Our staff is starting to think about Regional Assembly in 2008, and we hope you will too. 

Our assembly will be in Eugene at the Northwest Christian College campus Morse Center Friday April 18-19. 

Our Friday night speaker is Martha Grace Reese.  You can learn more about her on her web site.

On Saturday we will be hearing from Gilberto Collazo from the New Church Team.   You can learn about him and the New Church Team at by clicking here.

Both are exciting and uplifting speakers and leaders in the Disciples of Christ movement.

In addition, Martha Reese will lead a pre-assembly session for pastors and key lay leaders of the congregations from 1:00-4:00 Friday, April 18, using her new book, Unbinding the Gospel, as a jumping off point. 

I have almost finished the book and am intrigued with her findings as part of a Lilly Endowment study on mainline congregational life and leadership. I believe you will find her compelling.

Doug and I hope that you will take our recommendation to read Rev. Reese's new book from Chalice Press, Unbinding the Gospel. We hope you will take the opportunity to read it between now and next April and encourage others to do so. This common reading will maximize our use of Rev. Reese's visit, as she will not be summarizing her book to us. Instead she will be more in a coaching mode helping us to apply her findings and deepen our discussion about spiritual life and witness in our days. 

• We are asking the pastors of Oregon to read it this summer.
• We ask that you encourage your congregational Elders to read it in the fall.
• We ask that you encourage the members of our congregations to read it in its new version as a Lenten Study guide teaching spiritual practices during 2008.   This will go to print soon and be available in December of this year.  It is a version of the book reduced in description and with added spiritual practices and prayer ideas.

When Gay Reese arrives April 18, we hope to have a long list of ah ha's and questions to bring to the discussion. 

Watch our web site over the next weeks and months as details are posted about our April 18-19, 2008 Regional Assembly in Eugene, hosted by Northwest Christian College. 

You can order the book new or used at Amazon.com.

Looking forward to our continuing conversations.