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19 Sep 00
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Chi Rho Press eNewsletter
Volume 24 (9/19/00)
Welcome once again to the Chi Rho Press eNewsletter. Please pass this eNewsletter on to your friends and colleagues.
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Contents:
1. New Staff Hired
2. Books of the Month -- AIDS
3. Christian Social Action Books
4. Discrimination
5. Adam's Last Word
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The Board of Directors
of Chi Rho Press voted Saturday to dramatically
increase our paid staff. In a courageous move, the Board agreed with the
recommendation of the Director, R. Adam DeBaugh, to add a part-time Editor/Office
Manager
to the paid staff.
Mr. Kevin Stone Fries
has been offered and has accepted the new position.
Kevin begins work the week of October 16, 2000.
For all of its 10-year
existence, Chi Rho Press has had minimal paid staff.
The Director, Adam DeBaugh, has not been salaried. When personal finances
(or the lack thereof!) forced Adam to seek secular employment, we hired
a
part-time office worker to help fill orders, do data entry, and other
office tasks. Since April, Jason Gergler has ably filled this position,
working two
evenings a week. Jason will continue in this position but was unable to
increase his hours.
The Director and
Board came to the conclusion that with our current
excellent growth, the Press would not be able to continue to grow unless
we
dramatically changed our staffing configuration. The new position will
be daytime work, starting at three days a week.
Kevin Stone Fries
has worked as first Assistant Editor and as of August,
Editor of the Press. He will add the duties of the newly created Office
Manager
position to his job description, working three days a week and for the
first time he will be paid!
Part of Kevin's new
duties will include staffing the office, customer
service, and marketing. He will be expanding our Internet marketing outreach,
seeking out new List-serves and Web pages to join and link to. He will
also be
working closely with LGBT and other bookstores. He will be working with
welcoming and affirming congregations, MCC churches, independent LGBT
congregations, and all other religious/spiritual organizations serving
the LGBT community and our
friends.
Please join us in
welcoming Kevin to our paid staff. Kevin may be reached
at Kevin@ChiRhoPress.com.
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HIV/AIDS is still
an important issue in our community and throughout
September, we are featuring three important, small books on the HIV health
crisis.
FAMILIES
RE-MEMBERED: Pastoral Support for Friends and Families Living with HIV/AIDS,
by the Rev. Louis F. Kavar, Ph.D. HIV/AIDS causes families to be re-structured,
enlarged and changed -- "re-membered." This book explores
the dynamics of family systems and the realities of extended families
of choice
in the context of HIV/AIDS. $10.95 each, six or more copies for $8.25
each,
plus shipping and handling.
TO
CELEBRATE AND TO MOURN: Liturgical Resources for Worshiping Communities
Living with AIDS, by the Rev. Louis F. Kavar, Ph.D. "As people
who
continue to live in the midst of AIDS, one of our greatest resources is
that of the community of faith." Dr. Kavar discusses liturgical symbols
that have
special meaning in the AIDS crisis for churches, and provides parts of
liturgies for various HIV/AIDS-related worship experiences. $3.95 each,
six or more copies for $2.95 each, plus shipping and handling.
I'M
STILL DANCING! A Gay Man's Health Experience, by the Rev. A. Stephen
Pieters. A powerful book by a long-term survivor of AIDS: articles, sermons
and journal entries chronicle life with AIDS. Sick since 1982 and diagnosed
with AIDS in 1984, Steve's cancers have gone into complete remission and
he
remains well to this day. He served for many years as Field Director of
the
UFMCC's AIDS Ministry. $8.95 each, six or more copies for $6.75 each,
plus
shipping and handling.
Order on line using your credit card!
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3 Christian Social Action Books
We are featuring
two Christian Social Action resources by Adam DeBaugh this
month. They are small booklets, but have sold well over the years. As
summer comes to a close and we enter into the busy autumn season, churches
arerestarting the education and small group programs.
The first of these
books is an excellent small group course that lays the
foundations of a program of Christian Social Action in a local church
or
other organization:
THE
LEAST OF THESE: A Christian Social Action Bible Study on Matthew
25:31-46,by R. Adam DeBaugh. This seven part Bible study is perfect
for
small groups, cell groups, discussion groups, and Christian education
classes. The author was Director of UFMCC's Department of Christian Social
Action for 11 years. It is a powerful study series on a vital Biblical
mandate for all Christian social action ministries. $2.00 each, six or
more copies for $1.50 each, plus shipping and handling.
The second book is
a basic primer used to equip people of faith to
Communicate with their elected representatives in government.
WRITING
TO CONGRESS: "Prophesy Against the Shepherds of Israel," Ezekiel
34:2,by R. Adam DeBaugh. A description of how best to write and visit
your elected representatives in government, with ten tips for effective
communications, and a fascinating Bible study about the responsibility
of the person of faith to address his or her government. This is the third
edition. Adam was director of the UFMCC Washington Field Office and (starting
in 1975) was the first person ever hired to lobby the US Congress on LGBT
civil rights. $1.00
each, six or more copies for $0.75 each, plus shipping and handling.
Order on line using your credit card!
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4. Discrimination
As we know, we see
discrimination in some form or another almost everyday
and often times it leaves a sour taste in our mouths. The following story
shows us the side of diversity that we are all working for. You have have
already
seen it on the Web and it may be apocryphal, but we think it provides
an
important lesson for us all.
On a flight from
Johannesburg a middle-aged, well-off white South African
Lady found herself sitting next to a black man. She called the cabin crew
attendant over to complain about her seating.
"What seems to be the problem Madam?" asked the attendant.
"Can't you see?"
she said "You've sat me next to a kaffir. I can't possibly
sit next to this disgusting human. Find me another seat!"
"Please calm
down Madam," the attendant replied. "The flight is very full
today, but I'll tell you what I'll do -- I'll go and check to see if we
have
any seats available in club or first class."
The woman cocked
a snooty look at the outraged black man beside her (not to
mention many of the surrounding passengers). A few minutes later the flight
attendant returned with the good news, which she delivered to the lady,
who
cannot help but look at the people around her with a smug and self-satisfied
grin:
"Madam, unfortunately, as I suspected, economy is full. I've spoken
to the
cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one
seat in first class." Before the lady had a chance to answer, the
flight
attendant continued ... "It is most extraordinary to make this kind
of upgrade,
however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain. But,
given the circumstances, the captain felt that it was outrageous that
someone be
forced to sit next to such an obnoxious person."
With that, she turned
to the black man sitting next to the woman, and said:
"So if you'd like to get your things, sir, I have your seat in first
class ready
for you..." At which point, apparently the surrounding passengers
stood and gave a standing ovation while the black man walked up to the
front of the plane.
people will forget
what you said ....
people will forget what you did ....
but people will never forget how you made them feel
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We are getting autumn
off to a flying start! Saturday's Board meeting was
incredibly exciting, as the board shared a vision of growth and success,
spurred by the employment of new office staff for three days a week. Over
the next month, we will be preparing for Kevin to begin work the week
of October 16.
We hope you will
welcome him to our busy faith community. Even though Kevin
has ably served Chi Rho Press as editor over the past almost three years,
these new responsibilities will stretch and challenge him. We are confident
he
will do an excellent job!
On a very personal
note Chi Rho Press has been my baby for all these years.
Bringing Kevin on as paid staff inevitably means more change and growth
for
the Press. I am very excited about the possibilities this means for the
Press.
My excitement is tinged a little bit with some fear, of course. We are
taking
a risk and there is some fear of failure for all of us. But I believe
that we
now need to have professional staff on hand, during the day, working with
the Internet and with our customers in other ways. At the very least this
will
mean that there will be a live person to answer the phone when you call
for
three days a week.
But I am sure we
will be telling you about many exciting changes over the
next few months as Kevin begins to settle in at his new work experience
with the
Press. My good friends can tell you that two of my primary spiritual gifts
are paranoia and insecurity, so change does not always come easy for me.
I am
lucky in that Kevin Stone Fries is also my very close friend, and he knows
how to allay my innate fears of change and to help me grow.
One change, which
we made at the end of July, was the addition of the
Shopping Cart on our Web site and the ability to accept credit card payments
there. We received our first check from Dotti Berry and the wonderful
folks at D3 Marketing Innovations and it was a very welcome check indeed!
This is a change is am now very comfortable with!! Thanks to all of you
who have trusted us with your credit card payments. We are making every
effort to ensure that your credit information is totally confidential
and not shared in any way with any other company or group.
We always covet your
prayers, but I think we need your prayers and support
now more than ever as we embark on this incredibly exciting new venture.
You
may write Kevin directly at Kevin@ChiRhoPress.com
to pass on your greetings,
your welcome, and your support.
Within the next month
we will be posting Kevin's regular office hours in
this eNewsletter, as well as other changes that are happening here at
Chi Rho
Press.
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We are glad
you are partners with us here at Chi Rho Press. We are eager
for your comments, your suggestions, your assistance with selling our
books, and
your own purchases! And of course, we covet your prayers for this ministry.
Grace and peace,
Adam DeBaugh, Director
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For
orders, please write to us: Orders@ChiRhoPress.com.
If you have
questions, please write to Question@ChiRhoPress.com.
For comments and
suggestions about this eNewsletter, please write eNews@ChiRhoPress.com.
For all other correspondence, please write Adam@ChiRhoPress.com.
Our snail mail address is:
Chi Rho Press,
Inc.
P.O. Box 7864
Gaithersburg, MD 20898
Our telephone and fax number is 301/926-1208.
You may order
any of our books via snail mail, telephone, fax, or e-mail at
Orders@ChiRhoPress.com. You
may pay by credit card on our web page or we
will ship your order after receiving your check or money order. Include
your
e-mail address, mailing address, and telephone number please.
Visit our web
page at http://www.ChiRhoPress.com. We now accept
credit
cards on our web page!
Our Canadian
friends can order using credit cards on our web page or through
our Canadian distributor, MAP Enterprises, Mary Ann Pearson, Box 340,
54
Centre St., Odessa, ONT., Canada, K0H 2H0; e-mail: mapenterprises@home.com;
phone or fax: 1-613-386-5711; or toll free (leave a message) 1-877-245-9569.
Copyright 2000, Chi Rho Press, Inc.
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R. Adam DeBaugh,
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Visit the Chi Rho Press Website http://www.ChiRhoPress.com
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