Come to Chautauqua!
Each August, Spirit of Hope Metropolitan Community Church hosts Chautauqua, a special time of learning and new experiences.
Chautauqua began in the 1870s with a gathering of Sunday School teachers being trained in upstate New York -- long before radio, television and the Internet. That educational tradition grew, and traveling Chautauquas came to cities and towns in the Midwest, bringing great orators such as William Jennings Bryan, musicians, and entertainers. Spirit of Hope’s pastor, the Rev. Kurt Krieger, has a personal link to Chautauqua: His great-grandfather taught Sunday School teachers how to lead classes for the upcoming year at Chautauqua events in the Midwest.
This year’s Chautauqua theme is “Finding God.” Sunday worship speakers will include Stephen Manley, one of the church’s young people; Judee Ramsey, a Spirit of Hope congregation member; and the Rev. Steve Urie from Spirit of Christ MCC in Joplin, Mo. The Rev. John Barbone, pastor emeritus of Spirit of Hope, will deliver the church’s 39th anniversary sermon on Sunday, Aug. 28.
Special Chautauqua events will include a labyrinth walk on the second weekend of August, a photography exhibit and sale on the third Sunday of August, and the church anniversary celebration, with cake and ice cream, on the last Sunday of August. All events are open to everyone. Spirit of Hope MCC (www.spiritofhopemcckc.org) is at 3801 Wyandotte St., in Kansas City, Mo.
Clergy Collegium Aims for a Resolution
A new gathering started last month for clergy members of welcoming ministries and LGBT clergy members who are in pastoral roles of non-affirming ministries.
The group, called the Clergy Collegium, is part of the Kansas City Coalition of Welcoming Ministries. The clergy members gather around coffee and rolls at 10 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month at rotating sites throughout the metro area. The Collegium members get together to support one another, learn from one another, and strategically plan how to respond to unjust situations for LGBT persons.
The Rev. Kurt Krieger, pastor of Spirit of Hope Metropolitan Community Church and an organizer of the group, says he hopes the group will grow in numbers and stature. His goal is to develop a resolution in the Kansas City area similar to the recent Heartland Proclamation in Omaha. The Omaha group gathered more than 200 clergy members who signed a statement apologizing to LGBT persons for the way they had been treated in the name of religion and pledging to work for full acceptance of legal rights.
Go to www.kccoalition.org for more information.
