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In this issue:
- Disciples Theology Professor Becomes General Secretary Of National Council Of Churches
- Disciples Descend On Texas To Help Build Homes In A Blitz
- Ecumenical Group Urges Preparation For Scheduled Peace Summit; GMP Talks Peace In Washington
- Help For Churches Managing Estate Gifts
- Thanksgiving Special Offering To Be Received Nov. 11 And 18
- Broad Range Of Christian Traditions Meet In Kenya
- Iowa Senior To Benefit From Endowed NBA Funds
- Four Elected To Disciples Of Christ Historical Society Board
- Former National Benevolent Association Worker Dies
- New York Clergy Organizes Relief For Storm Ravaged Dominican Republic
- DHM To Host California Conference Focusing On Spiritual Development For All Ages
- Veterans Day Ceremony At Transylvania To Feature World War II Soldier
DISCIPLES THEOLOGY PROFESSOR BECOMES GENERAL SECRETARY OF NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
 Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) clergyman and seminary professor Michael Kinnamon has become the ninth general secretary of the National Council of Churches (USA). He was unanimously elected by paper ballot on Thursday, Nov. 8 by delegates attending the annual General Assembly of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC), which took place Nov. 6-8 in New Jersey and New York City. More than 200 delegates from 35 Christian communions attended the assembly. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a member communion of the NCC.
"There is a general consensus that this is a very exciting moment for the National Council of Churches," said General Minister and President Sharon E. Watkins. "Michael Kinnamon brings a seasoned theological mind and a great ability to articulate a passion for the wholeness of the Church. He also has a proven commitment to seeing God's justice made known on the earth and he's one of our most important mentors to a new generation of ecumenical leadership. All of this combines to make him the right leader for this moment. It's a proud moment for Disciples to be able to offer one of our own into this kind of leadership."
For more about Kinnamon's installation, go to: www.ncccusa.org/news/071108kinnamoninstalled.html
DISCIPLES DESCEND ON TEXAS TO HELP BUILD HOMES IN A BLITZ
 Week of Compassion (WOC), the relief, refugee, and development ministry fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), will donate a $100,000 challenge grant on Monday, Nov. 12 to Habitat for Humanity of Jefferson County, Texas, to pay, in part, for five homes. This week, WOC partnered with Habitat, and the Office of Disciples Volunteering on the second annual "2 Homes in 2 Weeks Blitz Build" project in Beaumont, Texas.
The project, which is designed to complete the Habitat homes within a matter of a few days, requires a significant number of workers to complete. Dozens of Disciples volunteers have heeded the call for help and gone to Beaumont from as far away as Idaho and Florida to help construct the first two houses. WOC is giving the challenge grant in hopes that it will attract enough additional donations to build at least three more Habitat homes in the area, which was impacted by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina in 2005. To get more, see: www.disciples.org/dns/Releases2007/07178.html
ECUMENICAL GROUP URGES PREPARATION FOR SCHEDULED PEACE SUMMIT; GMP TALKS PEACE IN WASHINGTON
 The National Interreligious Leadership Initiative wants the United States to be more assertive as it prepares for the Middle East peace summit, which is scheduled to take place later this month in Annapolis, Md. In a letter faxed to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice on Nov. 1, the Initiative (NILI) urged Palestinians and Israelis to improve the chance for success at the upcoming summit by working to end all violent attacks and counter attacks through achieving a comprehensive ceasefire prior to the start of the summit.
The NILI letter also pressed the Palestinian Authority to confiscate illegal weapons and disband militias, and advised Israel to halt the expansion of settlements and lift restrictions on movement for Palestinians on the West Bank by decreasing the number of checkpoints. General Minister and President Sharon E. Watkins was a co-signer of NILI's consensus statement, "Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Peace: From Crisis to Hope" in December 2006.
For more about NILI, see: www.ncccusa.org/news/071101riceurged.html
In addition, Watkins attended a meeting in Washington this week of a select group of rabbis, clerics, bishops and patriarchs from the Middle East. The religious leaders, who together form the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, have been in discussions with United States Ambassador Tony P. Hall and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick for the past eight months on behalf of Secretary Rice and members of Congress. For more, visit: www.disciples.org/dns/Releases2007/07179.html
HELP FOR CHURCHES MANAGING ESTATE GIFTS
Gifts from donors' estates are a special blessing. These gifts, received from the saints of our congregations, are often their final testimony that the church is called to stretch and serve many future generations. What a great gift this testimony can be to all of us! Yet in all of the work that we do, one paramount consideration deserves special focus: We must make it a priority to understand and to honor any donor restrictions on gifts made to the church.
The Christian Church Foundation has just released a new resource to help congregational leaders understand their role as a steward of these gifts. A copy of the booklet is available for download at www.disciples.org/ccf/PDF/managingestategifts.pdf (PDF), or quantities can be ordered free of charge by calling 800-668-8016.
 THANKSGIVING SPECIAL OFFERING TO BE RECEIVED NOV. 11 AND 18
The annual Thanksgiving special offering goes to support seven theological institutions and 14 Disciples colleges and universities. These schools serve 23,000 students and emphasize spiritual faith and values while working to prepare students for life and leadership.
Help support the development of future leaders for our Church by giving to the Thanksgiving special offering, this Sunday, Nov. 11 and on Nov. 18. For more information and offering resources, see: www.disciples.org/dns/newsletter/linkredirect.asp?id=071026a
BROAD RANGE OF CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS MEET IN KENYA
 Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, exhorted a room packed with Christians attending the Global Christian Forum in Kenya to take risks. "I hope that we take the risk of working together," and to forge "new relations among ourselves and between our churches" so that "Christian unity may be strengthened, quite apart from the self-interest of any one institution," said Kobia. His comments were made at the opening of the forum, which is taking place in Limuru, Kenya Nov. 6-9.
The gathering has been called the broadest range of Christian traditions ever brought together at a global meeting, and has drawn some 240 representatives. Nearly two dozen Christian traditions are represented at the forum including Anglican, Baptist, (Roman) Catholic, Friends, Methodist and Pentecostal.
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is represented by Robert K. Welsh, president of the Council on Christian Unity. For more, see:
www.disciples.org/dns/newsletter/linkredirect.asp?id=071109a
IOWA SENIOR TO BENEFIT FROM ENDOWED NBA FUNDS
The National Benevolent Association, doing business as Disciples Benevolent Services, has released interest earnings to a senior resident of Ramsey Brookdale Village in Des Moines, Iowa. The funds have been held until such time as NBA could carry out the express intention of the donors, according to NBA President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Hagemann.
The recipient is a Disciples minister, now vision impaired, who has resided at the Ramsey Home for more than 20 years. The resident doesn't have family except the church and does not receive enough in pensions and Social Security to stay in residential care, so the churches and individuals assist with regular gifts.
The endowed funds were designated to assist persons living in NBA senior care facilities who outlived their resources. Charitable gifts made to such benevolent care funds were restricted and therefore exempt from NBA's previous bankruptcy settlement. For more, go to: www.disciples.org/dns/Releases2007/07180.pdf (PDF)
FOUR ELECTED TO DISCIPLES OF CHRIST HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD
The Disciples of Christ Historical Society elected four people to serve in its board of trustees' class of 2010 at its annual meeting on Nov. 3.
Robert (Bob) Drechsler of Hillside Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Wichita, Kan., Miriam Gentle of National City Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Washington, D.C., and Nancy Kleinert of Vine Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Nashville, Tenn., were elected as new members of the board. Don Nunnelly of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Frankfort, Ky., was elected to serve a second term.
The Historical Society acts as the memory for the Stone-Campbell movement and houses the world's primary collection of materials related to this unique faith story. In addition, the Historical Society serves as a platform for the unity of all faiths and promotes dialogue among Stone-Campbell congregations, as well as the greater faith community. Learn more by visiting: www.disciples.org/dns/Releases2007/07182.html
FORMER NATIONAL BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION WORKER DIES
A former administrator of St. Louis Christian Home for Children, who also served at the National Benevolent Association, has died. Robert D. Chambless, 85, died recently in Raymore, Mo., where he had been living at the Foxwood Springs Living Center since 2002. Chambless was administrator at the St. Louis Christian Home for Children for three years. He later served in several positions for the treasury department at the NBA for 10 years before retiring.
Chambless served churches in Blue Mound and Barnett, Ill., and interim ministries in Gainesville and Moberly, Mo. He was born in St. Petersburg, Fla. in 1922. He graduated from the University of Miami and later Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University in 1950. To learn more about him see: www.disciples.org/dns/Releases2007/07181.html
NEW YORK CLERGY ORGANIZES RELIEF FOR STORM RAVAGED DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
The United Clergy Federation of Greater New York, along with the Progressive Voter's Network, and the Guardian Angels came together with many Latino elected officials from the Puerto Rican and Dominican community in New York in an appeal to the community to help the victims of Tropical Storm Noel in the Dominican Republic. Noel killed more than 140 people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti and caused extensive property damage there last week.
The group is asking for assistance from United Church of Christ and Disciples churches in gathering donations of food, water, medicine and clothing, which they will send the storm victims. For more information, contact Jose Lantigua, president of the United Clergy Federation of Greater New York, 1 Bennett Ave. Suite #35, New York, N.Y. 10033, or call 347-207-2829 or 973-618-2808, or visit: www.disciples.org/dns/Releases2007/07183.html
DHM TO HOST CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE FOCUSING ON SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL AGES
 Disciples are invited to southern California in January for a Disciples Home Missions event, "Exploring Life through the Spirit." Mark Yaconelli, an author and co-founder of Youth Spirituality Project, will be the keynote speaker of the joint conference of Christian Church Educators and Children Welcome, which will take place Jan. 24-27, 2008 at Chapman University in Orange, Calif. Yaconelli is the author of "Contemplative Youth Ministry," and "Growing Souls."
The conference will focus on spiritual development for all ages and appeal to both laity and clergy. In addition to Yaconelli, presenters from across the U.S. will lead discovery groups.
The weekend will be filled with exciting and innovative worship, practical learning opportunities, training in Children, Worship & Wonder, examining adult, family, youth, and children's spiritual formation, networking, Bible study, anti-racism work, and more. Children's programming along with infant care will be available. Chapman University features outstanding accommodations, including an on-site holocaust museum, new performing arts center, and easy access to Disneyland. To register, go to www.childrenwelcome.org or for more information, contact Disciples Home Missions at: www.discipleshomemissions.org/ContactUs.htm
VETERANS DAY CEREMONY AT TRANSYLVANIA TO FEATURE WORLD WAR II SOLDIER
 Transylvania University will host a Veterans Day celebration on Nov. 11 that will feature special reflections given by a 91-year-old World War II veteran and a performance by a quintet from a U.S. Army band. George Hendricks, an Army sergeant who served in North Africa and Italy during World War II, will deliver a special reflection on his military service during the ceremony, which will be held in Transylvania's Carrick Theater.
The guest speaker for the ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will be Sylvia Lovely, chief executive officer of the Kentucky League of Cities and president of the NewCities Institute. Lovely has received national recognition for inspiring people to create positive change. Transylvania University is associated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and located in Lexington, Ky. To get more on the ceremony, visit: transy.edu/news/arch_story.asp?id=367&storyDate=11/5/2007&obj=index
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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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