The Apostle Paul’s Declaration of Interdependence
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”  (1 Corinthians 12:12)
Rev. Dave Long-Higgins
Transitional Conference Minister
Dear Friends in Christ,

            With Independence Day now behind us, I have been thinking about the remarkable reframing of life which the Apostle Paul offered the church in Corinth.  It seems the early church had succumbed to the energies of a world bent on ego and division. A liturgy of independence was starting to take root in the life of the Corinthian church with apparent ill effect.  In response, Paul called the early church to a life of intentional inter-dependence.  He reminded them that each was essential to the other and could not live into the fullness of their Christian calling apart from each other. 
Summer Camp 2021 

Our summer camp is now complete!

A big THANK YOU to all of our volunteer staff, campers and parents who participated. 

Check out photo collages from camp below and check back next month to see our summative review of how our campers grew this summer.
Jill Frey
Executive Director, Outdoor Ministries
This year we are thrilled to present three keynotes at our Heartland Conference Annual Gathering:

Say Yes!
Connect. Equip. Support.

Get to know them before the 2021 Annual Gathering: 

Keynote Musicians, The Many: The Many is a creative collective that believes there is power in singing together – it changes things inside us and
around us - and their vision is to create music we can sing together that’s honest, full of questions, full of faith and doubt, full of longing. These are not songs about a God who only loves some of us. This is not head in the clouds
“worship music” - but feet on the ground, heart in hands, scars revealed, wild and holy, liturgically-seasoned music of resistance, reconciliation and restoration. This is music made for people to sing with each other, in
churches, in living rooms, in basements and bars...anywhere, everywhere...
in spirit and in truth. The Many features three lead singers, Darren Calhoun, Leslie Michele and Hannah Rand, along with guests and collaborators. Find them online at www.themanyarehere.com.

Keynote Preacher, Rev. Dr. Imani Jones: Rev. Dr. Imani Jones is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. As one half of the “Dynamic Duo” as she and her husband, Rev. Colin Jones are fondly named, Rev. Jones is a sought after preacher with a passion and powerful gift of illuminating the relevance of the biblical narrative in a 21st century context.  A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Rev. Jones is a graduate of The Ohio State University and Princeton Theological Seminary with Bachelor of Arts, Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees, and has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Ecumenical Theological Seminary. Currently, Rev. Jones is the Clinical Pastoral Education Program Manager for the Chaplaincy Department at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, in Columbus, Ohio. 

Rev. Jones has a particular focus on the integration of African American voices in Clinical Pastoral Education curriculum development. She is a Board Certified Chaplain within the Association of Professional Chaplains and a Certified Educator in the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.  She and her husband, Rev. Colin Jones are the parents of Tyshon, Colin II and Dominique, and the proud pastors of Advent United Church of Christ in Columbus, OH, where the mission is to “Love God. Love People. Period.”  Through engaging in ministry “on the ground,” Rev. Imani Jones ministers to people of all ages and stages of life to be empowered and moved to action through real, relevant and radical ministry.

Keynote Speaker, Rev. Dave Long-Higgins: Rev. Dave Long-Higgins is the current Transitional Conference Minister for the Heartland Conference and the Conference's candidate for settled Conference Minister. In his role, Dave has been called to facilitate a process to strengthen our covenantal collaboration between congregations, associations, institutions of higher education, health and human service ministries, ecumenical and interfaith engagements, as well as partnerships local and global. Dave’s passion is to see individuals and churches grow in their sense of the alive presence of God and all that this calls forth to be signs of good news in the world, so that all may flourish.  

Dave has served in a wide variety of capacities throughout the United Church of Christ. He is a graduate of Heidelberg University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and music (violin performance).   His Master of Divinity was earned at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in New Brighton, Minnesota.  He is also a graduate of the Wellstreams Spiritual Direction Program of the Spirituality Network of Columbus (Ohio).  Prior to beginning his role with the Conference, Dave was a parish pastor for over 30 years. 

Dave and his wife Beth, who is also an ordained UCC clergyperson have two adult children, Andrew and Hannah.  When not on the ministry trail Dave enjoys movies, playing violin and guitar, bicycling, travel, writing poetry/prayers, and photography.  

Join our keynote presenters live and in-person on September 24 & 25
 at First Community UCC's North Campus, Columbus, OH 
(remote attendance option will also be available)
as we live into this season of "Say Yes!" at our Annual Gathering.

Registration opens August 1; registration details to come. 
General Synod Worship is open to Everyone!
You can view each of the three worship services without registering!

Sunday, July 11th at 5 pm
Wednesday, July 14th at 8 pm
Sunday July 18th at 6 pm

Join us for Worship by going to the United Church of Christ YouTube channel by going to the UCC’s Facebook page. 
The family of Rev. Dr. Ralph C. Quellhorst, ’59 -- long-time Board of Trustees member and loyal Heidelberg alumnus -- invites the Heidelberg community to a Celebration of Life service in his memory. 

WHEN: Sunday, August 8, 2021, at 4 p.m.
WHERE: Wickham Great Hall

Following the service, the family will greet guests outdoors on the Campus Center lawn (Campus Center 220 in case of inclement weather). A meal will also be served on the lawn following the visitation (Hoernemann Refectory in case of inclement weather).
 
You may recall that Rev. Dr. Quellhorst passed away June 23, 2020. In addition to his enormous contributions to the United Church of Christ, his community and his alma mater, he had lived with the limitations of Parkinson’s disease for 18 years with grace, dignity and humor. It never diminished his love of the church, his family or Heidelberg.

Please note that Heidelberg University continues to follow CDC guidelines with regard to COVID-19. We kindly request that those who are not fully vaccinated continue to observe masking and distancing protocols while on campus for the Celebration of Life ceremony.
Some proposed climate policies have been described as false solutions by climate activists and policy analysts because they fall short in meeting the moral demands of science, equity, and justice. Learn what faith communities need to know in this webinar that will feature Leah Stokes, who authored of the acclaimed book Short Circuiting Policy, and Gabriela Sarri-Tobar, who serves the Center for Biological Diversity as the Energy Justice Campaigner. Even if you can’t make the scheduled time of 1 pm ET on Thursday, July 22nd, still sign-up, and they will send you a recording.
Generosity Webinars
The upcoming July webinar will be a reflection with Pastors Joaquin Labour and Randy Garrett of the Pension Boards, who will join Andrew Warner for a conversation with pastors about our own relationship with money: what works, what doesn’t, and how to restore balance to our financial lives.
Designed for pastors and lay leaders planning an annual pledge campaign, we will explore ways to create an effective campaign. We will reflect on core purpose of a campaign, discuss practical steps leaders can take, and explore creative ideas to design a campaign uniquely suited to your congregation. Join this webinar to develop and strengthen plans for a successful fall campaign.
“Rooted in Love” Stewardship Theme Materials
New stewardship materials available from UCC Resources help congregations tell their story while making a request for financial support. The materials include everything needed to run an effective campaign such as bulletin inserts, pledge cards, and graphics. A practical campaign guide provides support for leaders running their first campaign and offers suggestions for those looking to customize stewardship messages to their own setting. Options for purchase include both printed and download formats; prices start at $39.95.  
The Vermilion United Church of Christ Congregational has created the Sunset Shores Outreach Fund which awards grants to both organizations and individuals. 
The purpose of this Fund is to further the vision and mission of our church in the area of outreach beyond our regular mission budget.  Grants will be awarded through the Fund guided by the mission and vision of the Vermilion United Church of Christ, Congregational and the parameters of this policy. 

The congregation received money from the sale of property donated to Reverend Louis Bertoni in the 80’s.  The church used this property for a retreat center for many years but recently found the need waning.  After much discussion, the congregation chose to sell the property and use the money for grants for community outreach. 

Two types of grants are available.  Large grants are awarded in February and August.  Smaller grants are awarded through out the year depending on need.  Each year, the policy they have put in place, determines the amount of money available for grants. 
Large grants applications must be received by February 1 for their first grant cycle and August 1 for their second grant cycle. Individual grants can be applied for any time a need arises. In this their first year, they have awarded 3 large grants and 6 individual grants.  Grant amounts per year are determined by a formula set in the policy.  

They have awarded large grants for Robotic Pets to help individuals in residential settings deal with loneliness, to a preschool to purchase equipment to meet new state licensing standards, and to a UCC church to help with their clothes distribution project.  

Individual grants have been given to help those who have lost work due to Covid, other illnesses, overdue medical bills, rent assistance, clean-up after flooding and more.  

Please contact their church office at 440-967-5212 if you have any questions.
HELP WANTED
Director of Christian Education
St. John’s Church (UCC), Genoa