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A bi-weekly newsletter to keep you up-to-date and informed.
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Rev. Dr. Campbell Lovett, Conference Minister
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Some years ago, three Hartford Seminary professors wrote the book, Varieties of Religious Presence: Mission in Public Life. David Roozen, Bill McKinney, and Jack Carroll studied ten churches to discern how the churches engaged in public life. Through their studies, they perceived four "mission orientations" of churches: Activist, Civic, Sanctuary, and Evangelistic. As we continue our preparations for Michigan 2 x 2, it is important to reflect upon how your local church's mission orientation impacts your partnerships in the community. Here is how the varieties of mission orientation are described:
- The Activist Church perceives the here and now of the world as the main arena of God's redemptive activity, and humankind as the primary agent of establishing God's kingdom on earth. Social action efforts are endorsed and supported by members with time and funds.
- The Civic Church shares the Activist orientation's focus on this world and its sense of responsibility for public life. But, the Civic congregations are more comfortable with dominant social, political, and economic structures; less willing to accept the use of confrontational techniques in the service of change; and more likely to define their public role in educational and cultural terms rather than in political terms.
- The Sanctuary Church is primarily focused on a world to come, in which the cares of this world will be surmounted. This church exists mainly to provide people with opportunities to withdraw, in varying degrees, from the trials of daily life into the company of committed fellow believers. Concern is high over deteriorating moral values, and opposition to life-styles that represent challenges to traditional patterns of belief in behavior is acute in this orientation.
- The Evangelistic Church orientation has much in common with the Sanctuary orientation. Its focus is on a future world in which temporal concerns are overcome. Members are encouraged to participate in public life, not for the purpose of social reform or change, but to share the message of salvation with those outside the fellowship. Members are expected to make explicit faith declarations to friends, neighbors and co-workers.
What is the mission orientation of the church that you attend? Does your church have just one orientation, or is there a blending of two or more? From what I have seen so far, many of our Michigan UCC churches are toward the Civic and Activist end of the spectrum. Very few have a Sanctuary orientation, and I am not aware of any Evangelistic oriented churches in the Conference.
Thus, many of our churches are already engaged in the community through social action and established programs of education, service, and support. Many of our churches have already shared information with the Conference about their Michigan 2 x 2 partnership.
As the 2 x 2 kick-off draws near, I hope that your church will be reflecting some more about your unique "style" of mission and outreach, and that you will share the results of your efforts with the Conference Office. Please continue to watch the website for more updates!
With you on the journey,
Campbell Lovett
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One Conference: One Mission
March 31 - May 19, 2013
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Michigan 2 x 2
The Conference Office has been hearing from many churches regarding their community mission partnerships . Once your church has decided upon their outreach partner for
Michigan 2 x 2, please email the Conference at 2x2@michucc.org.
Information and updates are available on the Conference website: www.michucc.org .
For the fifty days between Easter and Pentecost:
One Conference, One Mission - Michigan 2 x 2!
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Covenant Association Spring Meeting Announced
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The Spring meeting of the Covenant Association will take place on Saturday, April 20th at Pilgrim Congregational UCC - 125 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Lansing MI. The business meeting will begin at approximately 3:00 p.m. following the Vitality Day Workshop. The business meeting will be about an hour in length.
The Covenant Association Executive Team encourages you to attend the Vitality Day workshop. Please see more information below on Vitality Day and register today!
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VITALITY DAY! NEW Information!
With David Plunkett & Michael Piazza
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Saturday, April 20, 2013
10:00 - 3:00 p.m.
125 S. Pennsylvania Ave.
Lansing MI 48912
Come join us for a day on "Church Craft" with the
Bring a group from your church for
hands on learning for your ministry setting!
- Learn about: Social Network Marketing; Welcoming; Data Base Management; Assimilation of New Members; and Small Groups
- Meet with other from your congregation to envision practical ways to implement what you have learned (lunch is included)
- Learn more about: Spiritual Formation / Practices and an Intro to 21st Century Worship
Cost: $25 per person / $100 per church (up to 10 people)
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SAVE THE DATE!
Michigan Conference Annual Meeting
October 4th & 5th, 2013
Lodging:
Keynote Speaker:
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"Downsize Staff Without Destroying Church"
"What Leadership Style Works"
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Otis Moss III to headline Open and Affirming Banquet at General Synod 29
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 The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, will be the keynoter at the Open and Affirming Banquet on the opening day of the UCC's General Synod 2013, June 28.
"Pastor Moss' open letter to African American clergy in May was a bold defense of marriage equality," said Andy Lang, executive director of the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns. "He speaks for a new generation of ministers for whom justice for LGBT citizens is indivisible from the struggle for justice for everyone."
The banquet is open to Synod delegates, as well as visitors and participants of the Coalition's 30th National Gathering, which takes place June 26-28 in Long Beach, California. The National Gathering's theme this year is "God's Vision: Do Justice!" Registration opened Thursday, February 21st; visit http://www.ucccoalition.org/ for more information.
The keynoter at the National Gathering will be the Rev. Dr. Marvin Ellison, professor Christian ethics at Bangor Theological Seminary. READ MORE
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PROTECT MICHIGAN WILDLIFE: Help stop the first Michigan wolf trophy hunting in nearly 50 years.
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 During the busy holiday season, the Michigan legislature rushed through and approved a bill to allow a wolf trophy hunting season. Keep Michigan Wolves Protected is a coalition of animal welfare, conservation groups and Native American tribes brought together to launch a referendum campaign to put the proposal in front of voters during the 2014 election.
There are fewer than 700 wolves in Michigan and their numbers are only now starting to recover. It's not right to spend decades bringing the wolf back from the brink of extinction only to turn around and allow them to be killed for sport. People don't eat wolf; it's pointless trophy hunting for no good purpose.
It is legal in Michigan to kill wolves to protect livestock or dogs. Allowing the killing of wolves for sport is unnecessary and will accomplish nothing. Wolf hunting could involve cruel and unfair practices, such as painful steel-jawed leg-hold traps, hunting over bait, and even using packs of dogs to chase down and kill wolves.
Keep Michigan Wolves Protected will gather 225,000 signatures of Michigan voters by March 20 to qualify for the ballot. Volunteers are in need of places to collect signatures. If your church is to host a volunteer to collect signatures, provide an information session or deliver campaign literature please contact vstrang@humanesociety.org. To learn about volunteering, organizing events in your area and the latest news on the campaign visit KeepWolvesProtected.com.
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Church World Service: VBS & School Kits
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 Assembling Kits is a Great Hands on Project for your VBS With Spring just around the corner is your church gearing up for a week of Vacation Bible School? Is your Church looking for an easy way for the children to burn off some of their pent up energy left from the long winter while at the same time doing good in the world? Church World Service can help with a wonderful opportunity for a hands on service project. Bring your children together to create School Kits to help other less fortunate children both in the United States and around the world. School Kits are filled with items as simple as paper and scissors. School Kit items are designed to help a child whether in an impoverished school system or a refugee camp have the basic tools needed to attend school. A School Kit can make a child stand a little taller. A School Kit teaches wonderful lessons to those that create the Kit and changes the life of the child that receives it. Please take a moment and consider adding School Kits to your Vacation Bible School week. Together we can make a difference. To order a Kit brochure contact Heather Willson at the CWS Michigan regional office at 888-297-2767 or hwillson@churchworldservice.org. Find out more at www.cwsglobal.org. |
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Advocacy Day: Discovering & Using Prophetic voice
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April 6, 2013 9:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Michigan Conference UCC
5945 Park Lake Rd. | East Lansing | MI | 48823
Many of us are convinced that being Christian means doing all that we can to help our neighbor. Many of us are also frustrated because we see more and more neighbors struggling with poverty, inequities in education and housing, and other societal ills. As churches we are very familiar with soup kitchens, food banks and other ministries which help people face these challenges in their daily lives. We are not as familiar with ways we can find and use our voices to address these ills at their root cause.
This day is an opportunity to learn about the biblical world of the prophets and how they stepped out on behalf of God; to hear how others found and use their prophetic voice; to reconnect with our UCC commitments in this regard, and to work together to support each other in next steps.
Come if you are seasoned in this work, or just considering entering into this dimension of ministry. The goal of the day is to support you in becoming more empowered, provide contacts with others doing similar work, and equip you with next steps in this ministry.
$10 per person | $25 per church (up to 4 people) covers a lunch of pizza and salad.
To register: Contact Lisa Soulliere at lisa@michucc.org
Make checks payable to: Michigan Conference UCC
Mail to: P.O. Box 1006 East Lansing, MI 48826-1006
Deadline to register and receive lunch: April 3, 2013.
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the Garden of Joy: Celebrating the Harlem Renaissance!
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FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 AT 8:00 P.M.
AND SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013 AT 8:00 P.M.
Pasant Theatre | Tickets: Adults $25, Students $10
$18 group tickets are available for groups of 10 or more through the Wharton Center Ticket Office 1.800.WHARTON
The Garden of Joy
Celebrating the Harlem Renaissance
A New Play with Music by
Ken LaZebnik
New Year's Eve 1929! Harlem's hottest night club, the Garden of Joy, rings in the New Year with a live radio broadcast. Don't miss this original work featuring electrifying live jazz, blues and classical music by keyboard artist Alvin Waddles and his band. The works of Langston Hughes, Countee Collen, Zora Neal Hurston and W.E.B. DuBois are infused with the music of Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and more to bring the joy, humor, and energy of this astonishing moment in American culture.
A Wharton Center Theatre Production.
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UCC Women of Michigan: The Gathering
"Walk in the Spirit" June 7 - 9, 2013
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The 2013 UCC Women's Gathering Brochure is Available!
The Gathering will be held on June 7,8,9 at the Kettunen Center in Tustin, Michigan. Our theme for 2013 is, "Walk in the Spirit" and we are excited that the Reverend Penny Lowes will be our keynote speaker. We also have a number of enriching workshops that you can chose from, described on the attached registration brochure. Be sure to register early as space is limited.
We will be mailing out registration forms to those who attended last year and we will also be glad to send additional registration forms to other UCC Women. Please contact either Amy McDonald at amycmu@yahoo.com or Vesta Smith-Campbell at vscampbell@cleary.edu for additional brochures.
Walk in the Spirit - Registration
Registration prints 2-pages on legal size paper (8 1/2 x 14)
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Immanuel Scholarship: Apply TODAY!
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Scholarship funds are available through an endowment provided by Immanuel United Church of Christ - Detroit. As the congregation was disbanding it was their desire to leave their legacy to support seminary students preparing for Ordination and Service in the United Church of Christ. The scholarship granting process is administered by the Faith Formation (Spiritual Discernment) Mission Area Team in accordance with the policies of the Michigan Conference. We encourage Members in Discernment who are Seminary students to apply for this Scholarship, and for renewal(s) if eligible! Click IMMANUEL SCHOLARSHIP INFO for more information, requirements, and to download the application.
The deadline for submitting applications or renewal requests is April 15th each year. Awards are granted during the summer so that funds can be disbursed at the beginning of the fall seminary semester.
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Volunteers Needed: Tri-County Re-entry Coalition
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The Tri-County Re-entry Coalition (Edgewood United Church, UCC, East Lansing and St. Stephens Community UCC, Lansing are sponsors) is looking for volunteers to mentor returning citizens in MDOC Prisoner Re-Entry Program in Lansing. Volunteers meet with parolees individually once per week, and attend meetings with other volunteers and parolees in bi-weekly intervals.
Please contact Carol Ramsey, Program Coordinator, for more information at cramsey@lovejoysnc.org or 517-882-6870 ext#230.
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Vital Growth Mission Area Team
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- Are you interested in starting a new church?
- Has God been pulling at your heart to start a new church?
- Are you curious about how to start a new church?
- Are you running away from a call to start a new church?
- Are you wondering how to do something new with a community that includes worship, discipleship and service?
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FREE Xerox Color Printers for Churches
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Request your free Xerox color printer today.
Join the 10,000+ nonprofit and religious organizations who are already members of Xerox FreeColorPrinters.
Churches who benefit most from the FreeColorPrinters program print at least four reams of paper per month. To see if you qualify, visit freecolorprinters.com or call 1-888-518-2076.
Offer valid in the United States.
Please enter referral code TRI08 on your inquiry.
How do I get started?- Take the quiz to see if the program is right for you.
- Submit a request. We'll get back to you within 2 business days.
- Or contact us
ChurchWorldDirect.com | 5521 Bellaire Dr. S #114 | Fort Worth | TX | 76109
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NEWS from Camp Talahi:
Camp Talahi Spring Clean Up!
April 13, 2013
Help give Camp Talahi a good 'ole' spring cleaning: The annual Camp Talahi Spring Clean-up is fast approaching! We will need lots of help getting the property spiffed up and ready to welcome campers. We are looking for skilled and unskilled labor of all ages on April 13, 2013, (adults 18 and up may stay overnight). Please RSVP to Ashley at info@camptalahi.org or call (810)844.1499. Bring rakes, cleaning supplies, chainsaws, hedge trimmers, and your enthusiasm!
Camp Talahi Trail Run and SELCRA Adventure Dash May 4th!
Stay fit and support your favorite summer camp at the same time! On May 4, 2013 Camp Talahi is teaming up with the Southeast Livingston County Recreation Authority (SELCRA) to put on an awesome racing event. This year we'll be holding two races, a 5K trail run/walk (no obstacles) and a 1-mile obstacle course that includes a jump in the lake, the adventure course, and other messy areas of Camp Talahi! After the races the CTRNC will be hosting our annual Summer Camp Open House, so be sure to stick around!
If you are interested in volunteering on race day, or becoming a sponsor, let George Kelly or Ashley Fink know by calling 810.844.1499 or emailing info@camptalahi.org. Sponsorship's start at just $50!
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Sr. High Youth Director: 1/4 Time (10-12 hours per week)
Second Congregational UCC, Grand Rapids |
Please be safe if you need to travel today. |
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5945 Park Lake Road | P.O. Box 1006 | East Lansing, MI 48826-1006
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