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COMMAntary

The newsletter of the Minnesota Conference UCC

Volume 24, No. 12 | June 11, 2026

Equipping a courageous Church alive with Christ's transforming love

Announcing Interim Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates

The Board of the Minnesota Conference UCC is thrilled to share the news that it has selected the Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates to serve as the Interim Conference Minister, effective July 1, 2026.

Most recently, Bonnie served as Conference Minister for the Penn Northeast Conference from 2017-2025. During her tenure, she worked with the team that merged four Pennsylvania Conference into the Keystone Conference. Prior to that, she served in the Ohio Conference as the Associate Minister for Congregational Vitality and Development and as a licensed interim, extended pulpit supply, and ordained and settled minister.

“The Selection Team was immediately impressed by Bonnie’s breadth of experience,” said Conference Moderator Rev. Sara Morse. “She brings a pastoral depth that will assist us in equipping a courageous church in this season. Bonnie will take the necessary time to help us evaluate our processes and systems, guide us in our healing, and strengthen our covenants with each other across the Conference. To borrow a phrase from a friend, Bonnie is also wicked smart!”

The Board of Directors unanimously called Bonnie to this role. Though her official start date is July 1, she will join us at our Annual Meeting next week to begin getting to know the Conference.

Bonnie earned her B.A. in organization management, an M.A. in human resource development, a Master of Divinity degree, a Doctor of Ministry degree in transformative leadership, and a graduate certificate in gender, sexual, and racial justice. Prior to serving churches and conferences, she spent 25 years in nonprofit management, mostly in human resources, program development, and training.

Currently, Bonnie serves on the Small Town and Rural Church Coalition, Join the Movement to End Racism Advisory Board, and the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School board. She also teaches Covenant and Polity for the Keystone Academy for lay education and is a licensed coach for Christian leaders and a certified spiritual director.

Bonnie was born in rural upstate New York and raised in the Roman Catholic Church. She is the oldest of four children, born into a working-class family. She is a widow who survives her husband of 42 years, the mother of one son and grandmother of five.

The Conference thanks the Search Committee of Danielle Bartz, Sara Morse, Emma North Tony Romaine, Herb Rotunda, and Bob Sicoli for its faithful work.

Welcome, Bonnie!

Conference News & Events

Conference to Sponsor ONA Tent at Twin Cities Pride

June 27-28

Each year, in honor of the amazing ministry our churches are doing to uplift our LGBTQ+ siblings, the Minnesota Conference sponsors an ONA tent at Twin Cities Pride. We need your smiling faces and shining spirits at the booth, to talk with visitors, hand out swag, and bring the atmosphere of affirmation and welcome you are all so skilled at creating. Sign up to help at the booth here.

Want to help get us ready for the pride booth? We need help assembling our swag. Come be in community and help us assemble our pride-themed buttons and Seeds of Hope! There are two opportunities to help:

June 17, 3–4:30pm

Living Table UCC, 5011 S 31st Ave, Minneapolis

June 22, 6:30-8 pm

Wayzata Community Church

125 Wayzata Blvd, Wayzata 

Questions? Contact Mallory at mallorye@uccmn.org

Is your church tabling at a Pride festival outside the Twin Cities? We want to know! Contact Mallory for swag for your table or other support from conference staff. Send pictures after the event so we can celebrate you!

Camino Hackensack: Sacred Walking on the Paul Bunyan Trail

Come walk, listen, and discover what the Spirit stirs, one step at a time.

October 7–11, 2026 | Hackensack, Minnesota

What happens when a congregation looks at the trail just outside its doors and imagines possibilities for sacred experience?

For Union Congregational Church in Hackensack, that question became Camino Hackensack: a five-day spiritual walking experience along the Paul Bunyan Trail, rooted in Minnesota lake country, October beauty, shared reflection, and the hospitality of a local community. Camino Hackensack is inspired by the Camino de Santiago in Spain, but shaped for Minnesota.

From October 7–11, participants will walk approximately 40–45 miles over five days at a sustainable pace, with walking guides, daily spiritual prompts, evening reflection, and time for both quiet and conversation.

The organizers have each walked the full 500-mile Camino in Spain and have lovingly created a Minnesota expression that includes both beauty and spiritual depth: trail walks, a first-night barbecue, shared meals, evening games, and a visit to the local brewery.

Last year’s walkers spoke of quiet beauty, meaningful conversations, and the gift of moving at the speed of one’s body. One participant reflected, “I learned every day about one step, let go, and breathe.” Another said, “Stories matter.”

When: October 7–11, 2026

Where: Union Congregational Church, Hackensack, MN

Cost: $150, including food, lodging at the church, spiritual guidance, walking guides, and a t-shirt

Group size: Limited to 15 walkers — register soon!

Participants may stay at the church for the full communal experience or arrange private lodging nearby.

The Minnesota Conference will cover the full registration cost for any pastor, chaplain, or ministry leader who would like to participate. We especially hope ministry leaders will experience Camino Hackensack as a model for congregation-led outdoor ministry that could take root in other communities.

To learn more or register, email Linnea Dietrich at linneadietrich@icloud.com. Linnea can provide additional information, receive payment, and help ministry leaders access Conference-covered registration.

Together for Tomorrow: Planned Giving

by Rev. Andrew Warner, CFRE; President, Wisconsin Foundation UCC

The Together for Tomorrow - Planned Giving Seminar provides resources to help your congregation organize and implement a planned giving program. It introduces a set of skills and concepts, provides prompts for the development of your own policies and resources, and suggests practical timelines for initiating this effort. 

The tagline “Together for Tomorrow” captures an essential element of planned giving. A planned gift expresses the commitment of a donor to a mission or ministry - “our hearts are together in this effort” – and the hope in the future – “grateful for the past that shaped us, we look toward God’s tomorrow.” 

Learn more or register.

Download a flyer.

Dates: Synchronous Zoom Seminars: Wednesdays June 17 & July 15, 6:30 - 8:00 pm CT

Additional self-paced learning takes place between sessions.

Cost: Free for Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin leaders. All others, $25/person.

Instructor: Rev. Andrew B. Warner serves as President of the Wisconsin Foundation UCC, a community foundation created by the Wisconsin Conference to help churches and agencies of the UCC in our state. In that role he leads the fundraising efforts of the conference, supports the planned giving efforts of local congregations, and teaches best practices for fundraising.

At Waters’ Edge: Sacred Relations

The 2026 Great Lakes Creation Care Collaborative Retreat

August 23–25, Paris, Ontario

What if people of faith from across the Great Lakes watershed — Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario, and beyond — gathered at the edge of sacred waters to remember how these waters connect us, body and spirit, across every border? This happens with The Great Lakes Creation Care Collaborative, a binational network of the United Church of Christ and the United Church of Canada, gathered around our shared waters. Its deepest gift is building relationships — the discovery that we are not the only ones in our congregation or conference called to care for the waters.

Participants will gather at Five Oaks Retreat Centre on the Grand River in southern Ontario, on traditional Cayuga territory. Adrian Jacobs (senior leader for Indigenous Justice and Reconciliation with the Christian Reformed Church in North America, and a member of the Cayuga Nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy) will welcome us with a Woods’ Edge ceremony from his people’s tradition. Together we will worship, walk the trails, paddle, share meals, learn from Indigenous teachers, and share watershed stewardship resources local churches are already using, diving into the work of building trust across borders, traditions, and generations.

This is for clergy, lay leaders, green-team members, youth, longtime creation-care advocates, and anyone wondering what their love for these lakes and rivers has to do with their faith. Younger adults are especially encouraged. David Coleman, the Conference’s new Minister of Outdoor Ministry, will be there as well.

When: Sunday, August 23, 4:00 pm – Tuesday, August 25, 11:00 am

Where: Five Oaks Retreat Centre, Paris, Ontario (fiveoaks.on.ca)

Cost: $150 CDN double / $250 CDN single (limited). Includes lodging and meals

Travel: Registrants arrange their own; reach out if it’s a barrier

Financial assistance: The Minnesota Conference has funds to help Minnesota participants attend, especially young adults, if cost is a barrier. Available by request — don’t let cost keep you home. Contact David Coleman.

REGISTER HERE.

Joy as Resistance and Refugia

We are living in a collision of crises right now. Amid that collision, the Minnesota Conference UCC is offering a series of three in-person retreats – Joy as Resistance and Refugia – between August 2026 and February 2027. Each retreat stands on its own and is related to the other two in the series. All three retreats will be hosted at Camp Onomia in Onamia, Minnesota. The registration fee for each retreat is $175, and participants who register for all three will receive a 25% discount for all three retreats.

Retreat 1 – Reconnections

August 6-8, 2026

Retreat 2 – Rest and Resilience

November 17-19, 2026

Retreat 3 – Remembering New Beginnings

February 12-15, 2027

Registration opens soon! Watch for more details in the next edition of COMMAntary. Questions? Contact David Coleman at davidc@uccmn.org.

"The Doctrine" Documentary Screens June 17 at Riverview Theater

Doors 6:30 pm | Screening 7 pm | Q&A to follow | Tickets available at door and in advance

The Doctrine explores the legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery on driving violence against Indigenous Peoples, land, and water in the Americas and around the world. The central narrative follows a group of Indigenous youth from the Twin Cities who travel to the Vatican to confront the Catholic Church about the Doctrine and its legacy. The film exposes how the Doctrine has targeted communities of color around the world for centuries, and still today enables corporate forces driving the climate crisis.

Watch the trailer.

Learn more.

News and Updates from The Damascus Project

Upcoming Courses

The Damascus Project, the regional theological education program of the Minnesota and Wisconsin Conferences UCC, offers an enriching line up of online learning opportunities for lay learners, lay leaders, members in discernment, and clergy pursuing continuing education or fulfilling ministerial standing requirements. 

New offerings include Strangers Within your Gates: Cultivating Holy Hospitality for Immigrants looks through the lens of the Hebrew Bible to considers what it means to welcome the stranger in a world that builds walls and deports.

Our Lilly Endowment Thriving Congregations grant is underwriting two helpful courses for lay leaders and clergy: Healthy Conflict and Communication and Human Resources Basics for UCC Churches.

Explore all upcoming courses and trainings.

Info Sessions for Living Faith Confirmation Program

The Damascus Project will hold four information sessions for congregations interested in the online Living Faith confirmation program. The Living Faith confirmation program is supported by a Lilly Endowment grant and designed to serve the needs of small and rural churches in the Minnesota and Wisconsin Conferences UCC. The program is for eighth graders, and each student learns with a mentor from their congregation. For September 2026-May 2027 we will offer a twice-monthly cohort on Sunday afternoons or on Wednesday evenings. 

Rev. Uriah Williams is the director of the Living Faith program. He will host information sessions via Zoom on: 

6/24 at 6:00 pm

6/28 at 6:00 pm

7/22 at 6:00 pm

7/26 at 6:00 pm

Join here.You may also direct inquiries to Rev. Williams at uriah@the-damascus-project.org. Registration for the Living Faith confirmation program will open on July 1, 2026.

News from Partners

ConNext Summit 2026:
Beyond Belonging - Branching Out - Bringing In - Building Together

October 11-13, Clearwater Forest Camp and Retreat Center

REGISTER

Faith leaders strive to create places of deep belonging. We long to branch out beyond belonging to bring into the center children, youth, and adults forced to the margins so that together, we can build a more beautiful community in which all God's beloveds flourish. How can we develop more emotionally- and systemically-aware mentors – adults and peers –capable of more joyful and meaningful welcome for children and youth whose identities place them on the margins and increasingly in danger? In the face of Christian Nationalism and other radicalizing ideologies, how do we create communities in which vulnerability, compassion, and gracious conversation are norms that shape open, compassionate, gracious children, youth, and families?

Joys & Concerns

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.

EMPLOYMENT: Check out the employment opportunities page on the Conference's website for all open positions.