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Equipping a courageous Church alive with Christ's transforming love

Volume 24, No. 30 | September 17, 2026

Coaching: an ongoing, intentional conversation that empowers a person or group to fully live out God’s calling

If you are looking for a way to develop your coaching skills with congregations, staff, committees, members – whether you are a minister or a lay leader – this is the training for you!

Whether it be coaching a committee, staff, or congregation through current challenges or changes, this training will help hone your skills to better equip others along their journey as faithful leaders of the church.

If you received the Interim Ministry training sponsored by the Minnesota Conference in June 2024 (which will be repeated in June 2027), this will supplement that training in a great way. If you want to assist congregations experiencing various types of transition, then this will give you the necessary skills.

What: Coach Training for Christian Leaders, with the Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates; Interim Conference Minister

Where: Mt Olivet Retreat Center

Dates: Sunday, November 8–Tuesday, November 10 (check in Nov 8 at 5 pm, dinner at 6 pm)

Training sessions: Sunday, 6:30–9:30 pm, Monday, 9 am–9 pm, Tuesday, 9–11:30 am

Costs: View the options

This training is subsidized by the Lily Endowment's Thriving Congregations grant received by the Damascus Project, the regional theological education program of the Minnesota and Wisconsin Conferences of the United Church of Christ. The Damascus Project promotes the vitality of congregations and their leaders.

Registration link coming soon! Questions? Reach out to Bonnie Bates at bonnieb@uccmn.org.

Conference News

Deepening Connections in the Wilderness: A Report on the Women's Retreat

Twelve women from congregations across the Conference joined the Women's Retreat last week at Camp Onomia. Some participants have attended this retreat every year since it was introduced; others were first-time attendees.

Facilitated by Rev. Claire Klein, with assistance from Interim Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates, participants explored the nurture of the wilderness and the challenges that wilderness provides, both externally or internally.

"Wilderness can frighten us or comfort us," says Bates. "The contrast of that is important as we live through tumultuous times."

The Conference's annual Women's Retreat is designed to deepen connections and equip participants to do the work of justice. "Our tumultuous times require renewal," says Bates. "That renewal can come from the outdoors and by going within. I loved spending time with this group exploring how to move from wilderness to wellness."

Pictured above: The Sunday worship altar with the wilderness art each participant created.

Developing Leaders for a Courageous Church

One of the Conference's strategic priorities is to equip leaders with the information, skills, and tools they need to lead a courageous church. That work includes clergy, faith foundation leaders, moderators, and other lay leaders. Here are numerous opportunities for leadership development in the coming months.

Support for Moderators, Council Chairs, and Consistory Presidents

The Conference will offer two online convenings and on in-person at the June 2027 Annual Meeting. Each meeting will be co-hosted by a presiding officer and a Conference staff member and will focus on a specific topic such as governance models, policies and procedures, and changing congregational demographics. Registration for individual sessions will be advertised in the COMMAntary. All presiding officers are welcome to join for one or all three of the upcoming sessions. If you have questions, contact Rev. Kelly Gallagher.

FourTHursdays for Faith Formation Leaders

Calling all faith formation leaders! Join us for upcoming lunchtime gatherings for congregational leaders – clergy, lay staff, and volunteers – to come together for conversation, connection, mutual support and resourcing. The first gathering is September 24. LEARN MORE.

Cultivating Generosity

Enhance generosity ministries in your congregation! This workshop, designed for a team of pastor and leaders, helps you map the new landscape of religious giving and stewardship and provides tools to build a culture of generosity unique to each congregation’s needs and challenges. REGISTER HERE for the November 7 in-person seminar!

Important note: The Generosity Webinar series held on the fourth Tuesday evening each month will bump to a fifth Thursday, September 30, and feature the leadership of our own Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates on Generational Giving, with a focus on Gen Z and earlier. LEARN MORE

Conference Events

Samaritans Documentary to Show at Locations Across Minnesota

• Sept 24, 5 pm, Riverview Theater, Minneapolis
• Sept 26, 7 pm, location tbd, Duluth
• Sept 27, 5 pm, First Congregational Church, Alexandria
• Sept 28, 6 pm, Event Center, Hutchinson

Join the Minnesota Conference UCC, Minneapolis Immigrant Allies Coalition, and many congregations and organizations for a showing of Samaritans. Filmed over three years in Southern Arizona, the documentary follows a dedicated group of volunteers who risk scorching heat, freezing nights, and their own safety to provide lifesaving humanitarian aid along one of the world’s deadliest migration routes. With intimate access to the frontlines, the film bears witness to the perilous journeys and resilience of migrants seeking safety and freedom—and to the courage of those who refuse to look away.

Be a Gender-Affirming Health Care Champion!

A resolution to support gender-affirming health care passed resoundingly at this year’s Annual Meeting. The resolution calls for the creation of gender-affirming healthcare champions in congregations as well as educational advocacy and financial support.

If you are interested in being part of this initiative, plan to join a September 23 gathering on this topic. LEARN MORE

Lay Stories of Church Mergers, Partnerships, and Resource Sharing

September 27, Noon-3:00 pm (hybrid event)

Olivet Congregational Church (1850 Iglehart Avenue, St. Paul) is hosting a lay-led panel featuring stories of mergers, federations, or other transformational partnerships. Lay leaders and clergy are encouraged to attend this hybrid event together and those attending at a distance will receive guiding questions to help deepen the learning. Lunch will be provided for those attending in person. Registration will be available in the coming days. REGISTER

Covenant Day in Detroit Lakes Area Set for October 24

Deepen your connections across the Conference! We will gather in Detroit Lakes at The Congregational United Church of Christ. Covenant connection is at the heart of what it means to be a member of the United Church of Christ. Gather with sibling churches and Conference staff as we explore together what it means to be One Church, One Body through worship, storytelling. REGISTER

Joy as Resistance and Refugia Retreats

November 4–6, Rest & Resilience

We are living in a collision of crises right now. Amid that collision, the Minnesota Conference UCC is offering a series of in-person retreats. All retreats are hosted at Mount Olivet Retreat Center. LEARN MORE & REGISTER

Partner News & Events

United Theological Seminary Host Homecoming

United will host its annual United Days—rebranded this year as Homecoming—on October 26–27. The event will welcome Rev. Dr. Cláudio Carvalhaes, an earth thinker, theologian, liturgist, performer, artist, and author. Rev. Dr. Carvalhaes teaches at Union Seminary and is this year's Picard Lecturer on Environmental Theology and Ethics. LEARN MORE & REGISTER

Interested in Organizing a Satellite Location of the FREC Overcoming Racism Conference?

The Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative (FREC) Greater Minnesota Partnership Committee is planning a November 13 or 14 (your choice) 2026 Racial Equity Conference titled “Weaving a Wider Community.”

This conference will highlight two excellent speakers—Amanda Florence Garcia Goodenough and Victoria McWane-Creek—in the morning who will discuss how to be actively engaged in creating more welcoming and inclusive communities and how to break down barriers which impact marginalized community members.

It is available to local communities which organize a gathering (of any number of people) on the day of the conference to watch the statewide morning zoom sessions and then have a community driven conversation afterwards.

The shape and form of the activity which happens in the local communities is shaped by those communities, although the goal is for them to have some form of interactive activity which focuses on local action. Contact Renee Cardarelle at criticalconversationsmn@gmail.com if you are interested in participating.

Embodied Practice For Spiritual Care Workers: Coming Home to the Body as a Source of Wisdom and Connection

A 4-Week Somatic Practice Series for Spiritual Directors, Chaplains, Clergy and others Offering Spiritual Care

Tuesdays September 29, October 6, 13, 20, 1:30-3:30 pm

Embodiment work is sometimes called “somatic” work. Soma, a term coined by Thomas Hana, simply refers to the body in its wholeness. So many forces in our world have served to disconnect most of us from our bodies, causing us to experience our thoughts and intellect as the center of our experience and wisdom, and the primary site of our discernment and power. Somatic work does not minimize the value of “head-knowing”; rather it seeks to repair that disconnection and reconnect us with the fullness of our experience. For many of us, this not only feels like coming home to ourselves, but profoundly expands our access to our own deeper knowing, and a felt-sense of support and belonging with spirit, land, creation, ourselves.  

LEARN MORE & REGISTER

ConNext Summit 2026 is October 11-13 in Deerwood, MN

Beyond Belonging: Branch Out - Bring In - Build Together

David Scherer (AGAPE*) will guide us in branching out to bring folx into fully inclusive, affirming, beloved community in three plenary and two workshop sessions. Alsa and Morgan Bruno will lead worship and music and two workshops. This dynamic, creative, inspiring couple will build us up through humor and song. Over three days we’ll branch out beyond barriers and comfort zones, bring one another into new relationships and networks, and together, build community that will reshape our ministries.

REGISTER BY SEPTEMBER 25

Joy & Concerns

Service of Farewell for Rev. Leslie Moughty

Sunday, September 20, 10 am; First UCC, 415 Juniper St., Brainerd, MN 56401

Installation Service Celebrating Karen Larson Covenant Relationship with St. Paul’s UCC, Delano

Sunday, September 20, 3:00 pm, 201 Buffalo Street, Delano

Clergy are invited to wear red stoles.  

Ecclesiastical Council for Anna Jeide-Detweiler, hosted by the Committee on Ministry

Thursday, October 15, 6:00 pm, Plymouth Congregational Church, 1919 LaSalle Ave, Minneapolis

Delegates and guests are invited to join in person. This is an opportunity for our member churches to participate in the Conference’s discernment for our candidates for ordination. We must have a quorum for this candidate to move forward in their process. Learn more about Anna here. Contact See Hernandez at COMadmin@uccmn.org with any questions or for more information.

Employment Opportunities

The Conference maintains an up-to-date listing of authorized minister, interim minister, and other positions available in Minnesota, as well as positions with the UCC National setting. This site is frequently updated. See the current listings.

More Resources & Opportunities

STORY IDEAS: Have a story or idea to share in COMMAntary? Send an email to communications@uccmn.org. COMMAntary is published every other Thursday. Submissions are due Tuesday prior to publication at noon.

PROGRAMS & SUPPORT: Check out the wealth of resources available on the Conference's website for authorized ministers, local churches, and faith formation leaders.