Welcome to MCC NOVA!

Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia is committed to creating a vital and adventurous spiritual community for all people, preparing for our work in the world through an engaged and growing spirituality that is relevant 24/7. We are a welcoming and affirming progressive spiritual community with a specific outreach to LGBTQI people and our allies who are seeking authentic spirituality and renewal through varied celebration experiences, educational and social enrichment opportunities, and tangible expressions of love through social justice and outreach opportunities.

Whether you are a current member, attender, or a old friend, we would love to see you.
Our worship begins Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m.

Be sure to check the coming events page for happenings in our community!


20251123 – Stay Woke and Grateful, My Friends

Our 11AM Sunday Worship is live-streamed on the MCC of Northern Virginia Facebook Page! Join us Online or inPerson. Afterwards, you can watch our archived videos on youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25.
Order of Worship and readings are here (PDF file with songs and Readings)
First Reading ~ Mark 13:33-37
Second Reading ~ from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Rev Emma Chattin – Preaching

Stay Woke and Grateful, My Friends
Are you hibernating, waiting for a more pleasant season to return?
OR
Are you awake only long enough to hit the Snooze Button?

MCC NoVA – celebrating 44 Years of Pride in Fairfax! (April 2025)
Celebrating 57 years of Metropolitan Community Churches Worldwide! (Oct 6, 2025)
Join us in-Person Sunday at 11 AM-ish at the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia, or live-streamed on our FaceBook page.


Archived Services available on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25


2025 Transgender Day Of Remembrance Service – Nov 20, 2025
There is a link to the live feed of the service on the Unity website – click the image to proceed


MCC NoVA PRAYER AND CARE
Rev. Emma or a Care Minister will make use of FaceTime or ZOOM in order to have a time of individual conversation and/or prayer with you. Just ask and we will schedule a time for this.
If you have any special needs or prayer requests,
please send them to Rev. Emma with CARE REQUEST in the subject line
. Rev. Emma or a Care Minister will respond accordingly in order to have a time of individual conversation and/or prayer with you. Just ask and we will schedule a time for this.



Darwin Dale Bradshaw
August 3, 1958 – October 17, 2025
FROM LEE SHADWICK

On October 17, 2025, the love of my life, Dale Bradshaw, became an angel after a brave multi-year battle with stage 4 cancer. Dale was more than a husband—he was a mentor, a cherished friend, and a beloved pageant coach whose light and love touched countless lives. His absence leaves a profound void, but his spirit continues to shine brightly through all of you.
We invite you to join us for Dale’s Grand Celebration of Life on January 10, 2026, at 2 p.m., at the Manassas Park Community Center, 99 Adams Street, Manassas Park, VA.
Attire: Formal—crowns, banners, sequins, and all the sparkle Dale adored are welcomed as we bid him farewell to heaven with the pageantry he so richly deserves.
The service will be followed by a Dessert Reception and fellowship.

In lieu of flowers, there are two meaningful ways to honor Dale’s legacy:

Support the Celebration of Life and assist with expenses by contributing:
HERE

Donate to the Dale Bradshaw Scholarship, sponsored by the Margaret R. Baker Foundation, which will continue Dale’s legacy by investing in the young women who meant so much to him. This annual scholarship will be presented to a contestant in the Miss Virginia Scholarship Competition whose actions and character best reflect Dale’s enduring legacy of compassion, encouragement, and radiant positivity.
HERE
Click “Make a Donation.” Donors will receive a receipt from the Foundation treasurer in January 2026 for tax purposes.

Lastly, we would be honored to include your photos in the Celebration of Life.
Please upload them to our google drive:
HERE

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your love, support, and for helping us celebrate Dale in the way he would have wanted—full of grace, glitter, and gratitude.
All My Love, Lee



You Better Watch Out!

🕯
Advent is Coming!
(Latin buffs pardon the repetition)

We will be doing something different this year.
       Christmas Stories
Join us as we journey through the holiday season this year with stories and specials from the past!
Did someone say Grinch? Charlie Brown? Rudolf? Frosty?
What do our stories, new and ancient, have to teach us about Christmas? About Miracles? About the Incarnation?
Find out as we relive heartwarming moments and tunes with old friends and lessons to be treasured. 

PS
Try to watch as many of the above holiday specials as you are able this year!
Starting with Rudolph! 🦌



Sarah Was In Town!
We LOVE it when friends drop in for worship, hospitality, and reconnection!




Online & Paper Sign Up for Social Hospitality and Monthly Birthday Cake!
Did you ever forget when you volunteered to provide Social Hospitality? Or forget to sign up while you were at church? You can now access the schedule and sign up online at
Meal Train® for MCC-NoVA’s Social Hospitality.
You can also use it to volunteer to bring the monthly birthday cake. And we’ll continue to have the paper sign-up sheet at church.
Contact Jen Yi if you have any questions.




Homeless Ministry Service – First Sunday of Every Month

We need your warmth to help provide warmth to this underserved community!
Please bring items to the church and we will store until that time.
Just an FYI-we serve between 104-125 meals each time we do this service. Let’s give generously!
Join us at our monthly feeding of the homeless on Sunday, Dec 7th 2025.
Our first meet up location is at 7:45am at the Home Depot on Blenheim Blvd (near Fairfax Circle). Our second stop is just down the street at Christ and St Luke’s church. Both are in Fairfax. We can always use extra hands!


While MCC NoVA has always contributed financially to FACETS, a nonprofit that aims to help meet the needs of those who suffer the effects of poverty and homelessness in Fairfax, we also actively contribute by physically assisting with the feeding of the homeless in Fairfax City, as well as helping to provide for their other needs, thanks to Team Leaders … and perhaps you? Volunteers welcome!

HOMELESS MINISTRY NEEDS:
Bananas, Applesauce Cups, Apple Juice, Tangerines, Feminine Toiletries, Socks, Wash Cloths, etc.
Please bring these items to the church by the end of this month so they can be distributed the 1st Sunday of next month.


THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH IS CAKE SUNDAY!

If you have a Birthday during the month
let us celebrate with you on the First Sunday (Nov 2nd)!
Big Thanks to Lee and the Cake Team!



2026 Stewardship
It’s not Noah’s Ark! It’s MCC NoVA’s STEWARDship!
Help MCC NoVA Sail Into 2026!

Climb aboard HERE!
Let us know how you hope to support MCC NoVA in the coming year! This will help us to plan for 2026!

It’s not just finances, but all the ways you hope to support!
(you know… swabbing the decks, handling the sails, working the galley…)

The form can be changed, revised, and modified at any time.
This just helps us to plan ahead.
Download the form, fill in, and return by snail mail or e/mail.
Then let us know what animal you would like on the STEWARDship!


The week In and Around our Community – Looked like THIS!
Nov 16th
Nov 9th and
Nov 2nd


Help MCC NoVA Continue with Hope Into The Future!
We are here to serve YOU, the community!
MCC of Northern Virginia continues outreach and ministry to marginalized communities,and serves as an LGBTIQQA+ Community Center in the Heart of Fairfax City, standing Out and Proud as an essential counterpoint to less affirming voices.
Especially in times such as these when we feel needed more than ever before, we are grateful for your continued support!
It is only through your generosity and faithfulness that we are able to continue our ministry and tend to our community building while building community!
Your support makes this possible.
Link for on-line giving via Paypal
You may also mail a check directly to the church office:
The Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia
10383 Democracy Lane
Fairfax, VA 22030

We are grateful for your continued generosity as we move forward into a future with deep needs and boundless possibilities for our community!
Blessings and Thank You!


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20251120 – Interfaith Transgender Day Of Remembrance service


This day is dedicated to the memory of those(the 25 we know of, and those known and unknown, named and unnamed) who were murdered over the past year simply because they chose to live their lives as their authentic selves. We welcome you to join us to honor the lives of those we’ve lost to anti-trans violence and hate, and to remember the ones who aren’t here. Sponsored by the TransGender Education Association (TGEA) in conjunction with the Metropolitan Church of Northern Virginia (MCC NoVA) and with the support of Unity of Fairfax, UU Church of Brunswick, ME, and other host communities and individuals.

This years’ service will be held at 7:00 PM at:

Unity of Fairfax
2854 Hunter Mill Road
Oakton, VA
22124


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20251116 – Harvest – Tithing the Bounty: The Divine Dare

Our 11AM Sunday Worship is live-streamed on the MCC of Northern Virginia Facebook Page! Join us Online or inPerson. Afterwards, you can watch our archived videos on youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25.
Order of Worship and readings are here (PDF file with songs and Readings)
First Reading ~ Malachi 3:10-12
Second Reading ~ Luke 6:37-38
Third Reading ~ Mark 12:38-44
Fourth Reading ~ adapted from Barbara Brown Taylor in “An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith”

Rev Emma Chattin – Preaching

HARVEST: Tithing the Bounty: The Divine Dare


MCC NoVA – celebrating 44 Years of Pride in Fairfax! (April 2025)
Celebrating 57 years of Metropolitan Community Churches Worldwide! (Oct 6, 2025)
Join us in-Person Sunday at 11 AM-ish at the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia, or live-streamed on our FaceBook page.









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20251109 – Harvest – What’s Growing in Your Garden?

Our 11AM Sunday Worship is live-streamed on the MCC of Northern Virginia Facebook Page! Join us Online or inPerson. Afterwards, you can watch our archived videos on youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25.
Order of Worship and readings are here (PDF file with songs and Readings)
First Reading ~ Luke 19:1-10
Second Reading ~ from Rev. Peter A. Helt in “From Wounded Hearts:
Faith Stories of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People and Those Who Love Them”

Rev Emma Chattin – Preaching

HARVEST: What’s Growing in Your Garden?


MCC NoVA – celebrating 44 Years of Pride in Fairfax! (April 2025)
Celebrating 57 years of Metropolitan Community Churches Worldwide! (Oct 6, 2025)
Join us in-Person Sunday at 11 AM-ish at the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia, or live-streamed on our FaceBook page.


Archived Services available on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25


Help MCC NoVA Continue with Hope Into The Future!
We are here to serve YOU, the community!
MCC of Northern Virginia continues outreach and ministry to marginalized communities,and serves as an LGBTIQQA+ Community Center in the Heart of Fairfax City, standing Out and Proud as an essential counterpoint to less affirming voices.
Especially in times such as these when we feel needed more than ever before, we are grateful for your continued support!
It is only through your generosity and faithfulness that we are able to continue our ministry and tend to our community building while building community!
Your support makes this possible.
Link for on-line giving via Paypal
You may also mail a check directly to the church office:
The Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia
10383 Democracy Lane
Fairfax, VA 22030

We are grateful for your continued generosity as we move forward into a future with deep needs and boundless possibilities for our community!
Blessings and Thank You!


Posted in Community, Sunday Worship | Comments Off on 20251109 – Harvest – What’s Growing in Your Garden?

20251102 – Harvest- Homecoming

Our 11AM Sunday Worship is live-streamed on the MCC of Northern Virginia Facebook Page! Join us Online or inPerson. Afterwards, you can watch our archived videos on youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25.
Order of Worship and readings are here (PDF file with songs and Readings)
First Reading ~ Luke 19:1-10
Second Reading ~ from Rev. Peter A. Helt in “From Wounded Hearts:
Faith Stories of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People and Those Who Love Them”

Rev Emma Chattin – Preaching

HARVEST: Homecoming
“Are you willing to go out on a limb to find what you seek?”


MCC NoVA – celebrating 44 Years of Pride in Fairfax! (April 2025)
Celebrating 57 years of Metropolitan Community Churches Worldwide! (Oct 6, 2025)
Join us in-Person Sunday at 11 AM-ish at the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia, or live-streamed on our FaceBook page.


Archived Services available on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25


VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

Facility Care
Seeking supportive volunteers to assist with cleaning, upkeep, facility matters, and building maintenance.
If interested in any of these opportunities, please contact RevEmmaChattin@gmail.com



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20251026 – Harvest: Inner Sinner & Saint

Our 11AM Sunday Worship is live-streamed on the MCC of Northern Virginia Facebook Page! Join us Online or inPerson. Afterwards, you can watch our archived videos on youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25.
Order of Worship and readings are here (PDF file with songs and Readings)
First Reading ~ Luke 18:9-14
Second Reading ~ adapted from Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman in “Deep is the Hunger”
Third Reading ~ adapted from Rev. Nadia Boltz-Weber in “Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint”

Rev Emma Chattin – Preaching

HARVEST: Inner Sinner & Saint
“we are … complicated”



MCC NoVA – celebrating 44 Years of Pride in Fairfax! (April 2025)
Celebrating 57 years of Metropolitan Community Churches Worldwide! (Oct 6, 2025)
Join us in-Person Sunday at 11 AM-ish at the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia, or live-streamed on our FaceBook page.



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20251019 – Harvest: Wrestling With God –

Our 11AM Sunday Worship is live-streamed on the MCC of Northern Virginia Facebook Page! Join us Online or inPerson. Afterwards, you can watch our archived videos on youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25.
Order of Worship and readings are here (PDF file with songs and Readings)
First Reading ~ Luke 10:25-37
Second Reading ~ Insert

Rev Emma Chattin – Preaching

HARVEST: Wrestling with God

“Life hurts
— and leaves a mark.”



MCC NoVA – celebrating 44 Years of Pride in Fairfax! (April 2025)
Celebrating 57 years of Metropolitan Community Churches Worldwide! (Oct 6, 2025)
Join us in-Person Sunday at 11 AM-ish at the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia, or live-streamed on our FaceBook page.


Archived Services available on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25



Posted in Community, News, Sunday Worship | Comments Off on 20251019 – Harvest: Wrestling With God –

20251012 – Harvest Love (Life Depends On It)

Our 11AM Sunday Worship is live-streamed on the MCC of Northern Virginia Facebook Page! Join us Online or inPerson. Afterwards, you can watch our archived videos on youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25.
Order of Worship and readings are here (PDF file with songs and Readings)
First Reading ~ Luke 10:25-37
Second Reading ~ Insert

Rev Emma Chattin – Preaching

HARVEST
LOVE! (Life Depends On It)

“When you get that close,
it’s kind of hard to hate.”
~ Harry Chapin     (and pretty much Jesus)



MCC NoVA – celebrating 44 Years of Pride in Fairfax! (April 2025)
Celebrating 57 years of Metropolitan Community Churches Worldwide! (Oct 6, 2025)
Join us in-Person Sunday at 11 AM-ish at the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia, or live-streamed on our FaceBook page.


Archived Services available on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25



(above) MCC NoVA Board and Lay Delegate Presenting the Plaque (below)
to Genevieve on behalf of the community.

Genevieve handing in her Church Keys
at her last MCC NoVA Church Board Meeting


She will be driving across country this week. We send Genevieve on her way
with a journey blessing, a cake, a plaque, parting gifts, prayers,
and a lot of love! Journey well Sister!
You left a mark!


We are grateful for your continued generosity as we move forward into a future with deep needs and boundless possibilities for our community!
Blessings and Thank You!


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20251005 – Harvest – Rejoice With Me! (Lost & Found)

Our 11AM Sunday Worship is live-streamed on the MCC of Northern Virginia Facebook Page! Join us Online or inPerson. Afterwards, you can watch our archived videos on youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25.
Order of Worship and readings are here (PDF file with songs and Readings)
First Reading ~ Luke 15:1-10
Second Reading ~ adapted from Brené Brown in “The Gifts of Imperfection”

Rev Emma Chattin – Preaching

Harvest – Rejoice With Me! (Lost & Found)

It’s hard to be hateful
when you’re grateful.



MCC NoVA – celebrating 44 Years of Pride in Fairfax! (April 2025)
Celebrating 57 years of Metropolitan Community Churches Worldwide! (Oct 6, 2025)
Join us in-Person Sunday at 11 AM-ish at the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia, or live-streamed on our FaceBook page.


Archived Services available on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25


We are grateful for your continued generosity as we move forward into a future with deep needs and boundless possibilities for our community!
Blessings and Thank You!


Posted in Community, Sunday Worship | Comments Off on 20251005 – Harvest – Rejoice With Me! (Lost & Found)

20250928 – Back to School #4: The Journey Continues

Our 11AM Sunday Worship is live-streamed on the MCC of Northern Virginia Facebook Page! Join us Online or inPerson. Afterwards, you can watch our archived videos on youtube.com/@MCCNoVA25.
Order of Worship and readings are here (PDF file with songs and Readings)
First Reading ~ Acts 2:42-47
Second Reading ~ adapted from John O’Donohue in “To Bless the Space Between Us”

Rev Emma Chattin – Preaching

Back to School #4: The Journey Continues
Learning Never Ends



MCC NoVA – celebrating 44 Years of Pride in Fairfax! (April 2025)
Celebrating 56 years of Metropolitan Community Churches Worldwide! (Oct 2024)
Join us in-Person Sunday at 11 AM-ish at the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia, or live-streamed on our FaceBook page.



Genevieve will be relocating to California on or about October 6.
This Sunday, Sept 28th will be her last Sunday with us.

Genevieve has been an active church member over ten years, and an active member of MCC NoVA’s Board of Directors since May 2019, serving as Clerk more than once. She also is co-lead of MCC NoVA’s Animal Ministry, liaison to the MEET Group, Choir Member, Sunday Birthday Cake provider, Regular Reader, Rest Room Cleaner, and Sacristy Neatener.
She will be missed as a Worker and a Friend!
However, as Genevieve would say, “My absence will give others the opportunity to step-up and serve.”
Join us Sunday Sept 28 as we send her off with a Journey Blessing!



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Welcome Home!
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