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From the President
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Two verses of Scripture have been competing for my attention this week. Their words are like the words of a nifty song you hear in church on a Sunday morning and whose melody you just cannot get out of your mind. The melody of the words stick with you long after the worship experience is over.
The first verse is from the Prophet Isaiah: "The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them" [Isaiah 11:6]. The second verse is from Matthew's Gospel: "So the last will be first, and the first will be last" [Matthew20:16].
These verses remind me of the truth of Scripture. Not the inerrancy or infallibility of Scripture, as some look for, but the truth. There are some things about God and religion that are just plain true, like Isaiah 11:6 and Matthew 20:16. You can probably name by chapter and verse those Scriptures whose truth is self-evident to you, too.
This is where author Madeleine L'Engle's words come into play:
"The Bible is true. It's not entirely factual, but, it's true. That's hard for a lot of people to understand. Fact and truth are not the same. I love what Karl Barth said: 'I take the Bible far too seriously to take it literally.' Some of the Bible is history and some is story, and we don't always know which is which. But it doesn't matter. What I'm looking for in the Bible is truth. If you look at the great protagonists in the Old and New Testaments, not one of them is qualified to do what God is asking that individual to do. (In a sense we're all unqualified.) God goes to great pains to pick the unqualified. If you were starting a nation, would you pick a woman past menopause and a man a hundred years old? That doesn't seem sensible, but that's what God did. The message is clear. If you think you're qualified, you might believe you did a good job. If you know you're unqualified, you realize you can only accomplish something because you're empowered by God."
There is no book like the good Book. Its truth keeps marching on forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever - and ever, and ever, and ever - and that's a long time! If the Scripture is not a steady part of your congregational diet, as well as your personal theological diet, you are starving your congregation and yourself. I surmise that God is just now selecting the 'unqualified' you to be the bearer of the truth of Scripture to those in need of some good news!
Unqualifiedly and truthfully yours,
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Association of Disciple Musicians
Registration is now open for the 2016 National Annual  Conference of the Association of Disciple Musicians! Sunday, July 17 through Friday, July 22, 2016
Evansville University ~ Evansville, Indiana
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Black Ministries
Black Ministers Retreat 2016 Workshops & Continuing Education Announced
42nd Annual Black Ministers Retreat  March 8-10, 2016 Christ Tabernacle Church - Jackson, Mississippi
Black Leadership Projects Grant -
Now accepting applications
The Black Leadership Projects Committee is now accepting applications for 2016. Applications are due no later than May 31, 2016. There is no minimum request. All proposals for projects that develop, nurture, and strengthen lay or clergy church leadership in Disciples African American congregations will be considered. Funds will be awarded to the chosen projects in Summer 2016. Go to our webpage for more information and application guidelines.Â
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Christian Education/Faith Formation
2016 Lenten Resource and Blog NOW available
"Finding My Strength in Community: Journeying Down This Road Together" is the theme for the 2016 Lenten Resource which is now available for download from Disciples Home Missions. Also available  will be a blog with the writer, Rev. Antonio Redd, who plans to use the platform to engage devotional readers in an ongoing conversation related to the overall theme. "I feel that the blog will provide a space for the reader to remain connected to the writer, in order to keep them committed to the process of prayer and devotion. It is my desire to share with everyone what I am discerning, with the hope that it will keep us focused on the call to 'Community.'" Redd plans to blog Monday through Saturday each week during Lent, and leave Sunday to be a time of reflection.
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Environmental Justice
The Gospel in the Ecological Crisis: A Training Event in New York City
Please follow the link below to apply for specialized training in caring for the earth, climate change, and environmental justice. Room and Board, local transportation, and instruction are included. Disciples Home Missions invites Disciples clergy to apply for this opportunity to heighten your environmental awareness while forming community with other church leaders at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. But hurry to apply, the deadline to apply is coming up in early March.
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General Minister & President Search
General Minister and President Search Committee
named and search process underway
In this first communication, we are pleased to inform you that the General Minister and President (GMP) Search Committee of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has been approved by the General Board. With a sense of humbleness and gratitude for being called to this important task, the committee met from Jan. 15-17 in Dallas, Texas to begin the search process. During this two-day meeting, we prayed with each other for God's guidance, participated in Pro-Reconciliation/ Anti-Racism training, spent time building covenant with each other, and focused our energies in active listening and engagement. We established a timeline that will take us from writing the position description through interviews and final recommendation of our denomination's spiritual leader and Chief Executive Officer.
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Disciples Men
Isaiah teaches about a God so intimate with us that we are "Called by Name." Isaiah 45:3-4a. Sessions2016 is designed to help Disciples Men grow in their relationship with the One who knows us and loves us. Come "Hang Your Hat at Texas Christian University" July 8-10, 2016 as we continue be in relationship with God and one another. For further information go to Sessions2016 or to click here to register. If you need additional information contact Stephen Bentley.
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Disciples Volunteering
DHM Summer Mission Internships
What will you do this summer? If you're looking for a way to make a difference and have an incredible experience - and get paid for it - you probably want to apply for a DHM summer mission internship. You'll spend a summer in a foreign location, like louisville, michigan, texas, washington, california, missouri, and you'll work on issues
 that you may not have seen up close before - like poverty, racism, water, immigration, housing. Then, you'll go back to school or into the work world smarter and better prepared to live your faith in a complex world. If you'll be 20 by Memorial Day, check out the attached flyer and let us hear from you.
Disciples Volunteering Spring Project 2016 There's a new partnership brewing, and you're invited. UrbanSpirit, a DHM Mission Affiliate, is joining up with Plymouth UCC in Louisville, KY, to create a great new space for UrbanSpirit's powerful decade-old program of poverty education. Disciples Volunteering is spending several weeks this spring getting the new digs ready for summer service. We'll build showers, add a couple of walls, paint and repair a few things, and generally spruce up a 100-year-old Settlement House in Louisville's Russell Neighborhood. Volunteers will live in UrbanSpirit's staff house, just 2 miles away, complete with beds, showers, linens, fully-equipped kitchen, heat and a/c, wireless internet and on-street parking. Just bring your own groceries. or memorize this number: (502) 776-6400. That's the local pizza parlor. They deliver!
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Disciples Women
Disciples Women's Ministries is a conduit for diverse connections empowering each woman to find her voice and live out her call. Micah 6:8
The Winter 2016 issue should be in your home. The Winter 2016 study guide is now available as a free download.
Woman-to-Woman Worldwide 2016 journey to South Africa and Ghana is accepting applications. Applications and candidate guidelines are available on the web page. Deadline is February 15, 2016. Do you ever wonder about the Alphabet Soup of acronyms that you find in this and other newsletters and on websites around the Disciples world? Here is an updated glossary to help.
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Family & Children's Ministries
It's that time of year! As always, Lent & Easter resource recommendations are listed on the Family & Children's Liturgical Resources page. Or follow us on Pinterest for even more ideas!
Children Worship & Wonder Training Story Teller Trainings
February 26-27, 2016
Western Oaks Christian Church - Oklahoma City, OK
March 5-6, 2016
First Christian Church - Smithville, MO 
March 5-6, 2016
Riverside Ave Christian Church - Jacksonville, FL
April 15-16, 2016
Hooker Memorial Christian Church - Greenville, NC
Interested in hosting a training for your church or community? Contact Jessica Kramer for information.
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National Youth Event
Registration NOW OPEN for Disciples & UCC Youth Event, July 26-30
Join 4,000 or more Disciples and United Church of Christ youth from at least four continents at Walt Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort in July 2016! This is an International Youth Event for the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Our Disciples North American and Global Witness intersects with the United Church of Christ's National and International/Global Witness for the first time ever in a gathering of youth from both denominations and with youth from around the world. Register between now and May 27th at http://nye.uccpages.org.
Where can I find out more?
The UCC NYE page has information on pricing, speakers, schedules, meals & lodging.
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Phillips University Foundation Legacy
The Phillips University Legacy Foundation is pleased to announce it is accepting new applications for its Undergraduate Scholarship and Leadership Development Program for the 2016-2017 Academic Year. The Phillips University Legacy Scholar's program influences generations of talented young people, cultivating their talent, and providing Christian based leadership development and scholarship funds. The program includes awards up to $5,000 per academic year to ensure these distinguished Legacy Scholars can attend any of the 17 colleges or universities affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Completed application forms are due March 10, 2016 and award notifications will be sent out April 20th. For more information about the program, got to www.pulf.org.
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Young Adult Commission
Young Adult Commission Applications are Being Accepted - Age Range Extended!
If you are between the ages of 18 and 33 and are interested in connecting and empowering Young Adults to engage in the ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), you can fill out an application to serve on the Young Adult Commission. The next term of service begins now through December of 2017 and applications are being accepted until March 31, 2016. Go here to see the expectations for those who serve on the committee. Come serve with us!
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