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Florida Disciples find reinvention through general ministry partnerships
by Jim Cullumber, Christian Church Foundation
The Disciples of Christ presence in Naples, FL, is much different today:
- Instead of meeting in a 22,000 square foot traditional church structure, 60 to 70 worshippers gather in a 5,500-square-foot mall storefront that formerly housed a piano gallery on the north side of Naples.
- Instead of the patter of feet of a daycare ministry, lines form as 3,000 people a month are served at the church's food pantry.
- And what had been a congregation of primarily retired senior citizens is now a blend of all ages.
 The changes, says the Rev. Michael Junkroski, have been a long time coming. After months of study and discussion, led in part by the congregation's use of the New Beginning project led by Hope Partnership, the congregation in 2011 sold its building on Mandarin Road to the Chabad Jewish Center. Over the next four years, the congregation worshipped in rented space, first in a school and then in a ballet studio.While using the rented space was satisfactory, the demand on the congregation's food pantry began to grow - and it was a challenge trying to communicate the changing locations when the pantry was open. The pantry has grown from serving 50 people a month to 3,000 a month. "We discovered we had a ministry that would be better served in our own space," Rev. Junkroski recalls. After a lengthy search, church leaders found the former piano gallery. Ironically, Rev. Junkroski is a professional musician and also had been a friend of the gallery's owner. Read more________
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News from Disciples Volunteering
by Josh Baird, director
 Disciples Volunteering's (DV) disaster response ministries and related host Mission Stations continue to evolve as a core collaborative ministry. In Taylor, TX, DV has partnered with the United Church of Christ's Disaster Ministries and local leadership to support the recovery from flooding that occurred in May 2015; that response is expected to end in June.
Meanwhile, DV, Week of Compassion, First Christian Church Rowlett, and the North Texas Area are preparing to receive mission teams assisting with the recovery following the Dec. 26, 2015, tornado. Information and a registration form can be found at www.discipleshomemissions.org/rowlett-tx.
Finally, in Columbia, SC, Disciples Volunteering and Week of Compassion have partnered with the disaster ministries of the United Church of Christ and the Church of the Brethren to implement an exciting, collaborative response, the Disaster Recovery Support Initiative (DRSI). Under this partnership, Mission teams from all three denominations have been working since January to assist communities in recovery from flooding that occurred last fall. Orthodox, Lutheran, and non-denominational groups are also participating. By working cooperatively, the DRSI partnership has secured grant support from the United Way of the Midlands, the Central Carolina Community Foundation, and the UPS Foundation (in collaboration with National VOAD). Homes are being repaired and lives restored as we serve together in mission. In order to expand this ministry of serving communities after disaster, the DRSI is now seeking applicants for the following positions: a Case Management Specialist and a LTRG Formation Specialist. Position descriptions and application information is available at www.discipleshomemissions.org/drsi.
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Ready to launch
 It was a meeting that Monique Spells attended at a Disciples General Assembly a few years ago that inspired her to launch a new church project. During the event, she listened to heartfelt and powerful stories from other new church planters. As the planters gave their testimonies, they candidly revealed their experiences - the good, the bad and the God-moments. Following the event, Monique felt the call and used her gifts to launch Levi's Table in Indianapolis, which focuses on young adult African Americans who feel passionate about the witness of Jesus and seek an open and affirming fellowship where, according to her, "they can gather without fettered identity or loss of the valuable praise and worship ethos of the black church experience." Read more about what your Pentecost Offering does.
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Get ready for YOUR
Mission Gathering!
Use the videos and other materials online to brush up on the identity statement. You also might find the Justice Primer (8 pgs. with guide) and Justice Devotions (34 entries) to be helpful. 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 information on the Mission First! page. You can also share your stories of mission on the Mission First! Facebook group.
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| News in the Church Other News |
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Pre-Event for 24th Biennial Session of the National Convocation includes lay, clergy
The Pre-Convocation Lay and Clergy Leadership Institute will take place on Thursday, July 21 from 9 am - 4 pm. It is an opportunity for leadership development for both clergy and lay leaders.
The cost of the pre-event is $50 and includes breakfast, lunch and materials. It is co-sponsored by The Institute for African American Faith and Life, Black Disciples Endowment Fund and The African American Clergy Institute Development Office.
If you have already registered for the 24th Biennial Session of the National Convocation, contact Kimberly Caudle at: (317) 713-2406 or by email: kcaudle@disciples.org . For a partial listing of workshops available for the Pre-Event and the Biennial Session - look here .
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NBA Webinar: Perfect Love Casts Out All Fear
Mental Health, the Criminal Justice System, and the Church
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
1:00 p.m. CST / 2:00 p.m. EST
Webinar Presenters:
- Angela Whitenhill, M.Div., LCSW: Psychotherapist, Chaplain, and Convener of the NBA Mental Health Affinity Group
- Rev. Dean Bucalos: Pastor of New Life in Christ Christian Church, Program Coordinator of Mission Behind Bars and Beyond, and Mission Specialist for the NBA Prison & Jail Ministries Affinity Group
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Florida Region hosts Holy Land tour
The Florida Region is hosting a tour to the Holy Land February 3-12, 2017, led by Rev. Dr. Betsy Steier Goehrig, accompanied by her husband Kevin. The trip is open not only to Florida Disciples, but to others in the United States and beyond. It will include visits to Global Ministries partners in the area. The minimum number for the trip is 6 and the maximum would be a bus load (approximately 45). E-mail for more info
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Foundation Board adds managers
 At its recent meeting, the Christian Church Foundation Board of Directors celebrated a record-breaking 2015 and then took steps to enhance its investment programs. |
 Learn more about an expanded effort to help new residents through a webinar May 12. You can also plug into events across the United States such as the welcome dinner sponsored by the University Christian Church in Hyattsville, MD.
A kickoff webinar that featured interfaith and Congressional leadership is archived and available for viewing. For Disciple-specific info,
contact Sharon Stanley -Rea at sstanley@dhm.disciples.org.
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NAPAD opens search for executive
We invite applications for the position of Interim Executive Pastor (IEP) for North American Pacific/Asian Disciples (NAPAD) Ministries.
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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 |
May 20-21
Aug. 7-11
Find more events on the calendar hosted by Chalice Press
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 Resources |
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 Ministry in Action |
Kids to Kids: Responding to the Flint Water Crisis
How important is good, clean water to your everyday life? What would your life be like without it?
This intergenerational guide is designed to educate adults and children on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan (and beyond) including background on how this crisis came about, connecting faith to actions, and ways to respond for all ages.
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Middle East pilgrimage
Learn about the many different partners that Global Ministries works with in the Middle East through the four-part blog series by General Minister and President Sharon Watkins. You can also learn more about the Middle East Initiative by Global Ministries on their website.
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You can find ways to plug into mission and more through these ministries.....
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May Shirt of the Month
Order this or the other styles available and automatically support Disciples Mission Fund! Orders are gathered the first two weeks of the month, produced the third and shipped the fourth.
You can also contact the vendor to order other designs for your congregation. Just make sure you use code DOC2016 and DMF will receive 10% to support ministry from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.
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Well, look at that!
We have an app now, Disciples! Available in both the Apple store and Google Play (for Android users), you can download this handy tool either by going to http://disciples.org/app or searching for Disciples of Christ BlueBridge on either site (This may be more challenging since we are new to the stores and don't have a lot of reviews yet to move us up in the ranking.) Not only will we be providing app-only content, but this will be invaluable to General Assembly participants next summer as we beef up the content for the event as it approaches.
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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/
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The next deadline to submit news for consideration
in the Disciples News Service:
Friday, May 13, 2016
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