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Mission Bite: from across the Minnesota Conference
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from the youth of the Minnesota Conference UCC
High School Conference Youth Event
Out of the Darkness: Dealing with Depression and Suicide
 On March 1-3, there were 55 high school youth and adult leaders from 17 congregations gathered at Camp Koinonia in South Haven, MN to learn and dialogue about the important topic of depression and suicide. The event was facilitated by Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Mahan, chaplain at Lake Region Healthcare and directed by David Becker, Minnesota Conference Youth Program Director. Youth wrote letters to their faith communities and the wider church about what they learned, expressing how we need to pay attention to this reality in our church. Hear from our young people:  Dear People of Faith,We are writing to you because we would like to inform you about the growing issue of depression and suicide. We're bringing this up to you all because we feel that churches can be effective in preventing suicide and supporting people with depression. Are you aware that the 2nd leading cause of death in youth nationwide is suicide? According to statistics, every 15 minutes a person dies from suicide in the US. However, with a combination of talk therapy and medication, after 3 months, 70 percent of people see improvements. Yet, people who suffer from depression often don't reach out for help.It is very important for communities like the church to recognize signs and symptoms of depression and to offer help. We are asking you to watch for symptoms such as: mood swings, isolation, increased or decreased sleeping, loss of interest, anger, hopelessness, using alcohol or drugs, idolizing death, etc. in the people in your community. You may not think that your actions can make a difference, but they could save a life.Thank you for your attention,Sincerely, the youth of the Minnesota Conference UCC__________________________  Dear Wider Church,We have realized that we are called upon to catch others from falling. One such way to fall is depression and suicide. People who live with depression show warning signs that need to be heard. Such warning signs are drastic changes in eating and sleeping habits and isolation.Every 15 minutes someone in the United States completes suicide. The youth of our conference feel we should help in lowering this number. We believe religion is based on the connection between people and when one person completes suicide we're all affected in one way or another. We would like to strengthen this connection by informing and helping people understand suicide and depression. We urge you to encourage the greater public to help catch others as we have learned to do ourselves.Peace and Blessings, the youth of the Minnesota Conference UCC
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Joys and Concerns
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1. The memorial service for Rev. Walter Scott (see last week's COMMAntary) will be on March 16 at 1:00pm at Bemidji United Methodist Church (9th St. and Beltrami Ave. N.W.) followed by fellowship. A Book of Letters will be presented to Walter's family the day of the service. If people would like to share memories of the ways in which Walter and his ministry have impacted their lives, they can send their letters to the following address: Rev. Gay Albers, Bemidji United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 607, Bemidji MN 56619.
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From the Conference Minister Search Committee
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Have you seen the Conference Minister Opportunity Profile posted on the Conference website? If not, check it out! We have begun receiving profiles and will continue to receive them through April 15th. After that the really hard part of discerning the best candidate for the next Conference Minister of the Minnesota Conference begins. If you know of some one who would make a great Conference Minister, please encourage her or him to apply. Ordained ministers should submit their profiles through the UCC Profile Office and lay applicants may transmit a resume to cmsearch@uccmn.org.
The Conference Minister Search Committee is diligently working to secure the best possible candidate as expeditiously as possible. We greatly value your trust, patience and prayers.
Conee Biggs and Rev. Jeff Palmer, co-chairs
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Reserve your spot at Pilgrim Point for 2013!
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 Congregations are invited to sponsor a week or weekend of their own at Pilgrim Point! We provide twice daily all-camp, cross-generational programs, worship support for the Vespers leadership (once a day as an all-camp event), amazing meals and hospitality. You will still have plenty of time for relaxing, playing at the beach or ball field and creating your own experiences!
As it happens, dates and spaces are filling up VERY fast, but there is still room to get your church to the Point! If you want to pair up with another church, we can help you - contact Gigi Nauer (ggmarie58@gmail.com) to assist with those connections. If you have other questions related to making a reservation, please contact the Pilgrim Point Registrar, Zac Norenberg (zacn@uccmn.org) to get assistance.
Download the reservation form here, and GET TO THE POINT!
On the reverse of the form, please find procedures on how to make a successful reservation. Please read through this carefully before submitting your application. Contact Zac Norenberg (zacn@uccmn.org) if you have any questions.
Here is what is currently available:
- July 12-14 (Available: Lodge, Campground)
- July 26-28 (Available: Annex, North Shore, POEM Cabins)
- August 9-11 (Available: Annex, North Shore, Campground)
- August 23-25 (Available: North Shore)
- August 30-Sept 1: (Available: Annex, North Shore, POEM Cabins)
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Working to prevent gun violence
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Gun Violence IS a Racial Justice Issue
from Rev. John Guttermann , Co-Chair, Justice and Witness Team
Slate.com reports that there have been at least 2,635 or more gun deaths since the Newtown massacre of the innocents.
The Minnesota Conference United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Team is allied with Protect Minnesota and is working to end gun violence. We invite all communities of faith and other organizations of similar mind to join this campaign to end violence in our communities. UCC members and pastors will find this of interest.
Gun violence is also a racial justice issue. The following except is from a longer article that you can access by clicking here.
Gun violence affects us all, unnecessarily taking loved ones away every day. Stopping that violence requires the will of policymakers who recognize the tragedy of mass killings and the fact that gun violence destroys lives daily in communities across our state and country.
Gun violence disproportionately affects communities of color. "Murder and non-negligent manslaughter victims are most frequently black or Latino, with blacks comprising 67 percent of victims and Latinos comprising 28.1 percent. Blacks make up roughly 13 percent of the U.S. population, but in 2010-the last year for which data is available-they suffered 56 percent of all firearm homicides." Center for American Progress.
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Gun Violence Prevention
Town Hall Forum
THURSDAY, April 4, 2013
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Come discuss with Congressman Ellison and panelists your concerns about preventing gun violence and the right to be safe in your community.
Shiloh Temple International Ministries
201 W Broadway Ave No
Minneapolis MN 55411
If you have any questions about this event, please call (612) 522-1212.
This event is free and open to the public. No RSVP required, but requested to confirm space. 612-522-1212
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Congregation-Based organizing
|  PROPHETIC VOICES
Congregation-based organizing in Minnesota Conference UCC - new intern to build congregational advocacy
The Justice and Witness Team of the Minnesota Conference (JW) is partnering with ISAIAH Minnesota and the Center for Public Ministry to fund an advocate/organizer for creating more UCC Prophetic Voice congregations. The intern, Aaron Lauer (Center for Public Ministry research associate and youth minister with First Congregational Church of Minnesota) will organize and work with interested Minnesota's UCC congregations becoming Prophetic Voice congregations. You can contact him at propheticvoicesucc@uccmn.org. The Justice and Witness Team will coordinate contacts, make referrals and get full reports back to ensure consistency with Conference mission. Congregations throughout Minnesota will be contacted. Aaron will work 15 hours a week for 6 months. He is being trained and supported by Community Organizing Residency (COR), a national program that provides training and support for community organizing interns. He will also meet monthly with other twin cities COR interns, be mentored by a professional organizer from ISAIAH, and be hosted
by the Center for Public Ministry.
A Congregation becomes a Prophetic Voice organizing advocacy congregation by selecting and committing to working with an organizing-advocacy organization. Examples are: the Prophetic Voices coalition, ISAIAH - MN, the Land Stewardship Project, Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light. It is your choice based on your congregation's interests, capacity, community, which organization is selected (this is not an effort to steer churches to any one organization). In some cases a congregation might chose to begin its own justice advocacy organization that is tailored to the needs of its own community. It might also chose to affiliate with multiple organizing - advocacy organizations. Money to help is available. Congregations committed to becoming Prophetic Voice organizing - advocacy congregations are eligible for significant financial assistance from the JW Peace fund. Interested congregations will be invited to apply for grants to help defray (and in some cases, cover) costs to send members or staff to week long organizing training or other approved workshops and training (probably 3 to 6 UCC members, pastors, congregations). For example, organizer training costs about $500; membership in some organizations (depending on your membership and budget) might cost $500 - grants will be available to partially or fully help with these costs. |
Ecumenical Advocacy Days Scholarship Awards
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The Justice and Witness Team Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) scholarships have been awarded to: Aaron Lauer, Conference Prophetic Voices organizer and Children, Youth, and Families minister at First Congregational Church of Minnesota; Laura Beth Gatzke, student at Luther Seminary and member at St. Anthony Park UCC; and Rev. Alison Killeen, organizer for the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition and member at First Congregational Church of Minnesota. They will be attending EAD from Friday, April 5 - Monday, April 8, 2013.
The theme for this year's national gathering in Washington DC is At God's Table: Food Justice for a Healthy World. Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) is a movement of the ecumenical Christian community, and its recognized partners and allies, grounded in biblical witness and our shared traditions of justice, peace and the integrity of creation. Our goal, through worship, theological reflection and opportunities for learning and witness, is to strengthen our Christian voice and to mobilize for advocacy on a wide variety of U.S. domestic and international policy issues.
For more information about this year's event visit advocacydays.org.
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Getting Ready for General Synod!
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Head over to www.ucc.org/synod for all the information that you need to learn more about the big event, to study up on pre-synod details, and to get yourself registered!
Justice Heroes Nominees Sought!
In keeping with the spirit of former national agencies of the United Church of Christ, the Board of Directors of Justice and Witness Ministries has approved the recommendation that we seek candidates to honor at our General Synod dinner who have done exemplary work in the area of justice. If you know a prophetic justice worker, a local church, a grassroots organization that you think deserves to be honored for effective justice work, please fill out the form below. You may apply online or download the forms and send in a hard copy. If submitting more than one nominee, please use separate forms.
Deadline for submissions: March 31, 2013
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It's coming... Mission 4/1 Earth!
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 ONE UNITED CHURCH on a shared resurrection witness for Planet Earth during 50 great days of greening up, powering down, and shouting out.
- 50 days, 1 million hours of earth care
- 50 days, 100,000 trees planted
- 50 days, 100,000 letters to leaders
Join the journey: 50 days - Easter to Pentecost
www.ucc.org/earth
Click here to make your pledge!
Click here for all of your Mission 4/1 Earth resources!
Let's get planting! The UCC, in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, offers special ways to plant trees in your community and across the US. Order your gift trees today for planting locally.
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Grants available from the Genesis Fund
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The Make a Difference! Genesis Fund provides seed money for faith-based projects that are innovative or experimental, that represent a new initiative in Christian mission, or that may be deemed controversial. Genesis Fund grants are made for domestic and international projects. Grant proposals may be submitted by UCC local churches, associations, conferences, and national bodies; UCC-related institutions; and overseas/global partner churches.
Next deadline: March 15, 2013.
Grants from the Genesis Fund are made on a biennial basis. Grant applications are received only in odd numbered years. Funding decisions are be made in accordance with the following schedule:
- March 15th Completed applications due in office by 5 p.m. (EST) (this is a firm deadline)
- June-August Genesis Fund Committee Reading Period
- September Genesis Fund Grant Making Meeting
- October 1st Funding Decisions announced and funds released.
Interested? Click here to learn more and to access an application. |
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Clergy Clusters in the Coming Week
| South Central Cluster: Tuesday, March 19, 2:00pm
Federated Church, Morris
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PPC&R Summer Camps
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We are pleased to announce that we have opened registration for youth camps at Pilgrim Point for summer 2013. Register now to join other Minnesota Conference youth for a fun-filled week while enjoying this magical place of ministry. Both youth camps are directed by David Becker, Youth Program Director.
Radical Hospitality
at Pilgrim Point Camp
Middle School Camp
July 21-26, 2013 (Sunday through Friday)
Cost is $315/person until May 1, then $340/person
Register here or online at pilgrimpoint.org
Senior High Camp
July 28-August 3, 2013 (Sunday through Saturday)
Cost is $340/person until May 1, then $365/person
Register here or online at pilgrimpoint.org
Note: Middle School Camp is for youth currently in 6th-8th grade. Senior High Camp is for youth currently in 9th-12th grade.
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Save the Dates
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Boundary Training has been scheduled for 2013. Dates are:
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at First Congregational UCC in Alexandria. To register, go to events.minnesotaumc.org where it is listed as "Living the Sacred Trust." Choose "other" for district and church. For a flyer and more information, click here.
Tuesday, September 24 at a Twin Cities metro location to be announced. Mark your calendar now and watch this space for location information.
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2013 Certification School
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 May 19-24, 2013
with closing retreat Nov. 8-10, 2013
This course includes 50+ hours of instruction, all textbooks, six webinars, coaching and ministry plan projects. May classes take place at Pilgrim Point Camp in Alexandria, MN and the November retreat in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
Cost for early registration
$2,200.
Register Now!
Click here for more info.
Scholarships of up to $800 are available thanks to the Ashley Endowment of the Minnesota Conference UCC. You can download the scholarship application here. For more information, contact Zac (zacn@uccmn.org) in the Conference Office.
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Spring Middle School Youth Event
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Spring Middle School Youth Event:
God is Still Speaking, Part II
May 3-5, 2013 @ Pilgrim Point Camp
Join conference middle school youth (grades 6-8) with our awesome musician, Hans Peterson, for a weekend retreat on beautiful Pilgrim Point in Alexandria, MN.
Register Now!
Early Registration by April 15: $75 youth, $50 adult
Registration after April 15: $85 youth, $60 adult
Deadline for ALL Registrations is April 29
Download the Authorization Form: YOUTH - ADULT
Note: The Authorization Forms are interactive.
All attendees are expected to be active participants in the entire event. Check-in will begin at 6:30pm on Friday, May 3rd (dinner will not be provided Friday evening, so eat before you arrive). The retreat will conclude at noon, Sun, May 5th.
Questions? Email Zac at zacn@uccmn.org or call the Conference Office at 612-871-0359.
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Save the Date: Annual ONA Worship Celebration
|  Save the Date!
Annual Open and Affirming Worship Celebration
April 14, 2013
hosted by Union Congregational UCC of Elk River
Workshops at 2:30pm
Worship at 4:00pm
Rev. Ben Guess of the UCC's Local Church Ministries is preaching, and a choir from St. Anthony Park UCC will provide music.
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VRV Annual Meeting Pre-event!
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The Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ announces a special
Vitality*Renewal*Vision Pre-Event with
Tony Robinson, UCC author, consultant and voice for vitality asks...
"What's God got to do with it?"
Connecting Theology and Congregational Vitality
Friday, June 7th, 9:00 am to noon
(Annual Meeting begins after lunch)
College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph MN
$30 per person; register online:
www.uccmn.org/annualmeeting
Come Thursday to enjoy an evening of dinner and worship with the Minnesota Open and Affirming Gathering, hosted by the Open and Affirming Ministry Team. Meals and housing are available through the ONA Gathering registration.
Questions? Contact maritak@uccmn.org
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William Cope Moyers on Recovery & Spirituality
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BEST-SELLING AUTHOR WILLIAM COPE MOYERS
ON RECOVERY AND SPIRITUALITY
THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 7:30 PM
Spend an evening with William Cope Moyers, addiction and recovery insider and expert, as he reflects on the question, "Now what?," for addicts and their loved ones along every step of the journey through contemplation, intervention, treatment and recovery. William C. Moyers is vice president for public affairs and community relations at Hazelden; he is committed to eliminating barriers to recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs by carrying the message and addressing public policy.
Fee: $10.00 in advance, $15.00 at the door
Students: No charge
Location: The award-winning Bigelow Chapel (a Joan Soranno building)
Registration: More information and online registration. You may also contact Renee Flesner at 651.255.6138. (Online registrations allows payment by check, PayPal, or at the door; you also can register multiple people.)
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Local Church Events
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Check out all the events happening at our local churches across Minnesota on our Local Church Events Calendar! You can surf around the calendar to see what's coming up across the Conference. Just click on the title of the event in the calendar to get more details.
- Wednesday, March 13: Lenten Service and Supper, First Congregational UCC, Fairmont
- Wednesday, March 13: Lenten Wednesdays: Supper and Worship, Gaylord UCC
- Thursday, March 14: Meditational Prayer, Parkway UCC, Minneapolis
- Wednesday, March 20: Lenten Service and Supper, First Congregational UCC, Fairmont
- Wednesday, March 20: Lenten Wednesdays: Supper and Worship, Gaylord UCC
- Wednesday, March 27: Fairmont Community Easter Egg Hunt, St. John's UCC, Fairmont
Would you like your events to appear on this calendar? Just email Alison Bents at alisonb@uccmn.org. Simple as that!
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Employment Opportunities
| Check out the Employment Opportunities portion of the Minnesota Conference website. Click here to see the listings.
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Organ For Sale
| FOR SALE: 1972 Rodgers AGO organ. Two 61-note tilted & overhanging keyboards, 32-note concave & radiating pedalboard, matching bench. Also includes two Celestes and a Mixture. 3 pre-sets, pedal and swell work great. Has tremulant/echo, locking roll top. Has not had maintenance since 2001 but was working well then. Speakers and original manual included. $250 or best offer. Contact Char Greenwald: 612-789-0089 or chargreenwald@yahoo.com
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