Regional Happenings (Page 5)

Regional Happenings (Page 5)

Coming soon…

A Special Announcement from the Center for Faith and Giving

The Center for Faith and Giving is pleased to announce that our 2021 annual campaign resources are now available on our website. This year, these resources are unique in that we are creating them dynamically as the year progresses (so that they best reflect the moment we are in) and they are free. A simple link connects users to a registration using their email address (so that we can send them the materials as they update throughout the year) and to the current materials available. The site also has a forum so that users can ask questions, share their own ideas, and give us an on-going evaluation of the resources so we can adjust in real-time to the needs of congregations in your Region. The landing page (https://centerforfaithandgiving.org/created-to-be-a-steward/) contains an introduction and FAQs and the link to register for the materials. I have included artwork for you to use in your promotion of these resources. We hope to make it easy this year – with no work for your region to do, save to point people in our direction with a ready-made link (and no invoices to pay!). Contributors this year will include Linda Parker, Janet Long, Carol Devine, and Scott Hardin-Nieri – with some additional writers to be named later in the year. We are addressing stewardship as self-care, creation-care, resource management, and sharing the gospel. The materials necessary to run a financial campaign in these “Covid times” will be a part of the resource package. Yes, we do have an investment in the creation and delivery of these resources, and should your region wish to make a gift to the Center for Faith and Giving, we will gladly receive it! Such gifts make it possible for this ministry to provide quality stewardship materials for the whole church as we seek to create a culture of generosity that can sustain all of our good work. Going forward, we hope to provide annual campaign materials free of charge every year. With gratitude, Bruce Barkhauer Minister for Faith and Giving Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Box 1986 Indianapolis, IN 46206-1986 317-713-2404…

CWF/DWM Zooming in on Valentine’s Day 2021

NC DWM/CWF is hosting a February Event open to everyone, men and women, on February 14, 2021 at 3 p.m. We will have a program highlighting God’s love for each of us. You will have an opportunity to give a brief highlight to someone you love. We will be “Zooming In On Valentine’s Day,” or you may also join our program by telephone. Mark your calendars and set your alarms. We want to fill the Zoom screen with your presence. If you would like to share a flyer on social media, please use the flyer WITHOUT the Zoom log-in information. We have attached flyers with Zoom information and without Zoom information in both Word and PDF formats.…

Yearbook and Directory Online for 2010 – ALEX Training Set to Start

Alex is a database that will be shared by the whole Church. General Minister and President Terri Hord Owens set this as an objective early in her tenure, knowing from her earlier experience in corporate settings that business intelligence (data) is key to making informed decisions. Alex will position Disciples to finally have a real-time directory and picture of churchwide trends that has been impossible with the current yearbook system. This work is only possible if we have good data. The Alex database will draw in select data from our current yearbook legacy system and the financial database maintained by Treasury Services. Congregations and regions can spot trends in real-time. Congregations will update their contact and staff information in real-time for submission to the regions for verification before pushing it out to the existing databases housed in general ministries. A single e-mail and password will be assigned to your congregation. Each congregation will have just one e-mail address/password combination shared among the pastor, administrative assistant, and whoever is designated to enter attendance and/or financial data. This username and password can be changed by your congregation as staff changes. The warehouse can be accessed on the web via a computer or mobile device. Once a year, a snapshot of all data will be taken for historical records (like the yearbook does now). Alex, however, will allow for an online interface that will be updated in real-time. Your congregation will be able to submit staff changes, address or select other information as changes occur, and your region and the general ministries will get the information in real-time. An added benefit of Alex (the database) is that your giving to Disciples Mission Fund and the special offerings will be updated by Treasury Services so you will have accurate records of your tithing to the whole Church each month. (No more digging for the Easter and Week of Compassion totals in January the next year!) Please have the person(s) in charge of preparing and submitting your congregation’s annual Yearbook and Directory information to the General office attend one (or more) of these introductory sessions. Pastors are also encouraged to attend the training to become familiar with the new system for processing congregational data. Please use this link to register for one of the training dates for ALEX. https://disciples.org/alex/training-for-alex-database/ For FAQs: https://disciples.org/alex/alex-faqs/ Date and time link Tuesday, Jan. 5, 10 am PST/1 pm EST Join Tuesday, Jan. 5, 7 pm PST/10 pm EST Join Tuesday, Jan. 12, 10 am MT/noon EST Join Tuesday, Jan. 12, 7 pm MT/9 pm EST Join Thursday, Jan. 14, 2 pm PST/5 pm EST Join Tuesday, Jan. 19, 10 am CST/11 am EST Join Tuesday, Jan. 19, 7 pm CST/8 pm EST Join Thursday, Jan. 21, 2 pm MT/4 pm EST Join Tuesday, Jan. 26, 10 am EST Join Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2 pm EST Join Thursday, Jan. 28, 2 pm CST/3 pm EST Join Thursday, Feb. 4, 2 pm EST Join Download a copy of the yearbook instructions.…

Zoom Training Provided by RCC

Thomas Knight, Technical Director at North Spray Christian Church in Eden, NC, will be teaching a class called Zoom Crash Course, at Rockingham Community College, on Tuesday/Thursday, January 26 and 28, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. There will be another class offered on Saturday, February 6, from 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. The class will be held virtually on Zoom. Cost for the class is $70. This class is great for all types of users from those just getting started to more advanced users who want to take their Zoom use to the next level to businesses or churches who want to use it for meetings. We are so excited to be able to offer this course with the increased need for virtual meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Undoubtedly, virtual meetings are here to stay! Register at https://www.rockinghamcc.edu/admissions/business-technologies today!…

Barton College – Part Three of Light of Life Podcast

Colleagues and Friends, The Barton College Center for Religious Studies is excited to announce that “Part Three” of the three-part Light of Life podcast interview with Dr. Zachary Moon is now available on the Center’s website. In this segment, Dr. Moon reflects further on moral injury, how this becomes an “embodied” experience for veterans, and how the church can serve veterans. Also, check out the new “Three Minute Thought” titled “Winter’s Light.” The segment arose from conversations with Prof. Maureen T. O’Neill, Director of Exhibitions and Educational Programming and Assistant Professor in the art program at Barton College. You can also find her pastel “Winter Trees” accompanying the mini-podcast. “Three Minute Thoughts” explore the spirituality of everyday life. They are released most Thursdays. Follow this link for these audio, and visual, resources: https://www.barton.edu/center-for-religious-studies/at-the-center/ Peace, Rod Werline — Rodney A. Werline, PhD Professor of Religious Studies Marie and Leman Barnhill Endowed Chair in Religious Studies Director, Barton College Center for Religious Studies Program Director, Religion and Philosophy Major Editor, Early Judaism and Its Literature (SBL) Barton College PO Box 5000 Wilson, NC 27893 (m) 336-508-4332…

2020 Christmas Offering

Consider this…Wise men on a long journey from the East, a hostile king nervously searching for the Christ child, and a special star that miraculously kept appearing. How can this story cause rejoicing today? To find out, read the message below from your Regional Minister! Donate today to support our ministries.…