• Full-time Associate Minister
  Mayflower Community Congregational UCC, Minneapolis, MN 
• Executive Director Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light  

Job Opportunity for a UTS seminary student: 

Title: Student Pastor

Description: This is an opportunity for a student to experience rural ministry in the beauty of Central Wisconsin. The student will spend time in two congregations with memberships of 35 and 100. One in a rural setting and one in a small town.  The student will spend 4-5 days in a local church and return to the seminary for 1 -2 days each week.
 
Where: Immanuel United Church of Greenwood WI., a rural church with a membership of about 100. We are located about 50 miles east of Eau Claire, and Owen United Church, located on Hwy 29 also about 50 miles from Eau Claire. We are about 2 hours from the seminary and the churches are about 15 miles apart.
 
When: Fall of 2013 - until graduation from seminary.
 
Stipend: $1,200 - $1,500 per month, insurance, and mileage for any local ministry and travel between both churches. The Greenwood church also has a parsonage which will be available.
 
Contact:  

Rev. Art Wille, Associate Conference Minister, Wisconsin Conference UCC, 608.630.3134
or

Lois Timmler, President, Immanuel UCC, Greenwood, 715.267.6577 

Final Clearance

Don't miss the Toga Party on our last day open: Friday Noon, March 15th the Ides of March 

wear your laurel wreath (no daggers).

"Empty Hands, Open Hearts"

Global Ministries Chapel Services

Alumnus Lori Hill Alford and current students Cecilia Baxter, Justin Buchs-Hammonds, and Clare Gromoll will lead chapel services on Tuesday, March 12 and Thursday, March 14. The theme stems from their experiences participating on the Council of Theological Students, a program of the United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ Common Global Ministries.

• On the 12th, Justin will share his 2012 experience in Cuba and Lori will share her 2010 experience in China.
• On the 14th, Cecilia will share her 2011 experience in Israel/Palestine and Lori will share her 2010 experience in China. Clare will travel to Kenya this May, so she will speak from an anticipatory perspective!

"Global Ministries Across Religious Traditions"

Conversations:

After each "Empty Hands, Open Hearts" chapel service, we welcome all to join in a conversation about "Global Ministries Across Religious Traditions." We will gather in the Strobel Room from 12:15-1:15 PM on both the 12th and the 14th. Feel free to bring your lunch with you. The four of us are all UCC by affiliation, so we are seeking friends from other traditions (alumni, faculty, staff, and current students) to be panelists with us during the Strobel Room conversations. Each panelist will briefly share about a specific experience and overall knowledge of a particular tradition's "global ministries" (perhaps worded differently) and answer questions about the experience from those attending the conversation. Please email Clare Gromoll  if interested in being a panelist on either March 12 or 14.

Changes to the Masters Student Handbook 

Students should be aware of several changes that were recently approved by Academic Council and the Education and Evaluation Committee. A revised handbook is posted on Moodle in the Student Services tab. Please note changes to:

• The extension policy: "if a student has three or more outstanding extensions a hold will be placed on their registration for future terms until they have completed the outstanding work and grades have been submitted to the registrar's office. For students in a degree program, if they are unable to register for a term by the second class period of the term, they will be placed on a leave of absence for that term."
• The extension policy with respect to graduation: The following language was added: "All outstanding coursework for courses taken prior to the beginning of the spring term of the year of graduation must be completed by April 1 of that year, and grades must be submitted to the registrar's office by May 1".... Students who do not complete the requirements of their program by the date of commencement will be allowed to participate in the ceremony "provided they have no outstanding work for courses taken prior to the spring term of the year of graduation and have approved extensions for all outstanding work for courses taken during the spring term of the year of graduation."
• Outstanding Extensions and Registration: "Students with outstanding coursework from previous terms may register for subsequent terms as long as they have approved Petitions for Extensions for all outstanding coursework and they have no more than two approved extensions. If a student has three or more outstanding extensions a hold will be placed on their registration for future terms until they have completed the outstanding work and grades have been submitted to the registrar's office.  
• For students in a degree program, if they are unable to register for a term by the second class period of the term, they will be placed on a leave of absence for that term. Please see the Leave of Absence Policies.   

Farewell to Cokesbury Bookstore

Friday, March 15, 12:00 Noon 

All are invited to a time of sharing and an opportunity to bid a fond farewell to the Cokesbury Bookstore and staff. Please join us in the Context Cafe for dessert and conversation.

 

Calling All Students!

It's "that time" again. No, not Lent.

It's time to call our alums and friends to thank them for their financial support and invite them to give to this year's Annual Fund. United alums and friends LOVE to hear from students. Please consider joining us for three hours during one of the following evenings in March from 6:00-9:00 PM:

• Monday, March 11
• Tuesday, March 12

Target gift cards and a free meal are part of the deal! If you would like to be one of our callers, contact Kathleen Remund for the details.

 

United Student Sermon Contest Winner  

Congratulations to Karen Van Fossan, the winner of the 2013 Prairie Star District Sermon contest! Her sermon is titled "Bumper Sticker Theology and the Loving Future of Our Faith." Her winning sermon will be presented in a workshop at the Annual Conference. Karen is pursuing an MDiv.

Read entire article: The Prairie Star, Issue 73 

 

Looking for an opportunity to put your social justice training into practice?

Consider donating an item or a service to a fundraising bridal shower to benefit the MS Society of Minnesota! For more information, please contact Michelle Rodriguez at mrodriguez@unitedseminary.edu.

Thank you!

 

Attention UCC Students - an easy competition

 We invite you to join with the members of Confessing Christ, a movement dedicated to promoting joyful theological reflection throughout the United Church of Christ, in celebrating the 450th anniversary of the publication of the Heidelberg Catechism. The influence of that document upon the development of the Reformed tradition in particular and Protestantism in general has been incalculable. It directly nurtured the faith of the German and Dutch branches of the Reformed family, and also helped shape the piety of the English-speaking Reformed traditions. In order to explore the legacy of this document and to envision the ways in which its theological riches can inform our future mission and witness, Confessing Christ is offering a $1,000.00 prize to an essay that critically and creatively probes the Heidelberg Catechism's continuing significance to the church.

            Any seminarian who is a member of the United Church of Christ is eligible to submit an essay. The essay must illumine important themes in the Heidelberg Catechism and investigate their on-going relevance for our life together in the Body of Christ. The essay will be evaluated according to the accuracy of its historical and textual analysis, the plausibility of its theological argumentation, and the fruitfulness of its suggestions concerning the life and proclamation of the church. The essay should be 15-25 pages in length, and will be due on October 15, 2013. The title of the most excellent essay will be announced on November 15. The stylistic conventions of the Chicago Manual of Style should be followed.

           The essays should be submitted electronically and in paper form to:

           Lee Barrett

           Lancaster Theological Seminary

           555 W. James St.

           Lancaster, PA 17603

           lbarrett@lancasterseminary.edu