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Disciples Women Leadership Council meets and shares
 By the Rev. Dr. Patricia Donahoo, executive director, Disciples Women
The Disciples Women Leadership Council (DWLC) met Jan. 21-25, 2015, to learn, share, pray and worship. The Council is made up of either the Disciples Women's Ministries staff person of each region and ethnic constituency group or their president. In the hope of training and networking a larger number of leaders each region/group was invited to bring a second representative whose cost was covered by their region/group.
Rev. April Johnson, minister of reconciliation for Reconciliation Ministries, led those gathered in pro-reconciliation/anti-racism training asking them to identify who benefits from racist systems and what can be done to continue this work against racism. Rev. Sharon Stanley-Rea, director of Disciples Home Mission's Refugee and Immigration Ministries, shared how immigration and human trafficking are bound together and recommended ways in which women can continue the struggle against the bondage of human beings.
Rev. Kathy McDowell, study guide writer of Just Women's Bible study, facilitated small groups to teach a sample lesson from this Spring's Women of the New Testament: Finding Their Voices. The leaders from each interregional group gathered to make plans for ways they might work together sharing leadership and resources as well as to begin their plans for their interregional women's gatherings that take place every four years.
Reports/updates were given from ethnic constituencies and the Church of Christ (Disciples of Christ) representatives. Rev. Pat Donahoo shared that registrations for Quadrennial Assembly (QA) were far below the initial estimates used for planning and that this number, like General Assembly, has been decreasing over the years. As a result of low registration it was necessary to draw on reserve funds. The Executive Committee will be taking the time to re-imagine what a women's gathering might look like in the future.
New officers were elected to lead the DWLC: Rev. Dr. Christal Williams, President; Teresa Olberding, Vice President; Gloria Gilliard, Secretary-Treasurer; and Sarah Himaya and Maria Martinez, at-large representatives.
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Week of Compassion
offering received in most congregations
Feb. 15 & 22
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Just in -
Presidents Day and Ash Wednesday resources from Refugee and Immigration Ministries of Disciples Home Missions. |
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| News in the Church Other News |
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Lexington prof leads class at border
Theology on the Border: Dr. Emily Askew is leading a group of students in a special intensive course on the US/Mexico border at Tucson/Nogales. They are hearing the stories of migration from those who are in the process of crossing or have been deported back, as well as faithful leaders discussing their work with migrants on both sides of the border, and are walking dirt migrant trails winding through dangerous desert vegetation. During this trip they will experience mass deportation hearings in Federal Court, interview public defenders, dance with migrant children, experience the bitter cold of the desert in winter, and sleep on cement floors in migrant shelters. Follow their journey
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Seminarians conference
March 12-15 in Tennessee
 Disciples Seminarians Conference is scheduled for March 12-15, 2015 in Nashville, TN.
The conference is open to every ministerial student affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who has completed at least one year of Master of Divinity Study.
Sponsored and financed by the general ministries of The Christian church (Disciples of Christ), the Seminarians Conference provides opportunities for fellowship, worship and networking with ministerial students from across the United States and Canada, as well the chance to meet church leaders, including General Minister and President Sharon Watkins, and learn about the work of the general ministries. The conference also includes workshops on the Search and Call process, personal financial management and planning, and beginning a new pastorate.
The 2015 conference will begin with dinner on Thursday, March 12 and ends after lunch on Sunday, March 15 at the Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville. The cost is nominal with opportunities for travel subsidies.
Register online. If you have any questions, please contact Janice Woods.
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Young Adult Commission application deadline extended
If you 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 of service for which applications are being accepted began January of 2015 and will go through December of 2016. The applications process has been extended until March 15, 2015.Go here to see the expectations for those who serve on the committee. Come serve with us!
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Pacific School of Religion announces Disciples of Christ President's and Dean's award applications available for new students affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
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Leadership Fellow applications due April 16
Higher Education and Leadership Ministries is now taking applications to join the 15th class of HELM Leadership Fellows in fall 2015. The Leadership Fellows program is a unique opportunity for Disciples students to be in closer relationship with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), to network with each other, to encounter innovative and inspiring leaders, to prepare themselves for leadership in a rapidly and radically changing religious environment and to add additional value to their undergraduate educations.
Graduating high school seniors or entering first year college students who plan on attending an accredited college or university are encouraged to apply. While this reflects a change from the previous practice of accepting current first year college students, this year, the program will accept applications from students who have completed their first year of college or university work.
More information online. If you have any questions, please contact Hollie Woodruff, Director of Undergraduate Student Programs.
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 Events |
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JumpStart! Indiana, Feb. 21
Dare to Lead events, Central Rocky Mountain Region, Feb. 21-22,
Church Leadership: Best Practices, Buffalo Seminary of Bethany College (WV), Feb. 24
Black Ministers Retreat, Montgomery, AL, March 3-5, - register by Feb. 20
Christmount/Lexington Theological Seminary Annual Elders and Deacons Workshop, March 6 - 7 (Register by Feb. 25)
Children Worship & Wonder Story Teller Training, Germantown TN, March 6-8
Dare to Lead, Kansas City, March 7 or 8
Children Worship & Wonder Story Teller Training, Guyton GA, March 13-15
Exploring Resurrection in the Synoptic Gospels, Buffalo Seminary at Bethany (WV), March 16-17
Progressive Youth Ministry conference, Chicago,
March 19-21
Pacific School of Religion "Come & See! Prospective Student Event", Berkeley, CA, March 20-21
Buildings for a New Tomorrow; An Annual Ecumenical Symposium, Raleigh, NC, April 13-15
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Events, cont'd.
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 Ministry in Action |
 Resources |
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Lent & Easter Resources from Children & Family Ministries
Check out our website for a compilation of Lent & Easter ideas for use at home, at church, or wherever you find yourself engaging in the Lenten journey. You can also follow our Lent & Easter board on Pinterest.
Online spiritual practice course Feb. 10-17
Lenten resources from Disciples Home Missions
Presidents Day and Ash Wednesday resources from Refugee & Immigration Ministries
Summer Is Coming!
The weather may still be cold, but it's time for many us to start planning for summer activities. Rev. Lee Yates, Minister of Faith Formation for the Indiana Region, offers us some tips on choosing VBS and other summer curricula.
Week of Compassion partner Society of St. Andrew offers hunger-themed VBS resources and mission trip opportunities
Non-credit lay-oriented Disciple history distance learning course offered
Disciples Peace Fellowship offers weekly worship resource
People-to-People Guides for Leaders and Participants
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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, February 13, 2015 |
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Organizers of the Black Ministers Retreat March 3-5 in Montgomery, AL, want to invite all Disciples to their event. Included this year will be an afternoon retracing the history of the Selma-Montgomery march that occurred 50 years ago. 
