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.

At last Sunday’s Congregational Meeting, our voting members made several monumental decisions that will affect the direction of our Church for years to come:

• Name Change Approved. By a vote of 96 to 3, we decided to change our name to LifeJourney Church! The change will become effective in a few weeks, once appropriate legal filings are completed. We’ll keep you posted and announce a special ‘Name Change Sunday’!
• 25-Year Plan Approved. By a vote of 95-1, we approved our 25-Year Strategic Plan. If you haven’t had a chance to read the plan, pick up a copy at the info kiosk.
• Directors Elected. Three Board of Directors positions were up for election. Jennifer Barnes and Nancy Duncan were re-elected. The third position had been occupied by Dan Allis, but after 12 years of faithful service, Dan did not stand for reelection. Ernest Disney-Britton was elected to fill that seat.
• Budget Approved. By a vote of 95-0, the budget was approved. We have one key budget goal this year: Increase giving by $1700 per week so we can meet our base budget, maintain our existing level of activity, and add Vivian Wyatt to staff!

Imagine how exciting it would be if we could hire Vivian Wyatt to serve on our staff! That’s our goal!

Right now our staff is stretched to the breaking point, well beyond the recommended ratio of 1 minister for each 100 congregants. Hiring Vivian would allow us to provide better care for our congregation and better support for our volunteers, while creating the capacity to support additional growth.

Vivian served as our clergy intern in 2009. In May, she will graduate seminary, with an M.Div. with an emphasis in pastoral care. She already has a Masters Degree in Spiritual Counseling. For a detailed sketch of how our staffing model would expand, see the Staff Structure document.

To hire Vivian, our average offerings need to increase by $1,700 per week. Pledges are already up to almost half our goal! If you feel called to help us get the rest of the way there, just download and fill out the pledge form. Remember, every little bit helps!

Download the pledge form.

Read more details. »

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.

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.

If you are interested in going on this trip, please plan to attend a short interest meeting on March 13 at 12:45 pm. Applications will be available at the meeting, or request an application by email.

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.

Family-Focused Group
Eight Mondays, begins March 7. Led by Laura Inniger and Cassie Nelson. Suggested donation: $50 per couple.

This group is for couples who want to look at the family they grew up in and find some perspective on how the events and experiences in their family impact what they bring to their current relationship.

The group will include exploring your family of origin and its history, parents’ and other family expectations, and ways your family handled emotions and conflict. This may also include coming-out stories for LGBT members of the group. This process will deepen partners’ understanding of each other. We’ll also look at what kind of family the couple has created or wants to create for themselves.

Emotionally-Focused Group
Six Fridays, begins March 11. Led by Laura Inniger and Aubrey Christman. If you’re planning to get married this year, this class is required! Suggested donation: $50 per couple.

This will be a hands-on group that will help partners become more emotionally intelligent with self-awareness, explore how anger and other emotions affect connection, and see how risk taking and vulnerability can enhance your bond as a couple.

The group will consider couple conflict scenarios, discuss emotional content in those situations, and deepen their understanding of how emotions function in their own relationship. Because this process involves being vulnerable with one’s partner, this group is for people who are considering a commitment ceremony/marriage or who are already in a committed relationship and who want to strengthen their trust and connection.

For more information about either of these classes, contact Melody Merida: (317) 722-0000 × 102 or mmerida@jesusmcc.org. To register, contact Melody or use the response form in Sunday’s Weekly News.

Are you going to be part of Great Pioneer III? A summary:

• For the past four years, our growth has remained flat. A recent MCC review concluded that we lack sufficient staff and sufficient financial giving.
• Last Sunday we kicked off a bold drive to meet both of these challenges: Great Pioneer III.
• We’re seeking to increase average weekly giving by $1,700.
• When that happens, we’ll hire Vivian Wyatt, our former clergy intern who is about to complete her M.Div.
• Response so far has been very positive. Download the pledge form if you’d like to participate.

Details follow: (more…)

At our upcoming Congregational Meeting (March 6), members will consider a church name change proposal. During January, we held three internal focus groups for members to share information and seek guidance. Over 90% of all members who participated supported a name change.

For those who were not able to attend the January gatherings, we have scheduled another focus group for next Sunday, February 20, at 1:00 pm. A pizza lunch will be served.

The agenda for our Congregational Meeting will be very full, so we’re trying to do everything possible to hear opinions, share information, and take questions in advance. If you plan to participate in the Congregational Meeting, and if you have any questions or concerns about the name change process, please attend next Sunday’s forum. It’s important that all members come to the Congregational Meeting with full information. If you are unable to attend next Sunday’s focus group, you are welcome to schedule a one-on-one session with a Board member. Simply email Pastor Jeff, and he will arrange a time for you to meet.

Once again Indiana’s legislature is considering a proposal to amend our State Constitution to define marriage in a way that targets gay and lesbian people. The process begins Monday morning at 10:30 am when a Committee of the House holds hearings in the main House Chamber. The hearing will be streamed live at http://www.in.gov/legislative/2441.htm. To become law, the proposal would have to pass in the current legislative session, then again in two years, then be ratified by a referendum of Hoosier voters.

We’ve been through this process before. The same amendment was adopted by the legislature in 2005, but failed when it came back to the legislature in 2007. Indiana is the only state that has successfully defeated an attempt to amend its Constitution to discriminate against gay and lesbian people. Our church was a key factor in that defeat, working with a coalition of churches and synagogues we founded (ICON, the Interfaith Coalition on Nondiscrimination), and a coalition of civil rights groups (IE, Indiana Equality).

Now, once again, we must rise up to defend fairness. As before, our Church will be at the center of the effort, working closely with coalition partners. On February 3, volunteers in our Church office processed a letter, mailed to every single Indiana legislator, vigorously opposing this new effort. The letter was signed by 137 clergy from across the State of Indiana! This letter will surprise many legislators who think all people of faith oppose LGBT rights.

Because Republicans control both the Indiana House and Senate, it will be very difficult to stop passage of the proposal this session. Although you are welcome to attend the House Hearing on Monday, no big push is planned for that event. The next big event will take place on IE’s Lobby Day on Monday, February 21 (Presidents Day), at the Statehouse. Training will be provided in the morning, then in the afternoon we will speak to our legislators in groups. To register, go to IndianaEquality.org.

We are in active dialogue with our IE and ICON coalition partners about how Jesus MCC can be most helpful in this session of Indiana’s legislature. Let’s begin lifting prayers for God’s help and seeking God’s wisdom for how to proceed.

The date for our Annual Congregational Meeting has been moved to March 6, 12:45 pm in the sanctuary.

The Board is moving the meeting back a couple weeks to ensure ample time to complete its review of the corporate and regulatory steps that would be involved in any name change. The Board wants to be sure its final report to the congregation is accurate and complete. The report should be ready by mid-February.

One of the objectives of our 25-year plan is to intensify efforts to share our message of hope far and near, and to increase the level of spiritual support we offer people in remote places who have no affirming, Christ-centered option in their own area.

We envision being able to offer a full range of spiritual support options to people in distant places. One key resource is a vital, engaging webcast that includes not just the sermon, but also worship music and perhaps other parts of the service.

Several months ago, a Technology Team was formed to do a technology assessment of the church and to make recommendations for upgrading our webcast. Technology has changed a lot in the time since we’ve begun webcasting!

The Team (which includes Melody Merida, Mark Brown, Andrea Platt, Jennifer Barnes, Teresa Mull, Hiroki Chalfant, and is led by our Communications Director, David Squire) applied for a matching grant from the Indianapolis Center for Congregations, through their Technology and Ministry Grants Initiative, which is funded by the Lilly Endowment. We were one of only 30 central Indiana churches accepted into the program, and we recently learned that we were granted $29,910.03 to use for technology projects, primarily an upgrade of the webcast. This project will take most of 2011 to implement.

Many thanks to the Technology Team for their hard work in securing this grant! Soon, we will have a vastly improved webcast that will allow people all over the world to share in the worship we’re blessed with each week.

Last week we completed a series of three congregational forums. In each, the Board shared information from the four outside Focus Groups conducted in December, and sought the wisdom and advice of the congregation. Ninety congregrants participated, including 61 voting members. Under our bylaws, any decision about a name change is made by voting members.

Among voting members 92% favor a name change, 5% are undecided, and 3% leaning against. The percentages were similar among non-members who attended the forums. We also asked participants to evaluate leading name options. Among voting members, 82% rated LifeJourney Church as their favorite, while 13% leaned toward Path of Grace Church. No other option gained more than 2% support. Again, the percentages were similar among non-members.

The Board met Tuesday to evaluate your input and will meet again in two weeks. Between now and then, the Board is doing some last minute cross checking. Unless something unexpected arises, the Board is likely to recommend that we vote to change our name to LifeJourney Church at our February 20 Annual Congregational Meeting.

Now that the naming options have been narrowed, the Board is also carefully evaluating mottoes. We need your input regarding a motto! Of course, mottoes need to be flexible. We need to retain the ability to evolve and adapt our motto based on actual experience and events. Consider how organizations (e.g., Coca-Cola) alter their mottoes from time to time. So, unlike a church name, our motto is not something that will be embedded in our bylaws or the subject of an official congregation vote.

Nevertheless, the Board does want to seek consensus about the initial motto to be used in conjunction with any name change. So please take a moment to fill out the survey form! The Board will carefully consider your input at its meeting in two weeks.

All members and friends of Jesus MCC are invited to attend one of three Focus Groups at the church this week. The Focus Groups will evaluate information gathered by the Board about our church name. In preparation for the meeting, please read Church Name Evaluation: Focus Group Results.

This document includes

• a brief summary you can read in less than two minutes,
• complete details of our findings from external focus groups, and
• the top five possible name options that were submitted by the congregation.

We really need your input! Christmas cookies and soft drinks will be served. Here’s the schedule:

• Monday January 3, 7:00 pm, Room 1 at the church
• Wednesday January 5, 7:00 pm, Room 2 at the church
• Sunday January 9, 1:00 pm, in the Sanctuary

Later in January, Pastor Jeff will attend an MCC Church Growth Summit in Atlanta. Churches that participate in the summit will get the benefit of expert consulting advice. In conjunction with the summit, MCC Elders will conduct a careful review of how our church functions, then provide their best advice for how we might keep moving forward.

This will give us a great chance to get some “outside eyes” on how we’re operating right before we finalize and vote on our church’s 25-Year Plan. It will be a great cross check.

For the Elder’s analysis to be as informed as possible, we need everyone to take 10 minutes today or tomorrow to fill out an online survey. The survey asks your opinion about our worship services and various other aspects of church operations. Just go to the following link and answer the questions there:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TW79DKP

The survey is simple, free, and anonymous. Will you do this today?