'ChristiaNet'

Monthly Global News and Information for members and friends of the Christian - Churches of Christ - Disciples of Christ family of churches around the world from 'World Convention'

Number 16 - July 2004
To contact us, or discontinue, write to worldconv@aol.com-
ChristiaNet uses a send-only address.

Celebrate your heritage and mission - Sunday, August 1
Every year on the first Sunday in August (this year, August 1), World Convention invites the Christian - Churches of Christ - Disciples of Christ family around the world to celebrate, in a spirit of togetherness, its unique heritage and calling.  Be sure that in your worship that day you remember that you are part of a special global family within the whole Church of Jesus Christ.  This is a day to emphasise and celebrate the international links your congregation has, remember your heritage [perhaps reprinting 'Our Story' from the World Convention website (www.worldconvention.org)], select hymns and songs with a global dimension and pray for brothers and sisters around the world.

World Convention July 28 - August 1 in Brighton, England, UK
Our 16th quadrennial World Convention will be concluding on World Convention Sunday in England.  Please remember the World Convention in your prayers each day until then.  We pray that it will be an enriching gathering, giving stimulus to the witness and ministry of the Christian - Churches of Christ - Disciples of Christ community, including united and partner churches in which parts of the family share.  You can register at the Brighton Centre from 9.30 am on Wednesday, July 28 if you are not pre-registered.

Gathering at World Convention
Registrations have been received from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Congo DR, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Italy, India, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Malawi, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, The Philippines, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Thailand, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe.  Can you add another country to this list by coming?

Have you joined the 11:11 - Get Connected prayer network?
More is achieved by prayer than we can ever imagine.  World Convention invites you to join briefly in prayer, wherever you are, at 11:11 each morning; give thanks for your blessings & ask God to meet your needs; remember that you are a member of the body of Christ; tell others around you what you are doing if they ask.  Through July add prayer for those travelling to World Convention.  11:11 - Get Connected joins us with each other and with God every day.

The Reagan Connection
With the death of USA President Reagan, connections with our churches are being remembered.  A memorial service was held at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Dixon, Illinois where President Reagan was as a member in his youth.  Memorial services were held also at the Disciples-related Eureka College in Illinois where he graduated in 1932.  President Reagan was also a member of Hollywood-Beverly Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) where he was a contributing member until his death.  (His mother was a long time member of Hollywood-Beverly CC.)  The funeral for Nancy Reagan's father was conducted at First Christian Church in Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Some Country snippets
- The annual meeting of Churches of Christ in Papua New Guinea [held in a remote village (Bunam) where access is only by canoe or plane] lasted a full seven days. 
- In January - March, Whitefields Evangelism (Joplin, Missouri, USA) assisted in starting eight new congregations in Swaziland, southern Africa.
- A graduate of Emmanuel School of Religion, Col. Gene 'Chip' Fowler is commander of the 300 chaplains with the USA forces in Iraq.  ARM International (Joplin Missouri, USA) has sent its first collapsible portable baptistry to Iraq.
- A new church building has just been completed in Cacheu, Guinea-Bissau (West Africa).  The church is led by Brazilian Christian Church/Churches of Christ missionaries and is supported by Brazlian and Hisportic (Portuguese) churches in the USA.  (Hisportic Christian Missions has a a dinner function at World Convention.  wlong@hcm.org) 
- A May conference of Churches of Christ in Moscow was attended by 225 people from forty churches.
- A record of more than 450 booth spaces has been taken for the Christian Church/Churches of Christ National Missionary Convention, Sep 30 - Oct 3 in Peoria, Illinois USA.  nationalmissionaryconvention.org
- DisciplesWorld, national journal related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the USA & Canada won three awards at the annual Associated Church Press conference in Toronto, Canada.  www.disciplesworld.com
- 2000 people gathered on April 16th for a Christian Church/Churches of Christ convention at Sathyavedu, Andhra Pradesh (south, central India).  Over 8000 (a record) attended the Christian Church/Churches of Christ convention in The Philippines in April. 
- Seoul Christian University in Korea has grown to 700 students.  There are about 520 churches related to our movement in Korea (and other partnerships) - with two universities, a children's home, a high school and a junior high school.  At a joint Easter service (thirty-six Yungyang area churches) thirty-one 'came forward', ten of them for missionary service.

Keep In Touch - Know What's Happening!
This issue of ChristiaNet has focussed on the World Convention and the August issue will also.  But the ministry of World Convention is committed to helping ALL members of our church family have a sense of belonging together EVERY DAY.  ChristiaNet and 11:11 - Get Connected mentioned above are two ways of doing that. 

Events for prayer:
- United Reformed Church (Churches of Christ - Congregational - Presbyterian in the United Kingdom) Assembly.  Glamorgan, Wales, July 3-6.
- North American Christian Convention meeting in Phoenix, July 5-8.  President: Dick Alexander.  www.nacctheconnectingplace.org
- Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada summer 'Disciples' events including July 8-11 (San Diego): Hispanic Assembly.  July 15-18 (Lexington): 'Sessions 04' (Men).  July 28-31 (Chicago): NAPAD (Pacific and Asian Convention).  August 6-10 (Indianapolis): National Convocation. www.homelandministries.org  
- Australian Churches of Christ national day of prayer for missions in India, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Vietnam and Zimbabwe - July 25
- All Japan Christian Churches Convention.  Osaka, July 28-30
- Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council.  Brighton, England - July 25-27
- World CWF Exec meeting (July 25-26) and Retreat (July 26-28), Brighton UK
- World Convention, Brighton, England: July 28 - August 1.  www.worldconvention.org
- Pan European Lectureship (Churches of Christ).  Aug 1-5, Edinburgh, Scotland.
- Deaf Ministries International.  Third Conference - Kampala, Uganda, August 2-6.  www.deafmin.org
- Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 'All Canada' Assembly, Aug 12-15, Winnipeg
- Restoration Forum.  October 15-17.  Rochester Hills (Detroit area) Michigan, USA.  For all Christian Church - Churches of Christ - Disciples of Christ members.  Information from tbalk@rc.edu or Tammy Balk at (248) 218-2013

World Convention seeks to build up fellowship, understanding and common purpose within the Christian - Churches of Christ - Disciples of Christ family of churches, now serving and witnessing as part of Christ's church in at least 168 countries.

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World Convention theme: Founded in Christ - Building for Tomorrow.  Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God's very own family; citizens of God's country.  You belong in God's household with every other Christian.  What a foundation you stand on now; the apostles and the prophets; and the cornerstone of the building is Jesus Christ himself.  (Eph: 2: 19-20)

World Convention (Christian - Churches of Christ - Disciples of Christ)
4800 B Franklin Road, Nashville TN 37220-1199, USA
Phone +1 (615) 331-1824; Fax  +1 (615) 331-1864
worldconv@aol.com    www.worldconvention.org
Lyndsay Jacobs - General Secretary; Lorraine Jacobs - Associate General Secretary