The Vine - Communication from the Northwest Ohio Association UCC

Email Address for Rev. Daniel Busch, Association Minister dlbusch@nwoa.org

Office Hours at Northwest Association office will be 8 – 4 pm beginning Sept. 5

Rev. Daniel Busch will preach at St. Paul’s UCC in Bellevue on September 10^th at 9 and 10:45 am.

Prayer Requests

Rev. David Voll will be installed on September 10^th as Pastor at St. Paul UCC in Oak Harbor beginning at 3:00 pm. All are Welcome!

Pastor Jim Oates – The Oasis at West Elm UCC in Lima will celebrate with a Dinner and Recognition Service on September 17. Dinner at 5 pm Service at 6 pm See attached invitation.

Pastor Adrian Sunday – In-Care Student will be ordained on October 22 beginning at 3:00 pm at Calvin UCC in Toledo. All are welcome!

Lay School of Religion –Interpreting the Old Testament led by Rev. Darryl Kistler, Chaplain at Heidelberg College. Lay School will begin September 5 at the Association Office beginning at 7:15 pm. If you are interested, you still have time to sign up. The Cost is $40 + $15 for a book. Need more information check the attachments.

Timely Topics – September 12 – Donald C. Clark, Jr. Counselor at Law 10:30 to 1:30 pm at the Association office. Brown bag lunch – See attached flyer.

Nu-Vizion UCC, Toledo Open House – September 16 1-5 pm see attached flyer

The next Northwest Association golf outing is scheduled for Tues. Sept. 19 at the Red Hawk course in Findlay. Tee times will be between 9 and 9:30 a.m. All are welcome. Call or email John Bock if you are interested. 419-862-2505 irishtar@aol.com

Professional Event - Monday, October 16, 2006

(register to meet your Periodic Review commitment)

(for licensed, lay and ordained ministers)- Mark Your Calendars and plan to attend)

Leader: Dr. David Greenhaw, President, Eden Theological Seminary

Place: St. Francis Spirituality Center, Tiffin, Ohio

9:00 a.m. Registration 9:30 a.m. Opening Worship

10:00 am - Noon, 1:00. - 3:00 p.m. Affirmation of Ministry Issues lead by Dr. Greenhaw.

A time of spiritual refreshment and encouragement for ministry.

Lunch: Noon-1:00 p.m. Closing Worship (Holy Communion) 3:15-3:45 p.m.

Sponsored by Faith Formation Team Cost: $20.00. see monthly mailing for registration

Sandusky Valley Regional Youth The Youth of the Sandusky Valley Region are going to join together on Sunday, September 17th from 2:30-4 p.m. at Peace Community UCC, Waldo to assemble Personal Care Kits. These Personal Care Kits are distributed through the Ohio Disaster Response Team.

We need your help! Youth in 6th-12th grade are welcome to participate. We also need congregations to gather supplies for these kits. Even if you don't have youth or will be unable to participate, your help would be appreciated. You may contact Pastor Joel (740-726-2808)with questions or to make arrangements to pick up the items. EACH KIT NEEDS THE FOLLOWING ITEMS: a bar of soap, a wash cloth and a hand towel, a disposable razor, a small container of shave cream, six band aids, a tooth brush, a small tube of tooth paste, a comb, a small container of deodorant, and a nail file. 1 Gallon Zip-Lock bags are needed. Donations will also be accepted by sending checks to Peace Community UCC, PO Box 176, Waldo, OH 43356 to purchase kit items.

Lakeshore Regional Gathering Fall 2006 “Seeking Healing” Sunday, Oct. 15^th, St. John’s UCC, Elmore 2-5 pm. Cost $5 Click here for registration.

Auglaize Valley Regional Gathering “Kinderfest 2006” November 4, St. Paul’s UCC-New Bremen

$2 per child with a $6 per family maximum cost 9:30 – 10:00 am registration Event 10 – 1 pm

Click here for registration

Jeff Patton Coming to Ft. Seneca

Nationally-known author, speaker, and teacher JEFF PATTON is coming to Ft. Seneca Community Church on Saturday, Oct. 21. Jeff is an expert on prayer, spiritual formation, small groups, and leadership development. A partner with Easum-Bandy & Associates, Jeff is in demand across the U.S. for his powerful teaching and coaching. This will be a GREAT event for church staff, prayer teams, or any church leaders and teachers. Click here for more information: flyer or contact Pastor Barry Bordenkircher

URGENT HELP REQUEST -- FT. SENECA CHURCH

Ft. Seneca Community Church, after years of preparation, is launching a new "emergent"-style worship service, called "Breeze," on Sept. 17...but we need HELP! We are looking for several used (but in good condition) sofas, loveseats, lounge chairs, some bar stools, and small coffee/end tables. We need these before Sept. 10 (the date of our preview service). We had a supplier who backed out at the last minute! ANY donations much appreciated! Contact Barry Bordenkircher by phone (419-443-9783) OR email (bbordenkircher@woh.rr.com). We'll come and pick up any offerings at your convenience. We also covet your PRAYERS! Thanks!

Back Bay Mission will host Compassion Explosion: Disaster Recovery Blitz October 29 through November 11. During these two weeks Back Bay will host work camps of groups of 5-25 of skilled persons for housing rehab in the Biloxi area. Skilled adults are needed and encouraged to register for either week. Licensed plumbers, electricians, experienced roofers and persons with general construction skills are needed. Registrations for up to 75 persons will be accepted each week. A modest fee is charged per individual to assist with the lodging and other program related expenses. All participants will be housed at Camp Victory also located in the area. For more information call the Mission at 228-432-0301 or email bbvol@datasync.com People come to the Mission everyday with tremendous needs – they are homeless, jobless, and in need of food and clothes. Your help to rebuild homes after hurricane Katrina gives hope to these people who have suffered so much.

Congregational Nurse Project click here

Upcoming Events in Outdoor Ministries – click here Ohio Conference

Update your web page
Would you like to update your church webpage, ask webinfo@nwoa.org for help. Visit www.nwoa.org for more Association information.

Monthly Mailing

The monthly mailing will be sent over the email by request only. If you would like to receive the mailing by email please contact Joan Davidson at joan@nwoa.org.

Help us meet our OCWM Goal for 2006

Goal for 2006 - $ 495,000 (as of July 06) $ 216,719

Deadlines and Meeting Dates

Upcoming

September

4 Office Closed/Labor Day

5 Church & Ministry

7 Small Church Cluster, 7:30 pm Trinity UCC, McCutchenville

8 Monthly Mailing Deadline

9 Finance & Budget Mtg 9:00 am

10 Rev. David Voll Installation- St. Paul UCC-Oak Harbor 3:00 p.m.

11 Sandusky Valley Clergy Fairhaven Community, Upper Sandusky

12 Timely Topics 10:30 am – 1:30 pm

13 Stewardship & Caring Mtg 1-3 pm

14 Auglaize Valley Clergy 11:30 am Defiance College, Defiance

17 Pastor Jim Oates Recognition 5:00 p.m. Dinner 6:00 pm Service

17 Sandusky Valley Youth Fest Peace Community, Waldo (Grades 6 – 12) 2:30 – 4:00 pm

20 Miami Erie Women Gathering Emmanuel, Bluffton 9:30 am

21 Faith Formation Team 10-1 p.m.

21 Church Development 1-4 pm

26 Defiance Women Gathering Lytton-Zion UCC-Delta 10:30 am

27 Firelands Clergy Zion UCC (Firelands) 9:30 am

28 Support Committee 11:00 am (Tiffin)

30 Cabinet 9:30 – 2 pm

Few additions to the Vine

News from Nu-Vizion

This coming Monday, September 4--Labor Day, a few of our staff and members are getting together to sort and hang clothing for the CHEEP store in an attempt to catch up the large amount of clothing we've recently received. You are invited to come for a time of service, food, and fellowship from 5-8 PM. It will be a potluck dinner. There will be plenty of work to be done.

Please let us know if you plan to come. We'd love to see you again!

shelley for...

-will-

Hello again,

Several weeks ago I sent out a plea e-mail asking for food for the children of our neighborhood. Little did I know at the time that Pastor Will was preparing to preach a sermon about "Manna from heaven." What divine timing!

I believe Nu-Vizion experienced a similar miracle. Within two weeks of my plea we had groups lined up to come in and feed the kids for each of the remaining days of programming. Within the first week we had received, conservatively, about 500 loaves of bread and hundreds of pounds of fresh and canned food. It was emotionally overwhelming to see the people of God so dedicated to feeding his youngest people. On top of food, we received over $1000 in cash designated for food for the kids which will easily see us through several months. It also allows us to consider starting a food club program, where kids will learn how to prepare meals for their families to take home, and to teach them good nutrition. Finally, we now have a weekly bread donation lined up. We get so much bread that we share it with other local churches and the Grace Community Center.

As if the cup had not overflown enough, we had a neighborhood outreach event on August 19th called the "Back to School Rally". Last year we had about 20 kids come, so when our friends from Buckland asked how many stuffed backpacks to donate, I told them 40. Perhaps I need more faith. We had 79 children aged 5-18 at the event, 30 under 5 and 52 parents and relatives. We had another "loaves and fishes" moment when we got to the last of the 79 kids and we still had backpacks. I am baffled to this day how 40 turned into 80 but then again, it was not unprecedented. Surely His miracles are with us every day.

I want to say from the bottom of my heart how thankful I am for all of you. Thank you for your prayers and support of this ministry and for all of your gifts to us. Praise God!

In love,

Shelley Stuart

All Peace, Love & Blessings;

your brother & servant in Christ-Jesus,

Will Stuart

(pastor)

"Sharing Hope, Seeking Healing, Building Community..."

Nu-Vizion United Church of CHRIST

2014 Cherry Street

Toledo, OH 43608

Office: (419)241.9358

Fax: (419)241.5740

NuVizionCF@sbcglobal.net

www.Nu-VizionCF.org

News from Back Bay Mission

BACK BAY MISSION

Center For Community Ministry

August 29, 2006

One Year After Katrina

Dear friends:

On this one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I send you heart-felt greetings on behalf of all employees, Board members, and clients of Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi. Today marks a significant mile-stone for those of us living along the storm-ravaged coastline of Mississippi. It is a day of deep introspection, accumulated fatigue, and simple gratitude.

On Sunday, hundreds of Gulf Coast citizens gathered beachside to join hands for two brief minutes of remembrance. In broken lines of humanity scattered up and down the coastline, we stood as a testament to our unity and our resolve, individuals bound by shared tragedy. As hands were joined, stories were shared, tears were shed, and prayers were whispered. And then we dispersed, strengthened in our weakness, recovery far from complete.

This one-year anniversary has a stark way of highlighting how very far we’ve come since August 29 of last year….and how very far we have yet to go. Forty-five million cubic yards of debris have been removed. By the end of this month, seven casinos will have reopened, nearly matching pre-Katrina gross revenue and restoring thousands of jobs. Yet unemployment hovers at around 12% in Harrison County and thousands of people are still living day to day. Over 100,000 people are still living in nearly 38,000 FEMA trailers, and efforts to replace the approximately 70,000 Mississippi homes that were completely destroyed by Katrina have barely begun.

These numbers paint a somewhat dismal picture twelve months after Katrina. But today I write primarily to lift up another set of numbers entirely, the figures that provide evidence of your great love for Back Bay Mission and all those we serve. To date, over 700 volunteers from the United Church of Christ have donated over 27,000 hours to disaster recovery efforts in our local Mississippi Gulf Coast community. Their giving of time and talent has brought hope to countless numbers of people whose homes and lives were shattered beyond belief, and their presence with us at Back Bay Mission has been both healing and inspiring. Your monetary giving, too, has been astounding. Because of it, we have been able to expand the capacities of our emergency assistance and housing rehabilitation programs by five times their pre-Katrina levels. This has meant more help and more hope delivered to a community desperately in need of both. We remain one of a very few agencies in the area providing consistent and compassionate aid to a great many hurting people.

So on this day of remembrance and gratitude, we give thanks for YOU….. for all that you have done to help us embrace the future and serve without interruption. Your companionship and God’s grace have bolstered and sustained us in these terrible days. And though Back Bay Mission still has a daunting road ahead of us --- a campus to rebuild, expanded programs that must be sustained, new ministries that beckon --- we trust in the unfailing truth that we are not alone. God is with us, and so are you.

Thanks be to God, for tragedy transformed to blessing!

In gratitude,

Rev. Shari Prestemon, Executive Director

Grace UCC-Fostoria

Hi Everyone,
I am happy to announce that U.S. Congressman Paul Gillmor will be at Grace UCC on Friday, September 8 at 4 or 4:30 for an hour's time of "Meet the Congressman". This is part of Grace's series on meeting various people in various occupations. We have had "Meet the" Doctor, Vet, Banker, etc. . This is meeting is open to the public and is non-partisan as comes as the U.S. Representative for our area of Ohio.
Please spread the word and invite folks to come. He will have a time of questions and answers.

Thanks
Don Giesmann
Pastor, Grace United Church of Christ

Grace UCC is located at 4481 U.S. Route 23 North, a few blocks north of the Fostoria K Mart and the Fostoria Inn (Formerly the Holiday Inn).

for further information, call the church 419-435-6733

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