What Has Ferguson to do With Faith?
Developing Queer Theological Solidarity with Black Lives Matter
This webinar presented a multi-modal approach to showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and transgender people of color using sermons, letters, prayers, and litanies as well as petitions and bible/book studies that reinforce prophetic social action in the streets. Participants were invited to look at the potential ways that social action and public protest can be integrated into their current spiritual disciplines to raise consciousness about the black body.
Lead by:
Rev. DeWayne L. Davis
Kareem D. Murphy
Rev. Dr. Robert Griffin
Watch this free on-demand video now!
Rev. DeWayne L. Davis, Senior Pastor of All God’s Children Metropolitan Community Church, is a cleric ordained in the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) with expertise in social justice analysis, advocacy, and organizing. He serves on the MCC Global Justice Institute’s Public Policy Team, representing the denomination’s public policy advocacy initiatives at the state and federal level. He previously served as Assistant Project Manager of MCC’s 25th General Conference worship team in 2013 and as the Program Coordinator for MCC’s 2011 People of African Descent (PAD) Conference, designing and organizing workshops and continuing education opportunities for lay and clergy. Rev. Davis previously served as the Domestic Policy Analyst in The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations where he represented before the U.S. Congress and the Executive Office of the President the domestic social policies established by the Episcopal Church’s General Convention and Executive Council.
Rev. Davis’s career as a Congressional aide and government affairs representative preceded his studies for professional ministry, to which he was ordained in 2012. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Philosophy from Howard University and an M.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland at College Park. Rev. Davis received his Master of Divinity degree with honors from the Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. He has more recently been appointed to serve on the Advisory Committee of the Kaleo Center at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and on the Board of Directors of Clare Housing.
Rev. Davis currently lives in Minneapolis with his husband of twenty-four years, Kareem.
PLEASE NOTE:
In order to see video of the presentation on the following webinars, attendees will need access to a computer and a fast internet connection. Some webinars will use audio through Adobe and others will utilize a telephone conference line. Participants will be sent log-in information prior to each event, which will include instructions about audio/video requirements. Please take a moment to Download & Review Instructions on using Adobe Connect, and on the conversation protocol that we will be using for audio interaction.
MCC Supervising Clergy Training (Metropolitan Community Churches)
This training, facilitated by Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos, reviews the process of preparing for ordination in MCC, and the nuts & bolts of effective supervision. This will include a segment on supervising interns from a distance. This training in suitable for all clergy who have not yet been trained or served as supervisors, as well as anyone who wants a refresher. This webinar is FREE.
Watch this MCC On Demand webinar.
Advent Reflection Series (Metropolitan Community Churches)
Our 2015 reflection series for Advent featured conversations and interactions with scholars, activists, and interfaith leaders. Designed to uncover personal and interpersonal dimensions of the themes for Advent (These are the Days), each session featured a presentation by our guests, followed by group discussion by those in attendance. Participation in these webinars was/is FREE. Click below to view each recording.
Advent 1: Restoring Hope w/ Rev. Dr. Joan Martin
This session will explore Christian ethics of mass incarceration and violence that threatens to rob us of the message of hope that Advent brings. We will explore how we as people of faith can deal with our own feelings and lead others to a restored sense of hope in this Advent and Christmas season. Click here to view this online Advent webinar.
Advent 2: Rebuilding Peace w/ Rabbi Devon Lerner
The second week of Advent explores ways of building and rebuilding peace in the world through individual interfaith dialogue. Rabbi Lerner will share some thoughts on the Jewish Festival of Lights, Hanukkah. We will explore how the holidays in the Christian and Jewish calendar do and do not inform each other and how this understanding can be personally enriching for us. Click here to view this online Advent webinar
Advent 3: Reawakening Joy w/ Rev. DeWayne Davis
Advent is a time of waiting and preparing for new birth. In week three we will talk about reawakening joy in the midst of the business of the season. As we pass the midpoint of Advent we’ll explore how reconnecting with partners, friends, and family can be a blessing of joy for us. Click here to view this online Advent webinar
Advent 4: Revitalizing Love w/ Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward
Coming to the end of Advent is exciting, exhausting, and often filled with mixed emotions. This final week of our series will deal with the concept of love and how it manifests in personal and public life. Click here to view this online Advent webinar
Building & Working with Worship Teams with Dr. Marcia McFee (Metropolitan Community Churches)
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Presenter: Dr. Marcia McFee (Worship Design Studios)
This webinar will help participants learn who and how to include in worship planning and how to bring the diverse gifts of each team member together to facilitate deeply soulful worship.
REGISTER FOR THIS ON DEMAND WORSHIP WEBINAR
About Dr. Marcia McFee
Learn more about Dr. Marcia McFee
Creative Worship Planning with Dr. Marcia McFee (Metropolitan Community Churches)
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Presenter: Dr. Marcia McFee (Worship Design Studios)
For those who have been planning worship for years and want some new perspective and insight, as well as those who may be newer to worship planning looking for how to start, this webinar is designed to be both inspirational and practical.
Register for this online worship course
About Dr. Marcia McFee
Learn more about Dr. Marcia McFee
BEYOND BINARIES: Welcoming the “B” in LGBT (Religious Institute/United Church of Christ/Metropolitan Community Churches)
- One definition of bisexuality (hint: it’s not binary)
- New models of sexual orientation
- Debunking common myths and stereotypes about bisexual people, and learn about
- Research and data about bisexuality
- Bisexually-friendly interpretations of scripture
- Concrete steps to make your faith community more welcoming to bisexual people
This webinar comes from the Religious Institute and is sponsored by the Office of Emerging Ministries and the Online Learning Center of Metropolitan Community Churches and the Office of Health and Wholeness Ministry of the United Church of Christ.
Click here to view this online on-demand webinar
Disclaimer: Sacred Space Online Learning (SSOL) seeks to provide individuals with information about religious, spiritual, or faith-based online resources from a variety of sources. Sacred Space Online Learning does NOT claim ownership over this online course or online offering. Sacred Space Online Learning is also NOT responsible for the accuracy of the materials, the content, the way they are advertised or taught, or the costs associated with this online course or offering. The views and opinions expressed in this online course or offering are those of the creators and/or the persons appearing in the online class or offering. They do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of SSOL, the OFLD, or MCC. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the creator(s) of the given online course or online offering.
Who are we, Really? Re-engaging Sex and Spirit (Metropolitan Community Churches)
Recordings are available of the academic paper and panel presentations. Register for ALL of the conference videos by clicking here ($100 USD total). Or, you can register for only those sessions you wish to view by clicking the links below ($20 USD each).
Opening Panel: Where Have We Been? Where Are We Going?
Presenters: Rev. Elder Troy Perry, Rev. Elder Jim Mitulski, Rev. Elder Diane Fisher, Rev. Dr. Ngeo Boon Lin, Rev. Beulah Durrheim
Runtime: 1 hour 24 minutes
Panel Presentation: Integrating Sexuality & Spirituality as a Paradigm for Wholeness/Wellness/Authenticity
Presenters: Marie Alford-Harkey, Dr. Xochitl Alvizo, Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, Rev. Dr. Joseph Goh, Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson
Runtime: 1 hour
Panel Presentation: Healing Queer Bodies and the Body of Christ
Presenters: Dr. Susannah Cornwall, Rev. Dr. Robin Gorsline, Rev. Jakob Hero, Rev. Miller Hoffman, Dr. David Williams
Runtime: 1 hour
Paper Presentations: Deconstructing Heteronormativity
Papers include:
- “Queering the Trinity: Who’s Your Daddy?” by Rev. Daniel Borysewicz
- “Masculinity in a Frock on a Rock” by Rev. Dr. Karl Hand
- “Shoulder to Shoulder: Links Between Discrimination, LGBTQ-Based Social Support, and Psychosocial Adjustment among LGBT Youth” by Dr. Siân E. Jones
Runtime: 1 hour 13 minutes
Paper Presentations: The Margins of Our Movement – Trans*, Intersex, Gender Queer, Poly*
Papers include:
- “B-T-P: Engaging an Intersectional Frontier” by Rev. Rachelle Brown
- “A New Trans* Theology of Indecency” by Denise Burke
- “God as the Holy Polyamorous One” by Rev. Dr. Edgard Francisco Danielsen-Morales
Runtime: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Paper Presentations: Toward a Theology of the Full Body and Every Body
Papers Include:
- “Touch Me and See Me: Embodying the Erotic” by Rev. Joe Cobb
- “Wounding the Soul and Scarring the Body: A Theological and Pastoral Response to Self-Harming Behaviours” by Rev. Kate Rowley Harford
- “The Disabled Body: Part of the Body Part of Wholeness” by Theresa Inés Soto
Runtime: 1 hour
OR … REGISTER FOR ALL 6 of the VIDEO RECORDINGS FROM THIS CONFERENCE
What Does SOLIDARITY Look Like? (Metropolitan Community Churches)
— Attributed to Lilla Watson and the Aboriginal Activists Group in Queensland, Australia
Do you want your congregation to truly be a diverse and radically inclusive community?
If so, then this webinar series is for you. Please join us and consider inviting key leaders (or your entire congregation) to participate in this series as a group. This is a great opportunity to add your own programs or discussions for more in-depth dialogue and application in your own context.
Background: The context for justice work is often very messy and complicated. People experience oppression based on many things-race, gender, sexuality, nationality, language, religion, ability, appearance, age, relationship/familial status, etc. We know that justice work is most effective when done in solidarity with one another, but it is hard to know how to best accomplish this. It is particularly difficult for people of privilege to work for justice with those who are experiencing oppression based on characteristics they do not share. For example: How can white people work against racism and race-based violence with people of color in ways that are truly healthy, mutual, and constructive? How can cis-gendered people most effectively speak and act against anti-trans oppression with trans* and gender non-conforming people? These conversations are difficult conversations to have because this is hard work.
The first webinar will occurred on Thursday, August 20th from 1:00 – 2:30 U.S. Eastern Time (5:00 – 6:30 pm UTC/GMT). This kick-off event includde a foundational presentation about privilege, power, and oppression and a discussion about the ways in which all of us experience privilege and marginalization in various contexts. Following this initial webinar, we will host a series of discussions on the particularities of oppressions such as racism, sexism, anti-trans* oppression, etc. that will allow us to get real with ourselves and one another about how to strive for solidarity in our shared work for justice.
Watch the On-Demand video at https://vimeo.com/mccchurch/review/137195520/6516b4f9c4
The Office of Emerging Ministries and the Office of Formation and Leadership Development are co-sponsoring a series of virtual webinars and conversations for all who want to engage in this work of solidarity beyond being allies but as effective activists in one another’s struggles for liberation.
About the facilitator: Dr. Carla Sherrell has been a leader for educational equity and justice for over 30 years as a teacher, counselor, facilitator, and presenter. She was a facilitator for the Boulder Valley (Colorado) School District Equity Leadership Team, working with educators on personal and professional transformation that contributes to schools becoming supportive learning environments for all. Utilizing the National Coalition for Equity in Education (NCEE) adult equity model, she created and co-facilitated a student equity leadership program that guided youth in the process of becoming facilitators in equity work. Dr. Sherrell has presented and facilitated on equity and inclusivity at numerous regional and national conferences including the University of Colorado Educators-of-Color and Allies Summit, Colorado and Wyoming School-University Partnership for Educational Renewal, Colorado Association of School Executives, Salem Oregon School District, Catholic Charities of San Jose, CA, and the national conferences of NCEE and the National Association for Multicultural Education. She holds her doctor of education degree in Educational Leadership and Change with a focus on structural inequality and diversity, and is currently a core candidate assistant professor in the Graduate School of Psychology at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.
Volunteer Management: Raising Leaders in the Local Church (Metropolitan Community Churches)
Looking through the lens of leadership development, this 60 minute webinar will discuss strategies for the recruitment and management of volunteers in the local church.
When you register for the pre-recorded webinars or events, you will be sent a link and password to view the video. This information is intended only for the person registering to view these events and should not be shared. In order to receive CEU credit for these webinars, we must have a record of your registration. Unless otherwise noted, each webinar will count for 1 CEU unit and fees may be involved.
Trans 102: Trans Communities: Introduction & Application, Part 2 (Metropolitan Community Churches)
The second in this two part webinar series includes a continuation of the Trans 101 Introduction and moves on to explore ways to apply what you have learned, and some of the best means to inreach and outreach to the Trans* communities. Presenters: Rev. Miller Jen Hoffman and Rev. Emma Lee Chattin.
This on-demand video is open to all. Click here to view now.
Visit Trans 101: Trans Communities: Introduction & Application, Part 1
When you register for the pre-recorded webinars or events, you will be sent a link and password to view the video. This information is intended only for the person registering to view these events and should not be shared. In order to receive CEU credit for these webinars, we must have a record of your registration. Unless otherwise noted, each webinar will count for 1 CEU unit and fees may be involved.
