October 21, 2015
New church start honors history with baptism locale
 
Refuge Fellowship Church, a congregation in formation in Oklahoma City, has a frontier-style model of being. The congregation is specific in its ministry of, by and for homeless individuals and the newly housed, meets on Monday night wherever it can find a place and celebrated baptisms this week in the open air. First Christian-OKC's senior pastor, Rev. John Malget, and Rev. Michael Snell of Midwest City assisted in this week's baptisms along with Rev. Noel Gray, Refugee Fellowship Church's pastor.
 
Rev. Noel Haley-Gray
This week's baptism was an intentional re-creation of how the Disciples came to central Oklahoma. According to Sean Shenold, president of the Christian Church Communion of Oklahoma which is the church planting branch of the region, most of Oklahoma was set aside for Native Americans until the US government decided to break up the reservations. The "unassigned lands", were opened to settlement in a series of land runs beginning in1889.
 
Rev. Thomas J. Head took out an ad in the local paper on May 18 of that year and began to establish a Disciples congregation in the new community. Shenold quips, "He must have been a pretty effective evangelist, because he soon had 28 new believers needing to be baptized." 
 
Oklahoma City was rough-and-tumble with a number of 'rowdy' individuals. Rev. Head was concerned that these rowdies might try to disrupt the baptismal service so he approached the commanding officer of the local cavalry regiment. On June 2, 1889, 200 troopers on horseback, in full parade uniform, took up positions on both sides of the river so the service proceeded without disruption.
 
Rev. Head's group of believers went on to found First Christian Church of Oklahoma City. The congregation has both directly and indirectly helped to start nearly every other Disciples congregation in the metropolitan area, including Refuge Fellowship Church. First Christian served the community after the Murrah building bombing in April 1995, opening the doors within hours of the attack as the place where family members of those killed and wounded could go to receive official news, assistance, counseling, and support. Read story and full history by Shenhold
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Find out more about Mission First!
General Minister and President Sharon Watkins introduced the Mission First! pilot project at General Assembly.

DHM offers educational grants for Disciples clergy
Applications for 2016 grants will be accepted now through Oct. 31. Grants will be considered for events happening ONLY in the 2016 calendar year. It is applicant's responsibility to ensure application and regional endorsement forms are received before deadline; no exceptions. More info 
News in the Church                                 Other News                          
Administrative Committee to meet Oct. 24, 25
Please cover the Administrative Committee with extra prayers for wisdom and guidance as they serve during this pivotal time in the life of our Church.
  • The moderators began work on the 2017 assembly during their August retreat with members of the Office of General Minister and President (OGMP). (Check John 17: 20-21 for a hint at the theme.)
  • An important part of the Indianapolis gathering in 2017 will be the election of the next general minister and president to a six-year term. The search committee will be nominated for presentation to the full board in November. (The Design outlines the duties of the general minister in paragraphs 50-53. The  Standing Rules for the General Board outlines the search process in Section 8.)
  • Follow up on the 2015 assembly will include updates on the resolutions task force (GA 1524), the future of the General Assembly (GA 1532 ) and the site selection processes (GA 1537) all will be discussed as the committee meets on behalf of the General Board.
  • In their capacity as the governing board for the OGMP, the committee will also examine budgets for the nine cost centers of OGMP as well as receive status reports from staff.

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Webinar: A Call to End Solitary Confinement: A conversation with NRCAT
This webinar is the third in a series focused on congregational and general church involvement in prison and jail issues, and is offered in response to the 2015 General Assembly resolution GA-1525 Item for Research and Reflection: A Call to End Solitary Confinement Co-sponsored by: NBA Prison and Jail Ministries, Disciples Center for Public Witness, Disciples Justice Action Network, and Reconciliation Ministry.
 
Thursday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m. EST
  • Rev. Dean Bucalos, Mission Behind Bars & Beyond, NBA Prison & Jail Ministries; 
  • Rev. Laura Markle Downton, National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT); and 
  • Mr. Johnny Perez, Urban Justice Center's Mental Health Project
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Refugee emphasis weekend coming
Mark your calendars now to join faith communities across North America on Sunday, Nov. 15 - or  anytime during the weekend-to show your support for refugees!  Stay tuned for resources from Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries to help your congregation highlight the needs and contributions of refugees in the U.S. and around the world.

Worship materials, background for teaching about refugees, and exciting ways your community can engage in advocacy to support refugees will be provided!!  For more information, contact:  sstanley@dhm.disciples.org, or call 202-957-7826.
In Memoriam














 

Young Adult Commission applications accepted until Oct. 31

 

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Kids to Kids: Syrian Refugees
Our latest Kids to Kids project helps kids understand more about the Syrian refugee crisis and how to show God's love through hands-on mission:
  • Help understanding what "refugee" means
  • Information on Syria
  • Basic human rights
  • Books to read
  • Missions ideas
Download the PDF from the Family & Children's Ministry website. This resource has been created in partnership with Week of Compassion and DHM's Refugee & Immigration Ministries.
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Thanksgiving Offering
Nov. 8 and 15
Many congregations receive the Thanksgiving Special Offering supporting Disciples' higher education institutions. For more info about the offering, check the Disciples Mission Fund page.
Advertising

If you are interested in advertising in future issues of the Disciples News Service, please contact Fred Jones 
Events, Resources and Ministry in Action                                                   
Events

Pathways to Hope conference co-sponsored by Brite Soul Repair, Kansas City, 

Oct. 28-31


Worship and Wonder training, Elyria, OH, Nov. 13-14

2016 Disciples Development Conference, Jacksonville, FL, Jan. 20-22

Winter Talk, Tulsa, OK, Jan. 25-27

Black Ministers Retreat, Jackson, MS, March 8-10

Stepping into Stewardship, Orlando, March 30-April 1

Hispanic Assembly, Coral Gables, FL, July 14-16

Association of Disciples Musician's Conference, Evansville IN, July 17-22, 2016

National Convocation Biennial Session, Overland Park, KS (KC area), July 21-24

National Youth Event with United Church of Christ, Buena Vista, FL, July 26-30

NAPAD Convocation, Oakland, CA, Aug. 3-6

Find more events on the calendar hosted by Chalice Press
Resources

Post-papal visit conversation starter with video and toolkit from Faith in Public Life

 

Partner ministry Society of Saint Andrew offers Advent resources


  




Center for Faith and Giving Measuring What Matters stewardship program available
Ministry in Action
You can find ways to plug into mission and more through these ministries.....
 
  
  
  
  
  
  

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