General Board Business Item #GB-17-0990 Christian Church (Disciples Of Christ) Capital Area Regional Report 2016-2017 Rev. Allen V. Harris, Regional Minister Great is Thy faithfulness. Great is Thy faithfulness. Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. ~ Words by Thomas O. Chisholm In times of apparent scarcity of resources, generosity, compassion, thoughtful communication, in-depth study, give-and-take, hope those of us who claim the faith and ways of Jesus Christ must be reminded of the ever-present and always accessible abundance of God. If we allow the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened, then surely morning by morning new mercies we ll see AND we will know deep in our hearts that all we need, God will provide. This is the faithfulness the Christian Church (Disciples Of Christ) Capital Area is seeking to make real in the lives of all who are a part of our church, and those who hunger for such faith who are our neighbors. The Christian Church Capital Area (CCCA) consists of 44 congregations, one of which is seeking affiliation with the Christian Church (Disciples Of Christ). These diverse and faithful communities are 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. + Strong Leadership The Rev. Allen V. Harris, serves as CCCA Regional Minister. He serves along with Deirdre Harris-George, the Region s Executive Assistant. Together this two-person Team works with the new Regional Moderator, the Kevin Wiggs, Moderator-Elect, Miriam Gentle, Board of Trustee Chair, Judy Walters, 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, sustainable, and dynamic future. + Many Hands, Many Missions, One Body!
We had an extraordinarily successful 2016 Capital Area Regional Assembly October 14-15 in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, with over 225 persons from around our multifaceted Region worshipping, learning, connecting, and growing. Our theme was Many Hands, Many Missions: One Body! The All Assembly Banquet speaker was the Rev. Bruce Barkhauer, Director of the Center for Faith & Giving. Preacher for the Assembly Worship was the Rev. The Rev. David Shirey, Senior Pastor of Central Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky. Our Mission First! Gathering was most ably led by the Rev. Dr. Delores Carpenter, professor of Religious Education at the Howard University School of Divinity and the Rev. Ciara Simonson. A wide array of workshops were offered for inspiration, education, and advocacy. At this Assembly we officially welcomed into full communion in the Christian Church (Disciples Of Christ) the Haitian Pentecostal Christian Church of Salisbury, Maryland and Bethel Christian Church of Washington, DC! + Addressing 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 shifting and shrinking resources. We continue to work with 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, past Treasurer, Nancy Solomon, and past 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. Accomplishments of this past year include improving our working relationship with Treasury Services, reducing the debt (to ourselves) almost completely, and improving communication, relationship, and trust between clergy and congregations and the Region. Unfortunately, to bring our 2017 budget closer to being balanced, we did have to reduce our Executive Assistant s hours. To counterbalance this, we have begun using volunteers more extensively, and we have applied to be a site for the Wesley Seminary Practice in Mission and Ministry program for 2017 summer and school year 2017-2018. We give thanks to the Rev. Randy Johnson, Christian Church Foundation Vice President in the Southeast Zone, who has been guiding our efforts to become a much more sustainable ministry. + Strengthening Communication And Connection The Region s website (www.cccadisciples.org) continues to be updated, 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 (https://www.facebook.com/cccadisciple) as well as pages for the Minister s Association and Camps & Conferences. A Twitter account was begun (@cccadisciples) and a YouTube Channel was created (https://www.youtube.com/channel/ucb_52u95marqwlbhh4h2spq) Our Regional Minister, the Rev. Allen V. Harris, is a popular workshop leader and speaker on topics related to Social Media & Faith, and will be leading a class at Buffalo Seminary,
Bethany College, Bethany, WV February 16 & 17. He is available to local congregations to help them use social media more faithfully and effectively to spread the gospel message. Greatly appreciated, and recently expanded to include more congregational leaders, the weekly CCCA Opportunities and Announcements E-Mail goes out with news from the Region, denomination, and our ecumenical partners. An occasional CCCA Pastoral Care E-Mail goes out to clergy with joys and concerns of the ministers and key lay leaders of the congregations and has greatly aided the mutual support and care of our clergy. + Recommitting Ourselves To Pro-Reconciliation/Anti-Racism The Regional Pro-Reconciliation/Anti-Racism Team is being reorganized and reenergized in the CCCA. In November of 2016 we had a two-day intensive PR/AR trainings led by the two PR/AR Core Trainers we have in our Region: the Rev. Dr. Marcus Leathers and the Rev. Nathan Hill and was held at Christian Temple in Catonsville, MD. We will continue by offering trainings specific to clergy, to congregational teams, and camp & conference directors, counselors, and staff. 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, Pastora Lori Tapia, National Pastor of the Central Pastoral Office for Hispanic Ministries, and the Rev. Chung Seung Kim, Interim Executive Pastor of the North American Pacific/Asian Disciples Our January 15, 2017 event honoring the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a resounding success as we hosted as our guest preacher the Rev. Frank A. Thomas, Professor of Homiletics and Director of the Academy of Preaching and Celebration at Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana. The interfaith event included several choirs, testimonials, and readings from the work of Dr. King. The inaugural CCCA Bridge Building Award was presented to two worthy recipients, the Rev. Dr. W. Chris Hobgood and the Rev. Joan Bell-Haynes, for their work for justice and racial reconciliation. The Rev. Rosetta Robinson ably led the planning team. + 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, and the Rev. Ciara Simonson, Director-Elect, many candidates have been supported and the Rev. Shanay Scott, the Rev. Katie Blaisdell, and the Rev. Mark Masdin have all been ordained to the Christian Ministry. The commission also celebrates the call of new pastors to congregations in our Region in 2016. 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.
A key focus for the Commission For Ministry in 2017 will be to understand better both the role and support needed for Commissioned Ministers as well as the Apprentice Track to Ordained Ministry, approved by the General Assembly in 2009. Additionally, our Regional Minister works extensively with congregations seeking new pastoral leadership. Congregations which are in transition in their pastoral leadership include: Bethany Beach Christian Church, Columbia United Christian Church, First Christian Church Boonsboro, First Christian Church Falls Church, Henson Valley Christian Church Shepherd Park Christian Church, and United Christian Parish. Two congregations are working on transformational issues with their Interim Pastors prior to entering the Search Process are Garfield Memorial Christian Church and Heritage Christian Church In addition to our Pro-Reconciliation/Anti-Racism training, the CCCA Region also offered a Boundaries Training course for clergy, let by the Rev. Delancy Catlett and the Rev. Marie Bacchiocchi and was jointly offered with the Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ. 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. Delancy Catlett, and President-Elect, the Rev. Joy Majied. The Association 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. In April, 2016, the Minister s Association hosted their spring meeting, in conjunction with Ecumenical Advocacy Days, and brought in the Rev. Dr. Dietra Wise Baker, on staff with the National Benevolent Association, to speak on the topic of the conference, "Lift Every Voice! Racism, Class and Power." + Expanding & Celebrating Our Camp & Conference Program Our Camp & Conference Commission, under the leadership of the Rev. Nathan Hill, Director, and the Rev. Marcus Leathers, Director-Elect, along with our Outdoors Ministry Team, 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. Teresa Swihart was honored at the Regional Assembly for over 29 years of service on the Outdoor Ministry Team. This next year we will expand our church camp & conference program to warmly welcome our Central Atlantic Conference United Church Of Christ friends! 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. The newly reconstituted Mary Mac Management Committee under the leadership of Mike Cline, Chair, Bob Stockslager, Chair-Elect, and Mark
Grzeszkiewicz, Secretary has been hard at work. Some of the most exciting news in the Region has been the fulfillment of the capital improvements that were promised in the Share The Light capital campaign from several years ago, in the expansion and upgrading of the Dining Hall. There will be a dedication of the expanded and upgraded Shorty & Thelma Melott Dining Hall on April 28, 2017 in conjunction with the 50 th Anniversary of Camp Mary Mac! Other capital improvements, including reconditioning the cabins and improving the infrastructure of the camp, will be addressed in the coming year. Then on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean the CCCA owns and operates the Christian Church Conference Center at Bethany Beach. Under the direction of the Bethany Beach Management Committee, chaired by Barry McNew, 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 environmentally-conscious and flexible facility makes the entire Conference Center usable year-round, and new staff was hired to market both camps and to manage the Conference Center with an eye to expanding those who can celebrate this gift. We welcomed to the staff two new people: Patrick Hennessey was hired in early 2016 as the Conference Center Host & Kitchen Manager, and the Rev. Beverly Goines was hired as our Marketing and Reservation Agent. In early 2017 we will be looking to fill Rev. Goines position as she moves on and to hire a new cook for the summer. + Justice Ministries Partnerships 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 new leadership of Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland-Tune. 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. + Nurturing Existing Congregations, Guiding Discerning Congregations, Imagining New Communities Of Faith Many various ministries fall under the care of the Commission For Congregational Life, under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Rosetta Robinson, Director and the Rev. Timothy Bobbitt, Director-Elect, but they manage it well. Much work was given to the processes by with the Region nurtures and welcomes congregations from other traditions which wish to affiliate with the Disciples of Christ. The Regional Minister has also created a New Church Ministry Cohort which is seeking to build a network of support, inspiration, nurture, and discernment for persons who wish to start new
communities of faith in the Region. Additionally, planning the Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration was a central focus. The Region s premier leadership training event, Salt & Light, is scheduled for October 14, 2017 and will again be held at National City Christian Church, Washington, DC. Neil Romstedt chairs the planning team. In addition to the above, the Commission also has responsibility for working with missionaries, campus ministries (especially United Campus Ministries at the University of Maryland Rev. Holly Ulmer, Campus Minister; and ARISE Campus Ministry at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA), men s and women s ministries, youth and young adult ministries, 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 in September of 2016 and two congregation, Hyattstown Christian Church and Rockville Christian Church have begun the Hope Partnership New Beginnings visioning process. Our work with Men s Ministry is in transition, and we celebrated the passion and able leadership for over nine years of Art Banks as he concluded his final term as President of the Men s Association. We are seeking to envision new ways of doing this ministry, particularly priorities 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 focus in 2016 was in hosting the NIRF Women s Ministries Retreat, September 23-25 at the Christian Church Conference Center at Bethany Beach, Delaware. + The Work Of The Regional Minister There is much that I as your Regional Minister am called to do, but nothing compares with the work I do 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, remains a Regional Minister s primary task. One of the biggest challenges to our Region, as with other Regions and most churches of our day, is the growing need for part-time and bi-vocational ministers necessitated by diminishing financial and membership resources. I am working diligently to help congregations find vitality and new hope with this new model of ministry, even as I challenge them to be faithful and honest to their pastors by ensuring that part-time compensation parallels part-time hours and part-time expectations: a real challenge when one s work is also a calling! One of your Regional Minister s goals this year is to do more focused education about the nature of a covenantal church like the Christian Church (Disciples Of Christ) and what the purpose and unique ministry of Regions. I believe that the Regional Minister is 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, I also serve by virtue of my 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. My ministry is undergirded by the newly formed Pastoral Relations Committee, headed most ably by John Caldwell. This committee completed a first Pastoral Review of Rev. Harris October 25. For this wise and faithful committee, I am forever grateful. The words of the hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness rings in my heart again and again, which surely must be one way the Holy Spirit speaks to me as your Regional Minister. While all the concerns of our congregations, the many struggles of our pastors, the multiplicity of issues confronting our institutions and organizations, all seem so daunting, we are not called to face these alone. Great, indeed, is God s faithfulness, and as surely as the sun does rise, morning by morning new and ever more grace-filled mercies we shall behold! Let us sing and remind ourselves of the faithfulness of the one who created us, who redeems us, and who sustains us, who knows our needs and provides for us always. Amen. May it be so! Faithfully Yours, Rev. Allen V. Harris Regional Minister Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Capital Area 8814 Kensington Parkway, Suite 208 ~ Chevy Chase MD 20815-6743 Cell: (240) 426-2949 ~ Office: (301) 942-8266, x 203 ~ Fax: 240-558-4780 Connect With Us! Web: http://www.cccadisciples.org E-Mail: AHarris@cccadisciples.org Twitter: @CCCADisciples Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cccadisciple YouTube: http://bit.ly/2jcqwva Recommended Action: The General Board receives the report from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Capital Area.