Regional Assembly 2016 November 11-13

Northside Christian Church West Point, Mississippi

PRE-ASSEMBLY SEMINAR for ministers and congregational leaders who have responsibilities for preaching and/or teaching in their church

On Friday, November 11, from 9 am–3 pm led by Dr. Eugene Boring

“Preaching/Teaching the Bible as the Word of God”

Registration required

Psalm 46:1-5, 10 ~ and ~ Romans 12:1-2

Regional Assembly 2016 Schedule

Friday, November 11

9 AM — 3 PM * Pre Assembly Seminar: Preaching/Teaching the Bible as the Word of God

Dr. M. Eugene Boring

3:00 PM Regional Assembly Registra"on opens 4:00 PM All Assembly Choir Rehearsal 3 – 10 PM Hospitality Area & Exhibitors open

5:00 PM * Fellowship Supper — drop in style

6:15-7:00 PM All Assembly Choir Gathering and Evening Worship par cipants meet 7:00 PM All Assembly Worship

9:00 PM Recep"on Saturday, November 12

7:00 AM * Minister +1 Breakfast 8:45 AM Gathering music and singing

9:00 AM All Assembly Welcome

9:15 AM “Transformed Minds and Open Hearts: Living Together as One Church” by Dr. Eugene Boring

Break

10:30 AM Business Session 11:30 AM * Luncheons: Women, Men, Chaplains and Musicians 1:15 PM Workshops 2:30 PM Break

2:45 PM Educa"on Tracks 4:45 PM Break

6:30 PM * All Assembly Banquet 7:00 PM Banquet Speaker: Rev. Vy Nguyen, Week of Compassion

Sunday, November 13

9:00 AM All Assembly Sunday School: Rev. Tony Na ons, Central Chris an Church, Shreveport & Rev. Amanda Duckworth, Northside Chris an Church, West Point 11:00 AM Tradi"onal Worship Service: Rev. Orlando Richmond, preaching

* Registra on / Ticket required

Dr. M. Eugene Boring—Professor Emeritus, Brite Divinity School

Dr. Boring is one of the world’s finest New Testament scholars and interpreters. He is I. Wylie Briscoe Pro-fessor Emeritus of New Testament at Brite Divinity School, Texas Chris'an University. He is the author of numerous books on the New Testament, including An Introduc�on to the New Testament, Mark from the New Testament Library series, Revela�on from the best-selling Interpreta'on series, and The People's New Testament Commentary which he co-authored with Dr. Fred B. Craddock.

Dr. Boring and his wife, Karen, have three adult children and four grandchildren and are ac've members of University Chris'an Church, Ft. Worth, Texas.

Dr. Sharon Watkins—General Minister and President, Chris an Church (DOC)

As General Minister, Sharon is the general pastor of the denomina'on, responsible for represen'ng the wholeness of the church, for reconciling differences, and for helping the church retain its clarity of mission and iden'ty. Her work includes interpre'ng The Design of the Chris'an Church (Disciples of Christ) and convening tables for coopera've work.

She is an inspira'onal preacher, teacher and facilitator who shares her considerable skills in a variety of religious and ecumenical se4ngs.

Vy Nguyen, Week of Compassion

Vy Nguyen was born in Viet Nam and lived in refugee camps during his early childhood along with millions of other Southeast Asian refugees. As a child refugee, Vy was rese6led to the US by the church and Week of Compassion’s partners; and grew up and shaped in the Chris'an Church (Disciples of Christ).

In his role and ministry with Week of Compassion, he offers leadership and collabora'on with local, regional and global church partners to provide compassionate support in the areas of disaster, sustainable develop-ment, and refugee rese6lement on behalf of the denomina'on. He is commi6ed to finding crea've ways to serve and bring about posi've change on behalf of the church with communi'es across the world in their

'mes of greatest need.

He joined Week of Compassion a9er serving more than five years with Church World Service, a partner of Week of Compassion.

Vy and his wife, Linh Bui, live with their son, Andrew, in Oakland, CA.

Rev. Orlando Richmond—Senior Minister, Northside Chris an Church

Reverend Richmond has been the Senior Pastor of Northside Chris'an Church since 1997, growing the membership of the church to several hundred and recently completed construc'on of a new sanctuary and offices, where ministry is aided by a host of technological features. The church has a well-received weekly radio broadcast and a host of ministry and outreach func'ons.

In addi'on to being a successful li'ga'on a6orney, he has been an instructor at (and a6ended) Jackson-ville Theological Seminary, teaching courses ranging from New Testament Studies to Church Administra-'on. He serves on a number of boards and has been the recipient of many professional and social awards and recommenda'ons.

Pastor Richmond has been married to Allison Turnage Richmond for over 32 years, and the couple, which has two adult sons, give generously of their 'me and resources to numerous causes.

Regional Assembly Guest Speakers

Workshops (1:15-2:30 pm)

1—Stepping Into Stewardship — Rev. Ashley Sherard, Jerusalem Chris"an Church, Lafaye5e We are called to be stewards of the “many colored graces of God”. Learn prac'cal, easy to implement ways to teach your congrega'on about stewardship and what it means to faithfully support the mission of your church

2— Week of Compassion Update — Rev. Vy Nguyen, Week of Compassion

Come to this workshop to hear the latest emergency responses, development, and refugee work from Week of Compassion

3— Growing Your Church’s Endowment: Developing Planned Giving — Rev. Bobby Hawley

This workshop will address the importance of establishing and growing your congrega'on’s endowment funds. Emphasis will be placed on developing a useful permanent fund policy, as well as crea'ng a successful planned giving campaign. Finally, the workshop will focus on ways in which members can make effec've use of estate planning and planned gi9s.

4—Your Message on Social Media — Rev. LaShaundra McCarty Social media will not only allow you to share what is happening in your pulpit; it will also allow you to share the story of your ministries, events and impact on the community. Most people encounter organiza'ons via social media before they walk through the doors. Do you have a compelling message for them to encounter?

5—Congrega"onal Governance for Results — Rev. Dr. David Bri5

If our mission ma6ers, it's important to understand the principles of healthy governance so that the mission gets carried out. We’ll talk about the Policy Governance™ model and then discuss how it can help your church carry out your mission more effec'vely.

6— May We Do It? Should We Do It? — Rev. Bobbie Yello5

Chris'an ethics are the principles derived from our Chris'an faith by which we act. Clergy are guided by a Ministerial Code of Ethics – but what guidance is available for the congrega'on? In this workshop we will examine such issues as plagiarism, copyright viola'on, privacy concerns, Internet use, and social media ma6ers.

7— 21st Century Congrega"ons Must Have Transforma"onal Leadership — R. Wayne Calhoun

As leaders we must change how we do and view 21st century leadership in our local congrega'ons. Pastor, leaders and congrega'ons have to adopt a new mindset about what it meant to be a 21st century church vs a 20th century church. This mindset change includes how we view, see and do church in the 21st century.

Workshop Leaders

Rev. Ashley Sherard is the volunteer Stewardship Liaison for the Great River Region, having received specialized training in the principles of Biblical Stewardship through the Center for Faith and Giving under the mentorship of Rev. Bruce Barkhau-er. She is also the Pastor of Jerusalem Chris'an Church (Disciples of Christ) in Lafaye6e, LA and serves as a Regional Elder. She resides in Lafaye6e with her three daughters, Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison.

Rev. Bobby Hawley is the vice president of the South Central Zone of the Chris'an Church Founda'on. His responsibili'es include working with members, congrega'ons, regions and other en''es of the Chris'an Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Great River, Oklahoma and Southwest Regions. A Texas na've, Hawley (who prefers to be called Bobby) is a Cer'fied Specialist in Planned Giving (CSPG) and a Cer'fied Fund Raising Execu've (CFRE).

Rev. LaShaundra McCarty is the owner of 3C:Crea've Communica'ons & Consul'ng, which has been in business since 2009. She began her post-graduate journey as a graphic designer and social media manager/trainer providing support to non-profits, denomina'ons and entrepreneurs. Within Disciples, LaShaundra has worked as a consultant to the Reconcilia'on Ministry, Na'onal Convoca'on, Disciples Home Missions, North Carolina Region and Disciples Women.

Workshop Leaders (con�nued)

Rev. Dr. David Bri5 is the pastor of First Chris'an Church in Pineville, LA and serves as the Execu've Director of the Unit-ed Way of Central Louisiana and is the current Moderator of the Great River Region of the Chris'an Church. He is a gradu-ate of the Policy Governance Academy and was personally trained by John & Miriam Carver, founders of the Carver Gov-ernance model. He has served as faculty at Southern Bap'st Theological Seminary, is a published author and recently de-veloped the Agency Excellence Workbook for nonprofits (available for download at uwcl.org).

Rev. Roberta “Bobbie” Yello5 is pastor of First Chris'an Church (Disciples of Christ) of Sulphur, LA for seventeen months. A life-long Disciple, she has been ac've in local and regional church work, as well as ecumenical work for many years. Bobbie has presented workshops for Disciples Women retreats and at Regional Assemblies, concentra'ng on prayer and Disciples heritage. Bobbie was ordained in January of 2016. She received her seminary educa'on at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth. Bobbie has a passion for music is a turtle nut and a voracious reader.

Rev. R. Wayne Calhoun is the Execu've for the Office of Evangelism & Congrega'onal Transforma'on for Disciples Home. Calhoun’s major focus is on providing leadership in evangelism, church growth, transforma'on, and vitality for the Chris'an Church (Disciples of Christ) with an emphasis to African-American congrega'ons. He is also currently serving as the Director of the Office of Black Ministries.

Educa on Tracks (2:45-4:45 pm)

A—Healthy Boundaries — Rev. Donna Rose-Heim

Healthy rela'onships in the church take care and a6en'on. Having good guidelines for how we serve together can make all the difference. This educa'on track is for both clergy and laity and will help par'cipants explore op'ons to create a safe space in your church.

B—Injus"ce Anywhere — Rev. Dietra Wise-Baker Injus�ce Anywhere, the film, was commissioned to share the stories of a small group of pastors who were involved in different ways in the Ferguson Uprising as way of invi'ng our denomina'on, the Chris'an Church (Disciples of Christ), in deeper racial jus'ce ac'vism and organizing. In this workshop we will view the film and dra9 next steps for the GRR.

C—Employee Benefits – Health care and Re"rement Benefits for Today — Rev. Deborrah Wray

What healthcare and re'rement benefits can a congrega'on afford to provide to their pastor and other church work-ers? We will discuss the rules of the Affordable Care Act, and how to find coverage on the exchanges. Re'rement ben-efits don’t have to be confusing for either the pastor or the church. We will cover the basics of re'rement planning and explain the programs available at the Pension Plan. Bring your ques'ons with you!

Educa on Track Leaders

Rev. Donna Rose-Heim is an ordained Disciple minister and has served both in congrega�ons and on regional staffs. She has been an installed pastor and has served as a transi�onal interim in several se�ngs. She now serves as a consultant, speaker, trainer and writer. She serves as lead instructor for the Mid-America Region in providing Boundary Training for clergy. She was trained by Dr. Marie Fortune and Dr. Aleese Moore-Orbih of the Faith Trust Ins�tute. She is author of “Dream Walking”, which she published in 2007, and “Dream Walking for Kids” published in 2011. She has led numerous re-treats about the spiritual life.

Rev. Deborrah M. Wray is Director of Employer Services at the Pension Fund and previously was VP of the Midwest Zone for CCF for 17 years. Deborrah is a commissioned minister of the Chris�an Church (Disciples of Christ). Her com-mitment to educa�on of clergy and other church workers on financial and re-�rement planning have led her to earn cer�fica�ons: ChFC® (Chartered Finan-cial Consultant), CASL® (Chartered Advisor for Senior Living), and RICP® (Re�rement Income Cer�fied Professional).

Deborrah and Johnny have three children and four grandchildren.

Rev. Dr. Dietra Wise Baker works full �me as Chaplain and Program Develop-ment Manager for Episcopal City Mission a non-profit providing chaplaincy ser-vices to incarcerated children in the St. Louis area. She also serves as an organ-izing specialist for the Na�onal Benevolent Associa�on of the CC (DOC). In this role she challenges congrega�ons to engage in systemic level work in racial rec-oncilia�on. She is currently organizing the “Break the Pipeline “campaign aimed at breaking the “school to prison” pipeline in Missouri. In August of 2014 she became the Clergy Caucus Co-leader of the Gamaliel Networks' Metropoli-tan Congrega�ons United—an organiza�on that provided resources for clergy and congrega�ons in the early stages of the Ferguson movement.

Pastor Dietra loves to dance, sing, and teach and is married to Cornell R. Baker and they have a beau�ful daughter Alexis Baker.