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Our Common Life
--Words from the Conference Staff
Earlier this morning I drove by a church sign not far from
the conference office with this pithy sentiment: "Get rich quick - Count your
blessings."
More often than not I'm inclined to roll my eyes at these
sorts of clever and perhaps pietistic expressions, but today I felt
constructively challenged. Those who
know me best know that I'm not always inclined to sweetness and light. I'm not proud of that - it's just the truth. There's plenty of difficulty and challenge in
mainline Christianity, and those of us who work in the wider church have no
choice but to engage in a lot of that difficulty. It can be corrosive.
But focusing only on the challenges leaves one with a distorted and unfaithful assessment of the church - things are NOT uniformly or
pervasively hopeless.
Three
illustrations:
1) Last week the program staff of the conference
gathered for a planning retreat in a marvelous facility hidden in the
cornfields near Schuyler, Nebraska. We
worked hard (and played some too - you might inquire about the new Rummikub
champion of the Iowa Conference) and began to imagine some fascinating new
ministries that might enliven our common life.
You and I are blessed with a marvelously committed and talented
conference staff. They are a gift to me
and to all of us. I am profoundly
thankful for them.
2) One Friday evening into Saturday the conference
Board of Directors gathered for our annual planning retreat. We began to imagine what "generative
leadership" might look like. This is new
territory for our Board. Though we claim
in theory our responsibility to establish, fund, and evaluate the mission of
the conference and its staff, it is (to be honest) much easier to talk about
doing so than to actually do it. I
headed home at the end of that event grateful and hopeful for the prospects of
our common work and the impact it might eventually have on our churches.
3) This morning I met with one of the SAG (clergy
covenant) groups that I staff. The group
consists of several members continuing from last year and a few new folk. We have covenanted with each other to support
and challenge each other to the end that our abilities to be servant leaders
will grow. These folk are a regular
source of encouragement for me - I hope my contributions are the same for them.
Have I gotten "rich quick?" Probably not - the fact is that I've been rich all along. God's care and God's provisions are
real. Sometimes I just fail to see them.
Thanks to all of you who enrich my life and my
ministry. I'm grateful for all of
you. I hope in some measure I'm
returning the favor.
With Gratefulness,
Rich Pleva
Iowa Conference Minister
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*80th birthday party!
Pastor Darlene Sickelka's 80th Birthday will be celebrated on Sunday
October 17. There will be a lunch following the church service at Zion UCC in
Calumet and an open house from 2-4 that afternoon at the Paullina Legion. All are invited!
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*Dr. Bloesch died
Dr. Donald Bloesch, Professor of Theology, Emeritus, died on
Tuesday, August 24, at Mercy Medical Center, Dubuque.
Dr. Bloesch, who held degrees from Elmhurst College, Chicago
Theological Seminary, University of Chicago, and Doane College, taught at the
University of Dubuque Theological Seminary from 1957 to 1992. He pursued
postdoctoral work at the Universities of Oxford, Tubingen, and Basel.
Please keep his wife Brenda in your prayers.
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*Advent lectionary workshop at CTS Sept. 28
In the spirit of faithful
study and worshipful work, Chicago Theological Seminary is pleased to host an
Advent Lectionary Workshop in preparation for the upcoming liturgical season of
Advent. Please NOTE that the location has been changed to the Edwards
Congregational UCC in Davenport (3420 Jersey Ridge Road, Davenport, IA,
52807). For those who are already registered, your registration will be honored
at the new location.
All are invited - ministers,
church leaders, worship planning committee members, seminarians and persons
interested in biblical study and theological conversations. Please join us!
"Purple Preaching When It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," The
Rev. John Thomas, CTS Senior Advisor to the President and Visiting Professor in
Church Ministries.
For more information, please
visit www.ctschicago.edu.
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*"Widening the Welcome" conference Sept. 23-25
"Widening the
Welcome: Inclusion for All" is the national conference hosted by the UCC
Mental Illness Network (MIN) and UCC Disabilities Ministries in St.
Louis. Its aim is to help congregations include persons with disabilities, mental illness, and/or brain disorders. For full information, go to our Continuing Education page or www.wideningthewelcome.com. Here is the brochure and the list of workshops.
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*Pilgrimage October 15-17
GATHER UP YOUR FRIENDS, MARK YOUR
CALENDAR AND REGISTER FOR PILGRIMAGE
OCTOBER
15 & 16 (PILGRIMAGE 2 OCTOBER 15-17)
PILGRIMAGE
FAQ
What is Pilgrimage?
Pilgrimage is a series of three
retreats for discovering and deepening our sensitivity to God's presence in our
lives, sharing our journey with others, and strengthening our discipleship in
the world.
Where is Pilgrimage held?
Pilgrimage sessions are held at
Pilgrim Heights Retreat Center between Tama and Montour, Iowa
Do I have to sleep in a tent?
You will stay in Autumn House, a
large, contemporary retreat facility with elegant common areas. clean,
comfortable rooms that sleep 3-4, full bath; individual heat/cool control.
handicap rooms available.
Rooms are shared.
How long are the retreats?
Retreats 1 and 3 run from 4 p.m. on
Friday to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Retreat 2 runs from 4 p.m. on Friday
to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
What are the costs?
Retreat 1 $65
Retreat 2 $130
Retreat 3 $65
What do I bring?
Sheets & blankets or sleeping
bag; pillow.
Towels & personal items
Bible
Coffee cup
Meals
will be provided.To register, contact
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 |
*Congregational Leadership Series Oct. 25-28
Grand View University in Des Moines will offer a Congregational Leadership workshop on Incarnational Ministry in three locations around Iowa. See our Continuing Education page for full information about dates and locations.
Incarnational ministry is about transforming ordinary activity and passions into spirit-filled ministry. Whether you are a teacher, in business, or a homemaker, you have a ministry. This workshop will help you become more intentional to live it. We will explore practices that help us all attune ourselves to the Spirit's call in every situation. You will discover that incarnational ministry energizes you spiritually and is practically effective because it is authentic to you.
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*Health care resource guide
Justice and Witness Ministries invites all UCC congregations and UCC church-related ministries to submit
an entry for the Spring edition of the 2011 Resource Guide of innovative UCC
church ministries related to health and human services.
The Resource Guide will highlight congregational approaches to addressing
health, health welfare and human service issues faced by individuals. By identifying
innovative ministries, programs and projects, building partnerships,
sharing information, and replicating efforts,
congregations will be able to forge stronger partnerships with other UCC
congregations, ecumenical/interfaith groups, faith-based and community
organizations, and health and human service agencies that will lead to improved
and increased health and wholeness.
To see the full request, with examples of ministries, projects and programs for submission, click here. To download the submission form, click here.
Submissions are due by December 15, 2010!
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*Disaster registration
If you or anyone in
your congregation have had damage from ANY of the flooding/storms since June 1,
please register with FEMA whether the county you live in has been included in
the presidential declarations for individual assistance. This is
important so the people at the federal and state levels have as good an idea as
possible where damage has occurred. To register by phone, call 800-621-3362.
To register online, go to disasterassistance.gov.
To know what information you need to have when you register, go to www.fema.gov/assistance.
Please contact Gayle V. Strickler if you have any questions about how he might be able to
help you and your congregation as you deal with the effects of the storms of
this summer.
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*UCC launches $300,000 Appeal for Pakistan
Torrential rains and flooding that have affected
Pakistan in recent weeks continue, with an estimated 1,600 dead and
17.2 million affected. Some 1.5 million people are now homeless.
You Can Help Now!
1. Pray for the people of Pakistan, their leaders, and all emergency response workers.
2. Please help the people of Pakistan by sending gifts payable to
your congregation marked for "Pakistan Flood Relief" with the request
they be sent through your Conference office on to Wider Church
Ministries.
OR
Send gifts, made out to Wider Church Ministries and marked in the
memo portion "Pakistan Flood Relief" to Wider Church Ministries; 700
Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115.For further information about the appeal, you may visit the website www.ucc.org/disaster/pakistan/pakistan-appeal.html. |
*Support Youth Ministry in the Iowa Conference
Have you ever spent nights listening to the chatter of young
people excited to be on a mission trip? Have you ever given up your personal
vacation time to accompany youth attending General Synod or National Youth
Event? Then, you know how challenging and energizing youth ministry can be. The
Iowa Conference believes that we are all responsible for supporting the
ministry of these caring and patient adults by paying the entire cost of their
registration fee to these events. So please donate to the Iowa Conference today
online
or by sending a check to the conference office and designate your donations to
"Youth Ministry Scholarships."
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*Position openings in national offices
A full list of positions is available here.
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September 2, 2010
