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Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Upper Midwest

• Remember When
• Disciples Women: World Cafe
• Clergy Women Retreat
• A.D.a.M. (Art, Drama, Music) Camp this Summer
• Tex Sample Recap + Pictures, Video
• FCC Coralville: Two New Licensed Ministers
• Communication Revamp
• Youth Worker Event
• 2010 School for Congregational Learning - August 28
• Regional Assembly Presents: Disciples Network
• A Shared Spirit Story

Bill Spangler-Dunning
Lead Transitional Regional Minister and President

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

The Women's Board of the Upper Midwest Region request your assistance. We need to know what the women of your churches need to make the Church stronger in the Upper Midwest.

The “Conversations That Matter” will be held throughout the Region.
The ones planned so far are:

April 10     Altoona Christian Church, Altoona
April 17     First Christian Church, Creston
May 15     First Christian Church, Coralville

Registration begins at 8:30 AM and we will begin at 9:00

One is being planned for the Northwest area at a later date.

What we are asking of you is please send at least 2 women from your church to one of these events. We are suggesting (if possible) one who is active in your women’s group, if you have, one and one who is active otherwise.

A registration for these events is downloadable: World Cafe Flyer 2010. Please fill it out and return it to

Leora Walton,
4150 E. 60th St. Unit 905
Davenport, Iowa 52807
or LMWAB219@aol.com .

What ya’ doin’ Pastor?: Worship; board meeting; choir; finance, property, personnel, education, mission, committees; youth event; hospital calls; nursing home visits; marriage counseling; funerals; regional meetings; worship planning; sermon study/prep; bible study; fellowship dinner, dashing here and there – oh did I mention that’s just today?

How can you keep going if you never take time to rest?

Sunday April 25th – Tuesday April 27th

Our busy schedules keep us gong 24/7 with very little time to regain our strength and renew our bodies and souls for the ministry we have been called. We make time for what we believe is important. Jesus took time to get away to rest and pray to regain his strength for the ministry he was called. Lead by his example, we too need time away for rest and prayer. So get out your calendar and mark these dates then go online and register to attend. We look forward to your presence this year!

Download the registration forms and poster at: http://www.uppermidwestcc.org/2010/04/05/2010-clergy-womens-retreat/

Not all church camps are the same. And with a name like A.D.a.M. camp, you can expect this one to be an original - a classic.

This camp is for those who don't fit the "camper" mold. This camp is for you:

• if you're Chi Rho (completed 6-8th grade) or CYF (completed 9-12th grade) age
• if you prefer staying in hotel rooms rather than in cabins or in tents outdoors
• if you like free space and time to be creative
• if you prefer the adults to be mentors rather than supervisors
• if you like to take all the time you're given and then rush to create something at the last minute ... and have it turn out better than you expected ...

Directors Scott Stillwell and Anne Gregory have lined up experts to come in each day and teach about their artistic medium. We already have a visual artist, a dance instructor, a singer/songwriter ready to come in and help with the camp. We are thrilled that the Christian Conference Center is giving us this GIGANTIC space inside to fill with creativity. You should be prepared to create anything and everything. Every night we'll have a performance or showcase -- a "gig," if you will -- and then a cast party where we celebrate God's inspiring gifts to us from that day.

The camp is in honor and memory of Adam Barnett, a young man who tragically died in February 2008. Adam was a camper at the Christian Conference Center and his family and friends have pooled money to help underwrite this camp and to continue helping others realize - on Holy Ground - the gifts God gives them.

One of our flagship ministries as "Disciples Together" is our summer camping program, primarily hosted at the Christian Conference Center in Newton, IA.

July 6-8, 2010     PeeWee Camp
June 14-19, 2010     Junior Camp #2
June 28-July 3, 2010     Junior Camp #3
July 12-17, 2010     Junior Camp #4
July 26-31, 2010     Junior Camp #5
July 8-10, 2010     Junior Camp #6 Mini
June 14-19, 2010     ChiRho Camp #7
June 21-26, 2010     ChiRho Camp #8
June 28-July 3, 2010     ChiRho Camp #9
July 12-17, 2010     ChiRho Camp #11
Aug. 9-14, 2010     ChiRho Camp #13, non-rustic
July 26-31, 2010     CYF Mission Camp #14
June 21-26, 2010     CYF Camp #15
July 19-24, 2010     CYF Camp #16
Aug 2-7, 2010     CYF Camp #17
July 19-24, 2010     Mission Trip Prep Camp
June 10-11, 2010     Grandcamp #19
June 11-12, 2010     Grandcamp #20
July 10-11, 2010     Grandcamp #21
Aug. 12-15, 2010     Family Camp
July 5-10, 2010     ADAM Camp
June 14-19, 2010     Equestrian Camp #1
June 28-July 3, 2010     Equestrian Camp #2
Sep. 12-14, 2010     Golden Years Camp (over 55 years old)
July 9-11, 2010     Adult Canoe Camp

Promotional posters and registration forms are available online if you want to print them out. (Otherwise, they should be in your congregations).

Camp Poster (formatted for 8.5 x 11"): http://www.uppermidwestcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/2010_Summer_Camp_Poster-8.5x11.pdf

Camp Descriptions: http://www.uppermidwestcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/2010_camp_descriptions.pdf

Camp Registration Forms: http://www.uppermidwestcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/2010_CAMP_REGISTRATION_FORM.pdf

Tex Sample, a retired seminary professor and master storyteller, guided the event "Come! Sample Simply Stories: No Bragging, No Complaining Simply Stories of the Spirit Moving in Our Congregations!!" The event was hosted at FCC Ames, IA and was planned by the Congregational Transformation Task Group.

Participants were prompted to bring their own stories (around 250 words) to the event and to be willing to share them in small groups. The day was loosely divided into three sections (each with reflections from Sample and then prompts to start discussion):

• Transformation: Share the symbols and stories of God's work of transformation without your congregation. ... All over the region splendid things are happening. And this point in the conversation is to pull that out: how is God working? How are you different because of the life of Jesus? What is the spiritual magic that is occurring in your people? Share the words.
• Resistance: What are some moments or some stories where conflict, struggle, resistance happened in your own congregations?
• Now what?: Gather with the people you came to this event with. What have you heard? What have you resonated with? Where do we go from here? Now what?

Sample concluded the day with a summary and recap of what he overheard as he went around and eavesdropped on all of the discussion groups through the day. He closed the meeting with a reference to Paul Tillich and an illustrative story showing the point: "A 'no' cannot rest on a 'no'. Find the underlying 'yes' that allows them to still hold that 'no'." To see pictures of the event or to watch a video of Sample's closing remarks, visit: www.uppermidwestcc.org

Special thanks go to Tex Sample, to the Congregational Transformation Task Group for organizing the event, to FCC Ames for graciously hosting the gather, and to Scott Stillwell (Minister of Music at West Des Moines Christian Church) for leading us in song during Worship and lunch times.

Revs. Don Hiscox, Bette Klein, John McKinstry

Bette Klein and Dennis Arnold were licensed during the Sunday mornings services on March 21st. Klein, who serves as youth minister at First Christian Church Coralville was installed at their service. Arnold, who serves at Our Lord's Church, a non-denominational Christian Church in Solon, IA.

Both Bette and Dennis have been involved in the Region's LMEP program. (LMEP stands for Licensed Ministry Educational Program).

Don Hiscox, Regional Minister for Congregational and Clergy Care, presented Bette and Dennis with their licenses during morning worship.

Communication habits have changed rapidly in the past several years - and at time, those changes have been overwhelming for even the most "plugged-in" people. For the next several months we will experiment with some different forms of communication. Not everyone is on Twitter; not everyone is on Facebook; not everyone reads electronic newsletters, nor does everyone read paper-printed newsletters. We are trying to adapt our styles to not leave anyone behind.

Adam Frieberg, our new regional minister for communication, has designed a new regional website which will go live at the www.uppermidwestcc.org address soon. This website is based on Wordpress, a popular blogging software, and will hopefully allow information to be organized and communicated more clearly.

Adam also designed our new regional logo. At the root of our identity as "Disciples Together" is the conviction that none of our congregations can do ministry alone. It is not in our DNA - in our identity - to be alone, either.

In the coming issues of the DT Express we are changing e-mail vendors, experimenting with different paper layouts, and we are sending direct mail copies to users who request printed versions.

We are also cleaning up our e-mail recipient list. The message at the top of this e-mail is the start of this spring cleaning.

• If you no longer want to receive the DT Express via e-mail (and we all know there's too much unwanted e-mail in the world), please unsubscribe by clicking here.
• If you want a friend or congregation member to receive the DT Express, send them to this page and let them sign-up themselves.
• Printed poster-size DT Expresses will be delivered to each congregation to post.
• Our new e-mail vendor allows us enough control of our e-mail's layout that we are no longer creating separate printable PDFs. Our new layout prints in easy-to-read size and fonts on most printers.

Do you want affordable youth worker training? What if it was friendly and appropriate for volunteers, lay leaders, casual youth leaders, or anyone else who even talk with youth?

Midwest Youth Worker Event

Who: Mark Riddle (http://www.markriddle.net/) speaking, ANY youth worker should attend
When: September 10-11, 2010 (Friday, Saturday)
Where: Christian Conference Center in Newton, IA
How much does it cost?:

• $20 if you just want to attend Saturday’s sessions ($20 includes meals)
• $45 (for Friday night extended learning time, hotel room, meals, event registration)

Mark Riddle is author of “Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors” and “The (un) Official Church Staff Manual: Youth Pastor Edition.”

Please direct questions to Dan Mayes (dan@spencerdisciples.org), pastor of First Christian Church, Spencer, IA and member of regional youth unit; or, Melanie Van Weelden (melanie4399@gmail.com), Regional Minister for Youth Ministry.

In upcoming issues of the DT Express we will post workshop offerings and registration information for the School for Congregational Learning. Saturday, August 28th, 2010, hosted by West Des Moines Christian Church. Until that information is available, however, please visit the regional website and watch videos from our keynote speaker: Jose Morales (the Transitional Regional Minister for the Central Rocky Mountain Region).

Jose brings authentic witness to how being a faithful Disciples means each of us must negotiate between competing worlds and competing values. As Jose claims in one of the videos: "I call myself a Pentecostal, Evangelical Liberal. And the reason I'm a Disciple is because I can be all three of those - at the same time - because at the table, all are called to proclaim Jesus Christ ..." Save the date for August 28, 2010.

Plans are already underway for this year's region-wide gathering event - "Regional Assembly Presents: Disciples Network." The assembly will be held on Saturday, October 9, 2010 at the Christian Conference Center (located just outside of Newton, IA).

In the Spirit of Disciples Together, we've planned a day of fun activities. Some of the fun activities include:

• Food booths hosted by various congregations around the Region
• Horse-drawn wagon rides
• Tours of the Christian Conference Center grounds
• Outdoor games & activities for adults, youth & children
• Live music all day
• Team Competitions (get your team together!) such as these races:
• Communion cup filling
• Setting up & taking down chairs & tables
• Lawn mower
• Worship in the Outdoor Chapel
• Workshops & demonstrations
• The annual Region-wide business meeting

We need congregations' help in hosting food booths. Looking for a fundraising opportunity? Wanting to show off your cooking skills? Visit the regional website and download the food booth form and submit it by June 1st, 2010.

We're thrilled that this is another way to be "Disciples Together."

Submitted by Sarah Webb

All across Iowa people are caring for God’s creation by starting a Cool Congregations program in their faith community. Cool Congregations is an Earth Stewardship program that invites participants to work in small groups to reduce their impact on the earth by measuring their carbon footprint and taking simple steps towards fulfilling a faith-based pledge to cut their energy use, saving money in the process.

Bring a team from your congregation to a training workshop to learn how to get your faith community involved in a 'Cool Congregations' stewardship program. Saturday, April 24 at Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Indianola and Saturday, May 15 at Community of Christ Church in Coralville. Register online at iowaipl.org/calendar Cool Congregations is a program of Iowa Interfaith Power & Light, gathering people of faith to protect creation.

Contact Sarah Webb at coolcongregations@iowaipl.org for more information.

Editor's Note: This story comes from a member of First Christian Church in Des Moines, IA. It was shared through the "Come Sample Simply Stories" event on March 20, 2010. Look for more stories from that event to show up on our Shared Spirit page -- and, please submit your own stories

Author: Terri Holmgren
In December, just a few days before Christmas, an 84 year old man from our church was a victim of an attempted carjacking. He was knocked down, from behind, on his way out of a local grocery store. He refused to get in the car with the attacker. His attacker drove off, went a couple of miles, pulled over, and shot himself in the chest, committing suicide.

The attacker was 37 years old and left a wife and a couple of small children. Our church member immediately opened up a fund to help his attacker’s family. Less than a week later, he was in church, making a request for our members to help fill the fund for this man’s family. He started the fund with $500.00 out of his own pocket. That is a lot of money for someone who is 84 years old. Our fund resulted in nearly $6000 for his family.

Our church member said, “I feel sorry for him. He must have had reasons for going through all of this. My line of thought is that he probably was a decent person and he needed some money, fast.”

This man is a perfect example of our church’s ministry philosophy. If someone needs help and we can help them, we do. We endeavor to find a way to love them the way Jesus told us to.