Christian Church(Disciples of Christ)
Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)
Contact: news@cm.disciples.org
96b-69
August 9, 1996
By W. Evan Golder, United Church News
ORANGE, Calif. (DNS) -- The American-Asian organizations of
two major U.S. denominations, the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ) and the United Church of Christ, are calling for the
"phased removal of all U.S. military bases and personnel from
Okinawa."
The resolution was passed as the two groups, American Asian
Disciples (AAD) and the UCC's Pacific Islander and Asian-American
Ministries, met for the first time in a joint convocation, forging one
more link in the partnership initiated in 1985 between the two
denominations.
Meeting on the campus of Disciples-related Chapman University
here from July 25-28, the convocation attracted about 150 people,
including 40 Disciples, 75 from the UCC and 35 youth from
both churches.
The resolution on Okinawa, passed first in separate sessions and
then in a joint session, also requested that the issue be considered
in 1997 by the Disciples' General Assembly and the UCC's
General Synod.
In a separate session, the Disciples group adopted a new name:
North American Pacific Asian Disciples. The proposal for a
more inclusive name was first proposed in a 1994 AAD
convocation. Backers contended the new name would more effectively
welcome Canadian Asians and Pacific Islanders to the group.
The Rev. Robert Steffer, executive minister of the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) in Canada , urged adoption of the name change
at the Chapman convocation. While voting for the change, the Rev.
John Lau, a member of Park Avenue Christian Church in New York
City, said he hoped it would encourage participation by Canadians
in the group's programs but was "not optimistic."
Speaking to the theme of the convocation, "In Step with the Spirit"
(Gal. 5:25), the Rev. Richard L. Hamm, Disciples general minister
and president, told the group, "It is time for us as individuals and
as the church to tell the truth in the presence of God... then we
will be in step with the Spirit."
"The trouble with the spirit is it never gives certainty," said the Rev.
Rita Nakashima Brock, a Disciples layperson who teaches at
Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., while leading a Bible
study. "It gives confidence, but it never gives certainty. That lack
of certainty is the edge of growth."
Led by quadriplegic Robbie Vierra-Lambert and his mother, CyCy
Lambert of RVL S.C.O.R.E (Spinal Cord Organization for
Regaining Excellence), the youth group workshops dealt with
how focusing on the Holy Spirit can make a difference for the whole
individual in all aspects of life. The workshops included time spent
blindfolded and in wheelchairs.
Newly elected NAPAD officers are: moderator, the Rev. Nobuyoshi
Kaneko, Tucson, Ariz.; treasurer, the Rev. Dong Gook Roh, Marietta,
Ga.; recording secretary, Rita Nakashima Brock, St. Paul, Minn.;
newsletter editor, Jeri Sias, Lawrence, Kan.; theologian-in-residence,
Dr. Timothy Lee, Torrance, Calif.; and at-large delegate, Orlando
Marcelino, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Newly elected PAAM officers are: moderator, Ms. Bennie Malayang,
Cleveland, Ohio; vice moderator, the Rev. Ron Fujiyoshi, Honolulu;
secretary, Chris Low, San Diego; and treasurer, Stephanie Yee,
Long Beach, Calif.
The 1.5 million-member United Church of Christ and the nearly
one million-member Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) declared
themselves "ecumenical partners" in 1985. American-Asian and
Pacific Islander congregations are among the fastest growing in
both denominations: the UCC with 5,000-6,000 members in more
than 100 churches of 6,145; the Disciples with 3,000-4,000
members and 47 congregations out of 4,007.
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