Coming September 2014!

Coming out of the Massachusetts Conference and landing in our association is the Pastoral Excellence Program!

You can read about the Mass. program here. And watch the following video to learn of the countless benefits this program has given the clergy who have enrolled.

Questions? Email Luke Lindon!

4-1 Earth Outdoor Ministries

A video showing good environmental stewardship of our camps.

Strengthen the Church and Home Connection

There's a new curriculum out that is generating a lot of buzz. It's called Gather Round. You can read all about it from the UCC's Faith Formation newsletter.

Author Brian McLaren states,

"Many of us have lamented the fact that some of the flashiest and most widely marketed curricula teach children about God, the Bible, and the Christian life in ways that students will need to unlearn when they reach adolescence and adulthood. "We’ve hoped and prayed for curricula that would lay a foundation in childhood that will still serve as students come of age. I'm grateful that Gather ’Round is a creative leader in this needed approach. I'm so glad to have finally discovered them."

All age groups study the same Bible texts simultaneously. "Talkabout Walking with Jesus" helps families engage these stories at home with activities, conversation starters, prayers, Bible trivia and more! Click here for a FREE sample!

Chasing Ice Documentary

Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. Within a few months, the adventurous film-makers captured the largest glacier calving event ever seen on camera, or witnessed by humankind. See the movie below:


This film would be a great Mission 4/1 Earth movie night for your church! If people are on the fence about the issue or just don't know how they feel about it, this movie does a great job at raising consciousness. Even if you know a lot about the issue, the artful way it is presented here is worth viewing.

For more information, please see the movie's website.

Social Media's Impact in a Picture

Just in case you need a little more convincing about the power of social media, just check out this photo taken by NBC News of St Peter's Square. 2005 is Benedict's announcement and 2013 is the announcement of Francis as pope.

It speaks volumes.

So once again, are you using social media in your ministry? If you need help, check out our recent posts on the subject, or email Luke!

Earth’s Resurrection: A Mission 4/1 Earth Theological Reflection

In the beginning God created the earth and proclaimed it was good.

And it was.

The earth was full of life-giving air, water and soil and a myriad of creatures, each unique. God created humankind and they too were unique and full of potential. God ordained that humankind should have dominion over this creation. Earth sustained and nurtured humans and animals alike and provided for all their earthly needs. These human creatures learned and grew and used their God given intellect to create tools and methods to enhance their lives.

 But they neglected to follow God’s vision and purpose for creation and they sinned. They also used the earth and its resources to further selfish motives and they gave in to greed, sometimes subtly and other times not so subtly. The earth was not being cared for as God intended. 

The story of creation and the life of this great earth is akin to the resurrection story. 

 God’s People were covenanted to offer love and praise to the creator, to love with full hearts, to walk humbly and to do justice, but their own agendas got in the way and they sinned and betrayed Christ for a bag of the earth’s silver. Christ was crucified and buried. But the story does not end there. 

 Christ was resurrected and the spirit of Christ lives in this world and its people. The earth needs gentle care and thoughtful action to turn around the misuse, greed and lack of Christ like living that abounds. The earth, full of Easter hope, needs us to live in a renewed covenantal relationship with God and with God’s creation.

written by Donna Dorsch

Mission 4/1 Earth: 20 Ways to Contribute

During the 50 days of Mission 4/1 Earth (April 1 -- May 19, 2013), members of the United Church of Christ's 5,100 congregations will attempt to amass 1 million collective hours of engaged earth care service through conservation, advocacy, education and changed behaviors. Here's suggestions to ignite your participation in the big 1 million-hour goal.

You can get more news and way to get involved by follow Mission 4/1 Earth on Facebook.

What is Mission 4-1 Earth?

On April 1, 2013, the 1.1-million-member United Church of Christ will launch an aggressive public witness campaign on the environment. The Rev. J. Bennett Guess explains the whole-church mission project and invites your participation.

Our blog will cover how our NW Ohio churches are covering this Mission and post some resources for you to use!

For more information, please click here.

Help A UCC Minister!

Rob Leveridge is a UCC pastor in Chicago. He's look to record a worship album with UCC ideals and theology. Here's what Rob writes:

I write songs for worshipping communities that desire to draw near to God and embrace God’s calling to create a world of greater justice and compassion. My songs are easy to learn and sing and play, but the lyrics engage the dynamism and challenge of faith in the God who offers “Good news to the poor, recovery of sight for the blind, release of the captives, and freedom for those who are oppressed."

Check out his video below! And if you feel led, you can support his campaign by giving toward his Kickstarter campaign.

Area Faith Formation Opportunities

This is taken from an email from Ed Heilman of Park Congregational to help publicize what's going on in our association. If you have any submissions, please email Luke Lindon at lukeATsylvaniaucc.org 

March 7th Bill Bartholomew of St John's UCC in Elmore, is speaking at St. Andrews on Mexican Spirituality. Bill has been studying this for decades. Call or e-mail Bill if you want to know more.

March 15th from 4:30-6:30 Alan Jones is speaking at Sylvania UCC. Check their website for more information.

March 17th at 4PM Ed Heilman is speaking with Imam Shamsuddin Waheed at Toledo Masjid Al-Islam on 722 E. Bancroft on "Learning from Jesus: Benefiting from the Messiah." A meal will be shared after the discussion. For more information see toledomasjid@yahoo.com and remember no shoes are worn in the place of prayer.

April 23-24 at the Village, Cheri Holdrige, and Dr. Karyn Wiseman, Professor of Homiletics at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia will be presenting a two day mini course on Creative Worship Design, and Preaching Without Notes. It is called "Times Change-And So Does Sunday Worship." 1.5 CEU credits are available. The cost is $75 for one day, or $125 for both days. Go to www.villageohio.org for more information.

The NWOA Clergy gathering will be at the Family Table Restaurant 846 South Wheeling St. Oregon Oh. at 11:30 AM. The food is good. The company is even better. Join us if you can.

New Study Cites Social Media Vital to Pastors and Congregations

I ran across and article entitled "New study shows forces driving church growth & loss" over at the ReadtheSpirit website. 

It is a great little article that I hope you'll check out. There was a section that referred to our latest series called "Getting your Church Wired." 

Cynthia Woolever, one of the authors of the study, states that ."..every savvy pastor must adapt to new social media and worship technology … The explosion of innovative communication technologies strains the budgets and the imaginations of many congregations and their leaders. It also raises new boundary and ethical issues for leaders to navigate.”

She goes onto state:

Yes, the mastering of current technology is a part of the required skillset for pastors—and they’re fooling themselves, now, if they think it isn’t. That’s one reason younger clergy have a huge advantage. Younger pastors use Twitter, they email, they text, they use Facebook.
When I was doing interviews with pastors, I would have to contact them to set up these interviews. I quickly discovered that anyone under 45 would reply to me within 10 minutes and we’d get the interview set up right away. Older pastors—they might not even have an email account. We would have to call the church office where a secretary would screen calls. I might not be able to reach the pastor for days. That’s a problem for people in the congregation if they can’t reach their pastor in the ways they communicate with everyone else.
But things are changing. I remember back in 2001, we would beg churches to get a website. We would say: “If you don’t have a website, anyone under 45 doesn’t think you exist.” Now we don’t have to make that argument anymore. Most churches at least have static communication like a website—but most churches still haven’t gone into more interactive technology. Churches need to explore what’s possible today and what their worshipers are using all the time. After all, the people in the pew expect these things as they communicate with each other. And, the people in the pew are a highly educated group of people.

I hope that appeal reaches you and helps you jump onto a more interactive site!