Newsletter of the Coastal Plains Area March 2016 Christian Church in the Southwest Vol 14, Issue 3. CYF MIDWINTER Retreat

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1 wind & waves Newsletter of the Coastal Plains Area March 2016 Christian Church in the Southwest Vol 14, Issue 3 Inside this ISSUE CYF MIDWINTER Retreat Pictured below are some of the CPA youth and adults who met Feb at Memorial Drive Christian Church in Houston, for their 2016 Midwinter Retreat. The theme was Taking Care of God s Body and Carol Adams was the keynoter. 2: Views from the Edge 3: Rejoice with our Churches 4: Congregational Vitality Area Assembly 5: Outreach Reconciliation 6: Silent Retreat DCCI Workday Slippery Slope II

2 Views from the Edge By Rev. Peggy Edge, Coastal Plains Area Minister As I await the eminent arrival of two grandbabies, I am particularly mindful of the joyful anticipation of God doing a new thing in our lives! And I want that same joyful anticipation to be experienced by each and every congregation across the Coastal Plains Area! The season of Lent gives us pause for reflection, repentance, prayer, and fasting (if you wish). But that which lies beyond the season reflects the glorious hope of our faith! Being the Easter people that we claim to be, we look beyond the crosses that we bear, beyond the days of darkness, times of uncertainty, and the distractions that keep us focused on ourselves instead of the whole people of God. The distractions come in many manifestations, not the least of which is the mud-slinging of those seeking political authority and the opportunity to be in control of others. I am not a Pollyanna who is oblivious in any way to the importance of the issues we face. But I do long for days of unity and peace. So God has cast a vision for us to love one another as we love ourselves. And, to love God. our congregations and society would be if we say we are sorry every time we think it. So here is my apology to you, Coastal Plains Area! Six months ago when we embarked on developing a plan for Funding the CPA Ministries in 2016 Beyond, I was skeptical that the process would result in increased operating income. I am sorry that I doubted you. Thank you for stepping up to the challenge. In January, your gifts to the operating fund of the CPA exceeded our expenses! Bless you all for doing your part! Because of your faithful stewardship, salaries are paid, mission funds are allocated, office and administration costs are covered, insurance premiums are covered, and resources are available to support the incredible work of CPA programs and ministries. Now the Ministry Planning Team looks forward to a vibrant schedule of events for spring. The Committee on Ministry will hold interviews with Commissioned Ministers. The Congregational Vitality team plans another learning event in early April. The middle and high school youth will gather for rallies. And plans are underway for a great CPA Assembly on May 1 at FCC, Texas City. Not long before my father died in 1973, our family went to the movies to watch Ryan O Neal and Ali McGraw in Love Story. Near the end of the movie, one character claims, Love means never having to say you are sorry. My dad thought that was the biggest bunch of bunk he had ever heard. Apologizing to others for offending them takes May the blessings of this season surpass your courage and strength. (This is contrary to NCIS challenges! Jethro Gibbs claim that saying you re sorry is a sign of weakness!) Imagine how much healthier Grace and peace, Peggy

3 Just Love is a new congregation that is grateful to be a part of a denomination that seeks to be a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. One has to have prophetic imagination to seek wholeness in the midst of racism, sexism, homophobia, and so much more. Just Love seeks to embody this mission and vision so its members can live out our faith as we engage the world around us, mobilizing for justice and breaking cycles of division and marginalization. The bold words of the Hebrew prophet Isaiah ring within my soul, Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Just Love is a new church springing forth in the Coastal Plains Area; we spring forth with deep hope for renewed church. Just Love springs forth during a time period in which mainline Protestant denominations are declining. We are envisioning what it means to be a church in this moment. We spring forth because the voices matter the voices of those who have been marginalized by churches and society. We spring forth because we believe in a better world. We spring forth because we are compelled by the ministry of Jesus, who by embodying divine love, shows us the example of welcoming and affirming the dignity of individuals whom others have deemed to be less than. On February 20, in the gymnasium of our dear friends at First Christian Church, (Houston) we celebrated that which is springing forth in and through us. We Rejoice We rejoice with Iglesia Cristiana Shekinah as they have purchased a piece of property in Katy with the intentions of building a church! And we lift them in prayers as they move ahead in developing architectural designs for the two-phase building process. Members of Iglesia Cristiana Shekinah

4 Congregational Vitality Team by Rev. Norma Lowrey, Chair You have heard me say that Congregational Vitality also means going outside our church walls to find ways that our faith communities can grow and make an impact on future generations. United Campus Ministry of Greater Houston is one of the recipients of our outreach funds here at CPA. This is an ecumenical ministry of the DOC, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ. I serve on the Board of Directors of this organization and we continue to make a difference in the lives of students who are currently on their faith journey, looking to start their faith journey and those who just don t know what a faith journey may look like for them personally. Lots of things are happening on the University of Houston campus as well as at Rice and the Medical Center since we have hired a new Director of Student Ministries. We continue to reach out to both clergy and lay leaders within these denominations to serve as board members. We will be meeting seven times throughout 2016 to discuss how effective our programs are on all of our campuses. The board consists of members with varying skills, much like any other board, but we are seeking to deepen our knowledge base in the areas of marketing (social media and web presence), board development, student programming, and finance. If you are interested in making a difference in the lives of college students by serving on this board, please feel free to contact me at nlowrey@cypresscreek.cc. Don t forget to spread the word about our Slippery Slope Part II workshop featuring Rev. Micah James on April 2. Details can be found on page 6 of this newsletter. If you would like to help with the planning of refreshments for this event, please contact me at nlowrey@cypresscreek.cc. In His Service, Norma If it s not already marked on your calendar, mark it now! The Coastal Plains Area Assembly will take place on Sunday, May 1, at First Christian Church, Texas City. Our Council meeting will begin at 3:00 p.m., and then worship at 4:00 p.m. Fellowship with food will follow! We are working with the theme, Mission: Possible. Our speaker will be Rev. Vy Nguyen, Executive Director of Week of Compassion. He has an interesting story to tell and helpful ideas to share about mission in our churches and in our world.

5 Outreach Reconciliation by Rev. Peggy Trott, Chair Drawing from the Hands-On Mission Fund, the Christian Action and Outreach Ministry awarded $1,000 to Kingwood Christian Church for their mission trip to Grenada. Fourteen members of that congregation, including five teenagers, will be involved in a number of projects including the remodeling a kindergarten classroom, and continued work in a computer lab that they helped establish on a previous mission trip. This will be their third mission trip to that area and we look forward to them sharing their experiences with us. At the end of the 2015 calendar year, our ministry team was able to make small grants to several churches for immediate mission needs. We have received a thank you from First Christian Church-Conroe for shelving for their food pantry. That food pantry has literally quadrupled in size in the last few years and they are now feeding over 500 people each month. The new shelving gave them additional storage space that enabled them to receive a number of "free" products from the Montgomery Country Food Bank and increase the offerings from their pantry. We also received a thank you note from First Christian, Baytown. With this grant, FCC-Baytown was able to restock their food pantry, make a gift to Hands of Healing, a halfway house for boys without parents and assist a wheelchair -grandmother who is taking care of four grandchildren. One of the nice benefits at the Baytown church is that a number of members have become more involved in the work of their ministries. The third racial/ethnic conversation, "Who is My Neighbor? The Elephant in the Room" will be held on Sunday afternoon, April 17th from 4:00-6:00 pm at First Christian Church, 1601 Sunset Blvd., Houston. Again, our speaker will be Dr. Alex Byrd, Associate Professor of History at Rice University and FCC-Houston member. Dr. Byrd is an incredible speaker and this has been a time of great dialogue and discussion as we learned together. Please know that attendance at a previous gathering IS NOT a prerequisite so if you haven't joined us previously, we hope you will do so in April. We would like to thank FCC-Houston and University Christian Church for hosting these events. The outreach and mission work of the Coastal Plains Area continues to make an important and positive impact in our community and we are honored to serve in this ministry. Ministry team members are Rev. Blair Parker of Bethany Christian Church, Rev. David Finklea of Memorial Drive Christian Church and Mrs. Ronnie Whitman of The Woodlands Christian Church.

6 WHEN: Rev. Micah James Those who attended Part I of this highly enlightening event gave it rave reviews. If you are interested in best practices and great tips on proper church governance, this will be very much worth your while. Make your reservation for this exciting and educational workshop by contacting Marilyn Duncan at the CPA office via at cpa@cpadisciples.org or by phone at Payment in advance is recommended through the website: Coastal Plains Area Saturday, April 2, :00 am 3:00 pm WHERE: Memorial Drive Christian Church Memorial Drive, Houston, TX WHO: Board Chairs, Trustees, Treasurers and others interested in church governance WHAT: Rev. James will be back to share more information on safety, clarity and accountability in the work of our churches. COST: $35 per person. (Includes continental breakfast and lunch.) Churches are encouraged to offer financial assistance to attendees cpa@cpadisciples.org