JOYS and
PRAYER CONCERNS
|
Rev. Byron Singleton, Chaplain at VA Hospital,
Pineville, LA asks for prayers for his great nephew Joseph who was born
pre-mature, and is close to death at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.
Byron and his children will be traveling to Houston this weekend.
Rev. Hancell
and Lois Bankester, Pastor and First Lady of FCC in Vicksburg, MS. On the morning of Wednesday
February 6, 2008 their son Brent passed away. Brent had a history of terrible
seizures. The funeral visitation will
be Saturday, February 9, 2008 from 9:30 am until 11 am followed by the service at 11 am.
Tornado Victims.
Please pray for individuals and families who sustained injuries, property
damage and death as a result of the tornado activity in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama this past week. One of the areas
hit was Hickory Hills, in Memphis, Tennessee, a neighboring area to me.
This area, along with others, endured major damages along with death and
injuries. Rev. Dr. Vivian Bass Bryant.
|
|
NEWS
|
Shirt Sale.
We have a very limited number of Great River Region Logo shirts left
and ON SALE!
Yellow,
Green, and Light Blue Polo style shirts in Men’s XL and Women’s XL and XXL
sizes are available in limited quantities at the bargain price of $20 each!
Please call the office for color availability as quantities ARE
limited. (501) 562-6053
Disciples
Institute Web Site. Check out the new Disciples
Institute web site! We have information about Disciples Institute and
some of the course offerings and up-coming events. Also check out the
Bi-Vocational Ministers blog. You will find
news and wisdom for the special needs of bi-vocational ministers. Check
back often to see events as they are added. Check back also for the
Disciples Institute Survey. We want to know how to offer the most
valuable classes and workshops!
Link: www.disciplesinstitute.org Deitra Blackwell, Executive Director.
Disciples
identify Internal Revenue Service Resources for Churches
Do you
have questions about your parsonage or housing allowances? Are you concerned
about the correct way income taxes should be withheld for ministers? Have you
ever wondered whether churches or charities can become involved in the
campaigns of political candidates? These questions and many more are answered
in a series of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) publications aimed specifically
at religious institutions. Please
click below to access the articles:
- Tax Guide for Churches and
Religious Organizations
www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1828.pdf
- Charities, Churches and
Politics
www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=161131,00.html
- IRS Reminds Charities and
Churches of Political Activity Ban
www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=175818,00.html
- Tax Guide For Churches And
Religious Organizations
projectfairplay.org/irs-guidelines
Rev. Dr.
Todd A. Adams, Assoc. General Minister and Interim President of Church
Finance Council
The Schmidt Center Opens a New Counseling Office
in El Dorado, Arkansas ... Beginning
in March, pastors, church professionals and their families can receive
services from the Laurence Schmidt Center at their new
location at First Presbyterian Church in El Dorado, Arkansas.
Appointments can be made by calling the Little Rock office
(501-664-7777) or e-mailing Rebecca at rebeccaspooner@veralloyd.org
Rebecca will be providing counseling services and spiritual direction on the
2nd and 4th Friday of every month. In March, individuals can be seen on
March 14th and March 28th. To see the complete issue Click
Here.
The Laurence Schmidt Center primarily exists
for church professionals and their families, but others will be seen as long
as counseling time is available. However, the majority of slots are
reserved for church professionals and their families.
2008 Week of Compassion offering – the dates are February
17-24. Click Here for the regional news
release. Thank you so much for your support of Week of Compassion! Elaine Cleveland.
SOUTHERN TORNADOES LEAVE DEADLY
WAKE
More than
50 people were killed and hundreds more were injured Tuesday night and
Wednesday morning in the worst tornado outbreak in nearly 25 years.
Read the
full story at http://www.disasternews.net/news/article.php?articleid=3607
Help
Disaster News Network connect survivors with disaster response resources.
Your tax deductible donation can be made online at this address: https://www.disasternews.net/donations/dnn.php#paypal/
|
|
EVENTS
|
GRRCC DW Joint Planning Cabinet
Meeting will be
held February 29-March 2, 2009 at C.A. Vines Retreat Center in Little Rock, AR. This is the planning
meeting for all three Disciple Women Cabinets. Our very special guests
will be the IDWF Executive Committee. Please mark your calendar to
attend this monumental occasion. Watch the mail for your informational
packet and attendance reply card to be returned no later than February 15, 2008.
FCC Meridian, MS.
Our 45th Annual Kentucky Ham Meal for Missions! Will be held on Feb 12 and 13, 2008. Thousands of pounds of ham and eggs, red
eye gravy and homemade biscuits
and blueberries from the Robin Johnson Farm!
We raise over $15,000 each year to support our missional
church outreach locally and globally.
Every member is a missionary at FCC and in this project we come
together to offer a delicious meal, an invitation for others to worship and
witness
through FCC, and to become a Disciple of Christ! Thanks for all the prayers from the Great
River Region. Tom Sikes, Pastor at Meridian, MS
trsikes@aol.com.
You are invited to attend the 38th Annual Assembly of
the Louisiana Interchurch Conference.
The Annual Assembly will be held March 3rd – 4th, 2008 at First United Methodist Church, 2727 Jackson Street,
in Alexandria, LA, with worship at St.
Francis Xavier Cathedral (626 4th Street, Alexandria).
Registration fee is $75.00 per person (includes
lunch and dinner on Monday)
Lodging expenses are separate. For more information Click Here. Cut-off date for hotel reservations is February 9, 2008. Registration fee deadline February 12th, 2008. We look
forward to seeing you there! If you
have any questions, please feel free to contact LIC at LAInterchurch@aol.com.
Louisiana Storytelling Association, Reverend Neil W. Early, President, 337.238.1959
mnearly@wnonline.net,
www.louisianastorytellers.org
Annual Liars
Contest! Just when you think you
have heard it all!
A Liars
Contest is more than standing up, telling a whopper, and sitting down.
One must tell a wild, tall tale and make the audience suspend their disbelief
and accept it as truly happening to the teller. This story is to be
sustained for 8-10 minutes in the telling. The panel of judges will be
listening for story quality as well as the talents and skills of the
tellers. This is an intentionally family event which will take place
this year in Leesville, Louisiana. The “Annual
Louisiana Liars Contest” will be on Saturday, 8
March, 2008,
beginning at 2:00pm in the Historic Old Courthouse on Third Street in Downtown Leesville. The
tickets are a suggested donation of $5.00 a person.
Economics
and Justice in Disasters Conference March 29-April 1, at the Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville, TN featuring speakers from academia,
government agencies, and faith-based disaster-response groups. Participants
are expected to include leaders from national faith groups and denominations
with programs and ministries dedicated to the increasing and specialized
work of disaster ministry, as well as representatives from FEMA, the American
Red Cross, and VOAD groups (Voluntary Organizations Active In Disasters).
Conference presentation and audience participation topics include:
- Green rebuilding
- Global warming and disaster
vulnerability
- The impact of changing
immigration laws on disaster response
- Hidden rules of class and race
- Curbing predatory lending
practices following disasters
- Engaging special populations for
more effective recovery
- Partnering with community-based
development corporations
- What's right and wrong with
federal assistance
- Disaster as an opportunity to
improve housing stock
- Professionalizing and
privatizing disaster recovery-the impact on local capacity
- Worker justice in disasters-and
the status of unpaid volunteers
Church World Service, www.churchworldservice.org,
is supported by public donations, grants, and by 35 Protestant, Orthodox and
Anglican churches and communions in the United States. A Domestic Disaster Ministry Forum
registration form and information may be downloaded from www.cwserp.org/reports. (Follow the links for 2008 Forum Brochure
and Registration Form)
SESSIONS 2008 in Oklahoma City is going to be a huge event for
all Disciples Men from around the country. The event is going to be
held July 17-20, 2008 at First Christian Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. Do you ever feel like your
life is like a giant puzzle? Putting together the pieces of life's
puzzle can be a daunting task. But by surrounding yourself with fellow
Disciples all trying to figure it out together, you will find the picture
coming into focus. To find out more about this important gathering of
Disciples Men and how your life can come into focus go to: http://sessions2008.org/
or contact Rev Tod Iseminger,
Minister of Leader Development at 800-346-2631.
Partners
in Ministry ’08 Workshop.
Put this
date on your calendar: Partners in Ministry ’08, a workshop for
ministers, church musicians, dramatists and visual artists will be held on Saturday,
April 5, 2008 at FCC El Dorado, AR. Ministers: bring your musicians and other
creative people. Musicians and other creative people: bring your
ministers! You will receive lots of ideas for working together to make
your worship services more meaningful and transformative for your congregation.
For more information, please contact Deitra Blackwell, Executive Director
Disciples Institute at 501-517-2474 or at disciplesinstitute@grrcc.org.
Plans are
being made for the GRR Regional
Assembly that will be held on November 7-9,
2008 at
FCC Bentonville, AR. Mark your calendars and plan to attend.
|
|
STAFF UPDATES
|
From
Barbara Jones: Will be on Study Leave January – March
2008.
Rick
Hamilton: After a weekend at FCC
Fayetteville, AR I will be off to TCU Ministers’ Week in Fort Worth, Texas. This year’s line up includes
Bill Lee (Former Moderator of the Christian Church), and Marcus Borg.
Search
Committees I am currently working with:
Lakeshore Drive CC, Hot Springs, AR
FCC Jackson, MS
FCC Mountain Home, AR (Assoc)
FCC Rogers, AR
FCC Stuttgart, AR
FCC West Memphis, AR
From
Vivian Bryant: I plan to attend the funeral of Brent Bankester, son of Hancell and Lois
Bankester this Saturday, February
9, 2008
at Riles Funeral Home in Vicksburg, MS.
I will be
preaching at Utica Christian Church in Utica, MS Sunday, February
10, 2008.
On Tuesday, February 12, 2008 I will visit Meridian Christian Church in Meridian, MS for their 45th Annual Kentucky
Ham Meal.
From
Michael Elmore: Southern District Committee on Ministry
will be meeting on Tuesday the 19th at FCC Baton Rouge, LA. I will be leading a workshop with Rev.
Frank Johnson for Licensed Ministers at FCC Baton Rouge on Ministry 101. If
interested or want more information call or email Michael Elmore.
I will be
worshiping with Westside CC New Orleans, LA this Sunday and then
traveling with their Pastor, Rev. Vance Moore for a short retreat. I will be
back in my office on Thursday the 12th.
From
Lara Blackwood Pickrel: CYF SNOASIS (Feb 22-24):
Don't forget that registrations for
SNOASIS are due on Monday, February 11th along with the $95 registration
fee. This event for 9-12th graders will focus on the theme:
Transformers! (Romans 12:2-4) and will feature keynotes by Randy Kuss. We look forward to seeing all of you there!
Mark Your Calendars for F.E.A.S.T.: This event, designed exclusively
for youth ministers/youth workers, will take place at the Lutheran Camp on Petit Jean Mountain over the weekend of May
2-4. Be on the lookout for more information coming soon!
Camp & Conference 2008 brochures are heading your way soon!
Keep an eye out for these important registration materials. Deadline for Counselor/Steward/Youth
Commissioner/Intern applications is April 14th. Deadline for camper registrations is May 19th.
Check out the youth page on the regional website (www.grrcc.org).
We have added the new youth event calendar, information on a great retreat
for adult youth workers and links to many youth ministry resources!
|
