This Advent, FCC Keokuk & WDMCC are collaborating to put on two musical worship events celebrating Jesus' birth! Join Revs. Brian Nixon, Mark Ehrhardt, & Luke Ehrhardt as well as Des Moines Symphony violinist Robert Espe at one of the following events for a lively & uplifting evening of praise to the newborn Christ!

• WDMCC: Friday, Dec. 2nd (doors open 6:30 pm)
• FCC Keokuk: Friday, Dec. 16th (doors open 6:30 pm)

With well-known classics, original songs, Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God album, & storytelling, you won't want to miss this exciting opportunity to enter the story of God-With-Us!

Anne Gregory Returns

 to the US

After almost eight years of service as a Mission Co-Worker and then Mission Service Worker with Global Ministries of the Christian Church (DOC) and UCC in Bangkok, Thailand, Rev. Anne Gregory has retired to the U.S.A., as of September, 2022. She is now located in Grand Island, Nebraska, with family.

Anne served with the Ecumenical Office of the Church of Christ in Thailand for two years, then was invited to serve as Co-Pastor for English-Language Ministries at Wattana Church in Bangkok (Wattana is pronounced WHAT-tuh-nah). Wattana Church is Presbyterian, and is observing its 100th anniversary this year.

As Co-Pastor at Wattana Church, Anne worked with a variety of people from three, and sometimes four, continents. A typical Bible Study class would have members from India, Pakistan, Nigeria, South Korea, Taiwan, sometimes China, and, of course, Thailand. Bangkok is a very large city (8-20 million, depending upon who is counting), and people from everywhere are living and working there.

A large part of the work of the English-Language ministries continues to be with Christian asylum seekers and refugees from Pakistan. Christianity is not illegal in that country, but there are tensions between the Muslim majority and religious minorities. Sometimes those tensions have become deadly, as we have seen between majority and minority groups everywhere in the world--no matter what religion they name and claim.

Asylum seekers and refugees have a primary task, and that is survival. They cannot legally work in Thailand, but in many ways it is still the safest place to go for many. Bangkok, as well as some other cities in Thailand, is also a temporary home for some refugees from Syria, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan, among other countries. A secondary task is the work of grief and the work of forgiving one's persecutors, as Jesus did. Another task is working and waiting and praying and hoping for real citizenship in a third country. These days, it will usually be Canada or Australia--after a painful wait of up to 10 years.

People all over the world have the same longings and the same struggles. They want to live at some level of peace, and they want an education and a future for their children. People everywhere are faced with money problems and relationship problems. The joyful truth is that God loves us all, and God offers to be with us through it all. What we really need is prayer, practical help, encouragement, forgiveness of ourselves and others, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we walk through this life together.

If you want to invite Anne to visit your congregation and preach, or share about these ministries, contact us at the Regional Office, and we will be in touch with her.

Fall 2022 CMEP Retreat

The Fall 2022 CMEP Retreat will be focused on Conflict and Resolution with Dr. Bryan Feille as the keynote speaker.

The retreat will take place on Nov. 18-19 at the Christian Conference Center.  

The $50 registration fee includes lodging and breakfast and lunch on Saturday.  

Noelridge Christian Church Calls New Pastor

Rev. Gregory Chambers and his wife received a ceremonial "laying on of hands" by the Noelridge Christian Church leadership representatives on Sunday, September 25 as Gregory began his new ministry with the church.

Pleasantville

Christian Church Dedication

On Sunday, September 18, members and friends of Pleasantville Christian Church celebrated the completion of the rebuilding of their church building with a dedication ceremony.  The church building was destroyed in a fire in 2020.  

Thanksgiving Offering

The Thanksgiving Offering benefits the Colleges, Universities, Seminaries, and Divinity Houses affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Higher education has been an important focus for Disciples since the very beginning of the movement. Throughout our history, Disciples have founded institutions of higher learning to educate students and form leaders to make a difference in the world. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is still committed to higher education. Your gift to the Thanksgiving Offering helps support the education of thousands of students at our fifteen colleges and universities as well as our seven seminaries and divinity houses.

Thanksgiving Offering will be received in most congregations on Nov. 13 and 20, 2022.

Please give generously to this offering.  Your gift makes a difference in the lives of our students and it makes a difference in the world.

Disciples at the

World Council of Churches

Approximately twenty Disciples from the United States and Canada gathered with 5,000 Protestants and Orthodox Christians from all over the world in Karlsruhe, Germany, to engage one another at the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly. The Assembly provided opportunities to build relationships, worship together, share in global concerns, consider the ways in which the church can and should be present with God’s people and creation, and establish priorities for the WCC for the next eight years.

Global issues of common concern were prominent across the Assembly: climate change, indigenous persons’ rights, and a desire for just peace in areas of conflict, including Ukraine. These concerns are interrelated, and throughout the Assembly, voices on the margin (including indigenous, young people, and persons with disabilities) emphatically called on the WCC to work together and include more people at the table in order to tackle these difficult challenges.

Bilingual Volunteers Needed

for Hurricane Cleanup

Hurricane Fiona caused home damage across many municipios in Puerto Rico. Week of Compassion is seeking volunteers to work with our partner, Crisis Cleanup, to help staff a call center. Volunteers will receive calls from survivors through a web-based platform and enter their needs on an interactive map used to coordinate volunteer cleanup teams. 

Volunteers need to be conversational in English and Spanish and have access to a computer with internet. The call center operates 7 days a week, 9am - 8pm EST. Crisis Cleanup does not require volunteers to fill quotas or work predetermined shifts, but the recommendation is for volunteers to aim for 5-8 hours per week. Self-paced training is available in English, and training in Spanish will be available soon.

75th Anniversary of MN Council of Churches

2022 marks the 75th anniversary of the MN Council of Churches.  There was a special anniversary celebration held on Saturday, October 15.  The worship service can be viewed here:

 https://www.facebook.com/STIMMN/videos/3282508602019944