ChristiaNet 65 - November 2008

The Melanesian Evangelical Churches of Christ will observe the 50^th anniversary of the Stone-Campbell movement Churches in Papua New Guinea on November 20th to the 24^th with celebrations at Bunapas on the RamuRiver. From the beginnings in 1958 with pioneering Australian missionaries Frank Beale and Harold Finger, the churches have grown to almost 100 congregations and Gandep Bible College where 28 students are currently enrolled.

2008 Also marks the 60^th anniversary of the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in Brazil, thanks to the pioneering efforts in the 1940s of American missionaries Lloyd and Ruth Sanders. The Brazilians will hold an anniversary celebration at Goiania November 14^th to the 16^th. For more information on these two countries, visit their national Profiles on the World Convention homepage, http://www.worldconvention.org/nationalprofiles.php

CascadeCollege in Portland, Oregon, affiliated with the Churches of Christ, will close at the end of the spring 2009 semester, citing financial difficulties and other concerns. The news directly affects about 280 students and 45 full-time faculty and staff members. Cascade opened as a satellite campus of Oklahoma Christian University in August 1994 after financial issues forced Columbia Christian College — founded in 1956 — to close in the early 1990s. Coincidentally, another Pacific Northwest school of the Stone-Campbell movement, Puget Sound Christian College of Everett, Washington, closed in 2007, also due to financial pressures.

Jeff Weston’s ebook The Traditions of Christmas has been revised and enlarged for 2008. We hope to shortly have it available on the website. If you would like an electronic version of this delightful little book offering insights into some of our dearly held Christmas traditions, please contact Jeff at worldconv@aol.com

Issue 58 of World Christian is being mailed. This issue will contain a brief summary of the 17^th World Convention and will serve as a wrap-up of this truly historic, spirit-filled gathering.

National Profiles: Check out the World Convention website for new additions in our National Profiles. Forthcoming profiles include: Guinea, Ireland and French Polynesia. If you can add information to our national Profiles contact the editor at the address above.

The 2008 Annual Conference of Associated Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe has been canceled citing food shortages and economic difficulties. In October the inflation rate was 213 million percent. In August 12 zeroes were removed from the currency in order to help adjust the rate but the financial situation is still critical.

Disciples’ Week of Compassion has named Rev. Amy Gopp as the new Executive Director, successor to longtime director Johnny Wray. Gopp is a former missionary, who worked in Yugoslavia, Croatia and Bosnia. Previously, Amy has also served as Associate Director with the vital Disciples’ ministry. Week of Compassion works with 3,200 Disciples of Christ congregations and annually distributes $2.5 million dollars in humanitarian aid.

The National Missionary Convention will convene November 20-22 at the Tulsa (Oklahoma) Convention Center. The 2008 theme is: Get Your Hands Dirty. For more information go to www.nmc-windows.org

Disciples Home Missionshas called Rev. Ron J. Degges as its new President, effective January 1, 2009. Degges has served as minister in several states, including, most recently, a 12 year ministry at Little White Chapel Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Burbank, California. DHM is a general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) tasked with equipping and resourcing congregations for ministry.

Sympathy We are saddened to report the passing of two friends of World Convention in recent days. On October 13 Earl Stuckenbruck, pioneer missionary with the European Evangelistic Society in Germany following WWII, passed away. On October 21, Mrs. Emerald Webb, wife of Henry Webb (Speaker for the 2008 World Convention Men’s Luncheon), also passed away. Coincidentally, both Dr. Stuckenbruck and Mrs. Webb were longtime members of First Christian Church, Johnson City, Tennessee. Full obituaries can be found at www.johnsoncitypress.com. Our deepest sympathies and prayers go out to the Stuckenbruck and Webb families.

DisciplesWorld magazine’s November 2008 issue caries an article by Ted Parks entitled Leaders Consider Recent World Convention’s impact on Stone-Campbell Family. To read the article online go to: http://www.disciplesworld.com/article.html?id=1273&v=7&i=9&s=News

Anti-Christian attacks in India continue to escalate in the state of Orissa and are now spreading to other areas. Churches, prayer halls, homes and schools have been destroyed and several Christians have been martyred in the violence, the work of Hindu extremists.

Prayer Requests:The difficult financial situation in the American economy ripples globally as international stock markets and economies rise and fall in response to US markets. These difficulties have enormous impact upon the Church. In particular World Convention is in urgent need of your financial gifts. Please pray that God’s people are generous in spite of financial distress and are able to discover new and creative ways to meet the financial needs that abound.

On November 27 the United States will observe our traditional Thanksgiving Day. The staff and volunteers of World Convention give thanks to God for your support and involvement in this ministry and ask God’s blessings for you this day!

World Convention on the Road: November 8 Jeff Weston traveled to Brazil to be a guest speaker at the 60^th anniversary of the Christian Church-Church of Christ in Brazil and to begin formulating plans for the 2012 Convention. On November 25 Jeff and Rosemary will depart for an extended visit to Australia, until after the first of the New Year.

World Convention relies upon the generosity of God’s people to supply both the needs of the day to day ministry, as well as the Convention every four years. Registration fees actually cover only a portion of the costs of staging the Convention. As a result, we are carrying a deficit from the last two conventions in the amount of $80,000. A special appeal letter has gone out to our US friends asking for help with this need. With this email we are asking all friends of World Convention around the world to send a special gift to help balance the books. Any gift of any size - be it in Rupees, Pounds, Euros, Bhat, Zim Dollars, Won, Pesos- will advance the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and the ministry of World Convention.

Send us your news, ministry highlights, events, prayer requests of interest to the global family of Stone-Campbell Movement churches for future issues of ChristiaNet.