2010 Northwest Regional Assembly

Going to Spokane isn’t bad if you ride with Fay and Rosemary, two of the most charming and energetic retirees I know.  Otherwise, I like Spokane as much as Jonah looked forward to Nineveh.  Not my destination of choice.

But travel with Rosemary and Fay is easygoing.  We gab.  We take in the view.  We stretch our legs at every other rest stop.  We’re not going to Nineveh;  we’re going to be church.

…..

Our luggage included some first aid supplies, some groceries.  Saturday morning, the kids put together little survival kits for Spokane homeless– toothbrushes, granola bars, oatmeal, bandages, combs.  There was also a collection for the local food banks.

The kids assembled 300 kits, and there was an impressive pile of groceries for the food bank as well.  It was a loaves-and-fishes moment for me– the little we contributed augmented to serve hundreds.  And that children– who might prefer their Saturdays at soccer or the mall– would instead fill little bags for strangers– that rocked me.

…..

One more pleasure:  The chance to visit people from around the region.

North Hill Christian’s congregation were impressive hosts.  They maintained a remarkable array of snacks in the fellowship hall, and someone was always at hand to answer questions, or to guide you through their facilities, or to steer you around their neighborhood.  They set a high standard for hospitality.  There was no doubt we were welcomed.

I also saw Lynn Magnusson, who represents Church World Service in our area.  Several people from my church went to Lynn’s presentation on Crop Hunger walks and fighting world hunger.

Crop Hunger walks are a good way for a small congregation to make a global impact.  Moreover, they’re fun.  Two of my favorite activities are feeding people and walking.  The Seattle Walk is in a beautiful setting, and it draws some pretty wonderful people.  The pledges I gathered funded sustainable projects to fight poverty locally and abroad.  After Lynn’s workshop, it sounded like I’d have some new walkers from my church.

…..

Below is the video produced by the Northwest Region for this year’s Pentecost Offering. The theme for this year’s offering is Expanding The Table.

“Develop a posture of receptivity,” were among the opening lines to the sermon last night by Eliacin Rosario-Cruz, “to create a missional life.” Eliacin, who has worked in prison ministries, as a missionary, and was called one of the top 10 young leaders to watch by Sojourners magazine, lives and practices his faith communally in the Mustard Seed House, in Seattle, Washington. He believes how we live our lives is the ultimate testimony to our faith and what we believe.

Typically, churches think of “mission” as something that happens “over there” usually in foreign countries. The work of mission is left to missionaries and mission boards often administered by denominational bodies to which we give our money. Few people have direct experience doing mission work. This also means that few Christians have the chance to be Christ for someone else or receive another person as Christ.

Eliacin challenged us to move into a new understanding of mission by first asking that we adopt an attitude of inviting others into our lives. This “posture of receptivity” allows us to be open to the other and be present to our context. This is an inward state, a personal spiritual attitude that cultivates a reverence for the other person and honors and welcomes them. When we understand mission as being one-directional, something that “we” do or give for “them”, mission is not relational as Christ is relational to us and risks becoming sanctimonious.

“Mission work is not the work of persuasion,” Eliacin said, “it is not about trying to get people to join our church or become a part of our denomination.”. It is, he explains about being a part of the “conspiracy of hope of Jesus.” The gospel is about communication and community before it is about information, he shared, inviting us to move beyond sharing the gospel as head knowledge and see it as heart knowledge, and getting to know each other the way that God knows us. Knowing each other, or heart knowledge, is different from book knowledge but pulls us to each other as it pulls us deeper into a relationship and experience with Christ. As people who “do” mission, we discover that we are the ones whose lives are changed because we have met Christ and served him.

This got me thinking. Eliacin asked, “Why would anyone care about the transformative love of Jesus if it does not change our lives?” We are changed because we meet Christ in our neighbor. If Christians took this seriously we could create new measures for evaluating success for ministries. Because we do not have spiritual methods for evaluating ministries we mistake institutional growth and success for success in ministry. What if we measured the success of a ministry by how much WE were changed, rather than how many showed up or how much money were raised? Mission work changes who we are, and our faith, because it challenges us with new questions and new quests.

Missison work is no longer “over there”, it is here, in our backyards, our alleys, sleeping in our doorways. Being receptive to meeting Christ in others opens us to sharing our lives, our faith, but it also opens us to receive the Christ they will bring as well.

The opening worship did not disappoint.  The sanctuary was filled with a range of familiar faces and new ones.  We celebrated our gathering through song, prayer and reflection.

What does the Lord require of us?   Upon reflecting on this silently we shared stories of the ministries in which we are involved both in our congregations and the community in smaller groups.  Some of the stories shared in my group were:

Interfaith, Youth Groups, Pastors, Deacona, Elders, RYC,  Homeless outreach, Journey of Discovery, Helping local schools, Worship and Wonder for the children in our churches, Health kits and School kits for Church World Service, Choir, Education, Crop Walk, Care Teams, Relay for Life, Prayer Chains and Mission Trips.

After sharing we tied all of our individual strings together and I could see how far reaching this truly was, beyond even my own little group.  I was then amazed by the outpouring of love and support for our camps Gwinwood and Zephyr when the offering was passed.

“Through these hands flows a river of Grace and Mercy, justice and fierceness of love.  Through these hands flows the healing God alone can offer, flowing through those hands.”

To be continued………Kami

i’m just winding down and getting ready for bed on the first night of the assembly. i’m looking forward to a weekend of learning and to gaining insight on whatever comes my way. i’ve never been to a regional assembly before, so i’m not sure what to expect, but that’s okay! i’ve been learning in the past year or so, as i’ve set out on adventures away from home, that leaving expectations behind opens me up to more possibilities and opportunities to grow, so maybe something like that will happen this weekend.

This regional assembly will have a “world-view”. Stop by the display area and meet Bob Shebeck from Indianapolis (Mission Educator for Global Ministries), see the global outreach displays and look at the table with information on our Northwest Regional GM Missionaries!

Everything is getting set up and people are being registered. If you are attending, stop by Hazen Hall at North Hill Christian Church and check out the displays. Also, stop by the 60 Second History booth and share your story.

We are just a little more than a day away from when our larger Regional Church will gather in fellowship together.  I am excited to see what the weekend will offer!

Seeing familiar faces, Meeting new friends, Empowering speakers, Meaningful worship services, and seeing how this Region is Poured out in Mission!

Looking forward to seeing you all there

Kami Voliva (First Christian Church of Kent)

Dear Northwest Friends,

The date is fast approaching and the arrangements are falling into place thanks to the hard work of so many people. I’m looking forward to being with you May 21-23 in Spokane for our 2010 Regional Assembly. During our 2 1/2 days together we will worship, eat, learn, and experience together the many ways we are being “poured out in mission” both globally and locally. If you have not already registered, I encourage you to do so either by mail or online. Registration forms should be available from your local church office or pastor, or found online at www.disciplesnw.org. Our Vision Statement reminds us that we in the Northwest Region are a “community of communities.” Come join us as our Regional Community gathers together in this uplifting and meaningful weekend event.

See you there,

Sandy Messick, Regional Minister and President

Northwest Regional Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

2010 NWRCC Regional Assembly
May 21-23, North Hill Christian Church, Spokane, WA

Speakers
Eliacín Rosario-Cruz
Named among the top 10 Next-Gen leaders to watch by Sojourners Magazine. Eliacín is part of the Mustard Seed House in Seattle and speaks on emergent church, intentional community & much more.
John Bristow
Pastor, teacher and story-teller, John engages audiences in intensive study of the core values within Jesus’ ministry: the basis of the church’s programs and lifestyle at Country Homes Christian Church in Spokane.
Sandy Messick
Regional Minister of the NWRCC, Sandy’s emphasis is on building connections with congregations, embracing the diversity of the Region and members, and the commitment to pouring ourselves out in mission.
Bob Shebeck
Executive for Mission Interpretation and Constituency Relationships, Bob is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He has been working for Global Ministries since Nov 2002.

Mission Project Opportunities (Visit the  Assembly Home Page  for more details & forms)
Pre-Assembly Mission Event
1:00 – 5:00pm on Friday before opening worship.  You Are Invited to Work at Zephyr Christian Conference Grounds or at one of several homeless serving locations throughout Spokane.

Children’s Program & Mission
We ask congregations to collect the following items and bring them to Regional Assembly where the kids will put them together:
• Toothbrushes • Tooth Paste • Gum • Granola Bars • Instant Oatmeal Packets • Throat Lozenges• Band Aids • Packets of Hot Chocolate • Individual Drink Mix Packets

Congregational Mission Fair
Share your congregations’ mission events with the region through a visual display.

Contribute to the Work of the Second Harvest Food Bank in Spokane
Baskets will be available for your gifts Friday through Sunday. http://www.2-harvest.org/

Learning, Fellowship and Something for Everyone at Assembly
You will have the opportunity to attend a variety of interest groups, children have their own special time planned, a Clergy & Family breakfast is set for Saturday morning and Saturday evening you are welcomed to attend a meal and program hosted by Country Homes Christian Church.
Visit  Assembly Home Page  for more details, Lodging Information and Registration info!