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May 28, 2008                                                                                                                             VOLUME 60, NO. 22

With the humanitarian tragedy in Myanmar (Burma) worsening by the hour following the devastating Cyclone Nargis, some officials, including Shari Villerosa, the top U.S. diplomat in the country, fear the death toll may exceed 100,000. At least one million people have been left homeless. Massive destruction, destroyed transportation and communications infrastructure, and initial intransigence from the ruling regime have hampered initial relief responses. However, yesterday the UN and India were able to dispatch relief supplies by air.

Church aid organizations are urgently putting relief operations in place. A Church World Service staff representative arrived in Myanmar to coordinate CWS’ response. CWS and other Action by Churches Together (ACT) members, including Christian Aid of the UK, Norwegian Church Aid, Danchurchaid and others, have active local partner networks in the country. The CWS staffer noted that "in global disaster response work, local partners know best where assistance is needed and always have more effective response networks."

CWS’ initial appeal of $50,000 was surpassed in one day (including a $6,000 grant from Week of Compassion/Disciples), and the appeal will soon be expanded significantly to address the enormous scope of relief aid that is needed for survivors. CWS’ initial response is focused on food and then shelter. Water purification tablets, plastic sheeting, basic medical kits, bed nets ,and other basic relief items are urgently needed.

Week of Compassion has now provided two emergency grants – one for $6,000 to the initial CWS appeal and one for $5,000 to the Southern Asia Office of Global Ministries - to support the response of the Myanmar Council of Churches. WOC is anticipating a very large appeal from CWS/ACT and will rely greatly upon designated gifts from our congregations, members, and friends to help ensure a strong response from Disciples. Online gifts may be made by sending them to WOC, attn: Elaine Cleveland, P.O. Box 1986, Indianapolis, IN. 46206. WOC will continue to provide information on the unfolding situation in Myanmar as well as the developing responses of our church partners on the ground.

Dust off your surf board and join us for a Vacation Bible School Beach Party June 23-27. We’ll be Surfin’ Through the Scriptures and having lots of beach party fun from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the church. Registration forms are available outside of the church office. Remember to ask your friends to join us as well. We’ve got enough beach towels for everyone! Adults – don’t be left out! The volunteer sign-up sheet is on the board outside the church office. We have a lot more spaces to fill, so please sign up to join in the fun. Call Robyn Hagerman at 823-0720 with any questions.

Mark your calendar for June 27! Make sure your Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses are ready for the All Church Beach Party outside of the church at 6:00 p.m. Bring a side dish and enjoy the picnic, plus a performance from the kids participating in Vacation Bible School. We hope to see you there!

In 2007, NACC gave $578.22 to Ethnic Ministries. National Convocation, North American Pacific Asian Disciples, and the Central Pastoral Office for Hispanic Ministries provide congregational support, nurture, and care that are vital to the future growth of the church.

30^th Annual CWF Salad Supper

Rev. Karen Yount, Minister of Budd Park Christian Church in Kansas City will be speaking about Haiti. She has made the journey to Haiti several times for nine years taking other people with her to build the Karen’s School of Nursing to help the Haitian people. She will bring the group closer to knowing them, their struggles, and their needs. Those who plan to attend, please meet in the NACC parking lot at 5:15 p.m. to carpool to Republic.

CONDOLENCES . . . to Jean Atwill and her family in the passing of her husband, John, on May 22. A service was held for him at the new veterans cemetery on May 28.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): Founding Fathers

The defining event of the Stone wing of the movement was the publication of Last Will and Testament of The Springfield Presbytery, at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, in 1804. The Last Will is a brief document in which Stone and five others announced their withdrawal from Presbyterianism and their intention to be solely part of the body of Christ. In the brief document, the writers appealed for the unity of all who follow Jesus, suggested the value of congregational self-governance, and lifted the Bible as the source for understanding the will of God. They denounced the divisive use of the Augsburg Confession.

Soon, They adopted the name "Christian" to identify their group. Thus, the remnants of the Springfield Presbytery became the Christian Church. It is estimated that the Christian Church numbered about 12,000 by 1830.

Independently of Stone, the Campbell wing of the movement was launched when Thomas Campbell published the Declaration and Address of the Christian Association of Washington, in 1809. The Presbyterian Synod had suspended his ministerial credentials. In The Declaration and Address he set forth some of his convictions about the church of Jesus Christ, as he organized the Christian Association of Washington, not as a church but as an association of persons seeking to grow in faith. On May 4, 1811, however, the Christian Association constituted itself as a congregationally governed church. With the building it then constructed at Brush Run, it became known as Brush Run Church.

When their study of the New Testament led the reformers to begin to practice baptism by immersion, the nearby Redstone Baptist Association invited Brush Run Church to join with them for the purpose of fellowship. The reformers agreed provided that they would be "allowed to preach and to teach whatever they learned from the scriptures.

Thus began a sojourn for the reformers among the Baptists within the Redstone Baptist Association (1815-1824). While the reformers and the Baptists shared baptism by immersion and congregational polity, it was soon clear that the reformers were not traditional Baptists. Within the Redstone Association, the differences became intolerable to some of the Baptist leaders, when Alexander Campbell began publishing a journal, The Christian Baptist, promoting reform. Campbell anticipated the conflict and moved his membership to a congregation of the Mahoning Baptist Association in 1824.

In 1827, the Mahoning Association appointed reformer Walter Scott as an evangelist. Through Scott’s efforts, the Mahoning Association grew rapidly. In 1828, Thomas Campbell visited several of the congregations formed by Scott and heard him preach. The elder Campbell realized the Scott was bringing an important new dimension to the movement with his approach to evangelism.

Several Baptist Associations began disassociating congregations that refused to subscribe to the Philadelphia Confession. The Mahoning Association itself came under attack. In 1830, The Mahoning Baptist Association disbanded. Alexander ceased publication of the Christian Baptist. In January 1831, he began publication of the Millennial Harbinger.

Similarities between the two groups

Both threads sought to find the unity of the church in the simple acknowledgment that Jesus is the Christ, the messiah, and an acceptance of Him as Lord. Both were opposed to the use of creeds as a test of faith. The simple confession that Jesus Christ is Lord was believed to unite all Christians. Man made creeds were seen as divisive.

Both groups looked to the New Testament Church to discover the practices that united the early church. The term, the Restoration Movement, has been used to describe this interest in restoring the New Testament church. In their reading of the scriptures, both groups found that the early church gathered on the first day of the week "for the breaking of bread," and moved to celebrating the Lord's Supper every week.

In their study of the Bible, both realized the practice of Baptism in the New Testament was a baptism for believers by immersion in water. They adopted the practice in their churches.