To support and care for those doing ministry with children, youth, and families

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The survey is open through Friday, October 31, 2025 and we are hoping to engage even more children, youth, and families to help inform our Mitten Project work this year.

Please share widely in this final week of the 2025 Survey!!

https://www.research.net/r/UCCMittenProject

We appreciate your participation and look forward to sharing more with you about the Michigan Conference Mitten Project: knitting together children and adults in worship and prayer. You can find out more about the Mitten Project HERE

https://michucc.org/children-youth-and-families/

Youth in grades 6-12 will gather along with chaperones from their local churches for the opportunity to connect with one another and the wider church on January 31 - February 1, 2026 at Haslett Community Church in the Lansing Area. Cost is $30.00 per person.

Meals, snacks, programming, recreation, sleeping space, and worship will be provided.

"Peacemakers" Retreat starts at 10:00am on Saturday and ends after worship on Sunday

Includes: service learning with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Exploration of the local area, dinner, programming, Bible study, 'midnight' Communion, overnight lodging at Haslett Community Church, continental breakfast, worship, and boxed lunch to go.

The Michigan Conference received a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for $1,250,000.00 for the Michigan Conference Mitten Project: Knitting together children and adults in worship and prayer. The Michigan Conference Mitten Project is a 5-year program that invites congregations to engage children in worship, so that all of us, in each generation, can leave church more deeply connected with the spiritual and ready to find the sacred in our everyday lives.

Application Deadline November 14, 2025 at noon

Participants selected for the 2026 Cohort will be announced December 2, 2025.

For more information, please visit: https://michucc.org/children-youth-and-families/

Twelve Implementation Teams will be chosen from Michigan Conference UCC local churches to be part of the Mitten Project 2026 Cohort and each team will implement a year-long program in their local church setting.  Cohort Churches will be granted $5000 of unrestricted funds for their program and up to an additional $5000.00 in funds to participate in 2026 Mitten Project Trainings and events. Local Church Implementation Teams must have a minimum of three adults, including the pastor, a children’s ministry leader (volunteer or paid), and a parent or guardian of a child aged 0-12 from the local church setting. Children 12 and under, and youth age 13-18 may be included as part of the local church Implementation Team. Children and youth are not required to participate in online training. 2026 Teams will collaborate and reflect with other Implementation Teams in scheduled online meetings, participate in all Mitten Project online and onsite training, help develop resources for 2027, and adults will attend a celebration retreat October 21-22, 2026. The calendar of events for 2026 cohort participation can be found HERE.

Networking Zoom Meetings for Children, Youth, and Family Ministry Leaders in the Great Lakes Region

1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at 11:00 am ET click here

Upcoming Meetings:

November 6

November 20

December 4

The National Setting is building up a supportive network to sustain the work of children's ministry leaders and to support them with continued learning and resources to more effectively serve their children and families.

Read the October Newsletter HERE

You can find out more about their work and shared resources HERE