wind&waves Newsletter of The Coastal Plains Area - Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Southwest

APRIL 2017 | VOL 15, ISSUE 4

cpa@cpadisciples.org 11750 Memorial Drive ● Houston, Texas 77024 713.789.8822

ALL God’s Children with Rev. Sandhya Jha, Keynote Speaker

Scripture: Genesis 21:14-21

Sermon: "And the other children, too"

also with Dr. Joel Plaag and the Assembly Choir

the CCCC Disci-Bells

Dr. Ann Frohbieter, organist

Find Information about the weekend Youth Retreat

Here: http://www.cpadisciples.org/youth-events/

Hosted by: Cypress Creek Christian Church

6823 Cypresswood Drive | Spring, Texas

COASTAL PLAINS AREA ASSEMBLY & ANNUAL COUNCIL

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Registration Fee: $10 for Adults Register Here: https://www.easytithe.com/f/?k=E9JU29D5XHK6K2MM

2:30 Registration & Fellowship, Activity Room 3:00 Annual Council Meeting, the Forum

4:00 Worship, the Centrum 5:45 Dinner, the Gym

Who is Sandhya Jha ? She is our Area Assembly Keynote Speaker

Sandhya Jha serves as founder and director of the Oakland Peace Center, a collective of 40 organizations creating access, equity and dignity for all in Oakland and the Bay Area. Sandhya’s commitments to interfaith and interracial work were shaped by her Scottish (Presbyterian) mother and Indian (Hindu) father, as were her love of music and love of both chick pea curry and macaroni and cheese (although not together). She’s the youngest of 14 cousins, the rest of whom live in India and whom she is desperate to visit again.

Former pastor of First Christian Church of Oakland and former Director of Interfaith Programs at East Bay Housing Organizations, Sandhya is the author of Room at the Table, the history of people of color in the Disciples of Christ, and Pre-Post-Racial America: Spiritual Stories from the Front Lines on the subject of race and spirituality in America. Pre-Post-Racial America was listed as one of the top five books on race and religion in 2015 by Publishers Weekly. She serves as an anti-racism/anti-oppression trainer with Reconciliation Ministries for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She is a faith-rooted organizer with Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (formerly Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice – CA) and with the Emerging Leaders Program at the Leadership Institute at Allen Temple. Sandhya is particularly proud of her podcast, Hope from the Hood, available on iTunes and at sandhyajha.com.

Ordained at National City Christian Church in 2005 as a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister, Sandhya is pretty proud to have received both a Master of Divinity and Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago, where her joint thesis was on the subject of “Public Goods, Public Bads, the Common Good and the Common Burden: Environmental Racism as a case study on the intersection of Public Policy and Theological Ethics.” Before graduate school, Sandhya first worked for Congressman Thomas C. Sawyer of Akron, Ohio and then for the religious liberty organization The Interfaith Alliance. She gets far more excited about urban policy than a normal person should, and she loves to sing folk, jazz and gospel even though she was trained for classical music.

MISSION AND OUTREACH

By Rev. Peggy Trott, Chair

I was somewhat surprised to recently learn that one of every four adults in Houston was born outside the United States. We are a

diverse community, for sure! My husband and I spend a good amount of time at Herman Park here in the city. Every time we stroll through the park, we feel like we are at a mini-United Nations. Recently, we experienced a wonderful display of the sport of Afghanistan kite cutting. Then we watched a Asian lion dance. We often see pictures being taken with young girls in their elaborate quinceanera gowns. And the park was the first place that I saw my first burka-wearing woman, not the hajib, but the full burka. The diversity in our community is something we celebrate living in Houston!

However, alongside the celebrations, with that sort of diversity, there are bound to be questions, cultural concerns and misunderstandings that occur. And, we often ask ourselves ..... just who is my neighbor?

The Coastal Plains Area is providing an opportunity to garner answers to that question very soon. On Saturday, May 6, from 9:00 am-4:00 pm, the CPA is

offering an Anti-Racism Workshop which will be led by Rev. Sandhya Jya and Rev. Nathan Hill at Cypress Creek Christian Church, 6823 Cypresswood Drive, Spring Texas. This is the day before our Area Assembly whereby Rev. Jya will be our keynote speaker. (See her bio above)

The Reconciliation Ministry (of which anti-racism is a part of within in our denomination) was started after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in an effort to provide understanding with issues relating to race and poverty. That Reconciliation Ministry was begun almost 50 years ago and while the initial purpose was to work with the concerns of Black Americans, our nation has grown and has become increasingly more multi-cultural. Thus, anti-racism training dealing with many of the beliefs and thinking, ways of life and behaving is more important than ever.

Please plan on joining as we celebrate and cultivate new understandings of "red, brown, yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight."

Respectfully,

Rev. Peggy Trott Chair, Missions & Outreach

More than 75 CPA Disciples gathered for Life Hacks: Practical Tools for Your Faith and Ministry last Saturday at Cypress Creek Christian Church. We are so grateful for the hospitality extended by that Community of Faith. And we owe a debt of gratitude to Mike Skinner, Lead Pastor of Sweetwater Christian Church (formerly known as First Colony Christian Church) in Sugar Land, for doing yeoman’s work to coordinate plans for the event as chair of the CPA Congregational Vitality Team. Several of the participants said the event reminded them of the model used many years ago by Disciples to do leadership training. Some remembered the T.W.I.G. (i.e., Training Workshops in Growth) day long events of yesteryears. We affirmed using that model, but noticed a difference. The workshops were not particularly focused on methodologies for teaching Sunday School, serving as an elder, stewardship themes, etc. These workshops were more theologically based as we explored how to transform the ethos of congregational life in such a way that we find abundant life in our Disciples congregations.

by Rev. Peggy Edge

Coastal Plains Area Minister

I am so thankful to our keynoter (and my first cousin) Rev. Dr. Tommy Thompson and the servant leaders who facilitated the workshops: Rev. Christy Dreschel, Rev. Dr. Jimmy Cobb, Rev. Dr. Michael Dunn, Rev. Darnell Fennell, Rev. Mike Skinner, Rev. Maribeth Westerfield, Rev. Rhona Brink, Rev. Blair Parker, Rev. Dr. Tommy Thompson, Rev. Amber Mattingly, Rev. Margaret Maat, Roy Johnston, Mariah Newell, Rev. Beth Graham, and Rev. Caroline Hamilton-Arnold.

As Spring unfolds this year I focus on the text from Revelations, “Behold, I make all things new!” The split leaf philodendrons in our backyard have recovered from the freeze. The amazing power of recreation of God’s beautiful work brings me such joy! While some things are destroyed by natural disasters others have new beginnings and a second chance for survival! The same is true for the life cycles of congregations! Some communities of faith lose a sense of vitality and close, while others find new life. The deep roots of faith and the nurturing of all the members of the congregations are indeed vital for second and third chances to bring about new life. Those who participated in the Life Hacks event will surely bring back renewed enthusiasm and appreciation for the opportunities to serve as leaders in their congregations. And for that I say, “Thanks be to God!” Grace and peace, Peggy

A Note of Thanks:

My dear colleagues and friends in the Coastal Plains Area:

Your ministry to our family has been more comforting to us than we can say. The beautiful plant, the words of care expressed to us via Facebook and mail—all are remembered and cherished.

With thanksgiving to God for you all Andy & Rhona Brink

Find registration forms

for this Youth Event on

our website at: http://

www.cpadisciples.org/youth-events/

Greetings, All!

I'm still full of joy from our Congregational Vitality learning event, Life Hacks, that was hosted at Cypress Creek Christian Church last Saturday. Thank you to everyone who came (we had over 70 people!) as well as all those who volunteered to serve and lead. It was a beautiful day of fellowship, sharing, and growing as we talked about Congregational transitions with Rev. Dr. Tommy Thompson and then spent the rest of the morning and afternoon sharing with

each other about ways to grow in our faith and ministry.

I am so excited about what God has in store for the future of the Coastal Plains Area when such talented and loving people team up together to be a movement for wholeness in a broken and fragmented world. May the Spirit of our God continue to bless and guide us.

Grace and Peace, Mike Skinner

Congregational Vitality Ministry Team Mike Skinner, Chair

REMINDER:REMINDER:REMINDER:

DCCI WorkdayDCCI WorkdayDCCI Workday

April 22April 22April 22

8:008:008:00———3:00 3:00 3:00

Questions?

830.437.2900

or

discipleoaks@gmail.com

Registration forms may also be downloaded from our website:

http://www.cpadisciples.org/

Clergy Family Night Out: We want to invite Clergy & their families

to gather for a fun evening of baseball (and $1 hot dogs!) We have 20 tickets available for $31 each for the game on May 24th. They are first-come, first-served, so you’ll need to contact Marilyn in the CPA office if you want to get your hands on one or more of them. The Astros will be playing the Detroit Tigers.

GO, Stros!

cpa@cpadisciples.org or 713.789.8822