Christmas Fund Special Mission Offering Received
Dec. 20
IKC Office Closed-Christmas Observance & Staff Vacation Time
Dec. 25-Jan. 1
Yearbook Reporting For Churches Begins
Jan. 4
IKC Books Close
For 2015
Jan. 15
Confirmation Retreat
Merom Conf. Center
Jan. 15-17
DPRMT Work Camp
Louisville, Ky.
Jan. 15-18
UCC/DOC Clergy Retreat
Our Lady Of Fatima Retreat House
DPRMT Work Camp
Louisville, Ky.
Feb. 12-15
Confirmation Retreat
Merom Conf. Center
Feb. 19-21
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OCWM Basic Support
Goal = $650,000
We Have Reached 67%
Of Our Goal
As Of 11/30/15
Click
Here For A Remittance Form
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Spring Connection
Youth Retreat
Merom Conf. Center
April 15-17
DPRMT Work Camp
Eastern Kentucky
April 17-23
IKC Education Day
June 9
IKC Annual Gathering
University of Indianapolis
June 10-11
DPRMT Work Camp
Salyersville, Ky.
June 12-25
National Youth Event
Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
July 26-29, 2016
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Back Bay Mission's 2017 Calendar Opens Jan. 1
Back Bay Mission will open its 2017 Mission Trip Calendar on Jan. 1, 2016. Mission immersion experiences at Back Bay Mission are a great opportunity to serve the poor and marginalized of the Mississippi Gulf Coast while learning about poverty and social justice. They're also a wonderful chance to build relationships within your congregation and with other congregations who are serving at the Mission. Click
here to learn more.
Uspiritus Seeks Christmas Donations
Uspiritus seeks help in providing a joyful holiday for the children in its residential and community based programs. If you would like to sponsor a child for Christmas, please contact Missy Fountain at 502-753-5508. If you would like to donate a new toy for a child age infant to 18, you may drop it off in the administration building at either local location between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday (except holidays): 3121 Brooklawn Campus Drive, Louisville, Ky. 40218; or 11103 Park Road, Louisville, Ky. 40223.
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Our new address is:
Indiana-Kentucky Conference
United Church of Christ
1100 W. 42nd Street, Suite 155
Indianapolis, IN 46208
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The Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the
United Church of Christ
was selected as a
Constant Contact
All Star
in 2011, 2012 & 2013
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Send story ideas or comments to the editor,
Nikki Richards. Story ideas should be within the mission and ministry of the IKC and may be edited for space.
*This newsletter was made possible by your OCWM donations.
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Indiana-Kentucky Conference News
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Yearbook Reporting For Churches To Begin Jan. 4
It's time once again for the UCC to begin preparing the annual Yearbook. Again this year, congregations are asked to submit all information electronically via the Data Hub. An email will be sent to all churches with directions on how to submit their information. The Data Hub will open to churches on Jan. 4 and will remain open until early March.
UCC/DOC Clergy Retreat Scheduled For January
The annual clergy retreat will once again take place at the end of January.
Staff from the national settings of the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
and the United Church of Christ will guide clergy through a three-day retreat focused on authenticity and vulnerability in ministry Jan. 25-27. This retreat is open to DOC and UCC authorized ministers.
The deadline for all registrations is Jan. 15, 2016. There are three different registration options:
$225 Full Registration (Includes 2 nights lodging & all meals)
$115 Commuter Registration (Includes all meals, no lodging)
$140 Partial Registration (Includes 1 night lodging & 3 meals)
You may pay by check or credit/debit card when registering online. Click here for more information and to register.
Consulting CM Signs Statements Supporting Syrian Refugees & LGBT Rights
Rev. Phil Hart, Consulting Conference Minister for the Indiana-Kentucky Conference, recently signed a statement with faith leaders in Kentucky showing support for Syrian refugees. Click here to read the letter.
He also signed a statement with faith leaders in Indiana supporting civil rights protections for the LGBT community. Click here to read the statement in the Indianapolis Star or here for a printable version.
Cheerful Giving
By Rev. Michael Erwin
Pastor, Christ Church UCC & Principal Consultant, Coaching for Generosity
Many congregations will provide an opportunity for a special offering this weekend or on Christmas Eve. This year, add an extra touch by thanking those who give. Use a personal message to say thanks. Make it simple. After Christmas and before the New Year festivities, grab a list of people who gave to your special Christmas offering, and write each one a thank you note, mentioning just briefly how their offering helped. Send it to them in the mail. I'll make it easy for you - adapt this script. In larger congregations, enlist the help of some board members. Saying a simple "thank you" is the right thing to do, but doesn't happen very often in churches. Make this the season for that to change.
Need A Job? DPRMT Has Work For You! 
The Disaster Preparedness and Response Ministry Team (DPRMT) of the Indiana-Kentucky Conference has several options for work camps in 2016. There will be two options for long weekend projects in Louisville, Ky., a week in eastern Kentucky and two weeks in Salyersville, Ky.
If you can scrape plaster, paint walls, fix plumbing, organize shelves, clean rooms, do carpentry, sweep up the mess others make - then there is work for you. On Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend and President's Day weekend, volunteers will be working at two UCC churches in Louisville, Ky. The cost is $10 per day and $10 per night to cover the cost of meals and supplies.
Need someone to rally the troops? The DPRM Team can provide a program at your church to help you enlist workers. Click here for more information. For reservations and information, contact John Gantt.
Spotlight Resource Newsletter
Look for a new resource-packed e-newsletter to hit your inbox each month. As a result of our collaboration with the Ohio Conference, we will be sharing a new monthly newsletter called the Spotlight Newsletter. The purpose of this newsletter is to share resources and ideas that inspire congregations across both conferences.
Demographics Program Available To IKC Churches
All IKC churches have access to use MissionInsite for free. This demographic service is paid for by Our Church's Wider Mission. Click the links below for more information on what MissionInsite offers.
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Christmas Fund Offering To Be Received Dec. 20 
Churches across the UCC will receive offerings for the Christmas Fund on Dec. 20.
One of the unique aspects of the Christmas Fund is that the funds provide direct financial assistance to individual UCC clergy and lay church employees - the funds do not support programs or institutions, but people. With your continued generosity, more individuals will receive the support of the church in their time of need. Click here to learn more about the Christmas Fund.
NYE 2016 Registration Opens Jan. 6
Mark your calendar to attend the most magical National Youth Event (NYE) of all! Join 4,000 UCC and Disciples youth from across the country at Walt Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Registration opens Jan. 20 - look for a registration link at the beginning of January. The registration fee is $549 (double occupancy room) and must be paid in full at the time of registration. The registration fee includes five days/four nights at the resort, ground transportation to and from all events, all programming and service projects, eight meals, free Wi-Fi and a pass to the theme parks (the Magic Kingdom®, EPCOT®, Hollywood Studios® or Animal Kingdom® Theme Park).
The Lincolnland Association is making arrangements for a bus to transport IKC youth to NYE. The bus seats 55 and has Wi-Fi. Contact
Melinda Sterrett soon for more information.
More information on location and pricing is available
here.
General Minister & President Hosts Weekly Podcast
The United Church of Christ General Minister and President plans to connect with members of the wider church weekly, in a pretty accessible way. That's the impetus behind "Into the Mystic" - a podcast from the Rev. John C. Dorhauer that will be available every Monday on
ucc.org. (
Read more...)
Youth Arts Program Workshop Offered In Ohio
Trinity United Church of Christ was struggling with finding enough kids for its children's hand bell and choral choirs. The Rev. David L. Carnell, then music minister at the church, said there were two choices: scrap them or build an entirely new program. The result was KidzBeat! (Kids Bridging Education and the Artz at Trinity), a successful after-school arts program for children in grades one through six. The program, which is offered in two, 10-week sessions, offers a dozen courses in music, choral instruction, drama, culinary and more.
This workshop is
sponsored by the Faith Formation Team of the United Church of Christ and Trinity UCC in Canton, Ohio and is open to anyone desiring to involve more children and families in a meaningful way in the life of their faith community. The workshop takes place March 9 from 3:30-7:30 p.m. For more information and to register for this event, click here.
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Merom Conference Center News
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Merom Conference Center Update
The criteria specified in the "Joint Motion" shown below has been submitted. On Dec. 4-5, meetings were scheduled to arrange for insurance coverage.
Joint Merom Conference Center Motion from IKC Board of Directors and Salem UCC, Westphalia, Ind.
The Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the United Church of Christ (IKC):
1. Will seek to relinquish ownership, of the Merom Conference Center by December 31, 2016.
2. Will sell the Merom Conference Center property for $1.00 to a new corporate entity established by the present Merom Governing Board and the Outdoor Ministries Committee members, provided the new entity has accomplished these tasks by January 31, 2016:
a. Written its bylaws and established its governing body;
b. Submitted for recognition from the Indiana Secretary of State as a not-for-profit corporation;
c. Applied for 501(c)(3) status from the IRS;
d. Arranged for insurance on the Merom Conference Center property and its governing body.
3. All funds from the Merom Endowment Fund, Crawn Memorial (Cabin) Fund, Merom Capital Fund and all other reserves designated to Merom Conference Center as well as all real and tangible property of Merom Conference Center become the property of the new corporate entity as part of this transfer.
4. Funds from the Dan Crawn Memorial (Cabin) Fund may be used for architectural, engineering, septic system, permitting, and other exploratory costs in planning for the new cabin during this transition period.
5. If (2) is not accomplished, then the IKC Board of Directors may solicit other Requests for Proposals (RFPs).
Approved by the Annual Meeting of the Indiana-Kentucky Conference, United Church of Christ on June
6, 2015.
Joyce Smidley, Chair
IKC Board of Directors
Jerry Crozier, Chair
Merom Governing Board
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Sincerely,
Nikki Richards
Communications Coordinator
Inky e-news Editor
Indiana-Kentucky Conference
United Church of Christ
n.richards@ikcucc.org
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