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Happy New Year to You From
the Minnesota Conference United Church of Christ Staff!
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MN Conference UCC Core Values and Strategic Priorities
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 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, Rick Wagner speaks on Innovation.
Innovation is one of the core values of the Minnesota Conference UCC. Part of what we mean by innovation is discovering, implementing and sharing new ministry practices. Where can you learn about these practices? Well, to start, consider the New Beginnings program, or Certification School for Progressive Youth Ministry, or Ministerial Excellence Groups, fall Clergy Convocations, or Church on the Move events. If you've attended recent Annual Meetings,
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An Email and Name Change in the Conference Office
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 After this edition, your COMMAntary weekly newsletter will be coming to you from Sandy Kellen instead of from Sandy Peterson. I'm still the same Sandy, I have just taken time over the holidays to get married! Starting in 2016, my email address will be sandyk@uccmn.org instead of sandyp@uccmn.org. |
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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. 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.
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Joys & Concerns
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- 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.
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Clergy Clusters
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- Southeast Cluster ~ Tuesday, January 5 at 11:30 a.m. at Peace UCC, Rochester
- Twin Cities East Cluster ~ Wednesday, January 6 at 12:00 p.m. at Parkway UCC, Minneapolis
- Northeast Cluster ~ Thursday, January 7 at 11:30 a.m. at First Congregational, Brainerd
- Southwest Cluster ~ Thursday, January 7 at 11:30 a.m. at First Congregational, Mankato
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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.
- 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.
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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.
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Employment Opportunities
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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.
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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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