Past Events for 2010
The following events were completed in 2010.
Christian Youth Leadership Seminar
Lake Brownwood Christian Retreat, June 28 – July 3, 2010. Christian Youth Leadership Seminar, a leadership development and training program for youth who are completing their freshman through Junior years in high school, will bring together youth from all across the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Southwest. Any young person who is interested in developing their leadership skills is invited to attend. Please complete the form and return it to your Area Office no later than June 1st to ensure timely registration. The cost of CYLS is $300 for Area Council Leaders and $225 for Non-Area Council Leaders.
Click here for details.
Click here for registration form.
Boundary Seminars for Clergy
Conducted by the Trinity-Brazos Area of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Southwest on Tuesday, July 13, 2010, 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. at Riverside Disciples Ministry Center. Click here for registration.
Clergy Boundaries Training will also take place on June 26, 2010 at University Christian Church in Tyler. Please call the Northeast Area Office for details at 903-561-7086!
The next Tres Rios Area Boundaries Workshop, for Sexual Misconduct Prevention, required for new licensed ministers - will be held in El Paso, Saturday August 28, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Site to be announced at a later date. $15 registration fee payable at event. Lunch provided. Please e-mail Charlotte Hoppe if you plan to attend.
Camp TRUTH
Camp TRUTH (Tearing Racism Up by Transforming Hearts) is an anti-racism pro-reconciliation honors camp for high school youth. The camp is jointly sponsored by The Reconciliation Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and three Areas in the Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Northeast, North Texas, and Trinity-Brazos). Applications should be mailed to and received by Rev. Irie Session, Associate Area Minister in North Texas no later than April 23, 2010. Applicants will be contacted by May 5, 2010 of their acceptance in Camp TRUTH.
Click here for details.
Standing Renewal Form Is On-Line
It is time again for our ordained clergy to share their Annual Standing Renewal Form with the Regional Committee on Ministry.
This is the opportunity for our active ordained clergy to renew their standing credentials in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). This is an annual responsibility for all of our active clergy. The Deadline for 2010 Standing Forms to be submitted is February 1, 2010.
The 2010 Annual Standing Renewal Form is on-line in the Connected Community.
Click hereif you are already a member of the community. Simply log in with your username and password and complete your 2010 Annual Standing Renewal Form.
Click here if you are not yet a member of the Connected Community to begin the registration process for your access. Requests for access will be processed within 12 hours of submitting your request. Once your access has been finalized, you will be able to log in and complete the 2010 Annual Standing Renewal Form.
Summer Collegium In Support of Small Congregations
Applications are now available for the Summer Collegium, a project in support of small congregations at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. Clergy (and their spouses or partners) from 25 small churches of all Christian denominations are invited to spend nine days at Virginia Seminary for encouragement, education, rest and renewal. All expenses, including travel, books, meals, lodging, child care at home and pulpit supply, are paid by a grant from the Lilly Endowment.
The theme of the Summer Collegium this year is Leadership in the Small Congregation. Our keynote speaker will be Alice Mann, a prolific writer on congregational ministry, and John Bell from the Iona Community in Scotland will join our worship team for the conference.
The dates for the Summer Collegium are June 23 - July 1, 2010. Application forms are on our website, http://www.vts.edu/education/collegium, or will be sent in the mail by emailing SummerCollegium@vts.edu or by calling 703-461-1760.
Applications must be postmarked by December 15, 2009, to be considered.
Help Start New Churches Through the Pentecost Offering - May 16, May 23 and NOW!
Many communities do not have a Disciples congregation. In some neighborhoods, Disciples churches no longer meet the needs of local residents.
In these places, where can those in search of a personal expression of Disciples witness find God's table, open to all?
With your support, New Church Ministry and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Southwest can help Disciples start new churches to meet those needs, so we can all be one in the love of Christ.
Make your Pentecost Offering today or through your congregation on May 16 or May 23!
One-half of your gift is put to work in YOUR AREA and one-half supports the new church planter recruitment, training and mentoring efforts of New Church Ministry. Please encourage your congregation to participate in this important special offering. For materials and additional information, see www.disciplesmissionfund.org.
Compassion and Aid Received in Haiti
If you’ve been watching the news, you’ve inevitably heard about the difficulties of getting aid, supplies, and medical care to those affected by the earthquake in Haiti.
While it is true that the delivery of aid has been hampered by many factors, including infrastructure-related challenges, Week of Compassion can assure you that aid is reaching many of those who need it.
Martin Coria, Church World Service Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, now based in the Dominican Republic and working closely with Servicio Social de Igelesias Dominicana (SSID), noted that with pre-positioned CWS kits and blankets, SSID was able to provide relief to the victims of Haiti's massive earthquake in the first twenty-four hours of the disaster. On Wednesday, January 13, SSID sent a flight with supplies to Port-au-Prince, and their staff was able to see the needs firsthand and quickly provide the most crucial supplies and assistance.
Click here for details and a live news feeds.
Click here to make an on-line donation.
Click here to go to the WOC Haiti website.
Clergy Boundaries Training - Rescheduled
Please be advised that the Boundaries Seminar for the Bluebonnet Area that was scheduled for Saturday, December 5, 2009 has been postponed. The seminar has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 6, 2010. In addition, for those who can not attend the seminar on weekends, a weekday session has been added for Monday, March 1, 2010. The seminars will be held at Rolling Oaks CC, San Antonio. Please contact Anna in the BBA office at bba@ccsw.org for registration form and details!
The CCSW Disciples Women’s Vision Event for Feb 26-27
The Women’s Visioning Event will be held February 26-27, 2010 at Community Christian Church in Richardson. Tickets are $20 at the door, Friday evening (with meal) and Saturday 9-4 (with lunch).
Disciples Women across the Region are invited to attend the FIRST Vision Gathering for Disciples Women in the CCSW! Adonna Bowman, Executive Director of Disciples Women's Ministries, will lead us through this discovery process! It will involve lots of conversation, study, listening and worship. A hotel has been secured at a discounted rate -- but in order to get that information, you must call and register with Andrea Gantz at 817-926-4687 or ccsw@ccsw.org.
We will begin Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. with dinner and end Saturday afternoon by 4 p.m. Dinner and Lunch will be provided at Community Christian Church in Richardson.
We are grateful that Adonna can be with us and share from her knowledge to help us get CCSW Disciples Women's Ministries pumped up for 2010!
Dr. Sharon E. Watkins Will Be At Ministers’ Week
Dr. Sharon E. Watkins, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will share the Wells Sermons at Ministers’ Week at University Christian Church next week. Each evening at 7:30 p.m. at University Christian Church in Fort Worth, we will gather for worship, enjoy the incredible music offered in praise to God, and hear God’s Word from our General Minister and President.
Licensed Ministers’ Dinner, Monday
During Ministers' Week, all Licensed Minister’s are invited to attend a Licensed Ministers’ Dinner at Monday, February 8, 5:45 pm in the Fellowship Hall of University Christian Church of Ft. Worth. You can bring your spouse for $5. E-mail ccsw@ccsw.org for reservations or call 817-926-4687 and leave us a message that you will be attending.
Clergy Boundaries Training - Feb. 8th
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Southwest will be conducting Clergy Boundaries Training on Feb 8 2010, 10 am - 4pm at University Christian Church, Fort Worth in Room 203.
Click here for the registration form.
There will be an additional course offered at Rolling Oaks Christian Church, San Antonio on December 5, 2009. Please contact Anna in the BBA office at bba@ccsw.org for registration form and details!
Reaching People Under 40 while Keeping People over 60
You are invited to the North Texas Area Leader Event on January 16 at First Christian Church of McKinney from 8:15-3:00 for a series of workshops on building community. The keynoter is Eddie Hammett, author of “Reaching People Under 40 While Keeping People Over 60.” He will also lead 2 morning workshops. Churches may want to bring a team to participate in the Hammett workshops. There will be other workshops on building community through groups, prayer and ministries during the day. Cost is $20 and lunch is included. For more information and registration materials, please see www.ntaccsw.org.
Be a Global Mission Region Pilgrimage to the Middle East
On November 30th, seven Regional Staff of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and two Global Ministries staff will meet in Newark, NJ for a time of Orientation and Ministries and Mission Interpreters (MMI) training in preparation for their pilgrimage to Lebanon, Syria, and Israel & Palestine.
On December 1st the group will travel to Lebanon on the first leg of their journey. They will return to the U.S. on December 11.
A blog has been set up so all of us can share the story of their pilgrimage. Thanks also for your prayers.
Click herefor the details and to see the blog.
Update:We invite you and members of your congregation to join the Middle East Pilgrimage Webinar Powerpoint on December 15, 2009 as we share the story of our experience on this recent trip. The link to the webinar site is http://globalministries.org/news/advent-in-the-middle-east.html
Congregations Urged to Use Best Practices In Preventing the Spread of Swine Flu
Mounting concerns over this flu season have congregations looking for solutions to prevent the spread of the H1N1 and seasonal flu viruses. As a follow-up to a pastoral letter on flu prevention from General Minister and President Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins, Executive Director of Week of Compassion Rev. Amy Gopp, and Donald T. Lucey, M.D., Former Vice Moderator of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Office of the General Minister and President and Week of Compassion are urging congregations to utilize a recent document distributed to member communions by the National Council of Churches on best practices for congregations to prevent the spread of the flu. The document, titled “National Council of Churches H1N1 (Swine Flu) and Seasonal Flu Best Practices for Congregations,” is a comprehensive guide that cites ways congregations can adapt worship practices, create hygienic spaces, and make pastoral visits to hospitals and other venues safer, quelling the anxiety of their members and helping to keep everyone healthy.
To view the best practices statement as a PDF document, visit:
http://www.disciples.org/Portals/0/PDF/DNS/2009/20091022-H1N1BestPractices.pdf or visit www.disciples.organd click on the link titled “Keeping your Congregation Healthy.”
Audio Interview with
Pastor Irie Session
The weekly Bible-study podcast of Central Christian Church of Dallas features an in-depth interview with Pastor Irie Session titled "Sex in the City and Your Soul." Pastor Irie speaks from years of experience of helping women as a social worker, local church pastor, mother, and conference speaker. Her interview extends compassion and restoration to the one whose life may have been fragmented by sexual exploitation. Her discussion is frank and personal, Biblical and grounded in real hope.
Click herefor the Mini-Site Home Page of the Westside Cafe of Central Christian Church of Dallas.
General Minister And President Calls For Disciples' Involvement In Health Care Reform
General Minister and President Sharon Watkins is asking Disciples to give their prayerful support to health care reform that is now being debated in Congress. In a letter written to the Church, Watkins describes Jesus' ministry as a witness to abundant life that includes physical, mental and spiritual wellness.
Health care reform will help those in the faith community live out Jesus' vision, her letter states, noting that our country is close to the moment when decent, affordable health care is accessible for everyone. Watkins calls on Disciples to be among those in the faith community who call upon our leaders to accomplish health care reform this year.
Click hereto read her full letter.
The Bluebonnet Area Calls Rev. Allen C. Allen As Transitional Area Minister
The Bluebonnet Area has called Rev. Allen C. Allen to serve as its Transitional Area minister beginning January 1, 2010. The Search Committee is delighted that Rev. Allen has affirmed their call and looks forward to beginning his ministry among us in January!
Rev. Allen is a career Navy chaplain who has retired to interim ministry. Currently, Allen and his wife, Terri, are completing their service as interim minister with a congregation in Spring Hope, NC.
Rev. Allen’s education and experience have prepared him for this new post. He graduated in 1975 with a M.Div. degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC with an additional year spent in Clinical Pastoral Education. He has a Masters degree in Formative Spirituality, as well as training in Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation. He has served in the U.S. Navy from 1982 until 2005 supervising chaplains and providing support and care for Naval and Marine families throughout his career.
Allen and Terri have two sons and three grandchildren. We look forward to welcoming Allen and Terri to the CCSW family!
The Engaging Church Seminar
Is On-Line at the NTA Website!
The North Texas Area of the Christian Church in the Southwest has launched an on-line video seminar for churches in the NTA. The NTA has licensed the "Engaging Church" seminar produced by Church Growth, Inc. The arrangement allows the NTA to present the complete video seminiar in its secure Member Portal for the clergy and laity of the North Texas Area.
The seminar discusses how to attract outsiders, connect visitors and integrate new members. The seminar is presented in high-quality Flash video in six sessions. In addition to all six full-length videos, the seminar workbook is provided, session summaries and an area-wide on-line discussion forum for talking about each session of the seminar. Also, Larry Ross, Area Minister and President of the North Texas Area is available to visit churches in a follow-up capacity to help interpret and apply the principles of this seminar in a holistic way.
The on-line seminar is available to the members of the Region without charge.
Click herefor more information.
Two New Church Leader Videos Added
The North Texas Area of the CCSW has added two new videos to its website that provides video and audio recordings of training on various topics for leaders of churches, lay, licensed and ordained. They are continuing to build a library of resources to which members and leaders of churches in the Region can turn in the search for personal and professional growth.
The two additional church leader training videos that have been added to the NTA training library brings the total to seven videos with over eight and one-half hours of multimedia training available to you.
The two new videos were recorded at the April 2009 Licensed Ministers Training session.
Click here to go to the NTA Church Leader Traing page of the NTA website.
