January 12, 2009
From the Regional Minister’s Point-of-View posted earlier today:
On January 11, 2009 the congregation of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Moundsville, WV called the Reverend Mark Mills to become their next pastor. Rev. Mills currently resides in Florida and has served congregations in the Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
He will assume the pastorate in early March.
December 29, 2008
From the Regional Minister’s Point-of-View:
The Madison Avenue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Huntington, WV has called the Reverend Jamie Gump to be its next Senior Minister. Jamie currently serves in Mount Vernon, OH and is a product of the Lexington Theological Seminary. He and Carol, his wife who is a spiritual director and member of the Ohio regional Commission on the Ministry, will relocate and assume the office sometime before Easter. The congregation founded in 1911 has had nine called pastors prior to the Reverend Gump.
This is good news for all.
December 5, 2008
From the Regional Minister’s Point of View:
The Reverend Dr. Larry Grimes, long time professor of the College and pastor of Community Christian Church in Beech Bottom, WV, has been called to become the Director of Church Relations at Bethany College. This is good news! Effective July 1, 2009 Larry will transition into this new ministry. Dr. Grimes is the most qualified person to ever fill this important churchly role. He is a Pastor and a Scholar, and has a passion for sharing the gospel. I welcome this appointment. Grimes will continue to serve the congregation and will remain as member of our region’s Commission on Ministry. I applaud the President of the College, Scott Miller, for this appointment. He has served us well on this one!
Advent Peace to you all.
Love,
Thad
November 21, 2008
from The Old Main Journal, Bethany College
BETHANY, W.Va. – Dr. R. Robert Cueni, retired President of Lexington Theological Seminary, is Bethany College’s second Renner Visiting Scholar of the 2008-09 academic year. An ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the holder of an honorary degree from Bethany, Dr. Cueni will also serve as interim pastor for Bethany Memorial Church and chaplain of the College.
“We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Cueni back to the Bethany campus as part of our Renner Visiting Scholar Program,” said Dr. Scott D. Miller, President of the College. “Our students and the entire Bethany community will benefit greatly from his extensive knowledge and experience.”
Dr. Cueni announced his retirement this summer following a six-year stint as President of the Lexington Theological Seminary (LTS) in Lexington, Ky. Near the end of his tenure as president, Dr. Cueni worked closely with President Miller to lay the groundwork for an educational partnership between Bethany and LTS. Bethany is the oldest college affiliated with the Christian Church while LTS is the oldest Christian Church seminary. Beginning this year, the two institutions have partnered to offer courses for lay leaders in the Christian Church.
A noted author and leader in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Dr. Cueni is the author of nine books on congregational ministry, including Dinosaur Heart Transplants: Keys to Renewing a Mainline Church in 2000 and Questions of Faith for Inquiring Believers in 2002. In addition, he has been a contributing writer for numerous other books and has published more than 100 magazine articles and sermons.
Before assuming the LTS presidency in 2002, Dr. Cueni had spent the previous decade as senior pastor of Country Club Christian Church, a 3,000-member congregation in Kansas City, Mo. Over the course of his ministry, Dr. Cueni has served 34 years as pastor of local congregations in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri in addition to two years as an area minister in Texas.
His academic background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Kent State University, a Master of Divinity degree from Christian Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Dr. Cueni also completed additional studies at Bethany College, Michigan State University and Western Theological Seminary and was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by Bethany College in 2001.
Dr. Cueni will be in residence at Bethany through Christmas at the newly-restored and renovated Hibernia. The historic house, located on Main Street just two blocks from campus, now serves the College as the official Renner Visiting Scholars Residence. Dr. Cueni succeeds Dr. Peter Morgan, past President of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society and current Historian in Residence at the National City Christian Church in Washington, D.C., who was Bethany’s first Renner Visiting Scholar of the 2008-09 academic year.
Bethany College is a small college of national distinction located on a picturesque and historic 1,300-acre campus in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. Founded in 1840, Bethany is the state’s oldest private college.
November 14, 2008
The regional board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will gather in a retreat format starting this evening and continuing through Saturday morning (the 15th of November.) In addition to board members, the region’s clergy have been invited to attend and participate in this planning and governance event. Please remember your board in prayer as we are gathered from throughtout the region to do the holy work we are called to do.
Many business items will be dealt with, as well as receiving an initial report of what it means to become a “Global Mission Region.”
Thaddaeus B. Allen, Regional Minister
October 10, 2008
In the church the month of October is often used to honor the clergy. I commend this to you. It is always touching when the faithful say to the Order of the Ministry “thank you.”
As I think about the fine ministers in our region, prayers of thanksgiving come automatically! I am also thankful for the ministers who have shaped my life in so many ways. So, I am all for October. Given all of this, though, it is equally important for the church to hear a word of gratitude from its ministers. So, on behalf of the clergy, “thank you” for the love and support you offer so lavishly to us. Thank you for calling us to service, thank you for receiving us into your lives, and thank you for journeying with us as we seek to serve God and the church in the most faithful of ways. The ministry is always of the whole church. So this month, as we honor our public and authorized ministers, we also honor the whole people of God. So, thank you. Thanks to everyone, and thanks be to God.
Thad
September 17, 2008
As the faithful have gathered, I have impressed by the good deeds that are being offered to God by Disciples. The church is full of generous giving people. At our most recent Women’s retreat, the offerings were plentiful. They brought gifts for everyone under the sun! Through your sharing with the Disciples Mission Fund, you are making ministry possible around the world. And whenever disaster hits, Disciples are there (I commend to you Church World Service and Week of Compassion as our vehicles of grace to the world in these moments.) I know of at least 2 of our members who are going to Texas to help rebuild lives as a result of Hurricane Ike. So, I have been impressed. I am reminded by watching us in action of the song we sing at camp and in worship. It is true that “they will know we are Christians by our love” yes “by our love.”
Love,
Thad
September 5, 2008
This evening will mark the beginning of the 2008 Disciples Women Spiritual Life Retreat in this fine region of Christ’s Church. I invite the church to be in prayer for this event.
We pray that this will be a time of renewal for those in attendance. We give thanks for the leadership of this holy convocation and commend them, also, to God.
We give thanks for the women of the church. They keep grace and mission before us.
Thaddaeus
August 25, 2008
This week two new members of your regional staff began their work with us. From now on when you call the office you will be greeted by Sandy Croft and Tom Lemon. Sandy will cover our phones and receive us between the hours of 8:30 and 12:30. Tom will handle duties from 12:30 to 4:30. Both of these persons bring a sense of joy to their work. I trust that you will find them a gift, and I look forward to you getting to know one another.
Welcome aboard Sandy and Tom!
Thaddaeus
August 12, 2008
As the faithful have gathered, I have been most impressed by the various ways in which Christians live out their vocations. Our calling is to live a life of service and devotion to and on behalf of God. In our baptism we are called to be Christ-like vessels of grace to the world. We all do this a bit differently, but it is through our everyday lives that we put flesh on the gospel.
Recently I have been thinking about the healers in our midst. Many Disciples fall into this category for me. Across our region, we have physicians, nurses, therapists of every kind, counselors, technicians, researchers and administrators who serve Christ and humanity through the providing of health care. This is a high and holy calling indeed. You have to be “built” for this life, and the grace and gifts of God must be present for the work to be effective. I have been privileged to have been cared for by health care providers who have a deep sense that they are living as God has called them to live.
In the midst of their work, they are vessels of grace, of the faith, and of God. This is a wonderful vocation, and praise be to God that healers have been placed in the world. It seems clear to me, that Jesus has enlisted these fine folk to aid him in the work of healing our bodies. This is a gift that we dare not take for granted.
Jennifer and I have a dear friend who is a massage therapist. She is quite good at it, and before she begins her healing work, she offers a quiet prayer for God’s presence in the act. She yields herself to God and is very much aware, it seems, that she is a conduit. This is a beautiful act of faith. Just prior to my wife being anesthetized a couple of years ago for an ankle reconstruction, I shared with the surgeon, who is also quite gifted at what he does, that I had said a prayer for him. He shared with me just how much that meant to him. He is a vessel that God uses to heal and to relieve pain, but seems keenly aware that God is the source of healing.
In sacred scripture there are plenty of examples of Jesus touching people and making them well. He does this because he loves us. Today, still, the touch of God comes to us as love. I give thanks for the healers in our midst. I give thanks for their vocations and for their participation with God in the healing and relief that God wants for us all.
I give thanks for you.
Love,
Thad
June 30, 2008
To the church in West Virgina and Christians everywhere:
At about 6:15 this evening (Sunday, June 29th) an honored minister of the church received the mercy of God. Marge Green died in the Camden Clark Memorial Hospital here in Parkersburg, the city that she has called home for over 20 years. She has been well cared for by the faithful during her sudden illness. She passed peacefully and with dignity.
Marge came to West Virginia to serve as an Associate Regional Minister. She impacted our Women’s, Youth, and Missional ministries in many wonderful ways. Upon her retirement she decided to stay in WV, her adopted home, and continued to serve actively in the congregation and region. Most recently she enjoyed our assembly in Huntington. She also received a first hand report about Junior Camp from two campers just prior to her downward slide. This made her happy and I dare say a bit proud!
Her niece and sister are coming to town, and the Memorial Service will be on Wednesday, July 2, at 11:00 am. This will take place at the Parkersburg First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 1400 Washington Ave, Parkersburg, WV.
This will call for a cancellation of the previusly scheduled “College of Ministers” gathering that was to happen in New Martinsville. All clergy are requested to come to Parkersburg instead, and are asked to bring vestments (white is the color for a memorial service – it is an Easter event!) for participation in the service procession.
Our church has been strengthened by the presence of Marge Green. She was and will continue to be a gift from God.
A lundheon celebration will follow the service.
My love to you all,
Thaddaeus
June 12, 2008
The Reverend James Lowe passed away early this week. Jim is an honored and respected minister of the church. He held the title Minister Emeritus from our congregation in Grafton. He died in Beckley where services will be held. Viewing will take place on Thursday from 5-9, and the service of grateful memory will be held at 1:00 on Friday at the Rose & Quisenberry Funeral Home in Beckley. The Reverend Don Snyder will be the presiding minister. I will represent the region and offer our collective love to his family and our appreciation for a fine life of ministry. Also representing the region will be at his funeral will be the Regional Minister Emeritus and the Deputy Regional Minister.Thaddaeus B. AllenRegional Minister
May 27, 2008
To the Church in West Virginia and Western Maryland:
On Saturday, May 31, 2008, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Kevin Matthew Snow will be ordained to the Christian Ministry. The solemn service will be held at the Vinson Memorial Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Huntington, WV. Please hold Kevin and the whole Church of Jesus Christ in your prayers as the day approaches.
This is indeed an event of importance for us all. Kevin graduated from Lexington Theological Seminary last week. He serves the region as a youth mentor. He grew up in the Vinson congregation and has served on the staff of Madison Avenue.Attendance is appropriate; prayers are essential.
Love,Thaddaeus
April 29, 2008
I am being warmed in the afterglow of our 120th regional assembly. I find myself being warmed by the grace of God. I am touched by the depth of love and faithfulness that I witness and know in our church. What gifts we have been given!
Our time together in Huntington has been wonderful, and I am struck by the unity and inherent diversity within our one body. At this assembly, there was something for everybody. Our minds were stretched, our hearts were encouraged, our comfortable places were confronted, and the music and preaching were top notch. There was something for everybody.
This reminds us clearly, that in our region, there is a place for everyone (for every body!) Our diversity adds greatly to the richness of our life. It adds to our unity. Be warmed in this.
Blessings and Christ’s Peace,
+ Thaddaeus
April 23, 2008
The 120th Regional Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia will begin Thursday, April 24th, and continue through Saturday. Many fine events and celebrations will bless Huntington this weekend. The Madison Avenue Christian Church will serve as headquarters for this holy event in the life of the church. I call us all to a time of prayer for our regional church. Please remeber those who will lead, those who are hosting, and all who are traveling. May this time of Assembly bless the church and the world.
God Bless you,
+ Thaddaeus
your Regional Minister
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