The Indiana e-Christian

Residents of Briarwood Health and Rehab with their prayer shawls. Also pictured are facility Administrator Sonia Patel, and Activities Director Michelle DeBona.

Several residents of an Indianapolis nursing home will enjoy the warmth and comfort of prayer shawls made during this summer’s General Assembly.  Briarwood Health and Rehab, located on the near-northeast side of Indianapolis, was the recipient of 26 prayer shawls knitted and crocheted as part of the “Threads of Healing” outreach ministry. 

The “Threads of Healing” ministry, developed by Arlene Pimintel and Carmen Fernández as part of the General Assembly’s overall theme of “For the Healing of the Nations,” was based on the original Prayer Shawl Ministry of Janet Bristow and Victoria Galo.  Bristow wrote in 1998:

Shawls…made for centuries universal and embracing, symbolic of an inclusive, unconditionally loving, God.  They wrap, enfold, comfort, cover, give solace, mother, hug, shelter, and beautify.  Those who have received these shawls have been uplifted and affirmed, as if given wings to fly above their troubles…

More than 26 women and one man participated in making the prayer shawls that were donated to Briarwood Health and Rehab.  “Threads of Healing” was thoroughly enjoyed by those who participated.

Participants expressed interest in expanding the outreach ministry at future assemblies to include teaching the art of knitting, crocheting, and weaving.  Molly Plantz, from the Local Arrangements Mission Committee, offered special thanks to all of those who participated in “Threads of Healing.”

 For more information on the Prayer Shawl Ministry, visit www.shawlministry.com.

Worship services and the State of the Church address during the General Assembly will be streamed live via the web from the Indiana Convention Center. Webcasts will be begin approximately 30 minutes before each service and will be displayed on the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) web site.

Viewers will be able to chat live during the webcast and those using Twitter will be able to tweet directly from this page. Status updates will be marked with the #docga09 hashtag.

Live Webcast Schedule

Times listed below indicate when the webcasts will begin and do not reflect the actual starting time of the event. Please view the General Assembly schedule for more information. All times are in Eastern Daylight Time.

• Wed., July 29, 2:00pm – Opening Business and State of the Church
• Wed., July 29, 7:30pm – Opening Worship
• Thurs., July 30, 7:30pm – Evening Worship
• Fri., July 31, 7:30pm – Evening Worship
• Sat., August 1, 7:30pm – Evening Worship
• Sun., August 2, 1:30pm – All-Assembly Concert and Closing Communion

Live Streaming Service

All webcasts and their associated services will be streamed using UStream (www.ustream.tv). This free web streaming service allows the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to stream worship services from the 2009 General Assembly without the need to pay for video distribution services. Webcasts will include small advertisements in the lower-third of the screen. These ads are managed by UStream.tv and not the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Republished from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) web site.

The Traveling Communion Table will grace the chapel at General Assembly before moving on to displaced congregations.

Paul Hartig, pastor of Saint Paul (Ind.) Christian Church and a student at Christian Theological Seminary, has constructed a traveling communion table that will make its first stop in the chapel at the upcoming General Assembly in Indianapolis. 

Hartig originally built the table for Downey Avenue Christian Church in Indianapolis after the sanctuary had been severely damaged by fire in December 2005.  The original intent was to provide an enhanced sacred feel to the fellowship hall of the church, where the congregation met for worship while the sanctuary was being rebuilt.

The design of the table incorporates a three-part, angled shape, representative of the Triune God, and the words, “Do this in remembrance of me.”  Hartig says, “My hope for this table was that it would encourage each of us to remember the the gift of love shared with us 2000 years ago as well as to offer us a place today where we can ‘re-member’ the Body of Christ.”

Three panels of stained glass, also built by Hartig, will be incorporated into the construction of the table.  The center panel depicts the logo and theme for the 2009 General Assembly, For the Healing of the Nations.  Lettering on the glass was done by Patty and Tom Pike of Sign Masters in Saint Paul and members of Hartig’s congregation.

Paul Hartig, pastor at Saint Paul Christian Church, holds a stained glass piece that will be part of the traveling communion table.

The Administrative Board at Downey Avenue helped launch the Traveling Communion Table ministry by voting to allow the table to journey to another congregation that had been displaced from their regular worship space by human activity or natural disaster.  When the table makes its first stop in the chapel, participants at General Assembly will have the opportunity to learn about the ministry of the Traveling Communion Table.

Geist Christian Church will host the Ministry in Hard Times workshop at its north campus on July 28-29.  The workshop is being sponsored by Net Results magazine and will precede the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis.

Bill Tenny-Brittian, Bill Easum and Clif Christopher will provide keynote addresses during Ministry in Hard Times.  Noted pastors and consultants Gary Straub, Geoff Mitchell and Randy Updegraf Spleth will also provide participants with practical advice for being a vital and effective congregation, even under difficult economic circumstances.

Advance registration for the event is $85.  Walk-in registration is $95.  Advance registration is available through 21st Century Strategies, which manages Net Results.

The north campus of Geist Christian Church is located at the corner of 126th Street and Promise Road in Fishers, Ind., just north of Indianapolis.  More information is also available on the DisciplesWorld web site.

Eureka College invites all alumni, guests and friends of Eureka College to join them for a luncheon during the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis. The luncheon will be held on Friday, July 31, from noon until 1:30 p.m. in Regency Ballroom A of the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis Downtown.

Tickets for the luncheon are $24 per person. Reserve space by calling the Eureka College Alumni Office at 877-892-7823.  Tickets are also available online via the “meals tickets” link from www.disciples.org/ga and will be on hand at the General Assembly Convention Center ticket booth.

You do not have to be registered for the General Assembly event to attend, so come get a glimpse of what’s been happening “‘neath the elms” while hearing about the vision for Eureka College’s future.

Planners for the upcoming General Assembly are asking Indiana congregations to participate in a food drive that will culminate in a food offering at the closing worship and concert on Sunday, August 2.  The drive will benefit the local food pantries that congregations are already supporting.

Congregations that wish to participate should conduct a drive for their local during the month of July.  They should then weigh or estimate the weigh of the food donations given.  A designated representative of the congregation will report the total weight from that church at the volunteer registration table.  The total weight donated by all congregations will be reported during the offering at closing worship.

In keeping with the notion of a “green” Assembly, the Chapel Committee for the 2009 General Assembly is asking for assistance from Disciples congregations around the country. The Committee is asking Disciples to take one or two of their surplus Sunday bulletins to the Assembly, or send them to Chapel Committee Chair Mark Madinger. The committee will use the bulletins to decorate the chapel walls at the Assembly.

Using the bulletins will allow the Chapel Committee to contribute to the environmental stewardship of the gathering. Event planners for this General Assembly are striving to minimize the use of non-recyclable materials, replacing them with renewable resources where possible.

Representatives from congregations can bring bulletins to the Assembly or mail them to Mark Madinger, 8820 Woodacre Lane, Indianapolis, Ind. 46234.  Bulletins sent by mail should be received by July 18.

The registration system for General Assembly, which had been down due to techincal difficulties, is now back online.  In addition, the deadline for early bird registration has been extended two months, from January 31 to March 31.

An additional discount is available to Indiana Disciples as representatives of the host region.  Hoosier Disciples can save $60 by registering before March 31.  The cost, including the early bird and host region discounts, is $100.

To receive the host region discount while registering online, select ‘host region’ from the list of registration options.  The discount is not applied automatically.

A $50 one-day registration is also available for those who would like to experience part of the Assembly but cannot commit either the money or the time for a full registration.  Evening worship services at the General Assembly are open to the public.

The General Assembly will meet at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, July 29 – August 2.

Next summer Indianapolis will proudly host the 2009 General Assembly for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). This will be an exciting time for the entire church, as well as for the Christian Church in Indiana, but it will also require nearly 400 local volunteers to assure success of the event.

Logo and theme for the 2009 General Assembly in Indianapolis.

The theme for the General Assembly is, “For the Healing of the Nations,” based on Revelation 22:2.

Work is well underway to organize volunteers for this exciting challenge. Earlier this year, a group of Disciples clergy from greater Indianapolis selected Arlene Pimentel as chair of the Local Arrangements Committee. The committee consists of four Vice Chairpersons that are responsible for a vast variety of volunteer tasks.

Several opportunities exist for volunteers to extend Hoosier hospitality to General Assembly attendees. These range from providing specialized transportation to organizing the serving of communion at worship services, and everything in between. The Local Arrangements Committee also has a treasurer and recording secretary.

“We’re trying to emphasize involvement by everyone in the Indiana Region,” states Arlene Pimentel. Involvement includes registering early as a General Assembly attendee. A registration discount is available to anyone who registers from the Indiana Region.

Involvement also means volunteering for one of the many needs of the General Assembly. Contact the committee via email at genassembly09@mdssworld.com for a complete list of volunteer opportunities.

“What a wonderful way to praise God through our denomination by showing genuine Hoosier hospitality to our visitors from around the world. Volunteer today and be a part of this exciting event,” adds Pimentel.