Shenandoah Association News

The Conference Office will be closed Monday, December 24, 2018 up to and including Tuesday, January 1, 2019 **Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season**

Advent Blessings & Season's Greetings Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM) As we prepare to close out the Conference's 2018 Financial Books on January 25th, I am writing to encourage all churches in the Shenandoah Association to support to  Our Church’s Wider Mission (OCWM )  for 2018. Your contributions and voice make a tremendous difference. Your support goes a long way in helping us have an impact within the church and the communities throughout the region. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to give me a call. You can find more information and resources on OCWM here:   http://www.ucc.org/ocwm . And, you can find information on the UCC's Special Mission Offerings here:  http://www.ucc.org/ocwm_special-support Blessings and prayers to you on a faithful ministry this year. ~~~~~~ Rev. Audrey C. Price, Ph.D. Acting Associate Conference Minister

Ministry Institutes January 26, 2019 10 AM-4 PM Christ Congregational UCC 9525 Colesville Road Silver Spring, MD 20901 REGISTRATION FEE: $75.00 The Potomac Association Institutes satisfy the polity/history/theology requirement for people seeking standing in the association. Held over four Saturdays, the institutes are designed to serve the needs of persons who cannot enroll in a regular semester-length seminary course to cover this material. Completion of all four sessions is equivalent to a “traditional” or online course in UCC History/Polity requirement.  Follow this link for the Ministry institute syllabus (readings and assignments) ON-LINE REGISTRATION DEADLINE is  January 23rd . Credit Card payments accepted processed through PayPal. MAIL-IN REGISTRATION DEADLINE is  January 15th . Click here to register

Central Atlantic Conference Justice & Witness Action Network Racial Justice Facilitators Training Moving the Racial Justice Agenda Forward March 1-3, 2019 Camp Wabanna,  101 Likes Rd, Edgewater, MD 21037 The Central Atlantic Conference is pleased to offer an interactive training session designed to provide baseline preparation for persons desiring to facilitate congregational and community discussions and actions to promote racial justice. Components of the session will include a spiritual basis for racial justice work, opportunities for personal reflection, overview of forms of racism and its impact on individuals and society, and strategies to advance change. The objective is that by the end of the training, participants will be able to more effectively facilitate conversations and training activities related to racial justice in general, and UCC materials in particular, including White Privilege Curriculum, Conversations on Race, and Conversations to End Racism. They will be able to: Articulate the spiritual basis for racial justice work Describe the impact of racism on society – interpersonally and individually Identify and declare some of the impact of racism in their personal lives, e.g., internalized oppression, white privilege, white fragility, etc. List strategies to combat racism Demonstrate ability to facilitate conversations that help people feel comfortable with being uncomfortable If you are interested in learning more and participating in this training, please RSVP for more information .

Online UCC History, Theology and Polity Course A UCC History, Theology and Polity Course that meets the requirements as set forth by the UCC Polity Teacher's Network will be offered online in Jan/Feb 2019. The instructor will be Rev. David Gaewski, Conference Minister of the New York Conference, UCC. Classes will begin at 9:30am and end at 3:30pm on the following dates: Jan 19, 26, Feb 2, 9. The platform utilized will be Zoom Video Conferencing ( zoom.us ) The tuition will be $495. For more information contact course instructor, Rev. David Gaewski,  [email protected] .

This program—coming to the Central Atlantic Conference, UCC is in its inaugural year. Community of Practice is designed for you. It establishes a support network for clergy leaders as they engage in pastoral leadership. It provides an opportunity for partnership in ministry versus being in isolation or silence... Click here to Continue

For more info or to sign up contact Rev.Darryl! LC Moch, Dean of Communities of Practice at  [email protected]  or Tristan Battle, CAC Admin. Asst. at  [email protected]