This week many of our Michigan Conference of the United Church of Christ churches will be observing Mother's Day as a part of our Fourth Sunday of Easter services. It is hard to miss many items in the news that call attention to the world-wide plight of mothers and their daughters. I have attached three links regarding responses to the kidnapping of the 274 girls in Nigeria. One is a news story from Global Ministries, the second is a Mother's Day worship idea from one of our churches in Maine, and the third is a press statement from a UCC pastor in Detroit, Rev. Wendell Anthony.  I hope that one or all of these resources will be helpful in your planning for this Sunday, and for your prayers in the days and weeks ahead.

http://globalministries.org/news/africa/global-ministries-statement.html 

http://www.ucc.org/news/kidnapped-nigerian-girls-05072014.html 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9RBYeZ3zfftcnB0UzZ5UjktaTQ/edit?usp=sharing  

Many in our churches have asked about responding to the recent tornadoes that have struck many different towns in the Midwest. Here is more information about the storms and suggestions about how our churches and members may respond.

http://www.ucc.org/news/midwest-tornadoes-outbreak-05022014.html 

http://www.ucc.org/disaster/the-spring-storm-season.html 

The Gospel lesson for Sunday (John 10:1 - 10) reminds us that Jesus is the Great Shepherd of the Sheep who came that we may have life, "and have it abundantly." May we all share in that abundant life; and may we work that others may know life in abundance as well.

• Allow each of us to glimpse and to talk about the Racism in the Criminal Justice system and its harmful impact on our whole culture.
• Get useful information on what is broken in our Criminal Justice system and how WE can be advocates for reform.
• Help us RENEW ourselves and our churches by opening our hearts and the hearts of others ... to care, to stop Racism, and to truly follow Jesus' guide.  One step at a time.

RE-MEMBER is a covenantal partner with the Michigan Conference of the United Church of Christ and appears nationally in the U.C.C. mission opportunities booklet. One third of the churches in the Michigan Conference have gone to Pine Ridge Reservation to spend a week working with the Lakota people and learning of their history, culture and spirituality.  Many of these churches have made multiple trips since RE-MEMBER began in 1998, founded by U.C.C. pastors Keith and Ginny Titus and members of the churches they served.  Since its inception RE-MEMBER has hosted 13,000 volunteers from every state in the U.S. and every inhabited continent.

Any churches or individuals who would like to learn more about RE-MEMBER are invited to visit their website; www.re-member.org, or they may contact Keith Titus at 989-785-5164 or 989-255-0621.  Keith is available to come to churches to present the story of RE-MEMBER and help prepare groups for a first mission experience in South Dakota.  Churches may also send out gifts of canned goods, pillow and sheet sets (for long twin mattresses), diapers (sizes 4-5 especially) or Menard, Lowes, Home Depot, Wal Mart, or Visa/MasterCard gift cards. Please visit their website for the mailing address.

If you as an individual would like to "piggy-back" with another group you are welcome to contact them and see if they have room within their group for you to join them.

Groups Traveling to RE-MEMBER