Disciples Alliance Q Participates in the Installation of the GMP

For the first time, Disciples Alliance Q was invited to participate in the installation of the new General Minister and President, Rev. Theresa Hord Owens.

Rev. Dr. Mark Johnston, Executive Director of Alliance Q’s Open & Affirming Ministry Program, was invited to represent Alliance Q and present a chalice to Rev. Owens during the opening of the installation service.

The service began with the words “let the journey begin.” As Rev. Owens and others processed through the assembly hall she was presented with several gifts, including a Bible, a copy of the “Declaration and Address” by Thomas Campbell, and a protest sign.

Mark tells us “at a conversation with Terri at the rehearsal for the service, she made it clear to me that she personally had asked that the Alliance be involved in the installation service.” Mark also tells us that he first met Terri when she was participating in a Building an Inclusive Church Toolkit training in Chicago, the same training that Mark was taking as a trainee as he began as Executive Director of the Open & Affirming Ministry Program. Terri and other leaders in her congregation made use of that training and the direction provided by Mark, and First Christian Church, Downers Grove, IL, has been an Open & Affirming Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since July of 2015.

Mark now offers trainings in the Building an Inclusive Church Toolkit, and presented this training at Central Christian Church in Indianapolis as a Pre-Assembly event. Contact him at mark@disciplesallianceq.org if you are interested in hosting or attending one of these trainings.

A video of this presentation is available on our Facebook page. (Have you liked our FB page so that you’ll always know what the Alliance is up to?)

You can read more about our General Minister and President here.