Disciples Care Exchange: A marketplace of care
by Kasi Zieminski, director of marketing
In the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the ministries of health and social services have been core to our Disciples identity and faith. Today, the National Benevolent Association (NBA) and Disciples Home Missions (DHM) are collaborating to support a network of care providers - the Disciples Care Exchange.
The Disciples Care Exchange (DCE) is a marketplace of new and historic Disciples-related health and social service ministries that serves as a forum for ministries to connect, engage, and walk alongside one another. Participants in the DCE connect with congregations, regions, and individuals seeking to support, volunteer, or participate in their services. These services include senior housing and care, children's services, healthcare services, ministries to the homeless, food and hunger security initiatives, and many more. Through the DCE, we engage through peer learning opportunities, mentoring and coaching between leaders and staff of different organizations, webinars, and resource sharing.
As a partnership initiative between the NBA and DHM, we walk alongside the DCE participants as they seek to expand their programs, start new projects, and transition through new phases of their ministries. Guided by an advisory committee, a dedicated NBA/DHM staff member is committed to listening and finding ways to resource our partners, as well as to share the stories of these amazing ministries throughout the Church.
"The Disciples Care Exchange brings to life what it means to be the Body of Christ," says Rev. Monica Wedlock Kilpatrick, director of the DCE and Affinity Group Ministries at the NBA. "We are connecting all parts of health and social services ministries to make the greatest impact on our Church and the world."
At this year's General Assembly, the NBA hosted more than 16 Disciples-related health and social service ministries in a shared exhibit booth, providing space for the ministries to share their programs and services with the Church. New this year, the NBA sponsored the Connect Marketplace Pop-Up Café as an innovative lunch offering for GA attendees. The café was staffed with several of our DCE partners who were able to fellowship with café guests and share what's happening in each of their ministries.
To learn more about the Disciples Care Exchange and how to get involved, you can view our Partner Directory, complete the online information form, and/or contact Rev. Monica Wedlock Kilpatrick at mkilpatrick@nbacares.org or (314) 993-9000 ext. 4733.
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by Chalice Press staff
Pastors will learn how to respond when racial tensions erupt in their community thanks to a new book being published this summer by Chalice Press. Faith leaders from the community of Ferguson, Mo., are sharing their experiences and lessons in Ferguson and Faith: Sparking Leadership and Awakening Community, by Leah Gunning Francis, associate dean for Contextual Education at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis.
In Ferguson and Faith, these leaders share the lessons that the aftermath of the tragic shooting death of Michael Brown has taught them and what is relevant for pastors in other communities where systemic racism and other issues are also at work.
This is the first book published in a partnership between Chalice Press and the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE). The book is launching August 4, in time for the one-year anniversary of the event that propelled the #BlackLivesMatter movement (August 9).
"It is an honor to listen to these sacred stories of courage and hope, and glean from them the seeds of possibilities that, if nurtured, could serve us well into the future," Dr. Gunning Francis says. "These are the stories that were rarely imaged on television, yet they are integral to the fight for justice in Ferguson and resonate with the struggle for human dignity around the country. They remind us why #BlackLivesMatter to God, and why they should matter to us all."
And, with almost daily reports of black deaths, Dr. Gunning Francis reminded us recently at the 2015 General Assembly, "There is a Ferguson near you."
