January 23, 2022
But around God’s table, and around God’s people, you don’t have to pretend or overcompensate. You can just be. And in just being, you can, in the fierce and loving eyes of God, be known, be whole, and maybe even find a little rest. Because keeping it all going is just exhausting. – Nadia Bolz-Weber
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Keeping it all going during this pandemic is exhausting. Early in the 1918 influenza pandemic, churches in Wichita were vacant. We were in WWI and privileged few had telephones. The isolation during the pandemic must have been oppressive. From the The Wichita Eagle, October 14, 1918: “No services were held in Wichita churches Sunday, owing to the influenza quarantine. In many homes prayers were offered for the guidance of President Wilson, for the protection of the boys over there, and for the speedy termination of the influenza pandemic.”
Here, heading into year three of the covid pandemic, it has been good to be connected to each other through online worship.
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From the greater Christian Church (Disciples of Christ):
You are invited to a FREE webinar, led by Rev. Yvonne T Gilmore on “Equity and Liberation: Dismantling Racism 2.0,” hosted by Lexington Theological Seminary this Saturday, January 29 from 12:30-2:00 p.m. central time. Register for free at this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/…/tZEpc…
Dismantling racism calls for a commitment to equity and regenerative justice making practices. Anti-racism as a spiritual practice is not a zero sum construct but a process of community transformation and liberative identity formation. This interactive webinar will explore practical applications of liberative theology and spiritual practices at work in congregations and community institutions to foster intersectional communication and relational unity, and to overcome implicit bias and micro aggression.
Rev. Yvonne T. Gilmore began serving as Interim Administrative Secretary of the National Convocation, and Associate General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada on December 1, 2020. From 2013-2020, she served as Associate Dean of Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago (DDH), and as a co-teacher in the MDiv Arts of Ministry sequence at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. Ever committed to the cultivation of thought leadership and community formation, she co-directs “Living Justice: An Anti-Racist Practicum,” a justice learning and innovation lab that seeks to test out new approaches for connecting transformative leaders and ideas at DDH UChicago, and is also a core trainer with Reconciliation Ministries. She is a gifted spoken word artist and solo poet, and a member of the band, the Cornel West theory. Rev. Gilmore is also a former member of the Board of Directors of Higher Education and Leadership Ministries (HELM), and the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and a former new church pastor, and chaplain. She holds a BA in International Relations from The American University, and an MDiv from the University of Chicago Divinity School.
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We have vacancies that need filled by volunteers. As of 1-16-2022, our congregation is short 3 Spirit Team facilitators and 3 Mission Council representatives. This affects all aspects of our shared life and ministry together. Think about volunteering for one of these positions. Please contact Melanie Naden.
Hospitality Spirit Team. We need a Facilitator and a Mission Council member.
Support Services Spirit Team. We need a Facilitator and a Mission Council member.
Teaching/Wisdom/Knowledge Spirit Team. We need a Facilitator and a Mission Council member.
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From the PVCC newsletter archives, this week in 1969: Mission Council Urges Support of E.I. Seminar. …the Ecumenical Institute will conduct another weekend seminar… The course focuses on…authenticity, self-understanding, decision making, vocational significance and human relations… The scattered Church Mission recommends this seminar as one of the most effective means of reinterpreting the Christian message to 20th century man.
— Melanie Naden, PVCC Moderator