4-16 Wind and Waves - Coastal Plains Area

wind&waves
Newsletter of the Coastal Plains Area | April, 2016
Christian Church in the Southwest
Vol 14, Issue 4
Mark Your Calendar
APRIL
2 Avoiding the Slippery Slope II
7 CPA Execs & MPT
Mission of the Church in the World—
8-9
Committee On Ministry Event
12 Clergy Circles—Cypress Creek
12 Theology Pub
13 Clergy Circles—First, Houston
15-16 Silent Retreat
17 Who Is My Neighbor
18-21 RCOM & ACOM
25 News Deadline
29-30 Regional Council
30 DCCI Workday
30-1 CYF Service Rally
MAY
1
2-7
13
21
27-29
30
Area Assembly
CCSW Disciples Men Mission Project
Business Leaders Seminar by Brite
DCCI Board
Family Camp
Memorial Day—Office Closed
Youth Reflections
Who Is My Neighbor?
by Rev. Marilyn Fiddmont
Imagine. Those were the words of the late John Lennon.
Youth are invited to respond and imagine a world, a country,
and a society in which people are treated with dignity, justice,
and respect. Reflections on this theme may be developed in
any manner that you or your youth group select. It may be art,
essay, poetry, prose, and should be ready for display at the
Area Assembly, May 1. Certificates and cash awards will be
presented to the most outstanding contributions. If you have
any questions, please contact the Reconciliation Ministry team
at [email protected].
1. What would we be willing to change in order to become an
embracing community to people of other ethnicities?
2. What is the benefit to being more precise about our own
attitudes and beliefs? How can this ownership of our
attitudes move toward reconciliation?
3. What are you willing to risk to model “racial” reconciliation?
4. Can you “imagine” a society in which people live as one?
The greatest gift is not being afraid to question
Ruby Dee, activist and actress
Find more Area Assembly information on page 3
Coastal Plains Area
713.789.8822
[email protected]
Views from the Edge
By Rev. Peggy Edge, Coastal Plains Area Minister
Spring is an incredibly busy time of the year for the CPA
Office as Congregational Reports for the
Yearbook are gathered, Ministerial
Renewal of Standing Forms are
submitted, Commissioned Minister
interviews are scheduled, Camp
registration forms begin to come in,
Annual Reports for the upcoming Area
Council meeting are collated into the
docket, and arrangements are made for
the upcoming Area Assembly. The CPA depends upon
Marilyn Duncan to manage all of these special projects!
We are indebted to her for taking care of these special
duties as well as preparing newsletters, handling a myriad
of inquiries, preparing MPT packets, and working in
conjunction with the Area Treasurer to take care of
financial operations. Needless to say, she deserves a
vacation! We wish her well as she will be out of the office
April 6-8th.
And speaking of the Area Assembly, I trust you will all
mark your calendars for May 1st. We will gather at First
Christian Church in Texas City. The Area Council meeting
begins at 3:00 p.m. Each congregation has one voting
delegate per 300 participating members. In addition, one
clergy per congregation, and members of the MPT also
have votes. But everyone is welcome! Assembly
worship will begin at 4:30 p.m. Our theme this year is
Mission: Possible. Our keynote speaker, Rev. Vy
Nguyen, currently serves as Executive Director of Week
of Compassion. His sermon topic is “And Who Is My
Neighbor?” Rev. Rhona Brink and Philip Durham are
planning our music. Margaret Brooks and Lannette
Leining are chairing local arrangements for FCC, Texas
City. Rev. Brenda Warren will prepare our liturgy. We
will make arrangements for child care so bring your
families and come. Registration will be $10 for adults or
$20 for families. Those who wish to register early may
contact the Area Office. We will enjoy fellowship and
good food following worship! I hope each congregation
Coastal Plains Area
will accept the challenge to have the largest
representation there!
Perhaps you have heard the CPA Disciple Men’s news.
During their recent retreat held with the BBA Disciples
Men at the campground near Gonzales, the CPA men
elected Bob Simons, from The Woodlands Christian
Church, as the President. In recognition of Charles
Smith’s eight years of ministry as pastor of First
Christian Church in Alvin and with thanksgiving for his
leadership as the out-going President, the men named
Rev. Charles Smith as Minister of the Year. With
gratitude for the servant leadership of Mike Deaver who
volunteered as Interim Camp Director at Disciple Oaks
last summer, the men named Mike Deaver as CPA
Layman of the Year. Well done, good and faithful
servants!
We rejoice with Memorial Drive Christian Church as
they have called Rev. Matthew Hudman as their new
Senior Minister. Matthew will begin his pastorate on
June 6th. In other CPA Search and Call news, Rev.
June Stoker accepted the call as Student Pastor of
First Christian Church in Alvin effective March 1st.
Rev. Brenda Warren is concluding her six month
Intentional Interim work with First Christian Church of
Texas City. That search committee continues to seek
a new settled pastor. In addition, Rev. Chris Parrott is
concluding his ministry with Canvas Church Houston,
a congregation he helped start nine years ago. We join
the community of faith giving thanks for his servant
leadership and faithful ministry.
Several of our CPA ministers and their families have
been dealing with serious illness. I know you join me in
prayer for their healing of body and soul. Giving thanks
to God for the miracles of modern medicine we
surround these families with love and compassion.
With thanksgiving for the CPA congregations and
ministries, I bid you Easter Blessings,
Peggy Edge, Area Minister
713.789.8822
[email protected]
Congregational
Vitality Team
by Rev. Norma Lowrey, Chair
As our year comes to a close,
we celebrate the success of
three out-standing events
sponsored by the
Congregational Vitality Team.
The Enneagram Workshop,
the Silent Retreat and the Avoiding the
Slippery Slope - Part II Workshop all provided
incredible opportunities for Area churches and
their leaders to come together to learn
valuable leadership skills in today’s church
environment and to share experiences and
information with one another. Congregational
vitality is alive and well as each participant
returned to his or her congregation to share
these experiences.
Sadly, I will be stepping down as Chair of the
Team in May to focus on God’s call to serve as
Executive Director of the Cypress Creek
Christian Community Center. I feel so blessed
to have had this opportunity to serve the Area
and each of the congregations. I hope that
you will continue to support this awesome
team of volunteers as they bring new and
creative ways of encouraging leaders in our
Area.
In His Service,
Norma Lowrey
Vy holds a Master of Divinity from
the Divinity School at the
University of Chicago, and earned
his B.A. in religious studies with a
minor in environmental sciences
from Texas Christian University.
He joins Week of Compassion
after serving more than 5 years
Vy Nguyen
Executive Director
with Church World Service for the
Week of Compassion
Southwest Regional Office where
he worked with congregations and
COASTAL PLAINS AREA donors to increase their
fundraising portfolio. Prior to his
ASSEMBLY 2016
work with Church World Service,
Vy worked with the Lutheran
SUNDAY, MAY 1
Volunteer Corps office in Berkeley,
First Christian Church
CA where he strengthened
Texas City
relationships between volunteers,
Council Meeting: 3:00pm congregations, and non-profit
agencies.
Worship: 4:30pm
Lots of Fellowship!
Vy and his wife, Linh Bui, live in
Oakland, CA.
Who is the Council? All are welcome, but who can vote?
From the Constitution of the Coastal Plains Area
Article III: Governance | Section A: Area Council
1. The Area Council shall consist of one lay person and one minister per
member congregation.
2. Congregations with memberships reported in the current Yearbook
and Directory in excess of 300 shall be entitled to one additional vote,
lay or clergy, per additional 300 members.
3. The Area Council shall meet in conjunction with the annual Area
Assembly for the purpose of:
a. Receiving the report of the nominating committee
b. Receiving an annual financial report from the Treasurer
c. Conducting any other business matters related to the ministry of
the CPA such as, but not limited to:
i. Changes or additions to permanent fund policies
ii. Approval of new churches or affiliating churches
iii. Approval of the Report of the Search and Call Committee
iv. Approval of sale of property
**CPA MPT Chairs are also voting members
Coastal Plains Area
713.789.8822
[email protected]
FAMILY CAMP
MAY 27-29
This camp is for families of all ages as long as one child attending
is under the age of 18 and one adult is over the age of 21. The
goal of Family Camp is Sabbath! Families come to rest, play and
worship together. What a great way to kick off the summer!
FEES: 12 & up 145 ea, 4-12 110 ea, 3 & under Free,
MAX PER FAMILY: 399
Deadline: May 2
CYF Conference
FEES:
June 12-18 Completed Grades 9-12
375 by May 11
8’ers Camp
FEES:
June 19-25
Completed Grade 8
440 by May 18
JUNIOR CAMP
FEES:
June 7-11
Completed 4-5
315 by May 6
BEGINNERS
FEES:
June 7-11
Completed 2-3
315 by May 6
July 10-16
339 by Apr 11
Completed 6-7
375 by June 10
CHI RHO CAMP
FEES:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Camp Scholarships may be available. If you need assistance,
please have your pastor contact the Coastal Plains Area office.
Junior and Beginners Camps will be held concurrently with activities
separated to appropriate age groups.
If you have more camp questions, contact Heather Tolleson at
[email protected], or the Coastal Plains Area Office at
[email protected]
REMEMBER THE WORKDAY AT DISCIPLE OAKS
APRIL 30 (Preparing for SUMMER!)
Get the flyer here:
http://www.cpadisciples.org/youth-news-events/
Workday starts at 8:00 am and wraps up around 3:00 pm.
Lunch provided.
Arrangements can be made for overnight stay if needed, but in the
dorm only. (Call Scott) Dinner and breakfast are on your own.
Sanding & sealing picnic tables, clearing brush, trimming hedges,
painting/ sealing fences, removing vines. Bring sanders, weed eaters,
chainsaws, gloves, tree cutters, hedge clippers, and lowboy trailers!
Funding Plan Report
by Rev. Dr. Michael Dunn
Hello Friends in the CPA,
Those of us who have
worked on the Funding
Plan for the Coastal Plains
Area have been blessed
and moved by the way
nearly every church has
stepped up to commit to the ministry of the
Coastal Plains. In addition, there have been a
number of individual commitments made. All of
which says to - ALL of US - that we value what
the Area Ministry does and the nurture it
provides.
The Funding Plan was always thought of as a
necessary first step to deal with an immediate
financial need. That need has been met, both
by the commitments I noted above and an
Area Council decision to pull from the 2014
gains of the New Church
Development Permanent Fund.
We celebrate together our shared significant
win!
Now that we have completed that necessary
first step, a step that has involved a three year
commitment, the Coastal Plains Area Ministry
is now free to engage more fundamental (and
in my opinion more interesting) questions
about the Area Ministry's purpose, vision,
focus and needs.
Thank you all so much for rising to the
occasion and being good stewards of the
ministry Jesus has entrusted to us.
Peace, Michael Dunn
Let Scott know you’re coming—830.437.2900 or
[email protected]
Coastal Plains Area
713.789.8822
[email protected]
Disciple Oaks Challenge Course Update
In January of this year construction of the eight high course elements was
completed. A four day training was held during which nine people learned how
to set up and guide participants through these elements. This was the final step
in a multi-year project to construct a professional quality challenge course for
the camp.
2010 – The first proposal for building a course at the camp is presented
2013 – Low course construction complete & groups taken through the program
2015 – Board approval for the high course
2016 – High course construction completed
Disciples Participation
The construction of a course of this quality is great accomplishment but the
value of the course is gained when groups are guided though the course by
trained facilitators. The facilitator team that built the low course and has been
the strong core for the project is a wonderful, dedicated and professional group.
But this team is missing something, participation from the CPA and BBA. In
order for the Areas to fully utilize the great blessing that this course brings, we
must have Disciples trained as facilitators.
Role of the facilitator
Challenge Course facilitation is a skill that must be learned and practiced.
Some people will be very good at it and some not. The director of the current
team has many years and hundreds of hours of experience on courses. A team
of facilitators works with each group as they spend a weekend solving the
challenges of the course. The facilitator guides the group as they develop and
enhance their skills in leadership, communication, trust, problem solving and
confidence. God has gifted each of us with skills and abilities that are often not
used to the fullest. The facilitator helps uncover and strengthen these gifts.
Training
Facilitator training is scheduled for May 13 – 15 and June 3 – 5. During the first
weekend the group will go through the course as a participant and follow up
learning the process, philosophy and techniques of facilitation. During the
second weekend, you will learn the equipment, safety procedures, and technical
aspects used in a challenge course. You will also learn history, tips, techniques,
and approaches to the art of facilitation. Please consider the importance of
having Disciples trained to operate the course. Are you being called to help
others grow through this program? Here are some links to give you more
information about this opportunity.
Challenge Course Program - http://www.discipleoaksretreat.net/Challenge_Course.html
Training Flyer - https://issuu.com/dan162/docs/2016_t3_flyer
Online Registration - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-2016-new-facilitator-training-forchallenge-course-program-tickets-23075978874
Outreach |
Reconciliation
by Rev. Peggy Trott
A friend recently said to
me, "I like to do things
with people I know, so I
need to know more
people." He was speaking about
crossing racial color-lines so that
we could get to know each other
and be empowered to establish
new relationships and friendships. That is what we have
been doing over the last several
months as our Coastal Plains
Area has hosted several
reconciliation gatherings with Dr.
Alex Byrd, Associate Professor of
History at Rice University, as our
keynote speaker. Our final
gathering for "Who Is My
Neighbor? The ________in the
Room" will be held on April 17 at
First Christian Church, 1601
Sunset, Houston, at 4:00pm. This
session will focus on the
reconciliation aspects of the
racial/ethnic divide.
Over 100 folks have participated
in these gatherings. New
relationships have been formed,
new understandings have
developed and it has been an
incredibly valuable time for all of
the participants. We do hope you
will join us once again for this
enlightening conversation.
Rev. Peggy Trott, Chair
Christian Action and Outreach
Ministry
Bob Simons, Treasurer Disciple Oaks, [email protected]
Coastal Plains Area
713.789.8822
[email protected]
Disciples Men
by Bob Simons, Disciple Men Coordinator
First, I want to thank all of the men who have taken the time to be my mentors during my twenty
years in the CPA. Through my many years at Oaks CC and my past year at The Woodlands CC,
there have always been patient men providing wisdom, encouragement and spiritual guidance as I
grew as God’s servant. Now I have been called to provide leadership and support to all men of the
Area. There are three areas that I want us to focus on in the coming year:
Strength in Community - We are stronger as a group than as individuals. The relationships that are built and
nurtured at area, regional and national gatherings provide us with the energy, wisdom and ideas to grow in our
service to God. I will strongly encourage all of you to attend and support all men’s events such as Sessions 2016
which is discussed below.
Servanthood in Action – There are so many ways that we are called to serve God, do his work and care for this
people. The men of the Southwest region have been very active in projects for many years. I hope you will
consider joining the CCSW work project in Kaufman or participating in the Disciple Oaks work day on April, 30.
When you or your group take action, let me know so that we can share the news.
Communication – Being aware of what others are doing to grow and serve God helps us to keep our personal
momentum going. I plan to have regular updates to keep men’s work visible in the Area. With the technology
available today there is no reason that information should not be getting to you. Information does flow both ways so
please send me highlights of your activities, announcements and questions. During the next year, I would like to
meet in person with as many of you as possible. Let me know when and where.
Awards – During the joint CPA/BBA men’s retreat at Gonzales in February, the Area men selected the recipients for
the following awards.
Minister of the Year – Charles Smith – retired pastor of First Christian Church Alvin and outgoing president of the CPA
Disciples Men.
Layman of the Year – Mike Deaver – past treasurer for TWCC and Memorial Drive CC and a passionate supporter of
Disciples Oaks Camp and Retreat.
Region Mission Project – Grace Christian Church – Kaufman, TX May 2 – May 7
For information on this project check the Disciples Men’s page on the Area website or contact one of the men below.
Website - http://www.cpadisciples.org/disciples-men/
Jimmie Muckleroy:
(H) 903-759-8104, (O) 903-845-4066 or Cell – 903-918-0157, Email – [email protected]
Nathan Higginbotham at 281-537-1754 Email – [email protected]
Sessions 2016 @ TCU – Fort Worth, July 8 – July 10
Website - http://sessions2016.org/
As I mentioned above, I am confident that we are strengthened and motivated
when we gather together as a faith community. Here are just a few more
reasons to attend this event.
You can drive so the cost is greatly reduced
Fort Worth is a really nice city
The TCU campus is fresh and exciting
It is only three days long so you will not need to miss much work
The cost is reasonable: only $299 for 2 nights lodging, 5 meals & the conference
Great speakers and worship
If you need transportation, call me and we will get you there
Bob Simons, Disciple Men Coordinator
[email protected]
713-824-2015
Coastal Plains Area
713.789.8822
[email protected]
CHILDREN AND YOUTH
by Rev. Heather Tolleson
CPA Ministry Coordinator
Summer camp is
almost here! Have you
registered yet? Forms
are available online and
deadlines are quickly
approaching! Do not
hesitate. We are also
working on getting all our camps staffed with
the volunteers that make camp possible. Fill
out your form today! Did you know that all of
these forms are available online at
cpadisciples.org
CPA CYF SERVICE RALLY
9am Saturday (April 30)
to
10 am Sunday (May 1)
At Gonzo!
We hope that you will join us for our CYF
Spring or Chi-Rho Mid-Winter Rallies this
April. Both will be taking part in the work day
at the camp grounds. We are encouraging
everyone to travel from the camp to the Area
Assembly following the Rallies!
We will be participating
in the camp work day.
Please see page 4 of this newsletter for a
reminder of all the Camp dates. We want to
see you there!
Get Registration Forms Here:
Fee is $55.
http://www.cpadisciples.org/youth
http://www.cpadisciples.org/youth--news
news--events/
CPA Chi Rho Mid
Mid--Winter Retreat
9am Saturday (April 30) to 10 am Sunday (May 1)
At Gonzo!
We will be participating in the camp work day.
Fee is $55.
Get Registration Forms Here: http://www.cpadisciples.org/youth
http://www.cpadisciples.org/youth--news
news--events/
Coastal Plains Area
713.789.8822
[email protected]