Dr. Cindi Love says, "MCC is great people, great community, great love."

May 27, 2005

Dear MCC Friends & Family:

I want to thank you so much for your faithful support of Metropolitan Community Churches.

Wow! Do you read the news at www.mccchurch.org each week or receive e-mails from MCC Headquarters? If you do, you've seen a lot of activity out in the world over the last 60 days in the name of MCC.

Just in review, let's look at the last 30 days:

-- The MCC-sponsored "Day of Prayer to End Homophobia" on May 29 has received amazing response. It has been featured on the news service of the World Council of Churches and MCC Headquarters has distributed more than 3500 resource kits to local churches from 15 denominations in 19 countries. And numerous faith groups and LGBT organizations have distributed thousands of additional MCC resource kits to their members, as well.

-- When the mayor of Bucharest, Romania canceled plans for Romania's first-ever Gay Pride Parade, MCC went into action. Rev. Elder Diane Fisher provided on-site support, appearing on national Romanian television and in numerous newspapers and magazines. MCC Headquarters helped focus world attention through Action Alerts and press releases. Within one week, the President of Romania announced his support for the Gay Pride Parade -- and ordered Bucharest officials to issue parade permits and provide police protection!

-- MCC took a strong stand against discrimination by co-hosting a public action and press conference at the Boy Scouts of America headquarters. Rev. Elder Lillie Brock called on the Boy Scouts to end their discrimination against gays and atheists. The actions were covered in newspaper across the U.S. -- even garnering attention from right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh!

-- MCC continued our leadership for same-sex marriage rights as British officials announced that MCC's Rev. Debbie Gaston and her partner Elaine Cook will become the first lesbian couple to be legally married under Great Britain's new Civil Partnership Act.

-- The MCC Board of Elders announced plans for an all-day Church Planting Institute at General Conference. The institute will provide education and resources to help plant new MCC church in unserved and under-served areas.

-- MCC joined hands with the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force to support transgender inclusion in a Hate Crimes Bill before the U.S. Congress.

-- MCC is now posting weekly devotionals on the MCC website. All of the devotionals are written by friends and members of our local MCC congregations.

Your generosity is making it possible for MCC to organize and support ministry all over the world and I am so grateful. As I meet people who don't know about MCC and they ask me why I care about our movement and our denomination and why I am involved, I say the same thing each time:

Great people. Great community. Great love. Great commitment and passion to the mission. We have the right to love whom we wish and to worship as we will and until these rights are guaranteed to everyone, MCCers will be working in the vineyard.

MCC is a force for good. You are a force for good and I thank you.

Sincerely,
/signed/
Cindi Love
Executive Director
Metropolitan Community Churches
www.MCCchurch.org

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