Pastor Gail Thiessen spent the months of January through March (2010) enjoying a sabbatical experience.  She rested (keeping true to the Biblical sabbath roots of sabbaticals) and she also went to the remotest place she could imagine that still spoke the English language: New Zealand.

Thiessen is the pastor of Central Christian Church in Marshalltown, IA.  While she tried to give shape to her “time away,” she took to heart the recent experiences of her congregation.  The church had spent the last 14 years trying to decide how to re-orient its way of life.  The church discerned that their mission, their calling in the community, even their worship space would be different.  They had completely turned around and renovated their sanctuary.  It was an 180-degree change.  And as the congregation’s leaders reflected on their recent mission trips, they realized that the trips involved caring for God’s creation.  They’d built wells; they’d helped sustainable agriculture.  They knew their calling was tightly woven with the calling to tend  human-to-human relationships and the human-to-creation relationship.

So Thiessen went exploring. Her question: “If my congregation is moving away from a dominion relationship with God’s creation to a ‘tending‘ relationship; and, if they’re wanting to avoid the polarizing effect that politics and religion have on their environmental stances, then I want to join them by asking ‘what’s possible?’”

Her answer sounds enormous: a change of heart.

Thiessen is not naive to the paralysis people feel when struggling with questions of how to care. “Changes of heart do not happen with logical or reasoned arguments.  It does little good to point fingers or to give all of the reasons supporting or denying global warming, environmental change, or the reasons to use CFL light bulbs.  Changes of heart happen with personal experience, and when people believe that change is possible, that it is good, and that it is bigger than themselves.”

Thiessen’s sabbatical journey was underwritten by the Lilly Foundation and was generously supported by her congregation.  Thiessen has already led the Central CC leaders in some reflections and shared experiences from her time in New Zealand.  ”The people who are the most excited about it are not the ones I expected.  They’re not the environmentalists.  The people with the most energy are the fence-riders, the ones are are committed to being stewards of God’s creation, but do not buy all of the political stances that have accompanied this conviction.”

Thiessen sounds like an evangelist, even though she’s the first to admit that it was her host culture in New Zealand who shared it with her.  The diverse, almost completely “unchurched” culture in New Zealand whole-heartedly lived a more conscious lifestyle.  ”They were aware that every decision they made would have some impact on their neighbor.  The human-to-human relationship intertwines with the human-to-creation relationship.”

Thiessen developed a nine-week small group curriculum as well as a “teaser” version for her upcoming workshop at School for Congregational Learning on August 28th.  She looks forward to seeing it offered in school groups, civic organizations, and in churches across the country.

Are you:

• not sure how you can fit into all of this?
• a “fence-sitter” who cares, but is skeptical of the political stances?
• afraid that any personal changes will be overwhelming or paralyzing?

If so, please attend the worship on August 28th

Ask Pastor Gail questions at pastor.gail@centraldoc.org

“The sabbath was made for human beings, not human beings for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27)

Changing structure does not guarantee spiritual balance and purpose; but, sometimes, our structure can get in the way of the flow of ministry.

Many times I have heard stories like the one above in which ministries arise from someone noticing a need and sharing it with others to help discern God’s calling. These ministries are often the ones that congregation members talk about with passion and energy.

What if we in the region had a structure that encouraged this same way of being church together? What if, when we made decisions about the ministry we do together, every church had a representative at the table? What if our board/gatherings always included time to listen for perceived needs and we spent time in discernment about what and where God might be calling us?

These are only some of the ideas I continue to hear bubbling up from the congregations as we all strive passionately to faithfully be church in this world. Let me know about what you think by sending me an email at bsdumw@gmail.com.

A new phase in Regional Transition begins . . .

Though I heard it before, I recently heard it again from a minister in this region; “If you want to know how and where you see God in the ministry of your church, simply look at your budget.” This is as true for churches as it is for individuals. How I spend my money, my time, and my passion reflects my core beliefs and purpose. It illuminates what I value, both to myself, and to others.

I would add to this revealing phrase that how one structures a church will let you know what is important as well. We in the region have evolved from a time when individual congregations first decided to do ministry together and structures were created to help accomplish the ministry, –to- a time now when structures determine what ministry we will do together. As we move forward in this transitional time together, I cannot say that we have all the answers as to what we will look like or what structures we will need to help us ‘be church’ but I can say that the priority will be to ask, “To what needs and ministries is God calling us today and how can we best gather and support them?” I know that our foundation as Disciples Together is and will be the ministries that develop from each and every congregation as they join together. I ask for your prayers as we begin in this next phase of our transition.

May God continue to bring us together in ministry.

Your partner in ministry,
Bill Spangler-Dunning
BSD

Greetings to you all!

The Regional Golf outing has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 30.  A flyer with particulars of the event is attached.  I do hope that you’ll be able to attend and participate.

Regional Golf Outing

Best wishes!

Don Hiscox

Doug and Liz Searles, our missionaries in Lodz, Poland, posted this video. It is about their walking in partnership with Kosciol-Ewangelicko Reformowany, the Evangelical-Reformed Church in Poland.

I want to thank you all for your efforts together in supporting the ministry we do together.  Your support of Week of Compassion efforts around the world have been amazing.  Together we have given more than $100,000 and still growing.  More than that, I continue to be excited about the ways you are finding to do ministry in your cities and towns and seeking to partner together with other Disciple churches.  I believe the church is needed more than ever in these times.  Please accept this latest regional update in that spirit:

Remember when we used to do things together with other churches . . .

Every year about this time my son will begin to ask me about having a neighborhood block party.  He draws up plans and a flyer to invite our neighbors to come out on a Saturday to eat and just be together.  Though I have powerful, perspective-forming memories from my childhood of neighborhood picnics, it seems that my son’s idea for this gathering was formed long before he knew of my experiences. There is something greatly moving about an eleven-year-old who is willing to make flyers and knock on doors to invite the neighbors to come out and enjoy some time together.  It motivates even the most exhausted adults.

“Remember when we used to do things together with other churches . . .” That is the most common phrase I hear when I am visiting congregations.  It is, indeed, something I find myself talking about when I visit; but, like with my son, this instinctive desire to gather together with the rest of the body of Christ is present in people before I say even one word.  This Regional Transition/Transformation has little to do with Transitioning or Transforming any Regional Committee or Regional Structure!  It has everything to do with what and why we might do things together with each other!  Whatever we are becoming as “Disciples Together” will start with a desire to do things together and an understood purpose for doing MINISTRY together as churches.

Excited to Journey with you.

Your partner in ministry,

Bill Spangler-Dunning
BSD

Do you or your church give bread to new visitors?

On Sunday morning I was driving home to the suburbs of Chicago.  I was in Iowa for the weekend for the Tex Sample – “Come Sample Simply Stories” event at First Christian Church in Ames.  Planning where I would be on Sunday morning was no easy task.  First: we have a lot of Disciples congregations along the I-80 corridor!  Second: I needed to time my departure from my parents’ house and my arrival home in Illinois so that I wasn’t leaving too early or too late to get to worship.

This month’s congregation along the way: First Christian Church, Coralville, IA.  Their 10:00am worship service and their location was just right.  What was even more right, however, was the celebration of ministry taking place during worship.

Bette Klein was one of two ministers licensed that morning.  (Dennis Arnold was the other; more on him below …)  Don Hiscox, Regional Minister for Congregational and Clergy Care led a short, informal certificate presentation.  He highlighted how Bette finished the LMEP program in rapid time; no one at FCC Coralville seemed surprised by this.  Bette will continue serving FCC Coralville as their Youth Minister.

But as great of a celebration as Bette’s certification is – I want to celebrate the ministry of hospitality that FCC Coralville shows to their visitors. Dennis Arnold, a member at FCC Coralville, is part of their bread-baking team that regularly make loaves of bread for newcomers.  He also went through the LMEP program to do licensed ministry in the Upper Midwest.  Sunday morning at their 9am service, Don Hiscox went through the same ritual with Dennis at the congregation in Solon, IA (about 10 miles north of Coralville/Iowa City).

Even though I missed Dennis on Sunday morning, I can still witness to his incredible hospitality because of the bread he made.  Dennis, Bette, and all of the ministers (= all those baptized!) at First Christian Church in Coralville, IA are companions with those who stop in along the way.  True to the most literal meaning of “companion” — bread fellows – they extend hospitality to those they knew were coming and those who stopped in unannounced.

Thank you all for a great Sunday morning worship experience.

(PS – The bread was part of an amazing sandwich for lunch today.  I don’t let such good food go to waste …)

While we’re still doing tests — we can thankfully say that the site is now live.  I’m off to visit Jose Morales, our keynote speaker for the August 28th School for Congregational Learning. We’re going to shoot some promotional videos before Jose leaves Chicago to become the Transitional Regional Minister for the Central Rocky Mountain Region.

An avid photographer [me] + a hot DJ [Jose] = a video miracle or a recipe disaster.  Check back later to find out which …