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Christmas Eve prayer
by Frank Borman, Apollo 8 space mission, 1968
Give us, O God, the vision which can see Your love in the world in spite of human failure.
Give us the faith to trust Your goodness in spite of our ignorance and weakness.
Give us the knowledge that we may continue to pray with understanding hearts.
And show us what each one of us can do to set forward the coming of the day of universal peace.
Lord, may we hear your gentle voice urging us to put your mission first as we serve, showing the love that came to earth through Christ. Amen
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Why I go to church
Anonymous, contributed through the women's support group Broken Halos, First Christian, Weeping Water, NE
In recent years, many young adults in my generation have developed a distaste for the church. Some of the reasons are valid, some not. Other friends feel the church has become outdated, irrelevant. Others claim the church is driven too much by current fads and superficial messages. They throw around words like "hypocritical," "useless," "judgmental," and "greedy."
The attitude of my fellow young adults is in evident in a video, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." The mantra for so many is, we don't need church, we just need God. Or, we don't need God, we just need spirituality. Although many churches have the traits listed above, I would like to tell my fellow young adults that this is not the church I know and not the church I will help build.
The church I know understands the brokenness with which young people are so intimately familiar. Statistics for college graduates under 35 show an unemployment rate of 6% but a "mal-employment" rate-those who hold jobs for which they are overeducated-of nearly 40%. We earn degrees and take on a terrifying student loan debt, and then find our options are jobs that don't require a degree and don't pay a living wage. I took out loans of more than $100,000 the past two years and I am still doing my final course and thesis. I don't live from paycheck to paycheck. I live paycheck to four days before paycheck. I cannot save. And my career in any field appears uncertain at best....
Full meditation continues on disciples.org |
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Important tax information re: health care payments for church employees
The Pension Fund has learned there are specific rules regarding payment of health care costs that may affect your church employees. For the full story, go to the Pension Fund's website. |
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Check the General Assembly website for some great pre- and post-assembly tourism options.
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Early registration deadline for Black Ministers' Retreat is Dec. 31.
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| News in the Church Other News |
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Setting a new year's resolution
Green Chalice suggests taking stock of your lifestyle. Green Faith offers a way to take New Year's Resolutions to a new level by making a covenant before God and our faith community. We are more likely to keep our resolutions when we are held accountable. Pick one area to work on or do something in each area. Use the forms provided below or create your own covenant.
Here are pledge forms:
Energy and Transportation
Grounds Maintenance
Waste and Toxins
Water and Food
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Disciples Peace Fellowship offers weekly worship resource
Disciples Peace Fellowship (DPF) is now offering #peaceprayers, a weekly resource striving to faithfully respond to issues of violence and injustice in our national and global communities. Disciples are encouraged to subscribe to receive #peaceprayers by email each week, to use or adapt this resource for worship, and to share it on social media. #peaceprayers can be found each week at DPF's blog:
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Apply now
XPLOR is a program for young adults that encourages faith formation and spiritual discernment for 10 months in a residential setting. There is still time to learn more about XPLOR and to apply.
The next deadline is Jan. 9.
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 Events |
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Women and Worship Conference: Finding Our Voices, Expressing Our Vision, Jan. 13-14, Tulsa
Phillips' Re-Mind and Re-New conference, Tulsa, Jan. 14-15
Disciples Development Conference, Orlando FL, Jan 21-23
Christianity21 conference, Phoenix,
Jan. 22-24
Upper Midwest ministers' institute on human rights, Newton, IA, Jan. 26-28
Children Worship & Wonder Story Teller Training, Florence AL, Feb. 6-8
Winter Talk 2015: Indigenous Languages Lost and Found, Tulsa, Feb. 9-11
Hope Partnership's Leadership Academy, Indianapolis IN,
Feb. 23-27
Black Ministers Retreat, Mar 3-5, Montgomery, AL
Children Worship & Wonder Story Teller Training, Germantown TN, Mar 6-8
Dare to Lead, Kansas City, Mar 7 or 8
Children Worship & Wonder Story Teller Training, Guyton GA, Mar.13-15
Progressive Youth Ministry conference, Chicago,
Mar. 19-21
Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace, Washington DC Apr. 17-20
Faith Forward ecumenical youth, children workshop, Chicago, Apr. 20-23
Association of Disciples Musicians, Liberty, MO, June 23-28
Find more events on the calendar hosted by Chalice Press
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 Ministry in Action |
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Identity study
As you begin planning your 2015 study schedule, please consider a Disciples identity emphasis using the materials and study guides linked from the identity page. And if you choose to participate in the book study by purchasing Sharon Watkins' book, royalties will be directed to Disciples Mission Fund. |
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If you are interested in advertising in future issues of the Disciples News Service, please contact Fred Jones |
 The Disciples News Service, also known as The DiscipleŽ, is distributed weekly or as needed by Communication Ministries. For changes to your subscription options or to subscribe to this newsletter, please visit: disciples.org/dns/subscribe-to-dns/
If you are interested in submitting news for distribution in the Disciples News Service, please review our "Guidelines for Submitting News and Information to Disciples News Service": disciples.org/dns/submitting-news/ The next deadline to submit news for consideration
in the Disciples News Service: Friday, December 26, 2014 |
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