COMMAntary E-Newsletter, Vol. 11, No. 31 
August 5, 2015 
In This Issue
COMMAnts from the Conference Minister - August 2015

  - from Shari Prestemon, Conference Minister  

Lessons From My "Great Adventure"
Last month I hit the road for what came to be called my "great northern adventure". I headed north to visit five of our churches in five days, four of them scattered just this side of the Canadian border. My first stop was Faith UCC in International Falls (Reverend Sue Hamly, pastor). Then I ventured a bit farther west to the three congregations of the Rainy River Regional Parish pastored by Reverend John Tschudy: United Congregational UCC in Birchdale, First Congregational UCC in Baudette, and Pilgrim Congregational Church in Williams. From there, I meandered south again for a visit at Union Congregational Church in Hackensack (Reverend Michael Small, pastor).
Pray for Racial Justice This Sunday
The United Church of Christ wants to make real its Christian commitment to racial justice. On Sunday, August 9, the actual anniversary of Michael Brown's death, take time to come together as a church and pray for racial justice. Use these prayers and resources.
Fall Clergy Convocation - October 8 & 9 
Fearless Faith, Prophetic Church:
Reclaiming the Subversive Way of Jesus

Join us at Christ the King Retreat Center in Buffalo, MN for a special time for our Conference's clergy leadership to gather in a beautiful setting, enjoy fellowship with each other, and reflect together on our ministries, our calling, and our challenges. 

Who: Minnesota Conference UCC clergy & church leadership
When: Thursday, October 8 at 1:30PM until Friday, October 9th at 3:00PM
Where: Christ the King Retreat Center, Buffalo, MN (directions)
Cost: $75-85 for Authorized Ministers; $115-125 for other persons

Our keynote speaker, Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers, will be leading us through our time together. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, the Distinguished Professor of Social Justice at Oklahoma City University, the best selling author of seven books, a widely traveled lecturer and preacher on behalf of Progressive Christianity, and an award-winning columnist for the Oklahoma Gazette, and National Public Radio.
Monica Liddle has her own Mission Work in East Timor 
The Minnesota Conference has been blessed to engage in global ministries in a variety of ways through the years. Now we have a wonderful opportunity to financially support the missionary appointments of two of our own, Rev. Tom and Dr. Monica Liddle (members of Peace UCC - Duluth).
________________________________________________________________
-from Monica Liddle

 

East Timor is a hot, tropical, mountainous country 7 degrees south of the Equator that is extremely underdeveloped. A million people live there, 70% of them in rural areas where roads are at times impassible in the rainy season. Just as it is in the USA, many pastors and health care providers in East Timor prefer to work in more urban areas, leaving gaps to access of services in many remote areas. In our second term as Global Ministries mission personnel, Tom and I will continue to reach out to the 70%, bringing health care and pastoral care to these gap areas.

Joys & Concerns
  • United Church of Christ in New Brighton will celebrate its 125th anniversary during the weekend of August 8-9, 2015. A dinner on Saturday evening will be followed by a program. A "Grand Worship" service on Sunday morning at 10 AM will feature a guest preacher, Rev. Linda Jaramillo, UCC Executive Minister for Justice and Witness. The church is located at 1000 Long Lake Rd. in New Brighton. Contact the church at 651-633-1327 or email them for more information.
Notices
  • Dr. Jennifer Harvey's keynote speech from the Annual Meeting in June is available. It is a powerful address on Racism.
  • VOAD is offering FREE training under the Critical Incident Stress Management umbrella to help equip people to minister to people in distress.  Spiritual and Psychological First Aid is offered on August 25-26 and Grief Following Trauma will be August 27-28.  Details on these courses and registration information are available.
  • The Minnesota Conference Office is seeking your stories.  How has the Conference impacted your church life?  Have we helped with searching for and finding a new pastor?  Have we been there to help your church through a transitional time?  Or perhaps provided guidance and training to your clergy and lay leaders?  Perhaps we've assisted in finding the resources you've needed to sustain your congregation?  If you answered yes to any of these questions or have something else to share, we would love to hear your story.  Please tell us in your words how we've made a difference.  Stories can be submitted to Lese Wright.  Photos and quotes are also welcome.  We will use as many stories as we can in publications and marketing.
Upcoming Events
Employment Opportunities
Check out the employment opportunities portion of the Minnesota Conference website. Click here to see the listings.
Minnesota Conference United Church of Christ | www.uccmn.org
122 W Franklin Ave, Suite 323, Minneapolis, MN 55404

This resource is brought to you by generous contributions to Our Church's Wider Mission. 

The Minnesota Conference United Church of Christ (UCC) is the state-wide organization that equips UCC pastors to lead, supports congregations, engages in transformative mission and witness, and guides youth and adults on their faith journeys. Get involved.

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