Prayer for Mission in Ecuador

This week we pray for Marilyn Cooper and Glenn Hebert, our missionaries to Ecuador, who serve the Ecumenical Foundation for Integral Development, Training and Education in matters of Christian Education and technology.

You can read more about the mission to Ecuador here, including a reminder of how personal events impact the work and ministry of an organization.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

General Assembly Gathers in Orlando for Worship and Business

The General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) gathered together in Orlando, Florida from July 13 through 17.  This event, held every two years, brings together Disciples from the United States and Canada (and even beyond) for worship, workshops, and time together.  Eastgate was represented at the Assembly by Rev. Joshua Patty, Chuck Pickrel, Tom Rebecchi, and Suzanne Rebecchi.

Worship, as befits a church with a diversity of races, ages, political and theological beliefs, was an eclectic mix of old and new, with a range of music led by a large praise team.  There was liturgical dance and a variety of ways to celebrate the Lord's Supper, to hear scripture (including in multiple languages), and to pray.

The featured preachers challenged those gathered on the Christian understanding of hospitality and welcome in various ways.  They also each passionately expressed hope for the church's future, despite the frequently depressing statistics and cultural context that suggest the church (or at least part of it) is withering away.

The voters of the General Assembly also met to conduct important work of the wider church.  Some of this work was mundane, receiving reports from all of the general ministries (17 in all), including things like Global Ministries, the Pension Fund, and Chalice Press.

In addition, the Assembly voted on a range of business.  Some of it was specific to the General Assembly, including electing new moderators and members of the general church board and approving the time and place of future General Assemblies (the 2017 Assembly will be in Indianapolis).  Some business involved policy changes for the general ministries.   This year, the General Assembly approved an Open Meetings Policy for the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and all of its committees and also approved some border changes to regions.

The General Assembly also voted on non-binding statements that seek to offer a "sense of the Assembly" on various issues facing the church, the country, and the world.  Sometimes, these resolutions seem to be "no-brainers," as this year when the Assembly overwhelming approved resolutions opposed to wage theft and the use of torture.  The Assembly also strongly encouraged congregations and ministries to adopt parental leave policies.

Sometimes, though, these resolutions can be divisive.  This certainly was the case for the most anticipated item of business at this year's Assembly, resolution GA-1327, "Becoming a People of Grace and Welcome to All."  While this might seem non-controversial for a denomination rooted in welcoming all Christians to the Lord's Table and historically seeking to bridge divisions like race, gender, age, class, politics, and other similar things, it also specifically highlighted the issue of sexual orientation, a topic that has been hotly debated in many denominations in recent years.

While non-binding upon any congregation or affiliated ministry, the resolution, which was adopted, calls upon the wider church, among others things, "to affirm the faith, baptism and spiritual gifts of all Christians regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and that neither is grounds for exclusion from fellowship or service within the church...."

As General Minister and President Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins put it in a letter sent to all congregations after the Assembly, "[The resolution] serves as a reminder that among Disciples we do not bar the church door or fence the table from those who desire the embrace of God's love."

The full text of all ministry reports received and resolutions and business acted upon by the General Assembly is available here, as is the full text of Watkins' letter.  There are also videos of the worship services available here.

July 21 Worship: "Unexpected Wisdom"

On Sunday, we concluded our summer study on the example of the early Christian church for the church today.  By exploring the first few chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, I encouraged us to imagine the church does two different things: we come together in worship, study, and fellowship and then we go out (individually or in small groups) to serve and teach others, before coming together again.

This week, we considered one of the famous "going out" passages, Philip's interaction with the Ethiopian eunuch, described in Acts 8.  While most of us sympathize with the Ethiopian, who declares that he cannot understand the Bible unless someone explains it to him, I strongly suggested that I believe Christians are supposed to be like Philip -- able to explain the Bible to others with questions about God and the meaning of existence.

After worship on Sunday, it occurred to me that I failed to incorporate the sermon title, "Unexpected Wisdom," into the sermon explicitly.  Still, I hope my meaning for it was clear without my stating it directly.  The unexpected wisdom comes from us, partially because we know more than we think we do, but mostly because sometimes our incomplete answer is the one answer that will make perfect sense to the person asking the question.  As Christians, who have experienced the hand of God in our life, who pray and worship together, and who read the Bible and listen sermons, we have some knowledge, even if we are convinced we don't understand it very well.  Just like parents answering the questions of their children, though, you don't have to be an expert to answer the questions; you just have to be willing to try.  Often, unexpectedly, our answers will not just be good enough -- they'll be just right.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can listen to an audio recording here.

Coming Up on Sunday, July 21

This Sunday we wrap up our series on lessons that modern Christians can learn from the earliest Christians' experiences as described in the Acts of the Apostles.  We will focus on the conversion and baptism of an Ethiopian by Philip, which seems to have become a popular text for sermons in the past 25 years.

Often, I think that people focus on the questions and the enthusiasm of the Ethiopian convert, which are important.  This Sunday, however, I'd like to focus more on Philip's role in the story and how Philip's experience is likely similar to our own faith experiences.

Worship Services from General Assembly

Worship services from the 2013 General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will be broadcast online in the coming days.  You can access the services through the Disciples.org website here or through LiveStream -- the service provider -- here.

Here is a list of evening worship services that you may watch online:

• Saturday, July 13, featuring Rev. Dr. Glen Miles preaching, webcast begins at 5:50 pm CDT
• Sunday, July 14, featuring Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President, preaching, webcast begins at 5:50 pm CDT
• Monday, July 15, featuring Rev. Feliberto Pereira preaching, webcast begins at 6:20 pm CDT
• Tuesday, July 16, featuring Rev. Dr. David Anderson preaching, webcast begins at 6:20 pm CDT
• Wednesday, July 17, featuring special musical guest Sweet Honey in the Rock, webcast begins at 6:20 pm CDT

Coming Up Sunday, July 14

This week, we have prepared a special worship service, "Christmas in July," which should take minds off the 90 degree temperatures of this time of year.  More seriously, though, it will celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ into the world as a child and as Emmanuel, "God with us."  The service will feature lots of music, including the choir singing selections from last year's cantata, "Lead Me Back to Bethlehem."  Also, as part of this effort, we are collecting clothing items for Tabitha's Closet, which will be given out as part of their back-to-school effort in the coming weeks.

July 7 Worship: "Wisdom from Other Faiths"

We gathered for worship at the end of the long 4th of July weekend, and many of us were clearly in a holiday state of mind.  Still, we joined together in prayer, learned more about the plans for this month's Vacation Bible School, and continued our study of the early church in Acts.

This week, we considered some of the fallout from the apostles public teaching and healing in Jerusalem.  Several Jewish leaders wanted to take drastic steps to prevent the disciples from doing such things, fearing they would lead people astray, but Rabbi Gamaliel discouraged such action, instead warning that if the Christians were doing what God wanted, they would be impossible to stop anyway.  I used the example of Rabbi Gamaliel to consider how Christians should approach people of other faith, suggesting that one reason Christians preserved Gamaliel's words is that this humility might be a good lesson for us in "Wisdom from Other Faiths."

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to hear it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.