Annual Celebration - Thanks for Joining Us!

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us either in person or online for this year's Annual Celebration! It was great to see so many of you and to be together again. A recap email will be sent out soon with photos, handouts from some of the workshops, worship recordings, and more.

Blessing of the Chaplain's Home

Elmhurst University

You are invited to join in celebrating and Blessing the Chaplain’s Home at Elmhurst University on Sunday, December 15th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (255 Elm Park Ave, Elmhurst, Illinois). Join as we remember and tell stories and share in a liturgy of closing to return the residence to the University for future uses. There will be a reception with prayers and lighting of candles, giving thanks for all that this home has represented, and all the lives that have been touched, giving hope and perspective along the journey. The Interfaith House of the University. What we have created for all.

Please join me in giving hope and thanks for what has been, and what will be. At 4:45pm we will begin the Service of Blessings. Joining us to lead the Blessing will be the Rev. Dr. Brad Braxton of Chicago Theological Seminary, and Dr. Kenneth Guest, Chair of the Trustees for the World Student Christian Federation. Please RSVP to Rev. H Scott Matheney to help us prepare the afternoon reception. With grace and love for all that you and so many have given, and for the life of this home, a place where all are welcomed, to think, to grow, to become…for this and all, we give thanks.

Boundary Awareness Training

Damascus Project

This Boundary Awareness Training allows authorized ministers in the United Church of Christ to fulfill their periodic training via a contemplative approach to the self-awareness needed to uphold healthy boundaries in ministerial practice. We will learn two contemplative practices which help us sustain our ministries over time, as well as engage content via case studies, large and small group discussion. Topics covered:

• Interpersonal Relating
• Financial Boundaries and Best Practices
• Congregational Leave-Taking
• Social Media Presence
• Case Studies
• Reflection on the UCC Ordained Ministers Code

Date: December 3, 2024, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM CST

Cost: $85

Cool Congregations Challenge

The Cool Congregations Challenge, is an annual national contest to recognize “Cool Congregations” that are becoming energy efficient and sustainable role models within their communities. The contest is brought to you by Interfaith Power & Light, a nonprofit organization inspiring and mobilizing people of faith and conscience to take bold and just action on climate. There are no fees to enter. Application period opens November 1st. Deadline for entries is December 15. Projects completed in 2022, 2023, and 2024 will be eligible to apply. Awards will be announced in February 2025. Get ready to enter the Challenge! Learn more and enter here.

Abolition Advent Calendar

Join the Movement

The days are surely coming, says the Holy One, when I will fulfill the promise I made to…execute justice and righteousness in the land. – Jeremiah 33:14-15

This coming Advent, Join the Movement will be offering our third annual Abolition Advent Calendar, featuring reflections offered in daily emails and social media posts throughout the season. This year, our theme is “The Days Are Surely Coming: Reducing Harm, Preparing the Way.” As we await and prepare for the birth of transformational Love in flesh and bone, we invite you to make this Advent journey with us, grounding ourselves in the hope that the freedom-bringing work of harm reduction can prepare the way for a new day of love and justice that is surely coming. Sign up to receive daily emails in Advent here.

Supervised Ministry Series

Pathways Theological Education

Are you a pastor seeking continuing education related to your current faith community? Or are you seeking ordination and need to find a contextual education series? The Supervised Ministry Series is designed to provide a practical internship in pastoral ministry over an eighteen-month progression. The arc of this series begins with entering a new place of ministry and concludes with leaving a place of ministry. Along this arc, six 9-week asynchronous online courses explore such issues as pastoral role, identity, leadership, ministry functions, organizational dynamics, and theological reflection. The nine-week courses for this series are: 

SM 1 Entering a Place of Ministry

SM 2 The Transformative Context of Pastoral Care

SM 3 The Practice of Worship Leadership

SM 4 Faith Formation in the Parish

SM 5 Leadership in the Midst of Change

SM 6 Leaving a Place of Ministry

A participant partners with a site supervisor and a member advisory group while taking each course in a particular ministry setting. Here is a way to deepen your pastoral experience aligned with the Marks of Faithful and Effective Ministers. Learn more here.

Harvest of Crafts Sale

Westchester Community Church

Westchester Community Church is having their annual Harvest of Crafts Sale/Treasures and Trinkets Sale on Saturday, November 16th from 9am – 2pm. Mark your calendars and please come out to support. The Annual HARVEST OF CRAFTS sale is Saturday, November 16th, from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at 1840 Westchester Blvd, Westchester, IL. The sale includes homemade crafts made by the church members, Treasures and Trinkets for $2 and up, Raffle, and tables of crafters/vendors from the surrounding area selling their items. Admission is Free!

Transgender Day of Remembrance

United Church of Hyde Park

You are invited to a Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) and Candlelight Service at the United Church of Hyde Park (1448 E. 53rd Street, Chicago, IL 60615) on Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. this year.

The service is both in-person and live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube. Please join us.

Computer Ministry

First Congregational Church, Glen Ellyn

Do you have a laptop, desktop, Flat-panel monitor, keyboards, computer mice that you are no longer using? Help the Computer Ministry of First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn (FCCGE) transform lives. In the hands of the Computer Ministry of FCCGE, they are not just devices. They are gateways to opportunity and hope. Click here to learn more and find out how to donate or volunteer to help.

Boundary and Anti-Racism Trainings

The deadline for all authorized ministers to get up to date on the required Boundary Awareness Training is December 31, 2024. If you have not received boundary training since before 2022, you are required to complete a training by the end of this year in order to remain in good standing. Click here to access the full list of available offerings. If you have questions about the Boundary Awareness requirement, please contact the chair of your Association's Committee on Ministry.