|
SWC – In the Loop December 20, 2007
Attachments: To receive attachments mentioned in this newsletter, email office@uccswc.com. Please specify the issue date and the attachment(s).
INTERIM INSIGHTS Dear Friends in Faith:
May God’s blessings surround each of you during these final days of Advent! As you may already know, I’m slow to jump on the Christmas express and tend to especially resist the music and decorating of the season until after the last candle of Advent is lighted. Admittedly, this is problematic when the 4th Sunday and Christmas Eve fall on the same day. I also discovered one year when, living in Chicago, I dragged a tree home on the morning of Christmas Eve, decorated it, and finished getting ready for the evening services during which time I noticed that I was getting very stuffy and itchy. Turns out I was allergic to whatever had been sprayed on the tree. I went to church, conducted the services, came home at midnight, defrocked the tree and threw it out the door.
I finally did invest in a rather stately “fake” tree that I hauled around through several moves, but decided to leave it behind in California, though there is a box of Christmas treasures that travels with me which I have once again opened up to bring the “spirit of the season” into my home. And yet, I know that sometimes no matter how hard we try with decorations, music, parties, spending and consuming, the spirit of the season passes us by. Maybe it is because a loss in our life is so fresh, or our hearts are heavy with worry about a child, a loved one, a job. It may be that there is a lingering memory of a Christmas past or anxiety about an appointment that had to wait until after the holidays. I remember well the time in my first pastorate when we held a funeral on December 23rd for an 18-year-old member who had died suddenly from a rapidly spreading cancer, and I know that family’s Christmas holiday has never ever been same.
On the completely other end of life’s continuum, it may be that this is your first Christmas with a new grandchild or the year that your whole family is finally able to be all together in one place. It may be that you have received an unexpected bonus (one of my favorite memories is of the beautiful skirts and sweaters my Dad would buy for me and my sisters for Christmas when we were young from that extra cash) or that you are simply looking forward to the joys of a silent night of carols and candles.
Christmas is Christmas is Christmas. It is a sacred season of our faith born from that holy night of birth in Bethlehem. It is an event, a holiday, a celebration, an invitation, a gift. It may completely joyous, completely sad or somewhere in between the mixed blessings of our lives. Always, Christmas is the time, the very special time, on the journey of being Christians, when we sing our praise to God with hope and gratitude that in ALL circumstances of life, we are blessed in the knowledge and the experience of the birth of Emmanuel: God with us. “And, the word became flesh and dwells among us, full of truth and grace.” Amen.
Merry Christmas! Lark
100,000 FOR PEACE We are half way towards our goal of collecting $100,000 for Iraqi refugees. As of December 18, we have raised $69,000! We still have a long way to go and hope that you will spread the word to your friends and family. Please encourage them to make a contribution and help provide food, shelter and education to Iraqi refugee families. ~~The Rev. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ P.S. If you’re looking for gifts that make a difference, please consider our “100,000 for Peace” shirts. Proceeds from your gift purchases would support our peace and justice advocacy efforts.
CLOSING OUT THE 2007 BOOKS ON JANUARY 10! January 10, 2008, is the last day for receiving 2007 remittances or expense reimbursement requests. It is especially important that churches have all of their 2007 offerings into the SWC office by that date if you want to receive credit in 2007. If you want to be a “5 for 5” church, that means that at least some portion of your Christmas offering must be made by January 10. Offerings can always be sent after that date, but they will be credited to 2008.
A note about remittances made in late December and early January: please do not mix 2007 and 2008 remittances on the same form. Use separate forms and clearly mark which calendar year the church wants credited. Thanks for your cooperation.
CHURCH VITALITY EVENT FEBRUARY 1-2 Many of you attended the Church Vitality Event last February, jointly sponsored by Southwest Conference and Southern California Nevada Conference. We heard from many of you that the information and inspiration you got there was well worth the cost. We hope you agree that the 2008 Church Vitality Event will be an even better value. We have tried to make this year’s offerings even more helpful to churches. And with a year’s experience, we are introducing more flexible, and lower, pricing for the event.
You can learn about the event at http://www.scncucc.org/ChurchVitalityEvent.htm, or from the attached brochure. Besides the quality of this year’s Success Stories, Big Ideas, and Special Subjects, and their relevance to the future ministry of UCC churches, we have added a series of administrative upgrades to this year’s registration process:
Please note that hotel registration at the Conference rate is not available after January 10, 2008. For those people choosing not to register on-line, there is a registration form attached. Please make copies available to anyone interested.
Blessings, and hope to see you there … Gary Roberts (SCNC), Lark Hapke, and Randy Mayer (SWC)
SUPPORT STAFF CONFERENCE UCCOSSN is holding a conference March 27-30, 2008, at the Church House in Cleveland. The theme of the meeting will be “Tending God’s Garden – God Works Wherever We Work.” The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Kathryn Huey, Minister for Covenantal Stewardship. The registration fee (which covers all program materials and 6 meals) will be $100. To find out more about this organization, read on or go to www.uccossn.org. Please pass this information around to your church staff. Feel free to copy it in your monthly letters and bulletins so that it may reach as many church staff as possible.
What is UCCOSSN? The purpose of the United Church of Christ Office Support Staff Network (UCCOSSN) is to help bring about dignity, respect, and fair compensation for all United Church of Christ office support staff. The objectives are: v To create a network of UCC support staff at all levels throughout the denomination v To raise the level of professionalism of UCC support staff v To provide continuing education opportunities for UCC support staff v To provide opportunities for fellowship and sharing among peers v To raise the awareness of local churches, associations, conferences, national bodies - the denomination as a whole - of the vital role of the contributions of UCC support staff
MINISTRY TO THE RECOVERING COMMUNITY Scottsdale Congregational Church has called Rev. Sandi Britton to be a Pastoral Counselor to the Recovering Community. Her ministry is dedicated to providing excellence and compassion in spiritual services wherever people are on their journey in recovery. She is hoping other churches will come forward and start this ministry as well. It is surely part of our churches’ EXTRAVAGANT WELCOME!
Sandi has developed the following specialized services: (1) individual assessment, consultation and evaluation; (2) 12 Step Spiritual Growth Groups focusing on women’s concerns in recovery; (3) a 12 Step Bible Study focusing on the universality of healing and growth using this method; and (4) a focused four session offering on Steps 4-7 for those who want professional help and confidentiality. For more information on this program or how your church can start a program, please contact Sandi at sandi@brittonpcms.com or call 602-485-1161.
WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY The 100th anniversary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will be January 18-25, 2008. This annual observance is celebrated in many places with services among local congregations. In Arizona, we are aware of services at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 4715 N Central Ave, Phoenix, on January 22 at 7:00 pm and at St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church, 4440 N Campbell Ave, Tucson, on January 23 at 7:00 pm. If we hear of other observances, we will include them in the next “In the Loop.”
IMMIGRATION WORKSHOP – A DIALOGUE, NOT DEBATE There will be a workshop on immigration to discern God’s call for the faith community regarding this complex issue of immigration. It will be held January 12, 8:30-1:00, at Trinity Mennonite Church, 4334 W Vista Ave in Glendale, AZ. No cost. Call Aaron Gouldthorpe at 6223-435-1737 or agouldthorpe@cc-az.org for more information.
PACIFIC SCHOOL OF RELIGION EARL LECTURES TO ADDRESS RELIGION, ENVIRONMENT, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Progressive people of faith will gather at First Congregational Church in Berkeley, January 22-24, 2008, for Pacific School of Religion's 107th annual Earl Lectures and Pastoral Conference. Under the general title "O for a World: Faith, Community and Sustainability," lecturers, preachers, and workshop leaders will connect the liberal Protestant concern for social justice with the need for environmental justice. To register, please go to PSR's website, www.psr.edu, or call 510/847-8218 or 800/999-0528, ext. 1218. Registration for the Pastoral Conference workshops is $99 before January 1, $125 after January 1, 2008. First Congregational Church of Berkeley is located at 2345 Channing Way.
DIRECTORY CHANGES Pg. 6, Add: Rev. Valerie Garrick, Interim Pastor, First Congregational Church, Prescott. Her contact information is: 7036 E. Lantern Ln, Prescott Valley, AZ 86314, 859-240-0639, valgarrick@earthlink.net Pg. 8, Add: Rev. Sandi Britton, Minister to the Recovering Community, Scottsdale Congregational Church Pg. 17, Change of address for Ken Hougland (RT): 619 Leyden Ln., Claremont, CA 91711-4236, 909-626-0878 Pg. 22, Change of email: Marilyn Levine, mklayodaly@comcast.net Pg. 24, Add: Rev. Rebecca Morgan, 4113 Skyline Dr, Farmington, NM 87401, 303-859-5839 (cell), 505-325-6624 (home), rebmorgan@msn.com Pg. 28, Add as Annuitant Visitor for Southern Arizona: Jean Brady, 3220 W. Westridge Ave., Tucson, AZ 85745, 520-743-7087, jeanhbrady@aol.com
CALENDAR December 23-24, SWC Office Closed for Christmas December 31, January 1 SWC Office Closed for New Years January 2, UC News deadline for material for February/March issue – give to Peggy Ice January 6, Installation of Rev. Rebecca Delzell as Associate Pastor at The Good Shepherd UCC in Sahuarita at 4:00 pm January 10, Final Day to receive 2007 financial remittances and reimbursement requests January 12, Executive Committee, SWC office, 10-3 January 12, Immigration Workshop, Trinity Mennonite Church, 4334 W Vista Ave, Glendale, 8:30 – 1:00 January 20, Installation of Rev. Pamela Hines as Pastor at First Congregational Church in Tempe, 3:00 pm January 22-24, Earl Lectures, Berkeley, CA January 22, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Phoenix, 7:00 pm January 23, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service at St. Philip’s in the Hills, Tucson, at 7:00 pm January 26, Stewardship & Mission Interpretation Committee, SWC office, 10-2 January 27, Installation of Rev. Marie Bacchiocchi as Associate Pastor at Casas Adobes UCC in Tucson, 3:00 pm February 1-2, Congregational Vitality Event, Ontario, CA February 19, Pre-Retirement Seminar, Shepherd of the Hills February 22-23, Polity Class (2nd half), Shepherd of the Hills February 23, Full Board of Directors Meeting, Shepherd of the Hills, 10-3 April 12-13, Phoenix Pride Celebration, Steele Indian School Park April 25-27, 2008, Annual Meeting at Rincon Congregational Church, Tucson, AZ
DATES FOR YOUTH MINISTRY AND SUMMER CAMPS Senior High Tolerance Trip, Feb. 15-17, ‘08, Los Angeles, CA Junior High Retreat, Feb. 29-Mar 2, 2008 tentative, place to be announced Youth Rally, April 25-27, 2008, Rincon Congregational Church, Tucson, AZ Super Camp for Young Juniors, June 15-18, 2008, Emmanuel Pines, Prescott, AZ Super Camp for Juniors & Junior High, June 15-20, 2008, Emmanuel Pines, Prescott, AZ Senior High Camp, June 29-July 5, 2008, Pine Summit, Prescott, AZ National Youth Event, July 24-28, 2008, University of Tennessee |
