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UCC Responds to the Waves of Refugees that are Coming into Europe
| The refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe has captured media headlines recently. Rev. Dr. Jim Moos, Co-Executive of the UCC's Global Ministries, shares how the UCC is actively responding.
 There are now more refugees and displaced persons than at any time in history, with the largest number coming from the Middle East. The most recent UN estimates are that over 4 million Syrians have crossed international borders as refugees since the war began there in 2011, and over 7.5 million are internally displaced. These numbers represent over half of the population of Syria, and they are growing on a daily basis. In addition, there are large number of Iraqi, Afghani and Palestinian refugees. |
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Joys & Concerns
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- Rev. Susan Lester, who has ministerial standing in the Minnesota Conference, will be installed Sunday, September 20, at 10:30 a.m. as pastor of SouthCross Community Church in Burnsville. All clergy are invited to wear robes and rainbow stoles. Rev. Lester was most recently the pastor of First Congregational UCC in Sherburn. A reception will follow the service of installation. The church is located at 1880 County Rd. 42 E. in Burnsville.
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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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Clergy Clusters
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Clergy Clusters in the coming week:
- Southwest Cluster: Thursday, September 10, 11:30 a.m. at First Congregational, Mankato
- Northeast Cluster: Thursday, September 10, 12:00 p.m. at First Congregational, Brainerd
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Upcoming Events
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- Minnesota Conference Events
- 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
- A UCC Chaplains Gathering will take place on September 24 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Minnesota Church Center, 122 W. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis in Conference Room 1. This is open to all who identify their primary ministry as chaplaincy. Please email Sandy Peterson if you will be attending.
- 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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Notices
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- 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.
- ASDIC Metamorphosis is pleased to announce a community racial dialogue circle for Fall 2015. There will be ten Saturday morning sessions from September 26 - December 12 and this is open to everyone. For details, view their flyer.
- Living the Sacred Trust: Boundary and Ethics Training is being offered on Thursday, November 12 at Hylands United Methodist, 9920 Normandale Blvd, Bloomington. This training satisfies the requirements of the Minnesota Conference Committee on Ministry. For more information and to register, view their flyer.
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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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