March 12, 2010

              136^th    Weekly Edition                                     2010  GRR CURRENTS

JOYS and PRAYER CONCERNS

Please keep both Rev. Dr. Jim and Sarah Marie Rainwater in your prayers right now. Hospice has been called in for Sarah Marie.  Rev. Holly Patton reports that Sarah Marie is in pain and having difficulty breathing. Jim is heartbroken and needs all the support and prayers he can get. Now is the time to send notes of love and support, or to visit Jim if you can.  Jim and Sarah Marie served in the regional office of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arkansas for 21 years.  Jim was Regional Minister and Sarah Marie was the editor of the Arkansas Christian and filled many additional volunteer staff roles in the office.  Jim also served churches in Blytheville and Fayetteville, and many ministers serving today are doing so as a result of their guidance, leadership and counsel.

Rev. Randy Cook, Pastor at FCC Monroe, LA, cousin David Cook had a stroke and passed away.  Say another prayer for him and the family and let him know he's loved.

Parkview CC, Little Rock, AR continues to pray each Sunday during worship for two churches in the Great River Region. Pastor, Stan McDougal.

Prayers for safety and success as FCC Slidell, LA is building a Community Center on their site throughout March 2010. The facility will be used as a mission outreach to the community. Disciples Volunteering is sponsoring the Blitz Build. If your church is interested in participating in the build, you can call Brenda Tyler at 317-713-2642 or go to

www.disciplehomemissions.org/Volunteer/SpecialProjects/SpringBreak.htm 

FCC is asking for materials donations form churches, individuals, or companies.

Click here to see the list of materials needed. Contact Josh Baird at 985-778-6915 or at joshbaird@hotmail.com if you can donate. Also, for more information, you can call Rev. Susan Lassalle at 985-643-8623.

Haiti Update; Ecu-Build in Iowa; 1,251 Refugees Resettled.  Greetings from Week of Compassion! As we continue to keep the people of Haiti in our prayers, we also continue to receive more and more news about the situation on the ground. Chris Herlinger, Church World Service Communications Officer, has filed a number of excellent reports that help further nuance what has been reported by U.S. news outlets.  Click here to see the latest updates.

Wendy White, the daughter of Rev. Linda White, came home from the hospital but had to return because of infections.  She has undiagnosed fluid on her brain and believe in and are deeply grateful for the prayers and concern of our friends throughout the region. Linda

Report From Elena Huegel, Disciples Missionary in Chile.  3-2-10. 

Friday evening, Elena and her staff reviewed all of the emergencies and incidents that they had had during the camping season and took suggestions for improving their procedures.  When the earthquake hit at 3:30 AM, Elena was the only one sleeping in a tent.  She says she awoke before the earthquake actually began to be felt—she says a noise precedes the quakes usually.  She was sleeping on an air mattress and was fully clothed (as camp director she sleeps that way with her glasses within easy reach because she has to be ready to respond when needed).  She was out of the tent quickly and ready to raise the alarm.  But all of the volunteers were already evacuating the cabin in perfect order.  They counted noses and all were present.  It was a scary moment because they could hear the boulders crashing down from the enormous sheer rock cliff on the other side of the river/ravine.  No one, and not even the cabin (which is wooden and therefore somewhat flexible) was hurt.  They sang a couple of songs, prayed, and, once the first aftershocks were over, set out on foot to check on the two neighbors that they have (one of which has a cabin perched on the edge of the ravine).  Everyone was OK, but also very glad to see the Shalom Center staff.  Click here to read full report.

NEWS and

EVENTS

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.

QA Speakers, Preachers and Teachers.

Opening Night, Wednesday, June 23^rd   Bishop Vashti McKenzie serves as the 117^th elected and consecrated bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and is the first woman to reach this level of leadership. Bishop McKenzie is a former journalist and is often described as “an electrifying speaker.”

Thursday, June 24^th   Joanne Kagiwada is a native Californian and retired attorney. Her law degree led her to direct Disciples work in international affairs and to represent the Disciples at the National Council of Churches. She was instrumental in lobbying for the official government apology to Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II. Her late husband, David, is remembered on David Kagiwada Memorial Sunday for his leadership of Disciples Asian American ministries.

Friday, June 25^th   Rev. Evelyn Nieves is a native New Yorker and former elementary school teacher. Evelyn and her husband, Moises, also a Disciples pastor, founded the Christian Family Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Bronx in 1996.

Saturday, June 26^th   Rev. Amy C. Gopp is also a Disciple who serves as the Executive Director for Week of Compassion, the relief, refugee, and development ministry of the Disciples church. Amy served for four years as a peace activist in Croatia and Bosnia.

Sunday, June 27^th   Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will serve as the closing speaker. The Rev. Watkins has served as a pastor and missionary in Congo (the former Zaire.) She was recently recognized by President Obama as one of America’s most influential religious leaders.

Daily Bible Study will be led by Dr. Sharyn Dowd, Pastor for Spiritual Formation and Mission Engagement at First Baptist Church of Decatur, Georgia. Sharyn is a New Testament scholar and author of two books on the Gospel of Mark. She taught New Testament and Greek at Lexington Theological Seminary (KY) and Biblical Studies at Baylor University (TX).

Be at QA…you don’t want to miss any of these outstanding women!!

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.

Dear Friends of Council on Christian Unity.  I want to share a quick note with you regarding some recent postings on the CCU website.  Here’s what’s new:

· There are two new resource materials related to our 100^th Anniversary “Worship Resources throughout the Year”:  February 14 (Transfiguration Sunday in connection with African American History Month); and, March 14 (Fourth Sunday in Lent).
Ron Allen and Linda McKiernan-Allen are offering some excellent worship resources and notes on the lectionary texts that we hope will be of use to congregational pastors and worship committees. (Go to http://www.disciples.org/ccu/100thAnniversaryResources.html) 

· In that link, you will also note that we have listed all of the dates that will be included in this year-long program.  I hope in having the dates in advance that you might anticipate making use of these resources in your congregations.  We hope to post the materials at least four weeks ahead of the Sunday identified. (Go to “ Planning for the Future: Sundays when resources will be offered” on that same webpage) 

· Detailed information is now available for the April 27, 2010 dinner to celebrate CCU’s past and to honor the 25-year ministry of Dr. Paul A. Crow, Jr., as we name him “President Emeritus of the CCU.”  (Go to http://www.disciples.org/ccu/100thAnniversaryResources.html) 

· Christian Churches Together (CCT) has posted its latest Newsletter reporting on its meeting in Seattle on January 13-15, 2010.  This was a very interesting and exciting meeting.  (Go to “Latest Newsletter from Christian Churches Together”  under the “What’s New From the Council” on CCU home-page: http://www.disciples.org/ccu/ )

I do not plan to send out notices every time I update my website.  However, I hope you will go to this website often.  I am trying to keep our website updated and “fresh” with news and resources related to what’s happening in the Council on Christian Unity and the ecumenical movement today.  And, as always, I deeply appreciate receiving your comments and response!

In Christ’s love, Robert Welsh, RWelsh@ccu.disciples.org.

STAFF UPDATES

From Barbara Jones:  I am working with Wendy and Tina on Disciples Women materials, follow-through from Regional Board, reports for the College of Regional Ministers and for the General Board.  Baby Austin Joseph Shuman is due tomorrow, and if he is not here by Monday, it’s off to the hospital we go at 6:30 am to “begin the process”.  His time in the hopper is over and he’s toasty warm and doesn’t seem to want to leave that environment!  Austin, come out to play!

From Rick Hamilton:  This weekend I will be involved in the Cottage meetings at FCC El Dorado, AR; then will preach at FCC Conway, AR.

Search Committees I am currently supporting are:

     Bentonville First (Associate)

     Sherwood First (Not currently accepting profiles)

Please contact me, in confidence, to inquire about any of the above Ministry Opportunities.

From Michael Elmore:  I will be home this weekend.  FCC Leesville has called Rev. William "Bill" Wilson from North Carolina as their new pastor. He will begin his ministry April 1.

Search Committees I am currently supporting:

FCC Leesville, LA 

FCC Lake Charles, LA

FCC Gulfport, MS

From Vance Moore:   We’re currently working on workshops that focus on “Outreach”.  If you would like for us to visit your church and share opportunities for “outreach” in your town, in the Region, or in the international community let us hear from you!

Search committees I am currently supporting:

       FCC Newport, AR

       Community CC, Hardy, AR

Westside Mission:  This week found the “young men” of Wabash on their annual trip to Westside.  When they arrived there were no walls up on the new build for Mrs. Rose Gueringer. Now the walls are up and we’ll be installing roof trusses by the end of the week. Great Spring break guys!!!!!

WHERE DID YOU SEE GOD TODAY?

From Sara Rozzell: 

For more information see the youth page at www.grrcc.org .

2010 Summer Camp Dates:

June   4-7      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 9^th grade only)