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Annual Meeting | June 10 - 12, 2016
College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, MN
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Keynote Speaker - Rev. Dr. Traci Blackmon
"Repairers of the Breach" | Isaiah 58:9-12
Rev. Traci Blackmon's life calling is to serve God and the church in ways that encourage us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly in fellowship with all believers. Initially ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Rev. Blackmon served in various ministry capacities for 9 year prior to becoming the first woman pastor installed in the 159 year history of Christ the King United Church of Christ in 2009. Rev. Blackmon became nationally recognized as a prominent voice for social change when Michael Brown was shot in Ferguson, MI, just miles from her church. She immediately got involved in organizing with the Black Lives Matter movement, effectively assisting and collaborating with the people in the community working for justice.
Rev. Blackmon currently serves as Acting Executive Minister of Justice & Witness Ministries for The United Church of Christ and was appointed to an advisory council for the US President in January 2016. Read more about Rev. Dr. Traci Blackmon.
Friday Evening Story Teller - Jim Bear Jacobs
Jim Bear is the Parish Pastor at Church of All Nations and member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation, an American Indian tribe located in central Wisconsin. He is a cultural facilitator in the Twin Cities and works to raise the public's awareness of American Indian causes and injustices. We are happy to have Jim with us as our story-teller on Friday evening!
Saturday Evening Guest Musician - Marty Haugen
Marty Haugen is a liturgical composer, workshop presenter, performing and recording artist, and author. A number of his published songs, including Shepherd Me O God, Gather Us In, and All Are Welcome are well-known to many religious denominations. Marty will be involved in the Saturday evening worship service and will lead us in a time of music at our Saturday evening social gathering.
 Sunday Preacher - Rev. Shari Prestemon
Conference Minister of the Minnesota Conference UCC, Reverend Shari Prestemon, will be our preacher during the Sunday morning worship. Her sermon - "Courage in the Struggle" - will draw on our meeting's focus scripture, Matthew 14:22-33. How is God calling the Church today to reach beyond our fears and dive in to the murky waters?
Annual Reports, Agenda, & Other Items Find Annual Meeting event documents, Annual Reports, resolution documents, and other resources pertaining to the Annual Meeting on our website.
Annual Meeting Weekend Worship Resources Each year the Annual Meeting Planning Work Group creates resources, tied in with the theme of Annual Meeting, that local churches can decide to use while their pastor and other congregation leaders are away at Annual Meeting. These resources include a worship outline and sermon ideas. We hope these will be helpful and meaningful to congregations.
Miss the Registration Deadline? We will be able to accommodate some new registrations during Annual Meeting, but cannot guarantee housing availability. Please email Sandy Kellen, or call the Conference office at (612) 871-0359, if you have not registered but are still hoping to attend.
We look forward to seeing you June 10-12 at Annual Meeting!!
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Highlighting Camp Opportunities at Pilgrim Point:
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Thursday, June 30 - Tuesday, July 5
 Pilgrim Point Camps & Retreats is pleased to offer a Family Camp for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. This camp will be built around Deaf Culture, celebrating the diversity and complexity of who we are as persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, and our family members. Come join us for this Deaf First event! Come for part of the time or stay for the full week.
Cost: $35/day for children; $55/day for adults
Pilgrim Point is on beautiful Lake Ida near Alexandria, MN. Stay in the Lodge, North Shore cabin, Annex bunkhouse, or campsites and enjoy delicious meals in our dining hall. There will be scheduled activities and free time to paddle in a kayak or canoe, swim, hike, relax in a hammock, join in a drum circle and share stories around the campfire.
When: Thursday, June 30 - Tuesday, July 5 | Option to attend for select days!
Where: Pilgrim Point Camps & Retreats, Alexandria, MN (directions)
Who: For those in the deaf/HoH community and their family members
Cost: $35/day or $150 for the full week (under 13) | $55/day or $250 for the full week (over 13) | Attend the full week for a discount!
Check out other camp & retreat opportunities at Pilgrim Point on our website.
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National Open and Affirming Gathering and Minnesota ONA Events June 7 - 10
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The Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ chose Minnesota as the location of their 2016 National Gathering. It will be hosted at the College of St Benedict in St Joseph, MN in the days before the Minnesota Conference Annual Meeting.
Final Chance to Register for the ONA Gathering - with Discount Option! The Coalition has extended a final option to attend the Gathering next week. If you would like to attend, but would prefer to drive home each day and pay for your own meals, you may register at St. Joseph for only $50. We have a terrific slate of presenters this year including keynote addresses with a focus on the intersectionality of justice work. Workshops include a focus on rural or conservative churches, faith and art, an update on the Proyecto Bienvenido project, welcoming transgender families, digital evangelism, managing conflict in congregations, as well as a track devoted to training faith leaders to welcome bisexual people into their congregations. If you would like to take advantage of this amazing opportunity, please contact Kim Graff or call 651-283-0962 or 651-768-0889 for more information. There is also still time to register for the Thursday night banquet and MN Conference event on Thursday night and Friday morning. There has been a change to the MN Conference keynote speaker and we are excited to welcome poet and public speaker Andrea Jenkins. Ms. Jenkins will speak on her experiences with the intersection between race, gender, and sexuality.
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Joys & Concerns
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- Orva Mae Sudduth, mother of Rev. Zoe Kuester, died May 21 in Omaha, Nebraska. Funeral services will be Saturday, June 4 at 9am at Braman Mortuary (1702 N 72nd St, Omaha, NE) with visitation Friday, June 3 from 6-8pm at the mortuary. Rev. Zoe Kuester is the pastor of Mizpah UCC in Hopkins. Our sympathies to the family.
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Upcoming Events
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- Pilgrim Point Camps & Retreats Events
- Young Adult Camp (for those aged 18-29 who do not qualify for Youth Camp) | Sunday, June 12 - Friday, June 17
- Taller & Smaller Camp (for parents and their young children in the K-4 grade) | Sunday, June 19 - Friday, June 24
- Intergenerational Mission Week (Open to ALL) | Sunday, June 26 - Thursday, June 30
- Taize Meditation Retreat (Open to ALL) | Tuesday, July 5 - Friday, July 8
- Youth Camp - Week 1 (Youth leaving the 6-12th grade and their adult leaders 21 and older) | Sunday, July 10 - Friday, July 15
- Youth Camp - Week 2 (Youth leaving the 6-12th grade and their adult leaders 21 and older) | Sunday, July 17 - Friday, June 22
- Youth Mission Week | Sunday, August 7 - Friday, August 12
- Camp AweSum (for families with members on the autism spectrum) | Sunday, August 14 - Friday, August 19
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Clergy Clusters
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- Southwest Cluster - Thursday, June 2 at 11:30am at First Congregational UCC, Mankato
- Northeast Cluster - Thursday, June 2 at 11:30am at First Congregational UCC, Brainerd
- Southeast Cluster - Tuesday, June 7 at 11:00am at Peace UCC, Rochester
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Notices
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- The UCC has released the Stillspeaking 2.0 Toolkit which offers resources and materials for use in social media, websites, and bulletins.
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FREE Practical Webinars for Our Churches! The New York Conference UCC, along with the UMC and Presbyterian area churches, are sponsoring a valuable resource for our ministers and lay leaders. Webinars are ongoing throughout the year and cover subjects like: how to do Sunday School differently, intergenerational worship 101, embracing stewardship, seeking God via Google, and much more.
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Come meet your Muslim neighbors as they prepare for the sacred month of Ramadan beginning in June (June 6-July 5). The Minnesota Council of Churches is excited to invite you to a series of open houses at area mosques. Coordinated in partnership with the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, open houses provide an opportunity to learn about Islam, observe Muslim prayer, and share food and conversation at the meal breaking the fast, called an Iftar. You are cordially invited to meet your neighbors, share an Iftar meal, and learn about each other. All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required.
- New CPE Offering in Hospice: The Allina CPE Center and Allina Hospice announce the inauguration of Clinical Pastoral Education in their hospice setting. In the fall of 2016 they will begin a "super-extended" CPE internship, lasting 32 weeks, from October 3 - May 12.
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Employment Opportunities
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There are many opportunities within the Minnesota Conference. |
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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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