$50 for 50 YEARS Celebrate 50 years of Metropolitan Community Churches

with a gift of $50USD. Together, we can achieve our goal of $500,000USD which will directly support our resources for churches and leaders globally!

08 Fall

#LetYourLightShineMCC Campaign Toolkit Page 2

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING The “LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE” CAMPAIGN

Sharing stories and milestones of Metropolitan Community Church members and friends while raising funds to support MCC’s global ministries and leaders

We are filled with joy and gratitude as we prepare to celebrate MCC’s 50th anniversary! MCC’s journey from the first service when 12 people gathered in Rev. Elder Troy Perry’s living room in Los Angeles, California, USA, to 157 Affiliated Churches, 59 Emerging Ministries, and 6 Oasis Communities in 33 countries affirms MCC’s global impact. MCC’s founding narrative and existence sparked a spiritual revival. Our local churches and leaders are at the vanguard of the civil and human rights movements by addressing important issues such as racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of oppression. Think about the impact MCC has made in your community and in your life. Indeed, we have stories to tell the world and to share with each other about this journey. Together, each individual, each church, and each community create the multifaceted tapestry of MCC. We are your church, and you are MCC. We hope you will join us in the #LetYourLightShineMCC campaign as we share our stories while making investments for MCC to continue to change lives. From making a personal donation, to collecting donations in your community, to sharing your story, you are the key to make this campaign successful. This toolkit of resources will help you create a #LetYourLightShineMCC campaign that is meaningful to your local community. We look forward to learning how you chose to participate! Your investment in this campaign will allow MCC’s values to serve as a guidepost so that we can continue to be vessels of justice. TOOLKIT INCLUDES:

1. Get Involved: Share Your Story 2. Get Involved: Make a Donation 3. Social Media Tips 4. Timeline 5. MCC Communications Contact Information 6. Downloadable Graphics 7. MCC Statement of Faith and Core Values

(Cover page photo: MCCDC hosted the memorial service for Rev. Delores P. Berry on 2 September 2017. Many people brought or wore hats to celebrate the life of this beloved Gospel artist, prophet, and friend. Photo by Kelly Drury)

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GET INVOLVED: SHARE YOUR STORY Share your story! In addition to your story, encourage your congregation and community to share their stories about MCC’s impact on their lives. Go to our website (https://www.mccchurch.org/let-your-light-shine/) and scroll to the fillable form. Make if fun! Upload a photo or video. Maybe you’ll see it on MCC’s Facebook page! GET INVOLVED: MAKE A DONATION Secure investments! Below are some examples of ways your church, ministry, or community can launch your local #LetYourLightShineMCC campaign.

Text a Donation Text a donation to MCC’s account at Tithe.ly at 850-204-4911, and type “give” as the message. The secure, automated system will assist you. Donate Online Donate at http://bit.ly/MCC_LetYourLightShine. This link will launch DonorPerfect, a secure website.

Make a Group Donation Donate as a group of friends, a committee, study group, choir—the list is endless—and use one of the giving platforms above.

Host a Pre-50th Anniversary Fundraiser Have a party for MCC! Ask for donations to support MCC’s ministries and leaders. Or invite everyone to text a donation as part of their toast to MCC’s anniversary.

SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS Put your thumbs to work! Reach out to your Facebook social circle and invite them to participate in the #LetYourLightShineMCC campaign. Encourage your friends to share their stories, memories, milestones, and pictures of these events!

Ask your social circle to support a group donation as a gift on your behalf to #LetYourLightShineMCC. Use #LetYourLightShineMCC when talking about the campaign. Tag friends who have supported you, or people you want to challenge to give. Sample messages include:

• MCC has impacted my life by___________________________________. In the

spirit of our 50th Anniversary, donate to the #LetYourLightShineMCC global campaign to support MCC’s ministries and leaders. Text 850-204-4911 and type GIVE.

• Donate to the #LetYourLightShineMCC global campaign to support MCC’s ministries

and leaders. Text 850-204-4911 and type GIVE. Join me to donate (select an amount) today.

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• (Post a picture of an MCC milestone in your life, such as a wedding picture or baptism picture.) Join me to support #LetYourLightShineMCC campaign. MCC made a difference in my life. Go to https://www.mccchurch.org/let-your-light-shine/ and share your story.

MCC Communications Contact Contact Linda Brenner, Associate Director for MCC Communications with questions and ideas, or if you have difficulty with downloading or accessing the material, LindaBrenner@MCCchurch.net - Email, Google Hangouts Lindabrennerbeckstead – Skype +1 941-321-7886 – Text, Call, WhatsApp MCC Shine Your Light Campaign Web Page https://www.mccchurch.org/let-your-light-shine/ Donate by Text using Tithe.ly 850-204-4911 Donate Online using DonorPerfect http://bit.ly/MCC_LetYourLightShine

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Downloadable Graphics Right-click on the images below to use in newsletters, social media, and PowerPoint. They can also be located and downloaded at this Google Drive link: http://bit.ly/2jPtykf

Post this link with graphic above: https://www.mccchurch.org/let-your-light-shine/

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MCC Statement of Faith Preamble

Metropolitan Community Churches is one chapter in the story of the Church, the Body of Christ. We are people on a journey, learning to live into our spirituality, while affirming our bodies, our genders, and our sexualities. We don't all believe exactly the same things. And yet in the midst of our diversity, we build community, grounded in God's radically inclusive love for all people. We are part of an ongoing conversation on matters of belief and faith, shaped by scripture and the historic creeds, building on those who have come before us. Our chapter begins when God says to us: "Come, taste, and see." Our Faith

"Come, taste, and see." Jesus Christ, You invite all people to Your open table. You make us Your people, a beloved community. You restore the joy of our relationship with God, even in the midst of loneliness, despair, and degradation. We are each unique and we all belong, a priesthood of all believers. Baptized and filled with Your Holy Spirit, You empower us to be Your healing presence in a hurting world. We expect to see Your reign on earth as it is in heaven as we work toward a world where everyone has enough, wars cease, and all creation lives in harmony. We affirm Your charge to all of humanity to care for the land, sea, and air. Therefore, we will actively resist systems and structures which are destroying Your creation. With all of creation we worship You—every tribe, every language, every people, every nation. We know You by many names, Triune God, beyond comprehension, revealed to us in Jesus Christ, who invites us to the feast. Amen.

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MCC Denominational Core Values Inclusion Love is our greatest moral value and resisting exclusion is a primary focus of our ministry. We want to continue to be conduits of faith where everyone is included in the family of God and where all parts of our being are welcomed at God’s table. Community Offering a safe and open community for people to worship, learn, and grow in their faith is our deep desire. We are committed to equipping ourselves and each other to do the work that God has called us to do in the world. Spiritual-Transformation Providing a message of liberation from the oppressive religious environment of our day or to those experiencing God for the first time is what guides our ministry. We believe that when people are invited to experience God through the life and ministry of Christ, lives will be transformed. Justice Working to talk less and do more, we are committed to resisting the structures that oppress people and standing with those who suffer under the weight of oppressive systems, being guided always by our commitment to Global Human Rights.