Spend your summer as an Ambassador for Peace!

Disciples Peace Fellowship is now accepting applications for our 2021 Peace Interns! This 12-week, paid internship allows young adults to live out the Gospel imperative for peace and justice by working with camps and conferences, partnering with Disciples Justice ministries, teaming up with ecumenical and interfaith peace movements, and advocating for peace for justice.

Information about this life-changing summer internship, the application process and all online application materials can be found at DisciplesPeace.org/Apply

All applications and references must be completed and submitted by January 31, 2021.

If you have any questions about the internship or the application process, please do not hesitate to contact DPF’s Mission Director, Rev. Brian Frederick-Gray, at MissionDirector@DisciplesPeace.org.

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Emma Drake

There are no words to express my daily gratitude for being an active part of the Disciples on Campus group. The Disciples of Christ has been present throughout my entire life, but I am especially thankful for it at college. I chose to attend a school on the opposite side of the country from my home. Even though it’s what I wanted, feeling suddenly detached from everything I care about was absolutely terrifying. Our DOC leaders here are wonderful and they made sure I would always have a place to feel welcome. This community is an amazing safety net for anybody who needs it. My older brother is a part of DOC at Texas Christian University, and he encouraged me to be active because he knew how supportive it would be. Even though it’s a little more difficult to feel connected to our Chapman DOC community during the pandemic and online school, we still have multiple weekly opportunities to see each other. Speaking from experience, people will still reach out to you even if you’re too busy to go to events or you’re feeling mentally overwhelmed. I have honestly never felt more surrounded by support and love from one community in my entire life.

Marci Mazza-Fredey

As a young disciple attending a Disciples of Christ affiliated institution, I have realized just how blessed I am. While being at Bethany, I have drawn so close to my faith and seen the importance of calling on God when I am in times of need. Attending a Disciples of Christ related school has given me the ability to attend Bethany Memorial Christian Church and meet other young Disciples. It is difficult being a young adult attending college for the first time. However, attending an institution where I can openly connect to my faith has reminded me just how important it is to lean on those around me when things get stressful. Being on this beautiful campus has given me a calm environment to call upon God when I need to, while being surrounded by a family who will help me along the way. During the first week at Bethany, freshman attend a three-day camp-like experience called Camp Bell. This is where students are able to meet one another and engage in multiple ice-breaker activities. One of the activities this year was yoga; something that was easily done while social distancing. While doing yoga, the amazing bells from Old Main on campus began to ring. While we sat in the halls of Old Main, focusing in our breathing, our instructor told us that when we hear the bells every day, we should do something that centers us. Now, every time I hear those bells, I pray. I look around me and think of all of the blessings God has given me in that moment; and in every prayer, I thank God for this glorious opportunity to be here.

Sarah Sandoval

I am a lifelong Disciple and grew up attending churches in the Pacific Southwest Region. As a freshman, coming into college during this season has been extremely difficult, especially as all of our classes are currently online. What has made the transition easier has been the community I have found in the Disciples on Campus group at Chapman University. Entering the Chapman family, I knew I would be involved with this group of people and it was a significant factor in my college decision – knowing I would have a community I could become a part of that I had already been exposed to through participation in PSWR events. This community is important to me because it allows me to enter a space of acceptance and understanding at our Wednesday Night Worship Services. Despite being on zoom, we have found ways to create community, have fun, and further develop our Christian faith. Having the Disciples community on our campus (although it is virtual now) has helped me bring my faith with me to college instead of leaving it at home, as so many college students do. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity I have to attend Chapman and the opportunity I have to continue participating in the Disciples community despite being in a college environment. Thank you so much for your support of the Thanksgiving offering.

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provided by Higher Education & Leadership Ministries

The Thanksgiving Offering, received this year on Nov. 15 and 22, directly supports programs and students on the campuses of Disciples-related institutions of higher education, including 15 colleges and universities as well as seven theological institutions. While supporting these schools has always been an important focus for the Disciples of Christ, this year it is even more important. In the midst of national and global challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, our higher education institutions are facing unprecedented challenges and they need our support now, more than ever.

Despite these unprecedented challenges, Disciples-related schools continue to be places that not only provide education to students, but guidance and care as well. As Yejin Lim, a junior majoring in busines at Texas Christian University, shares that the experiences gained by attending a Disciples-related school have been formative in connecting faith to vocation:

There are moments while I walk to class that my heart is full and prayers of thanksgiving pour out naturally. I see the beautiful campus of TCU and pray to Yahweh Yireh, the Lord who provides, for leading me here.

Living as a missionary kid and now as a pastor’s kid, I know my family was not financially stable enough to support my educational expenses. However, the extra financial support I received as a Disciple made it possible for me to attend TCU. I have learned and experienced so much already in the three years here. Meeting people with various backgrounds has broadened my perspective of the world, strengthening my ability to understand and empathize with others. Disciples on Campus has especially created a welcoming space for conversations and occasions to connect with the local community. I have grown academically, spiritually, and professionally from all the opportunities I have faced at TCU.

My dream is to become an influential leader in the business world that demonstrates Christ through my life – being a person who is loving, accepting, and forgiving. I make efforts every day towards that vision, little by little, and plan to continue my journey at TCU with thankfulness.

On Nov. 15 and 22, please give generously to the Thanksgiving Offering. Your gift makes a difference in the lives of our students and it makes a difference in the world.

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By Rev. Brian Frederick-Gray, mission director

This has been a summer unlike any other. That is particularly true for this summer’s DPF Peace Interns. In a typical year Disciples Peace Fellowship sends three young adults to church camps all over the United States and Canada to serve as ambassadors for peace and justice. With the COVID-19 Pandemic, that simply wasn’t possible. Instead, 2020 DPF Peace Interns Wendy Davidson, Raphael Guillen, and Jennifer Williams have spent the summer working remotely, partnering with Disciple Justice Ministry groups, and connecting with online camps and conference.

Below you will find their reflections on a summer unlike any other. In these excerpts taken from the online, intergenerational, peacemakers training event they recently led you’ll get to hear first hand from Raphael, Jennifer, and Wendy on what it was like to be a Peace Intern during the pandemic, the projects they have been working on all summer, and the places where they see hope.

Summer 2020

Looking back on your experiences this summer, what projects have you worked on and what was it like to be a part of online church camps?

Jennifer: I had the opportunity to make an interactive, video keynote speech for the Ohio Region with Wendy, and then be a part of the online camp experiences in the Florida Region plus the Northern California/Nevada Region. It was a humbling experience to do this and be part of someone’s world, because they don’t have to let you in! Yet those camps treated me like family. I got that sense even in these virtual spaces. All in all, doing these online camps has inspired within me a passion for teaching, and that was a really big calling for me this summer. 

Wendy: Living in Texas immigration is one of those things that is important to me. I’ve had the chance to work with Refugee & Immigration Ministries. We are currently working on the #40for40 campaign — sharing 40 stories over 40 days of congregations that have engaged in resettlement ministries. One of the other groups I’ve been working with this summer is Green Chalice. That culminated in an online, intergenerational eco-camp. I had the opportunity to craft a video keynote on making shalom in small spaces. I’ve been in apartments and dorms for the last seven years of my life, so figuring out how to grow things and care for creation can be a challenge but it is worth it!

Raphael: We’ve all been writing stories for the Disciples News Service for the #DOCjustsummer campaign. I’m also working with AllianceQ on educational resources for transgender and gender diverse folks. Plus, Wendy and I led our PRIDE workshop for CAMPDD in Virginia. It was very fun! They had all of these camp games that really worked online! There was one where you picked a card with a word on it and then you had to sing a song that included that word. It was totally amazing! Camp can happen on Zoom. The youth still have it in them and it can work out beautifully.

Disappointments

DPF had to scrap all of our plans for the summer and reimagine the Peace Intern Program on the fly. Given that reality: What were you hoping to get to do this summer that didn’t happen?

Jennifer: My biggest disappointment was postponing the 2020 Experience (the first ever joint meeting of National Convocation, Obra Hispana, and NAPAD that was scheduled for July 2020 at TCU). I was SO looking forward to it when I heard about it at General Assembly in Des Moines, but I never thought I’d be able to go. Then DPF said “We’re sending you to the 2020 Experience!” but then it had to be postponed due to COVID. I was so excited to gather in a meeting with more Disciples, but then it couldn’t happen.

Wendy: It is disappointing not being able to be in person at camps and sit in a small group with excited youth who are passionate about making the world a better and brighter place. Not being able to have the conversations about justice with them that come after a week of bonding in a holy place like a church camp. Not being able to have those difficult conversations either — it is just harder to have the most difficult conversations when you are not in the same room together, and you can’t look into each others eyes because you’re separated by computer screens.

Raphael: For me, honestly, my disappointments are missing everything that could have been done in person. I wish I could have gone to in person summer camps. The Poor People’s Moral Assembly and March on Washington was something I was really looking forward to. Coming to the end of the summer I wonder, “How would this have been different if the Peace Interns all saw each other and met in person?” Because we still haven’t! It is amazing that we’ve done all of this work together and yet we’ve never met each other in a traditional sense of the word.

Hope

While writing Disciples News Service feature articles for the #DOCjustsummer you spoke with a number of Disciples Justice Ministries partners. You ended each of those interviews by asking “Where do you see hope right now?” It only seems fair that you get to answer that question too! So, where do you see hope right now?

Wendy: The people, the people, the people. I see hope in my fellow Peace Interns and the passion they have for justice and peace. I see hope in all of the people that we’ve had the chance to work with, and all of the people that were faced with this COVID-19 pandemic. I think of all the ways that people are making sure that refugees and immigrants are still being cared for in the midst of a pandemic. To make sure that LGBTQIA+ youth are still being cared for an heard and have resources to find each other and find support, even as in person gatherings are so severely limited.

Raphael: I agree with Wendy. For me, I see a lot of hope in the younger generation because they have a lot of good things that they are striving for. The younger generation has a good idea of what they want to work towards, so I think that we should keep empowering them in their work for the good of the world. I think we should keep amping them up! I have a lot of hope for the younger generation; they are where the hope lies for me.

Jennifer: Two things. Number one: The grace that we are giving each other, especially during this time. There is a lot we can achieve when we do it together. It has been amazing to work together this summer with my fellow Peace Interns. I know that doesn’t usually happen in a typical summer. Number Two: Being introduced to new and different things. At the Northern California/Nevada Region Camp I learned about Christian TikTok. That is just so amazing that this younger generation is taking on the issues of this world and are not afraid to say “Hey, look I am a follower of God!” and “I can still have fun and bring laughter and peace and joy into this world!” That is where I see hope right now.

LINKS

Watch the complete conversation with the 2020 DPF Peace Interns from “Passing the Peace!” an online, intergenerational peacemakers training event.

Subscribe to DPF’s YouTube Channel, where you can find all of the videos reference in this article plus additional video resources.

Join DPF on Thursday 8/27 for a Facebook Live Event that will highlight their work.

Learn more about the DPF Peace Intern Program by visiting the “What is a Peace Intern?” page on their website.

Sign-up for DPF’s quarterly newsletter “News Notes”.

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From August 7 through 11, Disciples Peace Fellowship will be hosting a series of 60-120 minute Zoom sessions as part of a capstone project for our 2020 DPF Peace Interns. We are calling it “Passing the Peace!” and we hope that you will join us for these exciting peacemaker training workshops. Check out the sign-up page on our website for details!

At “Passing the Peace!” each session will have a different theme, including: 

• Meeting the 2020 Peace Interns and learning about their unique experiences during this very different summer;
• Introducing the “Choose Your Own Adventure” style Anti-Oppression Tool they developed with Reconciliation Ministries;
• Sharing hand’s on Peace Prayers and Spiritual Resiliency Practices;
• Other exciting highlights from the Peace Interns’ work this summer with online camps and Disciples Justice Ministry Partners!

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For the fifth year, Pension Fund is receiving applications from across U.S. and Canada for the Excellence in Ministry program. This program, funded in part by our generous donors and the Lilly Endowment, strengthens the ministry of our most outstanding early-career pastors by providing them training in financial literacy and a grant to reduce financial stress.

Participants receive a grant of $10,000 whichcan be used to pay down educational debt, start an emergency fund, or save for retirement. The financial literacy education is provided by Pension Fund and financial partners like USA Today financial contributor Pete the Planner®.

Real quotes from recent participants:

I used to think I was the only minister who felt stress about money. Now I know I’m not alone and I have people I can talk to.”

I’m so grateful for this program and the opportunity it provided for my husband and I to ask the hard questions … to really be intentional about how we’re working together to build financial security for our future in ministry.”

(Money) was a sore spot. It was something that had shame and guilt and problems surrounding it … and it’s like we were freed from that.”

To be eligible to apply, pastors should be:

• Serving in a paid position in congregational ministry (does not need to be senior pastor); and
• In their first five years since ordination or commissioning; and
• Credentialed Disciples of Christ with standing in the region (ordained or commissioned); and
• Available to attend the learning event with their spouse (expenses paid) on Aug. 6-8, 2020.

For more information and application materials, visit pensionfund.org/EIM. The deadline to apply is April 30.

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This year’s event is April 24-27 in Washington, DC. The theme of the gathering is “Imagine! God’s Earth and People Restored,” and will focus on the intersection of the climate crisis and economic injustice. Registration is now open.

The first two days of the conference are filled with plenary sessions, keynote speakers, and a variety of workshops. On the third day, attendees visit Capitol Hill and meet with their Members of Congress advocating for the causes discussed and championed throughout the gathering. The event ends with a shared worship service.

This structure provides a powerful experience for all participants – whether its a first step into advocacy or a supplement to decades of experience. “It can be lonely doing activism from home, like writing a letter to your Congressperson or figuring out how to take on a big issue,” explains Krista Johnson Weicksel, Associate for Global Advocacy and Education at Global Ministries and member of the EAD planning team. “But being in a room with 700 others helps you feel less isolated working for peace and justice.”

Disciples have long been active in Ecumenical Advocacy Days, and Global Ministries was an early leader in establishing the organization and annual event. At the 2019 gathering, General Minister and President Rev. Terri Hord Owens preached at the final interdenominational worship service. Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, pastor at Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, NC, and Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival, was the keynote speaker in 2016.

At the 2020 event, Global Ministries will provide leadership for a plenary panel discussion on the global impacts of climate change, where conference participants will hear from local leaders around the world, including Global Ministries’ partner organizations, about the impacts of climate change in their context and creative solutions to combat climate change.

This year’s focus on climate change and economic injustice is of particular importance to Global Ministries, explains director of communications Beth Guy. “These are the things our partners care about. If they tell us these crises are urgent needs, then we should be responsive to those calls – that’s our mission to work, listen, and share in life together. Advocating for change is a way to publicly be in partnership together, to say ‘We hear you, we trust you, and we’re here to walk alongside you.’”

There’s a clear value to holding this kind of justice-oriented event ecumenically. “We couldn’t organize something like this ourselves,” explains Johnson Weicksel. “Ecumenical Advocacy Days is more powerful because we do it together…It’s powerful to hear people speak to big issues from a variety of traditions, and it creates an opportunity to focus on all we have in common, instead of divisions.”

That ecumenical focus is also a natural fit for Disciples. “If we’re going to say, ‘everyone at the table,’ we need to be at the table,” says Guy. “If everyone’s coming to this table then we need to be there.”

Learn more about Ecumenical Advocacy Days and the April gathering here.

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This impactful visit sparked a call to return with others. “When I came back,” Feille remembers, “I thought, ‘We can’t just come to the media events – that isn’t really standing with the tribe. We need to do more.’”

In response to several Disciples attending the ecumenical clergy visit at Standing Rock, Rev. David Bell, Minister for Indigenous Peoples Concerns at Yakama Christian Mission, along with Feille, organized a trip for Disciples to the reservation in January 2017. They visited the Oceti Sakowin camp, learned about the culture and challenges there, and looked for ways to offer support. The Upper Midwest region also gave a reconciliation gift to the tribal offices.

Still, Feille felt there was more important work to do together. “The only way we’re going to change things is for people to come here and learn. The media wasn’t accurate, and there’s a long history of land being taken from Indigenous peoples that we don’t talk about enough.”

The idea she developed with Bell and Rev. Bill Spangler-Dunning (regional minister at the time) was a youth camp to teach groups the real history of Standing Rock and the tribes living there.

They partnered with Rev. Dr. John Floberg, supervising priest for the three Episcopal churches at Standing Rock, who agreed to share their camp on the reservation with the new youth camp.

The last two summers, the region has facilitated this camp for high schoolers from across the Church and ecumenical partners. During this week-long experience, the group tours the reservation, meets with tribal elders to learn about Sioux culture and traditions, and spends time together processing what they learn with camp leaders. They learn about the Christian Doctrine of Discovery (repudiated at the 2017 General Assembly) and Native American history.

While the camp is open to high schoolers from any region (2020 dates are June 6-13 and registration information will be shared when available), there are a variety of ways to incorporate Native history into your congregation or youth group discussions.

Feille offers a few suggestions: “Look in your own region for a similar opportunity to offer a camp of listening. Build relationship with indigenous siblings there. Learn who’s land you’re on. Research what happened on that land, and if there aren’t prominent Native communities present, why aren’t they there anymore?”

Disciples are also invited to join the Upper Midwest region’s Disciples Public Presence Facebook group, which grew out of early efforts to support the Standing Rock protests. This group is used to connect Disciples with opportunities to participate and learn about justice issues and events.

Regardless of what programs you choose, awareness and education are important steps for everyone. “When Standing Rock came in the news,” Feille remembers, “I realized no one was listening. It’s in our region, and even though at that time we didn’t have a congregation nearby that doesn’t mean we don’t care. I knew we were the ones to go. I went and learned and listened, and I can’t let go of it now.”

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The HELM Leadership Fellows Program is for undergraduate students who are part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The program aims to develop leaders through an intentional focus on four major areas.

The first year of the program focuses on community and students reflect on what it means to be Christian community.

The theme for the second year is transformation and it gives students a chance to reflect on how Christian communities engage in transforming church, society, and world.

In the third year, students focus on global awareness and the interconnectedness of Christian communities around the world.

The fourth and final year focuses on mentoring and spiritual vocational discernment.

In the third year, HELM partners with the Division of Overseas Missions/Global Ministries to take the students on an international trip to see how we engage in ministries of accompaniment in a particular part of the world. This year, the students traveled to Colombia where they learned about the Colombian peace accords and the successes and struggles in realizing peace in the country; heard from partner organizations working on issues of human rights and reconciliation; visited locations where Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) have fled to find safety; and had a first-hand experience of the rich culture and history of Colombia.

Click on the name of each student to read their reflections on what they experienced during their time in Colombia!

• Ainsley Anderson
• Courtney Sells
• Jordan White
• Lydia Yang

To support the work of the seven Disciples-related theological schools and 15 colleges and universities, you’re invited to give to the 2019 Thanksgiving Special Day Offering, received in many congregations on Nov. 17 and 24.

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The Constructive Theologies Project (CTP) at University of Chicago’s Disciples Divinity House (DDH), started in 2015, seeks to cultivate ideas that move across racial, vocational, intellectual, and economic lines, to address the possibilities that face the Church today. Reconciliation Ministry Executive Director Rev. April Johnson explains that this peer group “meets in person and online to foster relationships and use theological lenses to discuss the racial realities of where they live.”

The Reconciliation grant, received this spring, supports CTP’s efforts by helping to underwrite the costs of two 2019 gatherings with a Justice and Safety theme: one in the spring, which has since been completed, and a second in November. “Through these events,” Rev. Yvonne Gilmore, Associate Dean of DDH and CTP project director, says, “the grant helps bring together this group of young thought leaders with diverse commitments to reflect on geographies of identity and their relation to theologies of justice and community formation.”

Part of the grant has already been put to use, supporting CTP’s spring meeting at the Oakland Peace Center (OPC). The group of scholars toured the OPC and met with founder and director Sandhya Jha, OPC participants, and members from the First Congregational Church of Oakland.

“The group’s goal was to learn with multi-denominational interlocutors and Oakland-area practitioners,” explains Gilmore. The group certainly achieved that goal, participating in theological reflection led by Yolanda Norton, professor of Hebrew Bible at San Francisco Theological Seminary, and JoAnne Kagiwada, one of the founders of NAPAD.

In November, CTP will host its fall meeting in Nashville. This gathering will include reflection with Emilie Townes, Dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School and author of Womanist Ethics and the Cultural Production of Evil; conversation with students at Disciples Divinity House at Vanderbilt; and time to workshop essays by CTP members on justice and safety in their geographical, ministry, and identity contexts.

Beyond these meetings, CTP makes space for shared learning online with essays, sermons, and poems on its blog. Watch a short video from the program here.

Members of the Constructive Theologies Project include: Darnell Fennell, Judith Guy, Lee Ivey, Reanisha Karim, Alexis Kassim, Allison Lundblad, Jose Morales, Andrew Packman, Hyein Park, Antonio Redd, Eli Rolon, Allison Ruari, Christian Watkins, Eric Wilcox, and Jean-Daniel Williams.

The peer-driven project was started with a grant from the Oreon E. Scott Foundation and support from the Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago.

“What excites me about the Constructive Theologies Project is that this intentional group of theological conversation partners are examining reconciliation as an applied theology and sharing the experiences and informed perspectives with the Church at-large,” Johnson celebrates. “This project, and these emerging theologians’ voices, serve as a model that can be replicated and/or utilized to spur conversation and action in each of our Churchwide expressions.”

To support this and other Reconciliation Ministry Fund programs, you’re invited to give to the Reconciliation Special Offering, received in many congregations on Oct. 6.

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Regional ministries receive the largest portion of these DMF gifts, and every gift stays in the region in which it’s given. Because of support through Disciples Mission Fund, regions offer leadership development opportunities, pastoral support, youth programs, shared mission, and more. As Rev. LaTaunya Bynum, regional minister for Northern California/Nevada and president of the College of Regional Ministers, explains, DMF is an integral part of Disciples’ identity. “We are ‘a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.’ The ‘we’ includes congregations, specialized ministries, regional ministries, colleges and universities, and theological education throughout the United States and Canada. When each of us contributes to the whole we are made stronger as we live, and are, the good news of Jesus Christ.”

Many general ministries, working across the US, Canada, and beyond, also receive support through DMF. Rev. Sotello Long, president of Disciples Home Missions, celebrates that DMF support strengthens their ministry. “Gifts to DMF help us empower the work of evangelism, leader development, Christian education and faith formation. Our gifts give witness to Disciples making a mark for Christ that cannot be erased!”

DMF makes a mark on the world through higher education programs, too. All 15 undergraduate institutions and seven theological programs affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), as well as Higher Education and Leadership Ministries (HELM), receive DMF funding.

None of these impactful programs could grow without the steadfast support of congregations across our Church. Rev. Kory Wilcoxson, senior minister at Crestwood Christian Church in Lexington, KY recognizes that his congregation’s gifts to Disciples Mission Fund are an important part of their covenant with the wider Church. “As part of this body of Christ, we have a part to play and we do so with great gladness and much thanksgiving. We know we can do so much more together if we all do our part to make it happen.”

While budgeted gifts from congregations make up the largest source of DMF support, individual giving is growing. For monthly giver Sarah Beth Simonds in Farmington Hills, MI, giving to DMF is an important spiritual practice for her and her husband Robert. “We’ve been blessed in many ways by the wisdom and service of those who serve the general Church, and we want to support them. Giving to DMF fulfills a part of our covenantal relationship with the Church.”

Congregations’ and individuals’ support of Disciples Mission Fund together makes the work of our general, regional, and higher education ministries possible.

To strengthen our support, resources are available for congregation treasurers and worship leaders to share DMF’s impact and prayerfully consider including core support of DMF in church budgets. These resources are in addition to those for Special Day Offerings at Easter, Pentecost, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

DMF-supported ministries also produce a variety of congregation resources, like VBS curriculum through Global Ministries, Mission and Ministry Grants through the National Benevolent Association, and stewardship materials from the Center for Faith and Giving.

For more stories from Disciples Mission Fund supporters and beneficiaries, join us on DMFday, Sept. 12, our first giving day for DMF, to further its impact across our Church.

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This time of reflection and conversation takes place over the 40 days preceding Children’s Sabbath, which falls on Oct. 20, 2019. This interfaith program is sponsored by the Children’s Defense Fund, and invites faith communities to simultaneously witness for children through prayer, education, and worship.

“Many churches, individuals, and families have used the devotion to light a candle for children. The true prayer we need answered is finding ways to light a candle with children,” suggests Minister for Ministries Across Generations Rev. Dr. Olivia Bryan Updegrove. So, in recent years DHM staff changed the resource’s name from “Light a Candle for Children,” to “Light a Candle with Children,” in order to include youth as active participants.

During the vigil, which will take place Sept. 23-Oct. 20 this year, Ministries Across Generations will post devotions, reflections, and other resources on their website, Facebook page, and Twitter profile. You can also text @weeklyfc to 81010 to receive this information by mobile text message.

The 2019 program’s theme is The Hearts and Voices of Our Young People. Updegrove explains: “Children and teenagers were asked an important question, ‘Why will you be in the Church when you grow up?’ It’s estimated that most young people have decided by age 14 if they will be active in a faith community as an adult. With many young people making the choice to not stay active in their faith into adulthood, it was time to ask those under 14 what connects them to a love of God and God’s people.”

Each devotion for this year’s vigil will include responses, resources, and images from the young people Updegrove asked about their future involvement in our Church.

The Children’s Defense Fund also has resources for their theme, Uniting Hearts and Voices to End Child Poverty.

While Ministries Across Generations encourages families and congregations to participate in the vigil during its designated timeframe, the resources for 2019, and for years past are available online year round, and can be used any time.

To request physical copies of this year’s resources, contact Ministries Across Generations.

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Sometimes a name says it all. But, sometimes, it only hints at all there is to know.

Anew Church is a Chicago-based Disciples ministry serving the residents of the Roseland, Woodlawn, West Pullman, Chatham, and South Shore neighborhoods. The stated mission of this self-described ‘church without walls’ is to “make our communities safer, stronger and better” and that’s exactly the focus of congregational activities.

“We believe that a church is its people, not a building. So, it’s important for us to be out among our neighbors, walking beside them, making their lives, and ours, better,” explains founding pastor Rev. Dr. Franshonn Salter. “Our name comes from Isaiah 43:19 which begins ‘I am about to do a new thing’ and we describe ourselves as ‘A Nontraditional Extravagantly Welcoming church – an acronym for the loving acceptance of Jesus we’re trying to emulate.”

The vision for the church started years ago when Dr. Salter, who works both as a pastor and a social worker, noticed the common disconnect between Christendom and young people. Eventually, it became the focus of her doctoral dissertation, Hip-Hop Worship: Bridging the Gap between Youth Culture and the Church, and a road map for a new kind of church, one that spoke to today’s youth.

“We look for ways to involve young people in our ministry. To give them ownership and leadership in who we are,” says Pastor Franshonn. “That’s why our worship services are held in each of our neighborhoods on a rotating basis, often in coffee shops, and include hip-hop, rap or spoken word in addition to a Message from me. We also have regular Artist Showcases presenting rap, spoken word, dance and song. It’s all to reach out to them not only where they live, but how they live, and to model Christianity as a relevant, engaging part of our lives. With Jesus as our example, how can we miss?”

Through the 2020 Vision, the new church movement has already helped the Disciples family grow by nearly 1,000 new and affiliated faith communities. Anew Church is an example of doing it in ‘a 1,000 different ways.’ As a multi-site, mobile church focused on community service and welcoming ALL to the Lord’s Table, Anew church is answering God’s call to serve its neighbors, spread the gospel, and make Disciples…especially among the young. It is supported in these efforts by New Church Ministry and people like you who support the annual Pentecost Offering.

Each year, half of this offering stays in the local Region or Area where it was collected to start and uphold new churches. The other half is used across the United States and Canada to support the recruiting, assessing, training and coaching of new church leaders at events like Leadership Academy.

The 2019 Pentecost Offering will take place Sunday, June 9. Please consider a contribution to support the new church movement, New Church Ministry and more new congregations like Anew Church.

The post Anew Church: Welcoming all to a new worship experience appeared first on Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

So, what to do with the funds from the sale? Barbee had been the launching pad for so many commitments to service and faith and the Regional Board was determined to continue that legacy.

“We know that summer camp has been the place where community has been formed, spirituality deepened, the scriptures discovered, and God’s presence felt,” said Regional Minister Rick Spleth. “We want to stimulate the opportunity for that to continue to happen in our churches.”

The creative plan that is now in place includes a $1 million endowment fund that will assist the Bedford Camp and Geneva Conference Center with capital needs. The fund, administered by the Christian Church Foundation, is expected to earn about $50,000 annually to be split between the two facilities.

The remainder of the Barbee Blessing, as it is now known, about $500,000, will be invested to support the Faith Formation Designated Fund. This fund will initially provide $1,000 grants to every congregation in the region, to bolster their faith formation efforts in their local setting. As congregations develop plans for larger projects they can apply for supporting grants. This is accompanied by a new regional effort to compile faith resources on the region’s website.

Faith Formation Commission Chair Rebecca Sundquist, said, “It is our hope that the legacy of Camp Barbee honored in this way will have a ripple effect of faith formation for generations to come.”

The first checks will be distributed at area gatherings in May. Later in 2019, congregations will be invited to report to the rest of the region on the new place their grant allowed them to go.

For more information on these efforts, contact Rebecca Sundquist, chair of the Commission on Faith Formation in the region.

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Phillips University Legacy Foundation is pleased to announce it is accepting new applications for its Undergraduate Scholarship and Leadership Development Program for the 2019-2020 academic year. The deadline is March 15, 2019. The application can be submitted online through the Foundation’s website.

The mission of the Phillips University Legacy Foundation is to follow the tradition of Phillips University by providing scholarships and opportunities to educate and develop leaders who embody Christian values in their lives, service and work. The program is available to incoming full-time undergraduate students (freshman through seniors) pursuing a liberal arts education at any of the 17 colleges or universities that are currently or historically related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (complete list).

Since 2002, the Phillips University Legacy Foundation has awarded over $1.5 million in scholarships to 169 scholarship recipients and administered 17 Leadership Development Conferences. These recipients, known as Phillips Legacy Scholars, have completed over 460 Volunteer Service Projects.

For more information or to apply for the Phillips University Legacy Foundation’s Undergraduate Scholarship and Leadership Development Program, please contact Tamela Harsha, Scholarship Administrator, at 580.237.4433 or email scholarshipships@pulf.org.

If you would like to help support the Phillips University Legacy Scholarship and Leadership Development Program, please contact Kelly Coker, Executive Director, at 580.237.4433 or email kelly@pulf.org.

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The Leadership Fellows Program is a leadership development program for Disciples undergraduate students.  Each year of four years of undergraduate education has a different focus: Community, Transformation, Global Awareness, and Mentoring.  Click here to learn more about the Leadership Fellows Program and download and read instructions on eligibility and how to apply.

For Disciples students pursuing a PhD in the field of religion, HELM offers two scholarships, the William Gilbert and Florence Leonard Jones Scholarship and the Ann E. Dickerson Scholarship. Click here for more information on these scholarships and download and read the instructions on eligibility and how to apply.

All application materials for both the Leadership Fellows Program and PhD scholarships must be received by April 30, 2019.  If you have any questions, please contact Jon Barnes at jbarnes@helmdisciples.org.

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When we think of college, we think of books, professors, and athletic events, but we don’t often think college chaplains. Yet college chaplains play a vital role on campuses. College chaplaincy is a ministry of presence and can often feel like a job that requires the person to be on hand 24/7.

A major part of a chaplain’s responsibility is coordinating the religious life offerings on campus, like weekly chapel services, study groups and fellowship time, or leading mission trips. The chaplain also participates in campus-wide events.

Other than the president and deans, very few university officials are called on to be present at more university functions than the chaplain. Offering prayers at opening convocation, commencement, and athletic events, the chaplain is there to be the spiritual voice of the institution.

The places where the chaplain is often most present, but perhaps not widely visible, are in providing pastoral care and mentoring students in the process of vocational discernment. From the moment students arrive on campus until the day they graduate, students will face serious personal challenges that lead them to seek out someone to talk to. Students are also looking for someone who can engage them from a faith perspective.

Whether it’s struggling with grades and roommates, dealing with the loss of a loved one back home, or trying to figure out answers to new and unsettling questions of faith, students look to the chaplain as a pastor.

Chaplain at Bethany College Rev. Cherisna Jean-Marie says: “The ministry of presence is one of the most fulfilling roles I play as a chaplain. To be a conversation partner, a guide, a sacred and safe place for young people discovering who they are and who they want to be is probably one of the most important things I’ll do in my vocation.”

Chaplains also serve as mentors to students who are trying to better understand how to best use their talents and how to nurture their gifts.

“Increasingly people are unfamiliar with the chaplain’s job, so students might not actively seek you out at those critical vocational intersections they face,” says Rev. Bruce Fowlkes, chaplain at Eureka College. “I must communicate and demonstrate mentoring skills, and the passion for it, at every opportunity. In essence, it is taking my calling to where students are actively discerning.”

The role of the college chaplain is unique. It lies at the nexus of education, ministry, and personal growth. While the public presence of the chaplain is the one that gets noticed most frequently, it is the personal, pastoral presence that often has the biggest impact on the life of a student.

To support the work of chaplains and other Disciples higher education programs, you’re invited to give to the 2018 Thanksgiving Special Day Offering, received in many congregations on Nov. 11 and 18.

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Bethany Fellows was founded 19 years ago, through Transition in Ministry grants from the Lilly Endowment, and administered through Higher Education and Leadership Ministries (HELM), to address the unique challenges facing young ministers.

“The first five years of ministry continues to be a time of transition and vulnerability,” Ryan says. “That hasn’t changed in 19 years.”

Open to newly-ordained young ministers transitioning from seminary to their first congregational call, Bethany Fellows offers eight week-long retreats over the course of four years. At these retreats, groups of 32 Fellows share their challenges and successes with their peers in small groups, learn from experienced pastors and other church leaders, and spend 24 hours in silence.

These retreats certainly provide support for the pastoral participants, but Ryan explains that these programs also support and strengthen congregations.

“At its heart, Bethany Fellows is about helping young pastors, and consequently their congregations, partner in spiritual practices: sharing in their lives, praying for one another, being accountable, and continuing to be open to creativity and to God’s call for where we are.”

While the program’s process has remained consistent since its beginning, Bethany Fellows has found new ways to engage young clergy and prepare them for careers in congregational ministry.

In 2014, Bethany Fellows launched an ecumenical group, which still has a strong Disciples base. This second group has grown to the same size as the original program, hosting retreats for groups of 32 congregational ministers.

Bethany Fellows’ newest partnership is with the Pension Fund’s Excellence in Ministry program (also supported by the Lilly Endowment), which provides financial literacy education to new clergy and their spouses.

Over the last 19 years, more than 100 Disciples clergy have participated in the Bethany Fellows program. Several alumni have returned as program leaders, and many more attribute their success in ministry to the support they received as Fellows.

After 15 years of grant funding, Bethany Fellows is now largely supported by individual donors and congregations. More and more congregations are providing financial support for their ministers to participate. The program also offers grants for Fellows without available congregational support.

As Bethany Fellows looks towards the future, Ryan says its focus will always be on developing young leaders in our Church.

“What will leadership need to look like in this new day in the Church? None of us quite know,” Ryan says. “The most we can do is find and refine our practices of faith that connect and sustain us, to be open to God’s future.”

The post Bethany Fellows program provides crucial support for young clergy appeared first on Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

If you answered yes to any or all of these, chance are you’ve been to church camp. Church camp is one of the most meaningful and important ways to develop and deepen the faith of kids, youth, and adults. It’s also a great way for our regions to stay connected as people from all over the region come together to grow in faith, love, and community. Attending church camp is one of the most formative faith experiences for children and youth.

Christmount has launched the Camp Matters Permanent Fund starting with the “I’m in for Ten!” Campaign. With this campaign, we’re asking you to give $10. Half of your donation will go towards the Camp Matters Permanent Fund, and half will go directly to the DOC Camp and Conference Center of your choice. Once the Fund reaches $50,000, Christmount will begin accepting applications from DOC Camp & Conference Centers to receive small grants to help with projects, property, or personnel.

Thank you for joining us in building camp and conference ministries for all Disciples. We want everyone to know #CampMatters! For more information or to join the “I’m in for Ten” Campaign, visit christmount.org/campmatters.

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Have you ever heard a well-known Bible story and felt as though you were hearing it for the first time? Or led worship for 30, 50, or 100 of your peers in the most beautiful outdoor chapel you could ever imagine? Or had your faith shaped more than you could possibly imagine by a week with kids?

If you answered yes to any or all of these, chance are you’ve been to church camp. Church camp is one of the most meaningful and important ways to develop and deepen the faith of kids, youth, and adults. It’s also a great way for our regions to stay connected as people from all over the region come together to grow in faith, love, and community. Attending church camp is one of the most formative faith experiences for children and youth.

Christmount, in collaboration with the Christian Church Foundation, has launched the Camp Matters Permanent Fund starting with the “I’m in for Ten!” Campaign. With this campaign, we’re asking you to give $10. Half of your donation will go towards the Camp Matters Permanent Fund, and half will go directly to the DOC Camp and Conference Center of your choice. Once the Fund reaches $50,000, Christmount will begin accepting applications from DOC Camp & Conference Centers to receive small grants to help with projects, property, or personnel.

Thank you for joining us in building camp and conference ministries for all Disciples. We want everyone to know #CampMatters! For more information or to join the “I’m in for Ten” Campaign, visit christmount.org/campmatters.

The post Christmount launches Camp Matters Permanent Fund appeared first on Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).