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“Bless the Lord, O my soul, bless God’s Holy name.”
Rev. Dave Long-Higgins
Conference Minister

Dear Friends in Christ,

As you receive this note from me, we will be approaching the half-way point in Lent.  I wonder how the Lenten journey may be going for you.  If you committed to any particular practices to frame this time, what are you discovering?  I have found that one of the gifts of Lent can be discovering the gift of beginning again and again.  I am guessing that you have discovered as I have that the spiritual life is not some straight line of success so often sold by the world as a possibility.  There are twists and turns.  The unexpected arrives and even tempts one from one’s best self.  It can be easy to get discouraged.
We hear and use terms such as “venturing outside of our comfort zone” and “thinking outside the box.”

Unfortunately, staying in our comfort zones and making considerations within the context of old and familiar “ways that we have always done it” are overpowering tendencies in our life together in church.  

I’m not a Bible scholar, but I do believe from my pursuits and faith that Jesus did not intend for Christianity to be a safe haven.
Tom Hathaway
Conference Moderator
WE NEED YOU!

Do you want to see Templed Hills Camp and the Outdoor Ministry
not only survive, but THRIVE?

ACTION COMMITTEES are forming now!
Jill Frey
Executive Director of Outdoor Ministries
·        Participation Committee: To increase participation in summer camp and usage of Templed Hills year-round.

·        Fund Development Committee: To increase and diversify funding for this mission.

·        Property Committee: To eliminate deferred maintenance at Templed Hills.

·        Alternative Delivery Method Committee: To explore alternative ways to deliver Outdoor Ministry.
We have “Good News”, “Challenging News” and “a Plan” for this ministry that we’d like to share with you. If you would like more information or to get involved, please contact Jill@heartlanducc.org or 1-800-282-0740 Ext. 3
After a year-long search, the United Church of Christ Board’s Search Committee for General Minister and President has made a historic choice. The committee has recommended Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson to the UCCB as nominee for General Minister and President. If elected, she would be the first woman, and the first woman of African descent, to lead the denomination.
The Heartland Conference Disaster Network met last Saturday to continue the work of Disaster Response & Preparedness in the Heartland Conference. We prayed with our Disaster Response trailer, before members journey’d to Home Depot in Boardman, Ohio…where they loaded 116 cases of water and delivered them to Mount Olivet UCC, North Lima, Ohio. Mount Olivet members assisted as we loaded additional cases of water into our Disaster Response trailer, and will deliver the cases to East Palestine, Ohio this week. 

Disaster Network members also toured East Palestine, to view the train derailment and the work currently being done in an attempt to remediate the contamination. Our hearts go out the the residents of the East Palestine area, many who are members of our area United Church of Christ churches. We continue to hold them in our prayers, and encourage others to do the same. 
The news continues to unfold about the devastating earthquake on the border of Turkey and Syria. The death toll continues to rise – numbers are pointing to over 11,000 – depending on the source. This is shattering news and adds to the challenges of the war in this area for over a decade. Click on the image above to learn about how you can help! You may also give by texting UCCDISASTER to 41444.
Clergy Retreat
SAVE THE DATE!
Registration will open on 
Monday, March 13, 2023!
Dates:  April 17th (5 pm) - April 19th (11 am)

Cost: $125.00
Scholarships are available by contacting Rev. Dave Long-Higgins

Sometimes the move through Lent, Holy Week, and Easter can leave clergy feeling strangely weary or depleted. Could it be that the gift of altered time and intentional gentle practices might ignite a resurrection readiness for God to grant a new grace and energy? We believe the answer is "yes"! 

We invite you to join us for a time away with others to rest, share stories, engage in some practices of spiritual renewal and reflection, and just "be in the presence" of each other and God. It will be a time of as much as little as you want or need. Your leaders will be Rev. Rhonda Hainer, Rev. Kelly Brill, Rev. Steve Geitgey, Ms. Jackie Dean, and Rev. Dave Long-Higgins. We hope you will join us!
March 22nd – 7:30 - 8:30 pm
 Changing Landscape of Giving:
What we can learn from Millennial and Gen Z Donors
Rev. Dr. Colie Batavia of Grace UCC in Two Rivers, WI, will discuss insights and ideas the Church can learn from Millennial and Gen Z Donors.

March 29-30, 2023
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Whether you are planning to retire soon or are in the middle of your career, clergy or lay, this seminar is designed to help you transition to retirement. If you are an actively-contributing Pension Boards member, 45 years of age or older, we invite you to participate.
What is Lantern Fellowship? 
Planned in the spring and fall each year by women of the Heartland Conference of the United Church of Christ, Lantern Fellowship is a time when women of all generations come together to enjoy faith, fun, and friends. Our oasis of Templed Hills is tucked into the peaceful beauty of wooded hills and trails where the spirit can find renewal. The planning team hopes you will invite a few friends and loved ones to share in the wonderful experience of the Lantern Fellow-ship.

Spring 2023 Program:
Living a Resurrection Life: The ancients of Christianity noticed that our lives are filled with little dyings and risings that precede our final dying and rising in Christ. This was not just a philosophical observation, but a lived reality. So too, in our own time, we are invited by God to discover the work of Love to redeem and heal and give rise to life out of the deaths that visit us in various ways and forms. Together we will explore the power of God's resurrection love at work in our experiences by allowing prayer, pictures, ponderings, and presence to permeate our stories and our gathering. Especially in this time of weariness where the weight of the world feels heavy, we will explore the ways in which God is at work lightening the burden we so often try to carry on our own. We hope you will join us for a weekend of uplift and encouragement.

This year jackets are included to celebrate our 95th anniversary. 
Click here for size information. They will be hunter green.

The theme for the 2023 
One Great Hour of Sharing 
(OGHS) offering is “It’s Time to Share,” 
based on Galatians 6:9-10 (The MSG): 


So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all...
The apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Galatia to exhort them to encourage each other and to be generous in caring for others. Through your collective generosity, the United Church of Christ Wider Church Ministries continues to work with both domestic and global partners to care for others: providing food, water, medicines, education, disaster recovery resources and opportunities for sustainable development to individuals and communities in crisis around the world.

Sunday, March 19, 2023, the fourth Sunday of Lent, is the recommended date for the offering. Unlike previous years, OGHS promotional materials will NOT be automatically mailed to your churches this year so that you may order only the quantities you need from UCC Resources. If you have not already received a postcard reminding you to place your orders, you will be receiving it soon.
For your newsletters and worship planning purposes, graphics, videos and other resources are already available for download on the OGHS website. Additional resources will be added soon.