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A Word from Our Pastor
We are part of something bigger than ourselves. We are part of a wonderful denomination that is both national and international. Within the denomination we are part of a region called the
In your newsletter, you have received a pamphlet about the Great River Region. The Regional Assembly is held every other year. This year it will be held pretty close to home, so I am hoping we can have a strong representation there. Please see me if you are interested. We will plan to carpool over and return home each night to save on hotel fees. Get a registration form and send it in soon!
Now, here are some simple facts to remind us about who we are:
Identity Statement: We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord's Table as God has welcomed us.
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), while founded on American soil in the early 1800's, is uniquely equipped to live up to its identity that it is a "movement for wholeness in a fragmented world." The denomination was born in the 1800's, and continues to be influenced by its founding ideals of our unity in Christ with openness and diversity in practice and belief.
Vision Statement of Disciples of Christ:
To be a faithful, growing church, that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and a passion for justice. - Micah 6:8
To be and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving, and serving from our doorsteps "to the ends of the earth." - Acts 1:8
The denomination now counts about 700,000 members in the
The church is identified with the Protestant "mainstream" and is widely involved in social and other concerns. Disciples have supported vigorously world and national programs of education, agricultural assistance, racial reconciliation, care of the developmentally disabled, and aid to the victims of war and calamity.
Serving together joyfully,
Rev. Susan Lassalle
Note from the Chair… Impediments
We think of peace as an absence of conflict…but is that truly accurate? What about inner peace? What impedes peace in our lives? I think we impede ourselves. I feel strongly that God does indeed make known to us His will and reveals His grace to us all the time. It is our own will that impedes us from His peace. I read recently "We think peace is something that happens to us….This is an illusion. As long as we are not at peace within, there is nowhere we can run, no direction where we can turn, to find it".
(Allen, Formations, Vol 19, No.3)
Have you ever been in the presence of God? Likely, you have. I'm talking about those moments of bliss in the presence of magnificence. I'm not talking about the bliss you felt when you finally went to the privy when your bladder was full and your Daddy wouldn't pull over because "we're making good time". I'm talking about that moment when perhaps you viewed a beautiful mountain vista or sunset or a childbirth or thousands of other moments when your breath was taken away, no words could come, that the splendor and magnificence was so intense that you knew in your heart of hearts that "God is here". And the peace of His Spirit was upon your heart, your mind and your soul. You were laid naked. Then, your will, your Self intrudes and the world comes back upon you. Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510) wrote about this in Life and Teachings " Our self will is so subtle and so deeply rooted within our selves and defends itself with so many reasons, that when we try to fight against it, we manage to lose in the end. We end up doing our own will under many covers - of charity, of necessity, or of justice. But God's love wills to stand naked and without any cover since it has nothing to hide". (Renovare, 2005).
We can't help ourselves!
Or can we? Do you look beyond yourself and actively look for God? When you speak to a friend about God do you make statements, or do you ask questions? Do you seek Him throughout the day? Do you look for His splendor that is all around you? Or do you view the world through the lens of your self (except on Sunday mornings)? I'm not saying it is easy. You betcha there is conflict. I believe that peace from within must come from conscious act. You have to want, need and ask for God's grace to be upon you all day. It is a spiritual discipline. It changes the paradigm of how you view the world around you and I can testify it gets easier every day. The magnificence of God is all around us and it is only when we clear the impediment of our selves and view our world with God in our hearts, is it revealed. But you have to work for it.
In Jesus' name, Herve Lara, Board Chair
