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NEWS and
EVENTS
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Regional Disciples Women Workshop. FCC Hammond, LA will be hosting a workshop on Saturday, April 10th. Registration begins at 9:30am and the program will begin at 10:00am. Cost will be $6 to cover cost of the meal. All women of the churches are invited to attend.
First Christian Church in Ozark, AR will be having several events in the coming months to celebrate the church's 2010 Centennial Celebration. All present and former members and pastors and their families, friends, and supporters are invited to attend these activities. The Kickoff Celebration will be held on Sunday, April 11th. Morning worship will begin at 10:45 a.m. Lunch will be provided by the church women following the morning service. (This date was set to commemorate the church's construction beginning in April, 1910.)
Minister’s Spiritual Life Retreat: April 12-14 at St. Mary of the Pines. Fr. Paul Patin, SJ Spiritual Director at the Jesuit Spirituality Center in Grand Cateau will be our leader. We need to make a small charge this year to help cover cost of $40.00 per person. We have some monies to cover most of the cost but need a little help. If the cost will keep you from coming please let Michael Elmore know and we can be of help. Michael@grrcc.org.
The Disciples Women Spring workshop schedule is as follows:
First CC, Hammond, LA - April 10th
Covenant CC, Byram, MS - April 24th
Broadmoor CC, Shreveport, LA - May 1st
First CC, Little Rock, AR - May 15th
Highland CC, Bella Vista, AR - May 22nd
Make plans now to attend a spring workshop near you!
WEBINARS PROVIDED BY UCCIB INSURANCE
Apr 13, 2010 11:00AM EST / 8:00AM PST
The New Church Usher – More Than a Greeter
To assure a welcoming place and the safety of all, the Usher’s role is expanded to the whole property and more technical concerns. What should your Head Ushers be doing?
Apr 15, 2010 2:00PM EST / 11:00AM PST
The New Church Usher – More Than a Greeter
To assure a welcoming place and the safety of all, the Usher’s role is expanded to the whole property and more technical concerns. What should your Head Ushers be doing?
You can register for ANY session(s) by clicking here.
Learn Spanish. In conjunction with the Opportunity Center (a part of the Hispanic Apostolate of the Episcopal Diocese), we are ready to offer a ten-week introductory course in Spanish geared toward outreach to the growing Spanish-speaking community, beginning April 20. Attached is a tentative curriculum.
The class will be taught by two men, Henri and Gerardo, who are native Spanish speakers working in New Orleans. They participate in the ESL classes at the Opportunity Center. Jaime McDaniel, who directs the ESL outreach, will work with them as they teach us. Other students from the intermediate ESL program may also assist.
The cost is $50, plus a textbook (probably about $20 more). Claire Brooks, Pastor, Chinese Presbyterian Church. If you have questions give me a call. Cell is 504-481-4281 and home phone is 862-5263.
Greetings from the Young Adult Commission of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)!
We are excited to announce that this fall the Young Adults of our denomination will be gathering together for the first ever Disciples Young Adult Conference. Our theme will be "Recharting Our Faith" and we will be looking at ways in which the church is trying to navigate the current culture using outdated maps, and how we as Young Adults in the church can work to change this and make our church a relevant agent of the Gospel in today's world. Our speakers will be some of the editors of the new WTF: Where's the Faith? book series for Young Adults published by Chalice Press - Christian Piatt, Jose Morales, Lara Blackwood Pickrel, and Heather Godsey. They will cover topics ranging from culture and politics to racism to sexuality, all in a manner to promote discussion and sharing among all of the Young Adults across our denomination. This will all take place in a setting that can't help but call to mind the prevailing currents of today's Young Adult culture - Las Vegas, Nevada - "The Capitol of Second Chances."
It is our hope that you will pass this information along to any Young Adult ministries in your region and assist us in getting the word out about this first ever event. Registration and more information will soon be available on our website: http://www.docya.org. It would also help us if you could send us contact information of Young Adult leaders in your region so that we can get in touch with them directly.
If you have any questions we can help you with, please don't hesitate to contact us, or you can connect with us via the Facebook Group "Disciples Young Adults".
The Association of Disciples Intentional Interim Ministers will be hosting The Intentional Interim Minister training the week of September 20th - September 24th at Christmount Christian Assembly. This training is being provided by the Interim Ministry Network, Inc. (www.imnedu.org) utilizing two Disciples trainers and is for those who have already completed the Fundamentals of Transitional Ministry training or its equivalent. Applicants must also apply through the IMN prior to attending. The registration cost, at a significant discount, includes lodging, meals and training fees and will be $1000 for ADIIM members and $1100 for Non-Members. (A $100 deposit will be requested to hold your place.) There are grants for up to $1000 available for Disciples Ordained Ministers through DHM.
For more information please contact James Cotten at pastorjamesc@gmail.com. To request an application packet please call the Ozarks Lakes Area Office at 417.865.0850
THE PARISH PAPER
From Herb Miller: Your congregations can now download several dozen free resources from the www.TheParishPaper.com Web site.
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Want to check your congregation’s giving? Disciples Mission Fund has a new look online! The link below will take you to Disciples Mission Fund's website to view Comparative reports of offerings. www.disciplesmissionfund.org.
Foundation Course for Ministry. The Foundations for Ministry Course which covers 24 topics over a 14 week period is scheduling a new session to begin in May. If you would like to participate or to receive more information please contact: Rev. Stephen Wallace at (501) 217-9129 or swallacegs@aol.com.
Quadrennial Assembly Pre-Event Opportunities.
Wish someone would explain what the Disciples Mission Fund is and how it works? Want to become a Ministry and Mission Interpreter (MMI) for the church? Love to get your hands involved in mission and see tangible results?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you won’t want to miss the Quadrennial Assembly pre-events. Special note: Because these events are expected to fill up quickly, you MUST be signed up for these trainings by April 15, whether you have already registered for QA by then or not. Read on for more information and instructions on how to be sure you’re not left out.
Available Now from Chalice Press: A Travel Guide to Christian Faith (by Dawn Weaks) has three components. The Before You Go booklet gives first-time seekers an easy-to-understand synopsis of the Christian faith. If they wish to learn more, the Traveler's Edition serves as a student workbook, while the Tour Leader is for the instructor.
This group package offers a 25% discount off the regular full price, and includes:
·one (1) copy of the Tour Leader
·ten (10) copies of the Traveler's Edition
·ten (10) copies of the Before You Go
To order, call 1-800-366-3383 or click here: A Travel Guide to Christian Faith Group Package.
Disciples' Bicentennial History Book and Workshops. There are less than two months left during the Disciples’ Bicentennial Anniversary! We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the publication of The Disciples: A Struggle for Reformation, our bicentennial history (2009) authored by D. Duane Cummins. It is the successor to Journey in Faith, written by McAllister & Tucker in 1972. The reviews for Cummins' new volume are highly favorable, strong and solid.
To view more information about Dr. Cummins’ new book, follow your browser to
http://www.chalicepress.com/The-Disciples-Deluxe-Edition-Leather-Hardcover-P169.aspx.
The Disciples: A Struggle for Reformation is available in a leather hardcover edition and paperback.
cumminsdd@gmail.com, 255 Sears Lane, Swanton, Maryland 21561, 301-387-8088.
FREE DEMOGRAPHIC UPDATES ARE READY! We know it's possible, with everything going on at the beginning of a new year, you may have forgotten Percept's Annual Data Update! But, for us, it's a big production. We regenerate tens of thousands of custom studies and demographic reports, then store them on our servers so that when you want the latest data for your ministry area, all you have to do is click. You can sign on to Link2Lead and, within a minute, get the latest FirstView or 10 Facts report instantly, for your county, ZIP Code, or a radius around your church.
Go to www.link2lead.com and provide some simple sign in information. In minutes you will know more about the community you are called to serve than you did before. Link2lead data will tell you about the age, income, spiritual priorities, church going habits, and more in YOUR ZIP code. Or, the region can help you generate a custom report. The fees are prepaid through a partnership with the region and Church Extension.
Study Leave Program.
Study Leave for Ministry Professionals at Duke Divinity School is for Christian institutional leaders and pastors of all traditions who want to spend a week immersed in learning and renewal through self-directed study, worship and prayer on the Duke University campus. While on campus, study leave participants have full access to university libraries, community worship and lectures. Special arrangements can be made for participants to audit courses or meet privately with Divinity School faculty.
Study Leave is open to ministry professionals of all Christian traditions and communions, including Christian institutional leaders, pastors, educators, musicians, deacons, elders, lay professionals, parish nurses, program directors and youth leaders. The program is offered multiple terms each year. Tuition for Study Leave is $650 for the 2010 fall and 2011 winter/spring terms.
Tuition for the week includes: accommodations for four nights, a meal allowance, access to the campus gym, parking on campus, a temporary university library membership. Please click the link below for more information and online registration.
http://faithandleadership.com/programs-training/for-organizational-leaders/study-leave-for-ministry-professionals
The Christian Church Michigan Region is continuing its search campaign for its next regional minister. You can send a quick e-mail to our search committee chair at the following e-mail address: Miregionsearch@hotmail.com. Anyone who has interest in the Michigan region can download pertinent regional documents from the Michigan region website: michigandisciples.org. We are looking for a candidate with pastoral, relational, and administrative abilities who has done on-going training in leadership and conflict mediation, someone who has experience with regional work and/or General Board and denominational issues, someone who leadership style is transparent, collaborative, and clear, who holds people accountable, who works within existing structures and who can move the region forward, without dwelling on the past. We are looking for someone who can do necessary repair work, and who sets good boundaries. Thank you for your help and for your ministry. May God bless you in all that you for the Church. Rev. Richard H. Boyd, Chair, Regional Minister Search Committee, Michigan Region. Pastor, FCC Lansing, Michigan.
ATTENTION GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS: Click here for an exciting Leadership Fellows program exclusively for Disciples of Christ students!
Deadline to apply is April 30, 2010
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STAFF UPDATES
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From Barbara Jones: I am taking this weekend off to travel to Denver for a baby shower for grandson #2 who is due May 7. The 13th through 21st I will be travelling to/from and attending the College of Regional Ministers and the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis.
From Rick Hamilton: This weekend I will be at Ivy Chapel Christian Church in Little Rock.
Search Committees I am currently supporting:
Bentonville First (Associate)
From Michael Elmore: I will be at FCC Monroe, LA this weekend as a part of their New Beginnings Process. Next week I will be at our Ministers' Spiritual Life Retreat in Chatawa, MS. This is the fourth retreat we have held.
Search Committees I am currently supporting:
FCC Lake Charles, LA
FCC Gulfport, MS
From Vance Moore: I’ll be in Jonesboro this weekend. On Saturday First Christian, Jonesboro is hosting several meetings. It’s all about “critical presence”. Ministers will meet at 3 pm, supper is at 5:00, the praise band will lead us in worship songs and then we’ll share together Jesus’ words. If you’re in driving distance you’ll invited to come see, come share, come serve!
Sunday morning I’ll preach at First Christian. Thanks to Pastor Jerry Wilcox, Board Chair Carol Rhein and all the folks that have worked so hard to host this event.
Sunday afternoon I’ll participate in the installation service for Pastor Debra Matthews at Highland Drive Christian Church. It’s a busy weekend in Jonesboro. Hope to see you there.
Search Committees I am currently supporting:
FCC Newport, AR
Community CC, Hardy, AR
Westside Mission: First Christian Church of Crawfordsville IN + Dean Rick Warner (Wabash College) worked on Mrs. Rose Gueringer’s home this week. We’re hanging insulation, sheetrock, and roughing in plumbing.
Pastor Keith Strain in on trip 12 bringing members from First Christian and Wabash College. Thanks for all the hard work and dedication.
WHERE DID YOU SEE GOD TODAY?
From Sara Rozzell: Registration and counselor forms can be viewed and printed on the youth page at www.grrcc.org .
2010 Summer Camp Dates:
June 4-6 Family Camp at Camp Roosevelt (contact bjones@grrcc.org)
June 13-19 CYF
June 19-20 Discovery
June 20-23 JYF
June 23-27 Chi-Rho
July 4-10 FISSH (finished 9th grade only)
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