The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church— Department of Christian Education Making disciples through "events that form and transform"
Inaugural Edition: February 2010
Points of Interest:
How to Do A NEW Thing — Dr. Carmichael Crutchfield
Youth & Young Adult Week January 31 - February 7 Christian Educator’s Retreat February 19 - February 21 The Great Gathering March 1 - March 3 WMS Executive Council March 3 - March 6 Young Adult FOCUS Retreat May 27 – May 30
Inside this issue: Youth & Young Adult Week
2
Right Formula for Mission
2
Souper Bowl of Caring
3
Matthew 25/35 Project
3
Glendora Ryce Tribute
4
CED Retreat
5
The Great Gathering
5
Black History Month
5
Enlightened Males
6
Social Networking
7
YA FOCUS Retreat
8
During the recent General Connectional Board, I heard on more than one occasion members of the College of Bishops mentioned the need for love of neighbor as it relates to what the church is called to do. It was made very clear in Bishop Cunningham’s message as he talked about what makes a shepherd good. He elaborated on compassion and care for the sheep. I was thrilled to hear these messages coming from the College of Bishops for a number of reasons. A major reason for my elation was the fact
that the Department of Christian Education of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church at the aforementioned meeting unveiled a work written by this General Secretary and his executive assistant, Rev. Dr. Willa Ross. This resource is named “How To Do A New Thing In Christian Education.” It is largely based on an understanding of Christian Education that goes far beyond Sunday school, CYF and YAF. The resource emphasizes the “love of God and love of neighbor.” This understanding of Christian education began as my line of thought during my time as pastor of Mother Liberty CME in Jackson while I was enrolled in the
Doctor of Ministry of program at Memphis Theological Seminary. Out of my studies, I worked on a project in ministry which I wrote about called “A Model of Christian Education based on Spiritual Formation and Discipleship.” “How To Do A New Thing In Christian Education” is the Department of Christian Education’s attempt to provide a resource that will give local churches a curriculum for discipleship and would give a deeper understanding of what we mean when we refer to Formation + Nurture + Leadership = Mission. It is a very serious resource. Fortunately, we believe it has what local churches will need to get started.
CED Launches NEW Website (www.thecmechurchced.org) Just in time for the 2010 Youth & Young Adult Week, the Department of Christian Education is pleased to announce the release of our NEW Web site (www.thecmechurchced.org). It has been many months in the making and has taken a great deal of time from many people. Our new site has
been redesigned with a fresh new look and has been updated with information about our latest resources and events. Additionally, our new site will provide support and information to answer Christian Educator’s questions. The real change is in the approach, not the appearance. While we have refined the
design, we have also expanded our commitment to the Christian Education mission of an age level teaching ministry with services and resources that are now available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Cont’d on Page 2
The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church—Department of Christian Education
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CED Launches NEW Website (www.thecmechurchced.org) - Cont’d
We have coordinated our Web site release with the 2010 Youth & Young Adult Week. Come to the Web site for ideas as you plan your local church’s celebrations. The latest information regarding Youth Prayer Calls, the Matthew 25/35 Project, and the Souper Bowl Project is now readily available to you electronically. We are
Formation + Nurture + Leadership = Mission
hopeful that this new Web site will help us tool Christian Educators for ministry faster and more efficiently. Additionally, you can see opportunities to worship across the CME Connectional Church. Over the next few weeks and months, we will introduce new features and improved navigation on the site. Your
comments and suggestions for strengthening our communications are encouraged and welcome! Our goal is to make disciples through "events that form and transform." Join us on the World Wide Web… remember www.thecmechurchced.org .
Youth & Young Adult Week "Discipleship: Called to Turn the World Upside Down" The General Secretary of Christian Education believes that life-long learning is an essential component of discipleship. Therefore the Department recommends leadership development of those who are involved in Christian Education at every level of the church. The 2010 Youth and Young Adult Week Theme focuses on Discipleship. We believe youth and young adults in the C.M.E. Church are “called to turn the
world upside down.” It is our hope that those who have been called and assigned the awesome responsibility of nurturing and teaching the youth and young adults of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church will find this resource helpful in carrying out ministry within the local church. The theme resource and others produced by the Department are written and developed with the intentional goal of Christian
The Right Formula for Mission We are of the belief that the ultimate essence of "Doing A New Thing" in Christian Education is discipleship. We strongly believe that an emphasis on discipleship will lead to formation, nurture, leadership, and mission taking place in our local, district, regional, national, and world wide communities. We believe that the witness of the love of Jesus Christ will be spread in such a way that lives will be saved, educated, and liberated.
formation and nurture that results in committed disciples of Jesus Christ. We continue to praise God for the youth and young adult throughout the Connectional Church as the experience the activity of God, the Son and the Holy Spirit in whom they live and move and have their being.
Formation + Nurture + Leadership = Mission
There are four aspects of understanding of what is involved in "Doing A New Thing" in Christian Education. Namely, they are formation, nurture, leadership, and mission. When the first three aspects are attended to, mission will be the result.
Formation Spiritual/Faith/Christian Formation is the intentional process of opening of ourselves to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit so that we might be more fully formed to the likeness of Christ. It is the shaping of a person or progressive development.
The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church—Department of Christian Education
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Super Bowl Sunday: “A Souper Bowl of Caring” Christian Youth Fellowships across the connectional C.M.E. church will be a part of a youth movement that is changing the world and, since 1990 has raised over $60 million for charities that help our neighbors in need. In the wake of the extreme devastation in Haiti by earthquake and in concert with the message from our College of Bishops, we are asking each C.Y.F. to designate the Tenth District as its 2010 charity for
the Souper Bowl Project. Funds should be sent directly to: The Tenth Episcopal District P.O. Box 15641 - Fort Worth, TX 76119 Memo Note: Haiti Relief Fund. Email communications may be sent to haitirelief@cmetenth.org Souper Bowl of Caring equips and mobilizes congregations, schools and businesses to positively impact their communities by collecting money or food on or near Super Bowl weekend. 100% of the collections are donated directly to the charity of each group's choice.
Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Groups Registered for 2010: 18 CME Participation Since 1990 Total Raised to date.....................$14,362 Money Raised to date..................$12,778 Lbs of Food Collected to date........1,584
Formation
Matthew 25/35 Project During Youth and Young Adult Week 2010, each local CYF/Youth Ministry is asked to collect monetary donations that will go towards purchasing much needed food for our C.M.E. brothers and sisters in Haiti. These foods will be distributed in the spring 2010 during a Youth Mission Trip (details to follow). The Youth Vice President’s Council has set a symbolic goal of $25,350.00. Will you prayerfully con-
sider partnering with us? All funds collected for The Matthew 25/35 Project should be mailed to the Department of Christian Education no later than February 15, 2010. Make all checks/money orders payable to: Department of Christian Education and mail to: Department of Christian Education c/o Matthew 25/35 Mission Project 4466 Elvis Presley Blvd Box 193; Memphis, TN 38116-7100
Formation + Nurture + Leadership = Mission
+ Nurture + Leadership = Mission
The Right Formula for Mission
+ Nurture
+ Leadership
= Mission
Nurture involves the prioritizing of the educational ministry of the church in order that teaching becomes the life long process by which people come to love God and their neighbor more. It involves building up and strengthening persons.
Leadership includes the capacity to identify and develop one’s resources whether human or material and the ability to mobilize those resources in realizing a vision, or reaching a goal, or resolving a problem, or making a decision.
Mission is being sent by Jesus Christ to witness and be present and participate in the world to fulfill the will of God.
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Youth Prayer Calls During CYYAW During Youth & Young Adult Week 2010, the Connectional Youth Vice President’s Council is inviting youth from across the C.M.E. Church to join us daily for a Youth Prayer Call. This 15 minute prayer call will take place
Formation + Nurture + Leadership = Mission
Monday February 1, 2010 thru Friday February 5, 2010 at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. in EACH TIME ZONE. Here is where you can help this vision come alive. We need several persons to lead at least one 15 minute prayer call next week. You can volunteer for one day or the entire week. There will be a total of eight calls daily to accommodate everyone. You can call in during any of the calls no matter where you or the young people live. Please take a look at the scheduled calls and select the one that best matches your schedule.
Youth Prayer Call *Calls open to the first 150 person Call-in # 605-475-6333 Access Code # 927769 Email: RevCeCe7@aol.com or call: (901) 261-3255 For more information, inbox me Rev. CeCe, Interim Connectional Youth Director
A Tribute to Mrs. Glendora Ryce: Model Christian Educator Saturday, January 23, 2010, at Williams Tabernacle Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Moultrie, Georgia a celebration of the life of Mrs. Glendora P. Ryce was held. I along with my wife, Cora, and Eartha Grimes were extremely blessed to take a 1,000 mile round trip drive to participate in the funeral celebration of worship.
The second example why I loved Mrs. Ryce was her commitment to learning. When Dr. Ross and I visited her in the rehabilitation center in Atlanta, she made her niece, Carla, know that she wanted to keep up and for me to send any new information to her. Yes, she was a teacher, but understood teacher and learner are inseparable.
We witnessed oral and instrumental music, the Apostles’ Creed, prayer, the reading of scriptures and magnificent tributes that represented aspects of Mrs. Ryce’s life. We heard a magnificent Eulogy “School is Out” by Bishop Othal H. Lakey, Presiding Bishop of Georgia and the chair of the Department of Christian Education.
I am thankful that I had the opportunity to know Mrs. Ryce and to serve in this business of Christian Education with her.
Mrs. Ryce was the Regional Director of Christian Education for the South Georgia Region. She is what I call the ideal Director. She was supportive of the Connectional work in Christian Education. She was loyal, committed, and dedicated to her call to education.
I loved Mrs. Ryce for her determination. Almost exactly one year ago, Mrs. Ryce responded to my request for Regional Directors to come to Memphis for a retreat. She was the first to respond. When the person that was to travel with her could no longer come, Mrs. Ryce caught a plane on her own, arrived at the Memphis airport, and caught a cab to the hotel before we had a chance to pick her up. She participated fully in the retreat and returned home and within a month afterward was hospitalized.
Rev. Dr. Carmichael Crutchfield General Secretary Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Department of Christian Education
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Christian Educator’s Retreat in Memphis — February 19th thru 21st Join the General Secretary and staff in February for the Fourth Annual Christian Educator's Retreat. The event will be held at the Department of Christian Education at the C.M.E. Headquarters in Memphis. We will gather on Friday, February 19 through Sunday, February 21, 2010. The retreat registration fee is $35. We have negotiated lodging at $99.00 $109.00 per night plus tax. Reservations should be made through the Department of Christian Education.
Please contact Rev. Dr. Willa Ross, Executive Assistant at (901) 345-4109 or willa.ross@thecmechurch.com. Register online: www.thecmechurchced.org
Why do we use the language retreat for this gathering? “Christian Retreats have a special focus that goes beyond personal growth or typical vacation getaways. Retreats provide a withdrawal from disruption and unending responsibilities. They allow us to step out of the rut of routine, so we can look upon our lives and the world with God in mind.” --The Retreat Leaders Manual
Formation
The Great Gathering — March 1st thru 3rd The “Great Gathering” in Columbia will attract 12,000 attendees and seeks to combine the congregational, social, political and spiritual strengths of the three African American Methodist denominations whose collective histories date back more than 215 years
and whose aggregate congregants currently total more that 7 million. In the words of the event’s organizers,
“This gathering of three powerful denominations will be a major signal to all that the Church will now take an even more proactive and aggressive role in addressing the critical problems that are hurting our communities nationwide”.
Black History Month Annual Observance Black History Month is a National Annual Observance for remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. The remembrance originated in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson as "Negro History Week." Woodson chose
the second week of February because it marked the birthdays of two Americans who greatly influenced the lives and social condition of African Americans: former President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass. Woodson
also founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Once again, we recommend the use of ASALH's Black History Kit.
+ Nurture + Leadership = Mission
The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church—Department of Christian Education
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Enlightened Males—Ministry to Adolescent Boys I am pleased to announce a new resource available through the Department of Christian Education of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. It is a revised version of an Enlightened Males (EM) Manual first developed by me in 1992 while a seminary student at Memphis Theological Seminary working toward a Master of Divinity degree.
Formation + Nurture + Leadership = Mission
Through the recommendation of the now Senior Bishop William H. Graves, Sr. I received a fellowship with the Congress of National Black Churches (CNBC) and worked with Children and Family Services in Covington, Tennessee. At the time I was the pastor Collins Chapel CME Church in Covington, a full time student and worked 24 hours per week on my fellowship. The result was the Enlightened Males Manual that was sold throughout the United States by CNBC. Now that that organization is out of business I received permission to revise and publish the manual. I have chosen to produce it through the Department of Christian Education so that it might be fully available to the CME Church. In 1995 I was appointed to pastor Mother Liberty CME Church in Jackson, Tennessee and the following year with the help of men in the congregation we began the program as a ministry of the church. It did not take long for me to see that this ministry needed community involvement. In 1997 I became active with the Social Action committee of my local graduate
chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Theta Iota. The men of Omega were enthusiastic about EM and soon were very involved and adopted it as a major social action program.
From the outset I sought unsuccessfully to provide a coordinator for the program with a small stipend available, EM almost died when I was elected General Secretary, but after a year hiatus, it returned strong again and was housed at Mount Pleasant CME Church where the now Dr. Willa Ross was pastor. The church continued to house the ministry and I am grateful to the strong support from layman Mr. Charles Bethea of the church and Pastor Richard McBride and members for allowing it to happen. Beginning this year, we moved to a Tigrett Middle School where we will be able to expand the program as we will have use of the school’s facilities, including a gym and library. The brothers are excited and I hope this becomes one of the national initiatives of the fraternity.. However, I first of all want to get our men across the connection involved. I introduced the book at the 2009 Annual Convocation and thanks to the support of the college of Bishops, the
proactive work of the General Secretary of Ministry to Men, Dr. Leo Pinkett, and forthright leadership of the General Officers Council President, Dr. Joe Neal; the book has begun to be distributed across the connection. I look forward to many more orders as the word spreads. The purpose of the EM program is to prepare African American males for manhood. It is a Rites of Passage program with a 12 month curriculum. The present program presents an opportunity for African American males ages 10-17 to be exposed to a variety of topics, experiences, and most importantly African American male leaders. The program is designed to be a supplement to families, school, and church. It specifically enhances knowledge of self, history, and inspires young African American males to expand their horizons. Field trips to such places as the National Civil Rights Museum, service projects, and outside expert speakers are a part of the program. A witness to the power and potential of the EM program is the commitment made by a businessman in Memphis who gave $10,000 to support the program. This has allowed our present program to offer many opportunities to boys without cost. Additionally, it is wonderful to see young men today as doctors, pastors, teachers, musicians and others simply contributing positively to society who were once a part of the EM program. Carmichael Crutchfield General Secretary Department of Christian Education Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
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...Towards the Celebration of Lent & Easter Lent in 2010 will start on Wednesday, the 17th of February (Ash Wednesday) and will continue for 46 days until Saturday, the 3rd of April. In Western Christianity Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Saturday. The six Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days of lent because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter", a celebration of Je-
sus' victory over sin and death. Christian Educators and leaders of youth and young adults should begin preparation for the celebration of Lent with Youth and Young Adults in the local congregation. Bible Studies and other activities focusing on the meaning of Lent and observance of Lent and Holy Week is recommended. Plan Bible Study around the Lectionary Text Readings.
Readings.
Check out the Department of Christian Education website for Lectionary
Join the Department of Christian Education Social Network Social Networking - perhaps you've heard of it before, but are not quite sure what it means. Social networking is the grouping of individuals into specific groups, like small rural communities or a neighborhood subdivision, if you will. Although social networking is possible in person, especially in the workplace, universities, and high schools, it is most popular online. This is because unlike most high schools, colleges, or workplaces, the internet is filled with millions of individuals who are looking to meet other people, to gather and share first-hand information and experiences about any number of topics. . . from golfing, gardening, developing friendships and professional alliances. When it comes to online social networking, websites are commonly used. These websites are known as social sites. Social networking websites function like an online community of internet users. Depending on the website in question, many of these online community members share
common interests in hobbies, religion, or politics. Once you are granted access to a social networking website you can begin to socialize. This socialization may include reading the profile pages of other members and possibly even contacting them.
Facebook is a social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, and school or college. The website's name stems from the colloquial name of books given at the start of the academic year by university administrations with the intention of helping students to get to know each other better. Join our Facebook network: http:// www.facebook.com/people/CedCrutchfield/100000675424284
Formation + Nurture Twitter is a free social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are textbased posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. Join our Twitter network: http://twitter.com/ thecmechurchced
Special Note: CMESpace, our social network for CME Youth & Young Adults, is being revamped to better serve the community. Please stay tuned for updates.
+ Leadership = Mission
The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church - Department of Christian Education Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Department of Christian Education P. O. Box 16507 Memphis, TN 38186-6507
We are of the belief that the ultimate essence of "Doing A New Thing" in Christian Education is discipleship. We
Telephone: (901) 345-4109 Fax: (901) 261-3289 E-mail: news@thecmechurchced.org
love of Jesus Christ will be spread in such a way that lives will be saved, educated, and liberated. There are four
strongly believe that an emphasis on discipleship will lead to formation, nurture, leadership, and mission taking place in our local, district, regional, national, and world wide communities. We believe that the witness of the
aspects of understanding of what is involved in "Doing A New Thing" in Christian Education. Namely, they are formation, nurture, leadership, and mission. When the first three aspects are attended to, mission will be the
Make disciples through "events that form and transform"
result. Dr. Carmichael Crutchfield, General Secretary Dr. Willa Ross, Executive Assistant Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Department of Christian Education
We’re on the Web! www.thecmechurchced.org
Young Adult FOCUS Retreat We would like to invite you to the 2010 FOCUS Retreat scheduled to be held Thursday, May 27 – Sunday, May 30, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana as we ‘Serve the Present Age through Service and Christian Nurture!’ Come and be a part of this spiritual breakthrough. We will be offering Sprit-filled and informative workshops, with topics ranging from ‘Love and Relationships’ to ‘Engaging Young Adults in your Local Church.’ There will be awesome Praise and Worship, as well as nightly Worship Service led by renowned Preachers of the Gospel. There will also be opportunities to fellowship with other CMEs across our great Zion and participate in a service
project destined to bless the community of New Orleans! Our goals for the Retreat are simple but bold: to raise awareness of the diverse national interests of young adults, to promote greater young adult involvement within the community and church, and to enhance the spiritual enlightenment of all in attendance. We are offering an all inclusive registration of $100.00, if postmarked before March 1st, $125 postmarked by May 1st, and $150 on-site. Registration includes a daily breakfast (based on double occupancy in the Westin), participation in the Day of Service project, Cook-out, Reception and much more!
Hotel accommodations will be furnished by The Westin New Orleans Canal Place located at 100 Rue Iberville, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130, at a rate of $94 nightly, plus tax. You may contact (504) 566-7006 or visit www.starwoodhotels.com to reserve a room at this special rate.
Yours in Christ, Mr. Brian L. Magwood, Sr. President Connectional Young Adult Ministry