Connection - March 6, 2008
PDF Version
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Prayer Concerns
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Area Board Meeting
-
Year Book Reports
-
MO Impact Partners for
Justice
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African American
Convocation
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Invitation from Gower
Church
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Spring Women’s Retreat
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NW Area Women’s Spring
Assembly
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Randy Shannon Ordination
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World Convention needs
volunteers
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Helping Kids Cope with
Stress, Trauma & Violence
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Camp Dates
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Calendar of Events
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Legal Issues for
Congregational Leaders
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Week of Compassion
Update
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PRAYER CONCERNS
Please pray for Jim Murphy, father of Donna
Murphy-Ceradsky, pastor of the Orrick Christian Church. Pray for
his health and treatment.
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AREA BOARD MEETING
Continuing Education opportunity for you and a
team from your church.
On Saturday, March 29, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. –
2:00 p.m. we will have the semi-annual Area Board Meeting. Dick
Hamm, former General Minister and President of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) will be speaking about transforming
churches to meet the challenges of our times and the coaching he
is doing in the Northwest Area. This meeting is a great one to
bring several leaders from your church. We will also have
updated information on the Pulliam land and the exciting
prospects this presents for the area.
This week we have sent out packets to the
Churches, Pastors and Area Board Representatives that we have
listed. If you get a packet and are no longer the
representative, please give the packet to the correct person and
notify the office so we can update our records.
Each church may have 2 voting delegates, but
everyone is welcome to attend the meeting. Come and be a part of
the revitalization of the Northwest Area. If you are planning to
attend please notify the office by Tuesday, March 25, 2008, to
help us prepare for you.
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YEAR BOOK REPORTS
It is time for all churches that have not
completed your Year Book report form to get them sent in as
quickly as possible. Remember, “Your listing in the Year Book
and Directory is the basis of your 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.”
To date we have received the reports from 32
of our 69 churches. We really appreciate those of you who took
the time to get the report in promptly.
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MO IMPACT PARTNERS FOR JUSTICE
Rev. Dr. John H. Bennett has asked us to
forward this information to the Northwest Area.
I solicit your prayers for this important
initiative and invite you to become a MO IMPACT Partner for
Justice, if you are not already involved in MO IMPACT. To
sign up as a Partner for Justice. please fill out the
registration form attached and return with your check for $25,
payable to MO IMPACT ( P.O. Box 839 , Jefferson City , MO 65102
). I hope that you will join with me and hundreds across the
state as a MO IMPACT Partner for Justice. For additional
information, contact me at
jbennett@moimpact.org
, 573-635-2743, or contact the Missouri IMPACT office:
573-635-2689.
Peace with Justice,
John
Rev. Dr. John H. Bennett
317 Woodward Lane
Jefferson City , MO 65109
573-635-2743; cell 573-338-9551
"Let justice roll down like waters and
righteousness like an everflowing stream" (Amos 5:24)
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African-American Convocation
Faye Vaughn requested that we publicize and
let churches know “Convocation is open to all congregations in
the Mid-America Region.” See attached flyer for more
information.
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INVITATION:
Please join us for the dedication celebration
Of
Antioch Fellowship Center
Sunday, March 9, 2008
At 2:00 p.m.
Gower Christian church
203 S. 3rd St.
Gower, Missouri
Reception immediately following
Nursery provided for
Children 3 and under.
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Spring Women’s Retreat
March 28-29, 2008
Rickman Center
KEYNOTER: Rev. Colleen Carroll
MUSIC LEADER: Rev. Emily Bowen
Come to the Table – Retreat begins on Friday
with registration at 4:30 pm, dinner at 6:00 pm and concludes at
3:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
Deadline for registration – March 24, 2008
Costs: Staying at Rickman - $85.00
Staying in Cabin - $75.00
Commuter – includes 3 meals $65.00
See attached flyer and registration form.
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NW Area Women’s Spring Assembly
NW Area women will “Dare to Dream” together on
Saturday, April 19, 2008 at First Christian in Odessa . The four
workshops will include opportunities to share ideas/ministries
that are working in women’s groups. Good food, worship and
conversations will be awaiting you. Watch for more information
in upcoming NW Connections.
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RANDY SHANNON ORDINATION
Randy Shannon, former volunteer on the Area
Staff for evangelism and former pastor at Sweet Springs
Christian Church will be ordained and installed at the Marshall
Cumberland Presbyterian Church on Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 7
p.m. A reception will follow.
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WORLD CONVENTION
The World needs your help!
World Convention needs volunteers
July 30 – August 3, 2008
Nashville, TN
See attached flyer
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Helping Kids Cope with
Stress, Trauma and Violence
March 29: Columbia , MO (Daniel Boone
Library)
April 12: Springfield , MO ( Drury
University )
May 3: St. Louis , MO ( Forest Park )
These Saturday workshops are from 9:30 am till
3:30 pm with lunch provided.
Presenter Eve Dyson is a licensed professional counselor with
expertise in recognizing and treating post-traumatic stress
disorders.
Her presentation will help people of any faith
know what stress-related symptoms to look for in youth,
particularly those in middle and high school.
Whether stressed by family crises, school
violence, local disasters or national emergencies, young people
need a faith community that is prepared to help them cope.
Eve's workshop (and her user-friendly guides) will help
congregations develop a proactive plan which will be ready
when bad things happen to good kids. The notebook provided
with the workshop provides an easy-to-follow template to help
your congregation when the need arises.
Attached is a flyer giving information about registration. Feel
free to contact me if you want further details.
Rhonda Coleman
Grant Coordinator
P.O. Box 594
St. Albans, MO 63073
rhonda.coleman@hotmail.com
636-451-6032
314-614-2582 (cell)
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CAMP DATES 2008
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
(Completed Grades 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
We are looking for those amazing people who
are called to be camp counselors. These are the people who help
kids to profoundly connect with God and they are among the most
highly respected and cherished servant/leaders in the Church. If
you would like to be a counselor at one or more of the camps
please contact Sue Jameson,
nwchurchcamp@yahoo.com
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Calendar of Events
Area Board Meeting – Saturday, March 29 at
Cameron 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Women’s Spring Retreat Rickman Center
March 28-29
NW Area Women’s Spring Assembly – April
19, 2008 at Odessa
Summer Camps June 24 Through July 29 2008
Women’s Mini Retreat July 11-13, 2008
Sessions for Men July 17-20, 2008
C.R.Y. 2008 Imagine, July 21-24, 2008
www.mid-americadisciples.org
For more information on MSR courses email:
KrystalMSR@earthlink.net or
www.msr-crm.org
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Legal Issues for Congregational Leaders
Thursday, April 3, 2008 - 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Rickman Center, Jefferson City
Attorney and pastor Carla Fletcher will
explore church legal issues in a continuing education event for
pastors, church board chairs, treasurers and moderators. She
will cover a range of need-to-know issues, including the
importance of good governing documents. She will also address,
why (besides avoiding lawsuits) should church leaders care about
legal issues, the best practices for preventing problems,
recognizing red flags and knowing when and how to get help.
Areas to cover include:
· Laying the foundation for good governance
· Implications of being a church-related
nonprofit
· Handling finances
· Property
· Employment-related matters
· Privilege, confidentiality, and mandatory
reporting
· Appropriate and inappropriate relationships
· Insurance
· Sources of help
Date: Thursday, April 3, 2008 Times:
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $60 (includes lunch) Location:
Rickman Center , Jefferson City
For a registration form or more information
contact: Krystal Jacobs, 573-635-1187.
Spiritual Well-being for Church Leaders
This course is an opportunity for church
leaders, clergy and laity, to consider their personal spiritual
well-being and growth. Stretched over several months, the small
group size provides an ongoing spiritual support system beyond
local congregations.
Understanding spiritual well-being to include
body, mind and soul, the course will consider a different aspect
of that health and growth in each session. Sapattu, the
home place of the instructors, provides an atmosphere conducive
to introspection, reflection and thoughtful interaction.
Course Objectives:
Explore various aspects of spiritual
well-being
Provide opportunity to experience inward,
outward and corporate spiritual practices.
Experience various aspects of prayer,
including contemplation and meditation.
Offer the opportunity for the establishment of
support and companionship for spiritual life.
Focus on various visual and poetic images that
might offer insight for spiritual well-being and personal
relationship with the Divine
THIS COURSE IS NOT A THERAPY GROUP. PERSONAL
AGENDA WILL FOCUS ON SPIRITUAL DIMENSIONS OF LIFE.
Third Thursdays: April 17, May 15, June 19,
July 17, August 21, September 25*, October 16, 2008
*one exception
Time: 1:00 p.m. concluding no later than 5:30
p.m.
Location: Sapattu, near Jefferson City
(Directions sent prior to sessions)
Cost: $125 For all sessions
Attendance: Participants are expected to
attend all the sessions. Continuity of participation is
necessary for the establishment of the desired support community
Instructors: Roger and Nancy TannerThies
Phone: (573) 634-3770
For a registration form or more information
contact: Krystal Jacobs , 573-635-1187.
Spiritual Well-being; Living Life in the
Presence of God
This course is an opportunity for individuals
to consider their personal spiritual well-being and growth.
Stretched over several months, the small group size provides an
ongoing spiritual support system.
Understanding spiritual well-being to include
body, mind and soul, the course will consider a different aspect
of that health and growth in each session. Sapattu, the
home place of the instructors, provides an atmosphere conducive
to introspection, reflection and thoughtful interaction.
Course Objectives:
Explore various aspects of spiritual
well-being
Provide opportunity to experience inward,
outward and corporate spiritual practices..
Experience various aspects of prayer,
including contemplation and meditation.
Offer the opportunity for the establishment of
support and companionship for spiritual life.
Focus on various visual and poetic images that
might offer insight for spiritual well-being and personal
relationship with the Divine
THIS COURSE IS NOT A THERAPY GROUP. PERSONAL
AGENDA WILL FOCUS ON SPIRITUAL DIMENSIONS OF LIFE.
Saturdays after the 3rd Thursday: April 19,
May 17, June 21, July 19, August 23, September 27*, October 20,
2008
*one exception
Time: 10:00 a.m. (including lunch) Concluding
no later than 3:00 p.m.
Location: Sapattu, near Jefferson City
(Directions sent prior to sessions)
Cost: $150 For all sessions including lunch
Attendance: Participants are expected to
attend all the sessions. Continuity of participation is
necessary for the establishment of the desired support
community.
Instructors: Roger and Nancy TannerThies
Phone: (573) 634-3770
For a registration form or more information
contact:
Krystal Jacobs,
573-635-1187.
Order of Ministry Constituency
Sisyphus and the Boulder of Hope
April 24-26, 2008 - $150 with lodging, $100
Commuter
Rickman Center, Jefferson City
Pressure to "grow" is a constant, and
mounting. The church needs more people, more money, more energy,
more visibility, more momentum. The church down the street is
doing "sexier" ministry, with more sophisticated technology, and
are now building an addition to the youth wing. And now clergy
are charged with the ominous responsibility for "leading
transformation." And Sunday comes around with "ruthless
regularity." We push the rock up the mountain one day, only to
find it back at the bottom the next. Ministry, today, is
tiresome, confusing, at times disillusioning, and often devoid
of much that feels like "ministry" at all. Through stories,
music, shared experiences and reflection, our conversations
together in this workshop will focus on wellsprings of
hopefulness in ministry. We will not so much look for motivation
to keep "pushing the stone up the mountain," but rather
concentrate on ways to remain spiritually healthy and pastorally
vital. This time will be less about conducting the "business" we
are /hired /to do, and more about contributing ourselves to the
ministry we are /called /to do.
Timothy Cap Diebel is, in every sense of the
word, a child of the church. Reared in West Texas as the younger
son of a Disciple minister and his Christian educator wife, he
grew up quite literally among the pews. After graduating from
high school in Abilene, TX, Tim earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree from Texas Christian University, a Master of Divinity
degree from Brite Divinity School, and later a Doctor of
Ministry degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Formative work relationships have included ministry with
congregations in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Corpus Christi and
Waco, TX as student internships, and full-time ministry in
Houston, Athens and Lufkin, TX, and since 1993 Des Moines, Iowa.
Tim’s wife Lori is an educator in the West Des Moines Community
School District, having earned her PhD from Iowa State
University in Educational Leadership. Two adult children, Merryl
and Christopher, live and work in Des Moines. Tim and Lori are
certified instructors in Couple Communication, and have
conducted “Romance” and communication workshops in Iowa,
Missouri, and Texas integrating what one participant described
as “a broad and somewhat disturbing musical collection.”
For a registration form or more information
contact:
Krystal Jacobs,
573-635-1187.
Dates for the 2008 Boundaries training have
also been sent contact me for a registration form.
For registration forms or more information
contact:
Krystal Jacobs, Office Administrator
Missouri School of Religion
Center for Rural Ministry
P.O. Box 104685
Jefferson City, MO 65110-4685
Phone: 573-635-1187
Fax: 573-636-2889
Email: krystalmsr@earthlink.net
Web: www.msr-crm.org
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Week of Compassion Updates
Humanitarian Crisis Grows in Mozambique
Recent flooding in the east African nation of
Mozambique has created a serious humanitarian crisis for
hundreds of thousands of people, yet has drawn little attention
or assistance from the international community. More than
250,000 have been affected, at least 100,000 of whom have been
displaced, but all of whom are in dire need of immediate food
aid, water and sanitation assistance as well as long-term
recovery assistance to rebuild homes and re-establish their
farming and fishing livelihoods.
The Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM), a
long- time Church World Service partner and local Action by
Churches Together member, is one of several ACT members in the
field, trying to respond to the enormous needs of the flood
survivors. Jorge Samuel, program director of CCM, encourages CWS
members to support the recent CWS appeal for the floods. The
appeal will assist some 10,575 families (more than 55,000
people), all of whom are members of rural farming and fishing
communities. The assistance includes clean water, sanitation
facilities, shelter, and food security.
While the Mozambique floods reveal yet another
example of a significant need in the human family that receives
little attention from the outside world, they also show the
remarkable partnerships of churches and church organizations on
the ground that enable Disciples through Week of Compassion to
respond to the human need and support the work and witness of
the local church partners. WOC has provided a grant of $6000
from the Compassion Response Fund to the CWS appeal.
It's Not Too Late to Register
There are still spaces available for Disciples
to participate in the upcoming WeekEnd of Compassion. The April
11-13 event in Nashville , TN , will offer great preaching,
incredible music, imaginative worship, opportunities to learn
about more hands-on mission opportunities from WOC partners, new
and creative ideas on WOC promotion and much, much more. Click
below for more information and registration details.
WeekEnd of Compassion
Work Trip Grants Available for Hurricane &
Tornado Recovery
While funding for most 2008 work trips is
limited, there are ample funds available for work trips to
Disciples hurricane and tornado recovery mission stations along
the Gulf Coast and in Greensburg , KS . We are well on our way
of reaching the goal of sending 750 Disciples work groups
between September 1, 2006 and August 31, 2008 - less than 60
groups away. Work trip grant applications are downloadable at
www.weekofcompassion.org, and scheduling and other information
is available by calling the Office of Disciples Volunteering at
888.346.2631.
WOC Work Trip Grant
Information
WOC Map/Poster
We would like to share the following story
sent to us by Julie Richardson Brown, Minister of Youth and
Young Adults at Beargrass Christian Church, Louisville , KY :
We recently ordered one of the completely
awesome map/posters from WOC to display here at the church. We
intend to post updates on it as well. Sunday was the first
weekend we had it, and so I used it during my Children's Moment
in both our first and second Sunday service.
In the first service, I talked about what
compassion means and how God calls us to love and care for one
another and showed them the map, pointing out all the places
that WOC has a presence.
In the second service, I had two of our other
ministers roll the map out while I talked to the kids for a
minute; I then turned around to show them the map, and asked,
"Can anyone tell me what this is a map of?" I was expecting, of
course, for them to tell me that it was a map of the world.
However, next to me was sitting a 7 year-old named Avery who had
been at the first service as well. She pulled on the sleeve of
my robe and whispered, "It is a map of compassion." Both Leigh
Bond and I dropped our jaws in amazement, and it took me a
minute to recover and finish up the closing prayer for
Children's Moment.
Yes, she was at the first service and so had
seen the map - but nowhere in that service did I use the phrase,
"map of compassion."
Out of the mouths of babes!
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
www.nwareacc.org |
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