COMMAntary E-Newsletter, Vol. 12, No. 10 
March 9, 2016
In This Issue
COMMAnts from the Conference Minister - March 2016 
-From Shari Prestemon, Conference Minister

Life Together: Confession & Forgiveness

Grace and peace to you in this sacred Lenten season.

A couple of weeks ago I was sharing an order of service from the UCC Book of Worship with one of our congregations.  It was the litany for a time of farewell in a congregation, a scripted dialogue between a pastor who is departing and the congregation seeing them go.  It is a conversation of mutual thanksgiving, boundary-setting, and encouragement.

But it is also very much a poignant ritual of confession and gracious forgiveness...

Spotlight on Our Minnesota Conference Churches -
Austin Congregational United Church of Christ, Austin

Look for an article about one of the churches in the Conference each week.  Take the time to get to know each other and see how God is working in our mission and ministries. This week, we are spotlighting Austin Congregational UCC in Austin.

 Tell about the work you do in your community or in the world: Celebrating 50 years in 2015-2016, Congregational Preschool is our primary community outreach program. A non-secular, non-denominational, non-discriminatory early childhood development program was the first founded in Mower County Minnesota. Continually operated as a state licensed program it has severed thousands of students - getting them off to a solid start for kindergarten and beyond.  We also support our local food shelf and local school backpack food program, in fact, our children collect these offerings of food and loose change during our offering when adults are donating to support our ministries. 
Upcoming Events
  • Minnesota Conference Events
    • Register Now for Boundary Training in April and May 2016.  Two sessions have been scheduled for spring:
      Registration is open for both sessions.  The cost is $50 and space is limited.
    • The MN Conference is organizing a sacred journey of study and immersion to Israel-Palestine for January 9-20, 2017.  An informational meeting will be held on Saturday, April 30, 1:30- 3 pm at Mayflower UCC (106 Diamond Lake Road; Minneapolis) with Conference Minister Shari Prestemon and trip organizer Rev. Bonnie Van Overbeke.  A draft itinerary for the trip will be shared along with some other early details.  Certainty about participation is not necessary to attend this meeting.  Just bring your questions and your curiosity!
       
    • "Being OPEN and AFFIRMING Changes Lives" will be held at Linden Hills Congregational United Church of Christ, 4200 Upton Avenue South, Minneapolis on April 9 starting at 1 p.m. with workshops followed by worship at 2:30 with Rev. Lawrence T. Richardson, Minister for Digital Evangelism with the church's national setting. This event is sponsored by the Open and Affirming Ministry Team of the Minnesota Conference United Church of Christ. Everyone is welcome to this celebration.
Joys & Concerns
  • An Ecclesiastical Council for Okogyeamon (Herbert Perkins) will be held on Wednesday, March 16 at 12:45 at Cherokee Park United Church (directions), with lunch at noon.  After a period of examination, there will be a vote on a motion that Okogyeamon be ordained into the ministry of the United Church of Christ.  Voting will be by all clergy with standing and lay delegates from a minimum of seven churches with standing.  To ensure a quorum for the council, please RSVP to the church via email or call 651-227-4275 by Thursday, March 10.  With your reservation you should indicate whether you will be present for lunch.
Notices
  • Immigration Reform: Economic and Pastoral Perspectives is being held on Friday, March 18 from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. in Room 235 at University of St. Thomas School of Law Minneapolis campus. Immigration reform is one of the most controversial topics in this year's presidential debates.  In this program, there will be two complementary perspectives:  Dr. Deborah Rho, assistant professor of economics at the University of St. Thomas will consider the factors to weigh in a cost-benefit analysis of the economic impact of immigration in the United States and Rev. T. Michael Rock, pastor at Robbinsdale United Church of Christ in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, will relate his parish's experience in offering sanctuary to unauthorized immigrant families.  Register here for this event.
  • Training in Appreciative Inquiry will be offered April 12 - 14 at Mt Olivet Retreat Center here in the metro area.  Several from the Minnesota Conference (Rick Wagner, Mary Kay Sauter, Nancy Swanson, and Cindy Mueller) have received training in Appreciative Inquiry through Rob Voyle with the Clergy Leadership Institute and they highly recommend this training for both clergy and laity.  Rather than use a medical model--that is what's wrong---it looks at what is right and how a church builds on this for the future.  Rick, Mary Kay, Nancy, and Cindy would be very willing to answer questions you may have about this training. 
Employment Opportunities
Check out the employment opportunities portion of the Minnesota Conference website for all open positions. Click here to see the listings.

This resource is brought to you by generous contributions to Our Church's Wider Mission. 
 
The Minnesota Conference United Church of Christ (UCC) is the state-wide organization that equips UCC pastors to lead, supports congregations, engages in transformative mission and witness, and guides youth and adults on their faith journeys. Get involved.
 
   
  
Minnesota Conference United Church of Christ | www.uccmn.org
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