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Greetings!
There is always more to the story.
This Sunday marks the beginning of our Pride Month sermon series, Here All Along. The series starts with a claim that matters: queer people have always been part of the story. The belonging, the love, the presence were never newcomers to the text. They were there all along, waiting to be read honestly.
This first sermon, Always More, takes on one of the oldest and most damaging mis-readings in Christian history. The condemnation of Sodom has been weaponized against queer people for centuries. But the text itself tells a different story. The sin of Sodom, named plainly in Ezekiel, is not what we were told it was. It is pride, excess, and cruelty toward the vulnerable. Failure to welcome the stranger. The oldest condemnation was always a lie built on a misreading, and naming that matters.
This month we are joining a Florida MCC prayer partnership that connects congregations across the state to lift each other up monthly. Our partner is Joy MCC in Orlando, and they are praying for us as well. As we approach the tenth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre next week, Joy MCC has specifically requested prayers for their community. That we are holding each other during this season feels like exactly the kind of connection this partnership is meant to create.
Pride Bingo is this Saturday. Our team has been working hard to put together a night worth showing up for — great food, great company, and a whole lot of fun for the whole family. Bring your friends. Invite someone new. Let's kick off Pride Month with a party.
I look forward to being together this Sunday.
With gratitude,
-mark
Mark A Ferreira (he/they)
You are loved,
MCC Tampa
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