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KANSAS-OKLAHOMA CONFERENCE
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
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K-O e-NEWS
September 10, 2013
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October 11 - 13, 2013
Embassy Suites
Norman, OK
(click above)
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More Annual Meeting News
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YES, REGISTRATION IS DIFFERENT THIS YEAR!
We are making adjustments to accommodate the need to use our resources differently! Use the link above and register NOW as late fees kick in on September 16th! Remember you register, pay for meals, AND get housing and pay online using the link above. PLEASE DO NOT call the hotel.
If you need assistance of ANY KIND in navigating this new process, please call call Jennifer at (216)736-3888, she will be happy to assist you!
Annual Meeting Book
The Annual Meeting Book is online! You can access it on the website or by using the link below. We will mail copies of the annual meeting book, only on request. You may access, download and read it online and hard copies will be available once you arrive in Norman. If you want a hard copy before arriving in Norman, send an email with your name and address to eguffey@kocucc.com. We will mail it to you when they are ready. Remember, it will take a few weeks as the books are not yet printed! Click here for the Annual Meeting Book.
Workshops at Annual Meeting
Workshops offer opportunities to explore new concepts and ideas and learn new tools for ministry and service. Meet our workshop leaders:
Vibrant Small Churches in the Post-Modern Age
Leader: The Rev. Elizabeth Dilley
Elizabeth serves as Minister for Ministers in Local Churches on the
Ministerial Excellence, Support and Authorization (MESA) ministry team for Local
Church Ministries at the UCC national offices in Cleveland. In this work, she helps
associations and conferences maintain the covenants of mutual accountability and
support between authorized ministers serving in local churches, those congregations,
and relationships with the association and conference. She also has great
passion for congregational health in all settings, but particularly smaller-membership
congregations. Prior to this, she served for nine years as pastor at First
Congregational UCC in Red Oak, Iowa -- a small, vibrant, Open and Affirming
congregation in a small town. Elizabeth and her spouse, Paul Richardson, are the
parents of a toddler, and they share their home with two crazy dogs.
Annual Meeting Book
Sacred Chaos
Leader: The Rev. Jim Newby
Jim is the Senior Minister at the Church of the Savior in Oklahoma
City. He is the author of a number of books, including Sacred Chaos: One
Man's Spiritual Journey through Pain and Loss, and is a frequent seminar
and workshop leader in the areas of personal and congregational renewal. Jim
holds degrees from Friends University, the Earlham School of Religion, and
Princeton Theological Seminary.
Just What is the Emerging Church?
Leader: The Rev. Emily Bowen-Marler
Emily has served at Brentwood Christian Church in Springfield, Mo., since October
2001. Her primary responsibilities include the cultivation of vibrant, rich
expressions of worship, music, and the arts, as well as offering oversight to children's
ministries and assisting with congregational care. An accomplished singer
and musician, Emily has led worship at the Disciples of Christ General Assembly
and was the music director for the 2010 Disciple Women's Ministries event
Quadrennial. She holds degrees from Phillips Theological Seminary (M.Div.),
Christian Theological Seminary (M.A.), and Chapman University (B.A.). She is
the co-author with Phil Snider of Toward a Hopeful Future: Why the Emergent
Church is Good News for Mainline Congregations (Pilgrim Press, 2010).
Using Social Media for Ministry
Leader: The Rev. Marnie Leinberger
Marnie Leinberger lives in Pueblo, Colo., where she is a commissioned pastor
with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She has been the Senior Pastor
at Milagro Christian Church since February 2013. In addition to her service
with Milagro, Marnie also works for the Colorado State University Extension
Office where she is the 4-H Program Assistant. She also attends Phillips
Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Okla., and hopes to graduate in May 2016.
Having sworn off organized religion in her early 20s, Marnie was surprised to
find herself at Milagro in 2009, even more surprised to find herself enrolled at
Phillips in 2010, and in 2013 astounded to realize she might be called to be a
pastor. "When you say, 'Never,' God hears, 'Double-dog dare ya.'"
Curriculum for the Progressive Church
Leader: The Rev. Lori Walke
Raised in Moore, Okla., Lori graduated with a B.S. in political science
(2005) and an M.S. degree in health care administration (2006) from Oklahoma
State University. She graduated from Oklahoma City University School of
Law with a J.D. degree in 2009 and passed the Oklahoma Bar Exam the same
year. To answer the call to ordained ministry and further confuse people about
what she wants to do when she grows up, Lori earned an M.Div. degree from
Philips Theological Seminary in 2011. She was ordained in the United Church
of Christ in 2012. Lori is married to Collin, a philosophy-loving attorney who
convinced her that it would be a good idea to adopt two dogs, Tenzin and Guss
She loves being an aunt and a sister, running, and eating anything that Collin
cooks for dinner.
Bringing Ministry Dreams Into Reality
Leader: The Rev. Rob Leveridge
Rob is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and religious studies, and Chicago Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Divinity. Rob taught 6th and 2nd grades in Opelousas, La., with the program "Teach for America," and has been assistant pastor at Galewood Community Church in Chicago, minister for seminary relations at Chicago Theological Seminary, and pastor of First Baptist Church in Iowa City , Iowa. Rob joined the staff of First United Church on July 1 of 2010. He is married with three children, does all kinds of stuff all the time, enjoys reading, biking, and playing guitar, and is never bored, like, ever. Rob is the author of several unwritten books.
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Hola and Syria UCC Action
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The KO Conference Justice and Witness Commission encourages us to make our voices heard as we live our commitment to be a peace and justice community of faith. Global Ministries helps us speak out for peace.
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Congratulations to our own Robin Meyers!
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 Robin Meyers will be speaker for the Beecher Lectures at Yale University this fall. The Lyman Beecher Lectureship was founded in 1871 by a gift from Henry W. Sage of Brooklyn, NY, as a memorial and the gift sponsors an annual series of lectures on a topic appropriate to the work of the ministry. The details of the selection process are not known, but invitations are extended only after the proposed invitee has been ratified by a vote of the Yale Divinity School faculty; the invitation goes out almost two years in advance of the lectures. Robin states, "I been teaching, preaching, and writing a great deal in the last decade about how the church lost its counter-cultural, anti-imperial soul when it essentially married the Empire at Nicaea. What began as a subversive movement is now largely absorbed into the status quo of the American Empire. What must be recovered is the idea that to be Christian is to be subversive for the cause of love." Because of this focus, his lectures are entitled:
UNDONE: Faith as Resistance to Ego, Orthodoxy, and Empire
Robin wants his KO colleagues and friends to know that the three lectures (October 23, 4 pm; October 24, 10:30 am; and October 25, 10:30 am) are free and open to the public, as long as space is available in the Marquand chapel. He would love to see the friendly faces of his long-time colleagues in the KO Conference and the United Church of Christ.
The list of Beecher Lecturers over the last century includes Henry Ward Beecher, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Reinhold Niebuhr, Gardner Taylor, William Sloane Coffin Jr., Frederick Buechner, Walter Brueggemann, Barbara Brown Taylor, and Fred B. Craddock. We congratulate Robin that he has been added to this list of accomplished preachers and theologians ! Those who can not be present in October look forward to reading his lectures in the weeks following this important occasion.
More information is available by going to: ydsconvocation.yale.edu |
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Take a Trip and Experience Jazz for the Journey!
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 Initiated by General Minister and President, Geoffrey Black, Jazz for the Journey will explore the spirituality and artistry of jazz as an innovative foundation for worship renewal. Geared for pastors,church musicians, worship planners and jazz lovers, Jazz for the Journey, will provide a creative context for developing ideas, resources and liturgical tools to inspire, inform and empower congregations exploring imaginative possibilities for worship revitalization.
Jazz for the Journey will include spirit-filled worship led by the Oikos Ensemble, keynote presentations, experiential workshops, dynamite musicians, cool jam sessions and a Friday night all-star Sacred Side of Jazz concert hosted by Leon Bibb, WEWS-TV newscaster and jazz aficionado. There will also be ample opportunity to build networks and share creative ideas with colleagues from around the country.
More information at at www.ucc.org
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NEWS from the Pension Board about Health Care Coverage
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Churches that participate in the UCC Health Plan will get a
model notice from Pension Boards.
Churches NOT on UCC Health Plan must also give notice to
employees by Oct 1, 2013.
Notices must include description of services provided and
how to contact the Marketplace (formerly known as the Exchange)
to request assistance.
More information will follow in the weeks ahead.
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Dates for Churches to be Featured in eNEWS
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Share the good news and ministry of your church with sister congregations! Churches have been assigned a date; so send in a paragraph or two about your congregation's ministry. You may feature a special event, a particular mission, anything that your church is doing well and you want to share. Your stories will encourage and inspire others; so share the good news!
The first date below is the date your church has been assigned and will be featured; the 2nd date the information needs to be submitted; send it early if you like! Send your information to kofocus@yahoo.com
If your assigned date has passed and your church still wishes to participate, send your article in and we'll use it at a later!
Fairview, Fairview
September 10th; due Sept 6th
Garden City, Community Congr'l
September 10th; due Sept. 6th
Oklahoma City, Mayflower Cong'l
September 16th; due Sept 13th
Gaylord, Community Congregational
September 16th; due Sept 13th
Gorham, Community Church
September 23rd; due Sept 20th
Enid, Marshallese
September 23rd; due Sept 20th
Great Bend, First Congregational
Oct. 1st; due Sept 27th
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K-O CONFERENCE MINISTER'S SCHEDULE
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Sept 14: Committee on Ministry-Subcommittee C Mtg in Wichita
Sept 15: Christy Alexander Installation and Anniversary Celebration at First Congregational Church in Council Grove
Sept. 22: Preach at Fellowship UCC, Tulsa
Clergy Cluster Gathering at Noon, Fellowship UCC, Tulsa
Sept. 23: Outdoor Ministries Commission Conference Call
Sept. 29: Preach, United Church Norman, OK
Oct. 1: United Church Funds Personnel Committee
Oct. 6: Preach at St. Paul's UCC, Eudora
Installation of Nikki Woolsey, Zion UCC, Junction City
Oct.10: Authorized Minsters and MID Banquet
Oct.11-13: Annual Meeting, Embassy Suites Norman, OK
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K-O CHURCHES IN TRANSITION
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Rev. Mike Lake pastor at Community Congregational UCC in Garden City will conclude his ministry on September 29th. Mike and his wife Mary will relocate to Connecticut where they will be closer to their family (especially a grandchild)! We wish Mike the best as he retires and begins a new phase of life; we are grateful for the many ways he served and ministered among us.
Congratulations to First Congregational Church in McPherson, KS on calling Rev. Rachael Pryor as their settled pastor. Rachel and her family have relocated to KO from the Penn Southeast Conference.
Congratulations to Central Congregational Church, Topeka, KS on calling Rev. Joshua Longbotton as their settled pastor. Josh will begin October 1st ending his service at Plymouth Church in Lawrence as Associate Pastor.
Congratulations to First Congregational Church n Stockton, KS on calling Rev. Georgann Peck as their settled pastor. Georgann has been serving at Fellowship as their Associate pastor and will begin in Stockton in October.
Rev. Victor Force will begin serving as Interim Senior Pastor at Church of the Open Arms, in Oklahoma City on September 15th.
The following churches are actively searching for new leadership:
Fellowship UCC, Tulsa, OK
First UCC, Newton, KS
First Congregational Church, Manhattan, KS
New Basel UCC, Abilene, KS
Community Congregational Church, Garden City, KS
Rosedale Congregational UCC, Kansas City, KS
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LINKS TO CAMPUS MINISTRIES
IN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA
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CONTACT INFORMATION
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Edith Guffey, Conference Minister
Kansas-Oklahoma Conference
1245 Fabrique
Wichita, KS 67218
800-880-6466
Send Communications for eNEWS to:
Our Church's Wider Mission is the lifeblood of ministry and mission in the United Church of Christ. Your contributions to this offering make this weekly e-communication and much, much more possible. Thank you for your generous support! Our covenant as local churches, associations, conferences and the national setting of our denomination is made evident through this mission together.
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