General Assembly News - Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

CONTENTSMessage from Sharon Watkins,general minister and president 3Global Ministries introduces Congo Initiative 4Who Are We?: Identity Initiative materials available 5Racial/Ethnic ministries celebrated together 6Chalice Press announced new translationsthanks to Reconciliation Ministries 6National Benevolent Associationintroduced new mission 7Week of Compassion brought joy 7Disciples Church Extension Fundand Hope Partnership for MissionalTransformation celebrated partners 8Learning communities were everywhere 9National Convocation prayer warriors led session 9Volunteers spread out to four sites 10Youth energy was infectious 10Christian Church Foundation honored congregation 11Disciples Women shared joy, tears 11Business items 12Chaplains’ breakfast highlighted ministry 13Disciples Home Missions supportersgathered at reception 13Pension Fund breakfasts featured great speakers 14Watkins’ mediation on Zimmerman verdict 15By the Numbers:Total Number of RegisteredAttendees: 4,034Total Attendees from Florida(host) Region: 276Youth (11-17): 394Young Adults (18-30): 267Seminarians: 135Mission Volunteers: 6013th Check Offering:$26,191.00 includingdonations at the boothWeek of Compassion Offering:$19,678 including $3,217received at their morning eventReconciliation Ministry Offering:$9,482Disciples Mission Fund Offering:$11,296Toolboxes postedEven if you weren’t atGeneral Assembly, you canaccess some of the learning.Handouts and presentationsfrom many of the sessionsare posted on the GeneralAssembly page at: http://www.disciples.org/gaVideos availableMost of the videos - reports, worship, presentations -from General Assembly are posted online and available fordownload or available from Green Hill Productions. You canaccess them on the General Assembly website at:http://www.disciples.org/ga2CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013

From General Minister and President Sharon WatkinsMovement. Wholeness.Welcome. Table.The keys to our Disciples identity statementwere all in evidence at the 2013 GeneralAssembly in Orlando. At worship, we literallygathered around a table. In business we wrestledwith what it means to be whole thoughof different opinions. In education, we were equipped for themission of healing and wholeness God invites us to share.Much has been said of our decliningnumbers – however, at GA 2013,Disciples celebrated the blessing andthe mission God calls us to right now.The Sunday night Celebration ofMission (formerly known as State ofthe Church) was an invitation to ministryin the 21st century context. The21st century is a time of increasingdiversity, of technological revolution,and where our neighbors do notknow the love of God. But this iswhere we are called to share God’slove. God has often made much ofsmall numbers. The story of Gideonin Judges 6-7 comes to mind. AtGeneral Assembly we celebrated themission of congregations and regionaland general ministries – all workingto manifest the wholeness of thereign of God at hand. We shinedlights in the darkness and we noted:If we look to God’s future rather thanour past, we face a bright horizon.Our internal wholeness was tested atGA. Current events and a neighboringconvention as well as currentswithin our own Church shaped theassembly in ways we could not haveimagined. The movement of the Spiritseemed strong as the assembly consideredtwo emergency resolutionsand an Item for Reflection andResearch – all dealing with controversialand painful issues around raceand racial justice in the United States.True to our Disciples character, we donot hold a singular perspective aboutthe events that led to the death ofTrayvon Martin and the GeorgeZimmerman verdict nor about theSupreme Court decisions regardingthe Voting Rights Act of 1965 –events that affected a collective gaspof despair among Black and Brownbrothers and sisters just at the timewe met. It seemed fortuitous, however,that the NAACP convention wasright next to ours. It meant that weDisciples, as a movement for wholeness,had an opportunity to extendthe ministry of presence with hurtingbrothers and sisters. It meant thatmembers of the NAACP ReligiousAffairs committee could reciprocateand offer heartfelt greetings to us.Welcoming all to an open table was atheme throughout, but especially aswe approached resolution GA-1327- Becoming a People of Grace andWelcome to All. It reaffirmed our corevalue that even in our differences ofopinion and approach; we cometogether at the Lord’s Table. The discussionsshowed we are not all ofone mind on nearly any issue, nevertheless,whether we identify as aconservative, moderate or liberal,God does not label us as anythingbut God’s beloved child. As hard as itmay be, we Disciples strive to liveinto that welcoming posture shownso vividly in the life of Jesus.We launched an identity initiative tohelp Disciples witness to our callingin Christ, based on the four keywords of the identity statement.Movement: both of the Spirit and ofour own Church communities;Wholeness: our struggle to be unitedbut not uniform, diverse but notdivided;Welcome: to all, though not necessarilyaffirming all points of view;Table: that place where the story ofJesus is enacted, where we meet theliving Christ, become again the Bodyof Christ and are sent forth with thelove of Christ to love our neighbor.We are Disciples of Christ, a movementfor wholeness in a fragmentedworld. As part of the one Body ofChrist, we welcome all to the Lord’sTable as God has welcomed us. AtOrlando, we reaffirmed that the Tableis broad and diverse, but there isroom for all.CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013 3

Congo Initiative LaunchedGlobal Ministries is excited to announce thelaunch of a new initiative designed toencourage individuals and congregations toform deeper connections with internationalpartners. In seeking to enable Christian Church(Disciples of Christ) and United Church ofChrist (UCC) constituents to experience adeeper understandingand closer connections t oparticular partners,while continuing theongoing work withpartners globally,Global Ministries is focusing attention on aspecific region of the world. For the next 18months we will be focusing on our partners inthe Democratic Republic of CongoThere are a number of reasons for this specific focus. In2011, both the UCC Synod and DOC Assembly approvedresolutions calling for reflection, education and advocacyon behalf of the Congo. Over the past decade,approximately 6 million people have been killed in ongoingconflict and war for control of the Congo’s vast mineralresources. Any of us who currently use cell phones andcomputers benefit from these mineral resources thatcause so much death and misery. In addition, we have along history of engagement in the Congo and today,through Global Ministries, the Christian Church (Disciplesof Christ) and the United Church of Christ continue thislegacy of connections and relationships. I Corinthians12:16 states that when one part of the body suffers, weall suffer. With a history and engagement in the Congosince 1899, we cannot ignore our calling to walk insolidarity with sisters and brothers there.This emphasis will involve manyaspects of engagement:• Bible study curriculum, written by both NorthAmericans and Congolese, focusing on issues suchas partnership and mutuality, HIV/AIDS andhealthcare, the rights of women and children, andthe access to and use of natural resources• People to People immersion trips to the Congo aswell as hosting delegates from the partner church/organization• opportunities to learn about and be involved inadvocacy issues which have been identified bypartners in the Congo• worship resources designed to help experience Godand faith in new and challenging ways.Our hope and prayer is that through these many andvaried experiences, we will better understand the issues,priorities, successes and struggles of sisters and brothersin the Congo and, in turn, be challenged to understandourselves, our world and our faith anew. In short, wehope that this emphasis puts a very real and personalface on God’s mission in the world as we engage withfriends.To learn more about this exciting new initiative, please visit www.GlobalMinistries.org/congo-initiative/4CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013

We’re a movement whose time has come!An Identity Initiative was launched at theGeneral Assembly in Orlando, a joint projectbetween the Council on Christian Unity andCommunication Ministries. Foundational to thework is the identity statement.We are Disciples of Christ, a movement forwholeness in a fragmented world. As membersof the one body of Christ, we welcome all tothe Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.Explaining the Disciple identity takes effort at severallevels. A summary of Disciple attributes is available onthe “Who We Are/Our Identity” page on disciples.orgunder the “summary” tab.First, the people within our faith communities need tohave an understanding of the shared traits of themovement. For this, the Council on Christian Unity hasdeveloped videos and accompanying study guides.Focusing on the identity statement, the words movement,wholeness, table and welcome are lifted up as centralconcepts for the Disciples way of working in the world.Videos are available online under “Who We Are/OurIdentity” on disciples.org with study guides under the“teaching” tab.In addition, pastors can share these basic traits in theirsermons, liturgies and other communications to helpmembers become more comfortable with the conceptsand language. Many congregations choose to use thepreamble to The Design as a way of connecting withDisciple theology during worship. Some use the identitystatement in various forms. Pastors might consider asermon series based on the principles behind the identitystatement as well or studies based on movement,wholeness, table and welcome. Those materials are listedon the “Our Identity” page under the “preaching” tab.Once our members have a grasp of our distinctive mixof attributes, we need ways to make these clear as weconnect with those who have not discovered thecommunity we find so meaningful. Invitation fromindividuals is proven to be the single most effective wayto connect a new person to the community, but thereare also other ways to help support our members tomake the “ask.” Materials to help with promotingthrough advertising are listed under the “telling tactics”tab.CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013 5

Chalice PresstranslationsChalice Press will have aKorean translation ofDisciples Thumbnail Sketchesready for free distributionsoon. A ReconciliationMinistry grant covered amajority of production costsfor the publication, whichsummarizes basic Disciplesbeliefs and practices in a wayvisitors or newcomers to thechurch can understand. Thetranslation will be provided atno cost to congregations,regions, general ministries,and the general public onchalicepress.com. Additionaltranslations are planned withthe ongoing support ofReconciliation Ministry,Disciples Home Missions, andseveral Disciples regionalministries.Hispanic ministries welcomesRIM director to after sessionBy Rev. Dr. Huberto Pimentel, nationalpastor for Hispanic MinistriesOur greathighlight of theGeneral Assemblywas thepresentation ofRev Dr. SharonStanley-Rea at ourEncuentro Hispano on Sunday night afterworship. Dr. Stanley-Rea is the newdirector of Refugee & ImmigrationMinistries at Disciples Home Missions.Her presentation at Encuentro Hispanowas enthusiastic and full of in-depthinformation regarding the recent newsabout the immigration law reform. Weare blessed to have such a prophetic andstrong advocate for a fair and justimmigration law. She encouraged all ofus to be active and strong requestingfrom our State representatives to beadvocates of a just and fair immigrationlaw.The National ConvocationHeritage Dinner a successBy the Rev. Dr. Timothy James, associate general minister andadministrative secretary of the National ConvocationWe were blessed to haveanother sold-out GeneralAssembly meal function. Wewere at capacity with threehundred persons present. Ourkeynote preacher, Rev. Dr.William Edwards, RegionalMinister and President of the Christian Church in Ohiobrought forth a powerful and dynamic word. Manyhave exclaimed that the message of Dr. Edwards wasamong the best heard at the Assembly. We wereblessed with inspirational music from the PraiseTeam of the Arise Christian Church there in Orlando,Florida where Rev. Sammie Robles is pastor. Wewitnessed warm recognitions given to Rev. TrayceStewart, the recipient of the 2013 Fred CraddockPreaching Award; Mr. Oscar Haynes MeritoriouslyAwarded for his Editing of the OLD TIMERSGRAPEVINE for the past 15 years; and Rev. Dr. JohnR. Foulkes received the status of “AdministrativeSecretary Emeritus” with a carte blanche passage toNational Convocation gatherings and meal functions.And from North American Pacific/Asian Disciples...was so happy to meet the family of First Christian Church of Charlotte, NC at GA. Over“I 20 people from this single church joined the GA! The church has warmly embraced theMontagnards, refugee people from Vietnam as their family and has eagerly worked tosupport them in the level of human rights. I was so thankful that they joined the NAPADLuncheon and shared their love with other NAPAD family. I especially appreciate thechurch leaders, Rev. Jolin Wilks McElroy and Rev. Nancy Carol Stahl as well as the churchboards for how they are serving them with the heart of Jesus Christ. They are a real NAPADcongregation seeking the transforming community with evangelical passion, radicalinclusiveness, and responsibility to the world.” by Rev. Jinsuk Chun, Executive Pastor of NAPADy favorite memory of General Assembly was the worship. We are so fortunate as“MDisciples to be in the pews on Sunday morning of some amazing preachers. Ouropening worship speaker was the Rev. Dr. R. Glen Miles who reminded us that all arewelcome at the Lord’s Table. All means all. That message set the tone for the entireGeneral Assembly for me and I hope many others and reminded us just how Christwelcomed us, we too can welcome each other.” by Pastor Mayon Marcelino, NAPAD Youth Minister6CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013

NBA introduces mission statementFollowing God’s call, the National Benevolent Association existsto inspire and connect the people and ministries of the ChristianChurch (Disciples of Christ), to accompany one another in thecreation of communities of compassion and care, and to advocatefor the well-being of humanity.– NBA mission statementAt the recent 2013 General Assembly, theNational Benevolent Association (NBA) of theChristian Church (Disciples of Christ) hosted aluncheon and program with 250 Disciples friendson Sunday, July 14, 2013. The gathering markeda time of celebration and sharing of new ministries and mission-centeredinitiatives for the NBA. The Rev. Belva Brown Jordan, member of the NBA Boardof Trustees, opened the meal with prayer and the invitation for all to hear of howNBA has worked to be in intentional dialogue withDisciples related to visioning and planning for new NBAministries. The NBA will incubate, initiate, and connectDisciples health and social service ministries so thatacross the denomination and in local communities there isthe opportunity to learn, collaborate, and grow strongertogether.Pastoral TableGeneral Minister and President SharonWatkins shares pastoral words alongwith Rev. Dr. Jinsuk Chun, executivepastor of North American Pacific/Asian Disciples, Rev. Dr. TimothyJames, associate general minister andadministrative secretary of the NationalConvocation, and Rev. Dr. HubertoPimentel, national pastor for HispanicMinistries.With a mix of multi-media video and personal reflections from three tremendousDisciples leaders and pastors-Rev. Virzola Law, Pastor of Discipleship andLeadership at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee,Rev. Yvonne Gilmore, founder and pastor of New Song Community Church ofColumbus, Ohio, and Rev. Jose Morales, Executive Regional Minister of theChristian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Central Rocky Mountain Regiontherewas a joyful spirit and invitation for all to be a part of how NBA initiates,incubates, and connects local congregations, committed Disciples, andDisciples-related, health and social service ministries.Rev. Gilmore reflected, “...this ministry that we share is about who we are. Weare the body of Christ, feeding multitudes, healing the sick, settling disputes,empowering communities, strengthening the church with a teachable spiritincubating new forms of prayer in the service of health because we are personsof sincere faith, to some a fragrance from death to death and others a fragrancefrom life to life. Together, we speak as persons sent from God, spreading thefragrance that comes from knowing God here and now.”Mark D. Anderson, President of the NBA, encouraged luncheon attendees tosign-up for continued updates about NBA ministries at nbacares.org. Andersonand members of the NBA Board of Trustees also expressed their gratitude andappreciation for the service and leadership of Rev. Belva Brown Jordan, whocompleted her tenure as chair of the Board of Trustees in June of 2013.James BrothersAll three expressions of the Churchwere present when the James brothersgot up to sing “Amen.” Titus is alocal church pastor in Kansas, Eugeneis a regional minister in Michigan andTimothy is associate general ministerand administrative secretary of theNational Convocation.CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013 7

Collaborative ministries celebrate partnership at General Assembly“Celebrating Our Partners” was the theme of the DisciplesChurch Extension Fund/Hope Partnership dinner, which wasdedicated to the memory of former staff Ray Brown andKathryn Williams. Guests also heard testimonials from Rev.William Barber, Greenleaf Christian Church, Goldsboro, N.C.and Rev. Amy Walters, First Christian Church, Olympia, Wash.,that speak to their vision for congregational vitality throughservice to community.At the Antioch Network after-session,new church leaders gave powerfultestimonies to the spirit andpassion that called them to newchurch ministry. These leadersrepresent the kind of plantersthat the Antioch Network wantsto attract – those qualified tostart churches with the potentialto grow to more than 500 peoplein worship.Dinner guests “celebrating” partners bymaking a mighty noiseRev. William Barber recounting how his grandmothertold him to “go out and ‘hope’ somebody”In support of a General Assemblyresolution encouraging congregationsto improve accessibility to thosewith hearing disabilities, DCEF alsoannounced a change to loan policiesthat now enables qualified congregationsto access Disciples ChurchExtension Fund’s Accessibility LoanFund more than once.On Sunday morning, Arise ChristianChurch, in partnership with HopePartnership’s New Church ministry,hosted worship for about 100 GeneralAssembly participants. A third-generationHispanic congregation led byPastor Sammy Robles, Arise ChristianChurch is a thriving congregationthat provides relevant ministry intheir neighborhood.Hope Partnership facilitated the“Missional Transformation” learningtrack. Rev. Dr. Reggie McNeal said inthe core lecture, “The church is notthe destination. When people forgetthat, when they get stuck in thatorbit of congregational life, we needto remind them of their true destination,which is to be salt and light inthe world.”8CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013

Learning communities help open mindsBy Tanya J. TylerFive learning communities were the backbone of a revampedlearning experience at the 2013 General Assembly. A corelecture on Sunday was followed by panel discussions onMonday and workshops Tuesday with a Wednesday wrap upsession for networking and reflection.The Missional Transformation trackhad sessions on buildings and how touse them to reach out to thecommunity. Rev. Arthur Hill ofMidway Hills in Dallas, Texas, andRev. Laurie Feille from Minneapolis,Minn., shared their stories of givingup church buildings, worshipping in aspace with two other congregationsand being creative with their spaces.Roda Grubb of First in McAllen,Texas, has a “Tribe of Dan” ministry,which enhances the worshipexperience visually by season, song,sermon and scripture. “It gives thecongregation a more visual way ofengaging,” she said. She chose thearts/media track. “We went to learnhow to widen our worship scope, andI learned our church is on the righttrack,” she said.Angela Pfile of Evergreen in Athens,Ga., also attended the arts track.“Just being around people going,‘Oh, you can do all these differentsorts of things’ made me realize I cando anything I want,” she said.“I did lectio divina,” she said. “It wasmy first experience. It was wonderful.I learned how to be silent and let Godreally speak to me. I really felt andheard God. This has taught mesilence is golden and I must be stilland know that God is real,” saidShadyne Williams from Memphis,Tenn.Williams looks forward to findingopportunities to share. “I’m going totake this back to my church and useit in women’s ministry and newmembers’ ministry and with ourelders,” she said.Stewardship track participant GlenAlsobrook Jr., moderator of the boardof First in Decatur, Ga., said he wasgoing to encourage his congregationto craft a narrative budget when hereturns home.“We’re talking about story,” he said.“We’re talking about the mission wewant to do. I learned not to getbogged down in the details of howmany paper clips you buy and howmuch pizza our youth group eats.This is about the big picture.”In this same module, Rev. Dr. DonGillett of East Second Street inLexington, Ky., spoke about Sabbathkeeping.“We talked about how to goabout creating this culture of sabbathin a congregation. The leaders haveto be involved. We need rest andrecreation and personal time withGod.”Prayer Meeting in the Spirituality TrackBy Rev. Dr. Timothy JamesWe are very grateful for the response to the invitation to prayer.Rev. Dr. Dale Braxton, associate regional minister for Alabama/Northwest Florida, and Rev. Dr. Alex Fletcher, pastor of UnityChristian Church, Fort Meyers, Fla. were gracious leaders in thisprecious and powerful service of prayer, testimony and praise.More than 100 were in attendance. There were confessions and“Sometimes we put the chairs in theround,” Hill said. “We put them in atriangle when we were talking aboutjustice – seeing the other. Space canbe defined by the message ratherthan the message by the space.”During the wrap-up on Wednesday,participants discussed importantquestions such as, “What might mycongregation need to let go of inorder to be more missionally engagedwith our community?”“We have to let go of being reluctantto share our building with outsidegroups,” said Jay Johnson ofLitchfield, Ill. “One of our parishionerssaid, ‘we let our insurance policy setour agenda.’ It really stifles our senseof outreach and mission.”The Sacred Conversation learningcommunity used several models todiscuss questions about the roles ofLGBTQI persons in the church; unity,war and peacemaking; andimmigration. Conversational modelsare available in the toolbox posted onthe General Assembly webpage:www.discples.org/gatestimonies that came out of a holy spirit of openness and gratitudeto the goodness and presence of the Lord. There was aspirit of faithfulness, hope, love and fellowship. Rev. BrendaCardwell, of the Capital Area, led us in “I Know What Prayer CanDo.” We had a good time in the Lord and we exercised our themeto the maximum. God is to be praised.CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013 9

Disciples “Get Dirty for Jesus” at 2013 General AssemblyBy Tanya J. TylerDisciples Volunteering teamed up with the local arrangementscommittee for volunteer opportunities at Second HarvestFood Bank of Central Florida, Wycliffe Bible Headquarters, theHarry P. Leu Gardens and Orlando Healthcare.Mindy Hamm (Indianapolis) said, “Iwas looking forward to doing it againthis year.” She put together shelvesfor the Wycliffe warehouse. StarrEllis, (Arkansas) was using a hammerto pound pieces of the donatedshelves together.The group that went to SecondHarvest was greeted with thankfulenthusiasm. Second Harvest serves500 agencies in six counties anddistribution has increased 75 percentin the past four years.The Disciples were taping labels oncans of corn. Rev. Kathryn Wilson(Ohio), was there with her daughter,Candis Wilson, and grandson KobeHughlett, 14.“We try to do this every time wecome to General Assembly,” Kathrynsaid. “Even when my daughter waslittle, we’d try to go at least one day.”“At Quadrennial I had done somethinglike this, and I absolutely loved it,”MJ Fitch (Illinois) said. “I wanted myhusband to experience it as well, sowe both signed up.”A third group of volunteers fromNaples, Fla. headed to the Harry P.Leu Gardens. Vegetables from thepublic gardens are donated to SecondHarvest.“One of the volunteers was fascinatedby all the tropical vegetation becausehe was from Colorado and it was sodifferent from what he was used to,”said Mary Beth Hodges, who, withhusband, Terry, worked with the localarrangements committee.Josh Baird, director of DisciplesVolunteering, was glad to see theturnout of volunteers despitecompetition from local attractions. Atotal of 60 people helped.“Because local folks have contacts inthe community, they know where togo,” he said. “They really do all thelegwork in terms of establishingcontact with those places. It takes alot of work to make that happen.”Youth did more than ‘party’ and collect pensBy Revs. Michelle Harris-Gloyer and Lee YatesThree hundred forty-sevenregistered middle school andhigh school youth participatedin General Assemblyyouth programming inOrlando. Though brightlycolored balloons marked thegathering space, they didmuch more than play. Theseyouth had their own worshipservices, learning opportunities,and they had a greattime building relationships.Some highlights included:• Exhibit hall scavenger hunt to understand how wedo ministry. Prizes provided by ministries andcolleges including Chapman University scholarships.• The Food Drive Prayer Wall that collected well over1000 food items• The Middle SchoolXP-erience with 92 sixththrough eighth gradersthat included guests fromBrite Divinity School,National Convocation andthe Office of GeneralMinister and President.• Discovery Tracks allowed youth to exploreeverything from Christian vocation to sexuality.• Business session learning and attendance atTuesday’s session followed by small groupconversations• Evening sessions included one sponsored byDisciples Colleges and Universities and another withphoto support from Disciples of Christ HistoricalSociety• “Many Cultures, One World” Disney YouthEducation Series at EPCOT. Follow-up curriculumavailable at www.discipleshare.net10CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013

Disciples Women at General AssemblyThe women of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) celebratedthe opportunity to reunite and celebrate together at theGeneral Assembly 2013. Disciples women led Sunday Schoolon human trafficking, shared leadership in learning tracks,checked in attendees seeking continuing education credits,assisted learning track leaders, staffed the Disciples Womenboutique, and served as hostesses at the DW luncheon.The assembly also was the kickofffor registration for the 2014Quadrennial Assembly. More than200 women registered at a reducedrate and received a free t-shirt.Pat Donahoo, the executive director,shared highlights from the ministryreport during a business session andat the luncheon reminding womenthat together “We are DisciplesWomen” which includes a widerrange of individuals than is oftenunderstood. These reports sharedthe many ways women are involved in leadership and ministry. A YouTubechannel has been created for Disciples Women where videos and a recordedbusiness report are posted. The use of the channel will be expanded to provideinformation to a broad audience on many topics of interest to womenacross the Church.Many were guests of “the Well” provided as a place forrelaxation and recuperation during the event whether inneed of a place to put your feet up or nurse your baby.After sessions were sponsored each evening offeringopportunities to reunite Woman-to-Woman Worldwidetravel mates, former committee members, etc.Disciples Women hosted a luncheon on the final day ofAssembly with nearly 600 women attending. Togetherthey celebrated the new ministry of Sheila Spenceras she moves her ministry from DisciplesWomen to Disciples Home Missions toserve as assistant to the president and directorof Christian Education and Faith Formation.Foundation honorscongregationJames P. Johnson, president emeritusof the Christian Church Foundation, atright, presents the James P. JohnsonStewardship Award to Sandy SpringChristian Church representatives Rev.Danny Gulden and Rev. Linda Whitmireduring the Foundation’s GeneralAssembly banquet. The award honorscongregations for commitment to overallstewardship and the stewardship ofaccumulated resources, development ofoutreach ministries and support ofDisciples Mission Fund. Sandy SpringsChristian Church, located north ofAtlanta, GA, has developed a plannedgiving ministry -- called the Fellowshipof Legacy Builders -- that encouragesand mentors individuals to put end-oflifegifts in place that will bless andenhance the congregation’s futureministries. In the past two years, 33church members have indicated theyhave included the church in their estateplans. To learn more about the SandySpring program, go to www.christianchurchfoundation.orgor call (800)668-8016.CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013 11

General Assembly ResolutionsFull text of all resolutions as accepted or adopted is available at: http://www.disciples.org/ga and click on “business”1318 Celebrate & Reaffirm Commitmentto New ChurchAdopted1319 Report of General Assembly Committeeof the General BoardReceived1320 Time & Place Committee ReportAdopted1321 Open Meetings PolicyAdopted with revisions1322 Hearing Accessibility for ParticipantsAdopted1323 Incarceration, Justice and Restorationin the United StatesAccepted1324 Reflection on Christian Theology and Polity,the Christian Doctrine of Discovery, andthe Indigenous VoiceAccepted1325 Change in Regional Boundaries South Idaho,Oregon and Central Rocky Mountain RegionsAdopted1326 Resolution Concerning Wage TheftAdopted1327 Becoming a People of Grace andWelcome to AllAdopted1328 Removal of Any Racist Language in theGoverning Documents of the ChristianChurch (Disciples of Christ)Adopted1329 Supporting a Treaty for thePrevention of TortureAdopted1330 Change in Regional Boundaries Great RiverRegion and TennesseeAdopted1331 Resolution Condemning Drone WarfareAdopted1332 Encouraging a Fuller Experienceof Israel/PalestineAdopted with revisions1333 Regarding Parental LeaveAdopted with revisions1334 General Nominating CommitteeAdopted1335 Disciples Center for Public Witness asa Recognized OrganizationAdopted1336 2013 Amendments to the Design of theChristian Church (Disciples of Christ)AdoptedEmergency Resolutions: From The Design of theChristian Church (Disciples of Christ) - 45. An item of businessmay be considered an emergency item if its contentis of such nature that it could not have been regularly filed180 days prior to the Assembly. Such items of businessmay be filed with the General Minister and President whensubmitted by 10 or more voting members of the GeneralAssembly from not fewer than 5 congregations. TheGeneral Minister and President will see that the items getto the Committee on Reference and Counsel, which shalldecide whether such items are emergencies and, if so,make appropriate recommendations to the GeneralAssembly as to their disposition.1337 Concerning the Decision of the UnitedStates Supreme Court to Dismantle theVoting Rights ActAdopted1338 Concerning the State of Floridavs George ZimmermanAdopted12CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013

2013-2015 Moderator TeamModeratorRev. Dr. R. Glen Miles is the Senior Minister ofCountry Club Christian Church in Kansas City, Mo.Miles has served as a member of the General Board,the Administrative Committee and on the Committeeon Counsel and Mediation.First Vice ModeratorRev. Joan Bell-Haynes is pastor of United ChristianParish of Reston, an ecumenical congregation comprisedof four denominations. Bell-Haynes currentlyserves on the Board of Directors of the ChristianChurch Foundation and Disciples Divinity House,Chicago. Joan resides in Washington, DC with herhusband, Oscar Haynes, a dedicated and longtimeleader of the Christian Church.For Second Vice ModeratorAntonio Rodriguez (Tony) is a Compliance Principalfor Allstate Financial Services. Tony has over 25 yearsof experience in finance (insurance / investment). Heis moderator of the board at Central Christian Churchin Coral Gables, Fla. He is a member of the board forthe Pension Fund, on the Commission on Ministry forthe Florida region, member of the Southeast Hispanicand Bilingual Convention, a representative to theHispanic Board of Directors, and a member of theadvisory board for Church World Service in Miami.Disciples Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors touched baseDisciples Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors gathered forbreakfast on Wednesday morning. With 75 tickets sold(but some slept in!), we were graced by the words of theRev. Dr. Timothy James, our own associate general ministerand administrative secretary for the NationalConvocation, who delivered a powerful word about prayerand the healing hands of specialized ministers. And we had a strong affirmationfrom Rev. Ron Degges, president of Disciples Home Missions. Thiswork is a pure joy!! – from staff reportsDisciples HomeMissions hosts receptionApproximately 150 Disciples attended the“Friends of DHM Reception” on Sunday,July 14th following evening worship.John Richard Foulkes, Sr., was honoredas the 2013 Distinguished LeadershipAward Recipient.Rev. Ron Degges, president of DisciplesHome Missions, recounted that, “in1980, John left the Chicago Board ofEducation as a 42-year old administratorand pastor of Parkway Garden ChristianChurch in Chicago, Ill., to join the staff ofthe Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)as the new director of SpecialCongregational Services and NewCongregational Establishment in theDivision of Homeland Ministries. Hiscommitment and dedication to theministries of Disciples Home Missionscontinues to this day. For his neverfaltering support, trust, hope, faith, andbelief in this General Ministry of theChurch, Disciples Home Missionsproudly recognizes and honors thisservant leader of Christ.”John was very surprised and honored bythis award and shared with those inattendance that he loved Disciples HomeMissions and the work that is beingaccomplished by DHM’s able staff andBoard of Directors. – from staff reportsCHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013 13

“When I Retire, I Want to…”What do you want to do in retirement? During the 2013General Assembly, Pension Fund of the Christian Churchchallenged its members and Assembly participants of all agesto answer this very question, displaying the results via aninteractive answer board in the Pension Fund event booth.Top answers included volunteer work, travel and spendingtime with family.Assembly attendees were also able to participatein various Pension Fund retirement planningworkshops. In the “Sustaining Clergy in LocalChurch Ministry” workshop, attendees learnedthe results of a Disciples of Christ clergy surveyand the implications for local congregations. Inthe “Best Employment Practices for Churches”seminar, clergy and lay leaders learned employmentbest practices for compensation and benefits.Pension Fund hosted the “President’s Breakfast for Retired Ministers” aswell as “Minister and Mates Breakfast” with speaker Rev. Dr. Katie Hays.Hays’ speech on the topic “Go and Learn What This Means: Jesus’ Syllabusfor the Religiously Learned” was enjoyed by over 500 breakfast attendees.Visit Pension Fund’s website, www.pensionfund.org, for an audio recordingof Hays’ talk.Pension Fund led the “13th Check” special offering at Saturday night’sworship gathering, raising funds to support Pension Fund’s 13th Check fundfor retired ministers. “My colleagues and I were delighted to share so manypoints of contact with pastors and church leaders during the GeneralAssembly,” said Pension Fund President James P. Hamlett. “We wereblessed by the measure of support for our ministry we received in Orlando.”Week of Compassiontheme was collaborationWeek of Compassion celebrated itspartnerships and the many ways collaborationand generosity bring the Gospel to lifethrough disaster response, sustainabledevelopment, and refugee resettlement at aworship service hosted by Pershing AvenueChristian Church.Following was a coffee hour featuring EqualExchange Disciples Coffee Project productsas well as information from Green Chalice.Preachers included Lorenzo Mota King, FoodsResource Bank, Dominican Republic;Samantha Nicodemus, South Joplin ChristianChurch, Missouri; Vy Nguyen, Church WorldService, California; Abdel Direny, IMA WorldHealth, Haiti, and Moo Kho Paw, ProsperityCandle, Burma. Special music was offered bySteve Gretz, Leslie Lee, and Seth Connelly.Executive Director Amy Gopp and AssociateDirector Brandon Gilvin, joined ResourceDevelopment Associate Johnny Wray,Disciples Volunteering Director Josh Baird,Rev. Bonnie Osei-Frimpong, and Rev. JillMichel on a panel discussing the upcomingrelease of Help and Hope: DisasterPreparedness and Response Tools forCongregations.Actress and playwright Young Lan Kim brought “The Suitcase” to life in thestory of a Japanese woman forced into an interment camp during WorldWar II and allowed to bring only one suitcase.JoAnne Kagiwada shared her experience in the JapaneseAmerican community as they sought recognition of themistreatment that population suffered during the WorldWar II interments. The community adopted “for the sake ofthe children” as their motto.14CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013

‘That is our child’During the General Assembly, the verdict was announced in thecriminal trial of George Zimmerman who had been accused ofmurdering Trayvon Martin. The following is a meditation fromGeneral Minister and President Sharon Watkins that was sharedprior to Sunday evening’s worship service.Something happened in the Zimmerman verdict that affects us all.In this gathering tonight we may not have the same opinions onwhat probably happened that night, but we are a pro-reconciling/anti-racist church. Anti-racism says we have to suspect that racismand profiling was involved and is involved.There’s something about guns here, too; something about a cultureof violence and death that believes what’s mine is worth more thanyour life. That culture of violence affects us all.Pro-reconciliation says we have to reach for a better place. Ourpreacher last night told us not to act out of fear. Our preacher thismorning told us that we, like the original disciples, can come acrossdemons that can only come out through prayer. Not easy prayerlikewords, but deep communion with God to where God breathesthrough us and acts through us.An 8-year-old boy in the midst of all of this, the son of a Disciplespastor, an African American child, asked his mother, will thishappen to me? That child is our child –This affects us all.Will you pray with me?Reconciling God, reconcile us that we may be ministers ofreconciliation for this broken, hurting world. Work your miraclein us that our words, our hands, our actions may bear yourhealing power. Work your miracle through us that the world willknow your justice and peace. Teach us to pray the kind of prayerthat casts out the stubborn demons, the ones that dwell deepwithin and refuse to set us free. Teach us to pray the kind ofprayer that defeats hatred by the power of love, that overwhelmssuspicion with compassion and confidence in your loving care,the kind of prayer that brings life from death and hope fromdespair. Teach us to pray the kind of prayer that brings us intoyour heart of justice and the joy of your abundance and love.Make us ministers of your reconciliation, bearers of justice andlove.General Ministry ReportsThe following reports are available onthe General Assembly page – www.disciples.org/ga - under “business”1301 - General Assembly of the ChristianChurch, including the Office of theGeneral Minister and President1302 - Central Pastoral Office forHispanic Ministries1303 - CBP/Chalice Press1304 - Christian Church Foundation1305 - Church Extension Financial &Missional Resources1306 - Council of Colleges and Universities1307 - Council on Christian Unity1308 - Council on Theological Education1309 - Disciples of Christ HistoricalSociety1310 - Disciples Home Missions1311 - Disciples Women1312 - Division of Overseas Ministries /Global Ministries1313 - Higher Education andLeadership Ministries1314 - National Benevolent Association1315 - National Convocation ofthe Christian Church1316 - North American Pacific/AsianDisciples1317 - Pension FundIn the name of Jesus, who reconciles the world to you. Amen.CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013 15