COMMAntary E-Newsletter, Vol. 12, No. 11 
March 16, 2016
In This Issue
Annual Meeting 2016 
2016 MN Conference Annual Meeting
June 10-12, 2016
College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph

The 2016 Minnesota Conference Annual Meeting promises to be a weekend of lively conversation, spiritual fulfillment, powerful worship, and community building

Highlights to look forward to:
  • Keynote Address by Rev. Traci Blackmon, Interim Minister, UCC Justice and Witness Ministries
  • Respectful Conversations on racial equality facilitated by the MN Council of Churches
  • Commissioning of missionaries Rev. Tom and Dr. Monica Liddle before they leave for East Timor
  • Learning more about the ministries of the MN Conference

Your packet with more information and registration forms is being mailed this week.  Check out our page on our website for all the latest information on AM 2016.  We look forward to seeing you in June!

This Week's Spotlight on One of Our Minnesota Conference Churches - Cherokee Park United Church in St. Paul 

Cherokee Park United Church is located on Saint Paul's West Side. The congregation is a merged congregation with roots going back to Saint John's United Church of Christ, which began as an Evangelical church in 1920 and Cherokee Heights Presbyterian Church, which began in 1912. The two congregations merged in 1968. The West Side is located south of downtown St. Paul, west of South St. Paul and North of West St. Paul, a description members never tire of giving. The West Side is an economically and ethnically diverse community. It has been and remains a point of entry for many new immigrants.
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 St. Paul's UCC, 900 Summit Ave., St. Paul (PLEASE NOTE LOCATION CHANGE) 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.
    • Make Me an Instrument, a UCC Gathering of Music and Mission, will be held on Sunday, April 17 at 4 p.m. at Mizpah UCC in Hopkins.  Choirs and musicians of Edina Morningside, Mizpah, Parkway, and Union UCC Churches will hold a benefit concert for the Global Ministry in East Timor of Rev. Tom and Dr. Monica Liddle. A freewill offering will be taken.
  • National UCC Events
    • National Youth Event (NYE) is scheduled 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. The Minnesota Conference is arranging a delegation for this event.
    • Sacred InterSexTions - Bodies, Culture, Sexuality & Spirit is a retreat offered by the Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ at Oak Ridge Conference Center near Minneapolis/St. Paul, March 31 - April 3.  Speakers are Rebecca Voelkel and Phil Porter.  You can register online for this event.
    • Join the UCC's Global Ministries for a great webinar on Israel/Palestine on Monday, March 21 at 11 a.m. with Hind Khoury, General Secretary of Kairos Palestine.  Kairos Palestine provides a Christian  and humane answer to how peace can be built, reached and maintained; a peace that accepts the other and a resistance to evil based on love and non-violence.  It just takes a moment to reserve your spot today.
    • For more information on Global Ministries, connect to their weekly update.
Joys & Concerns
  • Anna Larson will be ordained and then installed Sunday, April 3 at 1:00 pm at Circles of Faith UCC in Waubun. (directions). A celebratory lunch will be served at noon, before the ordination service. (Please RSVP for lunch by Monday, March 28th to Anna at 218-473-3111 or 507-995-4667). Clergy are invited to robe and wear red stoles. Anna Larson, a member of Cherokee Park United Church in St. Paul,has served Circles of Faith UCC as a licensed minister since 2014.
Notices
  • On Saturday, March 12th, Peace United Church of Christ in Duluth and St. Mark AME, along with First United Methodist, Pilgrim Congregational UCC, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, and St. Paul's Episcopal Church, hosted "Living into the Difficult: Race, Diversity, and Duluth for All," a daylong workshop attended by about 100 people.  Melanie Harris, AME pastor and professor of religion and ethics, and Jennifer Harvey, professor of religion and American Baptist pastor, guided a racial-justice analysis of the Duluth community and suggested ways to heal from structural violence and racism as people of faith.  They addressed the roots of racism within faith communities and talked about how to begin the work of change focused on reparations.  Check out the video from the local TV channel that covered this story. 
  • 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 in the metro area.  Several from the Minnesota Conference (Rick Wagner, Mary Kay Sauter, Norma Rae Hunt, Garth Schumacher, 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, Norma Rae, Garth, Nancy, and Cindy would be very willing to answer questions you may have about this training.
  • The United Church of Christ has made an announcement about a new Creation Care Challenge.  The goal is to challenge churches to either start an environmental ministry or take an existing ministry to the next level. They have developed five suggestions on how churches can do this.  Take the time to find out how your church can be involved in the Creation Care Challenge.
  • Scholarships for UCC Students at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities are available.  Is someone in your congregation considering seminary?  UTS has scholarships available for UCC students who are intending to serve in congregations and ministries of the United Church of Christ and are enrolled as full-time students at UTS. 
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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