WATER LINE UPDATE

Water is back on & functioning!

All the bathroom are fully functional; along with hot and cold water!

Sunday January 1, in-person worship service will resume as regularly scheduled!

Dear Church,

Happy New Year! Every time we move from one year to the next, when the last number of the year flips, and when December gives way to January, I anticipate new beginnings. Much seems like a continuation of the one before. It’s only after a space of time that we look back and notice the richness of the journey.

I arrived at Urbandale UCC to serve as the intentional interim minister in the middle of January 2022 during COVID shut-down. I really did believe I started work on MLK Day. Sometimes that is not an official holiday. So, I did! That was mostly about unpacking boxes, exploring the building, and checking into using the computer. Now is a good time to mark that year and to anticipate what the coming year might hold.

John O’Donohue, in the poem “For a New Beginning” wrote:

In the out-of-the-way places of the heart, 

Where your thoughts never think to wander,

This beginning has been quietly forming,

Waiting until you were ready to emerge.

As you read through The CALL, you will discover opportunities we’ve grabbed hold of. 

We will be the charter partner of a Scouting BSA Troop – technically two because this is a troop with both male and female groups. We’ve been invited to be the charter partner for another Cub Scout Pack. We’ve been asked about sharing space for records storage and for another immigrant church. We can’t do all this. It is wonderful to be asked because this indicates how well the congregation is living into its identity as a community church and a congregation that takes seriously the call to welcome all people. 

What other opportunities can you imagine to connect with the Urbandale community and live an extravagant welcome!

The Interim Steering Team will host three opportunities this month to share where the interim work has taken us so far. We reframed the congregation's core purpose, which describes “why” we exist. The Team spent several hours exploring “how” we fulfill this purpose. These “hows” help identify how we pay attention to living our purpose - things like stewardship, spiritual growth and formation, and community partnerships could be among those. They’d like your feedback. Work continues on the By-Laws, a document that Iowa requires the congregation to have and to follow. Others are working on policies that help keep work on track. These are important transitional tasks.

I look forward to all the exciting things that will arise in 2023. I trust that with the Spirit’s leading and our work together the journey towards calling a new pastor continues.

John O’Donohue’s poem ends:

Awaken your spirit to adventure;

Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;

Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,

For your soul senses the world that awaits you.

Blessings,

Pastor Coqui

A Moment with the Moderator

Happy New Year to All!

I’m looking forward to us living out our new (draft) purpose statement: “God calls Urbandale UCC to make connections, celebrate diversity, engage in social justice, and continue to question.”

Regarding connections, we’ve begun at least one new connection already. As a result of lawsuits, the United Methodist church will no longer charter the Scouts, BSA organization. We were approached by the leaders of Troop 96 (and Cub Scout pack 96) to become their new chartering organization. Troop 96 was looking for a progressive congregation and found us! Scouts, BSA has opened it’s doors to all, boys, girls and non-binary youth. The Leadership Team met with a Troop 96 leader to discuss the implications of becoming their charter organization and after discussion, we approved this new connection.

Another opportunity to live out our purpose has been proposed by the Transition Team. They have started a list of ideas of next steps for living out our values and purpose. We’d like your input on the “Why” and “How” we live our values. The Transition Team will be hosting one Zoom and two in-person congregational meetings in January to gather your input. The two in-person meetings will be on January 19 (Thursday) at 6:30 pm and January 21 (Saturday) at 9 am. The virtual (Zoom) meeting will be on January 22 (Sunday) at 6:30 pm. Please plan on attending one of these meetings. This is all part of our continued path to a new settled pastor and an opportunity to put our words into action.

In January, Maryellen Knowles and I will be working on the “questioning” part of our purpose statement during some Sunday morning ASF sessions. Our title is “How Big is Your God?” We’ll be using images from the James Webb Space Telescope to explore how our views of God have changed over time and to think about how our perspectives change as we look into the beginnings of our universe.

In this new year, I challenge you to think less about “resolutions” and more about diversity in the form of new perspectives. Make a plan to read a book of a non-European-centered culture. Volunteer at Central Iowa Shelter and Services for an hour. Stop comparing yourself to other people and focus on your own strengths and blessings. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Talk to someone with different values and really listen to what they say. Spend time at church volunteering in a new way. I’ve learned a lot about our refugees from just a little effort.

May your new year be filled with wonder, vision, new perspectives, diversity, questions, joy and peace.

Blessings,

Sandy Gahn

The Worship Team and Pastor Coqui decided to take advantage of a worship series offered by Marcia McFee and the Worship Design Studio for the Epiphany Season. Marcia has offered rich ideas for worship from words to ideas for sanctuary “dressing” for many years. From January 15 to February 19, we will utilize worship ideas from Worship Design Studio created for this season. Anticipate a bit more music, especially shorter songs, and a slightly altered order of worship. We may try using our sanctuary screen a bit more for visual enhancements. The worship theme can lead to some related small group or spiritual formation opportunities.

Epiphany Theme - SAD: Spiritual Affective Disorder

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. — Isaiah 60 

Seasonal Affective Disorder happens when a lack of sunlight affects our moods and ability to cope effectively. Spiritual Affective Disorder can also be a condition when we’ve had prolonged stress and life is disturbingly uncertain. What is our faithful response to our strained mental health? What if everyday life activities could become spiritual practices — deepening our experience of a meaningful life and helping us shine a light on the “blahs?

Please join in worship as we consider the connection between spiritual practices and mental health.

SAD: Spiritual Affective Disorder Series Begins

 UUCC Transition Team Congregational Input Meetings Will be Held in January.

Following the All-Church Retreat held on October 15, 2022, the Transition Team has been thinking about our church’s core values and reasons for being. Our purposes for being here. Why we exist. We have also been thinking about how we currently implement and fulfill these core values/purposes. How do we make things happen as an organization?

In thinking about these topics, we have considered the input we received from the congregation over the past few months. We have been working on how to describe this “Why” and “How” of our church in a meaningful way. Based on this, the Transition Team has developed a DRAFT purpose statement for our church:

God calls Urbandale UCC to make connections, celebrate diversity, engage in social justice, and continue to question.

We have also developed a DRAFT list of ways that describe how we currently implement and fulfill our values/purposes: worship and music, faith and spiritual formation, small groups, personnel (minister and staff), stewardship (including care for the earth), Open and Affirming, and Just Peace.

This is a start. But we need your thoughts and ideas and feelings about these “Why” and “How” topics. Therefore, the Transition Team will be hosting one virtual (Zoom) and two in-person congregational meetings in January to receive your input. The two in-person meetings will be on January 19 (Thursday) at 6:30 pm and January 21 (Saturday) at 9 am. The virtual (Zoom) meeting will be on January 22 (Sunday) at 6:30 pm. Each meeting will be scheduled for one hour, but we may not need the entire time. You do not need to attend more than one meeting. So that we can plan for the meetings, we would appreciate it very much if you tell us ahead of time which meeting you plan to attend by sending a message to [email protected]. Thank you very much for taking the time to attend one of the meetings and share your ideas.      

Thank you to all that donated to the Rolling Green Winter Gear Collection! We donated 21 pairs of boots, 32 pairs of gloves, 1 coat, 19 snow pants and 25 hats! The school was so appreciative of the items and had them given out to students by the end of the day in most cases. Thank you for your overwhelming generosity!

Youth Group Winter Mystery Trip

Sunday, Jan. 15 @ 11 AM-3 PM

We will leave immediately following church, grab some lunch and go on an adventure. Warm weather attire and layers encouraged since we know Iowa weather keeps us guessing this time of year! More information to come.

Resuming After the New Year

SUNDAY SCHOOL SUNDAY MORNING

Sunday School (Preschool – 5th): will resume January 8. Please join us in the choir room first from 9 - 9:15 AM for singing. We will then head upstairs to classroom 202 until 9:45 AM for our Bible story and other activities.

HANDBELLS AND ADULT CHOIR

Practice will resume as normal starting Wednesday, January 4. Handbells will practice at 6:00 pm in the worship space, and the Adult Choir will practice at 7:00 pm in the worship space. 

BIBLE STUDY WILL RESUME SUNDAY

What My Grandmothers Taught Me

Lisa Griffith Tierney and Lynne Busch-Rae are leading a Bible study in Fellowship Hall (and by Zoom) on Sunday evenings, 6:00 - 7:30 pm. The study started December 4 and will continue until February 12. You are welcome to join any time. All are welcome! Study Guides are available and encouraged. Study Guides are also available in the office for $11. Study Guides are $10 and can be ordered here:

You can also join via Zoom right at home!

Meeting ID: 879 6847 2691

Passcode: 353070

Worship Greeters are the friendly folks who staff the Welcome/Sign in Table and help all people feel at home when they come to worship. Worship Greeters receive a short list of “things to do” and have any questions answered by a member of the Worship Team. Several people who have served UUCC in this way have said that it’s an easy volunteer task and that they enjoy these opportunities to connect with others.



Willing to give it a try? You can volunteer one time, several times, and even monthly. It’s your choice! Go to www.urbucc.org, click on “Worship Greeters Needed,” and follow the prompts. OR you can click the button below! The Worship Team invites you to be part of church life in this way. Try it! You might even make a new friend!

SUNDAY MORNING SCHEDULE - WINTER

10:00 am ~ Worship

The Rev. Coqui Conkey, Senior Pastor

[email protected]

The Rev. Amy Murray, Ministry Program Coordinator

[email protected]

Steven Linn, Music Program Director

[email protected]

Bobby Stinnett, M.M., Organist,

Children/Youth Choirs and Handbells Director

[email protected]

Abigail Sinclair, Communications and Office Coordinator

[email protected]

Sadmir & Umihana Omerhodzic, Custodians

[email protected]

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am-3:00 pm

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