Christmas Eve 1992

by Rev. Joanne Thomson

On December 20, 1992, I offered the benediction after morning worship at Middleton Community Church, changed into traveling clothes, and headed off for the bus to O'Hare and the start of my 24 hour-long trip to Asunción, Paraguay. In Asunción, I'd pick up my infant daughter Jessie, visit the US Embassy, and head back to the airport for the return trip to the United States. This would be the culmination of a long adoption process, which had led us through many bureaucratic tangles in both the US and Paraguay.

 

My husband and I had first met Jessie in the fall, when we'd gone to Asunción to complete the Paraguayan side of the adoption process. Things had not gone as planned, however. What was supposed to be a visit of several weeks turned into an open-ended stay as the legal process stalled, and we were forced to return to Wisconsin, leaving Jessie behind in her foster home. After a wait that seemed endless, we learned that our adoption had been finalized, and that Jessie could come home in December. Because I am the parent in our family who is an American citizen--my husband is not a US citizen -- it fell to me to make the trip. My husband would stay behind with our one-year-old son.
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They had to leave their home and travel far. For safety reasons they joined with others along the way, forming caravans of sorts. Their names were Mary and Joseph, traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Their names were Marta and Josef, traveling from Bavaria to Ellis Island and then to Milwaukee. Their names are Maria and Jose, traveling from Honduras to the US border, seeking asylum. All seeking a safe place to rest, a home, a welcome.

 

As you contemplate your year-end giving, please consider a gift to the Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ Annual Appeal. The Annual Appeal supports vital Conference-wide programs and staff that serve local congregations, helping to keep local churches strong and their ministries thriving.

A gift of any size is important and appreciated. We value your investment in our shared ministry. Together we are stronger, our reach is wider, and our commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is deeper.

 

Your gift to our Annual Fall Appeal will support these vital Conference-wide programs and services:

• A new Legacy Program to assist local churches in cultivating bequest gifts
• A ministerial training track for those who feel called to Authorized Ministry but cannot attend seminary.
• Seed Grants in support of emerging justice and community-based ministries
• A dedicated Conference Staff that faithfully guides pastoral transitions, offers care and counsel to clergy, and provides a myriad of resources for congregations.
• Trained Conflict Resolution teams that help congregations navigate through challenges
• And - in just nine months - our Wisconsin Conference will host General Synod in Milwaukee!

To give to the Wisconsin Conference Annual Fall Appeal click here.

 

With grateful hearts . . . in Christ,

 

Rev. Franz Rigert, Conference Minister

Rev. Jim Hollister, Board Chair

Health and Dental Insurance will continue to be billed quarterly by the Wisconsin Conference in 2019. The Pension Boards will bill pension and life and disability monthly. Monthly billing by the Pension Boards for health and dental insurance will begin next December 2019 for the January 2020 payment.

Questions? Please contact Tracy or Vicki at the Conference office.

 

Recently, a couple of major climate reports have been released that highlight the impact of climate change on our world and the urgent need to act. As part of the UCC's monthly Creation Justice Webinar Series, the insights and moral imperatives of the reports will be discussed by three leading climate voices. Katherine Hayhoe was a coauthor of the National Climate Assessment, and she has frequently focused on communicating about climate change to an evangelical audience. Naomi Oreskes is a professor at Harvard University and has long been engaged in high profile discussions and documentaries about the science of climate change. Jim Antal is a national leader in faith activism on climate change and is the recent author of "Climate Church, Climate World: How People of Faith Must Work for Change."  Sign-up now to join this webinar. While the webinar is on January 9th, register even if you can't make it, and a recording will be sent to you.

Sunday, January 20 - Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Moon Beach Camp

 

January 11-13, 2019

Pilgrim Center

The world is a diverse place . We meet people who think differently, believe differently and live differently than we do. Sometimes it is difficult to know how to communicate with them. This is especially true when we do not agree with each other. As people of faith, we are called to be love one another...even those we disagree with.

 

At this year's Jesus Core, we will spend time exploring and discussing some of the topics that seem to create tension and division in our society . We learn how we can communicate with, and be in community with, those who think differently than we do. We can be a blessing in our world when we are able to show compassion to each other .

 

Who ? Youth grades 9-12, and young adults up to age 22, individually or with their church groups (We ask for 1 adult leader for every 5 youth from one congregation)

Register here

Online course: February 4 - April 5, 2019

There is no lack of bad biblical interpretation available these days, one consequence of which has been almost a wholesale rejection of the Bible and the Christian tradition it undergirds. But even for those who stand in the tradition and hold the Bible in high regard, reading it can feel intimidating and complicated, and its message distant and maybe even a little bit irrelevant.

This course will give you the opportunity to:

More information

America's Black Holocaust Museum (featured in the September 26, 2018, issue of Wisconsin Conference Life) is trying to reopen and is seeking donations. A generous donor will will match every gift given to the museum by the end of 2018, up to $100,000! This is in addition to a separate $4,000 matching grant from the Southeast Association UCC. Plymouth UCC in Milwaukee is the financial agent for this offering and you can donate at this link online (select the museum from the drop-down list). Any checks should be made out and sent to Plymouth UCC, 2717 E. Hampshire Ave., Milwaukee, 53211. Please make sure to put ABHM in the memo line of the check.

June 24-July 10, 2019

On this trip to experience cross-cultrual, ecumenical fellowship with gospel choirs in Hesse and the Rhineland, we will:

• relax in Rudesheim at a family owned hotel/winery
• enjoy a Rhine River cruise
• participate in Frankenberg's annual open-air concert
• enjoy homestays, fellowship, rehearsals & concerts with gospel choirs in/near:
• Essen--center of Germany's iron/steel industry
• Kalkar--13th century town near Dutch border
• Kassel--safe haven for Huguenot refugees and
  home to the Brothers Grimm
• Bad Arolsen--historical spa city

More information is available in this flyer

Searching Churches

Wider Church Searches

• The UCC has several open positions that are described here 

New Calls

• Rev. Greg Young has been called for a six-month long designated minister position at Our Saviour's UCC in Germantown, effective December 2, 2018

• Rev. John Klindt died on November 15, 2018. Obituary
• Dorlee Rohlfing, wife of the late Rev. David Rohlfing, died on December 3, 2018, Obituary 

The Conference Transitions feature appears monthly in the Wisconsin Conference Life. Please share your transition information, including church anniversaries, with the newsletter editor by emailing Nola.