Disciples News
From Disciples News Service - Nov. 6, 2008
In this issue:
- Administrative Committee Holds Its Fall Meeting In Indianapolis
- Renewal Of Violence In Congo Thwarts Relief Efforts
- Disciples Among Groups Asking For Halt In Immigration Raids
- Commission On Ministry Issues Latest Draft On Order Of Ministry
- Disciples Minister To Be Inaugurated As Head Of Union Theological
- Church Extension Seeks Director Of Marketing & Communications
- Disciples To Attend Gathering Of Tents For Dafur In Washington
- NAPAD Convocation Shows Fruit Of Asian Ministries
- PSR Purchases History-Rich Former Church Across Street
- Disciples Intentional Interim Ministers Association Formed
- 'New Day' Magazine Writers Share Accounts Of Answered Prayer
- Jarvis Christian College Lands $1.9 Million Math And Science Scholarship Grant
- Lynchburg College Plans Gala For Relief In Haiti
ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE HOLDS ITS FALL MEETING IN INDIANAPOLIS
The Administrative Committee met in Indianapolis Oct. 31-Nov. 1. The 20-person group of voting representatives heard updates on the Church's progress in addressing its priorities, a report on the work of the Mission Alignment Coordinating Council and a proposed approach that offers new ways for Disciples to express their views on moral, ethical or religious issues at General Assembly gatherings. To read more, go to: www.disciples.org/tabid/58/itemid/111/Administrative-Committee-Fall-Meeting.aspx
RENEWAL OF VIOLENCE IN CONGO THWARTS RELIEF EFFORTS
The continuation of violence in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is having an impact on much-needed emergency relief operations there. The United Nations has advised humanitarian groups to withdraw their staff working in the volatile region. Several members of the group Action by Churches Together, including the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC), of which the Disciples community in Congo is a founding member, are working in the areas where the fighting has intensified.
The last Congo war, which killed 5.4 million people, mostly from disease and starvation, officially ended in 2003, but hostilities continue today. A delegation from the Indiana Regional Church, which included General Minister and President Sharon Watkins, visited the Congo in May and heard first-hand accounts about the war from Congolese women. This is "a war that is a derivative of the Rwanda genocide, a derivative of the world's generations-long grab of Congolese resources. Rape has been a weapon of this war, leaving women maimed and often divided from their families by shame, needing a skill to support themselves," Watkins wrote in her diary of the trip, which can be found at: www.disciples.org/GeneralMinisterandPresident/CongoDiary/tabid/401/Default.aspx
DISCIPLES AMONG GROUPS ASKING FOR HALT IN IMMIGRATION RAIDS
A coalition of faith communities and social advocacy organizations is urging President George W. Bush to stop U.S. immigration officials from conducting indiscriminate raids on immigrant communities in search of illegal residents. In an Oct. 27 letter to Bush, the groups said the raids, which are being carried out by the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have separated families and created an atmosphere of fear among all community members. Refugee and Immigration Ministries (RIM) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a co-signer to the letter.
"While violations of immigration law are civil - not criminal - offences, the sheer number of persons detained pending deportation results in immigrants, including whole families, being imprisoned in local jails," states the letter to the president. "There, they are held in facilities without accountable standards of humane treatment, and without access to medical treatment or religious services." To find out more or get resources to help individuals and congregations prepare for the raids, see: www.discipleshomemissions.org/rim/ImmigrationMinistries.htm
COMMISSION ON MINISTRY ISSUES LATEST DRAFT ON ORDER OF MINISTRY
Ordained and commissioned ministers may have a special interest in the most recent draft of a General Commission on Ministry (GCOM) report. The document, entitled, "Theological Foundations and Policies and Criteria of the Ordering of Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)," has been in development for five years. It was produced in response to a call from all areas of the Church to re-examine policies and procedures for the Order of Ministry. Those who choose to comment on the document are asked to respond only to gcom@ogmp.disciples.org and provide the line number and page number to which you are referring, where applicable. The deadline for receipt of all comments is January 30. In February, GCOM expects to consider changes and modifications and prepare a draft to be presented to the General Board. The entire document can be found at: www.disciples.org/Portals/0/PDF/DNS/2008/20081106-GCOMDocument.pdf [PDF]
DISCIPLES MINISTER TO BE INAUGURATED AS HEAD OF UNION THEOLOGICAL
Union Theological Seminary will inaugurate Disciples minister and former Yale Divinity School faculty member Serene Jones as president on Nov. 17. Jones, an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ, is the 16th president and the first woman to head the 172-year-old seminary. Union Theological is an independent, non-denominational institution.
Union Theological Seminary will also celebrate 100 years in its current location in New York City during the Nov. 16 -17 weekend. The centennial celebration will culminate in Jones' inauguration at The Riverside Church in New York City. For more on the celebration, go to: www.utsnyc.edu/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=256&srcid=824
CHURCH EXTENSION SEEKS DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Church Extension seeks a director of marketing and communications. The person will work with senior staff to create the strategic direction for communicating the mission and services of Church Extension to the wider church. The position calls for someone who will provide oversight to the marketing team in the implementation of communications, public relations and marketing efforts.
Church Extension, together with its investors and partners, offers mission-driven planning and capital funding services to Disciples of Christ congregations in the context of their culture and other stage of life. Applications for the communications position will be received through Nov. 30. To get more information or to apply, see: www.churchextension.org/upload/Marketing-Director.pdf
DISCIPLES TO ATTEND GATHERING OF TENTS FOR DAFUR IN WASHINGTON
The Tents of Hope campaign will culminate with the "Gathering of the Tents" on Nov. 7-9 in Washington D.C. The gathering is an ecumenical movement established to raise awareness among churches about the current genocide in the Sudan, particularly in the province of Darfur. More than 2 million people have died, and more than 4 million are internally displaced or have become refugees as a result of the civil war and war-related impacts.
Representatives from Disciples churches such as Gordon Street Christian Church in Kinston, N.C., Hillyer Memorial Christian Church in Raleigh, N.C., and Southport Christian Church in Indianapolis will be among more than 2,000 people descending on Washington for the Gathering of Tents. Churches from 48 states, including numerous Disciples congregations, have participated in the Tents of Hope for Sudan campaign. Disciples churches that send representatives to Washington for the Gathering of Tents are encouraged to advise the Week of Compassion office at 317-590-3147 or e-mail Amy Gopp at agopp@woc.disciples.org. For more, go to: www.weekofcompassion.org
NAPAD CONVOCATION SHOWS FRUITS OF ASIAN MINISTRIES
Disciples who claim an Asian heritage celebrated the strength of their ministries within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at a biennial gathering recently and challenged themselves to grow more congregations across the United States and Canada.
The 15th convocation of the North American Pacific Asian Disciples (NAPAD) took place in early August in Stony Point, N.Y. The four day event included lectures, workshops, and opportunities to showcase cultural heritage. Geunhee Yu, executive pastor of NAPAD noted that the ministry has borne fruit by opening 100 congregations since Asian Ministries started in 1992. The ministry hopes to have 250 healthy NAPAD churches by the year 2020. To read more, go to: www.disciples.org/tabid/58/itemid/110/NAPAD-Holds-Convocation.aspx
PSR PURCHASES HISTORY-RICH FORMER CHURCH ACROSS STREET
Pacific School of Religion has joined Disciples Seminary Foundation in acquiring University Christian Church, a history-rich church located across the street from the Berkeley, Calif., seminary. University Christian Church was built in 1931 and grew into a vibrant congregation in the 1950s, when it offered two Sunday services. Thereafter, membership gradually declined and University Christian held its final service in February 2007.
The church site is now known as the Ecumenical Center of Berkeley, and will host the 108th Earl Lectures and Leadership Conference in January 2009. Pacific School of Religion has long-standing ties to the University Christian Church site. From the beginning, PSR students attended church there, and Jack Finegan, University Christian's longest serving pastor, taught Old Testament classes at PSR for 30 years. To learn more, visit: www.psr.edu/news/psrs-scenic-expansion
DISCIPLES INTENTIONAL INTERIM MINISTERS ASSOCIATION FORMED
A new fellowship of Disciples clergy has been established called the Association of Disciples Intentional Interim Ministers (ADIIM). It was formed after several Disciples attended the Interim Ministry Network's 28th Annual Conference, which took place in St. Charles, Ill., in May. Ordained Disciples ministers, who are called to serve churches when there is a pastoral vacancy, are referred to as interim ministers.
The ministers who established ADIIM believe that the time has come for an association that will benefit and support interim clergy, who serve the church during the sometimes difficult period of congregational transition. An intentional interim minister typically serves a Disciples congregation between nine and 24 months. All churches will experience a pastoral vacancy at some point. Intentional interim ministers provide valuable leadership during transitional periods. For more about the objectives of ADIM and how to join, see: www.adiim.org
'NEW DAY' MAGAZINE WRITERS SHARE ACCOUNTS OF ANSWERED PRAYER
The latest issue of "New Day" magazine focuses attention on insights into biblical examples of answers to prayers. In a featured theme "I called... God answered... I am changed," several women, including Betty Brewer-Calvert, LaTaunya Bynum, Kaye Edwards, Mary Jacobs, Sandhya Jha, Stephanie McLemore, Cathy Myers Wirt, and Lorette Waggoner share their stories of answered prayers in their own contemporary experiences.
New Day presents biblical, current day and global stories that are of particular interest to women. The magazine can be acquired in English or Spanish. A 25 percent discount is available for all 2009-2010 New Day materials purchased before Nov. 30. To find out more about New Day and the Christian Board of Publication, visit: www.ChalicePress.com.
JARVIS CHRISTIAN COLLEGE LANDS $1.9 MILLION MATH AND SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIP GRANT
Jarvis Christian College has been awarded a $1.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant will be used to assist Jarvis students who are majoring in biology, chemistry or mathematics. The National Science Foundation money, which will be disbursed to the Hawkins, Texas, college through 2012, will also be used to support undergraduate research in science and math.
The NSF grant will be available to Jarvis juniors and seniors. In addition, the students selected to receive the scholarships will be obligated to complete a stint as a faculty-supervised lab assistant in their discipline during a minimum of two first-year lab periods. Jarvis Christian College is related by covenant to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). To learn more about the NSF grant, go to:
www.disciples.org/Portals/0/PDF/DNS/2008/20081106-JarvisGrant.pdf [PDF]
LYNCHBURG COLLEGE PLANS GALA FOR RELIEF IN HAITI
Lynchburg College will host "Step Out and Serve: A Global Gala" to help provide humanitarian relief to the people of Haiti, St. Lucia, Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, and Rwanda. The gala will take place on the evening of Nov. 15 and feature exhibits, food, music, a fundraising pledge drive and service opportunities. It will cost $25 for general admission and $10 for students.
Lynchburg College alumna Rachel Tanner is scheduled to be the keynote speaker for the gala. Tanner is a 2002 graduate of Lynchburg. She worked in Haiti with Beyond Borders, a Christian organization that advocates for peace and justice in Haiti. Lynchburg College is located in Lynchburg, Va., and is related by covenant to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). For more, see: www.lynchburg.edu/x15553.xml
