Next TransForum Manchester (Transgender Discussion Group) meeting is Saturday 28th November 2009 at 4.30pm

The next TransForum Manchester (Transgender Discussion Group) meeting is Saturday 28th November 2009 at 4.30pm (room open from approx 4:00pm).   This will be our Regular Monthly Meeting on the 4th Saturday of the month at our NEW venue - The Church Hall of Wilbraham St Ninian’s Church, corner of Wilbraham Rd, Chorlton, Manchester M21 0XJ

For directions to TransForum at MCC Manchester see http://transforum.org.uk/where-we-are

Afterwards we go for a meal at a local restaurant at approx 7:15 pm.   If you just want to come for the meal, please contact Jenny-Anne on 07500-741955 or e-mail me jennyannebuk@yahoo.co.uk , so we can reserve a place for you.

This month’s formal programme:

Session 1 4:30-5:30 pm
Introductions.
Educating Under privileged children in Nepal  (Nicola Wilson)
Report on the first TREC Event  (Jenny-Anne – TransForum)

10 mins refreshment Break

Session 2 5:30-6:15 pm
LGBT in the Travelling community- focusing on the hidden Trans people amongst Travellers.  (Harry Smith)

10 mins refreshment Break

Session 3 6:40-7:00 pm
Group activities + Monthly events list.  (Catherine Poulton -TransForum)

As usual,  Bernie Clifton, GMP force diversity officer, will also be with us to give advice on personal safety and to assist anyone who has suffered from Hate Crime. Mazamil Bashir Community Relations Officer will also join us.

The meeting lasts until approx 7:00 pm after which the group goes for a Meal at a local restaurant.   We have booked a table for approx 7:15pm for a 7:30pm dinner. Average cost of the meal at the restaurant is ￡14-15; depending on your choice of food & consumption of alcohol! As we normally share the food bill, please buy your own drinks as we go.

Membership of the group is free of charge; but we appreciate a small contribution to the cost of refreshments.

TransForum Manchester Group Announcements:

Date of our next TransForum Christmas meeting will be Saturday 19th December 2009 and is again at 4:30 pm at our NEW time and NEW Venue. (See http://mccmanchester.co.uk/ninians/ )

All are most welcome to these events; those who want to explore their TG status or need help in Transitioning or just “being themselves”; and especially we welcome partners and anyone interested in a better understanding of Trans-gendered people and their community.

TransForum Manchester is a Trans Discussion and Mutual support and self help group founded with the central belief that everyone should be safe and valued whatever their gender identity and have full freedom in their gender expression.

We always welcome transsexual men and transsexual women, Transvestites and many other gender variant people including androgyne / gender-queer / gender questioning people, cross-dressing & inter-sex people etc., however our main self-selecting audience is mainly Male to Female Transsexuals and Transvestites, those in-between male and female, and those questioning their gender – plus partners, friends and allies.

We expect to finish our meetings in good time for those who want to go into the Gay Village and enjoy the nightlife. The meal and possible visit to the village are designed to help those who are less confident in public by providing the support of a friendly group and visiting a TG-friendly restaurant near the group’s meeting place.

Although the Group is partly sponsored and supported by MCC Manchester, it is not a Church group and is open to all. We look forward to welcoming you to the group.

Yahoo e-Group for TransForum Manchester (Trans Discussion Group):

The Yahoo e-Group linked to the TransForum Discussion Group is to promote further discussion & circulate Information from and about the Group. We post the presentations from each meeting in the files section to enable additional discussion after each meeting. This will allow those who didn’t get time to contribute all they wanted to say in the meeting and those who could not attend to all make their own contributions to the discussion. It will also be used to announce each meeting and ask for suggestions for future Topics and speakers; as well as comments on what was enjoyed and what could be presented in a more useful way.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas for the meetings.

To join the e-group go to: http://tinyurl. Com/transforummanchester and click on “Join this Group” If you have any problems joining, please e-mail me at jennyannebuk@yahoo.co.uk and I will send you an e-mail invitation to join.

Further details of the group can be found at Web site: http://www.transforum.org.uk/

e-Group: http://tinyurl.com/transforummanchester
Our New Facebook Page: http://tinyurl.com/transforumfb

For further information, please contact:

Jenny-Anne Bishop (TransForum Group co-ordinator)
jennyannebuk@yahoo.co.uk Tel: 01745-337144 / 07500-741955, or

Catherine Poulton (TransForum Group Deputy co-ordinator)
catherine.poulton@btopenworld.com or

The Rev. Andy Braunston (Pastor MCC Manchester)
revandy@mccmanchester.co.uk Tel: 0161-881-6050

 

Sacred Space service, Tuesday 17th November 2009, 7.30pm

Dear Friends,

Our fortnightly Sacred Space service takes place on Tuesday at 7.30pm in church.

There is a common theme to each of the four types of Sacred Space Service: time for quiet reflection, gentle music, prayers led gently, a time to pause, meditate and enjoy God’s presence, all providing a form of worship different to what we offer on Sunday afternoons.

We change the format of the service sometimes resting in the presence of Jesus, sometimes a simple celebration of Holy Communion,  sometimes sacramental anointing and, like this week,  we listen to a reflection which helps us grow in faith.  We meet the Lord Jesus as we reflect on the deep truths of our faith.

We have a short time for refreshments afterwards too.  I hope to see you on Tuesday as we enjoy His Presence together.

With much love,

Andy

Andy Braunston
Pastor
Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester
www.mccmanchester.co.uk

 

ChangeMakers, a broad based organising group is starting work in Manchester with a meeting on 23rd November 2009

Dear Friends,

I suspect that many of us are increasingly fed up with both local and national politics as they don’t often seem to make much of a difference.  We may care about certain issues, particularly as Christians, yet feel we can’t change how decisions are made.

Barak Obama, when he finished his college degree, went and worked as a “community organiser” using principles known as “broad based organising”.  In London an organisation based on these ideas was formed just as I was leaving in 1995.  It’s now called London Citizens and the churches, and other faith groups, are the leading movers behind it.  They campaigned successfully for the “London Living Wage” which meant that low paid workers for the banks and London Assembly (and anyone who had a contract from the Mayor) get substantially more than the national minimum wage – simply because of the pressure that London Citizens could put on them.   Similarly they managed to get all the candidates for mayor to support their campaign for an amnesty for “failed” asylum seekers.

These organisations work by getting local people to identify particular problems and then work on solutions.  They then get different faith groups and community organisations together to influence those in the public sphere who actually make decisions.  All the London Mayor candidates turned up to a meeting of London Citizens as they got 2,000 people together for the meeting; the candidates couldn’t afford to miss it.  The organistion isn’t party political but seeks to get things done by working on a small number of focused campaigns.

So why am I telling you this?  Church Action on Poverty has set up a similar organisation in Manchester called Change Makers.  Their mission is to build a powerful community-led organisation whose members take action on issues of social, economic, political and environmental justice.  They have a video on YouTube that you can see here.  ChangeMakers is linked to The Gamaliel Foundation in the United States. Organisers from Gamaliel regularly come over to the UK to run training courses with ChangeMakers.

They have identified three particular issues to work on in Manchester:

• the plight of destitute asylum seekers (a cause close to our own heart),
• the difficulties faced by those who care for people suffering from drug dependency,
• and mental health, as well as the problems of young white males who have no role models.

Change Makers approached us in September about joining up; I suggested they also talked to the other churches in Chorlton so that if they were interested there would be a project we could work on together.

There are two events that I want to tell you about and encourage you to come along to.  One is the First Assembly of Change Makers in Manchester.  This will be held at St Peter’s House, on Oxford Road (in the Precinct Centre) in the centre of town on Monday 23rd November between 7pm and 9pm.  If you want to go please let me know and I will give you a ticket.

The other is a taster day for churches on Saturday 23rd January at Chorlton Central Church.

It would be really good to get a group of us going along to both represent MCC and to help us consider if we want to be involved.  Both events will help us discern if this is something we can involve ourselves in.

Please do let me have your comments and let me know if you can come along – especially to the event on 23rd November.

With much love

Andy

Andy Braunston (revandy@mccmanchester.co.uk)
Pastor
Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester
www.mccmanchester.co.uk

 

Guest preacher – 27th December 2009 – Rev Mia Andersen of MCC Copenhagen

On Sunday 27th December we welcome the Rev Mia Andersen, pastor of our congregation in Copenhagen.

Mia and her partner, Laurence, will be staying in Manchester for Christmas and it’s a delight to welcome Mia as she preaches for us.

 

Guest preacher – 6th December 2009 – Elaine Ambrose from MCC South London

 

On 6th December we welcome Elaine Ambrose from MCC South London to preach for us again. Elaine preached for us in January this year and it’s good to welcome her back amongst us.

 

 

Annual General Meeting & Christmas Meal – 13th December 2009

 

Our AGM this year will be after worship on Sunday 13th December at 6.15pm. We will elect

Board members, adopt a budget for 2010, approve the audited accounts for 2008 and receive an update on the financial position for the first 11 months of 2009. We will also receive Andy’s report. We will put much of this information online so you can read it before the AGM.

After this we will go for a Christmas meal together at the Horse and Jockey on Chorlton Green. This is a lovely recently refurbished pub and the food is superb (a few of us sampled it last week). The Christmas meal costs £20 for a three course meal (including the service charge).

We need a £10 deposit in order to book and must finalise numbers in the next couple of weeks! Forms giving the menu choices are available at the back of church. Please return these, with your deposit, to Ian or Andy.

 

 

24hr retreat for Advent – 4th to 5th December 2009 – Sedgley Park Centre – led by Elaine Ambrose

Over the next few weeks we will start to experience the build up to Christmas; the shops will be busier, colleagues will be having their work Christmas parties, the Christmas lights will be turned on (they are already being put up in town) and we will be drawn into the frantic activities that mark Advent.

Yet in reality Advent is a time of waiting – we reflect on the Jewish people yearning for their long promised Messiah, we remember how Christians have always longed for the return of our Lord and the dawn of the new age where every tear will be wiped away.

In our own lives we experience waiting in a number of different ways.  Amongst us are people who still wait for asylum in our country, others wait for respite from illness, for news of a job, for hope of a fairer world.  Like the child longing for Christmas we fear that what we wait for will never come.

We are arranging a 24 hour retreat from Friday 4th December until Saturday 5th of December at Sedgley Park Centre in Prestwich where we will explore this idea of waiting.  It will be led by Elaine Ambrose from our sister church in South London.  Elaine has just finished her Masters degree in theology and is testing her vocation to MCC ordained ministry.

The whole retreat will cost just £40.  This covers the evening meal on Friday evening, en suite accommodation, breakfast and lunch on Saturday as well as teas and coffees.  We have a few subsidized places for people who would otherwise struggle to attend and we are able to offer non-residential places for £20.  If you would like a subsidized place please do let the Pastor know.

Sedgley Park Centre is the police training college and offers excellent accommodation and facilities for us; we will join with the police and support staff on the Saturday afternoon for their annual Christmas carol service.

If you would like to come, you can pick up a booking form in church or we can email one to you.

 

Guest preacher – Nigel Biggs of the Boaz Trust – 22 November 2009

On Sunday 22nd November we welcome Nigel Biggs from the Boaz Trust who will be preaching for us.

The Boaz Trust is a Christian charity which supports destitute asylum seekers in the Greater Manchester area by housing and feeding them.  They were founded by evangelical Christians but wryly note that most of their support comes from liberals and Buddhists!

Nigel is looking forward to meeting us all and telling us about the work of the Boaz Trust.

 

TransForum Manchester meets on Saturday 24th October at Wilbraham St Ninians, Chorlton

Full details of the meeting are available on the TransForum web site via the Events button.

 

Two church members receive awards from T3SC

Ian Gregory (left) and Philip Jones (right) receive Certificates of Significant Contribution for the work of the Proud Tameside LGBT Network at the AGM of the Tameside 3rd Sector Coalition.

Two of our members, Ian Gregory and Philip Jones, Vice Chair and Chair respectively of the Proud Tameside LGBT Network, were honoured to receive certificates recognising the significant contribution of the Proud Tameside LGBT Network to the local community at the Annual General Meeting of Tameside 3rd Sector Coalition on 14th October 2009.

The group also featured in T3SC’s Annual Review for 2008-9 and was regularly mentioned in various presentations about the year’s activities.

It was truly rewarding to see the Group affirmed in this way and the Proud Tameside members hope it will strengthen their activities for future years.

 

Brightstar Collective event, Saturday 17th October 2009, 7.30pm in aid of the Congo Children Trust

Dear Friends,

I wanted to remind you of an event being hosted at church on Saturday 17 October at 7:30pm.

Neil is organising a special event consisting of original music, video, art and poetry to raise awareness of a charity called the Congo Children Trust.  This trust was set up by Ian Harvey, a friend of Neil’s, who is working in the Congo for three years to build a day centre and children’s home for orphaned children who are in acute need in the city of Lubumbashi.  Ian is a social worker who works with children who are asylum seekers in the UK.

The evening will feature a variety of artists from the Brightstar Collective, which includes some MCC folk and is organised by Neil.  There will be items in a variety of styles to appeal to varied tastes and age groups.  The event is being organised in conjunction with our friends at Wilbraham St Ninian’s and Chorlton Central URC, is being held at Wilbraham St Ninian’s Church in Chorlton, and is an ideal opportunity to invite friends along to something a bit different.

The evening is free of charge with a collection towards the end of the evening.  Please see Neil or Steve on Sunday for more information, or contact Brightstar Collective via their website.

With much love

Andy

Andy Braunston
Pastor
Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester
www.mccmanchester.co.uk

 

Sacred Space on alternate Tuesdays, Emmaus South on alternate Wednesdays, Emmaus North on alternate Thursdays – all re-starting soon

Dear Friends,

Now we’ve settled into our lovely new home and the Summer is drawing to a close we’re re-starting our various mid week activities.

Every fortnight we have a special service called Sacred Space.  This is an intentional time of calm and quiet, allowing us to have a time of guided meditation.  Sometimes this is set in an informal celebration of Holy Communion, sometimes within the context of the sacramental annointing, sometimes with an extended period of prayer.  These will now take place every other Tuesday at 8pm and they start on Tuesday 6th October.  We will be meeting in the main church.  We won’t be having a second service in October but the dates for the rest of the year are: 3rd & 17th November, and 1st and 15th December.

On the weeks when the Sacred Space service doesn’t happen we have two mid week groups meeting south and north of the city centre.  These Emmaus groups offer a chance to pray, study and get to know each other better.  John Foulds leads a group in Margaret and Gwen’s home in Altrincham on Wednesday evenings and Andy Pugh leads a group in his home in Newton Heath on Thursdays.  The groups start on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th October and will meet every other week from then on until Christmas.  If you’d like more information please let me know or chat to Andy Pugh, Margaret, Gwen or John on Sunday.

With much love

Andy

Andy Braunston
Pastor
Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester
www.mccmanchester.co.uk

 

Beatrice, Andy, Ellen and Wells Must Stay Together, anti-deportation campaign

We’ve been asked to support an anti-deportation campaign called Beatrice, Andy, Ellen and Wells Must Stay Together.

Beatrice is from Malawi and the government wish to return her there despite the fact she has married an English man called Andy.  Both are committed attenders at their local church.

Since Beatrice Botomani, her daughter, Ellen, (17) and her son, Wells, (13) came to the UK from Malawi, they have lived mainly in Leeds. They are very enthusiastic and committed members of the congregation at Christ Embassy church and both Ellen and Wells attend the City of Leeds School.

Beatrice married her British husband, Andy, in June 2008, but they have been unable to find suitable accommodation near the childrens’ school. Although it has been accepted that their marriage is genuine, Andy’s ability to support his family financially has been called into question, an issue that could easily be resolved by allowing Beatrice to work.

Beatrice, Ellen and Wells spent over two months in detention earlier this year, during which time they were deeply traumatized. They felt like criminals when they were forced into a caged van for the journey to Yarl’s Wood IRC.

There is an on-line petition at http://www.gopetition.co.uk/online/30173.html which I encourage you to go and sign.

We know from our campaigns for Moses and Prossy that the kindness of strangers in taking a few minutes to sign a petition goes a long way to support the person under threat of removal, encourages them to see that many in our society take a different view to the Home Office on such matters, and it makes a difference to the case itself.

 

Handel’s Messiah, Saturday 14th November 2009, Altrincham Choral Society, at the RNCM

We’re hoping to go together to a performance of Handel’s Messiah on Saturday 14th November at 7.30pm.  It’s being held at the Royal Northern College of Music and is being performed by the 100-strong Altrincham Choral Society who are excellent.

At one point it was the fashion to perform the Messiah with a small choir but, in my opinion, it sounds much better with a good strong large choir.  Tickets are £15.

We will start taking names, and money, on Sunday so please let us know (revandy@mccmanchester.co.uk) if you wish to come along for a wonderful evening’s music.

 

Meal after worship at Coriander Restaurant in Chorlton on 27th September 2009

We are collecting names for a meal out at an excellent Indian restaurant in Chorlton called Coriander.  We are going there after worship on the 27th.  Main courses are less than £10 and starters are inexpensive.  It’s one of the nicest Indian restaurants I’ve been to.

Coming out for a meal is a nice way of both extending our time together on a Sunday evening and getting to know each other a little better.  If you’d like to come either email Andy (revandy@mccmanchester.co.uk) or let Ian know on Sunday.