Just wanted to send a little update on the 2020-2021 EfM (Education for Ministry) program here at

Christ Church. We  started the year in September meeting at Sunset Park maintaining  social distance

and mask requirements for the first couple of months and eventually moved in doors via Zoom. We

currently have 4 second year  and 2 first years participants  in this year class focusing on the old &

new testament of the bible along with video supplementation  for the third year reference to church

history.  We have also read one common reading book together prior to the Christmas break called

The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel .  We have a really good group this year and have been

starting to implement theological reflection (TR) into our weekly format, and at the end of the reflec-

tion we write a collect in reference  to our TR. This is one example of our Collects based on the focus

of God’s Persona :

Collect:  

God, we affirm universal persona. 

We know that we must always have an open heart.  

We Wonder who you are in spirit, body, and mind.  

And we doubt we will ever comprehend your majesties.

So, we pray for the possibility of a Loving relationship.

Because our longing is to know you better.

Amen

If you would  like to know more about the EfM  program please follow this Link: EfM

We will be opening the  program for new participants sometime in the Summer. Please  let Carol or I

know if you would like to join us next year for the 2021-2022  year.

Peace & Love,

Gerry Jones (gjonespa@gmail.com) & Carol Wolverton (cjwolver1@cox.net)

EfM Mentors  

Nevadans for the Common Good

Nevadans for the Common Good (NCG) is dedicated to educating and training citizens to participate in public life. Diverse institutions work together to build relationships, find common ground on issues, and act in nonpartisan ways to improve life for all Nevadans.

Membership is comprised of dues-paying institutional members who collectively determine the agenda and direction of the organization. NCG is a growing organization with over 40 institutional members.

Our goal is to work in solidarity across lines of race, class, and religion to build relational power for collective action in the pursuit of justice and the common good. Recent work has included areas such as education, elder care, and immigration

HISTORY

In April 2009, a group of faith and community leaders organized a meeting to discuss the impact of the economic crisis on individuals and families in Southern Nevada. They began working with organizers with the Industrial Areas Foundation, the oldest and largest broad-based organizing network in the country. In 2010, they formed the Las Vegas Valley Interfaith Sponsoring Committee (LVVISC), a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Its initial purpose was to sponsor the building of a broad-based power organization that would confront the pressures affecting families and communities by educating and training citizens for participation in public life. In May 2012, LVVISC organized a community convention at UNLV that launched Nevadans for the Common Good.

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http://www.nevadansforthecommongood.org/

Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN)

Advocacy in Nevada took a historic step forward in March, 2014.  That’s when LEAN, Lutheran-Episcopal Advocacy in Nevada, was officially created.  Lutherans and Episcopalians have collaborated in many ways in the past, but this new joint venture to do advocacy is the first of its kind anywhere.  It is the result of conversations between former Bishop Mark Hanson of the ELCA and Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts-Schori of the Episcopal Church in America.  Many will recall that Bishop Jefferts-Schori was the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada before moving up to nationwide office.  While in Nevada, Bishop Katherine learned of the work of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Nevada and of the network of Lutheran State Public Policy offices around the country.   Episcopalians have a nationwide advocacy network to address federal legislation, just as Lutherans do, but advocacy at the state level is new to them.  Bishop Katherine and Bishop Hanson were aware of Religious Alliance in Nevada (RAIN), an entity that exists nowhere else.  This collaboration of five mainline denominations has really amplified the voice of the faith community on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves.  The new Lutheran Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, is now working with Bishop Katherine, to launch Lutheran-Episcopal Advocacy in Nevada.  It is hoped that LEAN will become a model for other states.

LEAN will base its policy positions on church teachings, just as LAMN always did.  It will have all the position papers and declarations of the Episcopal Church, as well as the ELCA Social Statements, to work from.  LEAN will use these rich resources in a slightly different way than LAMN did.  Each Lutheran and Episcopalian parish will have LEAN representatives, called “Communicators,” who will listen to the concerns of the parishioners, lead discussion on issues, and carry the concerns forward to the LEAN Board.  This is a more “grass roots” model, and it is hoped that lively discussion and greater involvement will result. 

In 2005, Bishop Mark Hanson published a book titled, “Faithful and Courageous:  Christians in Unsettling Times.”  In the book Bishop Mark talks about how the Bible’s guidance on personal behavior is pretty understandable, but when it comes to public life, the issues can be very complex, and today’s society has few absolutes.  We face ethical dilemmas that were unheard of by our forbears.  In this setting, we are called to be communities of ethical discernment.  This means prayerful searching for and listening to God’s direction.  We hope the Communicators will facilitate the process, and that the advocacy agenda that comes out of it will represent both consensus and God’s will. 

The need for discernment was reiterated recently when Presiding Bishop Eaton reminded the Conference of Bishops that it is critical for church leaders to “understand ourselves as communities of spiritual discernment.  It is not just about strategic plans.”

The website for LEAN is still under construction, but soon you will be able to go to www.leanforjustice.org, for updates on this exciting new Advocacy effort.

Ministries:               

• Choir
• Education
• Thrift Store
• Daughters of the King
• Community Outreach