January 2, 2022
“It gets darker and darker, and then Jesus is born.” That line comes back to me, from out of nowhere, and I decided to practice radical hope, hope in the face of not having a clue. – Anne Lamott
I’m your PVCC Moderator for the next two years. This is a new role for me leading this congregation. I’m not sure I have much of a clue, but like Anne Lamott, I will hold fast to hope. For the next two years, I am on this journey with you and for you. I’ll have a newsletter article each week that will include inspirational thoughts from theologians, PVCC history flashbacks from archived newsletters, community news, and calls for action. Let’s get started.
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Support Services Spirit Team.
We need a Facilitator and Mission Council member for our Support Services Spirit Team. Anyone on the team can be the Mission Council representative for the team. It does not have to be the facilitator.
Please contact Melanie Naden if you want to volunteer.
Here’s what the Support Services Spirit Team does: supports operation of the church by coordinating Sunday morning duties, maintaining the calling tree, purchasing supplies for the church, managing rental and usage of the building, and providing volunteers to assist the Office Manager. The facilitator serves on the Life Celebration Team.
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Teaching/Wisdom/Knowledge Spirit Team.
We need a Facilitator and Mission Council member for our Teaching/Wisdom/Knowledge Spirit Team. Anyone on the team can be the Mission Council representative for the team. It does not have to be the facilitator.
Please contact Melanie Naden if you want to volunteer.
Here’s what the Teaching/Wisdom/Knowledge Spirit Team does: takes care of educating our members by forming effective learning structures, planning curriculum, and providing opportunities for learning and spiritual growth for all age groups in the congregation.
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Pine Valley Christian Church is part of the South Central District of the larger Regional Christian Church in Kansas (Disciples of Christ). Our shared Disciples community offers ministry through retreats, camps, workshops, outreach and more. The South Central satellite office is located at the Disciples Center at Camp Tawakoni, near Augusta. The Regional Christian Church in Kansas’ office is in Topeka. Watch this space for more information about upcoming events.
A call to action from our Co-Regional Ministers, Larry Ross and Ken Marston. [I’ve abridged their recent letter]:
Regional ministers across the country are advising their churches on how best to respond to the tornadoes [in Kentucky] and high wind damage of recent weeks.
1. Consider sending money directly to Week of Compassion – and indicate it is for tornado relief [or other disaster areas that you wish to help]. 100 percent of your gifts go to ministry as WOC administrative costs are covered by endowments.
2. There are other partner organizations/denominations that have immediate disaster response teams and they are best equipped to handle this part of the recovery. We are glad to have them as partners.
3. The Disciples part of the Disaster Recovery process are the teams that arrive 3-6 months after the event is out of the news and set up mission stations to provide for the 2-3 year ongoing rebuild.
4. Kansas churches that want to send mission teams under the auspices of the Disciples can contact Week of Compassion or Disciples Volunteering. Let the Regional Office (785-266-2914, cck@kansasdisciples.org) know of your plans and we will circulate that information. This way, churches with a few individuals might join with other churches in the effort.
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From PVCC newsletter archives, December 1965, the very beginning of Pine Valley Christian Church. This is from an invitation sent by the Christian Church Commission to more than 100 Disciples families in the area: [The result of a survey] shows great possibilities for one of the finest churches in Wichita… a new Christian Church is being established… and the first meeting will be held Sunday, January 16, 1966…
— Melanie Naden, PVCC Moderator