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Message from Tony Stoik
In the summertime when the weather is hot you can stretch right up
and touch the sky. When the weather's fine...Go out and see what you can
find.
"In the Summertime"
Lyrics ©Sony/ATV Music Publishing, LLC
Mungo
Jerry was onto something. Summertime is a special time, especially here in
Iowa. The days are warm, the nights cool. The corn is tall and straight, the beans
so green it almost hurts to look at them. The air smells of freshly cut
alfalfa. This is summer in Iowa, a palette of green and gold. But green and
gold are not the only colors of an Iowa summer. Everywhere you look, it seems,
endless rows of Iowa's other summertime crop march to the horizon, mile after
mile of orange-orange cones, orange barrels, orange vests-the bright orange of
road construction.
Like
the rest of the program staff, I spend a lot of time on Iowa's roads. In the summer,
that means I spend a lot of time in single lanes on torn up pavement, moving at
a snail's pace while trying to dodge machinery and workers; a lot of time stopped,
waiting for a glimpse of those two sweet
words: "Pilot Car". I was thinking about all of this one day not too long ago
while parked at one end of a bridge under repair, not another car in sight,
waiting for the temporary stop light to turn green. I came to two conclusions.
The
first: Construction delays are the price we pay for our road network. Iowa has
one of the best road networks anywhere. True, our roads may not go to places
like the Rocky Mountains or the Pacific Coast or the Blue Ridge, but where they
do go, they go well. Roads, however, are like any other man-made structures.
They begin to fall apart almost as soon as they are finished. Without regular
reconstruction and maintenance, it would not be long before our road system was
impassible.
The
second: Road construction is a lot like church. This may seem counterintuitive
at first; but think about. Our roads are a legacy left to us by generations
past. If it had not been for the "Get Iowa out of the mud" campaign of the
1920's and the development of the Farm-to-Market road system, we would still be
stuck up to our axles every time it rained or thawed. We have honored this
legacy by maintaining our road system as well as we have. So it is with our
churches. Almost all of us attend churches and belong to congregations that
were left to us as a legacy from generations of the faithful who came before
us. Like roads, churches and congregations decay without regular and constant
maintenance. The fact that we call this maintenance by other names, names like
"stewardship" and "evangelism", doesn't change this fact.
We
are the beneficiaries of a precious legacy left to us by those who came before.
Jesus said "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required;
and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded."
(Luke 12:48). Much has been given to us. Much has been
entrusted. When our children and their children gather to worship, what will
they say of the legacy we have left them?
Tony Stoik
Associate Conference Minister for Western Iowa
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Address for Laird Keever
Laird Keever
On With Life
715 SW Ankeny Road
Ankeny, Iowa 50023-1339
Phone 515 965-1339 (this is the OWL desk; he does not yet have a personal phone.
Laird is working hard at physical therapy and doing well. Your cards will surely encourage him!
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Clean-up kits and school kits needed urgently
 The Church World Service inventory of clean-up buckets and school kits is extremely
low. They appeal to all of your Vacation Church Schools, Sunday Schools, Men's or Women's groups who might put together these kits for them. The need is great
as we are in the midst of tropical storm and hurricane season where clean-up
buckets often are requested. CWS is receiving numerous requests for school kits as overseas partners prepare for the fall school year.
Guidelines for kits are posted here.
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Speaker at Open Door UCC July 18
National
and state award-winning writer Paula Bosco Damon will be a guest speaker at the
Open Door United Church of Christ in Sioux City,
Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 3 p.m. At the
event, Damon will read selections from her collection
"Look-Don't Look," many of which center on everyday life and on her
experiences growing up in Pennsylvania and New York. This free event is open to
the public.
A
longtime resident of South Dakota, Damon recently earned First Place in the
2010 South Dakota Press Women Communications Contest. Her works have also appeared in The Sioux City Journal,
where she was a news reporter and columnist for many years.
Open Door United Church of
Christ is located at 511 S. Lewis Boulevard next to T & S
Antiques. Their web-site is www.opendoorucc.net.
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"Leadership in the Inventive Age of Ministry" webinar July 20, 6 pm Central Time
There is a new age
upon us. Some call it emerging culture; some call it postmodern. Doug Pagitt
calls it the "Inventive Age." This inventive age is a creative,
participatory, inclusive culture, and the role of the church is to live as
a participant in that culture. Inclusion, collaboration and
beauty are essential values in this new world.
Doug is a church consultant and
leader in the emergent church movement, and the author of A Christianity
Worth Believing (Jossey-Bass 2008), Church Re-Imagined (Zondervan
2004), and Preaching Re-Imagined (Zondervan 2005). Using his newest
book, Church in the Inventive Age (due out this summer) as his guide,
Doug will lead a conversation on how leaders, both clergy and ordained, can
engage fully in the Inventive Age through communities, social media and
education.
For more information and to
register for this and other webinars, please visit www.progressiverenewal.org and click on "Events."
Offered by the Center for Progressive Renewal.
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Webinar on "The Art of Effective Advice"
Rabbi Uzi Weingarten will offer this three-part webinar on Thursdays (July 22, 29, August 6, from 2-3 pm) or Mondays (July 26, August 2, 9 from 7-8 pm) for $60. The course is intended for both
Jews and Christians.
If you seek a life-enhancing
approach to spirituality, want to improve your relationship skills, and would
enjoy having a biblical text as a guide, this course is for you.
You receive:
* User-friendly handouts that
include every point and every quote mentioned in the course, so that you can
minimize your writing time and focus on absorbing
* Access to a recording of the
session for one week after class, should you wish to review what you learned or
make up a missed session.
Find out more here. You can e-mail Rabbi Weingarten at uziteaches@aol.com. |
"Eight Laws of Leadership for Healthy
Church Growth" webinar July 28, 6 pm Central Time
Whether you are a lay leader or a
pastor, you are a person of influence in your congregation; what you do impacts
the health and growth of your church. However, few of us have been trained
to address the leadership challenges that many of our churches face today. Rev.
Cameron Trimble, co-executive director of the Center for Progressive
Renewal, will explore the eight critical leadership laws that shape
ministry in your congregation. Don't miss this chance to improve your
personal leadership skills.
For more information and to
register for this and other webinars, please visit www.progressiverenewal.organd click on "Events."
Offered by the Center for Progressive Renewal.
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Urgent need for missionaries
The Global Ministries office has an urgent need for three missionaries to Haiti.
Anyone interested in a position should contact Julia Brown
Karimu at jkarimu@dom.disciples.org
or by phone at 317-713-2566. Julia is traveling, but if you have any questions, you can contact her administrative assistant, Onea Winkle: owinkle@dom.disciples.org or
317-713-2567.
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Mission trip opportunity in Maine
First Congregational
Church in Kennebunkport, ME is looking to host church groups interested in
planning a mission trip to south eastern Maine for 2011. The church has
hosted mission trip groups in the past and enjoys ministering hospitality to
outside groups.
Every summer thousands of visitors come from all over the
world to visit the beautiful seacoast town of Kennebunkport, ME. There
are breathtaking beaches, charming shops, sailing, hiking, horse back riding,
and more. Kennebunkport, Maine is a popular summer time destination for
many visitors. There are also lots to do in terms of mission work in the
community. First Congregational Church in Kennebunkport believes in
practicing gracious hospitality and welcomes groups looking for mission
opportunities. For more information on mission trips and mission projects
please call (207) 967-3897 or email firstchurch@gwi.net. |
"Purple Preaching When It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"
 A workshop with former General Minister and President John Thomas.
Most preachers have struggled to present the rich theological themes of Advent while doling out enough Christmas carols to keep restive congregations at bay. What's at stake in the annual battle for the soul of Advent? Is Advent worth the struggle? This workshop will include lecture and discussion, exploring Biblical texts, classical prayers, and hymns ancient and modern in order to stake out space for the wild prophets, strange visions, and powerful hopes that inhabit this purple season. Information here.
To be offered at Congregational United Church of Christ in Iowa City. |
Do you have a sabbatical coming in March 2011?
The Louisville Institute is looking for pastoral leaders who may
wish to participate in the Sabbatical Grants for Pastoral Leaders program. Their grant deadline is September 1, so now is the time to talk to Rich for tips on how to write your grant request. For more information, you can visit their website.
You can also call them at 502-992-5431.
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June Board minutes posted
Minutes from the June 11 Board of Directors meeting are linked to our home page. Scroll down and look on the right-hand side. |
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