BULLETIN! -- WE ARE NOW PART OF THE ICCC FAMILY!

We have returned from the Atlanta conference and are happy to report that the International Christian Community Churches approved our affiliation and immediately gave New Church Family full voting rights in the denomination. We are ICCC's 10th church, and, more importantly, their first in Florida.
Rev. Beau participated as voting clergy and Tom B. served as lay delegate. Both spoke up several times in the lively business session, asking questions, offering suggestions and raising parliamentary points. The session had some spirited but respectful debate, and everyone's point of view, including those of non-voting observers, was welcomed. Revs. Beau, Rev. Susan, and Deb R. also helped lead the 3 very spirit-filled worship services. We split up to make sure we covered all the workshops and picked up a number of ideas that might help our ministry.
We'll be sending out more details later this week in an e-mail, and we'll give a full report and show snapshots at church on Sunday (Nov. 16). Feel free to ask any questions you may have. In short, the convocation not only met but greatly exceeded our expectations. Next year's convo, scheduled for Greenville, S.C. in early November, will be even better because our own Deb is part of the planning committee! Hallelujah!

Attendees -- Revs. Beau and Susan, TeeBear & Deb, Betty & Marlene, plus Tom.

Helping the Homeless

OCT. 31 -- Our congregation has been batting around ideas for expanding our efforts to help the homeless and working poor. Immediately after our Nov. 2 service, we'll have a brief forum to decide where to go from here.
Last Christmas Day, you'll recall, several church volunteers served a picnic lunch in City Island Park that fed about 40 people. New and used clothing and other necessities also were handed out. On another occasion last winter, Judy L. and Gayle M. brought a bunch of ponchos to Halifax Urban Ministries to help shield street people against the elements. Last Sunday, after we finished our monthly potluck dinner, Char R. and Tom B. brought 2 large baking pans of leftovers, plus platters of doughtnuts, to the City Island Pavillion. About a dozen people there were very appreciative of getting some warm homemade food. Char and Tom have suggested we repeat this sharing of food at future potlucks.
Gayle and Judy have been accumulating clothes, blankets, no-cooking canned goods, toiletries and other items in their garage for whenever we do our next distribution. Instead of a hit-or-miss giveaway at City Island, they suggest it may be more effective for us to link up with an established program, such as that of Halifax Urban Ministries. That may be a better way of reaching families in need. Gayle also has suggested having a coin can available at church each Sunday to collect spare coins and dollars specifically dedicated to helping our local poor.
These ideas, plus any others that you have, will all be up for discussion Sunday. Temperatures are dropping and the economy is in decline. Let's figure out what we can do to make a difference.

NCF POOR UPDATE
NOV 2 -- A congregational forum has approved 3 proposals for increasing the church's commitment to help the poor, especially poor families with children. It authorized Judy and Gayle to donate an initial batch of clothing and other supplies to Halifax Urban Ministries while Revs. Beau and Susan get more details on how the church can best support Halifax's programs. The congregation also approved having a "coin can" at Sunday services, receiving spare coins and dollars that will be specifically dedicated to helping the homeless and the working poor, especially families with children, by making donations and/or buying supplies for Halifax or other worthy agencies. It was agreed the church wants to make sure donated clothing goes directly to the needy, not for resale in thrift shops. These donations will supplement the monthly Benevolence Fund collection which is used mainly for financial emergencies within the church's own family. The congregation also voted to continue sending potluck dinner leftovers to City Island and doing occasional cookouts so church members can experience the joy of sharing on a one-to-one level.

The Rev. Susan McDaniels New Church Family adds Associate Pastor SOUTH DAYTONA -- The Rev. Susan McDaniels has joined the staff of New Church Family as associate pastor, assisting her spouse, the Rev. Beau McDaniels, with congregational care and administrative duties. Susan officially started her new volunteer assignment at the South Daytona church after being ordained by Rev. Beau and the congregation on July 13 in a laying-on-of-hands ceremony during Communion. To prepare for her expanded role, Rev. Susan pursued an accelerated online interdisciplinary studies program through the Trinity Theological Seminary in Indiana, completing requirements for a Doctorate in Practical Theology (a combination of programs) within two years instead of the usual three. The new unpaid pastoral position, approved by the church's board of directors, formalizes the team approach to ministry that Revs. Beau and Susan have carried out in their 12 years together as a couple. Born into an Orthodox Jewish family, Rev. Susan was baptized into the Christian faith in Las Vegas in 1997 but continues to observe and respect many Jewish traditions, helping fellow Christians understand the historical and spiritual roots of their faith. In secular life, she has been a homemaker, chef and artist, and continues to exhibit artwork at the 508 Gallery in Ormond Beach and other venues. A mother and grandmother, she also has been active in civil rights, gay youth support, and animal welfare organizations. Earlier this year, she and Rev. Beau helped about 25 former members of Daytona Beach's Hope Metropolitan Community Church reorganize as a new independent congregation, New Church Family. The church, which leases space at 815-B Beville Road and conducts worship services Sundays at 10 a.m., welcomes people of all orientations, with a special outreach to the GLBT community. Rev. Susan described her goals for the latest phase of her spiritual journey: "My hope and greatest desire is to bring the love promised to all humankind by Jesus through and with the New Church Family. The joy of "oneness" with God and our united spirituality is what will hold us together here in this world.

National Association of Social Workers AWARD More than 100 members and friends of the National Association of Social Workers gathered March 20 at Pelican Bay Country Club to present the Rev. Beau McDaniels with the Volusia chapter’s “Public Citizen of the Year” award. About two dozen members of Rev. Beau’s congregation, New Church Family, were on hand for the tribute. Speakers commended Rev. Beau for serving as a courageous advocate and inspiring others to fight for LGBT equality for nearly 40 years. She has spearheaded efforts to promote gay marriage, improve services for people with AIDS, preserve Pridefest and form coalitions with other progressive community groups. Rev. Beau expressed gratitude to NACW, her church members, and her spouse Susan McDaniels, for their strong support. “I thank the community for allowing me to serve,” she said. Tom Brown, representing New Church Family, applauded the NASW chapter for giving recognition to the Reverend McDaniels. He said it marks the first time a mainstream “straight” organization in the Daytona area has honored a local gay leader.

 

Church Donations

At the May 4 board meeting, board members and the congregation discussed ways to set up donations to the needy on a regular basis. Tom B. offered a motion to use 50 percent of the monthly Benevolence Fund collection for donation to charities nominated by the congregation. Several members suggested we continue support of local homeless people, as we did with the Christmas picnic in the park, rather than send money to national charities. Tom modified his motion to make homeless aid a target for 50 percent of our Benevolence Fund, reserving the other half for financial emergencies of church members and friends. The church treasurer noted our Benevolence Fund is low. Judy, Russ, Linda and others mentioned that clothing and/or food could be used by several groups, including a rehab house affiliated with Lambda Center and distribution centers at the public housing towers on South Beach Street. A vote on the motion was tabled until the next board meeting, so that more church members can give their input.