wfn.org | Disciples women 'Rekindle the Flame'

["Wilma Shuffitt"<wshuffit@oc.disciples.org>]

Date: July 8, 1998
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: Clifford L. Willis
Email: CWillis@oc.disciples.org
on the Web: http://www.disciples.org

98b-39

	WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (DNS) -- More than 3,500 women braved 
unseasonably warm temperatures June 24-28 at Purdue University, while 
trying to "Rekindle the Flame." 

	In doing so, the 3,548 Disciples women and their international 
guests gave more than $52,000, mainly through worship offerings, to 
equally support Basic Mission Finance and the ministries of laywomen 
in the denomination. Attendees also installed new leadership for the 
next four years. 

	Josephine S. Elkins, Clintonville, Ky., and Kathy Jeffries, 
Nashville, Tenn., are the new president and vice president for ICWF. 
Their terms conclude at the 2002 assembly in Louisville, Ky. Elkins, 
an elder at Clintonville Christian Church, Paris, Ky., is the 
outgoing moderator of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 
Kentucky and a past board member of the Division of Overseas 
Ministries. Jeffries, a deacon at Nashville's Gay Lea Christian 
Church, is past president of the Tennessee Christian Women's 
Fellowship and presides over the state Church Women United chapter.

	The Rev. Cynthia Hale, Decatur, Ga., exhorted the women to remember 
"What Really Happened on Pentecost" while rekindling their spiritual 
flames. At Pentecost, the flames of the Holy Spirit enabled ordinary 
people with extraordinary potential for ministry, she said.  

	Many women "live impotent lives far beneath our potential," said 
Hale. Feelings of inadequacy, failure and pain rob women of becoming 
all that God intends them to be. The Holy Spirit, however, can help 
women fulfill their potential, she added.

	The Holy Spirit can grant women "power beyond our imagination," Hale 
declared. That power, like dynamite, can transform fearful persons 
into fearless persons, said the pastor of Ray of Hope Christian 
Church. 

	The Rev. Raquel Rodriguez, reading from the Rev. Ofelia Ortega 
Suarez's presentation, encouraged the attendees to claim their 
heritage while breaking down walls of paternalism.  Suarez, president 
of Evangelical Theological Seminary, Matanzas, Cuba, was unable to 
address the gathering when her travel documents were stolen prior to 
leaving the country. 

	Through Rodriguez's voice, Suarez reminded the women that there is 
power in solidarity and that their gifts and presence in the church 
are vital. "We are here to affirm that every life is sacred," read 
the program assistant for the Common Ministry in Latin America and 
the Caribbean. Sacredness lies in the hearts of  all people, 
according to Suarez.

	In other action, Disciples women heard General Minister and 
President Richard L. Hamm articulate his vision for the denomination, 
experienced an interfaith approach to Bible study and commissioned 
six persons for overseas service.

	The marks of a faithful church, Hamm said, are deep Christian 
spirituality, true community and a passion for justice -- expressions 
that correspond to Micah's words "to walk humbly with your God, to 
love kindness, and to do justice." 

	In a quadrennial forum Hamm said that devotion to spiritual 
disciplines like prayer, Bible study and reflection, and stewardship 
will sharpen the harmony between the "marks" and church's behavior in 
the world. 

	The Disciples leader discussed the church's work in North America, 
envisioning Disciples congregations working as "mission stations" in 
the U.S. and Canada. Hamm also shared his view on racial and cultural 
diversity, expressing his hopes that every Disciples congregation 
will undertake anti-racism training. Even if half of our 
congregations take part "it will make a colossal difference in the 
life of our church," he said.

	Bible study during quadrennial found Disciples minister, the Rev. 
Nancy Heimer, paired with Rabbi Sandra Sasso of Indianapolis. This 
was the first time a rabbi has been part of the assembly program, 
according to the Rev. Ellen Frost, senior associate for Disciples 
women. 

	The women offered insightful observations on the texts and healthy 
doses of humorous commentary on the side. This novel arrangement 
doesn't have to end at the close of the meeting, according to Sasso. 

	She encouraged the women to organize similar study sessions with 
Jewish sisters in their home communities. Such gatherings can help 
women claim the scriptures together, Sasso said. 

	By claiming the scriptures together, "together we can come out of 
exile," said Heimer. 

	The six persons commissioned for overseas assignments were the Rev. 
Ana Gobledale, Zimbabwe; Helen Grant, Jerusalem; the Rev. Felix and 
Maria Ortiz, Honduras; and the Rev. Charles and Ruth Wallace, Haiti. 
Helen Grant of  Indianapolis is the daughter of the Revs. Claudia and 
Brian Grant. Claudia served as the 1998 Quadrennial Assembly 
coordinator.

	-- end --

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