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Wisconsin Conference Life Newsletter
April 9, 2015
UCCI
Gratitude and News from your Camps
by Mike Klemp-North, Director, Pilgrim Center


"Camp was and is a sense of peace and 'coming home'! I feel closer to God there than ANY other place here on this earth!"

 

The staff, campers, volunteers, alumni, and guests of Moon Beach and Pilgrim Center thank you again and again for your gracious support of outdoor ministry. Whether your support comes through time, talent, or treasure, your continued dedication to outdoor ministry allows us to grow and sustain our ministry, inviting more campers to these sacred spaces. A portion of your Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM) contributions help support outdoor ministry. We also are grateful to those churches that have already turned in their pledges for the Camptial Campaign, affirming how much Outdoor Ministry Matters!

 

Your outdoor ministry program is built on the premise that no matter who you are or where you are on your faith journey, whether young or old, new to the conference or here for decades, your outdoor ministry sites have something for you.

 

This year we are offering some new experiences:

  • This fall Moon Beach will offer a camp designed for "baby boomers" seeking an opportunity to gather with others at a similar place in their life journey (watch for details later this year). 
  • FUEL:Igniting Faith through Music, Art, and Worship (SHIFT) at Pilgrim Center has been redesigned incorporating elements of music and art that inspires creative, captivating and connected worship, with workshop leaders from throughout the conference and nation.  There are tracks for musicians, clergy, worship leaders, youth ministry, and creative types. Learn more about this exciting offering at fuelmusic.org

Our curriculum theme this year is Fire and there are plenty of opportunities for you to come and ignite your faith at Moon Beach and Pilgrim Center. We are excited to announce that for the second year in a row registrations are up and we are on track to again welcome more people to outdoor ministry. Scholarships and financial assistance are available through many of our churches, all four associations, and United Church Camps is blessed to have a scholarship fund to ensure that all who desire can come and experience their outdoor ministry sites. Visit www.ucci.org today to learn more about all of our offerings. 

Courage in the Struggle 2015 Annual Meeting

June 12-14, 2015
Green Lake Conference Center

This year's Annual Meeting keynote speaker Rev. Eric Elnes, Ph.D. will lead us through a journey into the Dark Wood - a place of struggle and uncertainty feared by the poet Dante but that the ancient Christian mystics knew to be the central place where revelation - and hope - is experienced. By exploring the Dark Wood "gifts" of emptiness, uncertainty, getting lost, and misfit community in their biblical and modern expressions, we will find ourselves - and our denomination - poised to enter a beautiful clearing that some are calling The Great Convergence. 

 

Rev. Elnes will also lead the Thursday Workshop, Gifts of the Dark Wood Retreat, on Thursday, June 11. Join us as Rev. Elnes leads us on a provocative and inspiring journey designed for anyone - clergy or laity - who feels awkward in their search for God, who seeks to find holiness amidst their holy-mess, who desires real, concrete reasons for hope in a Christian landscape that often seems bleak or barren.

 

Other Annual Meeting Highlights:
- Installation of Rev. Franz Rigert as Conference Minister (Fri 1pm)
- Two inspiring keynote speakers - Rev. Eric Elnes & Rev. Ben Guess

- More than 20 workshops to choose from

- Worship to deepen our collective faith
- Saturday night social gathering, sponsored by Cornerstone Fund
 

Come for a day or come for the weekend. Get involved! Volunteer to usher, greet, help with registration. 


 

For all the details go to wcucc.org/annualmeeting.
Interim Ministry Workshops

Are you currently engaged in or considering serving a church during interim and transitional times? Then this workshop is for you! Using Biblical illustrations, the following will be explored: 

  • leadership needed for adaptive and technical changes
  • utilizing leadership roles and styles for different situations
  • care and accountability for pastor and lay leaders
  • leading a congregation into a new vision

The same program will be presented in two locations. Cost: $10 for those with standing in the Wisconsin Conference UCC, and $60 for all others. Includes morning refreshments and lunch. Presenters: Linda Kuhn and Dave King of Sand Bur Consulting.  

 

Wisconsin Conference Trost Center, DeForest
Monday, May 11, 9:30am-3:00pm 

Register online 

 

Grace UCC, Wausau 

Thursday, May 28, 9:30am-3:00pm
Register online

Join First Congregational in La Crosse for a Trip to Back Bay Mission

 

An invitation from La Crosse First Congregational Church UCC: Are you interested in joining us for a mission trip to Back Bay Mission, Biloxi, Mississippi?  We have 20 reserved volunteer spots. Bring a friend too! The camp dates are July 5-11, 2015. Please contact Michelle Edge ([email protected] or 608-784-8137) before April 30 if you are interested in joining a few of our church members. Michelle also has a Back Bay Mission Work Camp Handbook if you would like more information before making your decision. 

New Disaster Ministries Coordinators

After many years being coordinated by Christine Stack, the Wisconsin Conference Disaster Ministries are now coordinated by Christina Schoenwetter and Michael Magnus. Christina and Michael look forward to disseminating relevant information from the National UCC Disaster Ministries, providing assistance to local churches and communities should a disaster occur, working with other conferences in our FEMA region, helping with disaster readiness and preparedness, and communicating volunteer opportunities regarding disaster relief.  You can find contact information for both Christina and Michael on the Conference's Disaster Ministries Webpage.
Leveraging for Peace

May 8, 2015
Chicago Theological Seminary

Live streaming at https://www.ctschicago.edu/livestream

 

Dr. Reza Aslan, Rabbi Dr. Rachel Mikva, Rev. Dr. Susan Thistlethwaite, and others will discuss the Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement against Israel. The campaign, modeled after anti-Apartheid work in South Africa, uses economic leverage and divestment as a way to push for peace and justice for Palestinians. The discussion will explore the implications and affects of the movement thus far in anticipation of the upcoming resolutions at the United Church of Christ's Thirtieth General Synod in June.
Conscious Aging Conference

 

Kettlewood Retreats is offering a Conscious Aging Conference on Friday, May 15, at Cedar Valley.
Lay Academy Alumni Event

 

Save the Date for the first ever Lay Academy Alumni Event! The Heart of a Leader: Courage and Wholeness will take place Friday, July 31 at 7:00 pm until Saturday, August 1 at 3:00 pm.

 

Come Friday evening to reconnect and build community and stay for Saturday when Rev. Winton Boyd will help us explore the relationship between our inner spiritual lives and our outer or public leadership. Using material from Parker Palmer's "A Hidden Wholeness," we will work individually and in small groups to explore what it means to live an undivided life as a church leader.

More information
Registration

Campital Campaign Information

 

Click here to read the latest update from the Campital Campaign Office.
Widening the Welcome Conference

September 24-26, 2015
Hartford, Connecticut 

 

The UCC Disabilities Ministries and the UCC Mental Health Network is hosting the 5th national Widening the Welcome Conference, Sept. 24-16, Hartford, Conn. This conference will bring stirring speakers and new resources in these areas of welcome for our churches. 
More information 

This newsletter is made possible by contributions to Our Church's Wider Mission Basic Support.

The Wisconsin Conference UCC is an Open and Affirming Conference.

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

In This Issue
Annual Meeting
Interim Ministry Workshops
Back Bay Mission trip
Disaster Ministires Coordinators
Leveraging for Peace
Conscious Aging Conference
Lay Academy Alumni Event
Campital Campaign Information
Widening the Welcome
Church Spotlight

 
This church in the Southeast Association has had three buildings. The second of these, which was built in 1910, is now known as Heritage Hall and houses the Dodge and Jefferson County Historical Society and the First Brigade Band.

Is your church considering an Open and Affirming Process? The Wisconsin Conference has a committee to help!  Please feel free to use us as resources for your discussions and preparations. Contact Micah Schlobohm or Rich Fluechtling of the Wisconsin Conference UCC Committee on Ministry with LGBTQ Persons.
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