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Mission Bite: from across the Minnesota Conference
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from Barbara Peterson, Member of the Board of Directors
Liaison to the Development Committee
Minnesota Conference Board Report
The Minnesota Conference Board of Directors met for the first time under the leadership of Conference Minister, Shari Prestemon, Friday and Saturday, November 1 and 2 at United Theological Seminary (UTS). Friday evening the Board participated in a seminar led by Michael Piazza, Co-Executive Director of the Center for Progressive Renewal, that focused on priorities that might shape the future of the Conference. Saturday morning, Dr. Barbara Holmes, President of the seminary, welcomed the Board to UTS and shared the areas that the seminary is now focusing on: art in ministry, public ministry, and spirituality with justice.
After opening devotions led by Dr. Holmes, the Board began their work with a helpful group discussion of the roles of the Board, the Conference Minister, and Staff, led by Treasurer, Phil Hatlie.
As part of her report to the Board, Shari Prestemon shared her expectations with the Board: strong and transparent communication, good governance, freedom to lead while providing effective management, faith-centeredness, and time to assess the current situation in the Minnesota Conference. She also reported on changes that are taking place in the national setting and other conferences to respond to reduced financial resources. Prestemon's installation as Conference Minister was tentatively scheduled for Saturday, February 1, 2014.
Members of the Pilgrim Point Camp Committee (PPCC) joined the Board to hear the report of Jody Oates, Principal Consultant from Kaleidoscope, Inc. on Pilgrim Point Camp: Ministry and Operational Assessment, Business Plan Development, Land Use and Specific Area Development Plan. Following the report and discussion, the Board received and tabled until its January 4, 2014 meeting, two resolutions from the PPCC and approved forming a joint committee including two members each of the PPCC and the Board to ascertain the answers to questions that remain unanswered at the end of the discussion. Oates was thanked for the excellent work of his organization, Kaleidoscope.
In addition, the Board:
- Approved the appointment of Beryl Bils, Linden Hills Congregational Church, to the Faith Formation for Youth and Adults Team, Lawrence Richardson, Living Table UCC, to the Resource Center for Churches Board of Directors, and Dawn Carlson Conn, to Nominating Work Group;
- Approved the Fund Development Plan for Fiscal Year 2014;
- Approved moving forward with the renewal of the Conference's website;
- Formed a subcommittee to propose the Associate Conference Minister Search Committee
- Received the unaudited FY2013 year-end financials which included greater than budgeted OCWM and Friends of the Conference giving and a positive year-end balance.
The Board of Directors' next meeting is scheduled for January 4, 2014 at St. Mark's UCC in Bloomington.
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Joys and Concerns
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1. Cottage Grove UCC will celebrate its 50th Anniversary as a UCC congregation on Sunday, November 10th at its 10:15 worship service. The church was formed by a merger of First Congregational Church and St. Matthew's Evangelical and Reformed Church, both founded in 1858. Conference Minister, Rev. Shari Prestemon, will bring greetings from the Minnesota Conference. Cottage Grove UCC is located at 7008 Lamar Avenue South, Cottage Grove. 2. Pilgrim Congregational UCC in Duluth was featured in last week's edition of the Congregational Vitality Newsletter. Their annual Halloween Spooktacular evening invites community members to one of Duluth's best Halloween parties for young people. Read about it here! |
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Next Week: Give to the Max!
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Next Week: Give to the Max!
Mark your calendar. November 14, is Give to the Max Day, the day when Minnesotans to come together to raise as much money as possible for nonprofits in 24 hours. This just in: you can schedule your donation today to count on Give to the Max Day.
 Why You Should Give
We're raising money for our 2014 ministries, which include leading a group of young adults on a trip to the monastic community of Taizé, France; expanding clergy leadership development and support groups; and expanding our programming at Pilgrim Point Camp. Your gift today will support these vital ministries.
Double Your Impact
Our Board members have pledged to match all donations up to a total of $1,000. That means that every dollar you give will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $1,000. Every dollar you donate will go twice as far.
How to Donate
- Go to http://www.razoo.com/story/Minnesota-Conference-United-Church-Of-Christ.
- Enter your donation amount.
- Check the "Make my gift count for Give to the Max Day" box.
- Click "Donate Now."
- Follow the instructions until you get to the confirmation page.
Bonus: Get $1,000 Added to Your Donation
Each hour, the folks at Give to the Max will add $1,000 to one randomly chosen donation. That donation could be yours!
Last year we raised over $5,000 on Give to the Max Day. Let's do even better this year. Thank you in advance for your support.
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November Ordination Anniversaries
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On the day of an ordination, the people of God gather together to celebrate the call of an individual into ordained ministry in the United Church of Christ. In that ceremony, the people pledge to uphold and support the new Reverend's ministry in and with the church. As such, you are encouraged to celebrate the following ordination anniversaries this month with and in honor of these individuals:
Rev. Don Christensen - November 1982
Rev. Joanne Sylvander - 01 November 1981
Rev. Eliot Howard - 04 November 1984
Rev. Joseph Clay - 08 November 1960
Rev. Cherie Daniel - 09 November 1996
Rev. Glen Holland - 10 November 1991
Rev. Victor Jortack - 12 November 1993
Rev. Debra Meyer - 13 November 1982
Rev. Paula Northwood - 13 November 1993
Rev. Grace Anderson - 13 November 2011
Rev. Mary Forsberg - 15 November 1981
Rev. Parker Trostel - 19 November 1995
Rev. Teresa Roberts - 20 November 1984
Rev. Clyde Steckel - 21 November 1950
Rev. Kent Meyer - 23 November 1984
Rev. Kathy Nelson - 23 November 1986
Rev. Brigit Stevens - 23 November 2004
Rev. Lyle Avant - 23 November 2008
Rev. Hillary Freeman - 23 November 2008
Rev. Mark Mallinger - 25 November 1991
Rev. John Ross - 25 November 1995
Rev. Karen Smith Sellers - 28 November 1976
Rev. Kristen Jeide - 28 November 1982
Rev. Nancy Swanson - 28 November 1993
Our best wishes for continued and flourishing ministry to all celebrating their ordination anniversaries in November!
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2014 Annual Meeting
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A Weekend to Remember
The rapidly changing seasons remind us of how quickly time truly does pass. Fall is fleeting and, in Minnesota, we are always just one weather forecast away from winter.
We are already weeks from Thanksgiving, less than two months away from Christmas and just a week beyond that until a new year. It is already time to mark our calendars for the important dates and events for the coming year.
So, let us mark our calendars today, beginning of course, with the Annual Meeting of the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ. We will gather on June 13-15, 2014 - and it should be a weekend to remember.
Some of us will come from rural areas or small towns, some from cities and from the metropolitan communities of the Twin Cities. Many of us in the United Church of Christ come from different backgrounds, from different denominations, different ethnicities and different religious perspectives - conservative, moderate or progressive.
This year, we will gather to affirm and celebrate our ongoing quest for unity as a people of faith united in Christ as we explore the theme "Strangers No More", based on Ephesians 2:19.
Please mark your calendars today for the Minnesota Conference Annual Meeting at the College of St. Benedict, June 13-15. It truly promises to be a weekend to remember.
Cordially,
Rev. Dick Fylling, Annual Meeting Planning Work Group
52nd Annual Meeting
Minnesota Conference UCC
13-15 June 2014
Strangers No More
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Justice Organizing in the Minnesota Conference
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from Rev. John Guttermann, Justice & Witness Team
 What does God require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?
-Micah 6:8
Justice Organizing in the Minnesota Conference UCC
The Conference Justice and Witness Team is continuing its response to the Prophetic Voices resolution by encouraging pastors and congregations to engage congregational based advocacy - organizing. Click here to read the approved version of the Prophetic Voices resolution. The goals are to encourage, work with, resource, and help congregations add advocacy / organizing for structural change to their compassion ministry portfolio.
Congregational Based Organizing (CBO) has long been recognized as an effective way to improve lives and bring justice to places where it is lacking. For churches, such organizing offers a tangible means for being disciples engaged in the public square while strengthening their congregational life and mission. Click here to read more about congregational based organizing.
 To develop this effort, the Justice and Witness Team employed an intern last winter-spring. That intern, Aaron Lauer, has written an important reflection paper about his experience. I invite your reactions to and conversation about this paper.
The JW Team now employs a second intern who comes to us via the Center for Public Ministry and United Theological Seminary: she is Kathryn Price, propheticvoicesucc@uccmn.org.
Your understanding of congregational based organizing and advocacy might also be helped by the typology matrix created by Steve Newcom, director of the Center for Public Ministry (click here to read):
Steve developed a public ministry typology to provide an organizing framework to advance the body of knowledge and practice of social justice ministry. The typology reflects a paradigm shift: from issues to strategies and from knowledge to competencies.
Shifting the conceptual framework of social justice expands the focus to include "how" and moves into the realm of practical theology. The typology provides a framework for organizing and advancing a body of knowledge and body of practice for doing public ministry.
Finally - Peace fund grants are available to help congregations pay for - acquire the resources needed to do organizing - advocacy ministry that takes them beyond the important compassion-care ministries they are already doing. Links for the grant applications are on the JW page of the Conference web site. Click here to see.
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Are you Justice LED?
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Are you Justice LED?
Justice Leaders Engaging and Developing (Justice LED) is a faith-based, biblically-grounded curriculum and leadership training resource developed by Justice and Witness Ministries. It offers an exploration of the Biblical and socio-cultural grounding for doing justice work.
Justice LED training is provided to lay leaders and clergy who wish to facilitate Justice LED in their congregation. Justice LED empowers church members to deeply reflect upon the justice dimensions of Christian discipleship and to act upon justice issues that matter to
them.
Empower yourself and others!
Justice LED Training Options:
Regional Trainers: Once trained, Regional Trainers commit to train local church members in their region who want to introduce Jutice LED to their congregations.
Local Church Training Teams: Groups of 2 - 8 people from a local church who wish to share Justice LED with their congregation. Multi-church or single church trainings can be arranged.
Special Group Trainings: Justice LED may be adapted for special groups (such as Conference staff, justice-related committees, church retreats, college or seminary groups). We particularly recommend this training for Youth and Young Adult ministries and groups!
Trainings can be scheduled to meet your needs, or you may find more information about training options and scheduled events at www.ucc.org/justice/training. You can also access a church planning guide here. If you are interested in being trained to bring Justice LED to your region, congregation, staff, ministry group or UCC events, contact Kelly Burd at burdk@ucc.org or 866-822-8224.
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News from CUE Seminaries
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About Eden Theological Seminary
 Eden, one of the seven seminaries of the United Church of Christ, is called to strengthen the life of the church by educating women and men for ministry, enlivening critical reflection on faith, and supporting bold Christian discipleship. Welcoming and inclusive, Eden's deep commitment to work ecumenically with other denominations that form the progressive Christian movement is reflected in the diversity of our students. Twenty different denominations, 21 states, and 9 countries are represented by Eden students this year. A rigorous academic program, combined with significant opportunity for practical ministry experience with our broad partnership of congregations and agencies, helps Eden to be faithful to our educational mission. For more information about Eden please visit us at www.eden.edu.
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Clergy Clusters in the Coming Week
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Northern Cluster: Tuesday, November 12, 11:00am
Pilgrim Congregational UCC, Duluth
Twin Cities West Cluster:
**Cancelled this month.**
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VRV Webinars!
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Social Media, Websites
and Technology for Congregations
 The tools of technology both fascinate and frustrate many of us. This fall VRV presents four webinars to help congregational leaders to better use these tools to promote and communicate your congregation and its story.
You may register for the webinars separately, but we encourage you to sign up for the whole package (and you get a price break!). Those who complete all four seminars will qualify for a short-term CoachShare group with Bruce Reyes-Chow, one of the foremost authorities on social media and internet use in the church.
Each webinar is $9.99. If you register for all four, you get four webinars for the price of three at $29.97.
Register here!
Once you register with the Conference, we will send you information on connecting to the Center for Progressive Renewal for the webinars. If you are unable to participate on the day and time listed, not to worry. Each webinar will be archived and you can listen to it at your convenience. The advantage to being on the live webinar is you can ask questions, but you can still get the information, whether you are on live or not.
Here are the details:
Webinar #1 Social Media: The Biggest Pulpit of Today, Part 1
October 17, 2013 - 12:00pm CDT
Facebook and Twitter are the biggest pulpits of today. It's not just about reaching kids or Millennials (though you will!), but about everyone. This webinar will introduce you to a model of curatorial leadership take your social media use from point A all the way to point Awesome.
Webinar #2 Social Media: The Biggest Pulpit of Today, Part 2
October 29, 2013 - 1:00pm CDT
Now that you understand the big picture of how to lead using social media as a pulpit, it's time to practice. We'll walk through creating your online clergy profile and curating your church's content for the biggest impact.
Presenter for Webinars #1 and 2: Ashley Harness is a communications strategist with almost a decade of experience in non-profit media work. Currently, Ashley works with the digital organizing team at Auburn Seminary and provides confidential media training and counsel to clergy seeking to use media as a pulpit of the 21st century.
Webinar #3 Website Basics for ChurchesNovember 7, 2013 - 7:00pm CSTYour website is truly the front door to your church. People will have visited your website before they visit your building. Learn the basics you need to have to make your church website attractive, informative and easily found. Webinar #4 Live Streaming Worship Services for ChurchesNovember 21, 2013 - 12:00pm CSTIt used to be only mega-churches with million dollar budgets could live stream their worship services over the web. A lot has changed recently and this webinar is designed to show you inexpensive (even free) tools that will help you stream your worship services to the world.  Presenter for Webinars #3 and 4: Mike Mitchell has significant experience doing media & communication in the corporate world. Most recently he had founded Progressive Church Media which develops media resources for progressive, accepting and affirming congregations. An increasing number of progressive-minded churches are using video and multimedia to make their worship services more engaging and seeker-friendly. Each webinar is $9.99. If you register for all four, you get four webinars for the price of three at $29.97. Register here!
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Benefit for Rev. Deborah Celley
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First Congregational UCC invites you to a
Chili Feed!
Benefit for Pastor Deb Celley as she wages
her battle against lymphoma
Sunday, November 17
11:00am - 2:00pm
First Congregational UCC
150 Stadium Court, Mankato, MNJoin us for the chili, stay for the silent auction!
A free will donation will be collected. If you are not able to attend but would still like to donate, please contact the Pastor Deb Celley Benefit at First Congregational UCC, Mankato - 150 Stadium Court, Mankato, MN 56001.
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Stop Predatory Payday Lending in Minnesota!
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Stop Predatory Payday Lending in Minnesota!
Be a part of the movement toward fair and equitable lending in Minnesota! Join the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, and Minnesotans for Fair Lending to learn about the problem of predatory payday lending in Minnesota and potential solutions to change the situation. Free dinner will be provided!
AGENDA
3:30 - Welcome and Introductions
3:45 - Overview of Payday Lending
4:50 - Ending Predatory Payday Lending
5:40 - Dinner! Eat! Mingle! Converse!
6:15 - Break-out Session #1
7:00 - Break-out session #2
7:45 - Wrap Up and Action Steps
8:00 - Adjourn
WHEN: November 14, 3:30-8:00pm
WHERE: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
2730 E 31st Street, Minneapolis
PLEASE RSVP ONLINE AT EVENTBRITE
Or RSVP by contacting Emily Shimkus via emily@jrlc.org or 612-230-3234.
You can download a flier to post in your congregation, and feel free to invite your friends via Eventbrite. We look forward to seeing you there!
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Respectful Conversation About Guns
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Join a Respectful Conversation
About Guns in Minnesota
You are invited to join with residents of Stillwater and the East Metro community and residents of the Rochester area in a conversation designed not to change minds, but to soften our hearts in a conversation about guns in Minnesota.
Conversations about significant issues can sometimes be emotional, pick-a-side and fight-it-out discussions that leave us feeling worse about the people we disagree with, and sometimes worse about ourselves. We've all seen how discussions about guns have become one of those kind of conversations today. So join this conversation to learn and practice a Christ-like way of discussing significant issues without disliking each other more, but instead by understanding each other better. While the focus and concern is guns in Minnesota, the learning can be valuable in all areas of your life.
These conversations are co-sponsored by St. Peter's UCC and the Congregational Church in Rochester and the Minnesota Council of Churches for talking out of their concern for the good of our communities and the possibilities to have these kinds of conversations because we follow Jesus who built peace and justice among all he met.
A Respectful Conversation About Guns in Minnesota
Wednesday, November 6th, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Hosted by St. Peter's United Church of Christ
111 Orleans Street East, Stillwater, MN
Pre-registration requested online at: www.mnchurches.org, or by contacting the church at 651-439-2160.
A Respectful Conversation About Guns in Minnesota
Wednesday, November 6th, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Hosted by the Congregational Church
974 Skyline Drive SW, Rochester, MN
Pre-registration requested online at: www.mnchurches.org, or by contacting the church at 507-289-4581.
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Celtic Spirituality Pilgrimage of Ireland
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 Celtic Spirituality Pilgrimage of Ireland
May 6-16, 2014
Explore an ancient spiritual tradition that embodies care for creation, embraces differences, provides seeds of resistance to empires, and finds the sacred in all that is.
Led by Rev. Kiran Young Wimberly & Rev. Dr. Tim Johnson. $300 deposit due by November 24, 2013. For complete itinerary, description, cost and registration information go to www.CherokeeParkUnited.org.
For questions or to have information mailed, contact Rev. Tim Johnson, pastor of Cherokee Park United Church, St. Paul at 651-227-4275 or cpuc@usfamily.net.
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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.
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
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