Wayne Bell Lecture - November 9th

Mark G. Toulouse will deliver the 2008 Wayne H. Bell Lecture at Vine Street Christian Church on Sunday, November 9, at 2 p.m. Toulouse's topic will be “Christian Identity in Today's World."

Toulouse, Professor of American Religious History at Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University, holds a Ph.D. from The University of Chicago and is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In January he will become Principal and Professor of the History of Christianity for Emmanuel College in Toronto, the largest theological seminary associated with the United Church of Canada.

The Wayne H. Bell Lectureship on Ministry honors Vine Street's former Senior Minister, Dr. Wayne H. Bell.

Sign up for lunch, served between the 10:45 worship service and the lecture.

November 15th - The Next Journey Workshop

Thomas Kleinert

A lot of Journey work is going on behind the scenes! Three groups are working on their presentations of scenarios of Vine Street’s future, and only they know what they’re working on – for the rest of us, it’s going to be a big surprise.

Will there be a song about Vine Street’s future, or a play? Is one of the groups working on a cartoon or a movie? Could there be a ballet with choral reading or an old-fashioned bus tour with a guide? We just don’t know, and the expectation is building!

We will gather again for a Journey workshop with George Bullard on Saturday, November 15. We will meet at 9 a.m. in the fellowship hall, and we will witness the great unveiling: three distinct scenarios of what Vine Street will be in 5-10 years.

You will remember the three approaches: radical (in construction, that would mean tear down and rebuild), significant (in gardening, that would mean not just pruning and weeding, but some serious cutting and replanting), and incremental (in cooking, that would be the perfect stew: you start with a good base and you add the best ingredients at just the right time, allowing the flavors to develop and blend until – voilà, pot-au-feu ecclesiale!) – and that’s another three possible presentations right there!

I can’t wait to take in what the three groups have come up with. I can’t wait for the moment when out of the three creative group movements the contours of a story begin to emerge – the one story that captures who we will become. I can’t wait for November 15 to arrive and all of us to gather in the fellowship hall like kids on Christmas morning.

We will be spending much of the day together, so please let us know that you are coming. We will have snacks and lunch for everyone. You can register online  or by calling the church office (269-5614). I look forward to seeing you on Saturday, November 15 at 9 a.m. in the fellowship hall!

Making a Difference with Room 8

The Room 8 crew has an opportunity for you all! The last few weeks we have been studying, praying, and reflecting upon the genocide that is taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan. We’ve discussed various ways to be in prayer, solidarity, and action with the people of Darfur. Upon our prayerful call to action, we wanted to extend this call to our church family. During the next two weeks Room 8 is providing opportunities for you to join our prayers and efforts for peace in Darfur.

First, you can go to the site http://addyourvoice.org/ to sign up for the Presidential postcard campaign. Both Presidential nominees have stated Darfur is a priority if they are elected into office. Regardless of who is elected, Room 8 and the Save Darfur Campaign want to ensure that the newly elected President knows of our concerns and cries for actions of peace. By visiting the site above you will add one more postcard, one more voice, in our efforts of peace.

If you are unable to visit the site this week we will have computers set up during coffee hour before and after church next Sunday, November 9th. This Sunday also marks the culmination of the “Tents of Hope” campaign. Throughout the year, and all over our country, tents the same size as those currently housing Darfur refugees have been decorated and used to teach people about the issues of Darfur. On November 8th these tents will be set up in Washington D.C. as a visual cry from our communities on behalf of the many communities in Darfur. While we cannot be in D.C., we can lend our voices to this cry through the “Add Your Voice” campaign.

Second, during Sunday School hour November 16th, Room 8 invites everyone to join us in a prayer vigil for the people of Darfur. We’ll provide you more information about this next week.

Peace,
Room 8