CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) IN THE SOUTHWEST Report to the General Board April 11-14, 2015

Transcription

1 General Board Business Item #GB CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) IN THE SOUTHWEST Report to the General Board April 11-14, 2015 Contrary to reports concerning its demise, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Southwest is alive and well, and exciting ministries are taking place across New Mexico, Texas, the panhandle of Oklahoma, and one congregation in Liberal, Kansas. As most of you know, the CCSW has been in a time of transition since January 2014, when Rev. Dani Loving Cartwright concluded her ministry. During that first year, we were all getting our bearings, as we drastically downsized our Regional Staff, going from a high of six Regional staff members and eight Area Ministers in 2004, to five Area Ministers and 1 ¼ Regional staff members in 2014! Yet, by making decisions that have been challenging, frustrating, and sometimes chaotic, we have made room for the Spirit to move in surprising and powerful new ways. For the first time in several years, we finished the year financially in the black. We re certainly not there yet, but the past 15 months have been quite an inspiring ride; when reports from our Areas, committees, affiliated organizations, fellowship groups, and constituency groups are shared around the table at Regional Council meetings, I am always impressed and excited about the variety and uniqueness of ministries occurring in this particular part of the body of Christ known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Southwest. New Church This past year we were blessed to be able to distribute $108,000 in New Church grants to six new church starts in the Southwest; each congregation received $18,000, and all were very grateful for this unexpected gift! There seem to be new churches popping up all over the Region; some of our newer congregations are the following:

2 Tree of Life, Magnolia, TX; Galileo, Mansfield, TX; Grace Christian Church, McKinney; Expedition, Frisco, TX; Iglesia Filadelphia, Nacogdoches, TX; Micronesian Gospel Christian Church, Corsicana, TX; At the Cross Christian Church, Dallas, TX; Iglesia Christiana Eben-Ezer, Dallas, TX: Galileo Christian Church, Mansfield, TX; Kayros, Arlington, TX; Chalice Abbey, Amarillo; and in the Coastal Plains Area there are Zeteo, Just Love Christian Church, Disciples in the Wilderness, and Centro Cristiano (Discipulos de Cristo). From Galileo Christian Church: Last month we baptized Caroline, whose confession of faith was, I never thought much about God because I figured God wasn t thinking much about me. But now I am just crazy about Jesus! And I want to follow him everywhere! We had 65 witnesses for her baptism on the back porch of the theater where we meet. We bought a used cattle trough from Craig s List and rigged a portable water heater to make the water warm. Thanks be to God!

3 Kayros Christian Church, Arlington, TX Transforming Congregations Two congregations in the Piney Woods of East Texas have each taken a major, and possibly risky, step in seeking to transform their congregations. First Christian Church in Commerce, Texas, was rapidly dying, in every sense of the word; the average age among worshipers was approximately 75, and it was a good day if there were 15 in attendance. As they realized the community around them was increasingly Hispanic, they felt the needed to reach out into the community they had, not what once was. So, they extended a call to a Brite seminary student, Maria Garza, to serve as their pastor. Maria, along with her husband Jose, worked diligently in the community of Commerce as well as the church, and they now have a Hispanic/Anglo worshiping community, with the service done in Spanish and English. The congregation continues to grow with young families and children, and the Garza s have been embraced by the entire community. Another example is that of Crestview Christian Church in Greenville, Texas, which was also on the verge of dying; this was an all-caucasian church, in a community which has a high percentage of African-Americans and Hispanics. Years ago this town had a welcome sign which read: Welcome to Greenville, Texas: The Whitest People with the Blackest Dirt. (thank goodness the sign is no longer standing!) Once again, this congregation took a risk and extended a call to an African-American minister, Rev. Phillip Dukes, in the hopes they would be able to better serve the community in which they find themselves. Again, this church is beginning to grow, and having honest conversations about race and reconciliation! Leadership Development Our Regional Committee on Ministry stays very busy, meeting three times annually for a three-day session. Since our last General Board meeting, the RCOM has approved 21 individuals for ordination! They are: John Frey, Maria

4 Garza, Myron Goins, Deanna Golsan, Christina Haworth, Tom Jones, Dorothy Koone, Karakay Kovaly, Colin McRaney, Jacqueline Morgan, Tiann Smith Morgner, John O Neal, Evangelina Perez, Youree (Trey) Posey, Rosemary Redmond, Shari Reynolds, Stephen Robinson, Nathan Russell, Heather Santi- Brown, Shari Sims, and Casey Tanguay. Additionally, each of our Areas (Bluebonnet, Coastal Plains, North Texas, Northeast, and Mission West) have their own Area Committees on Ministry, which interview, educate, and support all of our commissioned ministers. Many events for lay education are held around the Region, as well as continuing education events for clergy; the largest clergy event held is Brite Divinity School s Ministers Week, which took place this past February. Several of our Areas are beginning Area Elder/Shepherd programs, and we are grateful for our Indiana colleague, Rev. Rick Spleth, for coming to help train interested clergy. Our camp and conference programs are strong, and seem to be growing! There are four campgrounds that are owned and/or used by the various Areas: Disciples Crossing, Brownwood, DCCI, Black River, and Ceta Glen. North Texas, Northeast, and Trinity-Brazos Areas do camp programming together, as do the three Areas which now comprise Mission West (Central, Hi-Plains, Tres Rios); currently Bluebonnet and Coastal Plains are in conversation about combining camping programs as well. Each summer, the Christian Youth Leadership Conference is held for one week, and it is rotated among the various campgrounds. We have great adults working with these camping experiences, and outstanding youth leaders; there is hope for the church! Finally, we held our biennial Regional Assembly October 25-26, 2014, at Cypress Creek Christian Church in Spring, Texas. Guest preachers were Rev. Dr. Katie Hays and Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins; various workshops were offered, as well as youth activities. Live-streaming of the Sunday afternoon business session and worship service were available for those who were unable to attend. Our theme was For Such A Time as This, since we are in a transitional time. The Assembly was well-attended, and we are looking forward to the next one in 2016, which will be hosted by the North Texas Area.

5 Ordination of Reverend Nathan Russell, Robert Carr Chapel, Brite Divinity School, May 2014 Pro-Reconciliation/Anti-Racism This is the mission priority where our Region really needs to spend more time and attention, even though we are intentional when appointing committees, task forces, boards, etc., that there is representation from all of our ethnic constituency groups. The Regional Committee on Ministry hopes to have this training as a requirement for ordination in the very near future; in the meantime, we have representatives from the Southwest Hispanic Convencion and the Texas Christian Missionary Fellowship serving on the Committee. We also hope to have at least one youth camp offered this summer which will focus entirely on pro-reconciliation/anti-racism issues and concerns. We take this priority seriously, and it is one of our growing edges. Currently, we have representation from the Southwest Hispanic Convencion and the Texas Christian Missionary Fellowship serving on our Regional Council, and our Regional Youth Ministry Committee. However, as we hopefully move into establishing new Asian-American faith communities, we will eventually have NAPAD representation as well. These are interesting and exciting times in the Southwest Region, and we look forward to what God has in store in the year ahead! Grace, joy, and peace, Coretha Rev. Coretha Loughridge Acting Regional Minister & President, and Northeast Area Minister

6 Recommended Action: The General Board receives the report from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Southwest.