Disciples New Service Update

SMALL TEXAS CHURCH REACHES OUT THROUGH 100,000-WATT RADIO STATION: First Christian Church in Paris, Texas, has decided to make a difference in its ministry by spreading the gospel to all who will listen to its weekly radio broadcast. The church of about 90 members is located in a rural area of northeast Texas but its services now reach thousands each week. Shut-ins, local residents, and travelers crossing the busy highways in the area are now able to dial into the 30-minute taped broadcasts that air over a powerful 100,000-watt FM station on Sunday mornings.“We just felt like that was a way that we could do evangelism and also be a help to our shut-ins and older people, who sorely missed being able to come and hear a live service,” said Ronnie A. Nutt, an elder at First Christian in Paris. “Now they think they are a part of it just by tuning in and listening to the program right where they are.” The broadcast is sponsored by contributions from First Christian’s members. To find out more, see: www.disciples.org/dns/Releases2008/08068.html

EMBRACE GOD’S WORLD THROUGH GLOBAL MISSION AT ¡Missionworks!Disciples are encouraged to explore new ways to engage in global mission at the fourth biennial ¡Missionworks!, an event blending mission education with practical ideas for involvement in God’s mission. The event will take place Oct. 2-5 in Cleveland, Ohio. Those who attend will gain a renewed excitement about Global Ministries and discover how to make a difference in the world.Participants will learn how to connect their congregation to global partners and missionaries, effectively pray for missionaries, partners, and the world, educate members of all ages about global issues, and seek justice on behalf of international partners through specific advocacy efforts.Congregational representatives may also participate in Ministries and Mission Interpreter (MMI) training. MMIs are trained to convey the stories of mission, educate people in their local church and region utilizing available Global Ministries resources about the work of global mission, and inspire others to get involved in global mission.The registration deadline is Aug. 29. For more information, click on the ¡Missionworks! logo at www.globalministries.org or contact Bob Shebeck at (317) 713-2571 or bshebeck@dom.disciples.org

DISCIPLES CHURCHES TO SERVE AS MISSION STATIONS IN IOWA RECOVERY INITIATIVE: Three Disciples churches in Iowa are preparing to open their doors to hundreds of volunteers who will arrive in early August to begin the difficult work of helping several Iowa communities rebuild following massive summer floods. The churches will serve as mission stations where volunteers can eat, sleep and fellowship. The three churches are Noelridge Christian Church in Cedar Rapids, Marion Christian Church in Marion, and First Christian Church in Coralville. Each will have a place for 20-25 volunteers per week. More than 4,000 homes were flooded in Cedar Rapids alone. Week of Compassion, the Upper Midwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the mission station churches and the Office of Disciples Volunteering, a part of Disciples Home Missions, have partnered in this effort. Volunteers are still needed to assist in the effort that will begin Aug. 3 and last through mid-November. To schedule a work week, contact Anne Marie Moyars in the Office of Disciples Volunteering at 888-346-2631 or amoyars@dhm.disciples.org. For questions regarding the recovery efforts, call Carl Zerweck, director of Disciples Volunteering at 317-289-5061. You can also find out more by visiting the Disciples Home Missions website at: www.discipleshomemissions.org

BLACK LEADERSHIP PROJECTS COMMITTEE MAKES GRANT AWARDS: The Black Leadership Projects Committee has awarded grants totaling $31,287 that will enhance the work of five groups in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The awards will pay for a trip by new church planters to southern Africa; allow a group of African-American Disciples to travel to Haiti; underwrite an arts-music camp for Springfield, Ohio youth; create an immersion opportunity for two adults with a Disciples partner overseas; assist African-American Disciples congregations with sponsoring refugees; and sponsor a pre-Convocation training session to prepare clergy, church and lay leaders for transformed ministry within Disciples congregations, regions, and other institutional structures. The fund is administered through Disciples Home Missions. For more information, visit: www.discipleshomemissions.org/News2008/08.07.BlackLeadership.htm

WEEK OF COMPASSION FIGHTS RISING WORLD FOOD COSTS: Week of Compassion is responding to the continuing global food crisis, in part through the relationship that Disciples share with the Foods Resource Bank. The relationship enables local Disciples farmers to donate a portion of their harvest to the bank, which uses the resources through partners around the world to empower poor farming families to become self-sufficient in their own food production and security.Donated food is badly needed in countries that have been hit by soaring food prices, particularly developing countries. Prices for basic stables such as corn, rice and wheat have risen 50 percent to 100 percent in some countries since the beginning of the year. Poor families that had been spending 10 to 20 percent of their income on food are now spending 50 percent. To learn more about how Week of Compassion is helping and the Disciples congregations that participated in 2007 growing projects, see: www.weekofcompassion.org/pages/updates/July0817.html

DISCIPLES BENEVOLENT SERVICES NAMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS: The Disciples Benevolent Services (DBS) Board of Trustees has named its new slate of officers for 2008-2009. Belva Brown Jordan is now board chair and Don Downing is vice chair. Jordan, an ordained Disciples minister, is associate dean for admissions and student services at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Okla. She was previously dean for student life at Harvard Divinity School.Downing is a St. Louis, Mo., attorney, and member of Webster Groves Christian Church in Webster Groves, Mo. Joseph M. Kidwell, an attorney in Fort Worth, Texas, also has been named to serve on the board through 2010. Kidwell is a member of Carmel Christian Church in Carmel, Ind. Disciples Benevolent Services (National Benevolent Association) is the 121-year old social and health services general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). To read more, go to: www.disciples.org/dns/Releases2008/08069.pdf (PDF)

SPECIAL RATE FOR AIRPORT SHUTTLE SERVICE AT NATIONAL CONVOCATION: The 20th Biennial Session of the National Convocation opens Friday evening, July 25 in Memphis, Tenn. with a concert by Gospel recording artist Kurt Carr. Delegates who will arrive at the Memphis International Airport can now use the Tennco Express airport shuttle at a special rate of $20 round trip. To get this rate, delegates must go online to www.tenncoexpress.com and click on the “Group Shuttle Services” icon. Convocation delegates can catch the Tennco Express shuttles at column #14 Yellow on the lower level. Shuttles will run every half hour from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. For more information about the 20th Biennial Session of the National Convocation, see: www.disciples.org/convo/biennial.htm

FUND FOR THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION AWARDS MORE THAN $1.5 MILLION: Four Disciples are among 162 students who will benefit from more than $1.5 million in fellowships and support recently announced by the Fund for Theological Education. The FTE is working to help reverse a decline in the number of clergy under age 35 by supporting promising college, seminary and doctoral students who have a passion for ministry or theological scholarship.Over the past decade, the fund has awarded $16 million in support of nearly 1,500 students, most of whom have pursued ordained ministry, a church-related vocation or a faculty post teaching religion and theology. FTE also has a goal to improve diversity on the faculties of North American theological institutions. More than one-third of theological schools do not have a scholar of color on their staffs. To read more, see: www.disciples.org/dns/Releases2008/08070.pdf (PDF)

ASIAN INTERFAITH NETWORK STRIVES TO RECLAIM RIGHTS OF CHILDREN WITH HIV-AIDS: Global Ministries reports on the Asian Interfaith Network which is fighting a difficult battle. Last year, AINA led an interfaith effort that promised to respond to the continuing HIV-AIDS scourge. Since then, the epidemic has exacerbated. The Interfaith Network is now grappling with the increasing incidence of HIV-AIDS in children and the projected rise in the number of orphans and vulnerable children.Faith leaders and other members from faith-based organizations representing 10 countries in Asia, including Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, and Korea, met in Chiang Mai, Thailand July 2-5 to tackle the problem. The theme of the conference was "Reclaiming Rights of Children Affected and Living with HIV and AIDS." To read more about their efforts to restore human dignity and to reclaim the rights of children affected and living with HIV and AIDS, visit:www.globalministries.org/news/eap/reclaiming-rights.html

NEW MEMBERS SOUGHT FOR YOUNG ADULT COMMISSION: The Young Adult Commission is looking for two people who want to make a difference in the lives of young adults in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Applications for the positions on the commission are now available. Members of the commission are expected to connect with other young adults across the denomination, plan young adult gatherings for general assemblies, and work for young adult causes on the local, regional and national levels. Commission members also are asked to work with all manifestations of the Church to strengthen young adult leadership.Applicants must be a member of a congregation affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and be between the ages of 18 and 33 when the application is submitted. Applications are due Oct. 1. For questions, contact Tod Iseminger at 888-346-2631 or tiseming@dhm.disciples.org.

NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIAN TO HONOR ORGANIST FOR 40 YEARS OF SERVICE: National City Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Washington, D.C., will honor its former minister of music, Lawrence (“Lon”) P. Schreiber, on Aug. 9-10 in observance of his upcoming 75th birthday. Schreiber was minister of music at National City Christian and was one of the founding members of the Association of Disciples Musicians. Known as one of the most respected church musicians in the United States, he will celebrate his birthday in November. Schreiber was minister of music and organist of National City Christian from 1960 to 2000. The festivities honoring him will include a dinner and celebratory worship service. Anyone interested in attending should RSVP as soon as possible by contacting Kathleen Burger-Gerada, chair of the NCCC music committee, at ggerada@yahoo.com, or 12808 Monroe Manor Drive, Herndon, Va. 20171, or call 703-725-9892. For additional information, call Burger-Gerada or minister of music Charles Miller at 202-797-0103.

FORMER DISCIPLES PASTOR AND MISSIONARY TO PHILIPPINES DIES: Former Disciples missionary Leonard Brummett has died. Brummett, 81, died July 14. The ordained Disciples minister served as a missionary to the Philippines from 1952 to 1958. He also served as pastor at churches in Little Rock, Ark., Columbia, Mo., and Mount Carmel, Ill., and as interim pastor at five churches in Indiana and Kentucky following his retirementBrummett is survived by his wife, Ruth Mitchum Brummett, one daughter and three sons. Memorial services were held July 19 at First Christian Church in Henderson, Ky. Contributions may be made to First Christian in Henderson or the American Cancer Society. For more, see: www.disciples.org/dns/Releases2008/08071.html####Editor: Wanda Bryant WillsE-mail: news@cm.disciples.org