• New Innovative Models of Ministry
• Camps Begin For Summer
• Responding with Week of Compassion in Joplin, MO
• June 29th - Regional Golf Outing
• June 12th - Pentecost!
• Who Are These People?
• Scholarships for Musical Summit
• School for Congregational Learning
• Senior Adult Retreat - September 11-13th
• Fall launch planned for Upper Midwest School for Ministry
• Standing Secure (from Plymouth Creek CC)
• Bob Green, CPE Director, Honored
• Youth: Apply for Upper Midwest Youth Council (UMwYC)

Bill Mitchell
Partner Regional Minister

The DTE (Disciples Together Express) is filled with new and innovative models for ministry. Regionally, we have a new Regional Minister and President, Bill Spangler-Dunning, and a new vision for being Disciples Together. Each month, congregations are highlighted for their unique ministries which offer inspiration and direction to other congregations.

During BSD's sabbatical, the Christian Church in the Upper Midwest is attempting a new, unique staffing model for regional ministry. The staff is part time, not full time. They are geographically dispersed, not centrally located. Each was chosen for their individual gifts and skills. Not only will our region be trying how this model works, others will be watching as well. We want to have a nearby or properly gifted regional minister partner available to you to minister to personal or congregational needs. We can be reached by calling the regional office (515.255.3168) or the regional website (uppermidwestcc.org).

Please, pray for Jim Wakelin, Ottumwa, IA; Julie Gibson, Newton, IA; Tammy Rottschaefer, Minneapolis, MN; Julie Gibson, Newton, IA; and Bill, Mitchell, Keokuk, IA. Please pray for our regional minister, Bill Spangler-Dunning and his family as he rests and prepares for his new ministry.

Summer camp is about to begin!!!

The camp staff has arrived at the Christian Conference Center and have been busily preparing for the 24(!) camps this summer. The newly-arrived interns are in the spirit to GO GREEN! They started this summer's camp trend of recycling and using reusable plates for the salad bar and picnic! Camp’s theme this year is Potluck: Please and Thank You. On Monday evenings campers will have a "stone soup" meal. Each camper has been asked to bring a can of vegetables of their choice to add to the soup pot. All unused cans will be donated to the local food pantry!

Camp Offering this year will go towards the purchase of tools for the brand new tool trailer that was donated to the Conference Center. This trailer will be used for any projects on grounds, but churches can also borrow it when they are going on or doing mission projects.

June is a busy month and the staff, directors, counselors and campers at these camps need your prayers:

• Junior Camp #2 - June 13-18
• Chi Rho Camp #7 - June 13-18
• Chi Rho Camp #8 - June 20-25
• CYF Camp #15 - June 20-25
• Junior Camp #3 - June 27-July 2
• Chi Rho Camp #9 - June 27-July 2

Also, if you want to send encouragement to the campers or counselors from your congregation, write to them:

• By e-mailing them at christianconferencecenter@gmail.com (put their name and the Camp's name (i.e. Junior Camp #2) in the subject line)
• write them at [Camper's Name - Camp Name], 5064 Lincoln Street, Newton, IA 50208

And for those last minute packers / planners, don't miss what to bring to camp and when to arrive and to leave.

Look for more stories and pictures from camp throughout the summer editions of the DT Express!

The tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri on May 22nd caused lots of devastation and death. Disciples in the Joplin area lost many homes and had damage to their church buildings. Mike Weinman, area minister in the Mid-America region, wrote:

On Tuesday last week I was walking with Jill Michel, the senior pastor of South Joplin Christian Church. We were visiting some of her members' homes -- at least the places where they once stood. We came to the home of Avis Stiles, 91 years young. Her children, Amy Duell of Colorado and Richard Stiles of Kansas City, were at the home, looking through the splintered wood that once made up her walls and the shattered furniture they used to sit on during their visits home.

We stood in a circle, sharing stories of how "Mother" tried to make it to the bathroom during the tornado in search of a safe space. All of a sudden, however, the front door disappeared and the walls crumbled.

When she realized where she was, she was almost waist deep in the remains of a shattered home. ...

Read the rest of Mike's reflections in the PDF Week of Compassion Update

Of the two Disciples congregations in the Joplin area, South Joplin Christian Church had damage to their sanctuary, fellowship hall and basement. 600 gallons of water pumped out of basement following the storm. First Christian Church thankfully didn't have damage. The first night it served as an emergency shelter, but once the better emergency shelters were setup, it served as a supplies depot to coordinate the "things" people needed following the storm.

Many people ask, "what can I do?!?"

For now, the best way that you can respond is to "Pray, Pay, and Stay": pray for all of those affected, that they might find healing, hope, and support. Provide a donation to Week of Compassion's response fund, which will go to meet immediate needs and long-term recovery initiatives. Finally, wait. There will be opportunities to lend a hand. However, now is not the time for unskilled volunteers.

Week of Compassion already has responded with solidarity grants for the Joplin community. To learn more about how your gifts through Week of Compassion can make a difference to those affected by the storms, go to: www.weekofcompassion.org

June 29th, 2011

What: "Shotgun tee off, four person best ball" game of Golf
Where: Countryside Golf Course, Norwalk, Iowa
When: June 29, 2011
Sign in at 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. - Coffee and donuts provided
Cost: $50 per person

Fee includes 18 holes, followed by dinner.


You and your favorite friends from your congregation are invited to the Annual Regional Golf Outing.

Come by yourself or Come with a partner(s) and we’ll pair you up to complete a foursome.
Bring your own foursome or two foursomes! Or three!

This event is not just for clergy, it’s for all Disciples Together in the Upper Midwest Region; lay persons, clergy, hackers, duffers, big hitters, one-putters, 10 handicap, 20 handicap, whomever!!!

Bring your own Pastoral Relations Committee. Bring your Elders. Bring your family. Y’all come!!

For $50 a church may sponsor a hole:

• Make your own t-box sign to go on the hole you sponsor.
• (Each church will design, create, display and pick up their sign after the outing)
• Receive $10 discount for up to 4 golfers.
• Receive 4 EXTRA mulligan tickets.

Prizes for a Hole-in-One
The following are limited to specific holes:

• $20,000 Cash!
• Premium Electronics Package
• 5 Day/4 Night Cruise for 2 People
• 2 Round Trip Airline Tickets

TO REGISTER (and for answers to any questions), please call or email:
Jim Wakelin, Partner Regional Minister at 641-226-2426  jim@uppermidwestcc.org
Or
Connie at the Regional Office: 515-418-0809  cddumw@gmail.com

Flyer and Info

Pentecost -- the Church's celebration of the start of new communities of Christ-followers. This Sunday, June 12th, many churches collect a special offering for the New Church movement among Disciples. In the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, the early church is described with a few crisp qualities:

• They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
• Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.
• All who believed were together and had all things in common;
• they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.
• Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts,praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

New churches don't just form out of nothing. Lots of love, care, and gifts go into these new communities. Gifts of money, prayer and energy that other congregations can often share. One of these new communities in our region is Open Source Rochester in Rochester, MN. Feel free to use this video when talking about new churches forming in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.

As mentioned at the beginning of this newsletter, Bill Spangler-Dunning is on sabbatical. Also, Don Hiscox announced his retirement in January and finished active work with the region on March 31st. So for the rest of the summer, four Partner Regional Ministers are covering those ministries. Here are the four ministers, geographically deployed throughout the region.

Click on their pictures for contact information

	Bill Mitchell Bill Mitchell moved to Iowa with his family in 1984. His family is still active in regional ministry. He was minister of First Christian Church, Keokuk, for 26 years.
	Tammy Rottschaeffer Tammy Rottschaefer is serving as the lead minister at Lake Harriet CC Minneapolis, MN. Her interests include spiritual formation, interpretive liturgical prayer movement, group mission participation, walking & bird watching. She is married to Paul, a mother of two sons, and grandmother of one grandson.
	Jim Wakelin Jim Wakelin lives with his wife, Diane, in Ottumwa, IA where he is the pastor at Davis Street CC. His greatest love is for God, his family, and 2 dogs! He also enjoys fishing, swimming and computers.
	Julie Gibson Julie Bishop Gibson lives in Newton with her ecologist husband, Doug. They are members of Mitchellville CC. Julie has just completed work with Grant Park CC in Des Moines. A spiritual director and workshop leader, Julie can often be found in the garden or hiding in the shade with a book this time of year.

Hey Friends,

I’m writing to let you know about an exciting opportunity for Disciples in the Upper Midwest. The Congregational Transformation Task Group is sponsoring 10 full paid scholarships to a summer musical summit of UCC and Disciples, “A Musical Summit for the Progressive Christian Movement.” Please see the attached forms for more information about registration, and visit the link below to learn more about THE SHIFT. If you are interested in going and receiving one of the scholarships, please email me at pwitmer@covenant-christian.org. The commitment we ask for in return is for you to be willing to share some of what you learn with the rest of the region, through gatherings, worship, workshops (SCL) as it seems appropriate. Let me know if you have questions and/or interest. And please pass this information along to other musicians and worship leaders.

Peace, Paul Witmer
http://www.shiftmusic.org/ShiftMusic.org/Welcome.html

	Event Information
	Registration Form

Workshops are in for School for Congregation Learning. Congregations, look for promotional materials + registration forms to arrive in the next 10 days (or so). Also, a special edition of the Disciples Together Express (DTE) will come to your email inboxes with details on workshop content, how to sign up, and other activities planned for August 27th.

Dear fellow pilgrims,

Here is an invitation that I hope you can’t resist! You are warmly invited (encouraged, urged) to attend the Senior Adult Retreat, Christian Conference Center, Newton, IA - Sunday, September 11– Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The retreat theme is "Renew Your Mind", and we will be learning a great deal from our keynote speakers (Roslyn Gunnick, Sue Woods, Adam Frieberg, and Julie Gibson). Thanks to medical advances we live longer and healthier. As we live longer lives, how do we keep our minds fresh? Join us as we learn together about the brain and aging, life long learning, spiritual practices, and the tools of technology we can use today.

We’ll have interesting keynotes, meaningful worship, and great singing. Add to that, lots of fellowship activities, leisure activities, wonderful food, comfortable lodging, and an optional work project to benefit the Conference Center. What a grand 48 hours!

And here is good news: The cost is $100 to stay in the Lodge at the Conference Center (2 nights & 6 meals). What a deal!

We will be collecting an offering at our closing worship to help us raise funds for “camperships” (camp scholarships) to help our young people attend church camp next summer. This Holy Ground has been a blessing to many, and we would like to help others experience God in this place.

Our planning committee has been working hard to provide a retreat that will enrich our lives and deepen our spiritual growth. We hope that you will make this event a high priority ~ and plan to attend!

We are really looking forward to being with you on Sunday, September 11 – Tuesday, September 13. Hope you will put those dates on your calendar right now, then fill out a registration form and send it to the Conference Center.

Peace to you,
Sue Woods (College Ave CC, Des Moines)
Suzanne Stout (First Christian Church, Des Moines)
Karen Fausch (First Christian Church, Nevada, IA)
2011 Retreat Co-Coordinators

In July 2009, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) adopted a new "Order of Ministry" to help identify and form new ministers for our many different types of congregations. One of the direct impacts from that decision was to change the word for non-ordained ministers from "licensed" to "commissioned." Like much legislation, this document described this wider understanding of ministry, but left out the specifics of how it would work. With General Assembly quickly approaching, the region has changed its program for these ministers' training.

Up to this point, the Christian Church in the Upper Midwest called these ministers "licensed ministers" and trained students by offering occasional workshops, a self-guided reading program, and an intentional relationship with a mentor.

We're now structuring a curriculum to help commissioned ministers gain some foundational theological training that will help them in the congregations they are commissioned to serve. The curriculum is non-accredited (so students aren't promised seminary credit for work done in these courses).

We know there will be many questions on the program, so look for information in the coming months (or email Jan Linn, the "Dean," at spiritofjoy@spiritofjoymn.org). Here are the highlights:

• Curriculum will be offered in a 3-year sequence.
• One year will be Church History (2 courses)
• One year will be Bible (2 courses)
• One year will be Theology (2 courses)
• These courses will be offered as an online 10-week course with the first and last classes of each course being "in-person" in the best central location for the participants. Courses will be "pass/fail" and not for grades.
• There will also be a Practice of Ministry course taught by intensive Friday/Saturday retreats.
• The retreats will primarily be for Commissioned Ministry students; courses will be open to all clergy for continuing education credits.

So ideally a student in the Commissioned Minister program will have flexible scheduling during five years to take the six courses and to attend six of the Practice of Ministry retreats. They will also have more intentional activities with their mentors during their training.

All of these changes were decided by a team from the region's Commission on Ministry. Jan Linn, currently co-pastor at Spirit of Joy Christian Church in Lakeville, MN, is serving as the program coordinator for this new curriculum. He can be reached at spiritofjoy@spiritofjoymn.org or at 952.406.2193.

Also, the first course will start in September -- "Church History: New Testament to Reformation", taught by Tim Diebel (Senior Minister of First Christian Church in Des Moines, IA).

Editor's Note: This comes from Shane Isner, pastor of Plymouth Creek Christian Church in Plymouth, MN. It appeared in their newsletter last month. The above picture is from a recent baptism at Plymouth CC.

[My wife] Tabitha and I have begun looking at homes to buy; our first ever such purchase (Yeah!) (Yikes!). Which means we're now occasionally taking walks through other people's homes. There are fun parts - kitchens, living rooms, backyards; moderately-fun parts - bathrooms, closets, pantries. Then, there's the basement. Basements don’t often have 'fun things' to see. Lots of concrete. Maybe an old washer and dryer. But mostly, these basements weren't designed for, say, entertaining guests.

Still, we go to the basement in every house we look at. Why? You know - The Foundation. The first home we entered, the basement floor was cracking and brittle. Much of the house, otherwise, looked wonderful, but it’s like an underground lake was prepping to explode into the home at any moment. We won't be making an offer. We saw other houses with foundation questions, some consequential, others less so. I like certain things about house shopping much more than checking the foundation, yet I know that's what makes a building worth occupying. Or not.

Ready for the metaphor shift? Say it with me- “So it is with churches.” Our ultimate foundation, of course, is as secure as can be imagined. Christ has risen! But for every church, the unique elements that build their edifices of faith must hold together, or the entire structure could crumble. And by that, I don’t simply mean the building where they worship. I mean the stuff supporting the work and worship they do - stewardship, hospitality, administration ...

[Church leadership is often] like walking through a basement - not real exciting, but vital. Indeed, that the Board takes time not simply to listen to reports, but to reflect seriously on church policy, i.e. the beams and foundation stones that make our church unique, should make us feel good. That work isn’t always amusing, but it provides vision and security that, with God’s help, will help us thrive over the long-term.

Editor's Note: Last month we discovered one of our region's hospital chaplians was honored for the work he does teaching other chaplains and ministers. Congratulations to Bob and to all of the Iowa Health System chaplains. And thank you also to all of our non-congregational ministers serving throughout the region.

Bob Green, Associate Director of Clinical Pastoral Education at Iowa Health System - Des Moines, was named at the Presidential luncheon of the national meeting of the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education,inc. last week, as an Emerging Leader in the Organization. ACPE is the only HEW recogonized interfaith educational program in Clincal Pastoral Education. The program at IHS-Des Moines is the only program in the state of Iowa which currently offers all levels of education in CPE, including residencies. There are about 400 centers around the country and about 600 certified Chaplain Educators. Bob recieved this prestigious award for his work as Chair of the North Central Region Accreditation Committee (Seven midwestern States, 85 centers) and for his work on the National Accreditation Commission. He has been at Iowa Health System - DSM for five years and has greatly contributed to its residency program for chaplains.

Who: Youth in 10th or 11th grade in Upper Midwest Region
What: UMwYC is a group of youth and adults who serve and lead
When: UMwYC gathers 6-8 times per year for leadership development, faith development and planning the different youth events in the region. Serving on UMwYC requires commitment, but we hope that many are up to the challenge.
How: Fill out the application

Liz and Doug Searles, two of our region's Global Mission Partners will be in the U.S. from May - December, 2011. Their email address is thesearles@gmail.com and their Skype username is Flight128. Use the online form to have them contact you and hopefully visit your congregation.

We are Rev. Douglas and Dr. Elizabeth Searles, serving since 1997 in international ministries in India, China and now Central Europe. Jointly appointed by Global Ministries and PCUSA, we relate to three denominations: United Church of Christ, Christian Church/Disciples of Christ, and the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Our call is to walk with Kosciol Ewangelicko-Reformowany (KER), the Evangelical-Reformed Church of Poland, a minority and marginalized church. Our work seeks to support evangelism, church growth, ecumenical relations, and outreach.

One new outreach is to Roma, formerly known as Gypsies, who have been residents of Europe for over 500 years. Stigmatized, loathed and persecuted, they face severe human rights challenges. We have begun to build relations that will encourage capacity-building, advocacy and other ecumenical efforts towards acceptance, access and inclusion for Roma.

Easter Morning at Central Christian Church in Jefferson, Iowa started with an interpretive dance. Nicole Shilling, Molly Hoskins, Ava and Eliot Schilling, and Lydia Leggitt all contributed to what Pastor Deb Griffin calls "the most beautiful interpretation of grief and resurrection that I have experienced." The dancers danced to "Angel Standing By" and "Amen" by Jewel. You can watch the full video by clicking on the image below: