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September 7^th, 2007	30^th   Weekly Edition                                                      2007 GRR CURRENTS
JOYS and PRAYER CONCERNS	Rev. Linda White, Associate Pastor of Education, Park Hill Christian Church. North Little Rock, AR will be on leave for a month while recuperating from surgery.  Cards may be sent to her home at 2123 North Maple Street, North Little Rock, AR 72114 Rev. Dana Hoover as he begins his ministry at FCC Ozark, AR. Rev. Jesse Jackson, Pastor at East 6^th Street Christian Church in Oklahoma City, OK is asking for prayers for his parents—Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and Mrs. Ruthie Jackson.  His father, Rev. Jackson Sr. has been in the critical care unit at Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS where he diagnosed with colon cancer.  The Sr. couple has been married for 43 years! Please pray for the upcoming Mississippi Disciples Women’s Retreat.  The event is scheduled for September 22-23, 2007 at Duncan Gray Retreat Center in Canton, MS.
NEWS	Disciples Women New Day Curriculum and materials for 2008-2009 are now available.  Download your order form now! (click on link) Disciples Home Missions Makes Interim Appointments.  (click on link) FCC Baton Rouge, LA is participating in VIPS program (volunteers in public schools) with the East Baton Rouge School System. They will have volunteers who help students with reading, etc. The Christian Church in Kansas has openings for 2 Associate Regional Ministers.  If you would like Barb to give their Regional Minister your name, contact her directly and privately at barb@grrcc.org. FCC Berryville, AR & Christview Ministries issued a press release sharing their agreement. (click on link) From Rev. Dr. Todd Adams, our Associate GMP: “We need more young Families with Children”. (click on link) Rev. Dan Thornhill, Pastor of Parkview Christian Church in Little Rock, AR is an accomplished artist.  Read all about him and how one of his paintings might be viewed or even acquired at his blog—http://thornhillstudio.blogspot.com/ From Rev. Dan Thornhill, If you are a Hog Fan, you will remember Rusty Jackson.  He was the reporter for the Hogs in Fayetteville on KATV Channel 7.  Rusty is now in the mission field witnessing his faith.  Check out the website http://rustyjackson.myadventures.org/.  Please mark your calendars, because Rusty will be at Parkview Christian Church on December 9^th to share his mission experiences and faith. Rev. Bob Hill, Senior Pastor of Community Christian Church in Kansas City, MO, shared reflections on their recent trip to the gulf coast. Click here to read "19 things we learned in New Orleans" http://www.weekofcompassion.org/pages/updates/BobHillmissionreport.html
EVENTS	GRR Disciples Women Executive Committee will be traveling to Oklahoma City, OK to participate in a 3 state training event, ROSES Inter-Regional IDWM Training.  This is one of the major leadership training events held every three to four years with Disciples Women from Oklahoma, Southwest and the Great River Region.  The event will be held on September 7-9, 2007 and is open to the public. FCC Paris, AR has hosted furloughed missionaries from Kenya this summer.  Pastor H.C. Varnadore has partnered with the Messiah Tribe’s Lyn and Dori Cazier of Kenya for yet another year.  The church’s Old Timer’s Club will also host a Pancake breakfast on September 8, 2007.  Contact Pastor Varnadore at 479-963-2351 for details. His email address is THVarne@aol.com. Mississippi Disciples Women’s Retreat will be held on September 22-23, 2007 at Duncan Gray Retreat Center in Canton, MS.  Letters have been mailed to Disciples Women presidents, GRRDW cabinet, and pastors with registration forms, Pickering Scholarship applications, wish list for Southern Christian Services for Children and Youth (SCSCY) as well as reminders for the retreat.  Applications and registration forms can also be downloaded at www.grrcc.org.  Keynote speaker for this retreat will be Deitra Blackwell, Executive Director of Disciples Institute in Little Rock, AR.  Artistic presentations will be performed on Saturday by Greg Johnson and Dasha Teelin-Johnson of Oxford, MS.  Register early to insure your space.  Remember application deadline is September 14, 2007 and there are no part-time registrations this year. Louisiana Disciples Women’s Retreat will be October 20-21, 2007 at Tall Timbers Conference Center in Woodworth, LA. Keynote speaker for the Louisiana Retreat is Rev. Lucy Maier, former minister at FCC, Lake Charles.  This will also be the retirement celebration for Bettie Duhon. Registration forms and Pickering scholarship application may be downloaded at www.grrcc.org. Registration deadline is October 10, 2007! Disciples Men Retreat is being planned for January 25-26, 2008 at Duncan Gray Conference Center, more information later. Spiritual Life Retreat for Ministers will be held at St. Mary of the Pines Retreat Center at Chatawa, MS September 17-19. The theme Compassion Fatigue: Seeking Spiritual and Emotional Renewal. Leaders are Dan Moseley and Bernie Lyon from Christian Theological Seminary. Please contact Michael Elmore (michael@grrcc.org) if you would like to attend. World Council of Churches:  Dear Friends of Christian Unity, I wanted to pass along information, and encouragement, to you about participating in the International Day of Prayer for Peace that is coming up on September 21.  The news release (click on link) from the World Council of Churches gives some information about this important event that lifts up the concern for peace in our world as part of its program on the Decade to Overcome Violence, and provides a link to worship resources that can be downloaded to help in planning a local celebration either on September 21 or the Sunday preceding or following that date.  With best wishes,  Robert Welsh Education for Ministry is a new program that will begin in September with groups in Meridian MS and central Arkansas.  (Click to see details)  This program is perfect for lay leaders and teachers. Deitra Blackwell, Executive Director Disciples Institute. Southern Christian Services for Children and Youth is now planning for their annual benefit dinner—BottomLine for Kids.  Tickets can be purchased through SCSCY.  The Event will be held on Thursday Sept. 20, 2007 at the Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, MS. For more information, please contact SCSCY at 601-354-0983. Arkansas Disciples Women Cabinet will be meeting September 28-29, 2007 at the Regional Office.  Cabinet please watch your mail for your letter and reply card.  We look forward to hearing from you! Jesus Connection Seminar for Ministers in Kansas City, October 12-13, 2007. If interested contact Michael Elmore at michael@grrcc.org The Office of Disciples Women is sponsoring the first ever Women’s Blitz Build.  Partnering with the Office of Disciples Volunteering and Habitat for Humanity the women of CCDOC will help build a house in Beaumont Texas. Click here for Flyer and application.  The dates for this event are January 20-24, 2008 in Beaumont, TX.  The event is open to any woman interested in attending.
STAFF UPDATES	From Barbara Jones: I’ll be leading the Park Hill CC Elders in a study through the year on “Unbinding the Gospel”. This Sunday I’ll be at Elm Tree CC in Bentonville AR for the installation of Rev. Paul Elliott as their pastor. From Vivian Bryant:  I will be attending the ROSES Inter-Regional IDWM Training event in Oklahoma City, OK. From Michael Elmore:  I will be worshiping at FCC Greater New Orleans this Sunday. From Lara Blackwood Pickrel: Grace and peace to you in this new school year!  I know that God is working a multitude of blessings in the lives of the youth in your congregations and hope that you will share stories with me regarding the life and activities of your youth programs whenever you get a chance! In the meantime, please take a look at the two attached documents (flyer and registration form) and circulate them widely with your 7th-9th grade youth.  Fall Fandango will take place at Camp Couchdale on October 6th & 7th and will focus on the following theme:  "Fruit of God's Loom: Bearing Good Fruit in a Rotten World."  The central scriptures for this retreat are John 15: 16-17 and Galatians 5: 22-23.  The event will be a wonderful opportunity for our young people to come together in faith, fellowship, worship and study and I hope to greet a large group of people on the 6th! Please note as you promote this event that all registration forms are due in the Regional Office by Wednesday, September 26th.  Though registrations can be accepted a few days after that date, they will require a late fee of $55 (on top of the $55 registration fee).  We discourage late registrations because we need to know a solid number of participants in advance so that t-shirts and food can be ordered ahead of time!  If you know that your registrations are going to arrive late, please call the regional office and give us your numbers so that we at least know they are coming (and be sure to include your late fees!). If you have any questions regarding this or any other Regional Youth Event, please do not hesitate to contact me!  I hope to see you and your 7th-9th grade youth in October! If you know of any youth (juniors and seniors) who are interested (or should be interested) in International Affairs Seminar 2008, please direct them to www.iasdisciples.com where they can find more information on this exciting learning opportunity!  The dates for IAS 2008 are March 15-22, 2008 and the initial deposit of $500 is due on November 1, 2007. Rick Hamilton is on Sabbatical through October.