Each ONE of you has been a leader, telling our president and members of Congress: Not only can our generation end extreme poverty; our generation will end extreme poverty.

President Bush heard your message. Here's what he said Tuesday night in his State of the Union speech:

"In recent years, you and I have taken unprecedented action to fight AIDS and malaria, expand the education of girls, and reward developing nations that are moving forward with economic and political reform. For people everywhere, the United States is a partner for a better life. Short-changing these efforts would increase the suffering and chaos of our world, undercut our long-term security, and dull the conscience of our country."

Now we need Congress to hear our message.

Through Bread for the World's 2006 Offering of Letters, One Spirit. One Will. Zero Poverty., people of faith and conscience are urging Congress to provide an additional $5 billion for poverty-focused development assistance in the 2007 budget. This increase is an important step in our work to provide an additional 1 percent of the budget to overcome the emergencies of AIDS and extreme poverty.

Here are ways you can take action:

• 1. Organize a letter-writing event in your church, on your campus or in your community. Your letters to Congress make a tremendous difference. To learn more, order a 2006 Offering of Letters Kit online. Please contact us with questions about holding a letter-writing event.


• 2. Join a local Quickline "telephone tree." When urgent legislation arises, we will give you a brief message to relay to your members of Congress. To join, reply to the email address below and include your home address so that we may determine your congressional district.


• 3. Sign up for eBread or Fresh Bread to receive educational e-mails and action alerts from Bread for the World.


• 4. To find out if there is a ONE or Offering of Letters workshop in your area, check our event calendar regularly.

Yellow Springs, Ohio -- More than 350 people from 39 states and five countries gathered here in late September with about 100 area residents to learn how to prepare at the local level for the coming steep decline in global oil production.

This permanent decline will follow an all-time high in production, known as peak oil, which will require developing local and sustainable economies, local food systems, and "eco-village" communities, participants at the Second U.S. Conference on Peak Oil and Community Solutions were told.

Presentations on peak oil, alternative fuels and the geopolitics of oil were also given at this three-day conference held at Antioch College and sponsored by Yellow Springs-based Community Service Inc. which through its Community Solution program seeks the resurgence of small local communities in an era of increasingly scarce and expensive oil.

"Peak oil will undoubtedly be tough," said Pat Murphy, the nonprofit’s executive director, in his opening remarks. "We can make it tougher by trying to hang on to an out-of-date lifestyle or fighting wars for the last drops of oil."

"Our theme is the journey home," Murphy said. "Like the Bible story of the prodigal son who left his community for the lure of the big city, we find ourselves in big trouble. It’s time to return to the community, make amends, clean up the mess and get back on the right path."

The conference speakers included key leaders in the fast-growing peak oil awareness movement. Among them were oil industry expert Jan Lundberg, who headed up a Petrocollapse conference on Oct. 5 in New York City, and energy consultant Steve Andrews, co-founder of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil - USA, which will hold its first conference this November in Denver.

John Darnell, the science adviser for U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett from Maryland, attended the conference. Bartlett, who also held a peak oil conference in late September, has spoken repeatedly on the House floor about peak oil.

Richard Heinberg, author of the seminal work, The Party’s Over, gave a keynote address on the unprecedented challenge of peak oil at the global and local level. Heinberg summarized the evidence for an imminent global oil peak, reviewing the American oil experience of declining production, dramatically declining global discovery rates, production peaks and declines around the world, spurious reserves in the Middle East, and reports and comments from oil companies and governments.

In reference to the American government’s ineffective response to Hurricane Katrina, Heinberg said of the coming peak oil decline, "Given the demonstrated inability of the federal government to anticipate and prepare, most of the responsibility will be borne at the local level." Heinberg then questioned the audience about how many of them had given a presentation on peak oil or written an article. About two-thirds of them raised their hands.

Andrews, the ASPO - USA co-founder, followed with an assessment of alternative fuels. Though unconventional sources like tar sands, oil shale, ethanol, gas-to-liquids and coal-to-liquids often are touted as the solution to peak oil, Andrews stressed that alternative fuels won’t come on line fast enough, take more energy to produce, and are much worse environmentally. Further, he calculated that at best all of these sources combined could yield 4 million barrels per day (mbd) in a world that consumes 85 mbd. Another 3 to 3.5 mbd could be added through efficiency, which is the best short and mid-term strategy. "Long term, we must focus on renewables," he said.

John Ikerd, an economist and author of a recent book, Sustainable Capitalism, said that the solution lies in moving "toward an economy based on sustainable energy." He contrasted the guiding principles of the industrial economic paradigm, to maximize productivity and growth, with that of sustainability, to create permanence. "The fundamental flaw of the industrial economy," Ikerd said, "is that it uses energy but it does nothing to renew, restore, or regenerate energy." Thus it cannot last, he said.

He brought the audience to a wild applause when he ended by saying, "We will choose an economy of sustainable energy when we realize that our happiness depends on our relationships with people and with nature, as well as our individual, material well-being. We will choose a life of social responsibility when we realize that caring for others is not a sacrifice, but instead enhances our quality of life. One by one, we will create an economy of sustainable energy, as we realize that working and living sustainably is simply a better way to work and a better way to live."

Murphy, from The Community Solution, then discussed the fundamental choice to be made - Armageddon or Eden. He gave an uncensored history of global colonialism, which continues today through economic globalization and resource wars. He explained this colonialism as the exploitation of people and resources for the enrichment of a few, stating that it is leading the planet towards World War III and global nuclear annihilation.

"We must become conservers rather than consumers," Murphy said. "Consumers are industrial, individualistic and competitive, whereas conservers are agrarian, social and cooperative." Murphy outlined his peak oil-driven lifestyle changes, including moving from a 1700- to a 600-square-foot home, buying a hybrid car and raising chickens. He ended with a challenge - "The world needs change leaders now - become one!"

Next up was Lundberg, whose vision of "petrocollapse," as Congressman Bartlett recently put it, is that "the trucks will no longer pull into Wal-Mart. Or Safeway or other food stores. The freighters bringing packaged techno-toys and whatnot from China will have no fuel. There will be fuel in many places, but hoarding and uncertainty will trigger outages, violence and chaos. For only a short time will the police and military be able to maintain order, if at all."

Lundberg, founder of the Auto Free Times magazine, Alliance for a Paving Moratorium, and CultureChange.org, talked of this upcoming petrocollapse as a chaotic disruption of society that may occur from even a small decline in oil supplies. He screened a short documentary, "Our Synthetic Sea," on the accumulation of plastics in the ocean (and in marine life) in the central Pacific, which has increased 300 percent since 1990. Every piece of plastic ever created still exists somewhere, and as it breaks down into smaller particles and plastic "dust" it can cause potentially devastating effects to ecosystems. The solution, Lundberg said, is to stop using plastic.

Faith Morgan, a Community Service trustee, showed The Community Solution’s still-to-be-released video documentary, "The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil." The documentary shows Cuba’s response to the collapse of the USSR in 1990 and the subsequent loss of 50 percent of oil imports. Morgan gave a tearful introduction, "When I first went to Cuba, in 2003," she said, "I became so deeply moved by what I was hearing and seeing that by the end I wanted to document it, so it could be shared with everyone concerned about Peak Oil." The Community Solution staff, in three trips to Cuba, saw firsthand the hope that the Cuban experience can bring to a discussion of surviving peak oil.

In Cuba, the Soviet collapse was followed by what they called the "special period." Times were tough - the average Cuban lost 30 pounds, and there were frequent electric power blackouts. Yet, as the documentary reveals, local and national initiatives along with the values of mutual aid and cooperation allowed Cuba to successfully overcome the crisis. The documentary also highlights the development of urban agriculture and rooftop permaculture in Havana, the transition to organic farming and animal traction throughout the country, and the increasing use of renewable energy. The video will be released in January 2006.

After a lively panel discussion about Cuba at the conference, an open forum led by Fred Bartenstein of Yellow Springs Mediation brought questions and comments on such topics as draft horses, corporate power, eco-feminism, cob housing, urban survival, spirituality, home self-sufficiency and military use of fuels.

The conference’s second day featured a second keynoter, community development specialist and Going Local author Michael Shuman. He presented the two options for local economic development - TINA (There is No Alternative), which emphasizes export-led development and LOIS, (Local Ownership Import Substituting), which promotes developing community self-reliance in place of reliance on imports. According to Shuman, in a post-petroleum economy, the LOIS model "maximizes self-reliance, minimizes global shipping, revitalizes communities, and inoculates localities against oil shocks."

Shuman offered practical advise for the transition to a LOIS economy, including developing new and expanded local businesses, educating and supporting new local entrepreneurs, mobilizing local finance, spearheading "local first" campaigns, and removing subsidies for export-focused economic development. He ended with a revised version of Patrick Henry’s famous speech: "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me community or give me death!"

A module on "Creating Alternative Communities" came next, featuring three women, two leaders in the cohousing and ecovillages movement and one from The Community Solution with its proposal for a model post-peak oil neighborhood-community.

Diana Leafe Christian, editor of Communities magazine and author of Creating a Life Together, showed more than 200 slides of intentional communities, which she defined as "a group of people who live with, adjacent to and near enough to one another to carry out their common purpose together." Many of these communities grow much of their own food, employ energy efficient and natural building techniques, share amenities, and some generate their own electricity.

Christian explained that ecovillages, a type of intentional community, are particularly focused on sustainability. Earthaven Ecovillage in western North Carolina, the community Christian calls home, is off the grid and utilizes solar photovoltaic panels and a micro-hydroelectric system, composting toilets, sustainable forestry, natural building, rainwater catchment, grey water recycling, organic gardens, consensus decision-making and local business.

Ecovillage pioneer Liz Walker, founder of EcoVillage at Ithaca (in New York state) and author a book by that name, described the features of her community as well as its broader outreach. The community is made up of several cohousing neighborhoods of energy efficient, passive solar homes, on-site businesses, and a large community-supported farm.

Walker explained a unique aspect of EcoVillage at Ithaca - its focus on outreach, education and collaboration. The community has received intense media attention, with reports by CNN, PBS, NPR, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and more. It is working with Cornell University and Ithaca College on sustainable energy and community courses, and with Tompkins Country officials and residents on a sustainability initiative, among other local projects.

Megan Quinn, outreach director of The Community Solution, presented its Agraria project, a model post-peak oil community to be developed in Yellow Springs. Quinn described peak oil as an opportunity for the resurgence of small, local community living. "We have spent over 99.5 percent of human history in small communities," Quinn said, "The era of cheap and abundant oil is an aberration, and soon we will begin the journey home."

While the first Agraria neighborhood-community will be developed in Yellow Springs, the goal is to create a model that can be replicated across the country. "The role of these communities, Quinn said, "is to accommodate the inevitable urban to rural transition that will occur as the peak oil crisis deepens." They will also serve as vital educational centers to disseminate the new skills of a low energy world and as models of cooperative, sustainable living.

Agraria will incorporate energy efficient home and community design, organic agriculture, shared facilities, offices and workspaces, waste and water recycling, renewable energy systems, and car sharing for a goal of reducing the residents’ energy usage to 1/5th of the U.S. average per capita.

Robert Waldrop, moderator of the "Running on Empty" peak oil web discussion group and founder of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative, knows much about reducing personal energy use. Murphy, from The Community Solution, introduced him as a personal hero because when Waldrop learned about peak oil he "began living the way we will all live in a post peak oil world." Waldrop grows 100 varieties of edible plants on 1/7 of an acre and uses a hand-crank washing machine, among other energy saving techniques.

Waldrop talked about the development of local food systems, which will be critical when the petroleum-dependent global industrial food system collapses. Waldrop offered a variety of practical suggestions for participants, including eating with the season, preparing meals from basic ingredients, buying locally produced foods, growing one’s own food, preserving and processing foods at home or in community kitchens, practicing food storage, and avoiding meats from confined animal feeding operations. At the community level, Waldrop described a variety of structures for local food systems, such as food buying cooperatives, Community Supported Agriculture/subscription programs, vegetable stands, websites, and other forms of direct sales from farmers to customers.

The conference ended with a final address by Heinberg, who pointed to an anthropological view of humanity’s problem - a 10,000 year departure from hunter-gatherer life to living in large agricultural settlements, then to an industrial society dependent on unsustainable, depleting nonrenewable energy. He called on conference participants to lead humanity down a new path.

Murphy, from The Community Solution, ended the conference, by saying, "The most important thing is for all of us to ‘become the change you wish to see in the world.’ If you want a low-energy, caring community way of living, then become a member of that community - even if you are initially the only member."

"Remember that community is the solution and the solutions are in community. Have a safe journey home."

Trained volunteers provide weekly visits and/or telephone calls.

• Offer companionship and support
• Help with small chores - e.g. letter writing, watering plants, organizing photo albums
• Listening and sharing friendship activities

• Socially isolated seniors
• Age 60 and above
• Resident of Montgomery County
• Service offered to clients of all faiths
• Service provided free of charge

Responsibility comes with every gift. A responsibility to care for the well being of the gift that has been entrusted to ones care and a responsibility to the one who has given the gift. This relationship is true of the very first gift we receive – life! On the sixth day of creation, when God creates humankind, God also gives us a responsibility to have dominion over all of creation.

Unfortunately, our relationship with God includes times when we have fallen short of God’s will for our lives. In our responsibility for God’s gift of creation we have too often dominated over creation rather than exercised dominion. One example is that we – Christians in the U.S. – take more than our fair share. The average U.S. citizen uses the resources provided by 24 acres. When we are confronted with the discrepancy between the resources we use and the resources available to the majority of the world, we tell ourselves a myth. We want to believe that every person, if he or she will work hard like us, can enjoy the same lifestyle we enjoy. The truth is that it would take the resources of 3.5 Earths to supply the resources for all 6 billion persons. www.myfootprint.org

One might say that we covet our neighbors’ resources.

Another indicator of how we have fallen short of our responsibility for God’s creation is the fact that the whole creation is crying out! In March the U.N. issued the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Report. This report is the culmination of a four-year study of the world’s essential ecosystems. Over 1300 scientists from over 95 countries conducted the research and wrote the report. The most important finding is sobering. Fifteen of the 24 essential ecosystems are being degraded or used in unsustainable ways. Our practices put our health and the health of our brothers and sisters around the globe in jeopardy.

Like the death of a canary in a mine, we ignore these signs at our own peril. There is a sliver of hope in the report. There is time for us to change our practice from domination to dominion. We can be responsible stewards.

The Greater Dayton Christian Connections is on the leading edge of an emerging movement toward responsible stewardship. One of our ministries is Creation Connection. As followers of Jesus Christ, members of Creation Connection work for the restoration of God’s creation and the formation of an ecological responsible lifestyle.

There are 3 steps you can take to join this movement.

• You can participate in Creation Connection’s regular bi-monthly gatherings (usually the second Thursday of the odd months). Check here for the next meeting.
  
• Participate in Descendents’ Day on June 26. Descendents’ Day is a time to show our gratitude for those who were good stewards and passed God’s creation on to us, as well as, to commitment ourselves to being good stewards and passing on God’s creation in a good condition to the next generations. This year we will focus on the gift of water.
  
• Participate in a six-week small group study on the principles and choices of a sustainable lifestyle. I will be teaching this course in August utilizing the curriculum – Climbing the Sycamore Tree. You can email me to indicate your interest and help determine the meeting time. gdcc@christianconnections.org

You can find a link to discover your environmental footprint and other resources on the Creation Connection page.

If you would like to share your comments about your faith and stewardship for God’s creation – you can post them on our Bulletin Board.

• Evening of Storytelling: A Reflection
  By Judy Hudson
  Member, Oak Creek UCC

  From the moment he began speaking, it just felt like this was going to be a special evening. The “he” was Dr. Tom Boomershine, and the occasion was an Evening of Biblical Storytelling from the Book of Mark. To say this was a special evening is actually an understatement. It wasn’t long before you felt like you had actually been transformed into Biblical times and you were walking the dusty paths with the Disciples and standing among the crowds as they gathered around Jesus.

  From the quiet intonations when Jesus knelt at the bedside of the sick 12-year old girl to the roaring shouts when he confronts the evil spirits, the emotions Dr. Boomershine evoked were awe inspiring. The 30-member audience at Central Christian Church was intent on his every word, anxiously awaiting the next “scene” in this fantastic recreation of the Book of Mark.

  For those who were unable to be present on April 21, you will certainly want to be on the look out for the event next year when Dr. Boomershine returns for another Evening of Biblical Storytelling.

  The hospitality for the evening was highlighted by a delicious assortment of pastries, fresh fruit, veggies and dips, as well as coffee and fruit juices. Thanks are extended to the Ladies Circle Central Christian Church for these refreshments and to Rev. Rebecca Baird of Central Christian Church. I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to Rev. Darryl Fairchild of the Greater Dayton Christian Connections for making this Evening of Storytelling possible.

• 17th Annual Peace Bridge Hand in Hand we Cross the River
  Peace Bridge FAQs

  When and Where?

  May 15th starting at 5:30 pm. The celebration will begin at Oak and Ivy Park (along Edwin C. Moses Blvd, south of 3rd St.). The event will conclude on the Peace Bridge (3rd St. bridge)
  For more information view Peace Bridge page
  

  Why has the Peace Bridge celebration been moved from Thursday to Sunday?

  We wanted to reclaim our roots. The Peace Bridge was born out of the faith community, however the day and time of the event was not readily accessible to all the people of faith in Dayton. We decided it was most important to come together when all people of faith would have an opportunity to participate.
  
  Additionally, people of faith our rooted in the power that can provide the real solution to our racial conflicts. We recognized that the healing of our racial conflict requires more than legislative, judicial, or economic solutions. Those are important and we will continue to work for them. The real solution will come when we get our relationships right, both with God and our neighbors. This solution is deeply spiritual.

  Does the Peace Bridge actually do anything?

  On one level, the Peace Bridge reminds us of our difficult past of race relations. It also creates an opportunity for us to recommit ourselves to working for racial harmony and justice. Some have rightly noted that these two actions are primarily symbolic.

  The success of the Peace Bridge hinges on our ability to move beyond symbolism to concrete actions. This year we will celebrate those who made pledges at last year’s Peace Bridge, especially the students of St. Christopher and St. James schools. These students pledged to work on an art project through the year and we look forward to seeing the result and hearing their stories.

  Again, we will be inviting participants to make a pledge at the Peace Bridge. Further, several organizations that work for racial harmony and justice will be present with concrete opportunities to make a difference. This emphasis on the pledges makes the Peace Bridge an important catalyst for action.

  Why should I participate?

  Let me give you 10 good reasons.

  • You will make a witness to the Greater Dayton community that you and others are committed to making our community great for everyone.
  • You can network with people who are contributing to racial harmony.
  • You will give strength to others who feel they fight racism alone.
  • You will have a meaningful experience.
  • You will meet new people, from diverse backgrounds.
  • You can play games and have fun.
  • You will give hope to people who have grown cynical.
  • Your spirit will be renewed.
  • You can make a pledge to make your life and your community better.
  • You will make a difference.
  
  For more information view Peace Bridge page

• Simple Living
  by Ann Paddock
  Ann is a mother of 7 children who tries to live simply in the urban setting of Dayton.
  

  Use it up,
  Wear it out,
  Make it do,
  Or do without.
  
  During my almost twenty year sojourn in New England I saw these word in numerous homes that I visited. I’ve seen them on cross-stitch samplers, wooden wall plaques, and taped to refrigerator doors. They are just one of the remnants of the strong Puritan ethic that still survives in that region. They are also counter-cultural.

  Shop ‘til you drop.
  He who dies with the most toys wins.
  Bury it and buy new.
  
  In the dominant culture we find the above words on decorative pillows, t-shirts and bumper stickers. We are a culture with a passion for shopping. More people shop on Sunday than attend church. In fact we use shopping very much the way we use religion. When confronted with the terror of 9/11 we were encouraged to “go shopping”, instead of to church. Shopping has become not only our national pastime, but also the basis of our culture.

  There is not a cultural value that we hold so sacred that it cannot be merchandized and sold. We now have large Christian stores dedicated to selling Jesus merchandise. We have merchandized patriotism with things like American flag beach towels that are thrown on the sand, laid on and used for drying. Children’s movies are released with a whole range of corresponding toys. In our culture, the way we show what values we hold is by what we buy.

  Years ago, ‘plain living’ was primarily practiced by radical religious groups like nuns, monks, and renunciate sects such as the Amish and Quakers. Then more secular folks realized that living lightly on the land was not only healthy for the planet, but for the people that practiced it. They came to understand their work as one component of a wholesome and satisfactory life. Simple living allowed folks to spend less time “making a living” and more time making a life.

  The simple living movement inspired periodicals like Plain, which was printed on a hand press, with handset type, on recycled paper. It contained articles on the hows, and whys of simple living, everything from washing laundry by hand to discussions of the effects of the electronic media on society and the individual. But it wasn’t long before the great American marketing machine smelled an opportunity.

  Today we have slick, mass-marketed publications such as Simple Living, filled with pages of advertising for products that we must have in order to experience simple living at it’s finest. We have numerous catalogs that sell us designer clothespins and air purification systems, as well as the “right” all natural fiber clothing for the true plain living experience. It’s easy to get sucked into this marketing strategy, because it is so much a part of our cultural norm that we don’t even see the enormous contradiction that it represents. We once again find ourselves shopping and spending our way “plain”.

  Use it up,
  Wear it out,
  Make it do,
  Or do without.
  
  If you’re interested in the simple life make this your mantra – I’m giving it to you for free.

  Simple Living Resources
  

  • www.simpleliving.org.
  
  
  • "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" 2004 It has "Ideas for a Christmas Centered Holiday". Featured writers are Esther Armstrong and Dale Stitt of Journey into Freedom. As in the past it contains Biblical reflections, family activities, articles, calendar, and ideas for alternative giving.
    
  • A Family Consumer Ethic
    1. Don't Shop on Sunday
    2. Buy "Made in USA" unless convinced foreign maker is ethical (assumes American Standards are more just)
    3. If a choice between “Made in USA” at a big box retailer like Walmart or made elsewhere at a local store, buy local because you have better chance of influencing (and get better service as well)
    4. Cars – stay Mercedes diesel for dependability, safety, comfort, and economy.
    5. Ignore commercials, sales, and gimmicks
    6. Have only one credit/debit card and only use for cash machine or charging over the phone, and then only rarely, like tickets for a symphony.
    7. Don’t buy over Internet unless critical purchase and other choices are troublesome (i. e. Norton AntiVirus)
    8. Ask friends for sources.
    9. Buy used whenever possible.
    10. Fix up instead of throwing away.
    11. Share equipment with neighbors as much as possible.
    12. Avoid packaged products, and pre-packaged meals.
    13. Take own carrying bags, refuse plastic bags for a few items.
    14. Judge personal services providers on competence and integrity first, then cost.
    15. Don’t switch personal services providers unless trust is lost.
    16. Don’t experiment with new or different products, get recommendations first.
    17. Track utility usage & continue to reduce consumption.
    18. Frequent farmer markets, road side stands, local butcher shops, eggs when signs are our, etc.
    19. When traveling stay at non-chain motels and eat at non-chain restaurants.
    20. When eating out locally also eat at non-chain restaurants.
    21. Use bags instead of large barrels for garbage
    22. Frequent lower cost entertainment options (i.e. Clifton Opera)
    23. No cable TV
    24. Reduce mowing areas around home.
    25. Invest socially responsible
    26. Tithe
    27. Develop our own tipping ethic
    28. Budget gifts for Christmas and special occasions
    29. Eat home-made soups
    30. When buying new or used clothes, give away an old item for every new one.
    31. Limit magazine subscriptions to only those that can be thoroughly read.
    32. Eliminate junk mail
    33. Don’t waste time going through circulars with newspapers.
    34. Support Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and Business (CSB)
    

• Tips for Ecumenical Dialogue
  Excerpted from Introduction to Ecumenism
  By Jeffrey Gross
  Eamon McManus
  Ann Riggs
  Copyright © 1998 by Paulist Press, Inc. New York/Mahwah NJ
  
  1. Ecumenical dialogue must have a spiritual orientation. A willingness to be transformed is essential.

  2. In ecumenical dialogue, participants must be given permission to define themselves, to describe and witness to their faith in their own terms.

  3. In order to be helpful to the group in an interdenominational dialogue, each participant needs to have a clear understanding of his or her own faith and present it with honesty and sincerity.

  4. The integrity of each person must be treasured by all. As each speaks, he or she must be mindful not only of his or her own integrity, but of the integrity of the person with whom he or she may be disagreeing. Mutual growth, not victory, is the desired fruit.

  5. Remember that dialogue, particularly at the congregational level, is between people and not just between churches or ideological positions.

  6. Keep the dialogue in the present. No participant needs to represent or defend his or her denomination throughout history. Present issues are the ones that need discussion.

  7. Be willing to separate essentials from nonessentials.

  8. Do not insist on more agreement from your partner in dialogue than you expect from members of your own denomination.

  9. Interpret the faith of the dialogue partner in its best, rather than in its worst, light.

  10. As time goes on, don’t avoid hard issues. You will undoubtedly not want to tackle these first, but once trust has been established, it is important, in the service of truth, to discuss even difficult issues.

  11. Search for ways to turn the increased understanding achieved through dialogue into activities for renewal. An immediate way to do that is to have it lead to prayer. But as time goes on, other activities will occur to the group.

• The Leadership Role in Ministry
  by Craig This
  Craig teaches leadership as an adjunct instructor and researches congregational life. He attends Stillwater Church and is a member of the Communication Ministry of GDCC. He coaches youth soccer and occassionally gets ejected.
  He can be reached at cthis@woh.rr.com
  
  What is your role, as a pastor, in ministry? It is, as Paul writes in I Timothy 2:7, “ And for this I was appointed preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of Gentiles in faith and truth.”

  You are first and foremost a preacher—God’s mouthpiece—one who announces the good news of Jesus Christ.

  Second, you are an Apostle—one sent forth—to take the message of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

  Third, you are a teacher—explaining the truth—with an emphasis as all teachers have of a changed life.

  It must be noted that while pastors are first and foremost preachers. It must also be noted that preaching consists of roughly a few hours each week. The remainder of the week the pastor is serving as an apostle and teacher. And, in those two roles, the pastor is required to lead.

  These days clergy are more respected for their ability to lead, to inspire and empower individuals, than they are for their preaching skills. Few will remember what was said on Sunday morning, but many will remember what a specific congregation did for a community Monday through Saturday.

  That is because today’s congregation is no longer the devotional congregation of the 18th century where people went to church primarily to worship God. No, today’s congregation is a synthesis of the 19th century’s social congregation and the 20th century’s participatory congregation to use Wind and Lewis’ typology. The social congregation, which emerged in the late 19th century, provided a friendly environment and a broad range of opportunities to an urban society. The participatory congregation, which emerged in the mid-20th century, developed around members participating as consumers, on their terms, picking and choosing between programs and congregations. Yes, people do worship God, but the focus of congregations is on serving God by serving the community.

  Thus, today’s pastor, in many ways, is leading a non-profit, voluntary organization, a community of faith, that requires people and money to survive. This means that the pastor, the leader, must be creating organizations that inspire and lead individuals to be apostles (disciples) of Jesus Christ, spreading the message of the Gospel into the world.

  How is that done exactly? By creating a learning organization, self-empowering individuals to become disciples of Jesus Christ.

  Yes, we remember the teachings and sermons of Jesus, but the New Testament is also filled with the stories of what his pupils, his students, his disciples did throughout the world at that time. Jesus was a leader who created a learning organization and self-empowered individuals to become disciples of Jesus Christ—that’s why it is called The ACTS of the Apostles, not “Great Sermons I have Preached by Jesus Christ.”

  People no longer come to church to sit and listen. They want to be inspired, they want to be challenged, and they want to be motivated. They want to be ministered to and they want to minister.

  So, how is your role as a leader? What are you doing to develop and empower your congregation to go out into the world and serve Jesus Christ? To help you better understand your role and develop your leadership skills and those of the persons in your congregation, the Greater Dayton Christian Connections has pulled together a variety of internet resources—some religious, some secular, some church consultants—for your use.

  Internet Leadership Resources
  This bibliography was originally prepared for Understanding Your Role in Ministry taught at
  United Theological Seminary, August 2004
  

  Church Consultants
  

  • Bullard Journal (George Bullard)
  
  
  • ChristianLeaders.org: Click on “articles” and “journal of religious leadership.”
  
  
  • EasumBandy and Associates (Bill Easum and Tom Bandy)
  
  
  • Leadership Network
  
  
  • John Maxwell
  
  
  • Percept
  
  
  Remember, church consultants, while helpful, are there to make money—it’s their business.
  Weigh the evidence carefully. Few offer “free” resources: ChristianLeaders.org and Leadership Network are two exceptions.
  

  Church Organizations
  

  • Alban Institute
    An ecumenical, interfaith organization founded in 1974, which supports congregations through consulting services, research, book publishing, and educational seminars.
    
  • Christianity Today
  
  
  • Buildingchurchleaders.com
  
  
  • Leadership Journal: A Practical Journal for Church Leaders
  
  
  • Lilly Endowment Projects
  
  
  • Indianapolis Center for Congregations
    The Center, established in 1997, was founded to help strengthen congregations in the central Indiana metropolitan area. The Center is affiliated with the Alban Institute, a research, publishing, education, and consulting organization based in Bethesda, Maryland that provides resources for congregations nationwide. The Center is a gift to the greater Indianapolis area from Lilly Endowment Inc.
  
  
  • Congregational Resources
    The Alban Institute and the Indianapolis Center for Congregations have created the Congregational Resource Guide to help congregational leaders connect with resources they need to gain insight into problems and to encourage transformation in their communities of faith.
  
  
  • Pulpit and Pew
    Pulpit & Pew is an interdenominational project aimed at strengthening the quality of pastoral leadership (clergy and lay) in churches, parishes, and other faith communities across America.
  
  
  • Resources for American Christianity
  
  
  • Zondervan Publishing
  
  
  • Church Leaders Internet Portal
  
  

  Secular Leadership Resources
  

  • Berkana Institute
  
  
  • FranklinCovey (Stephen Covey)
  
  
  • Center for Creative Leadership
  
  
  • Leader to Leader Institute (Peter F. Drucker)
  
  
  • Tom Peters
  
  
  • Society for Organizational Learning
  
  
  • Margaret J. Wheatley
  
  

• Befief in God Cental to Construction of Meaning
  Darryl Fairchild
  Darryl is the Executive Director of the Greater Dayton Christian Connections and an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church.
  This article first appeared in Dayton City Paper (June 30-July 6, 2004)
  

  “How do you know the tomb was empty?” I was asked this question during an interview to evaluate my fitness for ministry. As a Christian, the belief that God resurrected Jesus and left the tomb empty is essential to my faith. This question, like the question, Does God exist? goes to the very core of who I am as a Christian.

  In the interview I gave three responses to the question. I have experienced the risen Christ, the witness of Christians through the ages, and the fact the disciples’ lives were changed by their experiences of the risen Christ.

  As Christians we make sense of the world by describing and explaining our experiences through the story of a loving God, who creates, saves, and empowers us so that we can love God and our neighbor. This story gives our lives meaning and depth. We are shaped by this story, thus our lives bear witness there is a God and that Jesus Christ lives.

  I recognize that to some my answers appear irrational. For if the measure of rationality is science - what we can see, smell, hear, taste, and touch in measurable and repeatable ways - then my responses do not measure up. That judgment is also true about our most profound, meaningful, and deepest human experiences. How do I know that truth, beauty, and love exist? Like my belief in God; truth, beauty, and love cannot be measured.

  I believe that the rational, scientific measures, which we rightly rely upon to describe and explain our world, are insufficient when it comes to our deepest human experiences. These experiences only begin to make sense when they are put within a broader story about ultimate, sacred things.

  Each person has a core story that explains who she or he is, makes order in the world, and provides meaning. This story shapes how we describe and explain our profound experiences for it gives us the words to communicate about them to others.

  For example, my sister is a graphic designer, she has names for colors that go beyond those found in a box of Crayola crayons. When I say blue, she wants to know whether it is cyan, cobalt, reflex, azure, or cerulean. For her, these distinct colors convey more information than I understand. Further, because she has language to make fine distinctions she sees the world of colors in a different way than I do. I am not even capable of the same perceptions as she experiences.

  Carolyn Ochs, a Jewish biblical scholar, makes the same observation about the word mystical. In the Library of Congress, there are two categories for mysticism; in India, there are over a hundred categories. What are we missing? Because we do not have a story that provides us with the language and words to make fine distinctions about the mystical we do not fully perceive it or understand it.

  For me, the Christian story gave me the words to explain a mystical experience. It was a time of great pain and doubt, when I felt the whole world was coming a part. On a cold, dark March morning, I heard a bird sing and I knew in the deepest part of my being, everything was going to be all right. I felt God was with me and I felt reassured.

  I know that skeptics would point out that birds sing all the time in March; but that does not do justice to the depth of my experience. Others might point out that psychologists can stimulate parts of the brain to induce “religious experiences.” They can also stimulate parts of the brain to induce feelings of hunger and other emotional states. Just because these states can be artificially induced does not make them invalid.

  There have been other experiences in my life – times of great joy and times of deep sorrow – which can only be described and explained by my faith. Likewise, as a pastor, I have been privileged to share similar, sacred experiences with others. In these moments, it is faith – our belief in God – that has allowed us to describe, explain and find meaning.

  Beyond my experience and witness, I see a similar witness in the lives of other Christians like Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, Oscar Romero, and Sister Teresa. They loved their neighbors in such powerful ways that their lives bear witness to a God who creates, saves, and empowers.

  I have seen the same witness by my grandparents in their simple piety, by Mrs. Moon in her faithful teaching of Sunday school and loving of children, and by Vincent Harding in his allegiance to hope.

  The reverse can be argued: Christians who commit horrendous acts demonstrate that there is no God because their lives do not bear witness to a loving God. Clearly, when Christians are sinful, when we fall short of who we are called to be, we compromise our witness about God. Still, when love is betrayed it says more about our limitations as humans that it does about the nature and power of love. The same is true about God.

  In the most profound human experiences, I know no other way to describe and explain my experience than in relationship to a loving God. In the words of a beloved saint, Harvey Potthoff, “When life, death, and love converge, everything I have believed by faith, I know is true.”

• HIPAA and the Congregation
  Sharon Becker R.N.
  Sharon is the Coordinator of GSH Health Ministries Program
  and a member of the GDCC Board.
  This article first appeared in The Journal of Parish Nursing (Spring, 2004)
  

  HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. It is a Federal law imposed on all health care organizations, which includes: hospitals, physician’s offices, nursing homes, and other providers, as well as health plans and clearing houses. It became effective on April 14, 2003, with the main purpose of assuring Protected Health Information (PHI) is properly handled. HIPAA governs privacy and security issues as to how we must process and protect patient information. One example: transmitting data electronically (FAX) must be done in a standard way.

  So what does this mean to Health Ministry teams and Parish Nurses in congregations? In researching this with Good Samaritan Hospital’s Corporate Compliance Privacy Officer, essentially congregations are not considered a “covered entity”, and are not bound by these regulations. This is primarily due to the fact that charges are not rendered for the services provided by nurses and others on the health team in the congregation. It does mean keeping medical records of all types confidentially locked and secure to protect the privacy of those individuals must continue to be done.

  Sharing a patient’s medical information with other parties, is permissible, If for the purposes of treatment (usually to doctors), payment (to Insurance or third party payers) or for other purposes, such as quality review or student teaching in a hospital setting. In the congregation for example, it would be permissible to contact someone’s physician (over the phone or via FAX) with a screening result, or pertinent information from a home visit, as this is important to the ongoing care and treatment of the individual. A word of advice however, is to inform the patient of this prior to you’re disclosing the information. It does not permit the sharing of patient information for the sake of conversation or gossip, even with the best of intentions.

  HIPAA will also have an immediate impact on communication between hospitals, clergy and congregations. Previously in place at GSH has been the policy to not inform a congregation of a member’s admission in the hospital, unless written permission was granted by the person to do so. Since this is now also a HIPAA guideline, many other institutions are likely to adopt this policy. To be proactive, it will be important to tell your members that they need to either inform the congregation prior to an elective hospitalization, or indicate preference of notification (with signature) on their admission papers.

  Finally, please know that Good Samaritan Hospital has had a long-standing policy of patient confidentiality. To that end, the new HIPAA guidelines are basically the business we have been about already. Should you have any questions about this update please contact the Health Ministries Program at 227-9452.

• Jesus Still Weeps Over Jerusalem
  Bob Hadley
  Bob is a member of Chirst United Methodist Church.
  Christ UMC has initiated a sister church relationship with a Greek Catholic Melkite church in Bethlehem.
  In April 2004 Bob visited the Holy Land and shares these reflections:
  
  If you would like to communicate with Bob
  or schedule him to share about his experience in the Holy Land or the Sister Church Program
  Email Bob or call him at 434-6790.
  
  In the wee hours of the morning on April 27 , Bonnie McSwegin and I returned from a two week pilgrimage to Israel and the West Bank. We were part of a group of 12 (appropriate number, don’t you think ?!) Christians, from several different states, who went to meet the people who live there and to learn the things that are rarely reported in our media. This was not your typical Holy Land tour.

  Yes, we did visit the holy sites and we did find the area around the Sea of Galilee inspiring especially in the beautiful garden on the Mount of Beatitudes where we closed our pilgrimage with a silent retreat. However, we encountered Jesus more often in the eyes and words of the people whom we met on both sides of that Green Line and of that awful Wall which is so reminiscent of the era of apartheid and the Berlin Wall. We did a lot of listening, and we heard over and over again the despair of a people who so desperately want peace. We heard from a young Jewish woman who was so appalled when she saw an Israeli soldier harassing a Muslim woman at one of the innumerable checkpoints that she became a part of a group of 400 Jewish women who go out every morning and every evening to checkpoints all over the area around and south of Jerusalem to do whatever they can to stop such harassment and humiliation by Israeli soldiers. They talk to the soldiers, take pictures and file reports, and they are making a difference.

  We listened to the Jewish father of a suicide bombing victim share how he decided to work for reconciliation instead of revenge. He is a part of the Parents Circle—a group of 400 to 500 families who are either Palestinian parents of children killed by Israeli soldiers or Israeli parents of children killed by suicide bombers. They go out in pairs to talk to groups both in Israel and in the U.S. about the need for peace and the end to the madness of the occupation. We also sat with the father of an altar boy in the Church of the Nativity who was killed by an Israeli sniper in Manger Square in Bethlehem as he played with his little cousin. When the soldiers came to his home later and saw his picture there, they thought he was a martyr/suicide bomber, and in their rage, destroyed part of the family’s home.

  I spent time in the home of a family whose father and husband had just been put in prison for 3 months by the Israeli government without any hearing for working in Jerusalem without a Jerusalem ID. He is the sole means of support for his family of a wife and six children. We visited a home for traumatized children, but we also saw bright-eyed, laughing children singing and dancing as a part of a peace program initiated by an American for the schools in Bethlehem. We saw wonderful Palestinian dancers at a Friends School in Ramallah who really need to be seen in the U.S. We saw both laughter and real depression in the home of the priest of our new sister church in Bethlehem. The priest and his family worried during the night when Israeli soldiers patrolled the streets in the nearby village where their son and his family lived. One member of our group saw a tank that night outside the window of the house where he was staying. For just a brief moment, we experienced a little of what they experience every day of their lives.

  We heard outstanding speakers at the Sabeel conference in Jerusalem attended by more than 500 people from 30 different countries but many of the most eloquent words we heard were those of the people around us each day. We received a lot of significant questions in several different classrooms and answered them as honestly as we could.

  As a part of our pilgrimage, Bonnie and I inaugurated our new sister church program with a Greek Catholic Melkite church in Bethlehem. The people of the church received us so warmly. Palestinian hospitality is something to behold even in times like these. You will be hearing more about our sister church and its people in the future, and there will be opportunities for all of you to relate directly to people in that church.

  On one of our days in Jerusalem we walked down the Mount of Olives on the road that may well have been the location of Jesus’ Palm Sunday procession. One of the churches on that road is built on the site where they say Jesus wept over Jerusalem. He still weeps today. Help us dry those tears.

• What the Bleep Do We Know...A Movie Review
  Reviewed by Bob Tyndall
  Member, Ecumenical Ministry of GDCC

  The Bleep is a mysterious mixture of science, religion, and pure fantasy, and should appeal to practically everyone - from those interested in fulfilling childhood dreams to religionists, scientists, philosophers and all who are curious in just what life is all about. The questions of what is existence, what is reality, and who we really are are intertwined in a blend of quantum physics, religious considerations, and philosophy.

  It might be appropriately noted that in 1807, the philosopher and theologian Hegel, in his ‘Phenomenology of Spirit” said that all existence is dependent upon Spirit, which could be called “consciousness”, within a person, and reality begins with a “self conscious” desire within a person. The French philosopher Sartre, who was said to be an atheist, believed that personal consciousness is a “being”, and creates its own experiences. The theologian, Kierkegaard also believed that our existence is dependent upon our thinking.

  In this story, actress Marlee Matlin portrays Amanda. The fact that she was deaf in the movie (as well as in real life) and yet can still communicate effectively could be symbolic of the idea that we, as humans, have a limited ability of sensing all which goes around us. This amounts to perhaps 2000 bits of information per second whereas our brains are said to be capable of absorbing four million bits per second from the multitudinous bits coming from our “world”. Thus, it can be said that Amanda is limited only slightly more than one with complete “sensing” capability.

  There is an impressive list of medical doctors, scientists and other experts who participated in the film. The doctors include Daniel Monti, M.D.,and Miceal Ledwith Ramtha Stuart Hamaroff, M.D. Amit Guswami, Ph.D., Candice Pert, Ph.D., David Albert, Ph.D., Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D., John Hagelin, Ph.D., Joseph Dispenza, D.C., and William Tiller, Ph.D. also were involved as experts in their field. Specific noteworthy comments made are:

  • The key to life is not in knowledge, but the mystery of life itself.
  • That which is within us creates that that is considered to be outside of us. There is not an “out there”; everything originates from within.
  • Reality is created by the brain, not our eyes; we sense only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, and we cannot possibly integrate all the information coming to the brain.
  • Matter is not static, but dynamic; particulate matter takes very little space, and is almost insignificant.
  • Alternate universes are entirely conceivable, but are beyond our normal sensory world.
  • Everything represents a movement of consciousness, and we have to think about all the possibilities involved.

  Our collective consciousness also affects our reality. An example was discussed concerning how a collective meditation and/or collective prayer can effect changes, and even help in crime reduction. Another example considers the effect of a spiritual blessing, or prayer, on the patterns of water droplets.

  Our behavior is determined by neurons in our brains, all experiences, emotional responses and memory are a function of a neuro-network. Nerve cells usually work and fire together; when they don’t automatically and harmoniously respond, distorted behavior results. Small chains of so-called peptides affect our inner chemical balance and control our emotional states.

  If we have sufficient belief we can change anything; we can change our reality. (As the Bible says, “As a man (human) thinks, so is he (her).” Also, in Matthew 17:20, we find it said that even with the “faith of a mustard seed, we can move mountains.”

  There is a fundamental unity in the universe; we are all one. God isn’t some kind of “person” separate from ourselves; however, we cannot control God, nor ever equal God’s splendor and magnificence.

  This movie was initially shown at the Little Art Theater in Yellow Springs, and at the Neon Movies, in Dayton. The DVD is currently available at local bookstores and video shops. Its jacket says, “Science and spirituality come together in this mind- bending trip down the rabbit hole.” How far do you want to go down this “rabbit hole” is dependent upon your motivation to explore and plumb the depths of your mainly unexplored inner universes.

• Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning: A Guide for Educators of Adults.
  by Patricia Cranton
  

  Reviewed by Rev. Darryl Fairchild
  Executive Director of the Greater Dayton Christian Connections
  

  “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

  As Christians, we have a responsibility to heed Paul’s words and seek transformation. Insights from Patricia Cranton’s work with adult learners helps us understand how transformation occurs.

  In Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning: A Guide for Educators of Adults, Cranton outlines four key components of transformation: learner empowerment, a provocative event, the questioning of assumptions, and support from others. Understanding these components equips us to foster transformation in our lives and community.

  The prerequisite for transformation is empowerment. A person needs to be in a relative safe space before transformation can occur. Transformation creates stress because change is involved. To be able to accept the tension created by transformation, a person needs to feel secure and have a sense of confidence.

  A provocative event is needed to trigger the process of transformation. Some provocative events cannot be avoided. For example, people cannot avoid tragedies of life – loved ones die, innocent persons are harmed, justice does not always prevail, and human’s have limitations and do painful things. Many times, people turn to Christianity in the face of tragedy. They seek to find answers to new questions and to make sense of their understandings of the world that have come unraveled.

  We can also foster provocative events such by asking an appropriate, challenging question, raising awareness, sharing new information, or assuming a new perspective. It is difficult to employ a provocative event. Most people when confronted with an idea or experience that is provocative – that is different from their own ideas or experiences – will find a way to dismiss it.

  At the heart of transformation is the questioning of our worldview. Our worldview is composed of the fundamental assumptions upon which we rely to make sense of the world. To effectively question these assumptions we need to make them explicit, examine their sources and consequences, and test their validity. In this process we develop a deeper self-awareness. We also grow as we reinforce the assumptions that are consistent with God’s will and prune away the parts that are deficient.

  Communal support is the last component in the process of transformation. This component is foreign to our individualistic culture that tells us we should be self-sufficient. The gospel calls us to participate in the community of God where we share one another’s burdens and celebrate one another’s joys. Transformation needs this communal support to encourage us – literally to instill courage in us – as we make changes to essential parts of ourselves.

  King David’s life offers us an example of transformation that helps us see how these components play out in the life of a person seeking to be faithful. Consumed with lust for Bathsheba, David had lost his way. God sends the prophet Nathan to confront David. Nathan fosters a sense of safety by not confronting David directly, but rather helping David see his actions from a new perspective. He tells David a story about an unjust rich man who steals a poor man’s only lamb. The story provokes David’s anger at the injustice. Nathan then employs a provocative event by telling David, “you are the man.” David is then able to see himself more clearly and to recognize how unjust he had been. From this new perspective, David recognizes his sin and repents.

  On one hand, it is preposterous to think our lives are similar to David’s and that we could experience a similar, dramatic transformation. On the other hand, it is humbling to realize that God yearns for us to be transformed just like David. By attending to empowerment, provocative events, challenging assumption, and our communal support, we can experience this kind of transformation that leads us to the very life of God.

• The WORD at the Crossings: Living the Good News in a Multicontextual Community.
  by Eric H. F. Law
  Chalice Press, 2004
  

  Reviewed by Rev. Darryl Fairchild
  Executive Director of the Greater Dayton Christian Connections
  

  “In other words, the way to see God more clearly or to respond to God more faithfully is to seek out and encounter others who have a different background and may have a different concept of God. (p. 23).”.

  Eric Law’s book, The WORD at the Crossings is timely. In the recent political season, our differences were so exploited it gave the impression that we are a very divided people with an almost insurmountable gap between us. This impression continues to linger and we risk allowing this sense of division to become a fixed reality. Law’s work is helpful because it examines how we might overcome our differences: how we might cross them. As the title suggests, it is at the location – the place of our differences where we seek resolution – where Christ is active.

  Law is helpful because he does not shy away from conflict and he allows that the consequence of conflict can be destructive or constructive. “In the Chinese language, the word for ‘crisis’ is a compound word consisting of the words for ‘danger’ and ‘opportunity. (p. 3)’” In this context, Law shares a process to cross differences. By attending to how we approach resolving our differences, we can guard against destructive methods and choose constructive ones.

  The process for crossing differences is not explicitly defined. This tentative nature is by design because it is consistent with Law’s pedagogy. The book is an invitation to clarify the process with him. Still, he clearly states there are four components to the process: personal, biblical, dialogical, and practical. The first step of the process is to explicitly name a conflict. The body of the book is an exploration of the process in seven practical areas of ministry: understanding God, the Bible, difference, Truth, justice, preaching, and teaching. A chapter is devoted to each of these areas and concludes with an exercise for further exploration.

  Caveat: Readers will have different understandings than Law. He gives a glimpse of his understanding of homosexuality. Hopefully, those who differ will take the opportunity to cross the difference, rather than to foreclose it.

  Three final comments: 1) Law deals comprehensively with differences by including personal, societal, communal and religious dimensions; 2) One of the strengths of his work is that he incorporates and action-reflection method of learning; and 3) He explicitly addresses power relationships.

  Eric Law will be in Dayton to lead a workshop April 29 & 30. He will be applying his process of crossing differences to how we do evangelization. Many churches face the challenge of overcoming some difference to reach out to “unchurched” persons in their community. These differences may be because of race, age, generation, culture, ethnicity, or economics. If your church faces this challenge learn more and contact GDCC to participate! To register for this event download the brochure here.

• "Bread for the Journey"
  by Henri J.M. Nouwen
  

  Reviewed by Byron M. Flory
  Member at Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren

  This book is a masterpiece in terms of providing for the Christian reader a year of daily readings on "Wisdom and Faith". This is a daybook which offers a total collection of ideas on about every theme in the Christian faith. Henri Nouwen, now deceased, was an acclaimed writer, and as a priest, he became a pastor to persons with mental disabilities and their assistants at L'Arche Daybreak in Toronto, Canada. This is one of the many ways he contributed to the Christian World.

  I had a privilege of hearing him at John Hopkin's Hospital in Baltimore in 1993, just three years before his death. I shall never forget his contribution to that convocation of pastors and medical persons. His writings (42 other books) reflect the way he made the Christian faith come alive. Here are a few examples of what he said:

  1. "Our Spiritual Parents" - "Joy and sorrow are never separated...Joy is hidden in sorrow and sorrow in joy. If we try to avoid sorrow at all costs, we may never taste joy. Joy and sorrow are the parents of our spiritual growth."
  2. "Healing our Memories" _ Forgiving does not mean forgetting. When we forgive a person, the memory of the wound may stay with us for a long time, even throughout our lives...Forgiveness allows us to claim our own power and not let those events destroy us. Forgiveness indeed heals memories."
  3. "Wounded Healers" - Nobody escapes being wounded...The main question is not "how can we hide our wounds?" so we don't have to be embarrassed by "How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?"...Jesus is God's wounded healer. Through his wounds we are healed... As followers of Jesus we can also allow our wounds to bring healing to others."
  4. "Meeting the Risen Christ" - "When Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, he convinced them he was not a ghost by the same one they had known in their teacher and friend... Jesus showed them that his body was a new spiritual body, no longer subject to the laws of nature...Jesus came and stood amoung them, and when he offered them breakfast, nobody dared to ask, "Who are you?"... Are there any experiences in our lives that give us a hint of the new life that has been promised us?"

  Henri Nouwen is God's gift to those who seek to understand the deeper meanings of what it means to be a Christian in today's world. Read this book to understand how this is true.

• The Present Future: Six though questions for the church.
  Reggie McNeal
  

  Reviewed by Rev. Duane Anders
  District Superintendent of Dayton North District of the United Methodist Church
  

  Reggie is a denominational guy. He is writing to traditional church people. His insights are shocking. In each chapter, Reggie presents a “new reality” that the church must face: “each reality requires the church to shift its thinking from answering the wrong questions to pursuing the implications of a tough question” )P.XVI).

  A few quotes from chapter one, “A new reality number one: the collapse of the church culture.

  “The imminent demise under discussion is the collapse of the unique culture in North America that has come to be called “church”. This church as become confused with Biblical Christianity, both inside the church and out” (P.1).

  “A growing number of people are leaving the institutional church for a new reason. They are not leaving because they have lost faith. They are leaving the church to preserve their faith.” (P.4) Wow, He has my attention.

  “Not only do we not need God to explain the universe, we don’t need God to operate the church. Many operate like giant machines, with church leaders serving as mechanics. God doesn’t have to show up to get done what’s being done. The culture does not want the powerless God of the modern church” (P.6)

  Reggie says we spend way to much time on the wrong questions. “Wrong question: How do we do church better? All the effort to fix the church misses the point. You can build the perfect church, and they still won’t come. People (in the world) are not looking for a great church” (P.10). Reggie says that the growth of most of our churches represents people transferring from dinghies to cruise ships.”

  “Tough question: How do we Deconvert from churchianity to Christianity? In fact, many have observed that there is a spiritual awakening occurring in America. However, it is not informed by Christian theology, and it’s not happening in the church.” (P.12) We have been praying for revival. Perhaps God has begun the answer but out wineskins prevent us from seeing what God is doing.

  “God is still inviting us to join Him on Mission, but it is the invitation to be part of a movement, not a religious club.” (P.16) And that is just in the first chapter!

• The Evangelistic Love of God & Neighbor: A Theology of Witness & Discipleship
  Scott J. Jones
  Abingdon Press, 2003
  

  Reviewed by Rev. Darryl Fairchild
  Executive Director of the Greater Dayton Christian Connections
  

  “Evangelism is deeply relational. It begins with an invitation by someone who loves God enough to love another person so that there is a genuine invitation to the other to love God also (p. 132).”

  For some, evangelism is a source of great excitement for it means winning people to Christ; for others evangelism is the “E” word for it is associated with practices that exploit or coerce. Scott Jones’ theology of evangelism is helpful to both groups of people because it locates evangelism within the fullness of the gospel. He explores his theology within the breadth of systematic theology.

  It provides Christian leaders with a foundation for evangelism. It is most helpful for leaders who are preparing to preach or equip in relationship to evangelism. Jones’ definition illustrates the foundational nature of his work: Evangelism is that set of loving, intentional activities governed by the goal of initiating persons into Christian discipleship in response to the reign of God.

  Examining the four components of the definition helps to give an overview of Jones’ theology. 1) Love: Evangelism is rooted in love. Love is an essential characteristic of God and is at the heart of discipleship. Evangelism is an extension of God’s love via disciples loving their neighbors.
  2) Intention: One’s intention is important to evangelism. A wide range of activities can be viewed as evangelism – from faith sharing, to preaching, to service, to fellowship. For instance, take faith sharing. If the intention were to invite a person into Christian discipleship it would be a form of evangelism; however if the intention is to comfort a person during a crisis, it would not.
  3) Discipleship: Jones focuses on discipleship as the goal of evangelism because it provides for the totality of the Christian life and it specifically connects with the next steps of formation.
  4) Reign of God: the response to an invitation is not a response to the evangelist, but rather a response to God’s movement.

  Scott’s theology of evangelism makes three important contributions. First, its emphasis on love and relationship frames the nature of evangelism in a fresh way. This emphasis reminds those who would use questionable means for a priceless end, that such methods run contrary to God’s nature and the life of the disciple. Likewise, for those who shy away from evangelism, it reminds of the responsibility to love by inviting persons into a relationship with Christ.

  Second, the use of discipleship as the goal of evangelism is superior to either simply a relationship with Jesus or reception of acts of God’s grace. My judgment is based on a value of authenticate relationship that esteems a person to such a degree that one will shepherd a person into the fullness of the community of Christ and to the richness of the means of grace. One of the best chapters (chapter 3) explains the relationship between evangelism and discipleship, the breadth of discipleship and the means of grace.

  Third, Jones recognizes that all evangelism in enculturated. This recognition affirms what most of us know, but what often gets ignored in other works of evangelism. Also, it enables Jones to tease out keys to evangelism while creating the space to modify as needed for each unique context.

  Given these strengths, let me share three caveats. 1) While the book includes some practical wisdom, it is not primary. 2) At places, the book’s scholarly nature bogs the writing down. Specifically, Jones is making very nuanced distinctions between his work and William Abraham’s Logic of Evangelism. 3) Jones is a United Methodist and relies upon John Wesley economy of grace (preventing, justifying, and sanctifying).

  If you are interested in enhancing your skills in evangelism, mark you calendar for April 29 & 30, 2005. GDCC, UTS, and the Dayton South District of the UMC are partnering to bring Eric Law for a conference. The focus of the conference will be how Christian reach out to neighbors who are unlike themselves. Check back for more information.

Official Website of the Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ ~ Official Website

A Christian Perspective
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

A Christian Perspective
Study Guide from the National Council of Churches

A Christian Perspective
The Christian Scholars Group on Christian-Jewish Relations

A Comprehensive Listing of Resources
Office for Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations ~ Cincinnati Archdiocese

Ty Inbody's theological assessment of the film and a listing resources
United Theological Seminary's Listing

• Under the Baobab Tree: Claiming Roots, Kindling Hope, Spreading God's Love
  Marilyn Thornton
  

  Review by Betty L. Williams Consultant, Parish Resource Center This curriculum is intergenerational which makes it appealing for a variety of settings for Christian education and formation. The image of the Baobab Tree is very rich. The Baobab Tree served as a gathering place for the entire community. At the Tree, as children played, the community experienced the wisdom of their elders and God's guidance. What an exciting way to teach the good news of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Baobab Tree alludes to “the Tree of Life.” It can be used as a metaphor to bridge between the significance of the tree and a child’s understanding, or between a child’s understanding and how to practice it everyday. The curriculum is colorful which makes the lesson come alive in the eyes of the participants. Also, it utilizes crafts, games, foods and music from various cultures and traditions to convey the good news of Jesus Christ.