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NEWS
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Don’t
forget to submit your report for the Yearbook and Directory. Yearbook reports are due on Monday, March
17th!!!
Welcome Mundo de Fe (World of Faith) Christian Church as
the newest Congregation in Formation in the Great River Region. Mundo de Fe
shares facilities with Parkview Christian Church in Little Rock, and has been a worshipping body
for about a year. Pastor Sergio Macuil reports about sixty in worship at this time. Bienvenidos Mundo de Fe!
Waterway Christian Church (a satellite ministry of First
Christian Church Bentonville, AR) is worshipping in a permanent facility. Tours and interest groups for this
innovative model for new church starts and ministry settings will be
available during Regional Assembly.
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. We have information about
Disciples Institute and some of the course offerings and up-coming
events. Also check out the Bi-Vocational Ministers blog.
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.
A Ministry of Home & Family Services. To see Hot Topics and other upcoming events
Click
Here.
Update on Christian Unity March
2008.
“A season of ecumenical meetings! . . . wherever Christians join hands for common witness in God's
name on behalf of others - Disciples are there!”
These
words were written by Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President of our
church, as she reflected upon her experience of participating in a series of
ecumenical meetings since the beginning of the New Year. See copy of her
pastoral letter “Disciples At Their Best” at http://www.disciples.org/watkins/lettersmedia/2008/EcumenicalWitness/
- Christian Churches Together in the US (January 8-11) where Dick Hamm,
our former General Minister and President, now serves as Executive
Administrator. See news release at http://www.disciples.org/ccu/news/2008/0801.CCTSecondAnnualMeeting.html
- The
Plenary of Churches Uniting in Christ
(January 11-14) where Suzanne Webb, Pastor of Union Avenue Christian
Church in St. Louis, served as President, and Patrice Rosner
serves as Director of CUIC. See report
on this Plenary at http://www.disciplesworld.com/newsArticle.html?wsnID=12805
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The meeting of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (February 12-20) where Sharon
Watkins serves as the Disciples representative to that 120-member
governing body and Robyn Fickes, a seminary
student at Vanderbilt Divinity School, participated as a steward. See news story at http://www.disciplesworld.com/newsArticle.html?wsnID=13045
-
The Governing Board of the National
Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (February 25-26) where Michael
Kinnamon now serves as General Secretary. See http://www.ncccusa.org/news/newshome.html
With best wishes, and deep gratitude for the exciting
opportunities I am privileged to have in my ministry as president of the
Council on Christian Unity. Robert Welsh
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EVENTS
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Southern District Ministry
Committee will be
meeting this week at St. Charles Christian Church, New Orleans, LA.
MCMC (Mississippi Christian Missionary Convention) will convene its
quarterly board meeting on Saturday, March 15,
2008 at United Christian Church in Jackson, MS. The meeting
will begin at 10 am.
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 have been mailed. Deadline for Counselor/Steward/Youth
Commissioner/Intern applications is April 14th. Deadline for camper registrations is May 21st.
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.
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).
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)
Partners
in Ministry ’08 Workshop. A workshop for ministers, church
musicians, dramatists and visual artists will be held on Saturday,
April 5, 2008 at FCC El Dorado, AR. For more information contact Deitra
Blackwell, Exec Director Disciples Institute, 501-517-2474 or disciplesinstitute@grrcc.org.
The very first WeekEnd of
Compassion will take place April 11-13 in Nashville, TN at the historic Scarritt-Bennett Center. WeekEnd is designed for Disciples to have time and space
away, for one weekend, to exchange ideas about outreach, compassion and
justice. Everyone is welcome. Through worship, preaching, music, meals,
workshops, panel discussions, and Bible study, we will explore and
celebrate the various ways WOC has responded to suffering and how it has
helped so many implement their own ideas to confront needs in
their respective communities and around the world. There will also be a
pre-event service build with Habitat for Humanity on Friday afternoon. Rev. Amy Gopp,
Week of
Compassion Associate www.weekofcompassion.org
(317)
590-3147 phone, (317) 713-2588 fax.
Bill Tenny-Brittian, the Senior Editor of NetResults,
will present a free workshop in Little Rock on "Church Transformation and Growth." The workshop
will run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at the
Pulaski Heights Christian Church, 4724 Hillcrest Ave., Little Rock, AR www.phcc-lr.org. Pastors and lay persons from the Great
River Region are invited to participate. Please register by contacting
the church: (501) 663-8149 or phcc-lr@sbcglobal.net
no later than April 11. Shari Coote, Pastor.
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.
Columbia Theological Seminary Spring Events at Lifelong Learning at CTS. Click
here to see the Spring
schedule. The Lifelong Learning website has been updated –take a look! Online
registration available for
most courses. For many events, a housing registration option is provided. For more information contact Pat Roper, Lifelong Learning
Registrar at 404.687.4587 or roperp@ctsnet.edu.
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STAFF UPDATES
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From
Barbara Jones: Will be on Study Leave January – March
2008.
Rick
Hamilton: I will
be in Fayetteville, AR
watching my children wave Palm Branches and sing “Hosanna to the King of
Kings.” I will be on vacation through Easter.
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 West Memphis, AR
From
Vivian Bryant: I plan to attend the
MCMC Board meeting in Jackson, MS and attend Sunday
worship service at Christian Chapel CC in Port Gibson, MS.
From
Michael Elmore: Attending the Southern District Ministry
Committee meeting this week at St. Charles Christian Church, New Orleans, LA.
From
Lara Blackwood Pickrel:
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!
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