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122nd Weekly Edition 2009 GRR CURRENTS |
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JOYS and PRAYER CONCERNS |
Rev. Joe Wilson, Hot Springs, AR, passed away about 2am on November 14, 2009 with his daughter, Barbara, at his side. As the family gathers, plans will be made for his services. A notice via email will be sent to clergy as soon as we have that information. Rev. Dave Felty has been called as the Pastor of FCC Vicksburg, MS. Congratulations! Rev. Bill Keller (Bella Vista, AR) brought home 6 gold medals from the Senior Olympics held in Hot Springs, AR. Congratulations Bill! What an inspiration to your colleagues who are far younger than 87 and live lives far less active! (There is a lesson here!!) Click here to see full article. Laura Cook, daughter of Rev. Miles Cook, Park Hill CC, N. Little Rock, AR, has gone home! She will continue rehab from home. Check her progress: www.lauracookinfo.com. For Vivian Bryant: We are so blessed to have had such a sweet and wonderful woman of God working with us in the region since 1994. Vivian has been working part time with us since May as executive director of Disciples Women and liaison for MCMC. That position can no longer be funded past 12/31/2009. Vivian would prefer a “Card Shower” to an attempt to gather people for a farewell party, so consider this your opportunity to shower her with your love and appreciation! Cards or any tokens of appreciation can be sent to Vivian at: 5319 Cottonwood Road, Memphis, TN 38115 or to the region at P.O. Box 192058, Little Rock, AR 72219. Congregations across the region are free to contact her between now and the end of the year at 501-944-2163 if you want to do something special on your own. Thanks so much! |
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NEWS and EVENTS |
Covenant Christian Church, Byram, MS. Position available for Youth Pastor. To apply, please mail your resume and a letter of interest to: Covenant Christian Church (DOC), P.O. Box 720357, Byram, MS 39272 Accepting resumes until December 31, 2009 Contact: John Holifield, Minister 601-573-8030 or 601-760-6104 or 601 924-5095 Or Monica Fountain, Parent Volunteer 601-885-6876 or 601-573-8003 Click here to see full ad and details. Disciples Women. As we continue to work on our Quadrennial Assembly service project to bring an end to human trafficking, I wanted to bring to your attention this new film, co-produced by George Clooney, that deals with the sexual exploitation of children. Called “Playground,” we have written to the publicist of the film to see if there is a possibility of having a showing at the theaters across from the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro during QA next year. Meanwhile, please help publicize this new film so if there is a showing in your area women might be encouraged to attend. Adonna Boman. http://www.nestfoundation.org/film/ Southern Christian Services for Children and Youth, Inc. The mission statement of SCSCY is: ‘In response to the love of Christ, Southern Christian Services for Children and Youth serves and equips vulnerable children and youth, assisting them in the process of becoming self sufficient and contributing members of society.’ Chris made his way to the P.A.L.S. program for homeless teens operated by SCSCY in Mississippi. We celebrate with Chris his accomplishments and his commitment to serve his country. Click here to read his full article. Sue Cherney, 860 East River Place, Ste 104, Jackson, MS 39202, 601-354-0983. Martha Grace Reese, author of the highly acclaimed Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism, will direct research to discover, evaluate, and work with the dynamic of congregational transformation through faith development and faith sharing. The Lilly Endowment has awarded a major new four-year grant to support this second phase of the Mainline Evangelism Project, which will be called the Unbinding the Gospel Project. The purposes of the Unbinding the Gospel Project phase are: "The most important point of the Unbinding the Gospel Project will be to help churches and their leaders slow down and pray. We believe with all our hearts that if we will ask Jesus to use us, and if we follow humbly and simply, that Spirit can use us to reach tens of thousands of people who do not have a conscious relationship with Christ, or who are not part of a loving faith community. Congregations interested in being a part of the study may contact Reese at www.GraceNet.info. 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. ·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. Cyrus N. White, President and Publisher, CBP/Chalice Press/Lucas Park Books FCC Slidell, LA is building a new building on their site to be used as a community center/missions building. The center will be used to provide various ministries and outreach opportunities for the people of FCC to serve their community. Disciples Volunteering is sponsoring the Blitz Build which will take place from March 1-April 3, 2010. If your church is interested in participating, you can call Brenda Tyler at Disciples Volunteers, 317-713-2642 or go to the web site at www.discipleshomemissions.org/Volunteer/SpecialProjects/SpringBreak.htm Also, for more information on how you can participate in or donate funds to the project, you can contact Rev. Susan Lassalle at 985-643-8623. Click here to see the list of needs. Journey of Faith: A Pilgrimage of Discernment for Ministry. On behalf of Columbia Theological Seminary’s Center for Lifelong Learning, this special program will allow pastors to make a unique pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Traveling to the roots of our faith, participants may deepen their spiritual journey, clarify their call to ministry, and gain valuable insights. Please consider this opportunity for yourself and share this information with others who may be interested in participating. Cost. Participants will pay a $500 registration fee. The only other costs will be personal expenses and possible transportation to and from Atlanta if you live within 200 miles of Atlanta. Dates. April 21 - May 5, 2010, Pilgrimage July - August, 2010, Reflection Process November 19, 2009 is the deadline for completed applications. Participants will be notified of acceptance by December 18, 2009. Requirements for Participation. · Pastors of any denomination are eligible to apply · 5 years of ordination · Current service in a congregation · Completion of application, including 2 letters of reference Journey of Faith brochure and application. Journey of Faith news release Natasha Nichols, Staff Associate, 404-687-4577, journeyoffaith@ctsnet.edu Summer Collegium: a project in support of small congregations. All expenses paid nine-day conference for small church clergy and their spouses/partners. The deadline for postmarking applications is quickly approaching (December 15). The Summer Collegium is an ecumenical project fully funded through the Lilly Endowment and seeks to offer encouragement, education, refreshment and renewal to 25 small-church pastors each year. The dates of the Summer Collegium are June 23-July 1, 2010. Single clergy and locally ordained persons are welcome to apply. Our keynote this year is the Rev. Dr. Alice Mann, and music will be led by John Bell of the Iona Community in Scotland. Blessings and peace. Marilyn Johns, D. Min., Project Manager, Virginia Theological Seminary, 703-461-1760 www.vts.edu/education/collegium. 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. cumminsdd@gmail.com, 255 Sears Lane, Swanton, Maryland 21561, 301-387-8088. |
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STAFF UPDATES |
From Barbara Jones: I will be driving to Kansas City this weekend. Sunday I’ll worship with my daughter-in-law (while my son is hunting) at St. Andrew Christian Church in Olathe, KS, and then I’ll be one of several Priscilla’s and Timothy’s to be recognized at a Founders Celebration at Countryside Christian Church Sunday night. Monday I’ll meet with Brandon Gilvin, our North America leader for Week of Compassion, and then spend Tuesday through Friday in Chicago for the College of Regional Ministers. Saturday I’ll fly to Jackson to be in Meridian Sunday for their Celebration of Lucian Lee’s ministry, and voila’ it’s Thanksgiving! The week after Thanksgiving I will be on vacation, and return to the office around December 6. From Rick Hamilton: What a great week it has been working with our New Beginnings congregations and consultants in Maumelle, El Dorado, and Little Rock. This weekend I will be leading a stewardship workshop at Disciples Christian Fellowship in Texarkana, in partnership with Disciples Institute. Then Sunday, I will be preaching at First Christian Church in El Dorado. Next week, we will complete two more New Beginning meetings at Parkview and Pulaski Heights, and I will be meeting with the search committee at First Christian Church, Mountain Home. Search Committees I am currently supporting: FCC Harrison, AR (Assoc/Youth) FCC Sherwood, AR Please contact me, in confidence, to inquire about any of the above Ministry Opportunities. From Michael Elmore: Last Sunday I worshiped with FCC Hammond, LA. This week I met with Brandon Gilvin, Associate Director of WOC and Vance Moore discussing Westside Mission. This Sunday I will be preaching at FCC Sulphur, LA. Next week I will meet with the Vision Team of FCC Lake Charles and attend a Spiritual Leadership Workshop Thursday - Saturday. I would encourage you to check out the web page for The Academy of Spiritual Leadership, it is a wonderful program that has been developed over the past 12 years to develop Leadership, lay and clergy, in our churches http://www.la-umc.org/ssl/asl.php Search Committees I am currently supporting: FCC Leesville, LA FCC Lake Charles, LA FCC Gulfport, MS From Vance Moore: On Sunday I preached the WOW service at Lindenwood Christian Church in Memphis, TN. Lindenwood has been one our largest supporters over the last 5 years. 300+ attendance helped the Mission Team celebrate their partnership with the Great River Region. Thanks to Dallas Miner and all the folks at Lindenwood. This week I’ll travel to Mammoth Spring and Hardy in northeast AR. We’ll go over to Branson, MO and take in a play on Saturday evening and then I’ll preach at a joint service at FCC Mammoth Spring. There’s also a rumor that I’ll get to go fishing for Rainbow trout if I show up a little early on Friday! We’re continuing to work on our upcoming trip to the Dominican Republic. Keep us in your prayers. Search Committees I am currently supporting: Highland Drive Christian Church—Jonesboro, AR Westside Mission: This week we had 15 volunteers from FCC, Fredericktown, MO. They’re “old timers” at Westside. Second trip for some, third for others. We worked on Coach Bennett’s house. We’re soooo close to moving him in. Hope that happens in the next few days. They also started the foundation for Mrs. Rose Gueringer’s house. Mrs. Rose is 76 and a widow. This will be a complete build. We’re booking groups for late spring and summer 2010. Come on down, there’s plenty of work, fellowship and opportunities to serve! WHERE DID YOU SEE GOD TODAY? From Sara Rozzell: 2010 Summer Camp Dates: More youth dates available on the youth page at www.grcc.org. |