Wisconsin Conference Life February 3, 2012

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Wisconsin Conference Life Newsletter

Renewing Partnerships

by Steve Hirby, Chair of the Board of Directors

Steve Hirby

Chair of The Board of Directors

From January 6 through January 15, 2012, Conference Minister Dave Moyer and I had the opportunity to travel to Germany to renew and confirm the Conference's partnerships there with three regional associations of German protestant churches. The Evangelical Church in the Rhineland (EKiR), headquartered in Düsseldorf, provided the initial impetus for this trip when it invited two representatives from each of its three UCC partners-the Wisconsin, Southern, and Penn Central Conferences-to attend its annual Synod in early January. read more >

Parker Palmer Workshop
February 19, 2012 - Madison

Many of us are concerned about the state of our civic life and the role of faith as we experience deep acrimony around many public issues in our city, state and country. There is an event coming up that may help you as a faith leader and some of your congregational leaders explore ways to approach issues in such a polarized environment. read more >

Lessons from a Loss: Copyright Violations for the Church

Reprinted with permission from The Steward, a publication of the Insurance Board

Texting, tweeting, YouTube, Facebook and the internet are the "new norm" for families who are active, mobile, and often worlds apart. For many churches, the use of the internet and social media is becoming the norm to inform congregants and capture prospective members.

While the dangers of social media are well- known with respect to predators and financial scams, less heard about are the risks around "intellectual property" to include music, art and literature. While there is a "religious service exemption" for copyrighted materials, the use of the material outside the sanctuary is not covered, in particular, transferring material to web pages. Here is what happened. read on >

National Youth Event

This summer, youth from across the denomination will gather for four days at Purdue University for National Youth Event (NYE) 2012. This event takes place once every four years and is an opportunity for youth (and the adults who accompany them) to imagine what is possible in their lives, in their churches, and in the world. In fact, the theme this year is "Imagine". read more >

UCC Office Support Staff Network Meeting UCCOSSN

We are the Office Support Staff from local churches, conferences and national agencies and instrumentalities. We are the supporting hands of the on-going ministries of the United Church of Christ. Join the UCCOSSN at their annual meeting at the United Church of Christ National offices in Cleveland, Ohio on Thursday April 12, 2012-Saturday April 14, 2012. This year's theme will be Silver Linings. read more >

One Great Hour of Sharing

Offering date - March 18, 2012

One Great Hour of Sharing, as part of Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM), is one of the four special mission offerings of the United Church of Christ. We work with local, national, and international partners, and together provide support to health, education, refugee, agricultural, and emergency relief initiatives in 138 countries. read more >

Join the Chatter On The Wisconsin Conference Facebook Page

There are many discussions happening on the Wisconsin Conference Facebook page. Join in and let others know how your church is participating in The Souper Bowl of Caring? What are your goals? Do you have unique strategies for the mission? (one church is creating a goalpost from cans of donated food!) Join the discussion >

Crossroad - Doing Whatever It Takes!

by Kyle Zanker, Chief Development Officer

Kyle Zanker, Chief Development Officer

You have probably heard us say, "Crossroad creates promising futures for children- whatever it takes." And, you may have said to yourself, "well, that sounds good but what does it take?"

It takes a teacher who will spend extra time after school each day - for months - helping a child learn the concept of addition. That boy is working on multiplication now!

It takes the patience and passion of a youth & family specialist to continue to model relationship behavior for a teenage victim of family violence with a history of defiant behavior. That young man just sent us a photo from his graduation from US Army Basic Training. read more >