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Disciples mourn passing of Craddock
 He was the favorite story-telling uncle for generations of Disciples. The Rev. Dr. Fred B. Craddock passed to new life in Christ on Friday, March 6 at the age of 86. He made himself the brunt of jokes about his physical size, but his stature as a preacher was unparalleled.
Whenever Craddock was scheduled to speak at an event, the halls would fill to bursting. Most recently at the 2011 General Assembly in Nashville, the lines at Woodmont Christian Church stretched out the doors more than an hour before the service was to begin. General Minister and President Sharon Watkins said, "To hear him was to be moved - before we quite knew it was happening - moved to sudden laughter or unbidden tears, about Bible passages we thought we knew by heart. Experiencing his preaching is cause enough to celebrate sharing this life with Fred for awhile." (full blog post)
But Craddock was not just a beloved Disciples' treasure. In CNN's story aired this past weekend, he was hailed as a "preaching genius." Newsweek had named him as one of the 12 best preachers in the United States in the 1990s and more recently in 2010, the magazine Preaching named his books as one of the 25 most influential preaching books of the past 25 years. He pioneered an approach to preaching where the listener is converted from a passive recipient to a more inductive approach in which the hearer participates in the study process. His Southern gentlemanly style and folksy, humorous stories endeared him to many.
Read full story and links to tributes and other materials as well as a link to leave condolences for the family
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received in most congregations
March 29 and April 5
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Early registration discount expires in just under three weeks on April 1.
Please note: The General Assembly docket will be distributed to churches by electronic download rather than on CD-ROMs. A USPS letter will have order instructions for paper copies as well as information about your congregation's number of voting representatives.
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The speaker for the Reed Lecture Saturday afternoon, July 18, will be Rev. Chris Dorsey, speaking on Role of Social Movements in the History of the United States. Tickets are available through the registration system. |
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| News in the Church Other News |
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Disciples of Christ Historical Society Board meets, charts next steps
The Disciples of Christ Historical Society (DCHS) Board met in Nashville, TN, March 6-7, 2015. The Board of Directors, chaired by Archie Jenkins, took several actions to ensure the future of the Church's archives and the Society's role as one of several Stone-Campbell archives.
One of the primary objectives of the board meeting was to address the future home of the Society. Jenkins reminded the board that our purpose "is to set the path for the future that connects to but is not trapped by our past." To that end President Emeritus Dr. Peter Morgan began his motion, "I would be honored to be on record as making this motion to relocate the Disciples of Christ Historical Society and the archives to Bethany College." The board unanimously approved the motion authorizing Interim President Todd Adams to negotiate the details with Bethany and report the outcome to the DCHS board for final approval.
Bethany is proposing that DCHS construct a new facility on land adjacent to the Campbell Mansion and the Renner Visitor's Center at Bethany Village. Relocation to Bethany will include opportunities for student-workers, the use of Historic Bethany, classroom-laboratory partnerships in church history and library science, as well as engagement with the Buffalo Seminary. Buffalo Seminary is the commissioned ministry and continuing education partnership of Bethany College and the West Virginia Region.
Read more board actions
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Oklahoma youth continue Valentine tradition
from the Oklahoma CYYA Intersection
The Valentine Fundraiser in Waukomis, OK, began small as an offering to just our congregation over 15 years ago and has grown into our biggest fund raiser of the year. The success of the fund raiser has been greatly attributed to our relationship with the local school(s) and their willingness to let us distribute fliers/order forms to the students. The relationship is a win/win for both of us as our proceeds fund other community service projects that benefit the school. The past few years we have held a Back to School Night in conjunction with the School's Meet the Teacher night that includes gifting classroom supplies & prizes to teachers as well as feeding everyone in attendance. We also host meals for various school groups throughout the school year.
This year over 284 Valentine orders were filled and delivered. Of that number, 205 (three van loads full) were delivered to the elementary and junior high/high school for students & staff. We offer three choices on the order form (photo attached) with the majority of the orders being for the drink, candy bar & balloon for only $7.50 delivered. We have learned many things over the years, the two most important: we use clothes pins to pin the balloons to the cards so the ribbons do not get tied up during the process and we always carry extra supplies and tools with us during delivery. There are times when the Oklahoma wind carries a balloon off or one spontaneously combusts among other possible problems.
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| | Watch social media on March 17! |
Here's a chance for you to be a virtual part of General Assembly worship!
... click the video above to learn how you can possibly be part of worship at the 2015 General Assembly.
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Christian Church Foundation announces distributions
Thanks to the saints who have made gifts through the Christian Church Foundation, $8.4 million was distributed to Disciples-related ministries and other charities in 2014 from permanent funds and other directed gifts. That is nearly $1 million more than was distributed in 2013. Read more
Indianapolis church organizes march on anniversary of Selma event
Yale University profiles Sharon Watkins for alumni magazine
Missouri woman first in region to achieve ordination through apprentice track
Midway College changing its name in July
Resolutions honoring Bethany College offered in two capitals
Kentucky Legislature recognizes Lexington Theological Seminary's sesquicentennial
Christian Theological Seminary lecturer comments on race, violence
Woman-to-Woman Worldwide 2015 trip to Israel/Palestine applications due March 15
HELM Fellows applications still available
HELM 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. HELM Leadership Fellow applications due April 16
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 Events |
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Lowery, Nakashima-Brock to headline Chapman Founders Day March 13-14
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
General Assembly, Columbus, Ohio, July 18-22, Early registration discount expires
April 1
Talent 4 the House for Disciples Divinity House at Vanderbilt April 7
Buildings for a New Tomorrow; An Annual Ecumenical Symposium, Raleigh, NC, April 13-15
Ecumenical Advocacy Days: Mass Incarceration, Washington DC, April 17-20
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Events, cont'd.
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 Ministry in Action |
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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, March 13, 2015 |
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