Mission Bite:
Feeding our bodies and our spirits

In 2011, St. Mark's United Church of Christ in Bloomington created a community garden. It all started with the vision of a couple of members of the church. St. Mark's is surrounded by quite a bit of land and that land had sat dormant for many years. With a grant given by the city and a willing group of volunteers -fifteen 10 x 15 foot plots were created. Walking paths were also created between the plots making it easier to navigate between them. The soil was enriched by large truck load of compost and the garden began to take shape. The plots were quickly spoken for - by both church members and as well as members of the community.

Click to keep reading.

Dear Minnesota Conference family,

One thing that has become abundantly clear to me in my time as your Conference Minister thus far is that all of us are longing for relationships across the Conference that are deep and genuine. You want to know your Conference staff, and we want to know you. We long to gather together for fellowship, to learn from one another, and to experience mutual support of our ministries.

Church on the Move is designed to respond to our desire to be together more often as a United Church of Christ family. Over the next 9 months there will be 4 events in different regions of the Conference, and you're invited! You can come to the one nearest you or to all of them. At least two Conference staff will be at each of the events. By the way: this is definitely not just for clergy! Bring a car-load from your congregation, or a bus! Each Church on the Move event will be different, with varied speakers, workshops and worship experiences in each place. You'll see more information about the first of these events, to be held in Duluth, September 20, below.

I issued a challenge at Annual Meeting that we would have 4 events and a grand total of 400 participants by the time we're done. I'm counting on you and your congregation to help me meet that goal.
See you at Church on the Move!
Grace and Peace,

Shari Prestemon

Church on the Move
Are you ready to enhance your relationships with those in your congregation, in your region and across the Minnesota Conference? Do you want to learn best practices and network to discover the marks of thriving churches? Will you lift your voice with fellow UCCers in moving worship?

Join us for Church on the Move: a regional event designed to empower congregations across the Minnesota Conference into motion with resources, best practices, and an enriched and strengthened network.

 

Where: Pilgrim Congregational UCC, 2310 E 4th St, Duluth, MN
When: Saturday, September 20, 9:30am Registration, 10:00-3:00pm Program
Who: Lay leaders, authorized clergy, ministry teams
Cost: $20/person; includes lunch and materials

 

Registration is now open! 

Joys and Concerns

• Rev. Donald Chapman, who served First Congregational UCC in Glencoe from 1955 until his retirement in 1984, died on Monday, July 28th. A memorial service is scheduled for August 12 at 11:00am at First Congregational UCC in Glencoe. Our prayers and sympathies are extended to Rev. Chapman's family and friends.
   
• The Conference Office has learned of the death of Rev. Gary Downing on Wednesday, June 25th. Rev. Downing served as Executive Minister at Colonial Church in Edina, then as pastor of Faith Covenant Church in Burnsville, and Rochester Covenant Church. In recent years, he and his wife, Kathy, owned a bed-and-breakfast in Costa Rica. Rev. Downing is survived by his wife, four children and eight grandchildren. A memorial service has already been held. Our condolences and prayers are extended to Rev. Downing's family and friends.
   
• Rev. Adam Westrich and his wife, JaNae, along with big sister, Verity, welcomed daughter Felicity Grace on June 19th. Adam is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Norwood Young America and JaNae is licensed to serve as pastor of Zoar UCC in Chaska. Congratulations, Westrich family!
   
• We have received word that Rev. Dr. Allan McAllaster, founding Dean of Admissions and Records at United Theological Seminary and Retired Authorized Minister of the Minnesota Conference UCC died on Thursday, July 3rd. He is preceded in death by his wife, Evelyn, and their first-born son, Larry McAllaster. Our prayers are with the McAllaster family, and Rev. Dr. McAllaster's UTS family as well. A full obituary is available here.
   
• The United Church of Mapleton, Minnesota was featured earlier this week in Church World Service's (CWS) Emergency Response Update for their response to the recent appeal for CWS School Kits. The national UCC has earmarked $50,000 in matching grants to assist congregations in meeting the need. Click here to read more!
   
• Rev. Kathleen Burns, a UCC minister and Allina Health Hospice Chaplain was recently mentioned in an article in the Star Tribune about living memorials. Read more here.

Notices

• Clergy Clusters
• Southwest Cluster: Thursday, August 7, 11:30am, United Church, Mapleton (201 SW Troendle St)

Global Connection

As we seek, as people of faith, to be connected with the world both at our doorsteps and in far flung places, please take special note of the following ways the United Church of Christ is responding:

• Kids-to-Kids Border Project: Children and teenagers from Mexico and Central America have made long journeys to come and live in the United States. Detention centers are places where people can stay for a short time while they figure out if they are allowed to live in the U.S. and where the best place is to go once they get permission to stay. Detention centers do not have enough immigration officers, cooks, beds, and other resources to help all these kids at once. Click to keep reading.
  
  Please also take note and give generously to the special appeal that has been established to provide assistance to unaccompanied child refugees at our Southern border. Click here for donation options.
   
• Resolution, Not Rockets: As the death toll climbs each day in the conflict between the Israeli military and Hamas forces in Gaza, leaders from the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) are praying for a break in the violence that has killed hundreds of children and thousands of civilians. Those leaders reiterate that neither Israelis nor Palestinians, who have gone back and forth blaming each other for the outbreak of violence, will achieve long-lasting peace as long as the occupation of Palestinian lands continues. Click to keep reading.
   
• Update on Ebola Outbreak in Africa: The entire family of Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ would like to express concern and heartfelt sympathy for the many lives that have been lost as a result of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. We are deeply saddened that Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have had more than their share of pain and sorrow. Click to keep reading.

Upcoming Events

Employment Opportunities

Check out the employment opportunities portion of the Minnesota Conference website. Click here to see the listings.

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