The Children’s Ministry has some exciting news to share about the upcoming fall season. Because the rotation model of learning has proven so effective in our VBS program, we are planning to adapt that same model to our weekly children’s ministry. Each week the children will rotate to a different “workshop” where they will learn by engaging in things like storytelling, cooking, computers, puppets, crafts, drama, exercise, geography, etc. It’s Sunday school that speaks to the learning styles of all children! An added bonus of the workshop format is that it allows volunteers to serve in their area of giftedness.

When the rotation model begins on August 14, each child (Preschool to 5th grade) will be checked in to their classroom before the start of worship and checked out of their classrooms at the close of worship by the adult who brought them. With our increasing numbers it is important that we make these changes to ensure all children are exactly where they should be.

Because there is so much information to share about this exciting transition, we will hold an information session for all parents, families, and volunteers on Sunday July 24, right after the 11:00 am service. If you want to know more about the model and how it will impact your children, please plan to attend the session! Questions? Contact Melody Merida at (317) 722-0000 × 102 or send her an email.

In June, David Zier appeared before an MCC panel in Chicago and was formally approved for ordination and licensure as an MCC Pastor. David’s ordination ceremony will take place at LifeJourney Church on Sunday evening July 17 at 6:00 pm. All are invited!

Several years ago, David felt called to step away from his career as a biomedical engineer to go to seminary. In May of 2010, David graduated with an M.Div. from Earlham School of Religion, where he was recognized as a Tom Mullen Merit Scholar. After seminary, David turned his attention to completing several additional requirements for MCC ordination, including an internship at another Church (West Richmond Friends, Richmond, Indiana), and a chaplaincy internship at an Indianapolis hospital. Those requirements were completed in May of this year.

In June, David began serving full-time at LifeJourney Church as our Minister of Outreach and Development. Since David is married to Pastor Jeff, he serves without pay, and his work is reviewed and evaluated by the Personnel Subcommittee of the Board of Directors. Having a full-time professional volunteer pastor is an extraordinary opportunity for our Church, and we are extremely grateful for David’s generosity!

Along with Jeff, Melody, and Vivian, David now carries the full responsibilities of a pastoral staff member, including worship leadership, pastoral care, spiritual counsel, teaching, and occasional preaching. David’s responsibilities include oversight of our SoulShift Program, chairing our Missions Board, staff liaison to our Outreach Ministry Teams, developing healthy living programs for our congregation, overseeing a new house church program for people who live far from our Church, and providing spiritual direction for clergy trainees. David is developing an expertise in spiritual direction in a two year training program offered by the Indianapolis Benedictine Monastery.

David will preach at our morning services on Sunday, July 17. The Rite of Ordination will take place that evening at 6:00 pm. The ordination ceremony will include remarks from two of David’s professors, video presentations, special music, and refreshments.

We are excited to celebrate the beginning of David’s tenure as pastoral staff at LifeJourney Church!

This short, focused class is for couples who want the opportunity to practice communication skills. The class will meet on July 11, 18, 25, and August 1 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm in Room 1 at the church.

Learning will involve practical tips and feedback while getting hands-on experience practicing communication skills in a group setting. You will learn ways to talk to each other, listen, and develop a better understanding of yourself and your partner.

Open to all couples, registration is required. Donations to the CTS Counseling Center will be accepted, but you are welcome regardless of your ability to pay. Referrals to therapists will be available if issues arise that are beyond the scope of the class or if couples want to continue their work after the class ends.

You can register with the form in Sunday’s Weekly News, or by contacting Melody Merida.

This week our Board of Directors voted unanimously to present an employment offer to Vivian Wyatt, and Vivian accepted! She begins Sunday, June 19!

In February, we set an ambitious goal to bring Vivian on staff to increase the loving care provided to our congregation and expand our ministries and outreach. We launched the Great Pioneer III Campaign to increase weekly giving to make this possible. Thanks to the incredible generosity of many, our goal has been met!

This is a monumental achievement. Way to go Church! The Directors want to say a special thanks to all who are participating in Great Pioneer III!

Most of us came to know and love Vivian when she served as a clergy intern at our Church for nine months during the 2009-2010 school year. Last month Vivian graduated from seminary with a Master of Divinity degree. She also holds a Master’s degree in spiritual counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University. Before that, Vivian had a successful career as an accountant.

Vivian’s new title is Minister of Care and Business Administration. As the title suggests, she will have two primary areas of responsibility. She will oversee our pastoral care work, including Deacons, pastoral care team, member tracking, grief support, weddings, funerals, and more. Drawing on her business background, Vivian will also oversee various business operations of the Church, including office volunteers and building operations.

For a complete list of Vivian’s duties and the duties of other staff, see this document. This staffing analysis highlights all the new and expanded activities that will be made possible by the addition of Vivian, together with the recent addition of David Zier’s volunteer position. To be part of Great Pioneer III, download this form.

People regularly contact us from across the globe to say how much they love our sermon webcasts, daily devotionals, books, and other published materials. We’ve received emails and letters from all over the United States, England, Australia, Saudi Arabia, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and on and on. Many say that we are their Church — their spiritual lifeline — because they don’t have a viable option where they live.

In response to all this feedback, we feel called to provide more intentional support for our “global members.” So we’re developing a complete package of spiritual resources that will include:

• An upgraded sermon webcast with higher quality video and sound. Our new system will also enable us to offer musical portions of our worship service.
• Daily online meditations called Be Still and Know — which are already available on our web site.
• Weekly online “Going Deeper” Oasis Groups that feature discussions of Sunday’s sermon and offer face-to-face video contact. Imagine the power of being able to participate in a weekly spiritual small group from anywhere in the world!
• Participation in our annual Soul Care Planning process. Remote participants will receive the same prayer support and encouragement throughout the year as local members.
• Pastoral counseling support via phone or internet from a staff minister. We plan to hire Pastor Vivian Wyatt to perform this role for our global members and to coordinate the care they receive.
• Staff support for house churches that may form in your area using resources provided by our Church. Our Minister of Outreach David Zier will support this function.
• Prayer chain support for important prayer requests you wish to share.
• Remote service opportunities such as participating in our prayer chain and other ministries that allow for online participation.

Our goal is to go as far as possible toward providing our global members with the same level of connection and support as members living in Indianapolis.

To accomplish this, we need your help! In recent weeks, we’ve challenged our local members to increase their weekly giving to enable us to implement the plan described above.

Now we’re turning to our remote users — people like yourself — to ask if you will help us reach and maintain this goal. If you are blessed by the resources our Church provides, and if you would like to help us increase the support we offer people like yourself, please consider becoming a regular electronic giver — at any level.

Just go to www.LifeJourneyChurch.cc/donate. Electronic givers can always adjust or stop their giving, at a moments notice, at that same link.

If we reach our financial goal soon, we will be able to implement most of the pieces of our remote membership plan this summer. Let’s make sure LGBTQ people everywhere can get the spiritual support they need! Thank you for considering this important ministry outreach.

In Christ,
Pastor Jeff

We are unveiling our brand new pastoral training program, which has been developed in partnership with our denomination, the Metropolitan Community Churches. This new program is a key objective in our 25-Year Strategic Plan. The 25-Year Plan calls for us to become a center for training clergy who want to lead churches like ours — i.e., Emerging Churches that attempt to blend the best of both Progressive and Evangelical Christianity.

Our program is meant to supplement, not replace, traditional academic preparation for pastors. Those accepted into our program will spend two years with us, learning patterns for successful ministry in an intensive hands-on apprenticeship. Admission will be limited to a few select students who can demonstrate exceptional potential and strong leadership skills. Upon completion of our program, students will be eligible for ordination in MCC and receive job placement support from our Church.

We have already begun active recruiting throughout MCC and at schools like Anderson University, Wheaton College, and Earlham School of Religion, and will soon begin efforts at other schools. Our goal is to admit our first students and launch training by the end of 2011.

You can help by spreading word about the program. If you know someone who might be interested, please direct them to the LifeJourney Pastoral Training section of our website: LifeJourneyChurch.cc/pastoraltraining.

First Lady Wanda and Pastor Davis share a wonderful marriage and a thriving church. But when the stresses of an upcoming women’s revival looms, secrets, lies, and redemption take center stage in this joyful musical.

June 3 and 4, 7:30 pm, at LifeJourney Church.

Written and directed by Michael Drain; original music by Stephen Martin.

Starring Vanessa Waters, Michael Drain, Tina Johnson-McCrackin, Stephen J. Martin, and Dawn McCrackin. Accompianed by Carol Upshaw.

If giving holds steady, we are now less than 15 days from hiring Vivian Wyatt as a staff minister!

Since we launched the Great Pioneer III Campaign, average weekly giving over the past 3 months has increased to $9,641, slightly exceeding our goal of $9,500. Even post-Easter giving has remained at that level. This is a major accomplishment! So far, no summer slump! But June will be a major test. Last year it was our lowest-giving month.

Remember, electronic giving is the best way to ensure that your giving is steady, even when you’re away on travel. Almost half our offering every Sunday now comes electronically, and that is making a HUGE difference for our Church’s financial stability. If you’re a regular giver, please consider making the switch to electronic giving. It’s easy to start and can always be adjusted by you at a moment’s notice. Just go to LifeJourneyChurch.cc/donate.

Registration for both Camp Forust Summer Camp and Pandamania Vacation Bible School are underway!

Pandamania VBS is free and open to children 3 to 13. It will take place June 20 to 24 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm at the church.

Camp Forust is $225 per child and is open to children aged 8 and older. Camp will be July 11 to 15 at a campground near Spring Mill State Park.

Registration forms will be available at church this Sunday. Questions? Please contact Melody Merida, Minister of Congregational Life.

The Indianapolis Pride Parade and Festival is on June 11, and we’re going to work together to make it better than ever! Here are some ways to participate:

• We will march in the Indy Pride parade, and would like as many of us as possible to join in, wearing a LifeJourney Church t-shirt. Shirts are available in the bookstore at church, in sizes from youth small to 4XL.
• We would like to find a “balloon coordinator.” This person would be responsible for inflating and distributing balloons before the parade.
• 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.

If you want to be part of any of these activities, please fill out the form in Sunday’s Weekly News, or contact David Squire. We’ll get more details out to you as the date approaches.

We’ll be traveling to the Navajo Nation in New Mexico September 24 – October 1, to share the love of Christ by building new homes for Navajo families who are in great need. The home building project includes activities such as framing, drywall, insulation, painting, and flooring.

We will be working at the Southwest Indian Foundation (SWIF) warehouse in Gallup, New Mexico. We’ll be staying at the Sacred Heart Retreat Center, just a few miles from SWIF, for the duration of our trip.

The total cost of participation for this trip is $875 per person, which includes airfare, ground transportation, food, and lodging. Thanks to the incredible generosity of the congregation and the growth of our Missions program, the church will be able to fund part of the trip cost ($350) for each missionary.

Applications with deposit ($300) and background check forms are due May 22! To request an application or get more info, fill out the form in Sunday’s Weekly News, or contact Donna Hays via the church office.

What does love look like in action? This new Oasis will explore that question by using the Going Deeper guides each week as a foundation for exploration. This group will connect their learning with doing; there will be active work in the community to put love into action. The Oasis leader is Tommy Chittenden.

Please join us and discover what “Love Looks Like”! The group will meet each Thursday evening beginning May 5 at 7:00 pm at the church. If you need more info, please contact the church office.

For a list of all Oasis groups, see this page or the flyer at the info kiosk.

Maundy Thursday, April 21, 7:00 pm: Now You’ve Gone Too Far!

Jesus had questionable friendships, and the religious authorities — sometimes even his disciples — didn’t approve.

As we look candidly at Jesus’ life journey and some of his scandalous friendships, we’ll examine how we should be able to do the same. When should we break the rules? When should we forgo decorum for honesty and rage? When does love call us to cross barriers of safety, appearance, and loyalty?

Good Friday, April 22, 7:00 pm: How Powerful Is the Cross?

Christ went to the cross for his betrayer, for the battalion of soldiers who would kill him, for the politicians who would acquiesce to their constituencies, for the dear friend who would fail him.
Did he love these people any more or any less than you or me? Did he judge them? Can we love these people as Christ did? Because these people are still in our world today! In our workplace, in our church, in our government — anywhere there is humankind.

What is God calling you to do with those who challenge your relationships, your humanness, and your fitness to be a child of God? How does love respond?

Easter Egg Hunt, April 23, 10:00 am

We’ll celebrate Easter with the kids with our annual Easter Egg Hunt! This event is for children ages two and older. We will be coloring eggs, playing Easter-themed games, having a bunny hop sack race, and of course hunting for hundreds of colorful eggs. Bring a friend to join us too! If you have questions contact Melody at mmerida@lifejourneychurch.cc

Easter Sunday, April 24, 9:30 and 11:00 am

Join us as we celebrate the power of Christ’s resurrection!

The Homeless Ministry has been working through some significant changes over the last few months. Horizon House — the terrific day shelter we’ve supported for several years — has had to reduce their operating hours, and they’re now closed on Saturdays. That makes it impossible for most of the Homeless Ministry Team to participate in our usual service opportunities. We will continue to support Horizon House with donations — see the list below.

The Team worked diligently over the last three months to find a new service opportunity that respected both our commitment to service as well as our cultural diversity. We are pleased to announce a new affiliation with The Dayspring Center, located at 16th Street and Central Avenue. The Dayspring Center is a 24-hour shelter providing temporary lodging for families with children under the age of 18.

We will be able to serve in many ways at the Dayspring Center in addition to our traditional kitchen duties, with opportunities to serve at the front desk, playroom, donation receiving and sorting, cleaning, and in the summer in their garden and with the summer camp. Our initial focus will continue to be with the kitchen assistance, but we hope to expand our ministry into other areas as the Spirit leads team members into those paths.

Our team members have committed to cooking and serving breakfast on the third Saturday of each month, and we expect to add another Saturday breakfast or lunch in the very near future, as more of the current team is brought up to speed.

All of our Homeless Ministry volunteers who work with The Dayspring Center begin by attending one of the Center’s orientation sessions. At the end of orientation, you will be invited to consider making a commitment to serving the center on a specific day and time.

If you’re interested in being part of this new phase of Homeless Ministry, please contact either April Kerulis or Greg McMullen via the church office.

We will continue to support Horizon House by collecting:

• deodorant, razors, tooth brushes, toothpaste, and lotion,
• new men’s socks and underwear, and
• new or gently used men’s pants (sizes 32-36) and men’s tennis shoes (size 9 and up)

Donations can be left in the closet next to Room 2 in the tote marked Homeless Ministry. Please do not bring items other than what’s listed. Thanks!

Around fifty people from Jesus MCC filled the Indiana Senate chamber gallery today to protest the passage of HJR6, legislation that would amend Indiana’s Constitution to discriminate against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.

They disrupted the proceedings with chants of “Stop hating, stop dividing, stop pandering!” and “Wrong side of history!” Pastor Jeff Miner was escorted out of the Senate chamber shortly after the protests began, and not long after the entire group was ordered to leave and escorted out. They held a brief prayer gathering in the Capitol Rotunda.

The protest was covered by Fox59 and the Indianapolis Star, so look for a report on tonight’s news, in tomorrow’s Star, or on their websites.

Posted on Monday afternoon
Fox59.com: Church organizes protest against gay marriage amendment ban.
IndyStar.com: Ind. Senate gallery closes after gay-wed outbursts

For more information contact

Rev. Jeff Miner
Jesus Metropolitan Community Church
2950 East 55th Place
Indianapolis, IN 46220
www.JesusMCC.org
(317) 260-9620

Released Monday morning, March 28, 2011.

When the Indiana Senate convenes today, a large group will be present to vigorously protest Senate action on H.J.R. 6 — legislation that would amend Indiana’s Constitution to discriminate against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.

The protest is being organized by Jesus Metropolitan Community Church, Indianapolis. Many congregants will take time off work to travel to the Statehouse to “bear spiritual witness” against the legislation.

Rev. Jeff Miner, Senior Pastor, says, “At a time when our State faces so many challenges, I can’t believe the Republican Party of Indiana is insisting on legislation that promotes hate and division. What they’re doing is evil. It’s pandering to the religious right. Using the Constitution to target a group of people for discrimination is un-American and un-Christian. In our country, all people should be treated equally under the law.”

Protestors will carry signs asking: “Would Jesus discriminate?”

Their protest chants will include: “Stop hating, stop dividing, stop pandering!”; “Wrong side of history!”; and “Jobs, not hate!”

Melody Merida, Minister of Congregational Care, says, “In the past, every time legislators have voted to discriminate, history has judged them harshly. We want to remind our legislators that both God and history will hold them accountable for their vote. Sometimes the legislature tries to do something so wrong, so awful, God’s people have to cry out against it.”

Jesus Metropolitan Community Church is a congregation of 400 located on the northeast side of Indianapolis. We are a church that is passionate about Jesus and serious about the Bible. Because of that, we celebrate the full diversity of God’s creation. We believe Christians should be leading the charge for equality, not resisting it.

We need 50 people from Jesus MCC (and beyond) who are willing to pack the Senate balcony this coming Monday from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Can you be 1 of the 50?

On March 23, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send H.R. 6, without amendment, to the full Senate for a vote on Monday. H.R. 6 will begin a process to amend Indiana’s Constitution to deny LGBT couples equal protection under the law. Using the Constitution to deny rights is as low as it gets.

Although the Senate is certain to vote in favor, we have a spiritual obligation to bear witness against this evil act. We also want to send a signal that, if legislators continue to push forward in this process, they will pay a heavy price.

Our plan is to pack the balcony and chant slogans until we’re ordered to leave the balcony. Once that happens, we’ll chant outside the governor’s office, then hold a brief prayer vigil in the rotunda. (We will not do anything illegal or anything that could lead to arrest. This will be a peaceful demonstration.)

If you can be there (Monday, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm), please email pastorjeff@jesusmcc.org ASAP! We need a minimum of 50.

There will be an organizing meeting for participants at church Sunday evening at 6:00 pm to make sure everyone knows what to expect, and is well coordinated, for Monday. Please share this email with any inside and outside the church who might be interested.

(An earlier version of this notice included incorrect times. The times listed above are correct.)

With our new name comes a new URL:

www.LifeJourneyChurch.cc

All of our email addresses change, too: info@jesusmcc.org has become info@lifejourneychurch.cc, and so on.

Both old and new URLs point you to the church website, and email sent to old addresses will be forwarded. We plan to keep “jesusmcc.org” in place as a redirect for a very long time.

With a change like this, there are bound to be a few bumps in the road. If you see something on the site that appears to be malfunctioning, please contact David Squire.

…and what’s with the “.cc”?
No, it’s not a typo, nor does it stand for cubic centimeters. It’s a country code, and it’s officially the domain of the Cocos Islands, which are in the Indian Ocean. Informally, though, it is often used to stand for Christian Church.

Rev. Jeff Miner, Senior Pastor, Jesus Metropolitan Community Church
March 16, 2011

I am Rev. Jeff Miner, Chair of a statewide coalition of justice-seeking clergy and congregations called ICON, the Interfaith Coalition On Nondiscrimination. I also serve as Senior Pastor of Jesus Metropolitan Community Church, Indianapolis.

It makes me weary to stand before you today. We’ve done this before. But hate keeps raising its ugly head. When we should be looking forward, you keep trying to tug us backward.

Three brief points.

First, a multitude of people of faith in Indiana are disgusted with what you are doing here.

Today I will distribute a letter signed by 137 Hoosier clergy from across the state — clergy who represent thousands of Hoosiers — who are begging you to stop hating, stop hurting, and stop dividing people. Focus on something positive; do something life-giving.

Second, what you’re doing has nothing to do with defending the Bible or marriage.

Throughout history the Bible has often been twisted to justify discrimination — against women, against African Americans, against Jews, and now against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. It seems that God gets blamed every time we sinful humans want to justify hurting another unpopular minority.

The truth is, God is love — that’s what the Bible teaches. And the acid test of our love, Jesus taught, is how we treat those who are most vulnerable in society. But in complete and utter disregard for these vital teachings, you are about to strip a whole class of people of their basic civil rights. As a follower of Jesus, I am confident that if he were testifying today, he would scold you and weep, and would say to gay, lesbian and transgender people everywhere — I have come to save you . . . from my followers.

Does anyone here really believe that straight marriages are falling apart because of gay people? Is anybody here really that silly? Let’s cut through the hypocrisy. This legislation is about pandering to the prejudices of extremists on the religious right. And pandering is a sin.

Third, you will be held accountable by God and history for the vote you cast today.

Those who vote yes will be on the wrong side of history. Your name will go down in infamy with leaders like those in Indiana in the 1920s who pandered to racism. And some day your great-grand children will be ashamed. I beg you, don’t do this to your legacy.

God of mercy, God of justice, help these legislators to see how much their actions are hurting people. Change their hearts, O God. Turn them into courageous leaders who care more about justice than votes. Amen.

But we’re not changing direction. We are the same radically-inclusive, Christ-centered church we’ve always been. Our mission is the same, as are our key leaders.

So why are we changing our name?

Our name sounds stodgy and fundamentalist.

We conducted focus groups to learn what others thought of our name, and we heard the same things over and over: institutional, old and dated, fundamentalist. Although we’re passionate about following Jesus, we’re definitely not fundamentalist! We are a multi-generational, multi-ethnic church that welcomes women, and gay and transgender people, as full partners in ministry. We celebrate diversity and encourage independent thought.

We want to welcome you wherever you are on life’s journey.

We realize that we’re all on a journey with many twists and turns. We want to be a church that meets without judgment — as Jesus did. We want to be a church that provides practical teachings that help on life’s journey – as Jesus did.

We want to synchronize our church name with our ministries.

Found Pearl Press (our publishing ministry) will soon become LifeJourney Press.

So if you’re looking for a church that encourages you on your life journey, check out the web site and be our guest at worship some Sunday morning at either 9:30 or 11:00 am.

• More info about the church.
• Directions and map.
• Contact us.