Pastor Mike Henry works with the Chippewa Valley Street Ministry, a street ministry in Eau Claire that "seeks to meet the needs of those who are not able to find housing, clothing, and other...needs to survive." The Ministry has volunteers from many churches and other institutions but began in 2012 through pastor David Huber and Plymouth UCC in Eau Claire. Anyone interested is invited to "shadow" Pastor Mike as he reaches out and listens to those living on the streets. We are fortunate to have Cindy Halfen, from the Northwest Association's Division of the Mission of the Church in the World, describe the powerful experience that led to her passion for this ministry.
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Stacy Craig, a member in discernment in the Northwest Association, rode on a windsled called Angel (see picture at right) to her first day of her internship at St. John's UCC in La Pointe, on Madeline Island. Stacy will work at the church part-time for 6 months under the supervision of Rev. Marina Lachecki. Stacy was given this opportunity to serve in a local church setting during her period of discernment through a pilot program of the Wisconsin Expanding Pastoral Opportunities (EXPO) Project. The Northwest Association Division of Church and Ministry and the Wisconsin Conference Catalyst Committee helped to create the EXPO Project, in consultation with Wisconsin Conference Lay Academy leadership and advisement from United Theological Seminary.

 

Good luck during your internship, Stacy!

April 3-5, 2018

From Franz: Join me April 3-5 as we launch an ecumenical movement toward racial justice throughout the state of Wisconsin.  The Wisconsin Conference UCC is co-sponsoring a bus tour to DC to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by committing to uniting together to end racism.

Buses will depart from four cities to events taking place in Washington, DC, on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On April 4th we will join people from around the nation for an interfaith service of prayer and preparation at the Lincoln Memorial and a rally on the National Mall.
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Rev. Traci Blackmon, Executive Minister of Justice & Witness Ministries of The United Church of Christ and Senior Pastor of Christ The King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Missouri, will speak at our Annual Meeting, June 8-10, 2018. Traci was recently named the 2017 Person of the Year by the St. Louis American newspaper.

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More information about annual meeting coming soon!

March 17, Grace UCC, Wausau, 9am-3pm

Starting to think about retirement? Or recently retired?

Do you have questions about how to best navigate this transition?

 

Attend this event to learn how to plan for healthy and transformational steps in your retirement journey. Through a combination of presentations, access to resources and dialogue, you will have an opportunity to ask your pressing questions and share concerns and possibilities with other participants. Clergy and their spouses/partners who are beginning to think about, nearing and/or recently retired are encouraged to attend.

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Register for the event at Cedar Valley

Register for the event in Wausau

The Five Practices program is a catalyst for implementing the change you want for your congregation. You will learn a process that can help you identify and achieve your ministry vision. Applicable to small or large projects, short-term or long-term change, the Five Practices process sparks ideas, as well as energy.

 

This facilitated program helps you stay on track, and ensures that there is follow through to achieving your vision for change. You will have guidance from a trained facilitator over six at-home sessions as you move through the process.

 

Gather your team and sign up for Five Practices now!

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Register

Bring your confirmation class and join us for a weekend of faith and team building. We'll spend time with the bible, our identity as Christians and members of the UCC denomination specifically, and our personal faith journey. More specific information to come. Check-in begins at 7pm on Friday. The retreat ends after worship on Sunday, between 11:00 and 11:30am.

 

The Faith Formation Retreats are a partnership of the Wisconsin Conference UCC and United Church Camps, Inc. Program planning and leadership is offered by a team representing the four Associations of the Wisconsin Conference UCC. Partial scholarships available.

More information 

Register for the February Retreat

Register for the March Retreat

For registration instructions, please contact Laura Pine. 

Dr. Jennifer Harvey, author of Dear White Christians: For Those Still Longing for Racial Reconciliation, will be in Wisconsin to speak and share conversation on the subject of the church and racial justice.

Dr. Harvey has spoken and led workshops for faith communities and academic audiences around the nation. She is also a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and keeps her own blog:  

formations // living at the intersections of self, social, spirit.  

Event flyer
Madison event registration

Wauwatosa event registration

Three Great Loves, a storytelling initiative of the UCC, wants to hear how your ministries living into God's love are making an impact in your community.  

Watch the video, share your stories

The National UCC Office's Data Hub  is now open for your yearbook data entry! What is this information used for? Here's eleven reasons why reporting your church's annual data is important. If you have any problems or questions, please email Susan Taylor, or call her at 608-846-7880. Please do not contact the National Office.

Graduate-level religious scholars are eligible to apply for one of 50 $5,000 scholarships for tuition, feels, books or other costs of attending school full-time during the 2018-2019 academic year. Church Mutual Insurance Company's foundation, CM Cares, is the sponsor of the scholarships.
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April 22, 2018

Materials for this year's Break the Silence Sunday will be available in February. Break The Silence Sunday is an effort to open up a conversation within the church about rape and sexual assault. Within the context of our faith communities we hope to:

• acknowledge the reality of rape and sexual violence in our world;
• support survivors by creating a place where they can tell their stories, feel loved and supported, and find encouragement on their healing journey;
• commit ourselves to the work of changing the world, creating a future where rape is only a memory.

More information

First film: January 24

Race: The Power of an Illusion (film 2 of a 3-part documentary)

Madison Public Library, Central library

If you are in the Madison area, you may be interested in this Racial Justice-focused film series sponsored by the Madison Public Library and Community Shares of Wisconsin. The first showing on January 24 will be "The Story We Tell," the second film in the Race: The Power of an Illusion documentary series. The film uncovers the roots of the race concept in North America, the 19th century science that legitimated it, and how it came to be held so fiercely in the western imagination.
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