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WFMCC

13 November 2014
Worship This Week...

Theme:  "Living Talents"
Scriptures:  1 Thessalonians 5, Matthew 25:14-30 
Catalyst Header
Catalyst
...for Cause, ...for Community, ...for Christ

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

 

"All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbor as yourself." ~ Jesus of Nazareth

 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH 

TRANSGENDER DAYOF REMEMBRANCE
VIGIL & LIFE CELEBRATION  

 

6:30-9:30 p.m.
 

1400 1/2 N Scott Street 

 

Hosted by Harold's Bar & WFMCC GenderQuest

Rev. Mel Martinez, Facilitating Pastor

 

This is an extension outreach ministry by Wichita Falls Metropolitan Community Church.  Any questions regarding the service, its format, its speakers, or its management may be directed to WFMCC at 940-322-4100.

Enough
Small Group
Last Sunday!
Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity - Small Group Study

Join us after church at 1:00pm for the final installment of our small group study, "Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity." 

 

 

We will talk about contentment and check in on the experiences of participants through the "Enough" series. 

 

Spaghetti lunch provided. 
 

Thanksgiving Basket Collection!

Thanksgiving It's time for our Thanksgiving Basket drive! This year, our goal is 10 baskets - filled to the brim and bursting with goodness for a family in need. Basket content slips will be passed out during church to ensure that we have balanced basket contents (rather than 100 cans of green beans!). 

You may also sponsor an entire basket by making a donation toward the drive.  A basket to feed a family of five costs approximately $45, including disposable cookware and storage for leftovers. Send your donation to the church at 1401 Travis St., or Click Here to make that donation online. (Note: because of paypal credit card fees, consider adding $2 to the total gift to offset online processing.)

Want to help with grocery purchases, basket assembly, and/or basket delivery?  Sign up to help at church via our sign-up sheet.  OR email Pastor Mel here!

Deadline for donations is
November 23rd!
Feature Video - FIXED!
Forgiveness
"Forgiveness" by Toby Mac

The Goings On...
Get Busy, Live Better!
There are many wonderful things that will never be done if you don't do them.
We have LOTS of opportunity to get involved at WFMCC.  There's no reason to stay disconnected from your faith community!  Take a look at how you can be involved...

Upcoming Fundraiser!
Dessert Auction - Get Ready for some Goodies!
Thanks to the efforts of Sandra and MJ, we will be hosting a Dessert Auction on November 23rd BEFORE WORSHIP!  Plan on joining us that Sunday during Hospitality Hour to add your offering to the auction...then be ready to bid for your favorite dessert just in time for the Thanksgiving Holiday!  

Music Ministry
The choir is always seeking new voices! 
No experience required and you do NOT have to read music!  Just come with a desire to make a joyful noise! 
     Practice: 7:00pm, Wednesdays

Outreach - Serve with your church family!
Garden Care - We've planted our pumpkin patch!  And it's time to till under to make room. 
     Gardening: 9:00am, Tuesdays
Downtown Dinner - Help Serve the community while you experience the benefit of sharing Christ's love with others! 
     Service: Every third Tuesday,
                  5:30pm

Social
GenderQuest - support one another as we navigate this gendered world around us!     Meeting: every 2nd Tuesday, 6:30pm  Location: TBA

Hospitality Hour
- Come to church a little early on Sunday and enjoy a full breakfast and time to connect! 
     Service: Sundays, 10:00am

Administration
Board of Trustee Meeting Schedule
December 14th after church
2Gether in Church!
Take time to read through what is expected of members and friends as part of our church!
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Mark Your Calendars!  Cantata Night!

Cantata!
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Commitment: A Matter of Faith

Commitment to the church is something that we Christians take very seriously.  We use language of possession when we have committed our lives to a particular faith community.  We go to "our church", we welcome you to "our church", we spend "our money" on church activities, we bake "our best pie", we share "our gifts", and we even proclaim this place we love as "our church home."  These ideas of "our"-ness commit us deeply to the experience of church.  In and of themselves, being in "our" church isn't bad...to a point.

The church was never meant to belong to any one person or another, nor are any of the resources owned by any one person.  For the very word "church" is "ecclesia", meaning "assembly" or "gathering."  That means every time the assembly gathers, the "church" is redefined and recreated.  Resources that live in a building or property were left by previous ecclesia, and therefore "owned" by none, but utilized by all.  So, when we talk about commitment to ecclesia, our commitment is to the assembly gathered...in whatever form or fashion that may be.  It's not a commitment to what's ours.  It's a commitment to what God has brought together each and every time we gather.

**In the New Testament letters, there are dozens of "one another" commands of Christians, with this very notion in mind.
Rom.12:10 "be devoted to one another"
Rom. 12:10 "give preference to one another"
Rom. 12:16 "be of the same mind toward one another"
Rom. 13:8 "love one another"
Rom. 14:19 "build up one another"
Rom. 15:7 "accept one another"
Rom. 15:14 "admonish one another"
Rom. 16:16 "greet one another"
1 Cor. 12:25 "have the same care for one another"
Gal. 5:13 "serve one another"
Eph. 4:2 "show tolerance for one another"
Eph. 4:32 "be kind to one another"
Eph. 5:21 "be subject to one another"
Phil. 2:3 "regard one another as more important than yourselves"
Col. 3:13 "bear with one another"
Col. 3:13 "forgive one another"
1 Thess. 4:18 "comfort one another"
1 Thess. 5:11 "encourage one another"
1 Thess. 5:13 "live in peace with one another"
1 Thess. 5:15 "seek after that which is good for one another"
Heb. 10:24 "stimulate one another to love and good deeds"
James 5:16 "confess your sins to one another"
James 5:16 "pray for one another"
1 Peter 4:9 "be hospital to one another without complaint"
1 Peter 4:10 "employ your spiritual gift for one another"
1 Peter 5:5 "clothe yourselves with humility toward one another"

In addition, there are certain "one anothers" that we are commanded NOT to practice:
Rom. 14:13 "do not judge one another"
Gal. 5:26 "let us not envy one another"
Gal. 5:26 "let us not challenge one another"
Col. 3:9 "do not lie to one another"
James 4:11 "do not speak against one another"
James 5:9 "do not complain against one another"

Being the church is not about us individually - what I want, what I like, what I desire.  Being the church is about the we and they - what works best for all, what compromises we can make for the good of all...whether we know everyone in the ecclesia or not.  This takes humility.  It takes trust.  And it requires that we consider our own perspective as one of many...all with equal value.

That is not an easy task for most of us.  For, in our culture, we are taught to commit to things we really BELIEVE in, or in things we can own.  Ownership is contrary to the gospel...for everything belongs to God.  Belief is subjective and flexible; fluctuating with experience and revelation.  Rather, commit to something greater than your/our selves.  Something so fluid that, with the Spirit's leading, it changes before our very eyes.  And commit not only by providing resources, but by participating constantly; for this is how we are engaged not only in observing change, but creating it.

We're in a time of commitment at Wichita Falls MCC.  We are all asked to commit to what will be our influence in the church in 2015.  Pray.  Ask God to reveal your part to you.  Find time to reveal your belief to those who have been called to lead.  Find a way to create out of your gifts.  Then, create, give, and let go.  For each of us is but one part of the whole and nothing we create will outlive the time God sets.

With love in Christ,
~ Pastor Mel

** Scripture list taken from http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/commitment-to-the-local-church-pt-1/.  It's a great read!
Enough
...Leo Tolstoy, from "Family Happiness"

"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor - such is my idea of happiness."  
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Gender Focus
...brought to you by WFMCC Genderquest
What happens everywhere impacts us here!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Transgender Day of Remembrance as part of Catalyst! November 20th at 6:30pm

TDOR 2014  
  
About Us
Wichita Falls MCC is an exuberantly inclusive, loving, and serving community of faith offering God's promise, Christ's salvation, and the Holy Spirit's comfort to all. Our mission to accomplish this vision of our church is to: Gather in compassionate kinship with acceptance of all, Encourage awakenings within the diverse paths of following Christ, and Celebrate a common faith in a loving God, endless hope in the face of suffering and doubt, and the many gifts of the Spirit present in the Body of Christ.
Also at the Church...

INTO ACTION - ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
Alcoholics Anonymous   
Alcoholics Anonymous is an organization of people who want to share their experiences, lend strength and help the members and others recover from alcoholism.  Into Action Meeting Mondays, 7:00pm, in the rear fellowship hall.
  This is an OPEN meeting!
 
BLENDED JOURNEY
Music Rehearsal - For information on joining or practicing with Blended Journey, please contact Karen Booth (kbooth@wichitafallsmcc.org).  Rehearsal: Wednesdays, 5:30pm.