• Prayer Concerns
• Happy Thanksgiving
• Christmas Concert Orrick Christian Church
• MSR Events available
• CAMP 2008 is on Its Way! Photo Request and Dates
• Pastors on Retreat Nov. 29 & 30
• Ecumenical Legislative Breakfast Forum
• Week of Compassion Update

E. M. Endsley, father of Art Endsley who is the Associate Pastor of the Orrick Christian Church, died this week. The visitation will be from 12:30 – 2:00 PM with services at 2:00 PM Wednesday, November 21, 2007 at the Orrick Christian Church. Our thoughts and prayers are with Art and his family.

The entire staff of the Northwest Area wish for each of you a joyous day as your families gather to remember our many blessings. Because of the holiday the office will close at noon on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 and will open again on Tuesday, November 27, 2007.

On December 2, Mr. Jayson Moll will be performing a Christmas concert following the morning worship. Everyone is invited to come and listen. A freewill donation will be taken to benefit the Orrick community Christmas baskets.

Attached are flyers for events sponsored by the Missouri School of Religion. For more information, please contact Krystal Jacobs at (573)635-1187, fax (573)636-2889 or email krystalmsr@earthlink.net.

UNBINDING THE GOSPEL: Led by Martha Grace Reese who will share with participants ways to move toward relational, authentic faith sharing – without formulas, but hand-in-hand with God. Personal note: I got to sit in on Gay’s presentation at the National Evangelism Workshop in Fort Worth this summer and I’ve read her book. Gay is a Disciple minister who, in my opinion, does the best job at helping us to get over our fear of evangelism. Her approach honors our intentions to witness and serve and offers very practical examples of how some DOC congregations are doing excellent work in carrying out the Great Commission. She is also the keynote speaker for the 2008 Mid-America Elders Retreat. I strongly encourage congregational evangelism teams to take advantage of this exceptional opportunity! B R-H

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN THE SMALL CONGREGATION: In a weekend workshop setting, the principles and practices of Christian education in the small church context will be explored. The unique dynamics of the small congregation will be assessed in terms of their implication for Christian Education.

ELDER’S INSTITUTE: This is a program sponsored by the Christian Church (Disciple of Christ) of Mid-America, Leader Development Commission. The purpose of the Elders’ Institute is to develop a trained cadre of Elders from our Mid-America congregations to help them assume their roles as spiritual leaders within their congregations. See attached flyer.

We are looking for pictures to use on camp promotional materials. The theme is “Listen! God is Calling.” If you have a picture of kids at camp that you think would exemplify this theme, please send a copy to the office nwareacc@nwareacc.org. Thank you so much for your help

The dates for the camps are as follows:

(All camps begin and end at 10 a.m.)

1,2,3 – Go!

(Completed Grades K-2)

July 16-18 or July 24-26

Jr. Camp

(CompletedGrades 3-5)

June 30-July 4 or July 11-15

Chi Rho

(Completed Grades 6-8)

July 6-10 or July 19-23

CYF

(Completed Grades 9-12)

June 24-29

Missouri church leaders and state legislators will engage in dialogue on tax justice as they examine Missouri ’s income tax structure at an ecumenical Legislative Breakfast Forum on January 23, 2008, 7:30 - 9:30 a.m., at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City . The event is co-sponsored by Missouri Christians Against Racism and Poverty (MOCARP) and Missouri Churches Uniting in Christ (MOCUIC). “Our purpose is to explore issues related to tax justice as seen from differing legislative voices and from a biblical and theological perspective”, states MOCARP co-chair, Rev. John Bennett.

The Forum legislative panel will be: Senator Maida Coleman (D-5), Senator Michael Gibbons, (R-15), Representative Jeanette Mott Oxford (D-59) and Representative Bryan Pratt (R-55). Rev. James Morris, pastor, Lane Tabernacle Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, St. Louis, and Barbara Ross, Director, Office of Social Concerns, Diocese of Jefferson City (Roman Catholic), will provide theological reflection on the tax justice issue. Rev. Patrice Rosner, Director, Churches Uniting in Christ, and moderator of the panel states, “while some people question what faith has to do with politics, I believe that our faith informs everything ; from the way we think to the way we act - and vote. This Legislative Breakfast Forum offers an opportunity for critical, thoughtful, informed reflection from a faith perspective on the tax justice issue and other important issues before the Missouri Legislature, issues which directly affect all Missouri residents.”

Bishop Paul Stewart, Third Episcopal District, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, St. Louis, said, “the CME Church wholeheartedly supports the Legislative Breakfast Forum focusing on tax justice. We are proud to be a part of this great ecumenical effort as we strive to work together to bring about justice, peace and equality for all.” Dr. Jim Hill, Executive Director, Baptist General Convention of Missouri , also endorsed the event saying, “I am delighted to have the opportunity to participate in this Legislative Forum because it is vitally important for genuine dialogue to occur between religious leaders and our legislative leaders regarding matters of social and economic justice.”

To register for the event send $10 ($15 after Dec. 15) to: Baptist General Convention of Missouri, 1900 North Providence, Suite 301, Columbia, (checks payable to Baptist General Convention of Missouri; notation: Legislative Breakfast). Members of denominational commissions, congregations, local clergy, and interested citizens are urged to join with the judicatory leaders in this important event. All Missouri Legislators will be guests of MOCARP/MOCUIC but should make reservation by sending an email to: vkramer@baptistgcm.org

See attached flyer.

Contact: John Bennett, jhbennett65109@peoplepc.com , 573-635-2743; Patrice Rosner, prosner@eden.edu, 314-252-3160

Three moms are sitting across the table from us in a Beirut clinic. Three Iraqi moms far from home. Pretty sure they'll never be able to go back. At least not like it is now.

Lelia never once stops crying. Every time she about gets herself together, the tears well up again and drop down her cheeks. She's been in Lebanon three years already - since the beginning of the war. Sahira, more composed (or is it resigned?) has been here for ten years - since the beginning of the first Gulf War. Ranna, only three months a refugee, has three-year- old Ricardo on her lap. We smile - the same name as my husband, Rick. Rick is in his "dad" mode, making faces at Ricardo, trying to get him to laugh.

We hear the women's stories: "We used to live in peace with our Muslim neighbors - we knew the birthdays of each other's children. But now it's all disorder. People come to kidnap our sons, to threaten our daughters." "We owned our own shop. Now we have nothing." Tears are welling in all our eyes now.

Two and a half million refugees from Iraq (the U.S. has agreed to resettle 14,000). Most are in Syria , Jordan , Lebanon - bursting those small countries at the seams; exhausting local relief efforts; introducing inflationary pressure; raising concerns that moderate, secularized countries where Christian and Muslim have lived side by side in peace will be irreversibly destabilized.

In Lebanon , a newly-arrived refugee family receives fifty dollars from our partners to help with food, a change of clothes, medicine, school supplies, rent. A drop in the bucket of their need. In Syria , forty dollars feeds a family of four for two weeks. Our partners struggle to feed 500 families in Aleppo - $20,000 for one food delivery. In Damascus that two week food delivery costs $600,000 for the 150,000 destitute families our partners are feeding there. Local churches are overwhelmed.

"These people were teachers, engineers," we are told. "They came with some money in their pockets. They have nice clothes on. They don't look destitute. But they are destitute. They are used to being the ones who give. Now they have to receive."

The moms have left the room - off to their appointments. "How do you keep going in the face of all this?" I ask the social worker. "I have a roof over my head," she says. "What right do I have to be overwhelmed?"

I ask the same of our Greek Orthodox partner in Damascus . "The people are so grateful," he says. "You see the relief in their faces. Besides, this is what Jesus would do. We have to respond. We must keep going."

For details on the Iraqi Refugee crisis appeal and how you can help, click below.

Iraqi Refugee Crisis

#Church Partners Begin Response to Cyclone Sidr

In response to the catastrophic devastation of Cyclone Sidr, Bangladesh members of Action by Churches Together (ACT) have begun emergency support to more than 35,000 of the most vulnerable survivors, including widows, children, the elderly, disabled and landless.

Five ACT members - Christian Commission for Development Bangladesh (CCDB); Social Health and Education Development Board (SHED); Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh (LHCB); the Church of Bangladesh (CoB); and Christian Aid - are coordinating efforts to provide emergency food, medical support and temporary shelter. ACT has rushed an initial grant from its Rapid Response Fund and will be submitting an appeal to the ACT network in coming days to support additional relief efforts as well as long-term recovery work of our Bangladesh partners. Week of Compassion will respond on behalf of the Disciples. In the meantime, WOC is sending a grant immediately to CCDB, also a partner of Church World Service and the Global Ministries Southern Asia program.

The death toll from Cyclone Sidr has surpassed 3,000 and is expected to grow. Exact figures on the number of people left homeless is not yet known but is expected to be in the millions. At least 500,000 homes have been destroyed. Just months ago floods devastated northern Bangladesh . While the southern part of the country is prone to cyclones and floods, Sidr is the most destructive to hit the country in a decade.

#CWS Liaison Reports on Relief Efforts following TS Noel

Disciple Don Tatlock serves as Central America and Caribbean Liaison for Church World Service and has just returned from coordinating relief efforts with CWS/ACT partners in the Dominican Republic and Haiti in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Noel. Click below to read Don's latest report.

#Gifts to WOC Needed and Greatly Appreciated

Tropical Storm Noel is one of numerous disaster appeals WOC has received and is responding to this month. Others include floods in Tabasco , Mexico ; hunger emergency in Zimbabwe ; long-term earthquake recovery in Peru ; floods in Nicaragua ; internally displaced persons (IDPs) emergencies in Chad and Burma ( Myanmar ); and wildfire and food appeals in California . Designated contributions to the Compassion Response Fund are always needed, welcomed, appreciated and used in their entirety for disaster response. Gifts can be made online by clicking on the link below or sent to WOC, attn: Elaine Cleveland, PO Box 1986 , Indpls , IN 46206 .

#WOC Map/Poster

Click below for the latest additions to the WOC interactive map/poster. For a complimentary copy of the map/poster for your congregation, call the office at 317.713.2442 or send an e-mail to ecleveland@woc.disciples.org.

Map for Congregations

Have a Blessed Day,

Jan Shrewsbury

Northwest Area Administrative Assistant

816-632-2237