Report from Haiti: House of Hope

An updated report on one of our mission efforts in Haiti can be found here: House of Hope I and II, Haiti.  The Regional Minister remembers well this vital work from his pilgrimage to Haiti this past winter.  Remember, our work there through our Global Ministries partners is made possible by your congregation’s generous support of Disciples Mission Fund.

 

Camp Photos Available

As ChiRho, Junior, and Kids Camps come to a close tomorrow, a sneak review of our week is available on our Flick’r group.  You can view and download them from here.

It’s been a great week with some wonderful campers.  Hope you enjoy the memories of our time together!

 

McMechen’s Rev. Bill Barger Remembered

From the Regional Minister:

Last evening, Bill Barger, retired pastor of the McMechen, WV congregation passed away.

There will be viewing on Monday evening at the Altmeyer Funeral Home in McMechen from 6 to 9. On Tuesday at 11:00 am his service will be held. Rodney Hubbs, current pastor of the McMechen congregation will be the celebrant.

Bill was a licensed minister of the church. He will be remembered for his wit and for his love of all people (especially those who saw the world very differently than he did.) He was marked by kindness and a sense of God’s peace. He was gentle, and now he is at peace.

Remember the faithful, his family and all the departed in your prayers. He will be missed.

Thaddaeus

 

Youth Leaders Gather in Indy

For the next three days, three of our regional personalities will be in conference in Indianapolis, IN. Jennifer Allen, Kevin Snow and Lindsey Watts will be leading and participating in the Youth Ministry Backpack Workshop sponsored by the General Youth Commission of Home Missions and funded by the Oreon E. Scott Foundation.

Jennifer Allen is the convener of this important ministry of our general church and wrote the successful competitive grant for this event. She is also one of the principal writers of the backpack (a resource that can be found on our website wvdisciples.org). Kevin Snow of Vinson Memorial and currently in Kansas City, MO is a commissioner and will direct CYF Conference at Bethany College next week. Lindsey Watts of Madison Avenue received a full scholarship to be a participant in this “space limited” event.

Please remeber these three and the whole event in your prayers as they lead the church forward in our ministry to and with youth.

 

Regional Minister Prepares for Camp Season

Friday before camp, June 12, 2009

We are entering, quickly, a most holy season in the life of the church. It is church camp and CYF Conference time!   These are important days for our ministry of Christian formation to and with those whom we hold as infants and bless and promise to grow them in the faith we know in Christ Jesus. Camp is a continuation of (and never separate from) our congreagational education programs and youth ministry.

Camp is not simply a week of fun, but it is a week where the faith is shared, explored, deepened and the beloved community of God is made known.  It is in the camp and conference community that a safe place is found. 

Nearly two-hundred of our members will be camping over the next two weeks.  While there we will come to know God and our place in God’s world more fully. Some will sense a call to ministry here. Grace will be found anew. Scripture and church teaching will be engaged. We will laugh and we will pray.

Please remember the camps, the directors and staff, and the whole church in your prayers during these holy days. Also, please pause during worship and commission your campers and counselors with prayer before they head out. We will be praying for you as well.

In Christ,

         Thaddaeus

 

WV Camps and Conference Ramping Up

The deadline is nearly upon us for the 2009 Camps and Conference season.  We hope you’ll visit our Camp info page and downloaded needed forms, which need to be mailed (or faxed: 304-428-1684) to us by Monday, June 8.  Those who fax the forms to beat the deadline should still mail them immediately (with payment, please) to the Regional Office.  We hope the young people of your congregation enjoy a wonderful time of life and growth with friends from around the region.

 

Women’s Retreat Info Now Available

By Friday, each of the region’s congregations and those who attended last year’s Disciples Women’s Spiritual Life Retreat should receive registration forms for the 2009 gathering at Cedar Lakes, Sept. 11-13.  If you want a sneak peak at the event, or to download a registration form or additional promotional materials, just visit our retreat page.  We know this gathering will be a key moment in the life of our Regional Church.  Questions?  Contact Mary Uhl or David Chafin, or call the Regional Center: 304-428-1681.

 

Lanette Gilbert to Serve as Intern

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Lanette Gilbert as the 2009 Tad Fitzsimmons Youth Ministry Intern.  Lanette is a member and the youth leader of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Moundsville.  She also teaches the 5-7th Grade Class in Sunday School.  This will be her fourth year in being a camp counselor.  

Lanette is a second-year Criminal Justice major at West Liberty University.  “I am still unsure of what I want to do after college, but seminary is definitely an option,” she says.  “God is a big part of my life, and some of my best memories have been at church and at camp.  I am so happy that I get to watch these children grow and experience Christ at camp.  I am excited to work with them yet again this summer and help them (and myself as well) grow closer to God.”

The internship, which centers around the June regional camps and conference, was established to enable young persons to grow in their vocational exploration, in a position of guided leadership of youth ministry, and to encourage them through a modest stipend.  The Regional Church looks forward each year to this life-giving new relationship.

 

Memorial Day Prayer

This is from the United Church News Blog:

Gracious God, on this Memorial Day weekend, we remember and give thanks for those who have given their lives in the service of our country. When the need was greatest, they stepped forward and did their duty to defend the freedoms that we enjoy, and to win the same for others. O God, you yourself have taught us that no love is greater than that which gives itself for another. These honored dead gave the most precious gift they had, life itself, for loved ones and neighbors, for comrades and country – and for us. Help us to honor their memory by caring for the family members they have left behind, by ensuring that their wounded comrades are properly cared for, by being watchful caretakers of the freedoms for which they gave their lives, and by demanding that no other young men and women follow them to a soldier’s grave unless the reason is worthy and the cause is just. Holy One, help us to remember that freedom is not free. There are times when its cost is, indeed, dear. Never let us forget those who paid so terrible a price to ensure that freedom would be our legacy. Though their names may fade with the passing of generations, may we never forget what they have done. Help us to be worthy of their sacrifice, O God, help us to be worthy.  Amen.    

Eternal Father, Strong to Save

 

Regional Reconciliation News

Most of the Region’s Reconciliation Team, which works toward the missional imperative of becoming an anti-racist, pro-reconciling church, was gathered with other regions’ leaders at the annual assembly of the Northeast Inter-Regional Fellowship (NIRF) at Ohio’s Camp Christian earlier this week.  The assembly, which was led by the Rev. April Johnson, Disciples’ Minister of Reconciliation, allowed the 7 regions’ teams to share in an exploration of the challenges and opportunities we face in bringing God’s justice to life in our communities and world.

Much of our time was dedicated to spending time together in our teams to set priorities and begin establishing action plans for our next steps.  The key goals that we have begun work toward  include:

1. Enabling the team to have more effective, ongoing contact and growth together.  Toward this end, we have set another meeting for this year, and have planned for conference calls and other electronic communications on a frequent basis.
2. Raising awareness of our pro-reconciling initiatives in all dimensions and constituencies of the Regional Church.  For instance, Rev. Johnson will be joining us at the Regional Assembly in April, 2010, for workshops and other consultation.  We will be working with our Regional Board and its departments and commissions to educate and advocate for reconciliation.
3. Engaging the congregations and clergy of the region in an examination of our local settings and the entry points for reconciling work.  We will be working with our youth at camps, with pastors (especially around baptism discussions in Pastor’s Classes), and others who will be preparing the way for God’s loving reign of justice and peace to be made known in our world.

Congregations and pastors should expect to see some significant conversations develop that we believe will do much to overcome the many kinds of divisions that bring harm to persons, congregations and wider communities – including racism, sexism, classism, and other “isms” that stand in the way of the gospel being fully known in our world.

It is the hope of the team that the conversations begun in this effort will expand for the sake of God’s glory.  Watch for more of this good news to come!