© Photographs CrossroadsKidsClub.net

Welcome to ChurchQuake!BY REV. BONNIE BECKONCHRISTRMN BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR

COLOPHON

Chief EditorsSkylar NimmonsAndy Oliver

SupportMark BowmanMeg CareyTed JacksonEd HoarJeremy Smith

Read color version of The Epicenter on-line at: www.rmnetwork.org/churchquake©All rights reserved

T he board and staff of the Reconciling Ministries Network is glad you’ve

chosen to spend this Labor Day holiday weekend together.

I remember awaiting the “quickening” of each of my preg-nancies, that nearly impercepti-ble movement of life within, that seems at first to be something a

bit like an air bubble. “Was that it?”, I wondered aloud, waiting for it to occur again for confir-mation. Those moments were followed by months of twists and turns until that which had been conceived was ready to burst upon the world and the quickening became quaking.

The definition of the word quicken (kwikən) is to spring to life; become animated; vitalize; to give or restore vigor.

The ancient King James translation of holy writ uses the word in relationship to the Holy Spirit’s “quickening” power. It is in this sense I come to Church-Quake full of excitement and anticipation.

Our movement carries within it new life for The United Methodist Church that is now breaking forth in joyous excla-mation, “for freedom Christ has set us free” Galatians 5:1.

“para la libertad con queCristo nos hizo libres”

“자유그리스도를위해우리는무료

로설정한”

“pour la liberté que Christ nous a libérés”

Creative worship, thought-provoking Bible study, procla-mation, discussion, conversa-tion, community exploration and contextual reflection awaits us.

You may be both invigo-rated and irritated by the quick-ening and quaking among us. A ChurchQuake will do that. An amazing account recorded in Luke’s Acts of the Apostles is included in those we’ll exam-ine during our time together. Suddenly, there was a shaking of the foundation…and all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains fell away.”16:19

When one knows the out-come of Gospel obedience is Gospel freedom it helps us face our future without imprisoning fear. Throughout this convoca-tion, Board members’ nametags will identify them. Share your ideas and inspiration with them.

We do the work of reconcilia-tion together and your input is invaluable to us.

Again, we rejoice that you are here!

THE EPICENTER— FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2013 —

The Daily Rundown

Breakfast ..............................7-9AMRegistration opens ................. 8AMPre-convo Worship ................ 9AMPre-convo Gatherings ......... 10AMResource Center opens ....... 10AMLunch .......................11:30-1:30PMOrientation Session 1 ........2:30PMOrientation Session 2 ........3:30PMOrientation Session 3 ........4:30PMChoir Rehearsal ......................5PMDinner .................................5:30PMWorship ...............................7:15PMWelcome/Bible Study ........8:15PMEntertainment ....................9:30PM

Orientation SessionsGet a preview of ChurchQuake and the 4-H Center with coor-dinator Mark Bowman Today at 2:30, 3:30 or 4:30 in the Anderson Room.

Calling All Singers Join the ChurchQuake choir! First rehearsal today at 5:00PM in the Auditorium. (Program book p8.)

Resource Center The Resource Center opens today at 10AM in the Minnesota Room.

Room ChangeThe preconvocation large gather-ings (program book pp. 14-15) will be in the Ohio Room, on the lower level of J.C. Penney Hall.

“Bakerman baked a broken bread” © bibire-d5mqu24Press presence at convoNot all press are allies sympa-thetic to LGBT persons. Press are to wear visible passes and identify themselves. Interviews are to be scheduled through RMN. To schedule interviews, seek clarification, or share con-cerns, contact RMN Commu-nications Director Andy Oliver: andy@rmnetwork.org, 863.397.0678.

First time convocators Please be intentional about welcoming first time convocation participants. They are designated by the green strip on their nametag.

ChurchQuake Online No matter where you are, there are so many ways to participate in convocation! Read an online version of The Epicenter, follow along on live stream, download the program book, see pictures and video, read blogs, and con-nect on social media. Just go to:www.rmnetwork.org/churchquakeor scan this image:

Restrooms for everyoneIn order to help create safe spaces for everyone, most of the public restrooms will be designated “This Restroom Is For Everyone.” See program book p.9 for location.

Thank youThanks to the Baltimore-Wash-ington Conference for providing beverages at the registration area.

#Hashtags explainedBY REV. ANDY OLIVERRMN DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

#CQ13 QUOTES OF THE DAY

FUN FACTSenator Francis G. New-lands of Nevada founded The Chevy Chase Land Company of Maryland in 1890. He came to DC with the dream of building a planned settlement. Over several years, he purchased more than 1,700 acres of land. He named the area Chevy Chase after the Cheviot Hills, his ancestral homeland.

H ashtags are a word or a phrase prefixed with the

pound symbol (#). Short mes-sages on social networking ser-vices such as Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, Google+, or Facebook may be tagged by putting “#” be-fore important words as in:

In the tweet above, you could click on “#RMN” to read what others tweeted about RMN if they included a hashtag. The same for #inclusion, #UMC or #CQ13.

Hashtags provide a means

Getting into an Ubuntu GoGroupIf you signed up for an Ubuntu GoGroup, you received a ticket for your group at registration. There are openings in some groups for persons who did not sign up in advance or who wish to change groups. Find the Ubuntu ticket exchange box at the registration to claim a ticket or exchange yours.

Name badge indicates meal planYour ChurchQuake name badge indicates if you purchased the daily meal plan—in these cases all your meals are provided in the Clover Café (page 8 in the program book). Persons not par-ticipating in the meal plan may be able to purchase a ticket for a particular meal at the 4-H Center Front Desk. Availability is limited. Each daily meal plan begins with dinner and includes breakfast and lunch the following day.

#RMN is working for the full #inclusion of all in The #UMC. #CQ13

Conference MealsMeet your regional organizer and others from your conference at tables reserved in Clover Cafe.

FRIDAYBaltimore-Washington .... 5:30PMEast Ohio ........................... 5:30PMRocky Mtn/Yellowstone ... 5:30PMTexas/Northwest Texas .... 6:00PM

SATURDAYCentral Texas .....................7:30AMDesert Southwest ..............7:30AMInd/Detroit/Ill Great Rivers .7:30AMNC & Western NC ............7:30AMCalifornia-Nevada ..........11:30AM Iowa & West Michigan ...11:30AMVirginia ..................................12PMNew England .........................12PM

SUNDAYUpper New York .................... 7AMNorth Texas .......................7:30AMOregon-Idaho ...................7:30AM Tennessee & Holston ........7:45AMNorthern Illinois .............11:30AMAla-West Fla/Fla/Miss ...11:45AMOkla/Okla Indian Mission. .12PMNew York .................................5PMPacific Northwest .............. 5:30PMWest Ohio .......................... 5:30PMMissouri ..............................6:00PM

MONDAYE Penn/Greater NJ/Pen-Del . 7AMCalifornia-Pacific ..............7:30AMMinnesota ..........................7:30AM

“I can’t wait for #CQ13. So many I love will be there: @rmnetwork,@SWTXReconciling, @spikedhot-cocoa, & so many queer Methodists & friends”

—Mary Ann Kaiser @ladygadfly

“I want to start packing for #CQ13 right now. #onemoreweek #calm-downsilly #justice4all

—Samantha S @misspearlss

“Looking forward to my first RMN convocation #CQ13”

—Richard Moman @richardmoman

“Bringing some awesome @CWU-Wesley swag to #CQ13 #loveislove”

—Caitlynn Lull@CLull0919

O ne of my best friends recently travelled to his homeland of El Sal-

vador. He went there to be with his mother in her final days. She was the first woman dean of any professional school in El Salva-dor, a woman of deep faith, and an amazing mother. I spoke to him almost every night during this season of change.

One night, there was a mi-nor earthquake in El Salvador. We were skyping as he sat next to his mother’s bed while I sat on my big red sofa in my Chi-cago apartment. I remember his wide eyes, the look of panic, and the sharp tone in his voice as he shouted, “we’re having an earth-quake.”

The foundations of his par-ents’ home shook, the dishes and glasses rattled, the concrete walkway cracked, and his moth-er’s very bed moved around on its wheels. As the land settled around my friend and his ailing mother, he put things back in place, picked up broken items, and took some deep breaths.

He then sat back down next to his mom who had awakened

From the Executive DirectorBY MATT BERRYMANRMN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

as a result of the tremors. In spite of her failing cognitive ca-pacities, mother and son began a long conversation of such clar-ity, delight, and love—a kind of “farewell discourse.” While the synchronicity of earthquake and numinous exchange is re-markable, what is more remark-able is that up until that time, her cognitive impairment had blocked their attempts to com-municate. There was a new free-dom and a new clarity—a new and deeper connection borne of disturbance. The aftershock for them was a kind of afterglow.

Isn’t this the way it is—not only underneath the surface of the earth, but underneath the surface of who we are? Isn’t it true that our deepest emo-tional and spiritual growth is often precipitated by the seismic disturbances within our lives? Disturbing, unsettling, and in-terrupting energies form an epicenter out of which waves of spiritual growth undulate with-in us. In my life, the afterglow has only followed the tremor, the growth has only followed disturbance, and the freedom has only been felt after certain chains were shaken off.

Here, at Churchquake, we gather to form an epicenter of

holy disruption with The Unit-ed Methodist Church, but we also gather to be disrupted; we gather to create holy unsettle-ment within The United Meth-odist Church, but also to be un-settled; we gather to create holy interruption within The United Methodist Church, but also to be interrupted. We gather to shake up the United Methodist Church, but also to be shaken; to create waves of seismic pro-portions and to ride those un-dulating waves of God’s strange, new, and surprising grace.

Welcome to Churchquake—hold on and enjoy the ride. I’m so glad to be with you!

of grouping such messages, since one can search for the hashtag and get the set of mes-sages that contain it.

Whether you are in DC or sitting on your couch, by in-cluding #CQ13 in your tweets, Facebook posts, and Instagram and Flickr pictures, you can join a conversation with others also posting about ChurchQuake.

RMN & MFSA marchedMFSA organized a teach-in and worship service which RMN par-ticipated in. We also marched to-gether on Wednesday. See pictures on RMN’s social media at www.rmnetwork.org/churchquake.