January 26, 2006

Rev. Daniel Busch preached at First UCC in Fremont on January 22^nd and will be preaching this Sunday, January 29^th at First UCC in New Knoxville beginning with the early morning service at 8:00 am and then the 10:15 am service.

Jim Ditzler, Ohio Conference Disaster Response Team, is down in New Orleans and is asking for a used pick up truck. They need money towards this or if someone has one they want to give that would be great. Not looking for a brand new one but a used one. Please call Larry Creeger at 419-649-7368 if you have something that can be used.

Brown Grants for Continuing Education and Bi-Vocational and Licensed Ministry Training are available.  The Committee meets in April, July, and November, 2006 to award grants. Contact V.Jefferson for information at  1.866.822.8224, ext. 3839  or jeffersv@ucc.org

Yearbook reports were mailed on Jan. 6^th, so every church should have this white envelope, marked ANNUAL REPORT FORMS on someone’s desk. These reports need to be completed and returned to Northwest by February 3.  Please try to meet this deadline.

REVISITING, REVIVING and RENEWING THE CALL  A Day of Reflection and Recommitment for licensed, lay and ordained ministers serving Northwest Ohio Association will take place on Thursday, February 23 from 10 – 4 pm at First UCC in Findlay.  Cost is $10 which will pay for lunch and the speaker, Rev. Bill Barndt. Bill will be sharing astute thoughts on the nature of ministry and ways of keeping alive a joyful sense of adventure. A Service of Re-Commitment  and Holy Communion will conclude the day together. You may register with the flyer in the monthly mailing or by emailing joan@nwoa.org and paying at the door.  To keep faith with the call, ministers of NWOA need spiritual refreshment and encouragement. Come enjoy the day!

The Ordination of Bradley McKibben will take place on February 5 at 3:00 pm at First UCC, 248 Harding Way West, Galion. All Authorized Ministers are welcome to attend this special day of ordination, robed and with Red Stoles. Come enjoy this day with Bradley and his family!

Installation at First UCC, Shelby

Rev. Rich Rader will be installed at First UCC in Shelby on March 12, 2006 at 3:00 pm.

General Synod Delegates – Class of 2009.

Attend two General Synods: 2007 and 2009

For the Class of 2009 -  2 Clergywomen, 2 Clergymen, 2 Laywomen, 1 Layman

Note of those above – 1 needs to fit each category  -  Under 19   &    19 through 29

Must be a member of  a UCC church in the Northwest Ohio Association

General Synod will be in Hartford, Connecticut in 2007. 

If you are interested contact Donna Overholt, Nomination Committee chairperson 419-447-0572

Please return your CUE Goal with your OCWM Goal sheet to the Northwest Ohio Association.

Auglaize Valley Regional Leadership Empowerment Day – February 26 at The Oasis at West Elm UCC, Lima, OH. See flyer at bottom of this newsletter!

Lay School of Religion will begin a Spring Theology Course  “So –What do you think? (About God)” on Feb. 7 at 7:15 pm here at the Association Office.  See monthly mailing for registration.

Junior High Youth Event – Sponsored by the NWOA Faith Formation Team “Body Building” will be held at Pilgrim Hills Camp on February 19 and 20^th (President’s Day Weekend). Cost is $55 per person (youth and adults)  Registration Forms were mailed to all churches.  Questions please contact Rev. Joel Fetter at Peace Community in Waldo  740-726-2808 or email dce@peacecommunityucc.org

Tom Paton Award will be presented at the Ohio Conference Annual Gathering on June 16 -17 at Heidelberg College.  A Form has been sent to all persons receiving the Monthly mailing.  Please remember if your church is applying for the award to send a letter outlining the things your congregation has done and intends to do with the completed form to the Association Office.  The Witness and Proclamation Ministry Team would like to receive this form and letter by March 1 if at all possible.

SERIOUS FUN WITH COMMAS

When the national church of the United Church of Christ began with “God is Still Speaking,” St Paul United Church of Christ, New Bremen, had just adopted its own theme, “Catch the Vision.” Soon the two sayings came together in a logo with the comma at the center. We liked the way the symbol of the comma conveys the idea that God is not finished with any of us or our church.

At one of the “Catch the Vision” meetings some of our people decided to distribute commas to all the members of the church. This became expanded into creating a comma that would be sturdy enough to last on the lawns of all our members.

Thanks to Thieman Stamping, 425 twelve gauge steel commas were manufactured, each a bright red, each with a base capable of being solidly in the ground, and each about 2 feet high and 1 foot wide at the furthest dimensions.

The distribution of the first 300 occurred in mid-October and was done by a large group of people who were “sleuths”, i.e. “under the cover of darkness” they just stuck them into the yards of the members in town. It took a lot of planning to make sure that none of our people would be missed in town. Since then our members in surrounding areas and towns have received theirs. If a member did not want to have one, he or she simply informed the church not to go there. There were very few who refused it.

During the weeks that these commas were distributed, there were “Burma Shave” type ads in the orders of service, such as

One night you’re abed – A time for our stealth – To leave something red – For spiritual health;

Or,

Silent as a mouse – Quick as a squirrel – We plant at your house—A sign with a curl.

The commas now adorn the lawns of our members. It is hoped that all will leave them there for several seasons, maybe years. Besides being church identity markers, they will also be question prompts for neighbors, thus giving our members an opportunity to explain our faith that God has a lively future for us.

The comma ‘tis gift – About our mission – Let hearts uplift – And “Catch the Vision.”

RECENT EMAIL & MAIL CHANGES and ADDITIONS

If your personal (or church) email address or mailing address has recently changed, let us know!

Prayer Requests

A MEMORIAL SERVICE and celebration of life for PAMELA DAY McSHERLEY will be held THIS SUNDAY (January 29, 2006) AT 2:00 p.m. at St. John’s United Church of Christ, 68 Park Avenue East, Mansfield, Ohio, 44902 – Phone 1-419-522-2813.  The service will be in the Sanctuary with a reception to follow.  All are invited.

*Memorial gifts may be directed to St. John’s UCC Memorial Fund or to The American Diabetes Association.

I want to thank The Rev. Dan Busch for coming to the funeral service all the way to Westerville and calling Pam on the telephone and visiting her in the hospital in Akron.  This demonstrates a lot of love and Christian spirit in our Association.  Sincerely in Christ, Rev. Lon McSherley

I'd like to ask prayers for our mission group traveling to Tijuana, Mexico leaving on Saturday morning.  We have 46 people primarily from Berlin Heights and Wooster, Ohio who will be building homes for Esperanza de Mexico.  May God provide safe travel and a very spiritually meaningful
experience.              Joyce Schroer

The Rev. Richard Wolf has passed away. Please notice the letter from Rev. Jack Seville at the end of this email. A memorial service for Richard will take place Saturday, January 28 at St. Paul UCC in Elyria at 2 pm.

Deadlines and Meeting Dates

Still time to register for Lay School beginning Feb. 7^th, email joan@nwoa with your registration.

Upcoming

February

2        Defiance Cluster Clergy 11:30 -1 pm   Defiance College/Serrick Center

3        Heidelberg Women here at NWOA

9:30 am

4        Re-Up your License 10 -2 pm

5        Bradley McKibben’s Ordination

          3:00 pm First UCC, Galion

6        Sandusky Valley Clergy 11:30 am

          Pour House, Upper Sandusky

7        Church and Ministry

7        Lay School 7:15 pm

8        Timely Topics 10:30 – 1:30 pm

8        Stewardship & Caring Team 2-4 pm

9        Monthly Mailing Deadline

9        Auglaize Valley South Clergy

          11:30 am  Lima Hospital

11      Finance and Budget

14      Maumee Bay Clergy 9:30 am

          Faith UCC, Toledo

16      Periodic Support Consultation

          St. John’s UCC, Bluffton  10-1pm

16      Church Development 2:30-4:30 pm

20      Office Closed President’s Day

19-20  Jr. High Youth Event-Pilgrim Hills

21      Personnel Committee 9:30 am-noon

21      Lay School 7:15 pm

22      Firelands Clergy 9:30 – 11:30 am

          First UCC, Fremont

23      Revisiting,Reviving and Renewing the Call, First UCC-Findlay 10-4 pm

26      Auglaize Valley Leadership

          Empowerment Day  2:00 pm

          The Oasis at West

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Dear Friends in Christ,

I write you with a heavy heart this day to inform you that a giant in the faith has passed away. The Rev. Richard Wolff died this morning in Elyria. He would have been ninety-four years old in May of this year.

I say he was a giant in the faith for numerous reasons but none more important than the fact that Richard was the last living member of that committee that drafted the articles of union between the Congregational Christian Churches of the USA and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. His was the last living testimony to that act of ecumenical courage that gave birth to our denomination. Many of us loved to listen to Richard as he talked of that experience he had as a young man in ministry.

Richard was truly passionate about peace and justice. In the short time since I have been in your midst as Interim Conference Minister, we had conversations and he sent me letters that dealt a broad range of social concerns. He truly was most capable at seeing the connection between biblical understandings and human needs. And, unlike many contemporary religious leaders, Richard was able to do this without succumbing to the trappings of party systems and cultural fads. He was a “liberal” in the classic sense of that term and not the contemporary media use of it that reduces it to being always on the left politically. He was a good listener, open to many views on any subject and demanding that people be as clear where they stood as he sought to be. He would have made a terrific Galilean disciple of Jesus, in my opinion.

Richard, and his late wife Rachel, with the help of former conference minister Ralph Quellhorst, established the Rachel and Richard Wolff Scholarship Fund for Theological Education through a very generous gift on their part. Richard believed strongly in our calling very well educated seminary graduates to preach in our pulpits and teach in our churches. He believed that only UCC related seminaries could accomplish this important work of leadership preparation for the denomination. It is with the Wolff Scholarship Fund Committee that I first encountered Richard and grew to love and respect him deeply even though our time of sojourn together has been less than one year. My colleague Curt Ackley has written that “Richard was passionate for spreading the word of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. His chosen means for doing so was to encourage anyone with a spark of understanding for the Word of God to consider seminary training.”

A memorial service for Richard will take place Saturday, January 28 at St. Paul UCC in Elyria at 2 PM.  Here was a giant in the faith. We shall never see the likes of him again.

Let us remember our Christian Brother Richard: in the name of God Most holy, who created him; in the name Jesus Christ, Who redeemed him; in the name of the Holy Spirit, Who sanctifies him. May Richard be blessed in the peace of God’s eternal home. And, let us keep Richard’s daughters Carol and Christine in our prayers. Thank you.

Jack J. Seville, Jr.

Interim Conference Minister

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Auglaize Valley Region

Leadership Empowerment Day

Sunday, February 26, 2006     2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

The Oasis on West Elm United Church of Christ,

1606 W. Elm Street, Lima, Ohio

What’s the purpose?

To energize and equip local church leaders with transformational leadership skills and program ideas that will help your congregation to better live and witness the love of God in your own community.

Who’s invited?

Clergy and lay leaders  (both youth and adults) engaged in ministry throughout the life of your church.

Schedule:

2:00 p.m.          Registration - $2.00 per person 

Leadership Empowerment Resource Store opens

2:30 p.m.          Opening Worship & Keynote – Rev. Daniel Busch

3:00 p.m.          Workshops – Session #1

4:15 p.m.          Workshops – Session #2

5:15 p.m.          Table Talk with Supper

6:00 p.m.          Closing Hymn and Benediction

Proposed Workshops for Leadership Empowerment Day

First Session Workshops and Leaders

1.     Music Wars: How to Bridge the Divide

Leader: Joan McConnell – Organist, Trinity UCC, Tiffin, OH

2.     Keeping Christian Unity in a Divided Church

Leader: Rev. Robert Chase – Proclamation, Identity, and Communication Ministry Minister & Team Leader, Publisher United Church News

3.     Forum for Church Moderators & Church Council Presidents

Leader: Rev. Daniel Busch – Northwest Ohio Association Minister, Tiffin, OH

4.     Leading Contemporary Worship & Song Selection

Leader:  Mitch Reed – Associate Pastor, First UCC, New Knoxville, OH

5.     Keeping Them Connected: Ministry to College Students

Leader: Rev. Janice Bechtel – Campus Minister, Defiance College, Defiance, OH

6.     Purpose Driven Youth Ministry

Leader: Rev. Ron Shifley – Pastor, Spencerville UCC, Spencerville, OH

7.     Multiply Your Ministry: Moving From Sitting to Serving

Leader. Rev. Barry Bordenkircher – E4 Church Coaching (www.e4churchcoaching.com)

Second Session  Workshops & Leaders

1.     Music Wars: How to Bridge the Divide

Leader: Joan McConnell – Organist, Trinity UCC, Tiffin, OH

2.     Keeping Christian Unity in a Divided Church

Leader: Rev. Robert Chase – Proclamation, Identity and Communication Ministry Minister & Team Leader, Publisher United Church News

3.     Hurricane Rebuilding in New Orleans

Leader: Rev. Jeanette Tangeman – Buckland UCC, Buckland, OH

4.     Rotation Model Sunday School: Taking It to the Next Level

Leader: Rev. Ron Shifley – Pastor, Spencerville UCC, Spencerville, OH

5.     Teen Leadership… a Workshop Just For Teens!

Leader: Mitch Reed – Associate Pastor, First UCC, New Knoxville, OH

6.     Forum for Choir Directors: Taking Your Choir to the Next Level

Leader: Jack Hansbrough – Choir Director, St. Paul UCC, New Bremen, OH

7.     The Right Sound & Projection Equipment Makes the Difference

Leaders: Bruce Klucharich & Robert Eiber – Media Integrators Inc., Oakwood Village, OH

The Rev. Robert Chase, Director of Communication, United Church of Christ

            The Rev. Robert Chase of Lakewood, Ohio, is Minister and Team Leader of the Proclamation, Identity and Communication Ministry of the 1.4-million-member United Church of Christ. As such, he is the denomination’s Communications Director. Chase began work at the UCC’s national offices in Cleveland in April 1999.

            Chase is an award-winning video producer with more than 100 productions to his credit.  In his present position, he is responsible for directing and providing vision for the denomination’s efforts in public relations; marketing and education; video, radio and emerging technologies; and advocacy issues such as access to communication technology.  He is publisher of United Church News, the UCC’s national newspaper.  His task is to help others in the United Church of Christ tell stories of how God’s eternal love has intersected with the confounding reality of their lives.

            For 15 years, from 1982-1997, Chase was founder and President of Creative Connections in Media, a full-service communications company based in Rhinebeck, N.Y.  The staff of 10 produced promotional and interpretive resources in a variety of media, primarily for a not-for-profit clientele.  Much of the firm’s work was documentary in style and took him from the northern slope of Alaska to the black townships of South Africa, from rural Chinese villages to the urban favellas of Brazil.  These experiences allowed him to meet some amazing and heroic people and to tell their stories.

            An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Chase served most recently as interim pastor of Palisades (N.Y.) Presbyterian Church. This unique congregation consisted of artists, writers, scientists and entrepreneurs. Gay partners and young families worshiped side by side.  This pastorate combined a deeply spiritual prayer life with a strong sense of mission and a demand for preaching that was both healing and intellectually challenging.

            He also has served as senior pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Teaneck, N.J.; Associate Director of Willowbrook Ministries, an inter-faith ministry in a shopping mall in Wayne, N.J.; and as Youth Minister in Packanack Community Church in Wayne, N.J.

            Chase earned a Master of Divinity Magna cum Laude from New Brunswick (N.J.) Theological Seminary, and a B.A. with honors in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania. He grew up in Port Jefferson, N.Y., graduated fourth in a high school class of 525, is married, with two adult daughters and one grandson.

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