Make sure to "View Entire Message" to see all the January News! | | bringing Michigan Conference UCC pastors and churches closer together and closer to God | | January 7, 2026: Leadership Lunch | | |
January 7th, 2026 Leadership Lunch:
How to Begin When Your World is Ending.
Join Conference Minister Lillian Daniel in conversation with Rev. Molly Baskette. Rev. Molly Baskette (she/her) is a Bay Area-based spiritual professional and self-described “transformation junkie.” Co-Senior Minister of First Church Berkeley UCC, she also writes books about spiritual growth, parenting, grief and post-traumatic thriving, with an expansive faith and a bit of cheek.
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watch LIVE on YouTube @12noon
and watch recordings ANYTIME!!
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The Black Utopians
February 4th, 2026 12:00 PM ET
Join Lillian in conversation with author Aaron Robertson about his book, The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America. One of The New York Times's 100 Notable Books of 2024, the book includes historical reflection on The Shrine of the Black Madonna in Detroit, MI. We are excited to invite Aaron to gather with us!
Michigan Conference Grant Funding
March 4th, 2026 12:00 PM ET
Join Rev. Dr. Lawrence Richardson in conversation with 2025 Grantees to hear about innovation in the Michigan Conference and learn how to apply for 2026 funding for your setting.
| | Register Now for Youth Winter Retreat | |
Michigan Conference Youth Winter Retreat
January 31- February 1, 2026
REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS SUNDAY JANUARY 11, 2026
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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. Deadline to register for the Youth Winter Retreat is Sunday January 11, 2026 at 9:00pm. Cost to register is $30.00 per person.
Meals, snacks, programming, recreation, sleeping space, and worship will be provided.
Retreat starts at 10:00am on Saturday and ends after worship on Sunday.
Includes: meals from lunch on Saturday - lunch on Sunday, opportunity for service learning with local organizations, programming and games, Bible study, roller skating, overnight lodging at Haslett Community Church, Communion, worship, and boxed lunch to go.
| | 2026: Free Stewardship Webinar Series | | |
January 28th, 7:30-8:30pm Eastern – "Orientation for Treasurers"
The presentation reviews basic aspects of the treasurer, financial secretary, and trustee roles in a local congregation. We will discuss creating a “financial dashboard” to help fellow board members understand the finances of the congregation, effective ways to record and thank donors for their gifts, and best practices around cash controls and cash management. Rev. Andrew Warner, CFRE, Michigan Conference Director of Finance and Development, will lead the presentation.
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Upcoming: February 25th, 7:30-8:30pm Eastern – "OCWM Special Offerings Orientation for Mission Teams"
Join Rev. Rachel McDonald, Generosity Officer for OCWM and Special Mission Offerings, to learn how to confidently promote and celebrate wider giving in the UCC. Explore how a yearly cycle of Special Offering gifts provides a curriculum of generosity—already built into your church calendar! Clergy, mission committee members, and anyone interested in giving will receive an overview of how Our Church's Wider Mission giving works in the UCC and gain helpful tips to bring back to your congregation.
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Hosted by Rev. Andrew Warner, CFRE
This free Stewardship Webinar Series is hosted by Rev. Andrew Warner, Michigan Conference Director of Finance and Development. Contact Andrew regarding Stewardship/Financial questions at Andrew@michucc.org.
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2026 Resource Kit
Resource Kits should have arrived at all Michigan UCC churches!! We can't wait to hear what you think about the 10 books for 2026: Worship and Prayer with Children in Nature. Please reach out and let us know what ideas you have and plans that you implement.
You can download the 2026 Welcome Letter HERE to read more about each resource, and find a few ideas for how to use them in your congregation.
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2026 Mitten Project Events will also feature books and ideas from the Resource Kit. REMEMBER: Your congregation is invited to participate in all five FREE, 2026 Mitten Project Events.
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Thursday, February 5, 2026 1:00pm - 3:00pm Online Pastor Training. REGISTER NOW
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Friday, March 6, 2026 12:30pm - 2:30pm Online Children’s Ministry Leader Training
- Saturday, April 18, 2026 10:00am - 3:00pm (Lunch included)
Spring Onsite Event
Location: Tower Hill Camp and Retreat Center
Theme: The Gift of Baptism
For pastors, church leaders, families, children and youth
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Sunday, May 31, 2026 2:00pm - 4:00pm Online Parent & Caregiver Training
- Saturday, August 1, 2026 10:00am - 3:00pm (Lunch included)
Summer Onsite Event
Location: to be determined
Theme: to be determined
For pastors, church leaders, families, children and youth
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2026 Pastor Training - Mitten Project
February 5th, 2026 1:00 PM ET
Pastors hold a unique role in how the faith of children is formed. This Zoom training opportunity is specifically designed to share Mitten Project data and research with pastors and invite them to engage in the 2026 Mitten Project.
| | This 5-year program invites congregations to engage children and families in ways that deeply connect faith practices and community 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. | | |
The Michigan Conference has received a grant of $1,250,000.00 from Lilly Endowment Inc. for the Michigan Conference Mitten Project.
If you have questions about funding or programming related to the Mitten Project, contact Program Director, Jenn Ringgold. jenn@michucc.org 517.258.2165
| | Additional Conference News | |
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The Rev. Dr. Lillian Daniel, Michigan Conference Minister
Upcoming Schedule & Worship Visits
January
11th: Preach - Fountain Street Church, Grand Rapids
LINK TO 2025 - 2026 DATES
Contact lisa@michucc.org to schedule a visit
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Conference Transitions
The Conference Transitions feature appears in the monthly Michigan Conference Newsletter. Please share your transition information with commmunications@michucc.org
Searching Churches
- First Congregational Church of Chelsea is searching for a part-time pastor Details
- St. John's United Church of Christ in Grand Rapids is searching for a part-time pastor Details
- First Congregational Church of Muskegon is searching for a full-time senior pastor Details
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For a complete list of searching UCC churches in Michigan click here
| | | Local Church, Mission Area Team, and Association News | | | | |
2026 SDPC Scholarship Update:
PIMAT has awarded 7 scholarships to attend the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference, totaling about $7,400.00, with 4 of those scholarships being new attendees. The scholarship process was a success, with at least 10 people from Michigan attending the conference in February.
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We Want to Hear from YOU!
Use THIS FORM to share your
joys, concerns, news, events, and resources
with the Michigan Conference UCC!
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Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
and TAG us @michiganucc
so we can like and share your posts!!
| | Wider-Church UCC News, Events, and Resources | | Brown Endowment Scholarship for Prepared and UCC Pastors | |
The Brown Endowment Scholarship is now independent of the Common Application beginning with the 2026-2027 application cycle. Exciting times!
Applications for the Richard and Helen Brown Endowment for Church Leadership will open on December 1, 2025, for the 2026–2027 academic year. The submission deadline is March 2, 2026.
Established through a generous $5 million bequest by Richard and Helen Brown in the 1990s, the Brown Endowment supports the development of faithful and well-prepared pastoral leaders within the United Church of Christ (UCC). UCF serves as trustee, managing both investment of the endowed funds and allocation of over $300,000 each year for individual scholarships and sponsorships to support theological education.
Requirements
The endowment provides funding for students seeking a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree or equivalent. Potential Brown Scholars must demonstrate at least a year of active membership in a UCC church and maintain a GPA of at least 3.0.
Please update your records and share with the COM Chair for your Conference and all of the MIDs.
We look forward to a robust application cycle this year, with your help.
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Palm Sunday Path
A broad coalition of clergy, congregations, denominational leaders, and faith-based organizations has launched the ""Palm Sunday Path"" initiative. As Christians, we stand for healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and welcoming the stranger. We stand for telling the truth and honoring the dignity and worth of every child of God. As we live through a period of rapidly consolidating authoritarian power in our country, the dominating politics of hate, fear, greed, and division, are violating our values and tearing our country and democracy apart. We are living in an emergency, and we need to decide that now is our time to act in a new way. Now is our March on Washington moment. Now is our Confessing Church moment.
What are the Steps of this Plan?
Step 1: Palm Sunday afternoon, March 29th, 2026
March in St. Paul, other regional centers, state Capitols, and cities to proclaim God's values and contrast them with the dominant politics of injustice, much like Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.
Step 2: Sustained Action on Medicaid Cuts, SNAP Benefit Cuts, and Immigration
Take disruptive local action on thousands of county boards simultaneously to fight for healthcare, food benefits, rights, and fair elections, following the example of Jesus overturning tables in the Temple.
Step 3: July 3rd Action
Culminate in a mass action in Philadelphia on July 3rd, the eve of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, to contrast with the planned military parade in Washington D.C. and declare that there is another way to protect the vulnerable and uphold freedom of speech.
What can we do now?
A Zoom call is scheduled for Thursday, January 8th, to begin coordinating the actions within Michigan. The call is from 10AM-12PM Noon Eastern time; please register and join us.
- Prophetic Integrity Mission Area Team (PIMAT)
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Does your church need a website? Or maybe you have one, but it’s outdated?
UCC Everywhere (UCCE) is a program at the national setting of the United Church of Christ that builds easy-to-use, affordable, and modern websites for local churches. Their team helps you get everything set up so there’s no hunting for the tools and programs you need. Knowing that many churches have tech-savvy members, you can either put in the content yourself or work with our team for an additional fee to finish the setup. They also have tutorial videos to teach you how to make changes and offer ongoing customer support.
Check out the UCCE website for First Congregational UCC of Onekama then visit ucceverywhere.org to learn more or reach out to Customer Support Specialist, Aidan Spencer, via email at ucceverywhere@ucc.org or phone at 216.736.2185
| View learning opportunities for the Fall and Winter from the Center for Transformational Leadership of the Southern New England Conference of the UCC HERE | | Damascus Project Course Offerings | |
Course Offering: Invitation to Explore Generosity
Join Rev. Andrew Warner, CFRE, in a seminar experience that could change the way you and your congregation approach giving and generosity. 6 synchronous online meetings, as well as additional self-paced learning between sessions, will be offered to explore theology, adaptive leadership, fiscal transparency, and the important of donor care for both laity and clergy.
Cost for MI congregational members: $100
Synchronous Zoom Seminars on Wednesdays Feb. 11, 25, March 11, 25, and April 15, 29 from 6:30-8:00 PM CST. Additional self-paced learning between sessions.
Register Here
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Course offering: Rev. Dr. Lawrence Richardson Offers Media Training
Follow along with Rev. Dr. Lawrence Richardson, Associate Conference Minister for Church Vitality and Transitions, in this Media Training Course designed to equip church leaders, staff, and volunteers with the tools and confidence they need to effectively share the church’s message of faith and hope.
Cost for participants from Michigan: $25.00
Tuesdays: February 3, 10, 17, 24 and March 3, 7:30-9pm Eastern Time.
Register Here
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