Regional Assembly
May 20-21
Current Registration 123

What's new since April 27 mailing....

  • Regional Assembly Theme Scripture Reflection
  • Update on Workshops
  • Minister Family Dinner with Belva Brown Jordan

What to watch for in our next mailing....

  • Update on Streaming/Zoom for Assembly
  • Details on Youth and Children Activities on Saturday

Mission project and donation links are at the bottom of this email...................

You can access registration info HERE and the schedule HERE.

Regional Assembly gathers members and friends from 44 congregations that make up the Christian Church in Oregon and SW Idaho. We are from two states, worship in three languages, worship in houses, rented spaces, buildings we own, and on fields where we hope to build buildings. We are congregations as long serving as 175 years plus and as new as 3 years old.

And we serve one God. Together we will share worship, meet church leaders, reunite with friends and make new ones hosted by Salem First Christian Church.
Regional Assembly Theme Scripture
Luke 24:13-35
As you reflect on our theme scripture this week, read it quietly and see which part of the story connects to you in your life at this time. What moment in the story "clicks" for you and grabs your attention?

31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”

I have always loved this part of the story most of all. Each of the people in this story has an individual "ah ha" moment of recognizing that they have been in the presence of Jesus. The next verse is for me the reason for church basically. They compare notes -- "Did you see that?" They tell each other of their individual experiences and thereby strengthen their friend by hearing them and believing WITH them.

Church is not a building or an institution. Those are tools, important ones to be sure, that we will talk about at Regional Assembly workshops listed below.

Yet, the main thing to remember going into the future together as church is that we are a group of people that says, "Did you see that? Me too!" Church is the community of people who see Jesus and are changed and run to tell others.

Workshop Update
Workshops periods during the assembly will happen 10:50-12:15 and again at 1:15-2:30. District lunches happen between the two workshop periods.

A final schedule of the workshops is pending information and will be done and posted in our next mailing. We are fortunate to have so many wonderful guests and partners with us at assembly to bring the resources of our wider church to us and help us to get to know them and the resources they offer to our congregations.

Encourage your Elders, Trustees, Board leaders to come to the workshops even if they don't come to all of assembly.
They can register and do workshops and lunch.
The middle of Saturday is worth the price of admission!!
These whole church leaders in person can help your local officers/leaders learn about resources they can use in their service with your congregation.

For now, this is what we know....
  • Monica Myers Greenburg of Christian Church Foundation will do two workshops, one each period. One will focus on investing of church funds and the other will be about creating and investing named funds for ministry.
  • Rosario Ibarra of Disciples Church Extension Fund with do two workshops, one each period. One will focus on the use of our church buildings for mission and ministry and one will focus on the funding and revenue of our congregations.
  • Raiza Spratt of Week of Compassion will do two workshops, one each period. One will focus on preparing our congregations/buildings for potential disaster. The other will focus on how we respond to disasters when they happen around the world, with special emphasis on refugee resettlement resources.
  • The assembly choir will practice during the second period
  • Rod Witte of the Pension Fund will update us on system for pastors to prepare financially for retirement and for congregations to keep current on employment compensation issues with pastors.
  • A workshop for those not on site will be held on zoom hosted by our New Church Ministries Team to meet people from our newest congregations and hear their stories.
  • One-two more workshops online are in the works.
  • Those on site that would like a hands on activity can help to build the health kits as part of the assembly mission project
  • Those that need some time to simply catch up with friends can use this time to be with one another.
WATCH THIS SPACE FOR FINAL SCHEDULE
AND WORKSHOP RESOURCES
Minister Families Gathering on Friday evening with
General Assembly of the
Christian Church (DOC)
Moderator,
Belva Brown Jordan
You can register now and pay later by check or on line. We just want to know you are coming. We have reduced the price by $10.00 per person from 4 years ago. We have offered a first time attender discount. Kids and Youth are invited to come to programs that are offered for free. We hope this will help more people decide to come. We will be streaming some parts of the service, for now we need to know who plans to come in person.

We just need to know that you plan to come.
Let us know and tell your friends to come with you!
Link to the page with registration info HERE

If you cannot come, yet you want to help the assembly provide a gathering for the region, consider making a donation to the costs of the assembly, since this year we are reducing the cost to participants but costs to provide the assembly are higher than previous years.

We look forward to hearing from you!!
Programs and resources are provided to you by your Regional Church and the whole church ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) which are supported by Disciples Mission Fund, Annual Fund gifts, the Christmas Offering, designated gifts, and invested funds Learn more about the Christian Church in Oregon and SW Idaho HERE.