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June 8^th, 2007	21^st  Weekly Edition                                                      2007 GRR CURRENTS
JOYS and PRAYER CONCERNS	The GRR Camp and Conference season begins this coming week. Please pray for all working with and attending camp: safe travels, deepening faith, renewed relationships with friends across the region. Sunday June 16 is RONNY GRAY DAY at Broadmoor Christian Church in Shreveport, LA. Ronny is celebrating 50 years in music ministry at Broadmoor. Elm Tree Christian Church in Bentonville, AR has welcomed Paul Elliott as their new pastor. Paul and Mary have moved from Berryville FCC to Elm Tree, and he will continue his studies at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, OK Bro. Bob Parks has announced his plans to retire from Lakeshore Drive Christian Church (formerly National Park) at the end of June. Bob has faithfully served the congregation for more than a decade. Congratulations to Rev. and Mrs. Donald Dick, FCC McComb, MS upon the birth of a grandson this week. Jeannie Moore, wife of Rev. Vance Moore continues to receive care at Hospice. Cards can be sent to PO Box 740423, New Orleans LA 70174. Jim Brandt, retired Disciples minister and former member of FCC Hot Springs, AR, has surgery scheduled for June 12, at the Methodist Dallas Medical Center, to remove a spot on the liver. Cards and letters can be sent to Jim at: 5300 White Pine Dr., Flower Mound, TX 75028 or email him at:  sjim2933@yahoo.com
EVENTS	Central Arkansas Ministers will meet for lunch on Monday June 12, 11:30am, at Julie’s Restaurant in Little Rock, AR. Southern District Ministers will have a lunch meeting on Tuesday, June 12 at the counseling office of Rev. Dr. Steve Thompson in Hammond, LA. ================================================================ DISCIPLES INSTITUTE is sponsoring an educational event on Wednesday, June 13 as a pre-event program of the MISSISSIPPI CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY CONVENTION which begins Thursday and runs through Saturday at FCC Moss Point, MS. =============================================================== There will be a house dedication and blessing of the campus of Westside Christian Church in New Orleans, LA on June 14 at 1pm. =============================================================== Pulaski Heights Christian Church, Little Rock, AR, is hosting an Adult Spelling Bee on June 16. Click here for the flyer, and if you are in central Arkansas, send a team! =============================================================== Great River Region Logo Wear, Just in time for General Assembly. Due to popular demand, we are putting together an order for Great River Region Logo Polo and Short Sleeve Poplin Shirts. Orders can be made on our Logo Wear site at www.grrcc.org/logoshirts.htm Orders must be received by June 15, 2007 in order to be shipped in time for General Assembly. =============================================================== SUMMER CAMP AND CONFERENCE (click for details)  Completed K thru 2 — Discovery Camp June 16-17 at Camp Couchdale in Hot Springs, AR (For Discovery Camp, all churches are required to send adult sponsors with campers.  If a church sends both male & female Discovery Campers, both male and female adult sponsors are required.) Completed 3 thru 5 — Junior Youth Fellowship (JYF) Camp June 17-20 at Camp Couchdale in Hot Springs, AR Completed 6 thru 8 — Chi-Rho Camp  June 20-24 at Camp Couchdale in Hot Springs, AR  Completed 9^thGrade – F.I.S2H. Camp  (Fundamental Intro to Spiritual & Sexual Health) F.I.S2H. Camp June 24-30 at Camp Couchdale in Hot Springs, AR Completed 10 thru 12 — Christian Youth Fellowship (CYF) Conference July 1-7 at Camp Couchdale in Hot Springs, AR ALL AGES - Magnolia Conference  June 25-30 at Roosevelt State Park in Morton, MS =============================================================== WOMEN’S RETREATS: The Great River Region is now accepting registrations for Fall Retreats.  The registration form is available here, as is an application for the Pickering Scholarship Fund. PLEASE NOTE DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATIONS. =============================================================== NEW 07 This year's NEW will be a joint venture of the NEA, The Columbia Partnership and the New Church Ministry Team of Church Extension.  It has some top-notch speakers and presenters in three tracks...church growth, coaching, and new church establishment.  Dick Hamm is the coordinator for the event as the President of The Columbia Partnership. The website www.new07.org is the best place for registration information. =============================================================== GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2007 Share the Feast:  Dear Friends, I am writing to invite your congregation to be a part of General Assembly in a unique way.  I hope you have already heard about this - if not – Attached is a letter from the group organizing the Chapel for General Assembly.  They have come up with a great way for every Disciple congregation to be 'present' at Assembly, even if you can't physically come.  I know you get a lot of mail about Assembly - and I hope you will take time to read this and send a chalice.  It is another means for us to connect as part of the Body of Christ and the CC(DoC). Thanks for your attention - I hope you can come to Assembly and send a Chalice. Please share this with any congregation - the more that participate – the more we have to share.  Peace, Dottie Cook General Assembly Bible Study: This is the link to the GA Bible Study and I am hearing lots of good comments about it. www.disciples.org/ga/biblestudy
NEWS	A reminder to congregations who send their Disciples Mission Fund checks to Little Rock first: Please make sure your DMF checks are made out to Great River Region and not CFC. Thank you so much for your cooperation. There is an excellent article about FCC Slidell on the Disciple World web page, http://www.disciplesworld.com/newsArticle.html?wsnID=11505 GMP Sharon Watkins was on CNN’s Situation Room this week as one of a panel of church leaders interviewing Presidential Candidates. Click here for the transcript. Chaplaincy Positions in Mississippi Just FYI - We have several positions for clinically trained chaplains (4 units of CPE) now open in Mississippi - in the Jackson area, in Hattiesburg, and in Gulfport.  Descriptions and contact info are on our website - www.mschaplains.org Most of these are newly created or re-created positions. There are several very good chaplain candidates looking at coming to Mississippi, but I want to make sure that the info reaches any qualified Disciple folks who might be interested. Thanks, Jeffery Murphy General Youth Council: Click here for a flier to promote the need for new members of the General Youth Council.  The applications are due July 1, 2007.  The candidates will be elected at General Assembly in Fort Worth, TX.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact Tod Iseminger at tiseming@dhm.disciples.org
STAFF UPDATES	From Barbara Jones: I’m preaching at Park Hill CC in North Little Rock AR this Sunday and brunch with a class from FCC LR. Monday I’ll have lunch with central AR ministers and Tuesday to Hammond, Wednesday Moss Point, Thursday to Westside and Friday I’m headed out to Denver for final planning and walk-through with caterers for daughter Kim’s wedding 070707 From Vivian Bryant:  Vacation From Rick Hamilton:  I will be preaching both services Sunday at First Christian Church of Fayetteville, AR.  On Monday, I will be meeting with the Central Arkansas Ministers Fellowship, and First Christian Little Rock. Tuesday I will travel to Moss Point, Mississippi to teach at the Mississippi Christian Missionary Convention Pre Assembly Education Event. After that, it’s a mad dash to Discovery Camp to kick off the camping season. Search Committees I am working with:  Berryville First Jackson First Little Rock First Ozark First West Point First  All inquiries should be directed to me in confidence: rick@grrcc.org From Michael Elmore: I will be preaching at FCC McComb, MS on Sunday. Following our ministers lunch meeting on Tuesday I will travel to Moss Point, MS to be a part of the MCMC Pre-education event and then travel to Westside CC in New Orleans for the blessing of their new parsonage on Thursday, June 14. From Lara Blackwood: Currently we have over 260 registrations turned in for the 2007 Camp and Conference season!!  Please note that although the deadline has passed, you can still register children/youth for camp. If you have any questions or a special situation that needs to be addressed, please do not hesitate to contact me at lara@grrcc.org or the regional office. Finally, it is not too early to begin thinking about International Affairs Seminar 2008.  If you have a youth who will be in 11th or 12th grade next year and you think they would benefit from this amazing experience, encourage them to begin fundraising now.  IAS will occur in March and will cost roughly $1500 per youth.  Exact dates and costs will be announced at a later date.