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Report
on the 2009 Annual Meeting The 2009 annual meeting of Christians Supporting Community Organizing was held November 1-2, at the Benedict Retreat and Conference Center in Beech Grove, Indiana (just south of Indianapolis). The public address this year was given by Michael Bowling, pastor of Englewood Christian Church (Christian Churches/Churches of Christ) in Indianapolis. He stressed the importance of the congregations which constitute a community organization being vital growing entities with a vision of God’s reign, separate from the world in the quality of its life in order to be involved in the world for change. It is not enough for a faith based community organizational congregation to be thoroughly organized in listening internally to the issues of the members, nor one with many of its members active in the research and action of the community organization. It will be much more effective if it is also a community advanced in mutual love and the redeemed life of the people of God. We were very pleased to elect to the Leadership Team Dr. Susanne Johnson, Associate Professor of Christian Education at Perkins School of Theology in Dallas. Dick Righter, Wally Tilleman, and Stephen Mott agreed to continue on the Leadership Team. Susanne Johnson already is showing that leadership in hosting a CSCO exhibit table at the massive Justice Revival led by Jim Wallis later this month in Dallas (blog.sojo.net/2009/10/22/justice-revival-is-coming). She is providing what we discussed in our strategy sessions: having people like you in various regions of the country ready to lead Evangelical, Pentecostal, and Holiness (EPH) pastors and congregations in exploring congregation based community organizing as a means to live the Gospel out faithfully. There is no one method of doing this. Rather use your own gifts and strengths to show the theoretical and practical reasons why faith based community organizing is vital to EPH mission. We met in conjunction with the North American Association of Christian Social Workers (NACSW), which had its conference right before our meeting. Janet Furness led a workshop on the appealing and effective characteristics of faith based organizing. Stephen Mott and Wally Tilleman held a workshop demonstrating their method of grounding EPH leaders in community organizing. We also had an exhibit table. Several people signed up to be on the mailing list and to receive CSCODiscuss. The executive director of NACSW with two of his leading board members offered their valuable time to have lunch with Janet, Wally, and Stephen to discuss how we might be supportive of one another. We decided to have effective links to each other on our websites. In continuing our strategy of having the annual meeting connected to EPH organization which we want acquainted with the mission of CSCO, we voted to have the 2010 annual meeting held in conjunction with Pentecostals & Charismatics for Peace and Justice (www.pcpj.org). We will inform you of the time and place later. Stephen Mott
for
the Leadership Team
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