UPDATE!   

UPDATE!   

UPDATE!    

to the Annual Fund Phon-a-thon!
 
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

* 184 people have said "Yes" to making a pledge to donate or already have made a donation!
* $21,053 from Pledges and Donations have been received!!!

We are still gratefully receiving donations! Even if you didn't have the opportunity to talk to someone over the telephone, you can still make your donation.

How wonderful it is that our CCNC-N family believes that we worship a God of Abundance. And, how wonderful it is that our CCNC-N family believes that the ministries that WE do together as the Christian Church of Northern California-Nevada are important and relevant. Yes, we have soooooo much to celebrate! And that's exactly what we are doing through our Annual Fund Phon-a-thon. So here's some information you already have (but it's a good reminder):  

1. We now have on-line giving capabilities...both by credit/debit card. Follow this link. 

2. If you would like to make a gift now to the Phon-a-thon using the online option, you can do so by simply clicking the "Phon-a-thon Donation" button and entering the information. It's easy, safe and very appreciated. Many people already have used the on-line giving option this year.  

3. Of course, you can always "snail mail" a check or send us your credit card #: CCNC-N Phon-a-thon, 9260 Alcosta Blvd. Suite C-18, San Ramon, 94583.

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WOMEN'S FALL RETREAT
at Mission Springs

September, 14-16, 2012

"Spirit-Empowered Women"

Speaker is: The Rev. Amy Gopp, dynamic Executive Director of Week of Compassion who travels the world on behalf of 3,500 Disciples congregations.

NOTE:
Online registration is now closed.  Anyone still wishing to register must call Lou Ann Hughes directly at 916-773-6599 to see if there is still
space available. 

Follow this link for the Fall Retreat schedule www.ccncn.org.

TWO NEW IMPORTANT PIECES OF INFORMATION FOR FALL RETREAT ATTENDEES:

1)  OUTREACH MISSION PROJECT for Fall Retreat:
All women are asked to bring any individual items or all items for a full hygiene kit listed below.  Items will be given to Santa Cruz Circle Church (Disciples of Christ) street ministries and Church World Service, our Week of Compassion partner.

To assemble a Hygiene Kit you will need:

One hand towel measuring approximately 16" x 28" (no fingertip or bath towels)
One washcloth
One wide-tooth comb
One nail clipper
One bar of soap (bath size in wrapper)
One toothbrush (in original packaging)
Six standard size Band-Aids®
Toothpaste and bottles of shampoo can also be included for the Santa Cruz ministry.

Women may also donate self-help and inspirational books for the Santa Cruz ministry.

2)  The Regional Women's Ministries Council will be selling coffee and chocolate from the Disciples Fair Trade partner, Equal Exchange. One of our main social justice issues this year is focusing on fair labor and human trafficking awareness, so we want to support an organization that is committed to fair trade in an industry known for labor abuse and child slavery: coffee and chocolate.  Please come prepared to purchase some of these tasty items and support this vital ministry.  For more information on Equal Exchange: www.equalexchange.coop  

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A huge thanks to those who gathered in Livermore Sat. Aug. 25 to be trained as facilitators for the Circles of Peace process the Regional Justice Commission will be using for conversations around the region:
Gerry Brague, Niel Climer, Renae Earl, Allen Foster, Tami Groves, Kyung Min Daniel Lee, Adelle Lemon, Yolanda Marquez-Lucar, Reuben Negron, Dick Ober, Susan Parsely, Margaret Simms, Shellie Warren, Tom Warren, Ann Willard, Marty Williams, Diane Wilson, and Clarence Johnson.    

The Justice Commission will be initiating Circles of Inquiry around the top issue identified in the regional survey done last spring, which was concern around government budget priorities and cuts affecting areas often seen as social justice issues--education, health care, social services.  We had an invigorating training day looking at scripture and the concept of budget and Christian principles; and caught a glimpse of how powerful and informative this conversational model can be. We hope to be able to offer Circles of Inquiry in the various geographical areas to be more convenient. Stay tuned for further details!   

Thanks to Rev. Paula Pociecha, staff consultant for the Justice Commission and Trainer for this event.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE JUSTICE COMMISSION HAS ONE OPEN SEAT AT THIS TIME. YOU MAY JUST BE THE PERSON TO FILL THAT SEAT. READ ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MEMBER OF THE JUSTICE COMMISSION AND HOW TO APPLY: www.ccncn.org

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REGIONAL STAFF NEWS

It is with a very heavy heart that we report the passing of the Rev. Insuk Lee, the father of Kyung Min Daniel Lee this past week-end.

This is the third parent for Daniel and Nancy to lose in the last month. Only Daniel's mother is still living. You can imagine the huge heartbreak this time is bringing to the Lee family. Services are planned for this Friday, September 7 at 7:00 p.m. at Raynor Park CC, Sunnyvale. Cards can be sent to: 3422 Flora Vista Ave. Santa Clara, 95051

Paula had good news about her mother, Bessie, who is progressing slowly from her fall and surgery and is now in rehab and beginning to walk slowly again. Your ongoing prayers are appreciated.

Ben is back from Labor Day week-end travels and in the office all week.

Sandhya is back from her two week trip to Nicaragua and Mexico and will be in the regional office once a week now on Wednesdays. She can still be reached via e-mail and voice mail on a regular basis.

Cliff is back from a family trip to Georgia.

From Cliff: Please continue to keep our grandson, LaFrance Cole, in your prayers as he has been deployed to Afghanistan in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Clearance Unit).

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  DEVOTIONAL by Sandhya Jha

Regional Missional and Reconciliation Minister

In December of 2010, I got to keynote the NAPAD (North American Pacific and Asian Disciples) youth and young adult retreat. I spent several days reflecting on God and faith and the Asian experience in America. Perhaps 75 NAPAD people attended, ranging in age from 12 to 25, and ranging in English proficiency from none to better than mine.

  So I started out simple. I showed a slide show of images of Jesus that we could talk about afterwards. Some of you have seen my collection of images: A blonde-haired, blue eyed Jesus laughing as he tosses a baby in the air. An image of Jesus that looks a lot like Che Guevara with the slogan "Meek. Mild. As if." Jesus smiling warmly from under a mop of dreadlocks (one youth LOVED that one-he was a big Bob Marley fan). Over 50 images of Jesus from all over the world, each with a slightly different message about who Jesus is-warrior, teacher, humble carpenter, friend, father. The group's only task was to look at the images and reflect on what the artists were trying to express about Jesus so we could talk about the many facets of Jesus. They did fine, appreciating a wide variety of images, until we came to one: an image of a Chinese Jesus. "That's not what Jesus looks like!" at least 1/3 of them exclaimed. The others were too busy laughing to say anything.

The annual Reconciliation offering will be collected in our local churches at the end of September and beginning of October. I usually lift up the amazing things congregations in our region are doing thanks to reconciliation grants that come from this offering. Half of the money from the offering goes straight to the region's reconciliation fund. But this year I want to lift up the other half of the money-the half that goes to the denomination.

You see, the reason these youth and young adults had been able to come together was thanks to general church reconciliation funding, so that these youth could spend several days learning how much God loves them exactly as they are, and to give them language around the ways their home communities make them believe otherwise. I am really inspired to be part of a denomination that wants EVERYONE to know that God loves them. I am proud to be part of a denomination that takes on hard conversations and invests in young people dismantling systemic racism and building instead the realm of God-our general church reconciliation funds also support bringing young people of all races together for service-learning projects and retreats and spiritual renewal that also addresses issues related to race so that they will build an even more pro-reconciling church than we have, because they have access to tools we did not. Young people in our region have been part of the Disciples Leadership Institute and Babel Table that reconciliation has funded, as well as programs for young African Americans and programs like the NAPAD retreat that help young people of color recognize their dignity and worth.

At that NAPAD retreat, I conceded the point that Jesus  may not have looked like the picture I had shown of him with a long thin beard and slanted eyes, but we also got to talk about which values Jesus upheld that fit with our own cultural values, and we got to celebrate those values. We recognized (some for the first time) that Jesus wasn't white, either, but that NEITHER of those pictures was wrong, as long as we lifted up diverse images of Jesus because he is so multi-faceted, and any one image does not capture all of him, any more than any one race is sufficient to represent God's glory on earth.

I believe the whole church is better off because those young Asian and Pacific Islander Disciples spent some time knowing that God loves them for who they are, that God thinks they are beautiful, and that God treasures their voices and contributions in building up God's realm alongside God's children from every other community under the sun. The whole church is better off because of our commitment to reconciliation. And the whole church will be that much better off when your church participates generously in this year's Reconciliation Offering, September 30 or October 7. For more information on reconciliation, go to http://www.reconciliationministry.org/Donate/SpecialOffering/tabid/922/Default.aspx   

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CELEBRATIONS & PRAYERS

CELEBRATIONS

From Pastor Dan Paul, CC of Pacific Grove:

I just taped a 90 minute podcast on a talk show that has a primarily LGTB audience. I got to say some positive things about the Disciples of Christ - and I did mention that our region was the first to be Open and Affirming. Dan recently learned that this show is archived and will be available for sometime. http://www.lundon-calling.net/main/  

New members as reported: 

Sierra CC, Loomis (2 adult transfers); CC of Pacific Grove (2 adult transfers); Niles Discovery Church (3 adult baptisms); Mayfair CC, Stockton (1 baptism)    

FCC Merced is holding their Centennial Celebration- 100 years of serving the Merced community in God's work! Two special events: Centennial Dinner and Program on Saturday, September 29 at 6:00 p.m. (catered meal) and Centennial Worship on Sunday, September 30 at 10:30 (Old Fashioned Worship Service-wear Centennial clothing) followed by catered lunch at 12:00 noon. Ben will be preaching at the Sunday morning service. Reservations for both meals are requested no later than September 9. Please phone the church office at 209-383-1442. All are invited.

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Rev. Kay McFarland, retired Disciples minister, is having double knee replacement on September 10, which is 6 days before her birthday. She has also been suffering with Shingles since March of this year. Your prayers are much appreciated. Cards can be sent to: 2091 Strobridge Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546.  

Our prayers continue for John Grose, key leader and former Moderator at FCC Vallejo:

"Well, another mountain to climb. My cancer is much larger so I start the next round of chemo next week. The doctor gives this round a very high probability of knocking the cancer down." John has just completed the first two days of chemo and this routine will be repeated once a month for 5 months. We send out prayers for healing and strength to John and wife Beth.

Rev. Kathy Smith, retired minister at Sacramento First Christian Church is had surgery last week to remove a mass from her colon.  At this point, doctors have not characterized what kind of mass it is. Your prayers are much appreciated.

Latest update on Pastor Taulau Tupua, Via Dolorosa Samoan Congregational CC of Modesto who is beginning another three month series ofchemotherapy, once a week. This series is making him quite ill. All of this is in preparation to undergo a bone marrow transplant at Stanford Medical Center. Fortunately, his older sister is a perfect match!  Your prayers are deeply appreciated. Cards can be sent to: 2329 Senimi Circle, Ceres, 95307.

We are so pleased to say that Hazel James, who was placed in hospice care a month ago, is now, up and around and getting stronger and stronger!  Hazel is a member at United Disciples Fellowship, San Jose, and for years a member at FCC San Jose and very active in regional leadership and programming. Our prayers of love and care continue. 

This request from FCC Alameda, Associate Pastor, Dr. Gloria Wilson: Please add my son for prayers:
Lt. MaShon M. Wilson
B/4-319 AFAR, 173d ABCT
FOB Airborne, Afghanistan
APO, AE 09364

Our prayers continue for Marlene Elliott, who along with her husband Bill, are decades long members and key leaders at FCC Corning, and both have several terms on the Regional Board. This past Monday, Marlene had her third of six chemo treatments for lymphoma. She deeply appreciates the prayers of so many. Send cards to: PO Box 474, Corning, 96021.

We continue to keep Pastor Mark Foglio, Oakdale CC in our prayers. Mark is now working with his doctors to make decisions about how to address herniated disks in his neck, which have been the cause of numbness and heart challenges. Cards of support can be sent to: Oakdale CC, 330 Maxwell Avenue, Oakdale 95361.

Barbara Wikoff, musician at Oakdale CC, and husband Bob, Chair of our Regional Resources Committee is having some really good days right now following test results showing that the chemo treatments are working! She and Bob deeply appreciate all the prayers and ask that you keep them coming. Cards can be sent to: 941 Terrace Court, Oakdale, 95361.

Our prayers continue for the following who remain in need of our support and concern: 

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FINAL WORD-

1). Our Regional Reconciliation Committee recently offered several reconciliation grants in order to support deeper relationships between diverse communities and empowerment of communities of color in our region. We celebrate the following grants:

-A grant was given to Sinapi Seed Fellowship, Palo Alto,to help member Joy Wu serve as this region's representative on the denomination's Woman-to-Woman trip to China in November. (Sinapi is also hosting a fundraiser on September 9 to help Joy cover the costs of this trip.) Upon her return, Joy will share her learnings with Disciples women in the region, helping connect us all to the work of Disciples of Christ in China.

-New Spirit Community Church, Berkeley received a grant to help assistant pastor Shayne Flowers attend her first National Convocation this summer. Part of Shayne's commitment upon receiving this grant was to convene all of this region's African American clergy to share her learnings and to begin to foster an intentional support network among our region's seven African American clergy members to deepen their relationship.

-Mills Grove Christian Church, Oakland received a grant to support the extension of their Summer Algebra Institute which helps young people of color in the community strengthen their math skills, a proven means of increasing access to college education in later years.

2). World Communion Sunday- October 3

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