The Indiana e-Christian

The popular and provocative Saltsburg Distinguished Lecture Series returns to Christian Theological Seminary on September 23 and 24 to challenge audiences with the question: “Do I Know that Jesus?”

All three lectures are free and open to the public.

This year’s featured speaker is Dr. Carlos F. Cardoza-Orlandi whose three addresses will examine the portrayal of Jesus and Christian Identity in Latin America and the Hispanic Caribbean.  In particular, Cardoza-Orlandi will explore:

• The American missionary and national evangélicos encounter and debate about who Jesus is for the Latin American continent;
• The non-elite and popular evangélico religious expressions of Christ in the region
• The current encounter and interaction between popular religions—Spiritism and Afro-Caribbean religions—and the evangélico tradition.

Lecture one
Latin America for Christ!
Wednesday, September 23
Cross-cultural Interactions in Search of Identity Between American Missionaries and Latin American and Hispanic Caribbean Evangélicos
6:00 pm, Common Room, CTS

Lecture two
Beyond the Crucifix and the Scriptures
Thursday, September 24
Images and Sounds of an Erotic Latin American & Caribbean Christ
1:00 pm, Common Room, CTS

Lecture three
Jesus Among the Spirits
Thursday, September 24
An Emerging Latin American and Hispanic Caribbean Christology from the Encounter of Religions
6:00 pm, Common Room

Carlos F. Cardoza-Orlandi is professor of world Christianity at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, and chairs the Governing Board of the Hispanic Summer Program, Inc. He will begin a new appointment as professor of global Christianities and mission studies at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, in July 2010.

Cardoza-Orlandi’s interdisciplinary research focuses on the fields of world Christianity and mission. He is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Puerto Rico as well as the United States and Canada.

More information on the Saltsburg Lecture can be found at www.cts.edu/events or contact the office of Lifelong Theological Education at LifeEd@cts.edu.

Corydon Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will welcome a special guest speaker. James H. Trader, Curator of Cane Ridge Meeting House, will speak at the church on Sunday evening, August 30 at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Trader will speak about the significance of the Great Revival of 1801 that occurred at Cane Ridge, as well as the historical connections that many church traditions have to the events there.

Dr. Marc Wessels who currently serves as Interim Minister of the Corydon Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Salem United Church of Christ in New Middletown noted, “The Corydon Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a tangible result of the events that occurred at Cane Ridge. We continue to strive towards Christian unity, and celebrate our rich heritage.

“The congregation at Corydon was first formed by four women and an African-American man who were committed to individual freedom of thought and belief. We continue to uphold unity and charity as being more important than a compulsory and rigid belief system.”

The gathering of a great variety of Christian believers at the then frontier location of Cane Ridge in Bourbon County, Ky., brought forth a religious awakening which resulted in the formation of the Christian Church and great ecumenical partnerships as the great Western expansion took place in the country. The Cane Ridge revival movement is noted by American religious scholars as being the first one indigenous to American soil.

All members of local churches and the general public are invited to attend the event.

Workshop will be held September 30

Dr. Richard Lowery

Dr. Richard Lowery will lead a one-day seminar on “Preaching About Stewardship” at the Indiana Interchurch Center on Wednesday, September 30.  The seminar will begin at 10:30 a.m.

This workshop will include an in-depth exploration of the first biblical creation story, Genesis 1:1-2:4a, and consider its importance for the theology and ethics of wealth, work, and care for creation. Discussions will center on the practical significance of the theology of abundance that lies at the heart of the creation narrative. We will also contrast the theology of abundance with the so-called “prosperity gospel.”

Dr. Lowery most recently was Interim Dean of Lexington Theological Seminary on loan from Phillips Theological Seminary where he is the Professor of Hebrew Bible. He is also a practical theologian concerned with the church’s contemporary mission in the world.

Preaching About Stewardship is being sponsored by the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indiana. 

The cost for registration is $30, which includes lunch.  Registration forms are available online at indianadisciples.org.

Seminarians and Others to Gather at Camp Barbee

The second Chalice Camp for seminarians and others in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indiana and other regions is set for Thursday through Saturday, October 15 through 17, at Camp Barbee. The camp is located on Kuhn Lake near Leesburg, Ind.  Camp begins at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday and will conclude at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Blanche Hudson practices immersion with Elizabeth Ann Hartman during Chalice Camp 2008

The first Chalice Camp was held one year ago and was so well received that planning began soon afterwards for this second one. The purpose of the Camp is to provide a working introduction to ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for women and men who:

• are in seminary preparing for ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
• are in programs of licensed ministry
• have recently come into the ministry of the Disciples movement and who seek further exposure to the Disciples ethos
• have recently graduated from seminary
• are interested in exploring what ministry might be like in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
• persons from other denominations or movements

Participants will have opportunities to:

• review key ideas and practices in the ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
• consider ministerial ethics for Disciples ministers
• meditate on what it means to be a Disciples minister today
• practice immersion in a YMCA pool in nearby Warsaw
• practice presiding over the Lord’s Supper
• practice leading a wedding rehearsal and a wedding
• practice leading a funeral
• consider ministerial leadership in situations of conflict
• participate in small group discussions
• work with the search-and-call process
• practice interviewing with a mock pulpit (search) committee
• work with a church budget
• hear about exciting developments in the regional and general church, including church starts, and implications of our new Disciples identity, “We are a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.”
• become more familiar with Disciples resources
• network with Disciples leaders and with others preparing for ministry
• have time for spiritual renewal and reflection in a beautiful camp setting
• learn Disciples lore

The camp will have two levels of experiences: basic workshops and groups for beginning participants and more advanced experiences for those who have already participated in basic encounters.

Leaders for the camp come from all expressions of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)—congregations, regional staff, general staff, theological seminaries, and retired persons. Many seasoned ministers from each of these expressions of the church will be on hand as mentors and conversation partners.

Campfires, singing, S’mores and holy rowdiness will conclude each day.

The camp will include four services of worship, each with preaching by a noted Disciples leader. Preaching and worship will reflect the diversity of the Disciples of Christ.

Deb Phelps is camp director. Ron Allen from Christian Theological Seminary and Linda McKiernan-Allen, interim minister of West Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Tipton, Ind., are advisors.

Cost is $85, and scholarships are available. Please bring a Bible, sleeping bag, clothes appropriate for unpredictable fall weather, and an electric heater.

Congregations and individuals are urged provide scholarships for participants and to make donations to support the camp.

For more information contact Ron Allen at ron.allen@cts.edu or Deb Phelps at dphelps@cts.edu.

Poseyville Christian Church has received a Flourishing Congregations grant from the Center for Congregations.  The $3,700 matching grant will assist the congregation in developing a long term strategy for the church facility.

Dr. Marion Warpenberg (left) and board president Steve Ahrens take measurements in the sanctuary at Poseyville Christian.

The Flourishing Congregations Team for Poseyville includes Doris Beckerman, pastor of the congregation, and Steve Ahrens, board president, along with Julia Coulter, Rita Davis, Justin Schlumpf, Dr. Marion Warpenburg, and Darlene Voegel. 

In preparation for the mission study phase of the grant, Rev. Carolyn Reed, Associate Regional Minister, helped the church conduct and evaluate appreciative inquiry interviews to identify church members’ positive experiences at Poseyville Christian Church so that the team could begin identifying areas of interest for mission activities.

In addition to the mission study group, the grant will help fund a building inspection, CPR and first aid training for several members, and an architectural evaluation to assess whether the building condition and design will support the church’s mission.  Grant-eligible activities will continue through April 2010.

The Center for Congregations is a non-profit organization committed to strengthening congregations through resource consulting, educational events and resource grants.

Pastor Ted Nottingham presents a plague to Marciel and Ralph Werking in honor of their service.

In honor of their twenty-five years of leadership, Northwood Christian Church has named its Food Pantry “The Marciel and Ralph Werking Food Pantry”.

Pastor Ted Nottingham presented a plaque to the Werkings as they stepped down from overseeing a pantry that has fed as many as sixty families a week. The plaque will be permanently placed in the food pantry area in honor of their decades of leadership, participation and support of this ministry.

Greater Indianapolis Disciples Association (GIDA) Habitat is getting geared up to build its ninth house since organizing in 2000.  The 2009 Build on Faith home will be built on 2223 Morgan in west Indianapolis.  The build begins on October 7, 2009.

Rose Nderitu is originally from Kenya and is now a single mother. She and her children will work on the build and then own the home.  She says, “I have been working hard to support my children, and I have also been involving them in being responsible by handling some light chores at home.

“As long as God has given me good health, I will always pray that he may also give me the will and ability to work and be there and provide for my children. I also believe and trust that Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis will be an answer to my prayers.” 

When GIDA Habitat was first organized the group was able to raise the funds for each house themselves. The cost to build a Habitat house is now $70,000, and natural disasters have increased demand for building supplies.  GIDA Habitat is now only able to support one-third of the cost of a home or less.  The group seeks help from Disciple congregations in Greater Indianapolis to contribute funds to the project or prepare meals during the build.

Eligibility for a Habitat home involves a long process of learning and dedication by the prospective family. One family member has to be employed. Applicants have to take classes and counseling that Habitat provides, and they invest their sweat equity by working on the construction of the house. They will be required to pay on a small non-interest mortgage.

Currently, about nine of the 33 churches in the Greater Indianapolis area participate in the Habitat build.  Due to the generosity of those churches, GIDA Habitat reached its goal last year.

The dedication of the home is planned for November 20 or 21 .  Workers are needed for approximately 72 half-day slots.  Prayers, breakfast and lunch are always provided.  The adult family members work on the home every day, so volunteers have the opportunity to meet and work alongside the people that will be living in the home. 

A donation of time or money can make a huge difference in the life of a family. Consider organizing a fund-raiser or organizing workers. To volunteer to work or to make a donation, contact Chris Wittenmeier at christena1026@comcast.net or Sarah Murphy at sarah.murphy@prodigy.net.