gray logoApril 29, 2010
E-Communique
Iowa Conference of the United Church of Christ
Apostle Paul
As Tony, our Associate Conference Minister for western Iowa mentioned in a previous posting, the ACMs do a lot of drive time.  I don't do nearly  as much as Tony and Jonna,  but I've found that I look forward to my drives to and from the Conference office and Association meetings.  That is because I go to my local library before every trip and stock up on audio books. For instance, on my way home from the Northwest Association Meeting, I started a new book, The Rainbow Trail by Zane Grey. I was in kind of a retro mood and thought it would be fun to listen to a good ol' Western. 

Surprise.  The protagonist in this good ol' western is a young clergyman who had understood and preached scripture differently from the status quo and was driven out by his congregation.  So he heads west, the archetypal seeker.  In this barrenness of faith and barrenness of desert, he discovers new perspectives on religion through two groups of people: Mormons and Navajos.  Now I'm going to pull a "fifth grade book report" ending: read the book to find out what happens.  That's what I'm doing. 

I don't have any road trips coming up, so I'm listening to this journey in the garden, in my office, in the kitchen, because I'm truly anxious for this young man.  I'll stick with the young man to learn about his journey toward spiritual strength, and I expect to learn something about my own faith.  Happy trails. 

Dianne Prichard
Director
C.E.N.T.E.R./L.E.A.R.N./S.E.A.R.C.H. and
The Pilgrimage
Iowa Conference 
United Church of Christ
563 271 6112
 

 
The Rev. Russell Rasmussen dies
The Rev. Russell T. Rasmussen died in Grinnell on April 27.  He served churches in  Hiawatha, IA, Olds, IA, Gilman, IA, Winthrop, IA as well as Missouri and Indiana.  A memorial service will be held May 1, 2010 at  2 p.m.   at the Carmen Center, Mayflower Homes with Rev. Dr. Susan K. Weier, officiating.  Correspondence may be directed to his widow, Mary Rasmussen, 927 1st Ave., B-104, Grinnell, IA   50112.
 
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Human Needs Endowment Fund of Mayflower Homes, Grinnell Iowa or the UCC-Congregational in Grinnell Iowa.

Effective Communication in Healthcare workshop May 4
"Caring for Our Diverse Community--Plotting the Course for Effective Communication" will include discussions of Patient Centered Care and Covenant; Healthcare Literacy; Working with Foreign Language Interpreters; Working with Sign Language Interpreters, Aiding End of Life Discussions ("Go Wish" cards introduced).  7:45 - 12:30  Here is a brochure.
 
Sanford USD Medical Center
1305 W. 18th St.
Sioux Falls, SD 57117-5039
contact registrar Nikki Terveer with questions: fax # is 605-328-6301.

UCC Reporter deadline
The next UCC Reporter deadline is Tuesday, May 4!  Please, if you have news and/or photos, we'd love to put them in the Reporter and share them with the whole conference!  Send them to Julia, and thank you!

Beyond Survival workshop
"Beyond Survival: What is God's Future for the Small Church?" will be offered May 8 at the UCC in Sparta, Wisconsin.  Here is the flyer.

Annual Meeting
Annual Meeting/Youth in Ministry registration and payment for early birds ends April 30th. Beginning May 1st the price for Annual Meeting is $75. Youth in Ministry goes from $125 to $135.
 
Blocks of motel rooms have been reserved in Grinnell.  You must register with the motel by May 14th and tell them you are with the Iowa Conference UCC.  We don't know anything about the quality of services offered by these places.
               Comfort Inn & Suites   $70/night + tax
               Best Western Pioneer    $70/night + tax
               Days Inn  $63/night + tax

Strengthen the Church offering May 23
Among our national UCC Five for Five offerings did you know that our Strengthen the Church offering is the only offering divided between the national church and local Conferences to strengthen, support and revitalize ministry of the local church?  Each Conference can decide how they use their portion of the Strengthen the Church offering.  The offering for Strengthen the Church is traditionally taken on May 23.  There is promotional information here.  You can also download a bulletin insert from our Local Church Resources page.

Youth and Adult Leaders needed at RYE
Planning to attend RYE this summer? There are two opportunities to be a leader in your church and community.
 
Be a Family Group Leader. We'd like you and a young person from your church to lead daily family groups. These groups are made up of about 20 young people from different conferences and will be geared toward helping participants listen more deeply to how God' speaks to us in diverse settings.
 
So, find a young person who shows some leadership potential and ask them to lead these groups with you! Curriculum for these gropus will be provided in advance. Contact Nicole Havelka if you're interested.
 
Attend ASIST training. For participants aged 16 years or older, sign up for the optional ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) July 12 & 13. Fill out this additional registration form and send it and the ASIST registration fee to the MMS Conference with your regular RYE registration materials.

Register now for RYE!
11 weeks and counting.  Regional Youth Event (RYE) in Parkville, Mo is not far away.  This is the week to get registrations postmarked by May 1.  Youth can still register until June 1 but there will be an extra fee for late registration.  Get on line today at the Iowa UCC youth page to find registration forms.  Youth who have participated in one of these trips before are buzzing with enthusiasm. They can hardly wait to get back!  Wouldn't it be great to share this enthusiasm with others? 

Immigration bulletin insert
We also have a bulletin insert for download that speaks of the experience of a Cuban immigrant and expresses hope that new immigrants will be allowed to contribute to our society.

Missionary newsletter
John Campbell-Nelson's latest newsletter is available here.  You'll remember that he serves in Indonesia and visited Iowa last fall.