between daily events — a good thing when it is 117 degrees outside!

The conference was well attended, with about 1,400 people present. That makes this the largest General Conference to date.

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This past week, our denomination, Metropolitan Community Churches, held its triennial General Conference, with delegates gathering from across the globe in Phoenix, Arizona.

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Pastor Jeff Miner serves as Chair of our denomination’s Board of Administration (BOA).

The BOA is responsible for the financial and business affairs of MCC, and has been working hard to restructure MCC’s finances. Several months ago, they completed the sale of MCC’s headquarters building in Los Angeles, which has appreciated significantly since it was purchased about ten years ago

Selling the building has allowed the BOA to: (a) reduce expenses; (b) eliminate virtually all debt; (c) create an emergency cash reserve; and (d) establish MCC’s first-ever endowment fund. The BOA’s actions were enthusiastically received by delegates at General Conference. You can read Jeff’s full report to the Conference.

If you are a GLBT Christian, where do you turn to find spiritual books and resources to support your life journey? The truth is, you have very few options. At Jesus MCC, we’re determined to change that. We’re committed to a long-term goal of generating resources that can support GLBT Christians across the globe.

To that end, several years ago, we formed a publishing house known as Found Pearl Press that is staffed by volunteers from our congregation The first big project was publication of The Children Are Free: Reexamining the Biblical Evidence on Same-sex Relationships, which has become one of the best-selling books on homosexuality and the Bible. In fact, demand is so high, we’re now in our fourth printing, and within a couple months the book will also be available in Spanish!

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The Interfaith Coalition on Nondiscrimination is partnering with the film Inlaws & Outlaws to raise awareness of the importance of GLBT family recognition. This new film will be shown on July 17 at 7:00 pm at Jesus MCC. Tickets are $10, and can be purchased in advance at the church on Sundays. All proceeds benefit ICON.  Watch the trailer:

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Would Jesus Discriminate? Round 3

People have heard it preached for years that homosexuals are condemned as wicked and perverse people but for many there’s a quiet voice that asks a nagging question — how does such a hateful message square with religious teachings that stress love and full acceptance?

Rev. Jeff Miner, Senior Pastor of Jesus Metropolitan Community Church, Indianapolis, believes that quiet voice in our hearts and minds is trying to tell us something about the difference between bigotry and religious truth.

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Discipleship Classes are for anyone who wants to put faith into practice in all areas of life—to learn to be a follower (disciple) of Jesus. New classes begin each calendar quarter. Third-quarter Discipleship Classes begin the week of July 8. If you’ve not taken any of the Discipleship Classes, we recommend beginning with 101: Building a Close Relationship with God. It’s a great foundation for the others.

Offered this quarter:

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Do you feel called to share Jesus’ love with the world in a more tangible way? Our Church has begun to develop a strategy that will enable us to do just that.

Last fall, many of us participated in a Prayer Vigil for Darfur. Our hearts were moved, but we also sensed that we needed to get much better organized to respond on a practical level. Prayer is not enough; action is required.

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We’re getting ready for Avalanche Ranch, this summer’s amazing western-themed Vacation Bible School. It’ll happen on the evenings of June 25 to 29. Read the rest of this entry »

We’re in the process of searching for a Minister of Congregational Care. Applications will be accepted through July 8, 2007. If you’re interested or know someone who might be, you can get a copy of the position posting.