Spirit of Joy Celebrates 10 Years

From Jan and Joy Linn, the Co-Pastors of Spirit of Joy Christian Church in Lakeville, MN:


We are writing to invite you to share with us in the joy of our 10th Anniversary celebration June 13-14. The Saturday and Sunday schedule is below. Please feel free to join us for all of the events or any part you can attend. We want to call special attention to the fact that Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, will be our guest speaker for the Sunday School hour and morning worship.

Thank you for being supportive of us when we came here to establish Spirit of Joy. This celebration is not only special for us, but salutes all the Disciples congregations in Minnesota for their own ministry and the many ways they have made Spirit of Joy possible.

We realize that you may not be able to join us for Sunday morning services, but we hope you will share this invitation with your congregations and that you will try to participate in our Saturday events.



Sincerely,


Joy and Jan Linn
Co-Pastors
Spirit of Joy

Calendar of Events:

Saturday

• - 10:30 Golf Tournament (please email us if you want to play: spiritofjoy@charterinternet.com )

• - 3:00 Picnic at Antler’s Park in Lakeville, with supper & entertainment by the Razzle Dazzle Rock ‘n Roll Spirit Band. During this time there will be an opportunity for former members and others to bring greetings.

Sunday

• - 8:45 Breakfast

• 9:30 Sunday School - Dr. Michael Kinnamon speaking

• 10:30 Worship – Dr. Kinnamon preaching

• 12:00 Picnic luncheon

News Story on College Avenue Christian Church

KCCI-TV from Des Moines reported on the vandalism that occurred at College Avenue Christian in Des Moines. You can view the news story by going to the following link: http://www.kcci.com/video/19165717/

Thanks to Dan Adolphson, a licensed minister in Minneapolis for the tip.

Prayers for College Ave. Christian- Des Moines

Dear Upper Midwest DOC community,

I just took a call from Sue Woods, pastor at College Ave in Des Moines Ave. They arrived to church on Easter morning to find that their building had been damaged and words written upon the walls. They have cleaned up most of it but they still could use our prayers. Two local news station will be running a story on it Sunday night. I will put that link up when it comes out. Sue's word to me were that although they were disappointed in the behavior they understand how people are hurting in todays world and they will still remain open to all people who might find a little hope at College Ave -- Even those who might have caused this damage.

Stay tune for the next update...

Bill Spangler Dunning
Lead Transisitional Regional Minister
Christian Church in the Upper Midwest

Good Friday at Cedar Christian Church

God continues to do wonderful things with us. The most recent manifestation might well have been all the efforts by so many that helped the members of Cedar Christian Church, Cedar Rapids IA worship in the sanctuary for the first time since the Flood. Many gathered with them on Good Friday.

Happy Easter to all.

Bill Spangler Dunning
Lead Transitional Regional Minister
Christian Church in the Upper Midwest

Workshop on Vocational Reflection and Concert with Carrie Newcome

Performer and song-writer, Carrie Newcomer, who will be performing at this summer's General Assembly in Indianapolis, will be leading a workshop on vocational reflection entitled "Soul's Great Joy Meets the World's Deep Needs: Exploring, Vocation, Calling, and Authentic Work" at Central Christian Church in Marshalltown, IA on April 4 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.

This workshop explores the idea that our lives are more than our work, and our work is more than our jobs. Carrie welcomes anyone who is looking to pursue work with purpose and heart. This workshop introduces writing, Quaker clearness method, discussion and other tools.

Cost is $30 in advance per person with lunch included.

Tickets are available by mail or in person. By mail - please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope or send payment and tickets will be held at the door in your name on the morning of the workshop:

Central Christian Church
300 West Main Street
Marshalltown, IA 50158
641-753-3129
chalice@centraldoc.org
Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

On the same day, April 4, Carrie will perform in concert at 7:30 pm at Miller Middle School, 125 South 11th Street, in Marshalltown. Tickets for the concert are only $15 in advance and can also be obtained from Central Christian.

Questions? Contact Janet Lott jalott@isunet.net or call the church.

The Gospel According to Mark: The Story of Jesus

Robbinsdale United Church of Christ (Robbinsdale, MN) invites all to come for a FREE performance of THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK: THE STORY OF JESUS on Friday, April 3rd at 7:00pm. Performers from Robbinsdale UCC will be reading the Gospel from beginning to end as a way to mediate on the life and ministry of Jesus and prepare our souls for the dramatic journey of Holy Week. All are welcome. We are and Open and Affirming, Peace with Justice, and Accessible to All Congregation. See the linked flyer for more information or visit us on the web.

Church Start Near Dubuque Has New Website

Peosta Worship Center, a new church start has now has a website for their congregation: http://www.peostaworshipcenter.org.

Disciple Church Secretary to Retire After 31 Years of Service

Alice Dalager has served First Christian Church of Spencer, IA since 1977. And after 31 years of dedicated service has decided to retire at the end of January, 2009. She’s looking forward to spending more time with her husband and with her grandkids. First Christian Church will host a retirement in her honor in January.

Mrs. Dalager will be honored during the worship service on Sunday, January 25 at 10:45 am. There will be a reception in her honor following the service.



First Christian Church is a member church of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and is currently celebrating 128 years of ministry in Spencer, Iowa. Our building is located at 701 E. 18th Street in Spencer. Our mailing address is PO Box 1440, Spencer, IA, 51301. Phone: 712-262-2945

Retirement Celebration @ First Ames

Celebrating 25 years of Ministry with David Digby

Please join us for David Digby’s Retirement Celebration

When: December 14th, 2008

Program in the Sanctuary: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Reception in Fellowship Hall: 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm


First Christian Church
611 Clark Ave.
Ames, Iowa 50010
(515) 232-5766

A monetary gift will also be given to Meg and David as they begin their retirement together. If you would like to contribute please send to FCC in c/o Retirement Gift.

A memory book created from members and friends will be presented to David. Please send your memories, stories or antidotes to “David’s Celebration”, 611 Clark Avenue Ames, IA 50010 or by e-mail to fccames@fccames.org.

Church Closing: Items to Give Away

Church Closing

New Life Christian Church

2200 Walnut St., Granger

New Life Christian Church of Granger would like
to donate items to congregations in
need. Following is a list of items
available. Please contact us if you are interested.

• Hymnals, Digital Hymnal

• Choir Robes Seasonal Decorations

• Wheel Chair Walker

• Plates,Bowls

• Cups, Glasses

• Silverware Trays

• Table Coverings Salt/Pepper Shakers

• Glass Butter Dishes Coffee Urns

• Decanters

• Overhead Projector

• Glass Snack Trays/Cups Punch Cups

• Misc. Pots/Pans Misc. Glass Bowls/Vases

• Banners

• Chairs

• Chalice Hymnals Misc. Choir Music

• Misc. Books

Contact Names:

Janine Weyer – 515-999-2008

Sherri Ingle – 515-999-2288

Scott Stillwell in Concert

Dear Disciples,
Elkhart Christian Church invites you to join us as we welcome Scott Stilwell, Director of Music and Fine Arts at West Des Moines Christian Church, to a concert of his original music. Scott's new CD will be available for purchase as well.

When: Saturday, November 8

What time: 7:00 p.m.

Where: Elkhart Christian Church, 124 S. Washington, Elkhart, Iowa (17 miles north of Des Moines)

Why: Thanks be to God! Scott's words are deeply prayerful and thoughtful, and his melodies lyrical.

$$$$: An offering will be taken for S.H.A.R.E. (Self-help and Resource Exchange) Iowa.

Beggars Night at Elkhart Christian Church………………..

Celebrating Beggars Night and opening the church to the community has become a tradition at the Elkhart Christian Church. It’s a great place and time for all “Beggars” – big and little – to warm up with some hot chocolate and enjoy some goodies. There are games and activities available for all ages; playing bingo will get you a great prize!! All are welcome at the church located at 124 S. Washington Avenue, Elkhart, Iowa from 6-8:30 p.m. on October 30; everyone can get a treat even if they don’t have a trick!

Barbara Kalsem
Co-Chair
Membership/Evangelism Committee
Elkhart Christian Church

First Christain Keokuk Announces "Saturday Night Alive"

First Christian Church in Keokuk, IA is starting a new service on September 6 (yes, that's a Saturday) called "Saturday Night Alive." Want to find out more? Well, the folks at First have made this video to explain their new endeavor:




The church also has a blog that shares more about the service.

Telling Our Story: Joan White

The following was an email sent by Joan White, pastor of First Christian and First Presbyterian Churches in Perry, Iowa:

My daughter, Krista, has been working at the disciples mission in Los Fresnos, TX , Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries, for a little over a year. I visited her there and met the man who founded the mission, Feliberto Pereira. I was impressed by the gentleness of his strength and his quiet, focused, hopeful way of assisting refugees... When I heard he was writing a book about his life, I ordered several copies. The book came out this summer and the books are circulating in Perry. I had ordered four books and there has not been a week without someone in the congregation asking to be placed on the waiting list to get one. Some people ordered their own copies and these are also circulating.

It is an easy, pleasant, thought provoking read that has appealed to senior citizens and teenagers and everyone in between. It is spiritual without being “preachy.” We are planning to wait until all of those who still on the waiting list have had the opportunity to read it and then discuss it. Possible topics for discussion that popped into my head immediately were the practice of the spiritual disciplines, evangelism, refugee resettlement, forgiveness, ecumenism, family relations and the allocation of our mission dollars. It would work well for Chi Rho and CYF age groups.

O yes, the book is “I Was a Stranger: Hope for a Hidden World” authored by Feliberto Pereira and Chris Kelly, journalist who helped Feliberto put his story on paper. It is available by going to iwasastranger.com or from Amazon.com.

Resources from Church Extension

The Spring issue of Connections from Church Extension is now online, including a story about Runnels Christian Church in Runnells, IA.

Also from Church Extension:

New Beginnings is a new ministry of Church Extension and it is targeted for congregations with an average worship attendance of 60 or less. The service is offered in partnership with regional church leadership. There are four phases in the process. A trained New Beginning Consultant is assigned to spend a day on site, gather material and data, meet with the pastor and moderator and then with folk from the congregation in an appreciateive inquiry session. A comprehensive report(20-30 pages) is prepared including community demographics and a survey of the congregations last ten years. Recommendations for the future are offered (restart, relocate, morph, transform, conclude the church's ministry). New Beginnings provides comprehensive resources and information for the pastor and lay leadership so congregations can discern God's call and their future. We have had eleven congregatons in the Northwest Region participate recently in NB and all are moving toward more purposeful and informed decisions about their futures. It is an excellent resource!

- Marvin Eckfeldt, NB Coordinator for the Northwest Region.

contact Church Extension for more information.

Update on Cedar Christian

The report below is from Bill Gardner, interim pastor at Cedar
Christian Church in Cedar Rapids. (For some of you who have received
the link to the pictures of the damage of the church, below is the
corrected link.)

Please continue to keep these folks in your thoughts and prayers.
Their's will be a journey of faith, to be sure. May God continue to
richly bless all of us, especially those who have suffered tragedy and
devastation in their lives.

To the Christian Church in the Upper Midwest,

At the Cluster 5 Pastors' Picnic held on Monday, June 16, atCenter Point, several of those present wanted to know the assessment ofdamage at Cedar Christian. At that time we had not entered thebuilding. Since then I have been in the building and this is my assessment, which is general and in no way a cost assessment or professional.

The flood of 2008 reached 7 feet high inside the Cedar ChristianChurch educational building. This meant it covered virtually everythingon the first floor: furnaces, water heater, copiers, 3 computers,printers, all file cabinets, all furniture in 3 offices, book cases, 3metal desks, carpeting - including stairways to the second floor, allair conditioning motors, walls and woodwork.

The sanctuary basement (fellowship hall) was flooded to groundlevel and plaster, ceiling, and ducts are down. The flood water hasdrained and it is no longer flooded. All furnaces, water heaters,stoves and refrigerators were also flooded. Many lower windows werebroken under the weight. All pans, dishes, etc. are covered with dirt.Cabinets are damaged. It should be added that river mud and sewage wasinside, as well as outside, the buildings. The sanctuary carpet at thefront was covered with about 9 inches of water, as were the first fewrows of pews. The floor is uneven.

We did not have flood insurance as we weren't in a flood plain.We are several blocks from the 500 year flood plain, besides. Also,FEMA funds are not available, except for loans. In addition, the churchhas 3 rental houses that will have to be dealt with, plus the Wee CareHouse is damaged. Crossroads Mission and preschool programs cannot continue, for now.

Some positives: We met that Sunday following the flood at FirstChristian Church of Cedar Rapids. Our secretary, Linda Jandik, has setup an office there. All church records that we can salvage from theflood will go there. The email to use for now is Pastor Fred's, as heis taking over July 1. His email address is:firstchristian@ispwest.com. First Christian's address is 840 ThirdAvenue SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403, c/o Linda Jandik (Cedar's secretary).

We have heard from a few former members who want to help.$1,000 has been received from Week of Compassion via Don Hiscox/RegionalOffice. Those members evacuated have, or will, receive a check fromWeek of Compassion.

Any written response would be a great boost for morale at Cedar!

Sincerely,
J. William (Bill) Gardner
P.S. Check website photos of damage at www.flickr.com/photos/CedarChristian

Report from Cedar Rapids

From Regional Associate Minister Don Hiscox:

I've just learned that yesterday evening (Thursday, 6-12-08) the
Cedar Christian Church building, in Cedar Rapids flooded. As of this
afternoon (at about 5:45 Friday), I learned that the basement of
Cedar CC is full of water, and because they can't get in to see the
building, they don't know whether or not the sanctuary has taken on
any water. They will be worshipping with the First Christian
congregation this coming Sunday, according to Fred Darbonne, pastor
of First Christian.

I've also just received the following note from Barbara Appleget,
Chair of the Pastoral Search Committee for Cedar Christian Church...

"I haven't been down there (to the church building) myself to see
because they are asking people to stay away but one of our friends
was pretty close the other night and reported that there were three
vans parked in front of our church and the water was up to the roof
of those vans. I talked with Pastor Bill (Gardner, interim pastor)
and we are pretty sure the basement has water in it, along with the
Multi Purpose Building, our Wee Care Shop, etc. No one could have
known this was coming...even the 100 year flood plain wouldn't have
gone this far out I don't believe...we have a lot of work to do and
some difficult decisions ahead of us. First Christian has invited us
to worship with them on Sunday so the prayer chain is going to alert
people that we won't be having church in our building. The Cedar
River crested today at a little over 31 feet but it'll be a while
before we can get in to assess the damage. It's difficult to get
around Cedar Rapids. There are so many roads closed and all the
bridges over the river, of course, are closed. The I-380 bridge is
still open so maybe we can get to First Christian Sunday morning. I
understand Des Moines is also having water problems...I pray they
aren't as destructive as Cedar Rapids. So many people lost their
homes...It's so sad...."

A Week of Compassion solidarity grant will be going out to the Cedar
congregation this coming Monday.

It's great news that the rivers are cresting in places like Des
Moines and Cedar Rapids, but those folks who live down stream still
have lots and lots of water coming their way, so the crisis is not
over by any means.

Please keep the entire congregation of Cedar Christian Church and of
First Christian Church in Cedar Rapids and all those folks who live
downstream in your thoughts and prayers.

Garden City Christian Church Sesquicentennial

We at Garden City Christian Church will celebrate our 150th anniversary on Sunday, June 8, beginning with morning worship at 10am and concluding with a Service of Celebration at 3pm, leaving plenty of time between for sharing a noon meal, and visiting and reminiscing.

We invite you to share this celebration with us. If you cannot attend, perhaps you'll send a message of remembrance. Our address is 104 Washington Street, PO Box 187, Garden City, Minnesota, 56034. Messages can also be emailed to PatFrancis@myclearwave.net.

First Christian in Spencer, IA Highlighted in Disciples News Service

From Disciples News Service:

(May 6, 2008 – Spencer, Iowa) - Just a short while ago the congregation realized their need to make a better effort for outreach and evangelism in their community. After watching food prices dramatically increase, and after learning from their local school district that as many as 42 percent of students were on free and reduced lunches, they decided that Angel Food Ministries was right for them.

Angel Food Ministries is a nearly-nationwide ministry based out of Monroe, Ga., which partners with local congregations to provide a low-cost food ministry for their communities. Each month people have the opportunity to buy a box of groceries for $30, groceries which would ordinarily cost more than double that amount at the store.

This ministry provides a way to meet the needs of the community, get people in the doors of the church, build relationships, and creates opportunities to share the gospel. Additionally, for each unit of food sold, the church receives one dollar for their local outreach fund. In their first month, First Christian Church of Spencer impacted the lives of 146 different households from theirs and surrounding communities.

Additionally, a Lutheran congregation in Terril, Iowa and an Assembly of God congregation in
Sioux Falls, S.D., partnered with them to bring this ministry to their communities, too.

Altogether the three congregations sold 403 units of food this month, with Spencer contributing 344.

Pastor Dan Mayes shared his praise for this ministry, saying, “We’re so excited about what God is doing here! Obviously, a great need is being met through this ministry and we anticipate that it will continue to grow. And we pray that it will provide us with many opportunities to share the good news of God’s love with many more people.” To learn more about how your own congregation can be a blessing through Angel Food Ministries visit www.angelfoodministries.org.

Written by Pastor Dan Mayes
First Christian Church
PO Box 1440
Spencer, Iowa 51301
712-262-2945
www.spencerdisciples.org