For several weeks now, I have shared many meals and meetings with those whom I have served during my time in the Michigan Conference UCC. God has richly blessed our time together. For that, I am deeply grateful. But, the sad time has finally come for us to say good-bye as I take my leave of Michigan for my new position in Ohio.

 

I am excited about the collaborative work I leave in your capable hands -work of Church and Ministry Committees that are integrating new discernment practices, making the Member in Discernment process an even richer experience; the passion of a very motivated ecumenical group that is developing even more affordable and accessible ways to prepare people for lay and licensed ministries; easily accessible online resources for churches when they find themselves in transition or in need of administrative tools. I'm sure you will take the efforts we've made together and multiply them tenfold.

 

I am also looking forward to finding ways to connect with Michigan Conference leaders in my new ministry. As the new UCC Ministries Coordinator for the Ohio Conference UCC, I will connect local church leaders with the resources and networks for vital faith formation and youth ministries. These networks and resources (mostly online) will be available to any local church leader who wants to participate. I hope you find some useful ministry tools in those online spaces.

 

I will be keeping you and the churches of Michigan in my prayers. I hope you will do the same for me and the churches of Ohio.

 

Blessings to you. Good-bye. (For now.)

 

November 8, 2015
McFarland United Church of Christ
McFarland, Wisconsin

Messy Church is an innovative practice developed in the UK which helps brand churches as welcoming places for children and families who are unchurched or unable to attend regularly on a Sunday Morning.

Inspiring Models of Ministry are events where we invite churches to come and observe the highlighted model in action. Attendees actually participate in the event or model rather than just hearing about it. At the conclusion of the event attendees reflect on what they saw and experienced, hear from the model's creators at the Inspiring Model church and discuss how they might transfer the model to their own ministry settings.

This event is sponsored by the Faith Formation Team of the United Church of Christ. Please feel free to contact the Faith Formation Team at beckwithi@ucc.org for more information.

 

Pastor, researcher, professor - Dr. Callahan is today's most sought-after church consultant and speaker. Thousands of congregations and tens of thousands of church leaders and pastors around the world have been helped through his writings and workshops. His seminars are filled with wisdom, encouragement and practical possibilities. Register early - space is limited!

 

UrbanSpirit is a partner of the UCC, an affiliated mission center of the Disciples of Christ, and a Jubilee Center of the Episcopal Church; we have led hundreds of youth and adults through theologically rooted poverty education programming in the past decade. 

If you think that bicycling from Lansing, Michigan to Cleveland, Ohio over four days instead driving four hours is silly; that camping out on the floor of a church after bicycling sixty to seventy miles sounds more like torture than fun, then you'll probably not want to join me and others bicycling to the 30th General Synod in Cleveland, Ohio.

 

I admit it.  The idea was hatched as a reaction to a delegate (a rural western state if I recall correctly) that suggested that if we supported our denomination working towards being divested from fossil fuels we should turn in our plane tickets and walk home.  I may have taken time at a Speak-Out and suggested while I wouldn't walk back to Michigan from California, I would bicycle to Cleveland in 2015.  It was my little part to show them that it could be done.  I looked at some maps, contacted some churches along the way that could house bicyclists overnight, and second-guessed myself every turn of the pedal.

 

It's really going to happen. Leaving from the Lansing area June 22, stopping in Manchester for overnight, another stop southwest of Toledo, before arriving in Cleveland in time for General Synod.  As much as possible, we'll route ourselves on rails-to-trails in Ohio, but there will be urban streets in the cities - you must be comfortable riding with motor vehicles.

 

There is a cost involved, but it's rather small (we pay for the fossil fuel for the SAG wagon - hauling the night-time equipment).  You need a good bicycle in good repair, a pannier or bike bag to carry gear you need for the day, and money for meals (and ice cream).  You should also plan for a way to get back from Cleveland (I've got some space in a pickup truck) since I suspect our return schedules are unique.

 

If you're really interested in bicycling four days in late-June to Cleveland, contact Harold Beer via email: beer@msu.edu or by phone (517) 484-1032.