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COMMAnts from the Conference Minister - December 2015
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-from Shari Prestemon, Conference Minister
 "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." (Luke 3:4-6)
A little over a week ago I marched with approximately 1000 others - including at least a dozen UCC clergy and members - from the 4th Precinct in North Minneapolis to the City Hall downtown. It was the morning after 5 protesters had been shot, and I had a compelling, faith-driven need to be present and offer a witness of love amid festering hatred and anger.
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Big UCC Welcome to Allison Stevens
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The Minnesota Conference UCC is delighted to welcome our newest member of staff, Allison Stevens, who is serving in the role of Director of Finance and Operations. Allison comes to us having served 5 years as Finance Director of First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis. We're excited to benefit from her vast financial gifts!
Please be sure to show Allison the extravagant welcome & hospitality the UCC is known for the next time you call the office or stop by. Allison can be reached at business@uccmn.org.
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MN Conference a Leader in Supporting 5 New Initiatives Across UCC
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Reverend Dr. John Dorhauer, new General Minister & President of the United Church of Christ, is wasting no time in rolling out five new initiatives designed to spur renewal across the life of the Church. He invited the MN Conference to be a "lead Conference" by providing special support to fund the initiatives, and the Board of Directors voted to do so at its November meeting.
The first of the 5 Initiatives is already being launched : Still Speaking 2.0. This campaign is a follow-up to the Still Speaking campaign done 10 years ago that made the red comma a signature branding piece for the UCC. As a lead Conference, our congregations in MN are among those having the first opportunity nation-wide to engage in the Still Speaking 2.0 campaign.
Today, pastors received their first glimpse of 16 new images they can utilize in their social media and other communication outlets of their church. Tomorrow, those images will be available for uploading and you'll begin seeing them on Facebook news feeds, Twitter, and a variety of other places.
If you're a local church pastor in the Minnesota Conference and didn't receive the emails with information about this Still Speaking 2.0 campaign, please contact Sandy Peterson . We look forward to your feedback!
Reverend Shari Prestemon
Conference Minister
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Back Bay Mission Volunteers are Looking for Supplies for Their Mission Trip
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 The volunteer team for Back Bay Mission is looking forward to taking some of the items that Back Bay had indicated they would like for their food shelf and their Micah Center. If you and/or your church are gathering some of these items to be taken to Biloxi, Mississippi, please let Bob Peterson know as soon as possible so that he can have contact information and plan to pickup and receive those items by January 15. A big thank you to the churches who have already contacted him about the items they are collecting for Back Bay.
Registration for the 2016 Back Bay Mission trip (January 30 - February 6) is now closed. There are 36 volunteers aged 40 to over 80, from 18 churches who will be traveling to Biloxi. The response has been outstanding with several people indicating that while the 2016 dates did not work for them, they are looking forward to 2017 (when we will be requesting two weeks back to back so some volunteers can work for two weeks and others can choose between working either one of the two) and the opportunity to join the group. The dates for the 2017 trip will be published in January.
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Upcoming Events
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- Minnesota Conference Events
- Church on the Move: Saturday, January 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at United Theological Seminary in New Brighton. Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, General Minister and President of the UCC, will be our keynote speaker. Come and hear what he has to say about the future of the UCC. This event is $10/person (sign up 5 people and the 5th one is free).
- 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. See the article above for supplies they are gathering for their trip.
- Regional UCC Events
- Recharge - A Ministry of Youth Leadership is a one-day multi-denominational conference to inspire and equip church staff and their volunteers serving in children's, youth, and family ministry. Sign up now for their Twin Cities, Duluth and Fargo conferences that will take place in January.
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Joys & Concerns
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- Nina Stroh, wife of retired minister Rev. Jim Stroh, died Friday, November 27. Funeral services were held on Wednesday, December 2 at Congregational Church of Faribault. A registered nurse, Nina lived in Omaha and several Iowa communities where Rev. Jim Stroh served churches. The couple retired to Faribault in 1995. Nina stroh is survived by her husband Jim, three children and their spouses, and seven grandchildren. Our condolences to the family.
- Sarah Yetter, formerly a licensed pastor, died November 28. Memorial services are scheduled for Saturday, December 12 at 11 a.m. at First Congregational Church in Wadena with visitation beginning at 9:30 a.m Sarah, along with licensed minister Cindy Lemke, assisted Rev. Muriel Hachfield in serving the UCC congregations of the former Heartland Parish (Staples, New York Mills, and Bertha). After retiring as a licensed minister, Sarah continued to serve her home congregational, First Congregational UCC in Wadena, as Moderator and occasional worship leader. Our sympathy to the family.
- John Szarke will be installed as Pastor of Community UCC in Biwabik (directions) on Sunday, December 6 at 9:30 a.m. A reception will follow the service of installation. Clergy are invited to robe and wear red stoles. John Szarke, a licensed minister, has served Community UCC since May, 2015.
- Rev. Zoe Kuester will be installed as Pastor and Teacher of Mizpah UCC (directions) on Sunday, December 6 at 2 p.m. A reception will follow the service of installation. Clergy are invited to robe and wear red stoles.
- Danielle Goette, a licensed minister serving Zoar UCC in Waldorf, died Sunday, November 29 in Mankato. A memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Monday, December 7 at First Congregational UCC in Mankato. Danielle had served Zoar UCC as a licensed pastor since 2007. She is survived by her husband Steve, two daughters, her father, Rev. Tim Berg, and other family members. Our sympathies to the family and the congregation.
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Clergy Clusters
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- Northern Cluster - Tuesday, December 8 at 11 a.m. at Peace UCC, Duluth
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Notices
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- The Minnesota Conference UCC is pleased to announce the approval of up to $10,000 for congregation micro-grants of $200-$700 from the Ashley Endowment. Grants must support the congregation's ministry and work with children, youth and/or families. View and download the grant application here.
- Youth and Children's Ministry resources are available for your church. R.E.A.D.Y. for a new discovery of yourself, the church, your community, and the world? You and your youth can begin the journey of experiencing mission in new ways with this curriculum created by Global Ministries. Kids to Kids VBS Curriculums include several free downloads. All of them are directly related to Global Ministries of the UCC and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
- The Faith Formation Team of the United Church of Christ and Trinity United Church of Christ is sponsoring KidzBeat, an inspiring model of ministry on March 9 from 3:30 - 7:30 p.m. This successful after-school arts program for children in grades one through six offers a dozen courses in music, choral instruction, drama, culinary and more.
- The Middle East Initiative of UCC Global Ministries is excited to announce a special webinar opportunity with Rev. Dr. Walter Brueggemann who will be joining us December 9th at 12:00 CT to discuss his new book "Chosen?: Reading the Bible Amid the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict". Visit the Global Ministries website for more information and to register for this event.
- The Minnesota Council On Family Relations presents the Fall 2015 Annual Conference addressing gender in school, work, and family on Friday, December 4 at the New Brighton Community Center. This conference will be useful in creating welcoming and equitable environments for all student and adults; learning about the broad spectrum of gender development and how it influences our lives and work; and getting practical tips for working with individuals and families, and hearing personal stories.
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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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