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COMMAnts from Our Conference Minister - September 2015
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- from Shari Prestemon, Conference Minister
Creating a Surplus of Love 
Do we have a "deficit of love" in our nation? A call to the Church to transform that deficit into a surplus of love...
The last several days have been a time of sober remembrance for me. August 29 marked the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a storm that decimated our nation's Gulf Coast region and overturned countless lives, including my own.
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Liberty and Justice for All - A Sunday Committed to Ending Racism
| Join with our brothers and sisters in the historic African American  Methodist community in dedicating your worship this Sunday to "Confession, Repentance, and Commitment to End Racism." The National Council of Churches is calling upon every church, temple, mosque, and faith community to make their worship service on this Sunday (or on a Sunday that makes sense in your congregation) a time to confess and repent for the sin and evil of racism and to make a commitment to end racism by the example of our lives and actions. |
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It's Fall Clean-Up Time
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 It's that time of year to gather the last of the garden crops and pick the last blooms before the early frosts end the growing season. It's time to take the rake in hand and gather up the fallen leaves or to mow and mulch them to feed the lawn for next year's growing season. It could also be the right time to clean up finances to help feed the ministry and mission of your church with needed funds that might be saved with some consolidation of older loans or some new investments. The Cornerstone Fund of the United Church of Christ would like to be your helper in doing some of those clean up chores. We can't come rake your church yard, but we can help with some financial clean up. Contact our Mission Interpreter, Rev. David Moyer at 608-630-3177 or email him for more information. He might even bring a rake and gloves and help with those yard chores.
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Employment Opportunity in the Minnesota Conference Office
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The Conference is now searching for a newly created position, Director of Finance and Operations. Review of applications for this 30 hour per week position will begin soon. See the full job description here.
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MN Conference of the UCC Office Closed for Labor Day
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Our office will be closed on Monday, September 7, so that our staff may observe the Labor Day holiday. We will back in the office on Tuesday, September 8.
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Joys & Concerns
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- An Ecclesiastical Council for Aaron Lauer will be held on Wednesday, September 9, at 2:00pm at First Congregational of Minnesota UCC. To ensure a quorum for the council, please RSVP to the church via email or call 612-331-3816.
- We are saddened to share the news of the sudden death of JoAnn Goodrie Higgins, a member of the MN Conference Board of Directors since 2014. JoAnn, a member of Peace UCC in St. Cloud, died Friday, August 28. A memorial service is scheduled for Thursday, September 3, at 11:00 a.m. (visitation at 10 a.m.) at Peace UCC in St. Cloud (directions).
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Notices
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- Internship Grants Available for Churches - Deadline for application is September 8, 2015. An internship in a UCC church is an important step on the path to ordination for a Member in Discernment with the Minnesota Conference UCC - whether a seminary student or seminary graduate. Grants are available to assist churches with the cost of hosting an intern. Your church is invited to apply.
- Training for visiting and supporting detained immigrants is available at Spring House Ministry Center in Minneapolis on September 14 and 21. For details, view their flyer.
- Bread for Life has information available about how your congregation can be involved in implementation of a plan for International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17.
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Clergy Clusters
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Clergy Clusters in the coming week:
- Northern Cluster: Tuesday, September 8, 11:30 a.m. at Pilgrim Congregational, Duluth
- Southwest Cluster: Thursday, September 10, 11:30 a.m. at First Congregational, Mankato
- Northeast Cluster: Thursday, September 20, 12:00 p.m. at First Congregational, Brainerd
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Upcoming Events
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- Minnesota Conference Events
- Anti-Racism Dialogue: Sign up now as registration for this event closes on Tuesday, September 8! All in the Conference are welcome to attend a portion of this Fall's Annual Leadership Retreat at Pilgrim Point Camp on Friday, September 11. Kent Nerburn will lead those gathered in continued anti-racism dialogue and training.
- Fall Clergy Convocation: Join us at Christ the King Retreat Center in Buffalo, MN on October 8 & 9 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. Our keynote speaker will be Rev. Dr. Robin Meyer. Deadline for registration is September 25.
- Back Bay Mission Trip: The Minnesota Conference UCC is sponsoring a mission trip to Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi January 31-February 6, 2016.
- Women's Retreat of the Minnesota Conference UCC - "Finding Our Voices" with Maren Tirabassi on September 25-27 at Pilgrim Point
- National UCC Events
- The Spirit Awakening the Church with Diana Butler Bass will be offered on two dates (September 19 in Eau Claire or September 20 in Watertown) by the Wisconsin Conference's Christian Education/Faith Formation Commission. Registration is required.
- Widen the Welcome Conference hosted by UCC Mental Health Ministry + UCC Disabilities Ministry, Hartford, CT, Sept 24-26, 2015. Early registration ends soon so register today!
- Creating Sacred Space: A Discussion: this panel discussion will be live streamed from Cleveland on October 27.
- National Youth Event (NYE) is schedule for July 26-30, 2016 at Walt Disney World in Florida. Mark your calendars! We encourage local churches to begin the fund raising process early. Registration to open in the coming months.
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Minnesota Conference United Church of Christ | www.uccmn.org
122 W Franklin Ave, Suite 323, Minneapolis, MN 55404
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Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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