By Cathy Townley

Cathy Townley will be leading a workshop, How to Welcome Guests (and Regulars Too) during the First Ten Minutes of Your Service, at the Trost Center in January, and is the keynote speaker for the Church Renewal Program. -Ed.

Missional Worship is about worship as a lifestlyle, and worship services that evolve from this value of worship. Services like that change lives. 

 

Worship is our relationship with God, 24x7, and that implies invitation. The mission of the church is to offer God's life-changing love to churched and unchurched persons alike, for the transformation of the world. God leads us to invite, if we will follow. Worship is the act by which we do so. It's intentional, not random. We follow worshipfully and purposefully.

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The conversations about whether the Wisconsin Conference should become ONA continue in churches around the Conference. For the most part these have been small discussions, during adult education or council/consistory meetings. As such, they have been an outgrowth of the report from the Conference's annual meeting. Other congregations use it as part of a larger conversation about how they live out mission statements or welcome anyone/everyone. How is your congregation embracing this discussion?
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Registration is now available for Jesus Core, a retreat for high school students, individually or with their church groups. Experience faith in community, meaningful worship and great music, silence and time for prayer, getting to know new people and hanging out with friends. Rest from the stress of school, listen to God's word, connect with yourself and others, and find satisfaction in silence and in fun activities. Be inspired by the beauty of God's Creation on Green Lake, and by workshops and discussions with adult leaders and your peers.

Felix Ortiz, our Global Ministries Area Executive for Latin America and the Caribbean, will be in southeastern Wisconsin on Sunday, November 10th. He will be speaking at Cedar Ridge Grand Hall (113 Cedar Ridge Drive, West Bend, WI 53095 - phone - 262-338-8377) at 2:00 pm in the afternoon. Expect to hear an update on our partners in CONASPEH (the National Spiritual Council of Haitian Churches based in Port au Prince, and consisting of approximately 3,500 grassroots churches throughout the country), as well as comments on other Caribbean and Latin American partnerships and missions. Don't miss this opportunity to hear how our partners in Haiti are working to recover from the disastrous 2010 earthquake.

Since 1981, the Wisconsin Conference UCC has had a rich relationship with EKBO (the Evangelical Church of Berlin, Brandenburg, Silesia, and Upper Lusatia). Our former Conference Minister, David Moyer, has visited this region several times. Greendale Community Church was able to perform concert tours in this region in 2008 and 2010. A small group, lead by Rev. David Gaeth, will be journeying to the region from March 11 to 26, 2014. Rev. Albrecht Naumann, our German contact, extends the invitation to the wider Conference. If you are interested in joining this trip, please contact Rev. David Gaeth at 414-421-1221.  The itinerary includes time in Berlin, Prague, stays with two families, visitations at several diaconal ministry sites, as well as an overnight trip to Auschwitz (tentative). Approximate cost is $1800. 

Good News! You can now register for events through the Wisconsin Conference website without having to create an account. No need to remember passwords, or which email address you used. Simply click on the "register" link for the event you're interested in, and you'll have the option to register as a guest user. Check it out! Register here.

Did you know the Conference subscribes to The Parish Paper, and that you can use it? Check out the current issue, "E-newsletters: Worth More than You Know," and many more by clicking here.   

Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ | 4459 Gray Road | PO Box 435 | DeForest, WI  53532

   

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