• Something old, something new ... ("Called Assembly" Summary)
• Bill Spangler-Dunning called as Regional Minister
• The Resolution for a Disciples Together Form of Ministry
• News Flash: Potluck Had Too Much Food!
• Camp Cleanup Day (April 30, 2011)
• 2011 Summer Camp Information
• Speaker and Time for School for Congregational Learning
• Don Hiscox Retirement Party

226 people assembled to ...

• decide how to decide future ministries?
  • Yeah, but it was more than that
• formally call the leader who'd already been leading us?
  • Yeah, but it was more than that
• learn how to re-speak, by offering our "two cents" on the region's future?
  • Yeah, but it was more than that

We assembled, bringing our food for a potluck and shared meal, because our churches are serving God at our best, when we're serving together. At the end of the day, we said "let's keep doing this."

It was a glorious day both inside and outside Highland Park Christian Church, which hosted the Called Regional Assembly this past Saturday (April 9th, 2011). The highlights of the day were the passing of The Resolution for the Disciples Together Form of Ministry and the calling of Bill Spangler-Dunning as the new settled Regional Minister and President!

At 9:30, before the Assembly, the Regional Board met to respond to a recommendation from the region's Personnel unit.

In January a survey went out to all clergy, was mailed to congregations, and was available on the regional website - asking for opinions and feedback on Bill Spangler-Dunning's leadership and the region's transition time. Based on the survey results, the Personnel unit recommended the board immediately call Bill as the "settled" regional minister.

Tim Diebel, current regional moderator and pastor of FCC Des Moines, noted to the assembly that Bill is owed sabbatical time and the Personnel unit prefers he take that time sooner rather than later.

With Don Hiscox's retirement, and with Bill Spangler-Dunning's upcoming sabbatical, the region is short-staffed. So beginning with this assembly (on April 9th), four current regional members are being raised up as Partner Regional Ministers.

• Bill Mitchell - Keokuk, Iowa
• Julie Gibson - Newton, Iowa
• Jim Wakelin - Ottumwa, Iowa
• Tammy Rottschaefer - Minneapolis, Minnesota

will be serving as regional staff part-time. They'll be serving in whatever capacity is needed; but specifically, they'll work with congregations in "search and call," and pastoral and congregational care. These four will still continue to work in their congregations, but the region will be "renting" some of their time, hence why their titles will be Partner Regional Ministers. The regional "office" will still function normally. Connie Derby Dicks will still be fielding calls and directing our staff best suited to handle your needs.

Jim Wakelin, Tammy Rottschaefer, Tim Diebel, Bill Mitchell, Julie Gibson and Bill Spangler-Dunning

The Resolution brought by the Vision Task Force, and forwarded by the Regional Board, aims to restructure regional decision making. After presentations, a 90-minute question and answer period, the voting church representatives voted 195 in favor, 4 opposing, and 2 abstaining (blank ballots) to adopt this new structure.

Randy Ehrhardt, minister of West Des Moines Christian Church, presented the resolution in a presentation/lecture/sermon/pep-talk/story/confession.

"It's so easy for preachers, for all of us really, to lose our voices. Often to things completely out of our control.
We use them too much; or our listening skills have been in hiatus. Sometimes we're no longer heard because what we have to say is no longer relevant.

For many reasons, the Christian Church in the Upper Midwest found itself not being heard as much.
It wasn't that vast numbers of people were upset with the region. In many ways, that would have been easier to deal with. Because during this time, there was some absolutely amazing ministry happening. We need to be grateful for all the faithful decisions made during those years and all the hope that was proclaimed!

We're here to move on today. The average person sitting in the pew is no longer feeling connected. In many ways, apathy is tougher to deal with than negativity.

The region needed to do something before its voice was down to a whisper.
When "Disciples Together" spread throughout the region, it found our vocal cords. It was a movement toward a new way, and ... also an old way, of being church. A powerful reminder of how the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) started in the first place. And how we flourished across the great frontier.

Our charge: what new structure would complement our new vision? We unite around God-inspired calls. Ministries are developed around relationships, passion, discernment. Finding out our passions for ministry and exploring ways to do them. People who feel a call, to do something together in God's name -- I think I can get excited about that.

Earlin Shanno, minister of Oakland Christian Church, offered the benefits as he saw them as a pastor of a small church:

"Small churches are going to have equal representation! I don't have to get a letter anymore that says "if you have less than 100 people in your church, you only get this ..." We can come to an event, vote, be heard, and enjoy being church. So for me, this new vision is about carrying us all together in God's name.

Dave Clark, minister of Ankeny Christian Church, pointed out that :

How do we get laity more involved in the church? We've all read Acts, chapter 2, and we know that when the Disciples come together, what happened? Fire! We wanted fire, energy, passion. And we wanted to build a structure that wasn't clergy-dominated. We looked at our history and said "you know what? No one ever thought it was a good idea to have a Disciples pope!" Nobody ever said "let's have a church run by the clergy because they're so wonderful!"

So how do we transition? How do we have it so laity are coming up with the ideas and the agenda for our region? How does it become something that's not top-down like every other bureaucracy? We do it with the people gathered together, sensing what God is doing in their midst - connecting.

Our vision is based on a fundamental idea: when people get together, there's passion, there's fire, and the world can change. We've read the book. We know the story. Now we have to re-align our history, our agenda, with what we know we're supposed to be about. So this structure liberates the laity and puts them in charge. And we made it hard for the clergy to take over.

Georgia Woodward and Wende Bristow Barrett

Shocking! (We know!)

This uplifting note comes from Cheryl Barclay, Highland Park CC

I think we need to lift up the first miracle and mission that occurred Saturday under the new regional structure. I was one of the last to go through the potluck line and amazed at the selection of food that remained. My thought was the feeding of the 5000 and extras we had. And that leads to the mission. Most people brought their food in disposable containers and didn't come to pick up after the Assembly. What was left was gathered up and taken to the homeless shelter -- thus a mission. And since it was a weekend that was even more important since they had no one scheduled to bring in food. Just one more way we could join our mission to God's.

A note from Bert Burns:

Just wanted to send out a quick reminder that Work Day at the Camp is coming fast. Saturday morning, April 30th, at 9:00 a.m. we will get to work. Lunch will be provided and we plan to be done at 4:00 p.m. Bring everyone you can think of :) More hands make light work, or something like that :) Thank you for all support, be it labors of love, thoughts, or prayers. If you have a group who would like a special project, contact me (bb@uppermidwestcc.org) and we will get you one :) Have a great weekend and a very blessed Holy Week.

Are you between the ages of 7 and 90? Do you dream of going to summer camp? Over 1000 campers will attend at least one of our 24 summer camps in 2011. Most of the camps take place at the Christian Conference Center, our Region's foremost symbol of our churches' ministry as Disciples Together. Don't miss out.

The camp theme this year is "Potluck" - get ready for the deep spiritual lessons that come when we say "please" and "thank you."

Camper Registration forms are at http://www.christianconferencecenter.org/camps/
Counselor Registration forms are at http://www.christianconferencecenter.org/camps/camp-counselors/

Questions? Please contact Bert Berns, our Regional Minister for Camp and Conference Center Ministries at bb@uppermidwestcc.org or (641) 792-1266.

The School for Congregational Learning planners chose Christian Piatt as this year's worship preacher.

Christian is a Disciples minister, blogger, and author of the "Banned Questions" book series by Chalice Press.

August 27th, 2011
West Des Moines Christian Church
Theme: Great Awakening 2011

If you or someone you know have something you want to teach, tell us: http://umw.cc/hWKrsT

Don Hiscox, former Regional Minister for Clergy and Congregational Care, announced his retirement in January. Don has since finished with regional ministry and is on sabbatical until June. He offered some personal remarks following the announcement.

Don's retirement party will be hosted at Capitol Hill Christian Church, 3322 E. 25th Street, Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, May 14th, 2011.

Don's new e-mail address is don.b.hiscox@gmail.com