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You are receiving Connections, the monthly e-newsletter of the Ohio Conference, because of your connection to a ministry of the Conference.
We encourage you to forward this resource liberally within your congregation, to leaders and committee members. Please help us expand our mailing list by providing email addresses.
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UCC congregation provides "home" for disaster response activities after June tornado
St. Peter's UCC, a 219-member congregation in the center of Millbury, Ohio, near Toledo, provided a home base for volunteer response to the June 5 tornado that extensively damaged their town.
The tornado happened on a Saturday night. On the following day St. Peter's became a focal point for much of the volunteer activity. The church, surrounded by devastation, was undamaged and promptly became a hospitality site. Meals were prepared for volunteers, some on a round-the-clock basis. Impressive quantities of donated supplies began to show up, and church members organized themselves to help in distribution.
"During the days immediately following the tornado we were overwhelmed by the generosity of UCC churches in our area," said St. Peter's pastor, Rev. Kathryn Helleman. "We received offers from churches throughout the Northwest Ohio Association for meals, assistance with clean up and monetary donations."
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Emmaus Homes
Spirited people living spirited lives Charlie is like many of the residents with developmental disabilities served by Emmaus Homes. A mission of the United Church of Christ's Council for Health & Human Service Ministries (CHHSM), Emmaus provides 24-hour residential care to 250 residents in 40 homes throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area. Like Charlie, many of Emmaus' residents are over the age of 50. As Charlie reached his senior years, traditional habilitation programs no longer met his needs. Charlie didn't like being rushed, and he preferred staying home, rather than getting up for an 8:30 a.m. shuttle to a day program. His days of habilitation services were busy, filled with games, sign language, cooking classes, arts and crafts, exercise, visits to the senior center, shopping trips and volunteering. While all enjoyable activities, if you ask Charlie what he prefers, he would probably say drinking a cup of coffee, listening to music, hearing stories and participating in Emmaus' pastoral care program "Circle of Friends."
A Day with God and Self is a day-long retreat for educators, clergy and laity offering an opportunity for individual and group spiritual guidance.
There will be opportunities for:
· Personal reflection & silence
· Corporate worship
· Relaxation and refreshment
· Individual & small group spiritual guidance
9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ** $30 for the day
Come the night before (optional - $40 extra)
Register by September 1.
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5th Biennial ĦMissionworks! October 7-9
ĦMissionworks!
October 7-9, 2010
Downtown Cleveland Hilton Garden Inn
Be inspired by:
- Blending global culture, learning and fun
- Music and worship featuring Oîkos
- Mission activities for your congregation
Participate in dialogue and discussion about:
- Living Church-to-Church Partnerships
- Being a vibrant Global Mission Church
- Responding the call to serve in mission
Keynote speaker Jean-Paul Chami is the manager of the Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution program for the Forum for Development, Culture and Dialogue (FDCD) in Lebanon. This program oversees a 4-year project in Iraq aiming at building the capacities of the Iraqi civil society on Conflict Resolution and Advocacy.
Missionworks begins with dinner at 5:30pm on Thursday, October 7 and ends with worship at 12 noon on Saturday, October 9.
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UNITED CHURCH NEWS IN PRINT FORM! For those of us who miss the print edition of United Church News, there is good news! The familiar look of UC News is still available every other month in a professionally designed, easy-to-read format. Simply download and print, and feel free to make copies for others. Your web-challenged church members will thank you. You'll find current and past issues at http://www.ucc.org/news/print/digest/.
FAITH PRACTICES - Worship, Learning and Serving for Vital Congregations. Check out this new UCC resource that promises to revolutionize the way your congregation engages in conversations about personal faith. Each topic-based "practice" comes with hundreds of activities for different age and group settings. Resources on four practices of faith will become available each year for six years. Available starting September 2010. More
POSITION AVAILABLE. Director of Christian Education for Faith Formation, Faith UCC, Richmond Heights, Ohio. 20 hours/week. $14,560/year. Complete description.
CHURCH WORLD SERVICE KITS NEEDED. Floods and tornadoes have almost depleted the Church World Service supply of clean up buckets, personal care, and school kits. These kits are a great gift to people in need. Formulas for ingredients and places to ship
July and August 2010 issues available for your use.
Our Conference Minister welcomes invitations to preach or visit local church gatherings. Contact Bob Molsberry by email or phone (800-282-0740, Ext. 203) to schedule a date. |
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Conference Minister's Corner 
Rev. Bob Molsberry Conference Minister Swims/Bikes/Runs for Food and Fun On Sunday, September 12, I'll be competing in the Rev3 Ironman Length Triathlon in Sandusky, Ohio. Staged out of Cedar Point park, the race features a 2.4 mile swim in Lake Erie, a 112 mile bicycle race (which I ride in a handcycle), and a 26.2 mile marathon (I use a racing wheelchair for this leg). And I'd like your support. Endurance races such as this are for the most part a fairly self-indulgent exercise. The focus is on oneself and how far and fast one can push one's body. The rewards are intangible bragging rights. But I'd like to expand the focus of this event. First off, part of my motivation for racing is a response to and a reaction against my physical disability. Although I'm in a wheelchair, I don't want to be counted out. I'm still a physical being, with some functions and abilities remaining. My legs don't work well, but I've developed my upper body. My recovery from my disabling accident depended on my being able to find an outlet for my athletic urges. So I keep racing. As far as I know, I'll be the only one in this race in the wheelchair division. You can't miss me. But I want it to be about more than me. So I've asked Steve Wylie, UCC member of First Grace UCC in Akron, to set up a website link to his passion, Runners Feeding Others.
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Fundamentals of Transitional Ministry, August 10-12, Cleveland, sponsored by Interim Ministry Network
ĦMissionworks!, 5th biennial global mission event, October 7-9, Cleveland More
GLAUCE Fall Event. Church on Fire: Igniting a Passion for Christ. Great Lakes Assoc. of United Church Educators. October 12-14, Techny, Illinois. Keynote speaker: Blair Bertrand, The Perks of Magical Snogging: Reading the Bible with Young People. More
Seeking leaders with a passion for justice! UCC Justice & Witness Ministries seeking Regional Trainers to work with local church leaders to strengthen justice ministries. More |
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Igniting Leadership Workshop led by Paul Nixon, August 25,
9 am, Radisson Hotel Cleveland - Gateway. Email Aimee Jannsohn or call
216.736.3761. Register
Learn about your community with MissionInsite. Demographic reports free to our churches.
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Fall Lantern Women's Retreat, September 17-19, Pilgrim Hills Camp
Hope Homes Pig Roast, September 18, Stow. Learn more
Widening the Welcome, 1st national gathering hosted by UCC Mental Illness Network and UCC Disabilities Ministries, Sept. 23-25, St. Louis
Ohio Ministries Convocation, January 24-25, 2011, Columbus Marriott North
It's Your Turn! Youth Leaders Lock-In, January 28-29, 2011, St. John's UCC, Dover
Spring Lantern Women's Retreat, April 8 - 10, Pilgrim Hills
General Synod, July 1-5, Tampa, Florida
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