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In this issue:
- Christmas Special Offering Approaches
- Disciples Care Network Will Hold January Meeting In Florida
- General Minister And President Comments On The Plight Of Iraqi Refugees
- United Church Insurance Company Holds Annual Meeting
- Former Missionary To South America Dies
- Pension Fund Board Approves Increases To Ministerial Relief And Supplemental Gift Pensions
- Special Advent Congregational Resources Are Now Available
- Marathon Training Pays Off For Members Of Indiana Church
- Lilly Endowment Announces 2007 National Clergy Renewal Grants
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL OFFERING APPROACHES
 The Christmas Special offering, which supports the work of regions, will be received in congregations on Dec. 16 and 23. By giving to the Christmas offering, you help equip congregations to spread the Good News of God’s love throughout the world. With the gifts they receive, regional ministries help support congregations through ordaining, licensing and maintaining current ministers as well as through planning, visioning and pastoral care. Regions also help grow faithful Disciples through camp, conferences and youth ministries.
For additional information on the offering, contact your regional office.
DISCIPLES CARE NETWORK WILL HOLD JANUARY MEETING IN FLORIDA
The annual meeting of the Disciples Care Network (DCN) will take place Jan. 20-21 in Tampa, Fla. Beth Skidmore, Executive Director of the Child Welfare Institute in Chicago will lead an educational workshop on Jan. 21 about board development. Skidmore is highly regarded for her knowledge of national trends impacting nonprofit agencies. She will share cutting-edge ideas to maximize effective board relationships.
DCN is a newly recognized network of human service agencies in covenant with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In just over two years, DCN has grown to more than 80 agencies providing care for more than 37,000 people annually in 27 states. Early registration for the January annual meeting is encouraged. The advance hotel rate of $105 per night expires on Dec. 20. To read the upcoming meeting schedule, go to: www.disciples.org/dns/releases2007/07191.pdf
GENERAL MINISTER AND PRESIDENT COMMENTS ON THE PLIGHT OF IRAQI REFUGEES
General Minister and President Sharon E. Watkins recently visited Israel, Palestine and Lebanon as part of a Global Ministries trip to the Middle East. Her trip included opportunities to meet with Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders, as well as to visit schools, religious sites, and interfaith centers. She also spent three days in Damascus, Syria at a World Council of Churches (WCC) meeting that allowed Protestant and Orthodox members of WCC to further explore their relationship.
Last week, Watkins shared her reflections on the growing Iraqi refugee crisis in the Middle East. In an article she wrote for both Week of Compassion and Global Ministries, she talks about the situation of the 2.5 million refugees from Iraq who are exhausting local relief efforts in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon and recounts the poignant stories of Iraqi refugees that she met during her travels. To read her reflection visit the Week of Compasssion website at: www.weekofcompassion.org/pages/updates/nov0720.html or Global Ministries website at: www.globalministries.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2029&Itemid=376
UNITED CHURCH INSURANCE COMPANY HOLDS ANNUAL MEETING
 The United Church Insurance Company (UCIC) board met Nov. 7-8 in Honolulu, Hawaii, electing two new board members and approving the 2007-2008 budget.
Erick D. (Rick) Reisinger, Indianapolis, Ind., Vice President of Church Extension of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and treasurer of the UCC Insurance Board (IB), was elected to a three-year term. Also elected was Glen Priuksma, Seattle, Wash., retired consulting actuary who is an IB board member as well.
Board members approved an annual budget of $6 million, including $5.8 million in expected losses.
The UCIC was incorporated in 2001 in Hawaii as a subsidiary of the United Church of Christ (UCC) Insurance Board. Currently it is responsible for all property claims for IB participants up to $500,000. In the past year the ICIC self-insurance program has paid out $6.1 million to UCC and Disciples churches on claims. For more information, go to: www.disciples.org/dns/releases2007/07189.pdf
FORMER MISSIONARY TO SOUTH AMERICA DIES
Ralph (R.Q.) Quincy Adams, a former missionary to Paraguay and Venezuela, passed away on Nov. 16. He and his wife, Annamae, served in Paraguay from 1946-1964 and in Venezuela from 1973-1975. Annamae passed away in 2005.
In Paraguay, the Adams' started the first rural evangelism work done in that country by Disciples. In Venezuela they served with the Evangelical Pentecostal Union of Venezuela (UEPV) in an experimental cooperative ministry of church and community development. Messages of condolence can be sent to John Adams, 2107 Lakeview SW, Alburquerque, NM 87175. To read more, go to: link www.disciples.org/dns/releases2007/07190.html
PENSION FUND BOARD APPROVES INCREASES TO MINISTERIAL RELIEF AND SUPPLEMENTAL GIFT PENSIONS
 The Board of Directors of the Pension Fund of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) recently approved increases to Ministerial Relief and Supplemental Gift Pensions, effective Jan. 1.
Recipients are eligible retired clergy, lay retirees and surviving spouses who have little or no contractual pension from their service to the church. Resources for these pensions come from gifts to Ministerial Relief and Assistance and endowment income. This is the first increase in more than three years.
The Board also elected three persons and re-elected two to serve three year
terms on the Board of Directors as of Jan. 1.
The Pension Fund provides retirement benefit, health and related
investment and insurance programs for clergy and lay employees of the Christian Church with assets in excess of $2.7 billion. To read more about the Nov. 8-9 meeting, go to: www.disciples.org/dns/releases2007/07193.pdf
SPECIAL ADVENT CONGREGATIONAL RESOURCES ARE NOW AVAILABLE
 Disciples Home Ministries (DHM) is reminding Disciples of two special resources for the Advent season. DHM has created programming resources for Advent, which is celebrated the four Sundays before Christmas, Dec. 2 to Dec. 23, in joyous preparation for Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ.
DHM also has posted the resources of an Advent Daybook on its website, which comes as a free gift from several Disciples clergy and two congregations in the Northwest region. Joan Dennehy, of Findlay Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Seattle, Doug Dornhecker, Disciples Scholar in Residence at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Olympia, Wash., and Laurie Rudel, of Queen Anne Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Seattle collaborated on the daybook through a partnership with DHM. To access both resources visit DHM's website at: www.discipleshomemissions.org
MARATHON TRAINING PAYS OFF FOR MEMBERS OF INDIANA CHURCH
 First Christian Church in Shelbyville, Ind., has a number of outstanding church members, who are also excellent runners in long distance races. Their training and running skills paid off recently, when 12 of them competed in the Indianapolis Marathon. The participants not only completed the race, but came away from the competition with a few awards.
Pastor Nathan Wilson, who also ran in the race, reported that one of the church’s two all-women’s teams - The First Christian Shelby Hoppers - placed first in the female division. The co-ed team placed third. “All three teams trained hard, had lots of fun and enjoyed beautiful weather,” said Wilson, of the 26.2 mile run that was held on Oct. 20. To read more, visit: www.disciples.org/dns/releases2007/07192.html
LILLY ENDOWMENT ANNOUNCES 2007 NATIONAL CLERGY RENEWAL GRANTS
Six Disciples congregations and their pastors will benefit from 2007 national renewal grants provided by the Lilly Endowment.
This year, 132 congregations in 37 states were selected to participate in the program that allows pastors to step away from daily parish life and engage in a period of renewal and reflection.
Rebecca Littlejohn of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Anniston, Ala., is one of those pastors. “Authenticity, passion and creativity” will be her guiding words as she embarks on her renewal program. She and her husband, Todd, will initially spend time in Florence, Italy. She later will stay for three weeks at the Blessed Trinity Shrine Retreat near Fort Mitchell, Ala., for rest, creative work and spiritual direction. “It is time,” she said, “to renew my spirit, my faith and my passion for ministry.”
Other Disciples congregations and pastors receiving grants include: Western Oaks Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, John I. Regan; Woodlands Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Ponca City, Oklahoma, Paul M. Krueger; First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Eugene, Oregon, Daniel E. H. Bryant; University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Austin, Texas, Mary Lu Johnston; and Olive Branch Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Norge, Virginia, Ronald H. Riffle.
To learn more about the program call the Lilly Endowment at (317) 916-7350 or go to: www.lillyendowment.org/religion.html
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Editor: Wanda Bryant Wills
E-mail: news@cm.disciples.org
If you are interested in submitting news for distribution in the Disciples News Service, please review our "Guidelines for Submitting News and Information to Disciples News Service":
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