Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Congregational Transformation Event - November
Mark the date: Nov. 14-16, Disciples Home Missions will sponsor God's Positioning Spirit, a Congregational Transformation Conference in Philadelphia. Details will appear on our homepage soon, including a downloadable flyer.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Assembly Photos
Thanks to Bill Chambers of the Madison Avenue Church, we have some photos from the assembly ready for you to view on our Flickr page, which can be accessed from our homepage (bottom left panel), or by clicking here.
If you have more to share from your own collection, please email them to me (or loan them, if paper, and I will scan and return to you). We'd like to have a nice full collection!
Blessings!
David
If you have more to share from your own collection, please email them to me (or loan them, if paper, and I will scan and return to you). We'd like to have a nice full collection!
Blessings!
David
Heartwarming Words from the Regional Minister
I am being warmed in the afterglow of our 120th regional assembly. I find myself being warmed by the grace of God. I am touched by the depth of love and faithfulness that I witness and know in our church. What gifts we have been given!
Our time together in Huntington has been wonderful, and I am struck by the unity and inherent diversity within our one body. At this assembly, there was something for everybody. Our minds were stretched, our hearts were encouraged, our comfortable places were confronted, and the music and preaching were top notch. There was something for everybody.
This reminds us clearly, that in our region, there is a place for everyone (for every body!) Our diversity adds greatly to the richness of our life. It adds to our unity. Be warmed in this.
Blessings and Christ’s Peace,
+ Thaddaeus
Our time together in Huntington has been wonderful, and I am struck by the unity and inherent diversity within our one body. At this assembly, there was something for everybody. Our minds were stretched, our hearts were encouraged, our comfortable places were confronted, and the music and preaching were top notch. There was something for everybody.
This reminds us clearly, that in our region, there is a place for everyone (for every body!) Our diversity adds greatly to the richness of our life. It adds to our unity. Be warmed in this.
Blessings and Christ’s Peace,
+ Thaddaeus
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Assembly Joys
The 120th Regional Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia has come to a close with the installation of our new Regional Board. So much has happened in the past 3 days, and so many good feelings were a part of the gathering, a play-by-play account would be impossible.
Needless to say, with the presence of so many good people from around the Region, the General Church, and our ecumenical brothers and sisters, Friday night was a mountain-top experience for the many gathered in the Ohio Valley. A new bishop, Thaddaeus Allen, was consecrated and installed as our Regional Minister; his Deputy Regional Minister, David Chafin, was also installed to office; the clergy of the Region renewed their commitment to faithful ministry, as did all of us called into Christ's ministry in their Baptisms.
Music was superb throughout the event. Spirits were high, and much learning and loving took place among people who do both so very well. Hospitality from the Huntington churches was as good or better than we have come to expect through the years, and those 3 great congregations look forward to yet another day together as they plan to celebrate the first joint Sunday communion known of in their common history tomorrow morning.
Our hosts at the Madison Avenue Church deserve a great commendation, and names will not be dropped at the moment, because no one deserves to be left out. Enough to say, "Many thanks from a grateful Regional Church."
Our guests, so numerous and loved, are travelling home with the good taste of a great time in Christ's presence fresh in their mouths. Now we look to gather again in 2 years at the church in Weirton with great anticipation. Mark the month of April, 2010 as "reserved" in your planning calendar. You won't be disappointed!
Needless to say, with the presence of so many good people from around the Region, the General Church, and our ecumenical brothers and sisters, Friday night was a mountain-top experience for the many gathered in the Ohio Valley. A new bishop, Thaddaeus Allen, was consecrated and installed as our Regional Minister; his Deputy Regional Minister, David Chafin, was also installed to office; the clergy of the Region renewed their commitment to faithful ministry, as did all of us called into Christ's ministry in their Baptisms.
Music was superb throughout the event. Spirits were high, and much learning and loving took place among people who do both so very well. Hospitality from the Huntington churches was as good or better than we have come to expect through the years, and those 3 great congregations look forward to yet another day together as they plan to celebrate the first joint Sunday communion known of in their common history tomorrow morning.
Our hosts at the Madison Avenue Church deserve a great commendation, and names will not be dropped at the moment, because no one deserves to be left out. Enough to say, "Many thanks from a grateful Regional Church."
Our guests, so numerous and loved, are travelling home with the good taste of a great time in Christ's presence fresh in their mouths. Now we look to gather again in 2 years at the church in Weirton with great anticipation. Mark the month of April, 2010 as "reserved" in your planning calendar. You won't be disappointed!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Calling the Church to Prayer and Assembly
The 120th Regional Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia will begin Thursday, April 24th, and continue through Saturday. Many fine events and celebrations will bless Huntington this weekend. The Madison Avenue Christian Church will serve as headquarters for this holy event in the life of the church. I call us all to a time of prayer for our regional church. Please remeber those who will lead, those who are hosting, and all who are traveling. May this time of Assembly bless the church and the world.
God Bless you,
+ Thaddaeus
your Regional Minister
God Bless you,
+ Thaddaeus
your Regional Minister
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Last Minute Assembly Advice
The 120th Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia is about to begin. This article ran in the Huntington Herald-Dispatch this morning, and things are looking right and ready at the Madison Avenue Church, where we will be hosted and treated wonderfully.
The big question we hear now is, "I didn't register on time. Can I still come?" The answer is a little complicated, but the long and short of it is yes! We expect to pack the house for worship, especially on Friday evening, but if you've been a Disciple for more than a week, you know you won't be turned away from the Lord's Table.
Certainly, we have serious limits at our Men's and Women's dinners, which are catered off-site, but there may still be a place for you there. Pancakes? When do the guys run out of pancakes? My guess is there will still be a couple of tickets left for that early Saturday event. And the banquet Friday night will have some extra seating for you, just in case...and the folks there at Central know hospitality. You'll be glad you made the effort.
So the good word for today is don't miss it. Details on our registration form. At this late date, please email us and let us know your plans to attend, so we can try to fit you in for meals. You can pay at the registration table in Fellowship Hall.
The big question we hear now is, "I didn't register on time. Can I still come?" The answer is a little complicated, but the long and short of it is yes! We expect to pack the house for worship, especially on Friday evening, but if you've been a Disciple for more than a week, you know you won't be turned away from the Lord's Table.
Certainly, we have serious limits at our Men's and Women's dinners, which are catered off-site, but there may still be a place for you there. Pancakes? When do the guys run out of pancakes? My guess is there will still be a couple of tickets left for that early Saturday event. And the banquet Friday night will have some extra seating for you, just in case...and the folks there at Central know hospitality. You'll be glad you made the effort.
So the good word for today is don't miss it. Details on our registration form. At this late date, please email us and let us know your plans to attend, so we can try to fit you in for meals. You can pay at the registration table in Fellowship Hall.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Unity Worth Working For - National Council
Looking forward to Pentecost, General Minister Sharon Watkins and Disciples Council on Christian Unity President Robert Welsh request the publication of this letter from the National Council of Churches. They not only note agreement with the content of the letter, but remind us of unity as a mark of the earliest church in Jerusalem, as described in Acts.
That same church, which was of one mind and spirit, at least for a time, moved outward to transform the world. How appropriate that our Pentecost offering for New Church should help empower God's people to do likewise in our time and place!
The National Council letter follows:
Pentecost Letter
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! This letter comes with greetings from the 35 member communions of the National Council of Churches—and with an invitation.
The National Council of Churches is probably best known for its sponsorship of Bible translation (the RSVand NRSV) and for its work on behalf of justice and peace. The Council, however, is much more than such activities, important as they are. It is, in the words of its Constitution, “a community of communions,” a fellowship whose very existence offers a sign of hope in a world so often fragmented by competing interests and fearful of differences. In this community of communions, Orthodox and Quakers sit together. In this community of communions, churches with roots in Africa, Asia, and Europe talk and work together. In this community of communions, gifts of the Spirit are shared in order that the body of Christ might be built up in love.
There are still real theological differences among us, differences significant enough that some of our member churches cannot yet break bread together at the table of our Lord. But we do affirm that all of us, in some mysterious way, belong to Christ; and this allows us to pray with and for one another.
This letter is an invitation to engage in such prayer in your own setting. We urge you to contact congregations/parishes from other communions in your neighborhood (especially ones with which you may not have had much previous contact) in order to organize a time of fellowship and prayer together this spring. Many of these congregations are also part of the member communions in the National Council of Churches. The work of Christian unity requires leadership. Our fervent hope is that you will give such leadership in your local setting.
In this season following Easter and looking to Pentecost, we are writing to invite you and your congregation to celebrate our common commitment to Jesus Christ and to join in the universal Christian language—the language of prayer. Resources for this time of prayer together, including prayers for peace in our troubled world, will soon be available on the National Council of Churches website (www.ncccusa.org) where you can also inform us of your participation.
May God bless you and your community as we celebrate of the resurrection of our Lord. May the Holy Spirit move among us all with the reconciling power made manifest on that first Pentecost event of unity and reconciliation.
Michael Kinnamon Archbishop Vicken Aykazian
General Secretary President
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! This letter comes with greetings from the 35 member communions of the National Council of Churches—and with an invitation.
The National Council of Churches is probably best known for its sponsorship of Bible translation (the RSVand NRSV) and for its work on behalf of justice and peace. The Council, however, is much more than such activities, important as they are. It is, in the words of its Constitution, “a community of communions,” a fellowship whose very existence offers a sign of hope in a world so often fragmented by competing interests and fearful of differences. In this community of communions, Orthodox and Quakers sit together. In this community of communions, churches with roots in Africa, Asia, and Europe talk and work together. In this community of communions, gifts of the Spirit are shared in order that the body of Christ might be built up in love.
There are still real theological differences among us, differences significant enough that some of our member churches cannot yet break bread together at the table of our Lord. But we do affirm that all of us, in some mysterious way, belong to Christ; and this allows us to pray with and for one another.
This letter is an invitation to engage in such prayer in your own setting. We urge you to contact congregations/parishes from other communions in your neighborhood (especially ones with which you may not have had much previous contact) in order to organize a time of fellowship and prayer together this spring. Many of these congregations are also part of the member communions in the National Council of Churches. The work of Christian unity requires leadership. Our fervent hope is that you will give such leadership in your local setting.
In this season following Easter and looking to Pentecost, we are writing to invite you and your congregation to celebrate our common commitment to Jesus Christ and to join in the universal Christian language—the language of prayer. Resources for this time of prayer together, including prayers for peace in our troubled world, will soon be available on the National Council of Churches website (www.ncccusa.org) where you can also inform us of your participation.
May God bless you and your community as we celebrate of the resurrection of our Lord. May the Holy Spirit move among us all with the reconciling power made manifest on that first Pentecost event of unity and reconciliation.
Michael Kinnamon Archbishop Vicken Aykazian
General Secretary President
Friday, April 11, 2008
Scott Lectures Well Attended
A large crowd of 75 participants, including Ministers from West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia gathered at the Mountainside Conference Center in Bethany as Dr. Marvin Meyer presented the 2008 Oreon E. Scott Lectures.
Dr. Meyer (Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University; M. Div., Calvin Theological Seminary) is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies and Co-Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, Chapman University. Using as his theme Disciples and Gospels – Lost and Found, Dr. Meyer gave individual presentations on the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Judas.
Bethany College preministerial students were introduced at Monday’s Timothy luncheon and Dr. Dan P. Moseley, Herald B. Monroe Professor of Practical Parish Ministry, Christian Theological Seminary, was the luncheon speaker.
To subscribe or read archives, visit "The Old Main Journal".
Dr. Meyer (Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University; M. Div., Calvin Theological Seminary) is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies and Co-Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, Chapman University. Using as his theme Disciples and Gospels – Lost and Found, Dr. Meyer gave individual presentations on the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Judas.
Bethany College preministerial students were introduced at Monday’s Timothy luncheon and Dr. Dan P. Moseley, Herald B. Monroe Professor of Practical Parish Ministry, Christian Theological Seminary, was the luncheon speaker.
To subscribe or read archives, visit "The Old Main Journal".
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