Christian Church (Disciples Of Christ) Capital Area Regional Report Rev. Allen V. Harris, Regional Minister

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1 General Board Business Item #GB Christian Church (Disciples Of Christ) Capital Area Regional Report Rev. Allen V. Harris, Regional Minister Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ~ Philippians 4:8 The Apostle Paul calls us to deeply ponder that which is done excellently and therefore spend our time, energy, money, and passion doing only those things that are truly worthy of praise. This is a call to our Church, in all its expressions, to shape the ministries we offer so that they exhibit the very best quality we have to God, and to seek out, support and celebrate those people and places who are already offering excellence in their ministry. For the Christian Church Capital Area, as with other Regions, this is a call to be candid about the challenges that face our congregations, our pastors, and our Region and to boldly act ever more efficiently and effectively, even as we seek to be as faithful to Christ as we can. The Christian Church Capital Area (CCCA) encompasses 44 congregations, three which are seeking affiliation with the Christian Church (Disciples Of Christ), located across Maryland, Northern Virginia, Washington D.C., Delaware, and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. The CCCA includes over 170 clergy persons serving in diverse ministries, from non-profits and community organizations to colleges and universities, from military and health care chaplains to retired clergy, as well as local congregations. We host three social justice ministries: the Disciples Center for Public Witness, the Disciples Refugee and Immigration Ministry, and the Ecumenical Poverty Initiative. Two Disciples-founded social services agencies serve in our Region: Bethany House, a low-income senior housing facility, and Rockville Nursing Home, both located in Rockville, Maryland. Finally, our Region is abundantly blessed with two camp & conference centers: Camp Mary Mac in western Maryland, and the Christian Church Conference Center at Bethany Beach. + A New Day! Following the strong and profoundly pastoral interim ministry of the Rev. Dr. Bob Perry, in March of 2015 a new Regional Minister was called to the Christian Church Capital Area: the Rev. Allen V. Harris, who had served for over 25 years in local church ministry in Fort Worth, Texas, New York, NY, and Cleveland, Ohio. Rev. Harris began his work on June 15 and was installed as CCCA Regional Minister on Sunday, October 10 at a Festival Of Faith that lifted up the inspiring unity-in-diversity of the Region. He serves along with Deirdre Harris-George, the Region s Executive Assistant, who began her work in December Together this two-person Team works with the

2 Regional Moderator, the Rev. Dr. Martha Brown, Moderator-Elect, Kevin Wiggs, Board of Trustee Chair, Hugh Howard, Treasurer, Nancy Solomon, Secretary, Melinda Swain and the other Commission and Team Leaders and members of the Regional Board to help guide this expression of Christ s Ministry into a faith-filled and dynamic future. + Rethinking & Improving Communication And Connection First and foremost on the list of urgent needs for the CCCA was to rethink and improve the communication and connectivity of individuals, congregations and institutions, and leaders of the Region. The Region s website ( has been updated, a calendar has been added, and information is kept up-to-date and vibrant. There has been a consolidation and focusing of the social media of the Region with the primary Facebook page ( as well as pages for the Minister s Association and Camps & Conferences. A Twitter account was begun (@cccadisciples) and a YouTube Channel was created ( The CCCA has sped ahead from where it was just a year ago in terms of connecting the Region to the clergy and congregations, and connecting leaders with one another. A weekly CCCA Opportunities and Announcements goes out with news from the Region, denomination, and our ecumenical partners. An occasional CCCA Pastoral Care goes out to clergy with joys and concerns of the ministers and key lay leaders of the congregations. A quarterly full-color newsletter is sent out highlighting the ministry of the Region. New laptops were purchase for the staff, and the office s file storage went completely to a cloud-based/universally accessible model. More work will be done to improve the technology using video conferencing and better integrated e- mail messages. The Region uses the CDM+ database system and staff have been trained to expand our ministry using this system. We are indebted to Robert Winter for his diligent work on improving our technology. + Recommitting Ourselves To Pro-Reconciliation/Anti-Racism The Regional Pro-Reconciliation/Anti-Racism Team is being reorganized and reenergized in the CCCA. The urgency for this ministry has increased dramatically following tragic events in our nation, such as ongoing pattern of deaths of African American men and women in police custody, from Michael Brown to Sandra Bland, to Freddie Gray on our own city streets of Baltimore, to the violent shooting deaths of the pastor and church members at the Emanuel AME Church in Charlestown, SC, and the public response to such violence sometimes peacefully and sometimes not. Similarly, the sometimes not-too-civil conversations around immigration and refugees in which we have been engaged in our political discourse call us as people of faith to be ever more theologically responsible and biblically informed. The CCCA has sponsored listening sessions and has invited folks to consider becoming a part of a reconstituted PR/AR Team. Trainings are being planned, utilizing the two PR/AR Core Trainers we have in our Region: the Rev. Dr. Marcus Leathers and the Rev. Nathan Hill beginning with clergy training and a Regional Team training, then

3 extending it to congregational training and camp & conference leader training. We work closely with the Rev. April Johnson, Minister of Reconciliation for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the leaders of our Racial/Ethnic Ministries including the Rev. Timothy James, Administrative Secretary of the National Convocation, the Rev. Huberto Pimentel, National Pastor of the Central Pastoral Office for Hispanic Ministries, and the Rev. Geunhee Yu, Interim Executive Pastor of the North American Pacific/Asian Disciples Our January event honoring the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a resounding success, seeking this year to move beyond just learning about Dr. King s legacy, but seeking to empower participants to *action* with break-out groups on Dr. King s three foci: racial justice, poverty, and militarism/violence. The Rev. Rosetta Robinson ably led the planning team, and added her particular gifts to making the event representative of the three traditions in the Stone Campbell movement! + Discerning, Nurturing, Supporting, Celebrating Those Called To Ministry The critical work of discerning, nurturing, supporting, and celebrating the call to ministry in those individuals in our Region continues. Under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Cheryl Tatham, Director of the CCCA Commission For Ministry, many candidates have been supported and the Rev. Miriam Gentle, the Rev. Dr. J. Michael McMahon, the Rev. Vanya Mullinax have all been ordained into Christian Ministry, and, at the time of this report, Shanay Scott, Katie Blaisdell, and Mark Masdin have all been approved for ordination in the spring and summer, The commission also celebrates the call of new pastors to congregations in our Region. The Rev. Timothy Bobbitt began as Sr. Pastor of First Christian Church, Alexandria, VA on February 1 and the Rev. Jake Caldwell began as Sr. Pastor of First Christian Church, Hagerstown, Maryland. Much thanks is given to the Rev. Warren Lynn and his staff in the Office of Christian Vocations. The Commission is working diligently on updating all of its forms, policies, and procedures on care and nurture, interviewing, ordaining, and commissioning ministers in the church. The Commission also oversees the Seminarian Scholarship program. The Commission also works in tandem with the CCCA Minister s Association, under the leadership of President, the Rev. Dr. Clara Guyton, and President-Elect, the Rev. Delancy Catlett. The Association, which has found new life and purpose in the past year, focuses on nurturing clergy connectedness with each other and the Region, on continuing education events and grants, and overseeing the Ministerial Crisis and Stress Relief Fund. + Sustaining & Celebrating Our Camp & Conference Program The CCCA is blessed with an abundance and diversity of camp facilities. In western Maryland, near Sharpsburg, the Region owns and operates Camp Mary Mac, a rustic expansive rural campsite. In the fall of 2015 the Region lost one of the Angels of Camp Mary Mac, James Shorty Melott, who helped oversee the maintenance of the camp, along with his team of Angels, for decades. His death hit the Region hard, but his memory will last forever. The Mary Mac Management Committee has just been

4 reconstituted and commissioned with overseeing the capital improvements that were promised in the Share The Light capital campaign from several years ago, especially the expansion and upgrading of the Dining Hall. Other capital improvements, including rebuilding the cabins and improving the infrastructure of the camp, will be addressed in the coming year. Then on the shores of the Atlantic the CCCA owns and operates the Christian Church Conference Center at Bethany Beach. Under the direction of the Bethany Beach Management Committee, the Share The Light Capital Campaign improvements for the Conference Center have been completed, including a state-of-the-art residential and programmatic building, the new Campbell Hall. The addition of this environmentallyconscious and flexible facility makes the entire Conference Center usable year-round, and new staff is being hired to market both camps and to manage the Conference Center with an eye to expanding those who can celebrate this gift. A full Camp & Conference Commission, under the leadership of Beth Hindsley, and an Outdoors Ministry Team, under the leadership of Teresa Swihart, are working to improve our church retreat, camp, and conference program, including addressing the need for greater diversity in leadership and programs, better and more consistent policies and procedures, and better communication. + Partnering More Fully With Our Justice Ministries One of the great gifts the CCCA has, that not all Regions do, is the presence of not one, but three justice agencies within our confines: the Disciples Center for Public Witness under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Ken Brooker Langston, the Disciples Refugee and Immigration Ministry under the leadership of the Rev. Sharon Stanley Rae, and the Ecumenical Poverty Initiative, under the leadership of the Rev. Sekinah Hamlin. While these three serve the whole Church, the CCCA has a special bond and responsibility to these organizations and we seek to support, promote, and advocate for the critical work they do on behalf of God s people in need around the world. Rev. Harris sits on the Disciples Center For Public Witness Board Of Governors and has made himself available to all three organizations to participate in press conferences, marches for justice, and public actions as they deem critical to their work and witness. + Clarifying Our Finances And Empowering Leaders To Be Wise Stewards Like many Regions and much of the church of this, the early part of the 21 st Century, the Christian Church Capital Area is seeking to be wiser about ministry in the face of shrinking resources. We continue to celebrate the decision to move our accounting and payroll to Treasury Services, under the able leadership of John Goebel, Vice President for Finance in the Office of General Minister & President. The CCCA has reaped great benefits from their expertise and thoroughness. Our Executive Assistant, Deirdre Harris-George, Treasurer, Nancy Solomon, and Trustee Chair, Hugh Howard, have worked diligently to systematize our accounting practices and think strategically as we try to support the critical ministry needs that only a Region can provide.

5 Much of the work of the Regional Minister has been in trying to get clear and accurate financial data into the hands of those who should administer the funds, and decentralize the management of the Region. The renewed sense of collegiality and ownership will help the Region be a better steward of the monies received. Likewise, the Regional minister has been communicating the unique and needed ministry of the middle judicatory through teaching classes, preaching, and training leaders to explain the ministry of the Region. Rev. Harris has also been focusing on coming up with a more comprehensive and faithful fundraising strategy for the future. On particularly painful decision that was made was to put on hiatus the ministry of the Bradley Christian Mission Center until a stronger financial support strategy could be put into place, and a new home found for the Center. A joint commission is being formed to create a plan for the BCMC future. The BCMC Management Committee is chaired by Rick Bahr. + Nurturing Existing Congregations, Guiding Discerning Congregations, Imagining New Communities Of Faith Many exciting possibilities fall under the care of the Commission For Congregational Life, under the leadership of the Rev. Lisa Kay Comingore Smith, but they manage it well. Their premier leadership training event, Salt & Light, was hugely successful and brought as keynote speaker, the Rev. Rick Morse, Vice President of Church Extension, to lead us in an honest conversation about congregational transformation. A host of workshops, guided by worship and conversation, empowered many leaders. The Commission also has responsibility for working with missionaries, campus ministries, men s and women s ministries, youth and young adult ministries, congregations seeking affiliation with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), imagining and starting new congregations or communities of faith, and congregations yearning for transformation. Some of this work is done in tandem with Hope Partnership and their President, the Rev. Gilberto Collazo. We sent several folks to their Leadership Academy. Our work with Men s Ministry continues to be guided by the passion and experience of Art Banks and we are seeking to envision new ways of doing this ministry that comes out of the needs and life experiences of younger men. Similarly, Kay Slonaker guides our work in Women s Ministry, and much of the recent focus has been in hosting the upcoming NIRF Women s Ministries Retreat this September at the Christian Church Conference Center at Bethany Beach, Delaware. + The Work Of The Regional Minister There is much that a Regional Minister is called to do, but nothing compares with the work Rev. Harris does to nourish the relationship between pastor and congregation, between clergy and their settings for ministry. Finding ways to bring Christ s healing presence to broken places in the church, to shed Christ s light on confusing and perplexing problems, and to channel Christ s power to make fresh and new those ways of being church that are not simply out-of-date, but those that may also be detrimental to the furtherance of the gospel, is a Regional Minister s primary task.

6 Our Region had several challenges this past year that have challenged our relational and covenantal relationships. The closing of Mt. Rainier Christian Church and the decision by two congregations to withdraw from the Christian Church (Disciples Of Christ) [Second Christian Church, Hagerstown, MD and Antioch Christian Church, Vienna, VA] were very painful for the Region, and yet we continue to look for wisdom, restoration, and new life as we go forward. The Regional Minister is also called to remind the local setting of the church that it is part of a much larger, even universal, Body of Christ. Similarly, the Regional Minister helps the larger church remember that ultimately all we do and say must support the work of the local church for that is where the convicting, healing, transforming, resurrecting power of Christ is made real in the lives of human beings, those God has called to ministry. Related to this representative nature of the Regional Minister, the CCCA Regional Minister also serves by virtue of his office on several governing boards: the National City Christian Church Foundation Board Of Trustees, the Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago Board of Trustees, the Disciples Center For Public Witness Board Of Governors, and the Bethany House Board Of Trustees. A great deal of time and effort is currently going into planning our 2016 Capital Area Regional Assembly October in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Our theme will be Many Hands, Many Missions: One Body! The Minister s Association speaker will be the Rev. Bruce Barkhauer, Director of the Center for Faith & Giving. Keynote speaker will be Rev. The Rev. David Shirey, Senior Pastor of Central Christian Church in Lexinton, Kentucky. Our Mission First! Gathering Host is the Rev. Dr. Delores Carpenter, professor of Religious Education at the Howard University School of Divinity. The challenges that present themselves to the Christian Church Capital Area may seem daunting, but with creativity, tenacity, a commitment to excellence, compassionate care for one another, and a steadfast belief that with God, all things are possible, we will be able to usher in a New Day in the Church, so that those who yearn for the Good News that God has to share will hear it, receive it, and be transformed by it. Gratefully Yours, Rev. Allen V. Harris Regional Minister Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Capital Area 8814 Kensington Parkway, Suite 208 ~ Chevy Chase MD Cell: (240) ~ Office: (301) , x 203 ~ Fax: Connect With Us! Web: AHarris@cccadisciples.org Facebook:

7 Recommended Action On behalf of the General Board, the Administrative Committee receives the report from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Capital Area.