The Vine
"A
weekly Email Update ...
RECENT EMAIL CHANGES
and ADDITIONS
If your personal (or church) email address has
recently changed, let us know! Here are a few of the more recent
changes/addition we have been told about…
Columbus Grove UCC:
CGUCC@Q1.NET
Tom Maurer: t.e.maurer@worldnet.att.net
Wayne and Wendy Schindler-Chasney: chasney@landolls.com
Fostoria St. John’s UCC/Bascom Union UCC: theyoke@bright.net
Toledo, Nu-Vizion Christian Fellowship: nuvizioncf@sbcglobal.net
Rev. Marty Stiffler: RevMLStiffler@ALPHA-COMPUTERS.NET
New MAILING addresses:
Rev. Kathryn Obenour (Retired)
4510 Dundee Ave., Columbus, OH 43227
614-861-9495
Rachael Smith (Student-in-Care)
459 East Lockwood Avenue
Apartment #33
St. Louis, Missouri
63119
Phone
314-918-2683
Nolan R. Younkman
2471 Palm Tree Drive
Punta Gorda Isles, FL 33950
Rev. Wayne Brass
133 Yale Drive
Toledo, OH
43614
Phone: 419-380-8374.
Prayer Requests
Jane Luginbill, sister of Rev. Cliff Bollenbacher
(retired minister) past away on September 12th.
The mother of Rev. Gale Green (pastor, First UCC,
Marion) had a stroke and has been staying with Gale. Meanwhile Gale has also had some health issues.
Tuesday was a celebration for the
life of the Rev. Richard Vitz. He was
87 years old and had been ordained for 62 years. He served First UCC (now First Evangelical and Reformed Church),
Lima prior to his retirement in 1979.
He had also served St. John’s UCC Fostoria and First UCC Findlay. He moved to Waverly after he retired, but
continued to keep his standing in NWOA.
A Funeral Service was held in Waverly, with a Graveside Service in
Lima. Condolences can be sent to his
wife Mildred at 331 Wendy Lane, Waverly, OH 45690. We celebrate his life among us and his passing into eternal life.
Hurricane
Relief Update
Questions
are being asked: how are the UCC Conferences fairing who were affected by the
recent hurricanes? A look at the
Florida Conference website (www.uccfla.org) indicates that they are
working their disaster plan. Jim
Ditzler from the Disaster Response Team in the Ohio Conference is there
assisting. The Rev. Nolan R. Younkman
one of our retired ministers, recently moved to Florida. He reports that he and his wife, Mary, are
well, but their house suffered some major damaged. Cash donations seem the best way that we in Ohio can be helpful
to those in Florida. As things get
organized, there will be opportunities for work parties. If you are interested in arranging for a
work party to Florida, be in touch with the Florida Conference Office at
888-432-8311. The Church World Service
website (www.cswerp.org).has information about the larger picture of the damage
throughout the Caribbean.
As you are aware, there has also
been storm damage in Ohio. The report
is that our supply of Clean-up and Personal Care Kits is wiped out. So…. this is a plea for churches to collect
items for them. Let the Association
know if you have them and we will try to arrange for getting them where they
need to go. One storage area is in Lima
and we will also receive them at the Association Office. We encourage financial contributions. Contributions should be marked “Disaster
Relief – and specify if you want it to go to UCC Disaster Response (which will
include the Caribbean and other Conferences) or stay in Ohio.
Congratulations!
Last Sunday, there was a full crowd
as the Association and St. John’s UCC, Archbold ordained Erich Christman into
the Christian Ministry. The service was
filled with music and joy! Thanks to
the clergy and other churches who attended.
Congratulations Erich!
Deadlines
and Meeting Dates
Deadline for the Church Professional Retreat is
September 24 (THIS FRIDAY). The retreat is being held October 3-4 at Templed
Hills Camp. The topic is “A Sacred
Trust: Boundary Issues for Clergy and Spiritual Leaders.” Attendance at this event qualifies for
attending a Periodic Support Consultation.
The God is Still Speaking Initiative is
gathering steam in many places across the denomination. October 1 is the deadline for “opting-in” as
a local church. When a church “opts
in,” you are linked to the website that will be presented on the TV Spots being
aired nationwide during Advent. If you
do not have your own church website, there is already one created for you on
the NWOA website. Contact the
Association if you have questions.
“Opting in” also means that the church agrees to send some folks to be
trained to help their congregation focus on welcoming new people into your
congregation. This is not just about
having greeters. It is about creating a
spirit of energy that invites others on a faith journey. The
trainings are scheduled for:
Saturday, October 2, 9 am – noon at St. John’s
UCC, Bluffton; Thursday, October 7, 6 pm – 9 pm at Trinity UCC, Upper Sandusky
and Sunday, October 24, 5:30 – 8:30 pm.
An overview/introduction will also be presented at the Lakeshore
Regional Event on Saturday, Oct. 23.
Who should attend these training events? It is recommended that at least the pastor and 2-3 people. Is there a financial cost: yes, $25 per
church. This provides the church with a
3-ring binder of information, a DVD and a PowerPoint presentation to be used
with your congregation. Who is leading
the training? The Rev. Lenore Kure
(First Congregational UCC, Sandusky; Ms. Rae Maurer (St. John’s UCC, Kenton);
and Char Burch (Interim Association Minister) have attended the training at the
Church House in Cleveland and will lead the Association trainings. Please
register at the Association office for
the Training Sessions so we know what we need for materials.
NU-VIZION
NEWS!! -- An Update from Will & Shelley Stuart
Core Team: 4 members strong. 3-4 more
have been identified as candidates.
Worship: NVCF continues to offer two
"Reboot" services on Wednesdays. We have many
"regulars" and attendance continues to steadily increase. Since
our last meeting we have three more "members". Sunday services
are still scheduled to launch on Christmas with preview services for the four
Sundays preceding.
Bible Study: Saturday bible study is focusing
on Discipleship training. Average attendance is 8 with everyone participating
in discussions. We are excited that 90% of our regular reboot attendees
are signed up for bible study. We are attempting to engage those who have
signed up but not attended as of yet.
Monday Morning Coffee
Ministry: This
continues to be our best outreach program so far with many people stopping by
for coffee and/or bibles and/or prayer. We send handwritten notes to
everyone who signs the mailing list inviting them to join us for worship.
Three of our "members" have joined us as a result of the coffee
ministry.
“Vizion Workers
Group”: We have hand-picked 8 people from either our current
"membership" or from our sister church of St. Peters to work on a
team to discuss the vision of NVCF and to get
projects accomplished. From this team we have individuals who
have committed to do the newsletter/web updates, and "thanks for
visiting" notes. Their commitments have provided enormous relief to
Will and I. The Vizion Workers are very motivated people who
have access to a wide variety of resources and are proving to be an
incredible asset.
Clothing Bank: Two women from the Vizion
Workers Group have set up the clothing bank in what was the church
office of First UCC. We have received many clothing donations.
We are not advertising the bank yet as it is still not well stocked.
However, the Weed and Seed social worker has been offered access to it and
we will use it if any need arises. We are focusing our donation
requests specifically around TPS appropriate school uniforms. We are
also accepting gently worn clothing for any sex or
size. We are planning to expand the clothing bank to
provide health/body products.
Nursery: Two men from the Vizion
Workers scrubbed down the nursery room. We have a changing table,
swing, and high chair. We continue to request donations of gently worn
toys and baby equipment that fits currently safety guidelines. We
have not yet sought a nursery volunteer as it is not necessary yet.
Missionary Apartment: No further construction has been
done. My {Shelley’s}father, an electrician of 40 years, has agreed
to do whatever electrical work he can.
[Will has begun
seminary classes at Winebrenner in Findlay; Shelley will be starting classes at
Wayne State to complete her MSW. PLEASE keep them and NCVF, as well as the core
team, in your Sunday worship and on
your prayer chains. THANK YOU!]