Title: Great preaching, good workshops mark Sessions 2000
Date: July 13, 2000
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: news@cm.disciples.org
00c-36
INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- Great preaching and good workshops. Hot weather and warm fellowship. Singing, singing and more singing.
All were part of Sessions 2000, the quadrennial gathering of Disciples Men, July 6-9 in Des Moines. Some 350 men and a few women met at First Christian Church near the Drake University campus for inspiration and good ideas, fellowship and renewed vigor for men's ministry.
"New Leadership for a New Era" was the theme of the gathering, and each worship speaker addressed a different component of the theme.
During evening worship July 6, the Rev. Alvin O. Jackson called on the men to be persons of integrity. The pastor of National City Christian Church, Washington, D.C., warned that integrity is a gift we have to work at, a calling, a journey. "Let the last chapter of your life story be, 'God, judge me, for I have walked in my integrity.'"
The growing walls of hostility and violence in today's world make it increasingly difficult to love others as God has loved us, said the Rev. Stephen Boyd, professor of history of Christianity and historical theology, Wake Forest University, Winston, Salem, N.C., on July 7. Boyd challenged the men present to recognize themselves as "householders" or "itinerants," and to take the steps for understanding and reconciliation. "If we persevere, there is a promise," he said.
Speaking July 8, the Rev. Doug Adams had his congregation cheering, booing, applauding and laughing numerous times as they helped him make his point. The professor of Christianity and the arts at Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, Calif., said the most effective way to serve as a mentor to others is to follow the example of grandparents. Grandparents, he said, love inclusively and freely share the memories of weakness and failure.
General Minister and President Richard Hamm sent the men "out into the world," speaking at closing worship on the morning of July 9. Don't think you have to wait until you are a perfect person to witness for Christ, he said. Many biblical persons shared their witness with great effectiveness in spite of glaring personal faults.
Sheldon Henderson, president, General Conference of Disciples Men, said, "I could tell that God's Holy Spirit was working once again on the men that chose to attend Sessions 2000, as it always does at these gatherings. However, the real success of the event will be the effort of 350 men providing 'New Leadership for a New Era' when they return home."
In addition to presiding at some of the sessions, the versatile president also sang tenor with "The Ambassadors," a gospel quartet, and drove the bus chauffeuring folks to the mission work site.
Those who made the short trip to Laurel Hill Park in Des Moines, assembled and installed play equipment purchased with Disciples Men's annual Pancake Day breakfast funds. In addition to picnic tables, benches, jungle gym and swings, much perspiration was left at the site as the temperature reached a humid 93 degrees.
Music was an integral part of the event. Each session started with singing led by the Rev. Rick Linn, Lakeview Christian Church, Dallas, Texas, and accompanied by Otis Lloyd, retired professor, Jarvis Christian College, Hawkins, Texas. Each evening worship service featured special music, with an after-session performance following the service. On July 6, "The Ambassadors," a gospel quartet from Des Moines performed. On July 7, the Men's Chorus, First Christian Church, Odessa, Mo., shared their musical witness. "The Praise Band" of Wyatt Park Christian Church, St. Joseph, Mo., sang and played during evening worship July 8. Band members range in age from 11 to 69.
Workshops ranged from "Using the Internet" to "Where Have All the Young Men Gone." Attendees could also learn about eldership, humor in the Bible and being mentors. The men met daily in small groups to reflect on each evening's sermon.
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