Title: Grandmother, granddaughter bring first light to assembly
Date: October 9, 1999
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: news@cm.disciples.org
99e-67
Cincinnati General Assembly
October 8-12, 1999
Cincinnati Convention Center
Room 233
(513) 784-6014
CINCINNATI (DNS) - - When most people picture acolytes, cherub-faced preteens come to mind. But the first worship service of the 1999 General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) offered a new vision-that of a 69-year-old grandmother sharing the light of Christ with her 16-year-old granddaughter.
"I don't have a ponytail," said Velma Case, explaining the difference between herself and the acolytes in many churches.
Case, who has been a member of the Christian Church for 55 years, the last two at Woodlands Christian Church in Ponca City, Okla., joined her granddaughter, Jamie Ray Madison, in opening the service. Jamie is a member of Rolling Oaks Christian Church near San Antonio, Texas.
According to the Rev. Lori Adams, executive minister for transformation, the committee that planned the service wanted to celebrate the church's diversity as well as symbolize the passing of the torch to future generations.
"It's not a large part," Case said, "but it is an important one."
Making the moment even more special to the Case and Madison families is the fact that Jamie suffers from Ataxia-Telangiectasia. A-T is a progressive, degenerative disease that affects between 1 in 40,000 to 1 in 100,000 children. The disease attacks various bodily systems, particularly the muscular system, resulting in a loss of muscular control. Jamie's two brothers, Braun and Andy, also are affected by the disease.
Although A-T is incurable, Jamie's family is deeply involved in raising funds for research. A few years ago, Case, along with her husband, Bob, raised $10,000 through a golf tournament in Oklahoma City. Last year Jamie's parents, Amy and David Madison, raised $70,000 through two events in Texas, Case said.
"We are all working, praying and hoping that something will happen before it is too late for the kids," said Case.
According to Adams, Jamie's attitude makes her a perfect symbol for the assembly's theme, "The Journey NOW." "If anyone understands what it means to live the journey now, it's Jamie Madison. She's that type of kid."
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