Please take notice that the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ has called a special meeting of the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ on June 22, 2013 at 2:00PM with registration beginning at 1:00PM at the Bethlehem United Church of Christ, 400 County Road 37, Maple Lake, MN 55358.
The purpose of this meeting is to consider and vote upon the call of a Conference Minister as recommended by the Search Committee. Additional information about the candidate for Conference Minister accompanies this notice.
This meeting will be subject to the Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ as adopted on June 8, 2013 and only members of the Conference entitled to vote at a meeting of the Conference may vote at this Special Meeting. All persons voting at the meeting will need to check-in before the meeting to sign the voting roll and receive their ballot, so please arrive early for purposes of registering and certifying your eligibility to vote. Church members shall, as always, vote through their duly appointed delegates, and such delegates will certify their appointment as delegates to the meeting when they check-in before the meeting. Other persons interested in the subject of the meeting may attend but will not have the ability to vote on this matter.
Thank you for your interest in this special meeting.
Spencer H. Kvam
Moderator, Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ
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The Conference Minister Search Committee Commends to the
Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ
The Reverend Sharon (Shari) Prestemon
Rev. Prestemon received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in social work from Luther College (Decorah, IA) in 1989. She served as a Peace and Justice Intern for the United Church of Christ in Dumaguete City, the Philippines in 1990-1991. She was awarded the Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in 1993 and was ordained that same year. She served two congregations, the first in Wheaton, Illinois and the second in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. She has served as Executive Director of Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi since August 2000. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Chicago Theological Seminary, as Vice-Chair of the UCC's Wider Church Ministries Board of Directors, and on the Executive Council of the United Church of Christ. She is a life-long United Church of Christ member.
In her role as Executive Director at Back Bay Mission, Rev. Prestemon has provided management to all aspects of Back Bay Mission operations. Under her leadership, the operations of Back Bay Mission have increased by 500% due to the expansion of existing programs and the launching of several new initiatives, particularly in regards to homelessness and affordable housing. She has provided critical leadership to the Gulf Coast community and her own organization in disaster recovery efforts, after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in 2005. Prestemon oversaw a substantial reconstruction of the Back Bay Mission campus after losing six of seven previous buildings on its campus to Hurricane Katrina destruction. She is widely regarded in the United Church of Christ as a gifted speaker, visionary leader, and a person of engaged and enduring faith.
Reverend Prestemon is passionate about the responsibility of the Church, communities, and individuals to make a constructive difference in the world, and believes one's faith must be daily expressed in acts of compassionate works, advocacy for justice, and humble service. In her current capacity she has provided essential leadership along the Mississippi Gulf Coast on issues like affordable housing, homelessness, and long-term disaster recovery work, and has served on several local Boards of Directors. She is the founder and President of Gulf Coast Housing Initiatives, a newly birthed organization dedicated to providing affordable housing solutions to low-to-moderate income residents of the area.
Special recognitions include the Reinhold Niebuhr Award for Service by Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis (2007), the Heart of Service Award from Wider Church Ministries - United Church of Christ (2007), and the Alumni of the Year Award from Chicago Theological Seminary (2008). She received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Heidelberg University (Ohio) in May 2010.
