Every year, all clergy must attend a boundaries training as a condition of standing. Every three years, a basics boundaries class (Healthy Clergy Boundaries Tranining) is required. The Regional Church is offering both. On September 24th, Rev. Keith Wilson will facilitate a boundaries training called, "Containing Compassion Fatigue through Performance Psychology Skills" which satisfies the annual boundaries training requirement. If you are not required to take the Healthy Clergy Boundaries Training this year, you should sign up for Rev. Wilson's seminar. The deadline to register is September 18th. For more information about the class, please contact the Regional Office.

Containing Compassion Fatigue through Performance Psychology Skills Registration

Fall Fest 2016 Registration Form

Move Together, Heal Together, Bound Together
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During the summer of 1857, a small group of Disciples met to form a new congregation in the community of Visalia.  For more than 159 years the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has maintained a congregation here with Disciples of Christ-Visalia offering the current expression of the church for the past eleven years.

To paraphrase one of the original founders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) now is the time to prepare for bringing to a close this ministry that It may "sink into union with the Body of Christ at large."   This will formally occur on Sunday, October 2, 2016.  We invite you to join us in a celebration of the ministry that has continued to share God's grace and love within the congregation and in the broader community.  The celebrative service will be held at Brandman University, our place of gathering for many years, located at 649 South County Center Drive, Visalia, CA 93277, beginning at 10:30 AM. (Please note the time change)

We look forward to having you share our story of ministry with us on October 2.  It would be helpful if you would RSVP at Disciples of Christ-Visalia, P.O. Box 7808, Visalia, CA 93290 or by email to jwjordan318@sbcglobal.net.
Faithfully,

The Rev. Natalie Chamberlain
Interim Minister

 Dear Sisters and Brothers, In this contentious campaign season, we write as leaders who have witnessed firsthand the prophecy of our Lord that "five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three;" (Luke 12:52 NRSV). In a week when we have gathered to confer about the spiritual health of our church, both sides of America's divided family have called one another racist. As a body that has claimed a pro-reconciliation, anti-racist priority for two decades, we the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada write to offer a word of hope from our experience.

The complete text to this document
can be viewed here: http://ccncn.org/ad_hoc/openletter.pdf

by Carolyn McLemore
Matthew 8:19-21

Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." But he said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

Interesting how quickly Jesus succinctly, but tellingly, cuts to the chase and speaks obvious, but difficult, mandates. He's not kidding around or being encouraging or urging us. He simply says to be the mother or brothers or sister of Christ by hearing the word of God and then doing it, an astonishingly yet thrilling imperative. In 16 short words, He tells us how to BE the ends of the earth Disciples we know ourselves to be. We CAN do it. Become Jesus' family and extend this grace to all those needy-despairing-in-the-middle-of-war-death-crisis-dispossession-fear-anger-loss-deceit-hate-oppression-trying-to-be-God's people people who are us. Feed. Clothe. Visit. Welcome. Care for. No "when you feel like it". Sixteen words..............Do it. Fearfully or courageously. Do it. Go into the breach and make reality that we are Jesus' family. Become Jesus' family and live.

• Do it.  Find what your "it" is.  Disaster relief? Volunteering in a school?  Gathering health supplies?  Helping build shelter?  Mentoring?  Working with the differently abled?  Collecting gloves and hats for the coming bad weather?  Speaking out about almost anything?  It's out there.  Go and find and do.  And think of this.......slactivism is not a verb.  Get out into this great big world of ours.  Do it.  Jesus' family is ready and waiting.  Waiting for you.

Let us pray: LORD God of the breach, you will us into new Being as the family of Jesus. The family who gives and serves and loves and makes life happen for all those between the dashes, people who are not us and yet are. Those who need us so, needed by us that we might all be the family of Jesus. Help us mother those between the dashes. Be the brothers and sisters to those between the dashes. For they are we and we are they. Your gracious Self extends to each, every one and all of us. Give us the will to live as You, hearing your Word and loving the people of we. In Jesus' name we will do it. All thanks to you for the courage, strength, faith, commitment, heart, and love it will take. As those who are becoming Jesus' family, we pray amen.

It is with unbridled joy that the congregation of Sierra Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Loomis announces the Call of Christine Pobanz-Stelter of Sacramento as our Transitional Interim Minister, effective September 1, 2016.

 

Praise God from whom All blessings flow!

 

Cliff Cole, Chair

Search Committee

REMINDER:  Pastors and church secretaries, the region wishes to acknowledge and congratulate those children, youth and adults who make the decision to join a church by transfer or baptism, as well as the names of any child and the parents' names of a dedicated child.  Please send names, addresses, type of membership, child, youth or adult and church name to Cliff Cole (23mcc24x@comcast.net) whenever this occurs.

For the week of September 11, 2016
Let us pray for their vitality, spiritual and numerical growth, their commitment to serving their neighborhood and their openness to the Spirit of God calling them into ministry in the 21st century. Please consider incorporating this congregation into your congregational prayers this week during worship or in your newsletter, so we can grow together in prayer.

Please pray for the churches who are in transition.

Christian Church of  Northern California-Nevada