Regional Assembly
May 20-21
Current Registration 130

REGISTRATION
DEADLINE MAY 10

What's new since May 2 mailing....

  • Regional Assembly Theme Scripture Reflection
  • Update on Workshops with addition of a new workshop
  • Fair Trade Sale Benefiting FEDICE Ecuador

What to watch for in our upcoming mailings....

  • Assembly Mission Offering
  • Update on Streaming/Zoom for Assembly
  • Details on Youth and Children Activities on Saturday of RA

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?

24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.”

In the story of in our theme text, the people on the road who meet the man they later recognize as Jesus are telling him about what happened the week before. The women who had been to the tomb and seen it empty had gone to tell the Jesus followers what they had seen. Maybe partly because they did not believe them, or maybe because they did, they went to see for themselves.

Since none of us reading this online were alive at the time of Jesus earthly life, so we have no physical experience of seeing a human Jesus. People of faith today rely on the testimony of others and their own experiences in prayer, Bible study, and spiritual companionship and challenge to know the life, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus.

One of the reasons we gather for assembly is to compare notes about how these various experiences of Jesus can be shared with others, so that all of us can have a more full vision of Jesus.

At assembly you will be with people of different life experience than yourself. Each of you knows something that others in the group do not know. When we pool our understanding and share our testimonies, we all become more resilient in our faith.

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.

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.
Salem Based workshops will not be on line
and will not be recorded.

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.
For those not on site, watching online ..............
  • A zoom meeting hosted by our New Church Ministries Team will convene for folks to meet people from our newest congregations and hear their stories.
  • NEW WORKSHOP ONLINE ADDED THIS WEEK at the afternoon session, starting a 1 p.m. Pacific and 2 p.m. Mountain time -- meet online by zoom with FEDICE Executive Director Blanca Puma and other leaders of FEDICE Ecuador
  • 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
Fair Trade Sale with Profits going to FEDICE Ecuador

Check it out HERE
If you would like to participate in the sale, but you won't be in person in Salem, connect with a friend that will be there, and have them bring their cell phone and help you shop from a distance on your behalf. You can work out payment between you and your friend.

We won't be able to do online shopping during the event. We will re-engage our online fair trade store this summer, but the online version has a much lower inventory as we need to buy the items ahead of selling them for the online store.

For a bigger inventory, shop at assembly or send a "personal shopper".

Spread the word.
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.