We, the Treashes, have expanded our family. When Walter, Michael, and I drove home from his father’s funeral in Illinois, we brought back a beagle-mix named Radar. Walter met Radar when a kind stranger hosted Walter and allowed him to use his spare car for a week while he was closing up his father’s apartment. Radar had been adopted by the host’s daughter, who had moved out of the city and left Radar behind. Radar would wait for Walter to get back from the day and would then stay glued to him. So Walter asked the host whether he wanted to keep Radar or would consider releasing him to a new home. The host was ecstatic at the possibility. So we went to bury Dad Treash and came back with Radar.

At the very same time, I had noticed our porch cat being intimidated by another new cat who would not let her eat. She has lived under our porch since she was born and when she had a litter we tamed them and put them up for adoption. So while we were away, we housed her at the vet and got her shots and brought her inside by stages, giving her more and more space. She is still pretty shy and stays in the front room where we had restricted her with her kittens till they were adopted.

So we are now a two-dog, two-cat, three-gay family. Everyone is still breathing, with no serious injuries that we can tell. We are still learning about each other. Radar has become Michael’s and sleeps upstairs with him. Every day seems like a new dance.

Our Jubilee Pentecost series through the Books of Luke and Acts has been about expanding the early Christian movement’s understanding of family. In the past few weeks, we have seen that the early church included women leaders, Samaritans, Gentiles, and an Ethiopian eunuch, too. When family dynamics expand that fast, there really is a new dance each day so that folks can keep learning about each other. That’s how the community grows and the lives of everyone are transformed.

This Sunday, we welcome three new members. We will learn from them as they do from us. They have already participated in the exploration of service opportunities at Resurrection. With the pandemic, it has been a while since we asked everyone what they feel called and passionate about engaging here at church. This Sunday, everyone will be given an opportunity to share that information, too. You can catch up on last Sunday with the early “flamer” Philip and the Samaritans HERE, and be sure and join us this Sunday when Jesus crosses borders to bring more healing to those on the margins.

Expanding the family,

Troy

PS: Consider expanding our family by participating in the Celebrating Our True Colors event on Pride Saturday, June 25, from 9am to noon in our Chapel with Rev. Brendan Boone, Rev. Mak Kneebone, and Whitney Howard. Register Here
Rev. Elder Troy Treash
Senior Pastor, Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church
Elder, General Conference of Metropolitan Community Churches


281-254-8050
The 44th Annual Houston LGBT+ Pride Celebration will take place downtown at
Houston City Hall, 901 Bagby St, on Saturday, June 25, 2022 in Houston, TX.
This is Houston’s Premiere Event of the Pride Season.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED NOW!
If you are interested in assisting with our church booth, walking in the parade or working on our parade float, please click HERE to see volunteer descriptions and times. Then, return to this page to register.

Festival Hours: 1pm-6:30pm
Parade Hours: 7pm-9:30pm

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in four adults in the US live with a disability, some are visible, and others are unseen.

To help us discover more about what it means to be a beloved community, we will hear first-hand stories of what it means to live in a culture where people with disabilities are often overlooked and ignored simply because of their different capabilities. Our hope is to increase our compassion and awareness of how we can better advocate for policies that impact people in our community. This group will meet for four weeks to discuss the book: Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century.

Facilitators: Rev. Denise Junious and Rev. Elder Troy Treash

BOOK IS AVAILABLE IN THE RESURRECTION MCC BOOKSTORE.

Join the OWLS for the monthly 4th Friday Pot Luck and Games night. Bring your favorite dish and games on June 24th from 7:30 to 9:30 in
The Gathering Place.

Through stories from his own life and the lives of other people who have made a difference in the world, Parker Palmer writes about learning to listen to our inner voice. 

With wisdom and compassion, he speaks of the need to develop the skills to observe our lives with curiosity, looking and listening for our deepest Wisdom – and to find where our needs and yearnings intersect with the needs of the world. 

In this class, facilitated by Cathleen and Rev. Vicki Sheil-Hopper, we will discuss the book and participate in guided exercises to help participants practice intuitive listening.

Thursday evenings (June 23 through July 14) 7-8:30 pm via Zoom.

Panel discussion in partnership with Plymouth United Church.

We will begin with a morning ritual and end with giving away a
remembrance handmade stone, (also with a ritual) 

As people of God, we need to locate a sacred space/place where we can lay down our burdens. Join us as we discuss with our panelists of trans-experience, what it means to celebrate out true colors. 

Our discussion will center around how we embody our personal self-care and resilience; we are a divine creation, and we want to feel led by the spirit.

Guest Presenters

Rev. Brendan Boone - MCC Clergy
Rev. Mak Kneebone - Senior Pastor, Plymouth UCC
Whitney Howard - Educator, Radio/TV Personality

Brunch Buddies is on Sunday, June 19th, just following Worship. This Sunday we'll be gathering at Pho Ben, 935 N Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77008. Whether you have ever been on our campus or inside our Sanctuary, ALL are welcome to join us each week at various restaurants in the area.
Virtual Brunch Buddies will continue to gather on Zoom each Sunday at 12:30 pm! Prepare a snack, meal, or just grab a drink, and connect online with your family of faith! Join us on Zoom at www.ResurrectionMCC.org/bb. Questions? Email Connections@ResurrectionMCC.org.
"Colors of Hope" draws upon the iconic Pride flag and raises a call to embody our beliefs. Using Gilbert Baker's original flag and its eight colors and themes--sexuality, life, healing, sunlight, nature, art and magic, harmony and serenity, and spirit--readers are invited to reflect, engage, and apply discoveries.

Join Facilitator Rev. Vicki Sheil-Hopper on
Thursday evenings June 15 - July 13
7:00-8:30 pm

Daily Devotional
Deep and Wide Daily Devotionals is by Resurrection MCC family member and author, Dr. Larry Ponder, who provides us with a year's worth of inspiring messages of God's inclusive love. Each daily meditation explores how we can live our personal goals of love in action - meant to be shared. Want to know more? Watch Dr. Larry's YouTube video HERE. There are books available in the Resurrection book store.

Join our Facebook Group to receive these daily devotional feeds.
Joining a choir is like getting a caged bird to sing! You know you love to sing, but worry if you are good enough to sing in a church choir. God thinks so, and so do we! Our choirs and musical groups are more than singing songs. We build deep friendships and a network of others that love doing what you love doing. Join us!

Sanctuary Choir - Traditional church music, more secular and familiar.

Gospel Ensemble - Woven with Gospel music and traditional African themes

Resurrection Choir - Combines modern and traditional music, and sacred genres, combining membership from both Sanctuary Choir and Gospel Ensemble

Practice:
Tuesday evenings 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm for Sanctuary Choir and Gospel Ensemble,
and 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm for Resurrection Choir.

Choirs alternate weekend service performances.

For Dance, Theater, and other performance-based ministries, reach out directly to Cassandra White via email.

Contact Cassandra White, Worship Arts Coordinator HERE for more information.
Cold Drinks, a Snack, Books, and More!

The bookstore is open before and after each Sunday church service. Our books are carefully curated to fuel your spirit.
Come on in and say hello. We are happy to have you.
Amazing things happen when we pray for one another in times of grief and celebrate together in times of joy. Send Requests online to ResurrectionMCC.org/pray or by texting the word rmccpray to 97000. We hope this electronic method will make it quick and easy to communicate the struggles and triumphs you are experiencing in a way that can provide our Pastoral Care Ministers with the information they need to support and encourage you along your journey. The form allows you to provide your name, contact information, the information about your prayer request or celebration, as well as an easy way to request a contact from a Pastoral Care Minister (only if you indicate you'd like a contact). Based on your preferences we can communication by text, phone, video chat, or even in-person visits when necessary. We want to hear from you!
Weekday Devotional and Prayer is held every weekday at Noon on Zoom. During these virtual gatherings, we participate in a daily devotional, scripture readings, prayer, and a time to check-in with our church family. Click www.ResurrectionMCC.org/weekday to launch Zoom at Noon on weekdays.
If you haven't downloaded the church app, it's important that you do! Each time you attend a service in person or virtually, please CHECK IN so we know you were here. Using the church app is easy! You can find detailed instructions here. We hope you will download it and stay connected!
Pride Charities, our partner agency which operates the food pantry at Resurrection MCC, relies on donations and financial support for the food needed to help the 175 families we assist each month. Please consider picking up a few extra extra bags of rice, beans, cereal, Vienna sausages, canned chicken, canned spam/lunch loaf, canned corn, canned green beans, canned peas, or any of the items found on this list. We are now accepting clothes at this time. To keep you, our volunteers, and our community safe, please place your donations in your trunk or back seat, pull up outside the pantry, stay in your vehicle, and our volunteers will remove the items from your vehicle. Volunteers will also be working inside the Clothes Closet this Saturday from 9 - Noon If you'd like to help sort, hang, and organize clothes, please be sure to wear a face mask. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided to you.
Set up online giving today using this helpful guide! You can register and make a one-time contribution, or set up recurring giving on a schedule that works for you.
Text Giving is a great way to give electronically. The first time you'd like to give in this way, just text the word GIVE to 281-346-9444. You'll receive a text back asking for the amount of your donation. After you've entered that, you'll receive a link to provide your name, email address, as well as your debit/credit card or bank account information. That's it! And the next time you'd like to give, all you need to do is text a dollar amount to that same phone number, hit send, and you're done! If you'd like to contribute to a special fund, send a text with the words GIVE LIST to 281-346-9444 and you'll receive a reply asking how much you'd like to give, and then another text asking to which of our special funds you'd like your donation applied (i.e. General Gifts & Tithes, Foundation First Activities Building Fund, Texas Winter Storm Relief, Pride Charities Food Pantry, La Casa de Todos).
Narcotics Anonymous is every Tuesday at 7:00 pm on our campus as well as on Zoom. This Twelve Step recovery program offers hope and freedom from active addiction in a safe space for the LGBTQ community. This support group meets regularly in order to help one another learn a new way of life through sharing experiences, strength, and hope. All are welcome to come and learn more. For more information, please contact Patrick at 281-908-9729.

Narcóticos Anónimos (en español) es todos los miércoles a partir de las 8:00 pm en la Capilla Resurrection MCC. Asegúrese de usar una máscara cuando esté en el campus de la iglesia. Es un grupo de recuperación de 12 pasos que ofrece esperanza y libertad de la adicción activa en un lugar seguro para las personas LGBT. Estos grupos se unen para ayudarse mutuamente a aprender una nueva forma de vida, compartiendo su experiencia de fortaleza y esperanza.

re:MIND Depression & Bipolar Support Groups in-person meetings are now on Fridays at 12:00 pm in the Chapel. Online meetings are available at www.supportgroupscentral.com/reMIND. Click ‘Not Yet a Member’ and set up a free user account. Find a meeting and click ‘Register’ to sign up. Please note: If all spots are filled, click ‘Join the Waitlist’. You will receive an email reminder the day before and 15 minutes before your scheduled meeting. Please confirm or cancel. Meeting dates will be updated monthly. If you need assistance signing up please call (888) 799-0907 ext. 2 or email info@remindsupport.org. Spaces are limited so sign up today! Spanish Support Groups are available here.

Overeater’s Anonymous meets Saturdays at 9:30 am in the Chapel and will still offer the zoom meeting on Saturdays at 9:30 am on Zoom. Meeting ID: 402 391 084, Password: 176233. Phone in option (use same Meeting ID as above): +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston).
Toastmasters is every Monday, from 6:30 - 8 pm online on Zoom. Impress your clients, your boss, or even a potential employer during your next job interview. Speak with confidence in one-on-one situations and in presentations for groups of 20 to over 200. Surprise yourself by becoming a member of Toastmasters and see how your personal goals will come true. With Toastmasters you will learn by doing as you improve your public speaking skills in a super supportive environment. Join us for our very own Toastmaster Club right here at Resurrection MCC. Contact Horacio Rodriguez at 954-662-4926 or Toastmasters@ResurrectionMCC.org for details. www.toastmasters.org