Northwest Word
September 2020
Boundary Training | Clergy Retreat | Derecho response | Annual Campaign & more
Boundary training has moved online
Boundary Training for authorized ministers and Members In Discernment in the Wisconsin Conference will be done online this year. We have worked out an arrangement with Convergence, which has a well-developed boundary training program, to offer this at a discount to people in the Wisconsin Conference. We have reviewed their program and think its content meets many of our needs for boundary training.

There will be no in-person boundary training offered by the Conference until at least June 2021. So those who are due for boundary training in 2020 and 2021 should sign up for this online option. There is no set time that this training is offered, participants are free to sign up at any time and finish at their own pace. Information on how to sign up is available through Sue Taylor at the Conference office.

In part, this is a response to the new realities we all face as a result of the current pandemic. But it also reflects work by the Conference Commission on Church and Ministry and its Boundary Training Task Force to develop new ways to offer boundary training, which is required for every authorized minister every four years in order to retain their standing in the UCC.

We hope beginning in June of 2021 to offer a combination of online boundary training along with one shorter in-person session. We are looking at our arrangement with Convergence this year as a pilot program that will be evaluated during 2021.

Authorized ministers and Members In Discernment who are wondering if they due for boundary training can check with the Conference office, everyone due for training will also be notified through the annual information review form sent out to all authorized ministers each fall.
Clergy Retreat, October 4 - October 6
Northeast and
Northwest Association Clergy

You are invited to attend
HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN: Reclaiming Our Wholeness
A virtual clergy retreat for sharing and learning about leading in complex times.

Guest speakers Dr. Al Bellg and Rev. Holly Whitcomb will lead us in a Zoom format with time for conversation and personal reflection.


Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

Leonard Cohen, Anthem

Sunday, October 4 - Tuesday, October 6
Sunday, October 4
  • 7:00-8:00 p.m. Opening Worship & Reflection - Holly Whitcomb Opening remarks from guest speaker Al Bellg
  • 8:00-9:00 p.m. Zoom Fellowship (optional)
Monday, October 5
  • 8:45 a.m. Opening Worship - Holly Whitcomb
  • 9:00-10:30 a.m. Session One - Al Bellg
  • 3:30-5:00 p.m. Session Two - Al Bellg
  • 5:00 p.m. Closing Prayer / Reflection - Holly Whitcomb
Tuesday, October 6
  • 9:00-10:00 a.m. Break-Out Sessions - Session 1
  • 10:30-11:30 a.m. Break-Out Sessions - Session 2

About the speakers:
Dr. Albert Bellg Ph.D., a writer, psychologist, poet, and Circle of Trust facilitator with the Center for Courage & Renewal. He spent many years working with medical patients and professionals to help them cope with the challenges they face. He has also led numerous retreats and classes for First Congregational UCC in Appleton, facilitated a multi-session Clearness Committee for UCC ministers, and led a session on discernment for UCC Lay Academy ministers. He recently completed writing a book on discernment called “Living the Deepest Truth You Know.”

Rev. Holly Whitcomb has been a pastor and clergywoman in the United Church of Christ since her graduation from Yale Divinity School in 1978 and has served churches in Connecticut, Iowa, and Wisconsin. She is also a graduate of the two-year program for spiritual directors at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington, DC Holly is a widely traveled retreat leader who directs Kettlewood Retreats, and has written and published dozens of articles on spirituality. She is the author of five books including “Practicing Your Path,” “Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting,” and “The Practice of Finding.” Holly lives in suburban Milwaukee with her husband, Dr. John Whitcomb.

About the break-out sessions:
Break-out Sessions are open, facilitated conversations on a range of topics, including:
  • Worship design – Rev. Julia Hollister
  • Pastoral care – Rev. Lynn Martin
  • Mission/outreach – Dr. Jon Pahl
  • Faith formation – Bonnie Andrews
  • Stewardship - Rev. Andrew Warner

Please bring your ideas, stories and questions about engaging in these ministries under our current COVID conditions. Please register for the break-out session(s) you’d like to attend so your facilitators can be prepared.
You can sign up for two sessions – one at 9:00 and one at 10:30.

PLEASE REGISTER by September 28.
Derecho Response
September 02, 2020
Three United Church of Christ congregations were in the high-impact area August 10 when a hurricane-strength "derecho" swept across Central Iowa. Even as they dealt with the derecho’s damage to their churches and homes, pastors and members stepped up to help their communities. And as word spread through social media of the destruction, the broader UCC (local, conference and national) stepped up to help.

September 02, 2020
On August 10, 2020, Central Iowa suffered a powerful "derecho," with winds clocked up to 140 miles per hour. As soon as this veritable hurricane on land had passed, UCC pastor the Rev. Kate West in Belle Plaine was out to survey the damage and check on her members. The next day, she was at the center of the relief operation, organizing sack lunches and other supplies.
Opportunities to support the UCC effort
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Annual Campaigns 101 Webinar
Monday, September 14th, 2020

Monday, Sept. 14, 5:30-7:00 pm
Join this webinar to develop and strengthen plans for a successful fall campaign. Several churches that joined this webinar last year reported improved results from their pledge campaigns!
Designed for pastors and lay leaders planning an annual pledge campaign, we will explore ways to create an effective campaign. We’ll reflect on core purpose of a campaign, discuss practical steps leaders can take, and explore creative ideas to design a campaign uniquely suited to your congregation.
Invite others in your congregation too!
There is no fee for participating in this webinar, however registration is required to receive the link to join the webinar.
CREATION CARE GRANTS 2020
The Conference Creation Care Team, in response to the Kairos Call to Action, is making grants up to $1000 available to Wisconsin Conference UCC Congregations that are planning initiatives to deepen their love of creation and positively change their relationship with the environment.
For more information click here
Racial Justice Resources

Check out the much-expanded Racial Justice resources on our web pages. Build your understanding, lead a study group or other action. Go go www.wcucc.org/racialjustice.
Neighbors in Need

Neighbors in Need helps make a 
Just World For All possible. The suggested date to receive the offering is October 4, 2020.  The Northwest Association’s Division of the Mission of the Church in the World, encourages you to give generously.

Due to the prolonged impact of Covid-19 and the fact that many of our churches and conferences are experiencing increased economic challenges, there are some differences with NIN grants this year. The Covid-19 relief microgrants program has been established to provide financial assistance to local church ministries in crisis by repurposing and redirecting established grant funding for one year. Funds are intended to be used only for issues directly related to the impact of the coronovirus.
Applications for a NIN grant can be completed online at https://www.ucc.org/nin_apply.
UCCI
With your generosity and some difficult budget decisions, our beautiful sanctuaries of Cedar Valley, Moon Beach and Pilgrim Center have sustained through the COVID-19 health and economic crisis thus far; however, with no guests or retreats since March we need your help.
Our deepest thanks for your loving and generous support to ensure that these sacred spaces remain places where people come to love God, all others, and the Earth and for generations to come.
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