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Mission Bite: from across the Minnesota Conference
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from Rev. Shari Prestemon, Conference Minister
A Word of Thanks from the Conference Minister
Dear Minnesota Conference family -
I couldn't let this week go by without finding a way to say a sincere "thank you." What a wonderful spirit of welcome and gratitude surrounded my service of installation on February 1! I felt truly blessed by the presence of so many on that special day, by the well wishes that were sent by mail and on Facebook, and by the bountiful prayers that were lifted up around the Conference. God's presence was surely with us, and I am thankful indeed.
My hope is that this moment of new beginnings in the Minnesota Conference will be one where we might all re-engage and re-commit to our ministries together and to the ties that bind us in sacred covenant. I look forward to making this journey of promise and possibility with all of you. May God bless each of you in all your many places!
Sincerely,
Shari
Rev. Kayla Bonewell (Peace UCC, Rochester) and Rev. Lawrence Richardson (Shift UCC, Mendota Heights) process into the service.
Rev. Garth Schumacher (Interim Pastor, Mizpah UCC, Hopkins) gives a greeting to the gathering.
 Rev. Anita Bradshaw (Interim Associate Conference Minister) offers a prayer.
Rev. Donna Manocchio (Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Hartford, CT) preaches her sermon, "Let's Face It."
Mizpah UCC in Hopkins all full and decked out for the event.
Rev. Shari Prestemon is installed as our Conference Minister.
Rev. Prestemon gives the benediction to the service.
all photos © Alison Bents 2014
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Joys and Concerns
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1. Rev. Adam Blons will be installed as Senior Minister of Macalester Plymouth United Church in a special jazz worship service on Sunday, February 9 at 3:00pm. Music will be provided by a jazz ensemble led by Steve Blons. Clergy are invited to robe and wear red stoles. A reception with light refreshments will follow. The church is located at 1658 Lincoln Ave, St. Paul. All are welcome! 2. A service of ordination will be held for Justin Gromoll, associate member of UCC New Brighton and member of the Conference Justice and Witness Team. The service will be held at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin on March 8 at 2:00pm. Rev. Beth Faeth, Pastor at First Congregational Church in Princeton, MN will preach. A reception will follow the service. Clergy are invited to robe and wear red stoles. The address is 311 2nd Street South, Wisconsin Rapids, WI, 54494. 3. First Congregational United Church of Christ, Anoka, mourns the death of Jason Edward Cains (20) on Thursday, January 30, 2014. Jason was a "bright light" for many, largely but certainly not exclusively, because of his music and musical abilities. He was a kind, loving, joyful and accommodating personality, whose short journey in this realm impacted many, of all ages. He will be sorely missed and fondly remembered by many youth and adults in the Minnesota Conference. 4. Pictured below is the new Next Level Coaching group that just got started up this week. We wish them a hearty congratulations on taking this new leap in their ministry, and our thoughts and prayers will be with them as they spend the next year focusing on strengthening these congregations.  | |
From L to R, Pastor Adam Westrich, St. John's UCC, Norwood Young America; Rev. Sara Morse, Hazel Park UCC, St. Paul; Rev. Bryan Olson, Cottage Grove UCC, Cottage Grove; and Rev. Glenna Shepherd, CPR Coach
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5. The Conference Office has learned that Rev. C. Edgar Finertie, who served the Rainy River Parish (Baudette, Birchdale and Williams) from 1976-1984, died on January 18. Our prayers and condolences are with Rev. Finertie's family and friends. A memorial service will be held on February 16 at Spring Hill UCC in Spring Hill, Florida. An obituary is available here. 6. Rev. William Warnock will be installed as Pastor of Pilgrim Congregational UCC in Benson on Sunday, February 16 at 2:00pm. Clergy are invited to robe and wear red stoles. A celebratory reception of decadent desserts will follow the service. The church is located at 211 13th Street N in Benson. 7. An Ecclesiastical Council for Lauren Baske Davis will be held Tuesday, February 18 at 1:00pm at St. Anthony Park UCC in St. Paul (2129 Commonwealth Ave, St. Paul). A light lunch will be serve at 11:30am. To ensure a quorum for the council, please RSVP to Susie George at the church at 651-646-7173 or office@sapucc.org and also indicate whether you will have lunch. |
The Search Has Begun!
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The Search Has Begun!
The Minnesota Conference has launched its search for an Associate Conference Minister to join our talented Conference team of 2 other ACMs, camp and support staff, and our Conference Minister. We seek an individual who is driven by mission rather than maintenance and who can effectively embody our core values of faithfulness, stewardship, empowerment, innovation, and justice. The ACM will minister to congregations and their leadership in the southern portion of the state, and will also lead the Conference's vitality and new church development efforts. In addition, the ACM will also shape the Conference's priority to expand our capacity for compassionate service and prophetic witness. Interested candidates may learn more about the position and application process by clicking here. Application deadline is March 7.
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New Beginnings - it's not too late!
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It isn't too late to explore
the New Beginnings program for congregations!
You are invited to participate in a webinar on Sunday, February 9 from 1 to 2:15 p.m. to learn more about this exciting program and opportunity for your congregation. The webinar will feature Rev. David Schoen from the national UCC staff and will cover all the information about New Beginnings - how it works and what it can do for your congregation to revitalize and renew it. We recommend that teams of at least three (pastor and two lay leaders) from a congregation participate in the webinar, but any and all are welcome. The webinar is free, but to get the connection link, please register with Anita Bradshaw ( anitab@uccmn.org). Don't miss this great opportunity for your congregation!
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2014 Annual Meeting
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This Weather Affects Everyone
Last week, I gave the two girls in my Confirmation Class a one-question quiz. The question was "What do the letters OCWM mean?" The first girl wrote "Our Church's Wider Mission". The other girl wrote "Our Continuing Winter Misery!" I gave them both an "A".
Yes, it seems that this relentless "Arctic Attack" is affecting everyone and everything. On Sunday, I turned on the early morning news and watched the man in Pennsylvania read the latest prognostication from "Punxsutawney Phil", which declared six more weeks of winter.
I don't pay too attention to him as he was wrong last year, picking us to have an early spring on the road to two more months of winter. Besides, virtually every place in the Midwest has its own groundhog forecaster.
 In Kansas, it was "Centralia Sam." In South Dakota, it was "Pukwana Pete," and here in western Minnesota, it is "Wegdahl Willie." I went out toward the hillside near the Minnesota River on Sunday afternoon to see if "Willie" had a message for us on "Ground Hog Day".
Sure enough, right next to his entrance, there was an old pickle jar with a note inside it. It read, "To Whom It May Concern, It was too cold for me to stick out my head this morning, so the only forecast I can give you is that old standard statement: "April showers bring May flowers" - and he added "And May brings us to June and we all know what that means don't we?!"
That's right, "Wegdahl Willie," it means it will be time for us to pack our bags and head for the Minnesota Conference United Church of Christ Annual Meeting at the College of St. Benedict on June 13-15. It means we will all come out of our winter of hibernation and celebrate being "Strangers No More!"
We hope to see all of you there, whatever the weather!
Rev. Dick Fylling, Annual Meeting Planning Work Group
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Get your Congregation to Pilgrim Point in 2014!
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Check out the Reservation Form for lodging and rate information.
On the back, you can find procedures on how to make a successful reservation. Please read through this carefully before submitting your application. Contact Zac at zacn@uccmn.org for available dates and other questions.
Currently available weekend dates and facilities:
- July 25-27, 2014 | Annex, North Shore, POEM Cabins
- August 1-3, 2014 | Annex, North Shore, POEM Cabins, and Campground
- August 8-10, 2014 | North Shore and Campground
- August 22-24, 2014 | North Shore and Campground
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Celebrate Seminary Sunday, February 23rd
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Celebrate Seminary Sunday on February 23rd
Why Celebrate Seminary Sunday?
Our UCC seminaries are filled with faithful, committed students seeking the skills and wisdom necessary to lead the church in the 21st century. Our congregations need these students. In our region, we are blessed to have three fine UCC seminaries - Chicago, United, and Eden. Each of these seminaries provides quality education for pastors and lay leaders, and they provide research and resources that serve the entire UCC. Please join us on February 23 in supporting the current and future leadership of the UCC by celebrating Chicago, United, and Eden Seminaries.
How to Celebrate Seminary Sunday
- Lift up our UCC seminaries and seminarians in prayer, in mission moments, and in your bulletins.
- Post materials about Chicago, Eden, and United Seminaries on bulletin boards.
- Include a special prayer or litany in your service.
- Show a five-minute CUE Seminaries DVD.
- Include a gift to CUE Seminaries in your church budget or to take a special offering.
- DVDs, bulletin inserts, posters, and offering envelopes are available CUE Seminaries website: http://www.cueseminaries.org
Interested in having someone from United Theological Seminary help you celebrate Seminary Sunday? Please contact Kathleen Remund, Director of Development, kremund@unitedseminary.edu or 651-255-6112 for details. If there are other times that work better for your church to have someone visit we can arrange that as well.
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2014 Ecumenical Advocacy Days
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from your Conference Justice & Witness Team
2014 Ecumenical Advocacy Days
When: March 21, 2014
Where: Doubletree Hotel, 300 Army-Navy Dr., Crystal City, Virginia
Come to the 12th annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days and join UCC advocates and hundreds of other Christians in "Resisting Violence, Building Peace." Guided by the image of Jesus weeping over a capital city that turned from the true way of peace (Luke 19:41-42), we will expose the violence that pervades our culture and world.
We will confront and imagine how to transform the violence in our world, and together will seek a vision of peace in the community, peace among the peoples, peace in the marketplace, and peace with the earth. Through prayer, worship, speakers, and advocacy training we will discover a faith-based vision for national policies that "guide our feet into the path of peace" (Luke 1:79), all culminating with Monday's Congressional Lobby Day on Capitol Hill.
For more info and to register, see the Ecumenical Advocacy Days website - http://advocacydays.org.
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Clergy Clusters in the Coming Week
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Northeast Cluster: Thursday, February 6, 11:30am
First Congregational UCC, Brainerd
Northern Cluster: Tuesday, February 11, 11:00am
Peace UCC, Duluth
Southwest Cluster: Thursday, February 11, 11:30am
ToKen BBQ, 205 Main Street West, Mapleton
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Cert School
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This course includes 50+ hours of instruction, textbooks, six webinars, individual coaching, ministry plan projects assessment, lodging and meals.
Participation in Cert School costs: $2,000 early registration May 18-23 & Nov. 7-9, 2014
Email Zac to get more information about scholarships and the course!
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Youth Camps at PPC!
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Registration for the 2014 youth camps is now OPEN!
Register early - by March 15 - to get a free 2014 PPC t-shirt!
Fee: $300 youth, $100 adult
Youth Camp Week 1 | July 20-25, 2014
Youth Camp Week 2 | July 27-Aug 1, 2014
Contact your youth leader to find out which week your congregation is attending! Youth camps are open to those exiting 5-12th grade.
Please feel free to email the PPC Registrar, Zac Norenberg, with any questions about the Youth Camps and the changes taking place!
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Clergy and Faith Formation Gathering
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Winter High School Youth Event 2014
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Winter High School Youth Event
Every person has talents, passions, gifts and abilities they can offer to make the world a better place. The High School Conference Youth Event will focus on naming the ways you are gifted and thinking about how you might be called to put those gifts to use!
Early registration by Feb. 10: $75 youth, $50 adult
Registration after Feb. 10: $85 youth, $60 adult
Download the Authorization Form:
This event is for High School youth (grades 9-12 only) and their adult leaders (21 and older).
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Spring Middle School Youth Event 2014
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Spring Middle School Youth EventThe Spring Middle School CYE will be a wonderful cap to your program or confirmation year! We will be "doing - thinking - dreaming" - with ways our faith put into action can change the world. Part of the retreat will be spent "doing" various service projects around Pilgrim Point Camp. We look forward to seeing you this spring! Early Registration by April 7: $50 youth, $35 adult Registration after April 7: $60 youth, $45 adult Deadline for all registration is April 28 Download the Authorization Form: YOUTH | ADULT This event is for Middle School youth and their adult leaders. Adults must attend with youth.
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Communities of practice for church leaders
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Cultivating Greenhouses and Hot-Spots
for Soul-Full and Resilient Leadership:
Communities of practice for church leaders
Feb 27, 2014 - Feb 28, 2014
8:30am Registration
Thurs, 9:00am-4:00pm; Fri, 9:00-1:00pm
Valley of Peace Lutheran Church
4735 Bassett Creek Dr, Golden Valley
Open to church leaders everywhere
 As the landscape of religious life changes, we need to imagine new ways of leading and of sustaining ourselves as church leaders. More than ever, we need the creative power of a "greenhouse" to reflect upon our actual experiences, draw upon our collective imaginations, and find the courage to risk new experiments. We need "hot spots" to connect to the deeper sources of spiritual renewal that also provide mutual, on-going, practice-based learning.
Leaders: Chris Braudaway-Bauman and Larry Peers serve as Director and Director of Learning of the Pastoral Excellence Network.
Cost: $4.95 (includes lunch)
Registration Deadline: February 14
Contact: Willie Sordillo, wsordillo@cts.edu, 508-405-1850
Sponsored by: Minneapolis Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA)
REGISTRATION: http://bit.ly/1bnx6xl
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Local Church Events
| Check out all the events happening at our local churches across Minnesota on our Local Church Events Calendar. Just click on the title of the event in the calendar to get more details.
- Thursday, ongoing: Teen LGBT & Allies Community Group, Peace UCC, Rochester
- Wednesday, February 5: Fare for All Express, Hazel Park UCC, St. Paul
- Friday, February 7: Come Play with Words, St. Anthony Park UCC, St. Paul
- Sunday, February 9: Evensong Service with Harp & Dulcimer, St. Paul's UCC, St. Paul
- Saturday, February 15: Music from the Heart, Gaylord UCC, Gaylord
- Tuesday, February 18: What is the Doctrine of Discovery and why should we repudiate it? Union Congregational UCC, St. Louis Park
Want to see your event listed on this calendar? It's simple! Just email Alison at alisonb@uccmn.org. Thank you!
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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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