Summer/Fall 2002 Newsletter

In This Issue
Globally Needs are Shifting
Changing of the Gaurd
Upcoming Events
In Memoriam: Bruce W. Jackson
Book Reviews  
In Brief: Pazmiño Reprints Now Available



Global needs are shifting. Are you refocusing your Christian Education?
A Preview of the NAPCE Conference October 24-26, 2002 in San Diego / Tijuana
Cheryl Fawcett, NAPCE Vice President

Change, change, change. The world is changing at an exponential rate. Technology is advancing by quantum leaps. Medicine has advanced far beyond the scope of ethical and moral considerations. The global economy and global village are present realities, no longer futuristic possibilities. Has Christian Education kept up? Are we preparing the next generation of ministry enlistees with adequate ministry knowledge, skills and theological acumen?

Global family realities are shifting too. Forty million will be orphaned because of the ravages of HIV/AIDS by the year 2010. Literally over a hundred million individuals have never been to school of any kind. Over a hundred million children work full-time providing for their siblings' and parents' survival. As many as two hundred million young members of our global family survive on the streets, begging for food and other essentials of existence. And the problems exist in North America too, where hundreds of thousands of US children are victims of sexual improprieties annually. The volume of needy orphans, widows, and nomadic peoples has reached alarming levels.
These global shifting realities are no surprise to our great God. The psalmist describes God as one who sees the trouble and grief of the fatherless and the widow (Ps.10: 14, 18). God demonstrates His encouragement by setting the lonely in families, defending and helping those that are oppressed (Ps. 68:5-6). The Pentateuch includes multiple warnings to those that take advantage of the widow, the fatherless, the stranger (Ex. 22:22-24). Commands are given regarding the Israelites' obligation to provide food and clothing for the fatherless, the widow and the alien (Deut. 10:17-19). Blessing is promised to those that share food with the repeated triad of needy ones (Deut. 24:17-22). Stiff warnings are recorded and judgements are repeatedly promised in the prophets to those that ignore the oppression of the orphan,widow, and alien (Mal. 3:5).

Dr. Phyllis Kilbourn, Director of Rainbows of Hope for WEC International, will ably guide our NAPCE plenary sessions in San Diego this October 24-26th. Her expertise in both the academic arena and the real world eminently qualify her to guide our consideration of the need to refocus Christian Education training in light of the global family's drastically changing needs.

An experiential safari into the villages of Tijuana and Rosarito, Mexico will provide firsthand impressions of some of these pressing needs. Observing the names of those who perished attempting to illegally cross the international border will provide a sobering backdrop for our beach worship service. Visits to Tijuana residential areas should stir our hearts towards serious theological considerations. Our excursion south of the border will culminate oceanside at the beautiful Rosarito Beach Hotel with a Mexican buffet. Guided conversation will intensify our insights as we wait to cross the busiest international border in the world.

Saturday will be filled with refreshing professional development sessions organized by Hal Pettegrew. Included topics will be; using arts to create community in the classroom, refocusing on the neglected adult learner, intentionally integrating theology in our curriculum, using DVD in the classroom, revitalizing curriculum in the seminary setting, and making mid-career transitions from therapeutic work to spiritual direction.

The final plenary session facilitated by former NAPCE president and respected educator Dr. Eileen Starr should prove to be the integrative high mark of the conference. Drawing from all the previous sessions and our own insights from our safari, Eileen plans to interweave guided discussion and experiential learning around our tables. Our goal will be to identify domains of necessary theological discussion in our new global reality. We will determine ways of enhancing our own and our students' informational insights relating to new global needs. As we collaborate we intend to strategize approaches for developing new ministry skills and appropriate experiential opportunities within CE students.

The world it is a changin'. Will you join us in San Diego/Tijuana, anticipating God's changing influence in your mind, heart, and profession?

Special Note - Entry to Mexico:
Part of the 2002 program will be a trip into Mexico on Friday. We will return to San Diego Friday evening. It will be necessary for you to have either a passport or birth certificate for this trip. This will be a very rewarding venture and I encourage you to secure these documents so that entry and exit will be as uncomplicated as possible. Also, bring along OLD recreational shoes and a jacket for the cool evening in Mexico.

More information on the conference.

Changing of the Gaurd
Mark Cannister, NAPCE President

Every organization has a form of government and NAPCE is no. exception. We are governed by a Board of Directors consisting of ten elected members and one appointed administrator. Elected members serve for a term of four years and five new members are elected to the board every other year. When a board member is unable to fulfill his or her four year term the board is empowered to appoint a person to fill the vacant position.

This fall the Class of 2002, consisting of Cheryl Fawcett, Norma Hedin, Mark Senter, Judy TenElshof and myself, will conclude our terms of service. Hal Pettegrew will be leaving the board after two years of faithful service as he takes on the role of executive pastor of his church in addition to his responsibilities at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. This leaves only four members of the Class of 2004, Gary Parrett, Jan Osborne, Roger White, and Elizabeth Conde-Frazier, who will continue to serve on the board for the next two years.

With six board p