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Sustainable action doesn't have to be hard, expensive
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Church treasurer Chuck Mackey, Pastor Ray Blasko and Lorenzo Thomas stand outside Bolindale Christian Church along with Blasko's electric car.
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Lorenzo Thomas, OSL, says, "Anyone looking in at our church from the outside would think that we're too small, too poor, too busy ministering to the people of our community to make sustainability a major project for us. The fact is, and we are living proof that sustainability is affordable, it's often profitable, and, done in an attitude of prayer, it's a conduit of God's grace!" Bolindale Christian Church in Warren, OH averages 30-some in worship on any given Sunday, but the congregation is making an impact both in their community and on the environment. Though they operate a local food pantry serving 60-70 families twice a month (recently honored by the local Rotary Club) and a GED program, they wanted to also be an example of environmental sustainability as well.
Thomas, a member of the Order of St. Luke, and Pastor Ray Blasko are both students at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio which has made sustainability to the glory of God a key element in pastoral formation. Blasko is an electrical engineer by trade and, as Thomas puts it, "lives and moves and has his being in the cutting edge of electric power and sustainability" at Delphi Electric, a company that builds efficient batteries, charging mechanisms and power supplies for automobiles. When Blasko purchased an electric car, the pair got the idea to put a charging port at the church. According to Thomas, "One drill hole and some caulking later and we were the brand new operators of Youngstown/Warren's first public car charging port!" Converter units are $300-$500 dollars. Church treasurer and elder Chuck Mackey says the rate is about 10 cents per hour of charge time and they have yet to see a 25 cent difference per month because of the car. Read moreFor Earth Day worship materials (April 17 or 24) go to Creation Justice Ministries' website.
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Disciple pastor makes a difference in Hispanic immigrant communities
 "We need to seek partnerships that could help us be the Gospel in a concrete way, to embody God's creative hope. We are called to do justice, advocate, and be co-creators of new life-giving opportunities for our communities on the margins," says Rev. Héctor J. Hernández of Iglesia Nueva Creación (New Creation Church) in Indianapolis.
Joining with community leaders, professionals, and non-profit organizations, Hernández has organized events designed to meet the needs of undocumented immigrants in the areas of health and mental care, safety, family life, legal counseling, and the arts.
For example, Iglesia Nueva Creación will be hosting two events in April - one regarding undocumented immigrant's rights and the other for domestic violence. The Law Firm of Fatima Johnson and the Marion County Prosecutor's Office, will partner to educate church members and surrounding communities on their rights, and on where and how to get help. Keep reading
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How you can prepare
Brush up on the identity statement. Other materials you might find helpful include the Justice Primer and Justice Devotions. Global Ministries also offers a new three-session adult curriculum called REACH. Join the prayer effort and receive weekly prompts for prayer and action. Find out more and sign up for a mission gathering on the Mission First! page. You can also share your stories of mission on the Mission First! Facebook group. |
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July 26-30
Registration is now open for youth 13-18 and their families and sponsors to attend the Disciples/UCC joint youth event in Orlando.
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April special T
Add to your Disciple wardrobe with April's T-shirt offer. Ten percent of the purchase price is returned to Disciples Mission Fund. Order together to get the best deal on shipping. Several colors of sleeves are available. These will be produced the third week of April - just in time for your softball league games in May! You can also take a selfie and tag it #DOCWeAreOne.
Standard polos and sweatshirts are also available. If your congregation would like to customize your order, those will also benefit Disciples Mission Fund.
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| News in the Church Other News |
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Global connections evident in regions, congregations
By Bobby Hawley, Vice President, Christian Church Foundation
The gifts and graces from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in all its expressions are making a difference in our world.
This message came to the foreground in March when two different Global Mission partners talked about the important work being done - thanks to Disciples - in their respective regions of the globe. The work they described is made possible through vital partnerships at every level of our church -- local congregations, regions, Texas Christian University, and Division of Overseas Ministries/Global Ministries and the Christian Church Foundation working together, and most importantly, generous donors inspired to share their resources to help spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Read full story________
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Legacy scholarships available for seminarians
Phillips University, Inc. (PU) is pleased to offer a Seminary scholarship program to full-time, first year students who are pursuing a Masters of Divinity degree, are committed to pastoral ministry and will attend one of the following Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) affiliated seminaries. Applications are due by USPS on April 29.
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applications close April 8
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NAPAD opens search for executive
From Dr. Tim Lee, search committee chair
 We invite applications for the position of Interim Executive Pastor (IEP) for North American Pacific/Asian Disciples (NAPAD) Ministries.
The successful candidate will serve as IEP till the time of the NAPAD Convocation in 2018. To be eligible, a candidate must be an ordained minister with standing in the Christian Church (Disciples). The deadline for submitting required application materials is June 1, 2016.
For queries about the position, please contact the chair of the NAPAD IEP Search Committee, Tim Lee: napadsearch@gmail.com.
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If you are interested in advertising in future issues of the Disciples News Service, please contact Fred Jones |
| Events, Resources and Ministry in Action |
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 Events |
Apr. 8-9, PSR, Berkeley CA
Association of Disciples Musician's Conference, Evansville IN, July 17-22 Pre-Convocation Lay and Clergy Leadership Institute July 21 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
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 Resources |
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 Ministry in Action |
NBA XPLOR residents share videos
(click on photo)
You can find ways to plug into mission and more through these ministries.....
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The Disciples News Service, also known as The Disciple®, 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/
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The next deadline to submit news for consideration
in the Disciples News Service:
Friday, April 8, 2016
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