Sharon Watkins is not only steering
our Disciples of Christ denomination,
she also is working with President
Obama in a variety of ways. Accord-
ing to several recently published sto-

Watkins, General Minister and Presi-
dent of the Disciples of Christ, was
described by a story published by the

posted March 9, “he has repeatedly
called Watkins and Joel Hunter, a
Florida megachurch pastor.”

presidential campaign when she
closed a tense meeting between Ob-
ama and Christian leaders with a
prayer that seemed to bond the mix
there of liberals and conservatives.”

U.S. News and World Report named
Watkins as one of Obama’s 10 most im-
portant faith leaders. This story noted that
she was the first woman ever asked to give
the sermon at the post-inauguration Na-
tional Prayer Service, and that she was

Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partner-
ships. The Advisory Council recently
completed its year-long project and pre-
sented its final recommendations to the
President on March 8.

Watkins and Cynthia Hale, pastor of the
Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur,
Georgia, were among religious leaders
who met with Obama for an Easter prayer
breakfast. According to the Disciples
News Service, Watkins offered a brief ref-

among Christians at the breakfast, with its
themes of resurrection and hope. "We are
empowered by the resurrected Christ to
reach out to help our neighbor emerge

trappings of death, racism, hunger, and
cynicism and live lives that speak to resur-
rection and hope."

bration with Corrie Brite on her acceptance to the law school of George Washington University; in sympathy for families around the world suf- fering from wars and natural disasters; for Richard Schwersinske who is recovering from his hospitalization and for all our homebound mem- bers, including Dorothy Bec ker and Ruth White; Amen.

of my journey; when I get too
foggy, I quit and lie down for a
time, then get back up and keep
going.

The body is a strange and mar-
velous thing. Its delicacy can be
such that a simple thing like a
screwed up inner ear can effect
the functioning of the whole or-
ganism; its heartiness is such that
we can survive great physical
damage, heal to whatever extent
that it can, and get back to living.

But even more important than the
body is the soul for which the
body is the dwelling place. The
soul, which I define as the spiri-
tual person, is the combination of
emotions, thoughts, and direc-
tions that are the person.

The soul, too, is a strange and
marvelous thing. We can be
wounded by life, yet recover and
carry on. We can persevere dur-
ing tough times, rejoice during
good times, be creative and beau-
tiful, or arrogant and ugly. But
what can guide the soul through

love and the use of our creativity to, while engaging in earthly ac- tivities, build heavenly things.

May your souls (and bodies)
work at creating heavenly things
this week.

According to a story recently posted on the Indiana Public Media website (indianapublicmedia.org), the Disciples of Christ denomi- nation was at the forefront of an interdenominational movement to uphold the rights of the more than 100,000 relocated Americans of Japanese descent -- 70 percent of whom were American citizens.

Following the Pearl Harbor bombings, President Franklin Roose-
velt signed an order for the internment of Japanese-Americans.
Disciples of Christ conventions in 1942 and again in 1944 passed
resolutions calling for the restoration of democratic principles and
justice for those who had been interred.

A lot of Jesus' ministry on earth
took place around tables. It was at
these tables that Christ welcomed
people that you wouldn't expect to
be dining with Jesus, like women
and tax collectors. It was at tables
that Jesus seemed to say in his ac-
tions that God loved and wel-
comed everybody, no matter who

As members of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) we
know from our history that our
founders like Alexander Campbell
and Barton Stone believed that
nothing should ever keep people
from the communion table. They
truly believed that all Christians
should come to the Lord's table.

On April 25, First Christian is
starting a new ministry of public
welcome to a group of people that

have long been excluded from the
life of the church. Open Table
will be a ministry of welcome to
gays and lesbians through fellow-
ship, education and advocacy.

If you are interested in finding out
more about this new venture,
please stop by after worship for a
special presentation on April 25.
You can also contact Associate
Pastor Dennis Sanders by email at

The Transition Team, over the
first three weeks in May, both in
worship and on-line, will be con-
ducting a brief survey on congre-
gational sentiments over our future

form our worship service and
community life, in what direction
and form we should vacate our
current premises, and the like.

is something where the full partic-
ipation of the congregation is
VERY important.

semble that raises money for local
charities, will perform at First
Christian on May 8 to close out
their Spring Concert season.

rates the wonders of spring and
showcases some of their work
from past concert seasons.

A freewill offering will be taken
to support House of Charity, a lo-
cal group that helps struggling
people meet their basic human
needs while also reducing the bar-
riers to their long term self suffi-
ciency.

Please join us on May 8 at 7
pm, to listen to some wonderful
music in our acoustically pleasant
sanctuary, and to help raise money
for a worthy cause!