Agape' MCC News & Updates
March 02, 2021
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View our 02/28/21 "Take Up Your Cross and Live"
experience by clicking on the image below:
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Waking up to Love in Lent
Waking up from sleep, at whatever time, is a thin place. What we do with this liminal space will ripple throughout our entire day. Every morning during Lent at 6:30 a.m., Rev. David will be going live on Facebook to offer, daily brief quotes, thoughts, or practices, about love, to begin your day. You're invited to set your alarm and join in or check out the recording when you do wake. This is a special Lenten tool as we continue to learn to live the Love Project.
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Join us for Sunday Morning Worship
at 10:30AM on Facebook Live.
Our theme for the Lenten Season is "The Love Project" and this Sunday's topic is "The Knowledge of Justice".
A definition:
A lifelong project of learning and unlearning, of giving and receiving, of valuable lessons and relationships. What a gift it is to spend our days living the Love Project together.
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Spirit Cafe'
Are you feeling a little disconnected from our Agape' community or from community in general? COVID certainly has interfered with our social lives and has made staying connected much more challenging. If the answer is yes, we have a solution for you!
Join us for our
gathering this Wednesday. We will see where the conversation leads us!
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Let's Zoom!
Click here to register in advance for our Wednesday Zoom Meet Up
Enter the meeting ID: 816-8960-6902
(You only need to register once and you will be set for all the Wednesday Zoom Sessions)
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Sacred Saturdays
Will not meet this month (March).
See you in April!
This is a time for:
- setting intentions for the season
- letting go of things that no longer serve you
- discovering inner peace
- quiet reflection
- finding light in the dark places
- simply being
If you would like, you may bring a piece of paper to put in the fire with intentions and/or things to let go of written on it to offer up. This meeting will have an organic feel with little verbal communication. You are encouraged to come with an open heart and mind.
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Study Advertisement for:
“Discrimination and Psychological Well-Being Among LGBTQ+ Users of Dating/Social Applications”
You are invited to participate in a brief online survey (average completion time: 15-20 minutes) that aims to learn more about the experiences of LGBTQ+ people of color (POC) who use dating/social applications (“apps” or “hookup apps”), including how they navigate instances of racism on said apps. Examples of these apps include Grindr, Tinder, Scruff, Hornet, Bumble, and many others.
To participate, you must meet the following criteria:
1) be at least 18 years old or older;
2) live in the United States of America;
3) identify as a LGBTQ+ POC;
4) have used a dating/social app (e.g., Grindr, Tinder, Scruff, etc.) within the past 12 months.
If you qualify for this study and choose to participate, you will be asked to complete several questionnaires that relate to your use of dating/social apps, racism, mental health, coping strategies, and how you view your racial/ethnic identity. Responses to the survey are anonymous and you are free to stop participating at any time.
Participants who qualify for and complete this study are eligible to enter a drawing for 1 of 14 $25 Amazon.com gift cards.
Thank you for considering this research opportunity. If you have any questions, please contact David Hutsell at dhutsell@spalding.edu or Dr. DeDe Wohlfarth at dwohlfarth@spalding.edu. This study has been approved by the Spalding University Research Ethics Committee (REC; Study #: 202057).
If you would like to learn more information, participate, and/or share this study with others: 1) Please click here
3) Or scan the following QR code:
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Snowmageddon 2021 at the Agape' Campus
from Rev. David
There are things that just should not happen. Things like realizing you are the one making that splashing sound as you walk into the Board Room to put mail into boxes. “NO! Enough already!” That’s what I could have said. What I said was more “colorful” and laced with anger and frustration.
Honestly, it has been challenging enough trying to manage the financial health of our spiritual community during a global pandemic, racial tensions, and domestic terrorism, without Snowmageddon. Dear Lord, it’s only March 1!
Like so many people, we did not need the extra expense of a burst water line. Things were tight already. We have spent just under $2000.00 and we are anticipating an additional $2000.00 to get the Board Room back in order. Like some of you are dealing with, this damage is not covered by our insurance company.
Honestly, our deductible is more than $4000.00 so I just threw out some more colorful language for good measure.
If you can help it would be greatly appreciated.
While this turn of events has slowed down our three-stage plan to get us back to church for Easter Sunday, that is still the goal. That evening after splashing in the Board Room, I ultimately was thankful. Help came quickly, the leaders showed up, the damage was minimal; relatively speaking, and the Love Project keeps flowing…thankfully not in the broken water pipe kind of way!
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Third Sunday in Lent
Return to Me…Why does Jesus have to keep calling us back? Do we have that short of an attention span? Are we so busy that we forget to focus on God? For me personally during this time of isolation, I remind myself during my early morning walks…here and now, here walking the dog, now enjoying the coolness of the morning, here walking the dog, now being grateful for a new day, here walking the dog, now giving thanks to God for my health, here walking the dog, now returning to the sacred source that runs through us all. The list continues and changes on a daily basis, but the one constant whether we remember or not, Jesus is always beckoning us to return to him.
Gracious and loving God,
We pray that you continue to walk with us, guiding our path whether we are present or not. Heal us as we need healing, comfort us as we need comforting, give us strength as we need strength and grant us peace. We give you thanks and praise for the abundance in our lives. In Jesus, the Christ of God, we pray. Amen!
SUBMITTED BY:
ELDER VELMA GARCIA
Manor, TX USA
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A Message from your Board of Directors
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Dear Agape' Community,
You are loved unconditionally. You are prayed for by name. You are in our thoughts and hearts every moment of every day.
We are...
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Namaste!
Rev. David, Cassy, Leigh, Lisa D., Ward, Melisa, EJ, and Amy
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March Birthdays
Mar 03 - Zachary Roberts
Mar 06 - Melisa Price
Mar 13 - Chris Kalish
Mar 13 - Sebastian Lotz
Mar 15 - Rachel Cox
Mar 16 - Joe Rice
Mar 22 - Kaitlynn Rose Wolfer-Stephens
Mar 25 - Sandra Hardin
Mar 26 - Michael Stephens
Mar 29 - Denise LaRae
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