Friday, February 5, 2016

Message from Regional Minister Bill Spangler-Dunning

Disciples Unite!

By Bill Spangler-Dunning
Regional Minister

DISCIPLES UNITE!


As a young person in faith I grew up being taught the stories of Jesus in the classrooms at Davis Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Ottumwa Iowa. The majority of those stories were about how Jesus crossed to the other side of the lake to the people who were not valued or hated or just seen as unclean. Jesus was always the hero who defended the “Other” and the ones who were different than the many.

As a child it seemed that it was really the same story every Sunday but just with different names and a different group that others were excluding somehow. Jesus would go and eat with them or just drink some water with them and then say something that always sounded to me like the super hero catch phrase - “DISCIPLES UNITE!”

As your Regional Minister I tell you with all seriousness that I still believe in those children stories and ask all Disciples across the Church to Unite! We Disciples don’t often agree on politics, theology, or even on how to set up the tables in the fellowship hall; Let us speak boldly where it is needed but never let the world convince us that just because we hold different positions that the other is evil.

The world really has not changed from the days when Jesus spoke those words I learned as child. Maybe we need to hear them one more time;

- “DISCIPLES UNITE!”


The entire Disciples Express Newsletter can be accessed here
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