COMMAntary E-Newsletter, Vol. 11, No. 51 
December 23, 2015 
In This Issue


The entire staff of the Minnesota Conference United Church of Christ extends our best wishes to all of you for a blessed Christmas graced with God's love, joy, and peace.

MN Conference UCC Core Values and Strategic Priorities
This Fall, our Associate Conference Ministers have been sharing their take on our Core Values and Strategic Priorities adopted by the Board of Directors on August 18, 2012.  Today, Steve Boorsma speaks on Empowerment.

Affirming multiple approaches to accomplish God's work, we identify and develop diverse leaders, share resources and information, and responsibly delegate accountability and authority to act.

Twenty-five years ago Barbara Brown Zikmund published: "Empowerment and Embodiment: Understandings of Ministry in the United Church of Christ." In it she writes "The United Church of Christ states in its constitution that every
Upcoming Events
  • 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.  Registration is now open.  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.  The volunteer team is looking forward to taking some of the items that Back Bay has indicated they would like for their new Client Choice Wish List  and their Day Center Food Choices list .  If you and/or your church are gathering some of these items or items off of previous lists to be taken to Biloxi, please contact Bob Peterson as soon as possible so that he can have contact information and plan to pickup and receive those items by January 15.
  • 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.   
Joys & Concerns
  • Michael Fritz will be ordained on Saturday, January 2, 2016 at 2 p.m. at Bethlehem UCC in Maple Lake (directions).  A light meal will follow the service of ordination.  Clergy are invited to wear stoles.  Michael will serve First Congregational UCC in Glencoe as Interim Minister.
  • First Congregational UCC in Hutchinson is taking on a new identity and changing its name.  Friday, January 8, the church will celebrate its roots as First Congregational.  Then on Sunday, January 10, at 10 a.m. the congregation will worship for the first time as New Journey United Church of Christ.  At 3 p.m. the congregation will celebrate their new name and install Jill Warner as Pastor.  All are welcome.
  • Pastor Tim Johnson is West Sider of the Year!  At the West Side Citizen's Organization's Annual Meeting on December 7, Pastor Tim was named West Side Citizen of the Year.  WSCO's Executive Director, Christine Shyne, presented the award.  She honored Pastor Tim's service by including the many ways his active presence and open-hearted care for neighbors made a positive impact on the West Side community for the last three decades.  Tim gave a thoughtful acceptance speech that was well received by the big crowd attending the meeting.  Congratulations, Pastor Tim!
Notices
  • 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.
  • The application process for Back Bay Mission's Shari Prestemon Internship is open!  This internship provides a unique opportunity to members of the UCC between the ages of 19 and 35 and will nurture participants' passion for social justice and develop their appreciation for the church's role in seeking social justice.  The Mission covers the cost of travel to and from Biloxi and interns stay in Mission housing (the Cottage) with other long-term volunteers.  In addition, they provide a stipend of $250/week.  Learn more about this internship opportunity.
  • An exciting evening of creative thinking and rethinking theology will be presented on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, 7:00 p.m. Renowned author and peacemaker Shane Claiborne will be speaking on "Resurrecting Church". This event is sponsored by MN MALES and is held in New Brighton, MN at the United Seminary of the Twin Cities. Admission Fee: $10, $15 at door. 
Employment Opportunities
The MN Conference is now searching for a Director of Finance and Operations.  Deadline for applications for this 30-hour per week position is Friday, January 8.  See the full job description here.

The Minnesota Council of Churches announces an opening for the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition Executive Director position.  If you or someone you know is interested in this position, please take time to look at the details of the job description.

Also, check out the employment opportunities portion of the Minnesota Conference website for all open positions.
Click here to see the listings.
Minnesota Conference United Church of Christ | www.uccmn.org
122 W Franklin Ave, Suite 323, Minneapolis, MN 55404