"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  Philippians 1:3-6 (NIV)

Thanksgiving is my daughter Erin's favorite holiday.  She really enjoys the abundance of good mashed potatoes and gravy.  Yet I know it is more than that which draws her to this season of thanks giving!  Such a time calls to our hearts; it stirs our imagination. It asks us to put our bodies in motion to respond.  It speaks to the abundance of our lives, and beckons us to share with each other what we have...encouragement, celebration, gifts and offerings, so that our partnership in the gospel continues. 

I thank God!  I am preparing to travel to Fresno today to celebrate the life and ministry of Carl Robinson.  In the last Reflections, I shared thoughts from Chuck Blaisdell, Regional Minister from 1997-2004 about Carl.  There was a mis-edit.  Chuck wanted to say that Carl "gave lie to the common wisdom that "older folks" don't "do" e-mail." not gave "life" to that common wisdom.  Carl broke the stereotype by e-mailing Chuck...Quan ...and many others often to bring a word of encouragement and care.  I didn't want that mis-edit to communicate the wrong thing about this gentle, strong presence that lived such a gracious life in our midst. 

I thank God!  Elizabeth Padilla and Elizabeth Tapia: the two Elizabeths from the Philippines that have graced my life.  I listened to their stories about life in the Phillipines.  They spoke their truth with clarity.  One had survived breast cancer as a young adult; the other had found her ecumenical witness with strong tones of justice and peace.  I am wondering this morning if all is well with them. I know them well enough to know that their hearts are breaking about the devastation and loss of life following the horrific effects of  

Typhoon Haiyan. 

I thank God!  Thanks to you, Week of Compassion immediately responded to the news of Typhoon Haiyan that swept through the Philippines last Friday morning. Your gifts of ongoing support of WOC, our common Disciples ministry, were sent to the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, through Global Ministries.  WOC reports that "Typhoon Haiyan is one of the worst recorded typhoons in history. The scene across the Philippines is one of severe destruction with fallen trees, damaged roads and buildings, downed power lines and telecommunications. It has already killed at least 1,200 people, but unconfirmed sources estimate over 10,000 deaths. 4.5 million people have been affected.  Death toll in the typhoon-hit areas is rising as areas currently out of contact are reached. Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced. Hardest hit is the central Philippine city of Tacloban, which is said to be flattened and where hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. The damage to airports and roads is hampering initial relief efforts.

Even though the Typhoon has now passed the Philippines, flash floods and landslides which cause additional danger can be expected. The areas hit cover already poverty-stricken communities, which have suffered from successive and simultaneous emergencies. On October 15, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Bohol province in central Philippines. As a result of that emergency alone, over 344,300 people are displaced and living in makeshift shelters built in open spaces near their homes. These people are in dire need of food, non-food items and other emergency relief materials.  The Typhoon continues its journey to Vietnam where it has been downgraded to a tropical storm.  There are already hundreds of thousands homeless in Vietnam due to previous storms this year. "  

I know you well enough to know that CCNC-N Disciples are already praying and sending gifts of support to Week of Compassion in this time of need.  Let us also remember our NAPAD brothers and sisters who may have family in the Philippines that they cannot contact at this time.  I thank God for you and your compassionate hearts!

I thank God!  I received reminders of the 2013 Disciples Mission Fund Thanksgiving Special Day offering in some of your newsletters.  This offering lends support to Disciples colleges, universities and seminaries. I think of students who are benefiting from an amazing education at these schools-Matt Lee, Taulau Tupua (the younger), Mikayla Chapman, Erin Jacobs-  and I give thanks for the ways we as Disciples have valued education and lifelong learning.  Your gifts to this offering open the doors to such learning!

I thank God for all the youth and adults that will gather at FCC, Concord for Fall Fest 2013. Let us surround them with our love and prayers that all will be welcomed and all will received a gift of being a part of Christ's beloved community. 

So much, such abundance.  May the season of Thanksgiving transport you into a place of thanks-living! 

In grateful partnership, 

Since 2008 the Regional Justice Commission has been learning how to facilitate and offer conversational processes to our congregations and regional groups.  We have trained over 30 individuals to be Circle facilitators, and have hosted several workshops and Circles of Inquiry at Annual Gathering and Circles of Healing for the "transition van" to introduce the region to the Circles of Peace model.  We are now hoping more and more congregations will begin exploring the use of Circles in their regular practice, and when exploring topics or decisions.  To help people become more familiar with Circles, the Justice Commission has prepared an Advent study, using the lectionary scriptures of Isaiah that we encourage congregations of the region to engage in starting Dec. 1.  It's a wonderful small group format that can be used for special meetings, or during Sunday School.  Please take a moment to go to the website and check out this wonderful resource.  We hope you will use this in your congregation and let us know how it went!

Paula Pociecha, Regional staff and process consultant and

Larry Love, Convener of the Regional Justice Commission

We do not put the dates of local church events here as we never could get them all and we would always miss some!  

2013

Henrietta Perdue

Memorial Lecture Series

Stone Church of Willow Glen

(Presbyterian USA)

1937 Lincoln Avenue, San Jose

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This communication is made possible by generosity expressed  

through giving to Disciples Mission Fund!

 
The CCNC-N is the presence of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
in the northern half of the states of California and Nevada.    

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