HOT NEWS

CHURCHES TO HOLD IN PRAYER

Youth and adults--Join Regional Youth Council! 

Be inspired and be an inspiration!

 Applications are being accepted for the Regional Youth Council 2013, both youth and adults.  The application and recommendation forms are due no later than February 1st. All forms must be complete and into the regional office no later than Feb 1 or they will not be accepted.  Because of the early Annual Gathering, applications are due earlier this year.  Also, applicants will need to attend the Annual Gathering at least on March 2 if not the whole weekend. Applicants will be informed by phone after Feb Camp. The application can be found at  http://www.ccncn.org/youth.htm and guidelines can be found at  http://ccncn.org/ryc-guidelines-2013.pdf .  Good Luck and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me: cccrafting@comcast.net.  It should be a great year.

-Carl Cordes

ANNOUNCING 2013 SUMMER CAMP DATES

(Note that neither Grandparents and Me Session will be held on July 4!)

Community of the Great Commission Camps

June 6-9- Adult Camp
June 23-29- Junior and ChiRho Camps
June 29-July 1- Grandparents and Me Session 1
June 30- July 6- CYF Camp
July 1-3- Grandparents and Me Session II

June 23-28- South San Joaquin at Camp Pacifica

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 A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM OUR NEW A.C.T.S. Program Coordinator--please read and respond, clergy and laity alike! 

The A.C.T.S. Program (Academy of Christian Training and Study) was initially launched three years ago by CCNC-N to provide quality instruction to support the lay ministry of the local churches. Over those three years, top notch instructors have presented a wide variety of courses have been offered in an equally wide variety of formats. The ACTS team brought you courses that galloped you through the Bible, strengthened your spiritual practice, developed your Ad-Ministry muscles, and equipped you for evangelism. These courses have been offered in in a classroom format, online, in Geographic area groups, single day workshops, and weekend retreats. In all, the A.C.T.S. curriculum has served an estimated 500 participants throughout the Region. I am ready to meet the challenge of supporting local churches with continued excellence in education as we enter into this time of transition.

As we enter a new era, we must consider how we will meet it. The curriculum chosen over the next year will be crucial to supporting local churches as they navigate how best to share the Gospel in communities that are richly diverse. But I will need your help:

1) I am not able to be at your churches on Sunday mornings on a regular basis. I do not know who among you have a passion for Christian Education. I invite local pastors, elders, deacons, Sunday School teachers, and Sunday School Students (that about covers it) to contact me with the names of people who can bring their talent to the A.C.T.S. team.

2) The best curriculum is chosen with input from the students and potential teachers. I want to hear from you! Pastors should be on the lookout soon for a survey that will help the A.C.T.S. team select of design curriculum that will address your immediate concerns or needs for your community.

I'm looking forward to the coming year. Please don't hesitate to contact me with your input, and your suggestions for possible team members. I can be reached at frzzled@gmail.com .

Many blessings,

Laura Pierson

ACTS Program Coordinator

UPCOMING REGIONAL EVENTS

New Spirit Community Church Thanksgiving Day!    New Spirit Community Church in Berkeley would like to invite those around the region to our Thanksgiving Day: Testimonies of Gratitude Service at 11am.  Service of Testimony and Communion will take place in the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) Chapel in Berkeley, CA.  After the service, we will have a potluck Thanksgiving meal at 12 noon.  All are invited.  If you are not able to bring a dish, don't worry, there is always plenty.New Spirit has much to be grateful for and we want to share it with the community.  For questions, please call the church office at (510)356-4130.

First Christian Church, Vallejo invites you to our milestone 15th Annual Global Holiday Faire,  

REGIONAL YOUNG ADULT CHRISTMAS EVENT IN SAN FRANCISCO! SAVE THE DATES NOW!

The Young Adult Council invites you to a Christmas Event, December 29th and 30th in San Francisco! All young adults in our region ages 18 to 30-ish (post-high school) are invited!   

We'll gather at noon for lunch at Forest Hill Christian Church on Saturday, December 29th, have lots of fun, stay overnight and worship with our host church on Sunday morning. There is a cost of $10 that covers the whole weekend, mostly to help cover BART costs for the scavenger hunt and Christmas light viewing. (Note: Forest Hill CC does have showers!)

Check out the CCNC-N website and our FB page (facebook.com/groups/30684014515/) for more details in the coming days. Online registration will be available soon. 

-Michael Carlson, Young Adult Ministries

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ATTENTION ALL CLERGY

Clergy Continuing Education Grant Application Process  

Due to DHM being in the process of migrating our website to a new provider, the Clergy Continuing Education Grant application process dates have changed.  The application process will be open from December 1, 2012 - January 31, 2013 -- to receive requests from Disciples clergy seeking continuing education funds for programs/event/activities in 2013. Any Commissioned and Ordained Disciples Clergy with Standing may apply. The maximum possible award for any individual clergy will be no more than $500. Unfortunately, due to the economic downturn, block grants to regions or other Disciples groups will not be considered into the foreseeable future. Availability of individual grants will be dependent upon total number of

applicants. Applications received during the Dec./Jan. application process, will be evaluated and considered during the month of February, 2013; final decisions

regarding approved awards will be announced by Mid-March 2013, at the latest. No other applications will be accepted for 2013 outside of the process described

above. Please send your application beginning December 1, 2012! (link "application" to www.discipleshomemissions.org/pages/CV-ContEd 

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CYF FebCamp 2013, Grades 9-12

"Feb Camp 2013 will again be held at Camp Tuolumne Trails in Groveland.  Rev. Jesse Kearns will be our keynote speaker this year.  Good fun, good friends, good talks, good music and who knows maybe some good snow.  Invite your friends.  Registrations are due on February 9, 2013.  If you would like more information, just let me know."--Carl Cordes, youth ministries, cccrafting@comcast.net  

Registrations and Medical Forms available
online at www.ccncn.org/youth

 

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REGIONAL STAFF NEWS

Keep all regional staff in your prayers during this season of transition as we seek to meet the needs of all of our congregations with grace and love!

Our Administrative Assistant, Quan will be out of the office today (Wednesday), so if your administrative needs can wait until Monday, that would be greatly appreciated.

The regional office will be closed on Thursday and Friday in honor of Thanksgiving.

Sandhya will be in the office today (her regular day in the office) after spending last week in Kansas City with Church Extension and then Friday and Saturday participating in the denomination's General Nominating Committee (along with Woodland Christian Church's Larry Love). 

Reminder: Regional Minister Rev. Ben Bohren is now retired and no longer uses the email address ben@ccncn.org. Should you need assistance with Regional business please contact Paula at paula@ccncn.org or Quan at quan@ccncn.org.  Please remember Ben's covenant of closure asks him to limit contact with the region during the transition time and the first year of the new Regional Minister, so please limit personal contact. However, if you are a church sending Ben your newsletter via email please be sure to change his email address to  bohrenfree@gmail.com and add paula@ccncn.org if she's not already on your e-newsletter list. 

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CELEBRATIONS & PRAYERS

Woman-to-Woman Worldwide - Prayer Request 

We offer up this prayer for the participants of the 2012 trip to China, including Joy Wang from Sinapi Seed Fellowship in Palo Alto: "We thank you, God, for the world you have given us to love, including the people and the land of China. We ask your special blessing on our Disciples Women sisters joining in this experience. Give them eyes to see and ears to hear the things that you would teach them. Grant them traveling mercies. And may they grow in faith and wisdom so that we, through them, may learn more clearly what it means to be members of your beloved global community. Amen."

If your congregation receives a new member by baptism or transfer, please email enews@ccncn.org so we can lift it up in celebration!

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Please pray for the family of Don Skinner, father of Greg Skinner, former CCNC-N pastor at Vacaville Christian Church, who passed away Monday night. Greg had moved back to Spokane to be near his parents. Cards can be sent to Rev. Greg Skinner, Country Homes Christian Church, 8415 N. Wall St., Spokane WA 99208.  

Continued prayers Pastor Christine Tomascheski, FCC Eureka, whose mother recently passed away.

Continued with Pastor Fred, FCC Alameda, and Janice Williams on the sudden death of his sister Brenda, who just recently moved to San Leandro to be near family.

Do keep Bill Shive, musician for FCC Oakland and leader at Tapestry Ministries, Berkeley, in prayer as he continues to recover at home from ongoing heart issues. Cards can be sent to: 7856 Ney Avenue, Oakland, 94605

Prayers continue for Kathy Smith who served FCC Sacramento in numerous ministry positions over many years and is battling colon cancer. Her spirits and faith are still strong  but there are tough days ahead. Cards can be sent to: 2809 14th Street, Sacramento, 95818

Our prayers continue for Alma Hernandez, wife of Pastor Kilo Hernandez, Iglesia del Pueblo de Porterville (Disciples of Christ) meeting at FCC Porterville. Alma has been suffering for some time from extreme fatigue, partial paralysis on right side, and fainting spells. The doctors have not been able to find the exact cause and this is very discouraging and depressing for all the family. Please send cards to : Alma Hernandez 1020 North Prospect Street, Porterville, 93257

Our prayers for Bruce Kieft, who has recently been diagnosed with stomach cancer and underwent major surgery. He is home and in the midst of chemo treatments. Bruce is the Moderator of FCC Fremont and Chair of the Construction Committee with Niles Discovery Church (Niles Discovery is the merger of FCC Fremont and Niles UCC). He also chairs the Serra Center Board as one of the five Disciples serving in leadership for that ministry and was able to lead the meeting this past Tuesday night! Hallelujah! . Cards can be sent to:41204 Thurston Street, Fremont, 94538 

Continuing prayers for Rev. Kay McFarland, retired Disciples minister, is recovering from double knee surgery, at the Retirement Celebration as well.  Kay has also been suffering with Shingles since March of this year. Your prayers are much appreciated. Cards can be sent to: 2091 Strobridge Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546.  

Our prayers continue for John Grose, key leader and former Moderator at FCC Vallejo as he continues in a five month round of chemotherapy. We send out prayers for healing and strength to John and wife Beth.

Latest update on Pastor Taulau Tupua, Via Dolorosa Samoan Congregational CC of Modesto who is only three treatments away from his final chemotherapy before his hopeful  bone marrow transplant at Stanford Medical Center. Fortunately, his older sister is a perfect match!  Your prayers are deeply appreciated. Cards can be sent to: 2329 Senimi Circle, Ceres, 95307.

We continue to keep Pastor Mark Foglio, Oakdale CC in our prayers. Mark is about to get the second series of deep injections to address herniated disks in his back and neck. Cards of support can be sent to: Oakdale CC, 330 Maxwell Avenue, Oakdale 95361.

Sorry to hear the report that Barbara Wikoff, musician at Oakdale CC, and husband Bob, Chair of our Regional Resources Committee has pent several days in the hospital last week in order to address flu like symptoms. She still needs some major chemotherapy and she is beginning several rounds of 5 days a week, then two weeks off! She and Bob deeply appreciate all the prayers and ask that you keep them coming. Cards can be sent to: 941 Terrace Court, Oakdale, 95361.

Our prayers continue for the following who remain in need of our support and concern: 

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FINAL WORD

Esteemed Bible Scholar Walter Brueggeman wrote this Thanksgiving reflection for Sojourners magazine in 2011. 

During November we reach the conclusion of the church year. We remember our dead and ponder the God of life. We begin Advent and the season of alert waiting for the newness that God will give. Between, in American "civil religion," is Thanksgiving. Perhaps thanksgiving is the right segue from old to new. It's appropriate that the great festival of gratitude should provide the transition from old to new. Gratitude is, in the life of faith, for every season.

It is characteristic in American Thanksgiving that we look back and remember the pilgrims and God's providential care for them. Lodged next to Advent, Thanksgiving is not only for remembering; it waits and it expects. Faithful gratitude believes that the God who has given good gifts has more good gifts to give. While God's gifts are welcome, in fact they do disrupt. God's gift of truth disrupts our systemic mendacity that denies our lethal social practices. God's gift of generosity contradicts our parsimonious selfishness. God's gift of mercy interrupts our hard-hearted indifference. God's gift of justice exposes our systemic injustice. God's gifts amount to an inconvenient reality among us; they remind us that what we have come to regard as "normal" continues a deep abnormality in which we may have no complacency. The readings invite us to ponder how the world may be when God is reckoned to be at the center of it. As the hymn says, "All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above." And we ... on the receiving end!

Walter Brueggemann, a Sojourners contributing editor, is professor emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.