Issue 7 | February 22, 2024

"Blessings Always"

Rev. Daniel L. Busch

Association Minister

February 21, 2024

RECEIVE. “For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?” (Mark 8:36). We continue our 2024 Lenten journey of forty days (not including Sundays) that began on Ash Wednesday and will conclude on Easter. It is a time of remembrance that we come from dust, and we return to dust, symbolizing the fragility and limitations of life. In the scripture lesson from Mark 8, Jesus is aware of what is going to happen to Him, a terrible end to His earthly life, yet overcoming that tragedy by defeating evil and death.

Jesus’ words remind me of being in conversation with classmates in the eighth grade on Ash Wednesday. My Catholic friends were questioning each other, “What are you giving up for Lent?” Most answers were about favorite foods. One of by friends said he was giving up broccoli, to which another friend said, “You don’t even like broccoli.” “Giving up” is about a real sacrifice, something that would really be missed if we do not have it. Lent is about RECEIVING gifts and graces from a generous and loving God. It is easy to temporarily abstain from something, but what in our lives are we willing to change that will make a difference how we RECEIVE gifts and graces that are blessings and not curses? It is easy to give up broccoli, chocolate, and other favorite foods. To give up anger toward others, hatred toward certain segments of society, and unfairness in business transactions is a change of lifestyle and attitude adjustment that are transformational.

As people of faith, what do we gain or profit to have more than enough and “forfeit” our lives in the pursuit of satisfying our greed and selfishness? Lent calls us to RECEIVE love, forgiveness, hope, and transformation in ways of trust, harmony, and peace in the unity of God’s Spirit. “All good gifts around us come from you, O God. You have given us life and new life in Christ. As you have given us gifts, so we offer our gifts that we may be gifts to one another, even as Jesus so taught and lived. Amen.” (UCC Book of Worship, p 551, “G”). BLESSINGS ALWAYS.

Printable PDF

Feb. 25 Preaching at Zion UCC - Fireside, Bellevue 10:00 am

Mar 3 Attending Anniversary Celebration at St. John UCC, Defiance for

Rev. David & Rev. Marian Plant



Mar 10 Preaching at St. Stephen UCC, Sandusky 8:00 am and 10:45 am

2024 OCWM Giving Goal - $285,000

(Goal approved at the 60th Annual Meeting)

OCWM Giving Through January 31, 2024 - $5,087



Supporting OCWM...

Creating A Just World for All!

Thank You!

CHURCH TREASURER

Church Remittance Form - please use this form when sending donations to/through the Association office.

UCC Yearbook 2024

The UCC Center for Analytics, Research & Development, and Data is collecting data for the annual yearbook! You can log in to DataHub to enter statistics through Wednesday, March 6. Your church can download instructions here, and also use the Yearbook reference webpage. An email with further details has been sent. If you have any questions, need a hard copy of instructions or data forms mailed to your church, please contact Joan Davidson at joan@nwoa.org.

IRS Standard Mileage Rates for 2024

• 67 cents per mile for business use, up 1.5 cents from 2023
• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations

Church News, pictures, events, etc.....

Summit to office@nwoa.org by Tuesday 9:00 am.

Prayer Concerns/Request

Continuing prayer for: Dee Schroer, Rev. Marty Stiffler, Rev. Daniel Johnson, Rev. Jim Garner, Rev. Hafidha Saadiqah, Rev. Don Corbin, Rev. Adrian Sunday, Carolyn George, Rev. Randall Forester, Don Clark, Rev. Gale Gebhart, Rev. Don Giesmann, Wilma Farmer, Marcy Miller, Rev. Jeanette Tangeman, Rev. David Culp, Rev. Jeff King, Peggy George, Family of the late Maggie Maher, John Mummert, Tim Davidson

The NWOA sends to the family of Rev. Martin Stiffler, Sympathy and Love.

Joann Marie Stiffler, of Crestline, peacefully passed away on Wednesday, February 14, 2024. Joann dedicated her life to teaching, spending 30 fulfilling years as a beloved teacher at Crestline Elementary. Joann was a devout member of the United Church of Christ, faithfully attending services wherever her husband served as a minister. Joann was a beloved wife of Rev. Martin Stiffler, devoted mother of Jonathan (Jessica) Stiffler, Kristin (Scott) Rickel, and Jefferey (Kerry) Stiffler, eight grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and one great-grandchild on the way.

Prior to the service, a visitation will be conducted on Saturday, February 24, 2024, from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm at the Schneider-Gompf Funeral Home, 223 West Main St., Crestline. A funeral service to celebrate the life of Joann Stiffler will immediately follow at 3:00 pm, with her husband, Rev. Martin Stiffler officiating. A private family burial will take place at Greenlawn Cemetery.

Full obituary with the Mark Schneider-Gompf Funeral Home

"Because of you our church changes lives"

When we think of stewardship most of us first think of money, and then we may let out a silent groan remembering that it is once again stewardship season. But stewardship is so much more, Stewardship is the act of taking care of something. In the church it is so broadened to mean taking care of all the God has entrusted us with. Stewardship is a lifestyle.

Our church changes lives when we deliver food to a foodbank, visit the sick or those in prison, or pray for all our neighbors, even those who look different than us. Our church changes lives when we fill disaster or personal care buckets for those hit by natural disasters. Our church changes lives when we make changes in our daily habits that help instead of damage our earth.

God call us all to be stewards of this earth and all the gifts we have been given. Help us to be mindful to live our lives so that together we can help our church change lives.

Donna Dorsch, NWOA Stewardship & Generosity Team

WHAT IS OCWM AND WHY DOES IT MATTER

“What is OCWM?” “What do those letters mean?” That’s a question I get asked often. We would not expect a visitor or newcomer to know what OCWM means. What surprises me, however, is that active church members sometimes don’t know what OCWM means. For pastors and lay leaders, I see two challenges:

• Explaining OCWM

and

• Sharing Stories About Why It Matters

For those of us familiar with it, what OCWM is about is clear: OCWM funds the broader mission of the wider church. As denomination literature states, “OCWM funds the work we do in conferences as well as in the national and global church.” But many people don’t realize that there are five components to OCWM. One of our UCC resources uses the analogy of a hand with five fingers. I find this analogy to be helpful in explaining the different components. “Basic Support is like our thumb, crucial to the flexibility and dexterity of our hand. The four special offerings are like our fingers, helping us reach out. Together, OCWM Basic Support and the Four Mission Offerings allow us to reach out and impact the lives of our neighbors near and far.” The hand analogy, along with other available resources, helps explain OCWM and its five components. That’s one step. Another step is to help people understand WHY it’s important; why OCWM matters. READ ON

Rev. Vern Swett, NWOA Stewardship & Generosity Team

Pastor at Sylvania UCC

Do This: Communion for Just and Courageous Living

Recently, my congregation and I have been reflecting on how to make more connections between our Sunday services and God’s work of justice and peacemaking. We’ve added “mission moments” to our services during which representatives of the missions we support update us on their work. We’ve incorporated the disaster relief kits into our offering. We’ve also included special prayers and blessings for the planting season, school year, music ministry and others. We ask God’s Spirit to be at work within them, so they can contribute to God’s work in the world.

I’m sure these ideas are nothing new for you, and that you have tried these and more with your congregation. This month, on behalf of the Witness and Proclamation Committee of the Northwest Ohio Association, I wanted to highlight another resource you may or may not have heard of that also makes connections between our worship services and God’s work in the world.

The resource is a recent publication of The Pilgrim Press called Do This: Communion for Just and Courageous Living. It is a collection of communion liturgies, prayers, hymns, and activities written by members of the Still Speaking Writers Group and edited by Mary Luti. 

Look at the following themes that organize this resource to get a sense of how Communion can connect to the work of justice.

1.      What If No One Remembers? - Communion and Memory

2.      It’s Not the Same Without You - Communion and Belonging 

3.      Bearing Fruit – Communion, Creation, and Labor

4.      One Skin, One Kin – Communion and Bodies

5.      No One Unsatisfied – Communion and Hunger

6.      You Give Them Something to Eat – Communion and Just Mercy

7.      Eating Your Way to Love – Communion and Reconciliation

8.      Please, Come In – Communion, Hospitality and Healing

9.      For as Long as It Takes – Communion and Perseverance

The following permission is given for use:

Local Churches, Conferences, Associations, and other settings of the United Church of Christ may use these reflections for any not-for-profit use by any medium (including by not limited to print and online), so long as credit is given to the reflection’s author and to this resource. The reflections must be used in their entirety and the content may not be altered in any way. For other uses and permissions questions, contact the United Church of Christ National Setting through the permissions team of the Pilgrim Press.  

May God bless our worship that it may bear the fruit of justice and peacemaking in our world.

Rev. Karsten Snitker, Trinity UCC - Tiffin PDF Form HERE

El Salvador Mission Trip

Interested in the El Salvador Mission contact Mr John Gilberg

El Salvador Mission Coordinator jjgilberg@nktelco.net

Make 2024 the year to know your neighborhood!



Interested in doing demographic research to better understand your church's context? Demographic research that has been done through MissionInsite is now being done through www.thearda.com. 

The ARDA (Association of Religious Data Archives) is a free demographic research service that has been designed in part by Dr. Erica Dolhopf, our Director for the UCC Center for Analytics Research, Development, and Data office. Though the site is very user-friendly, an orientation will be held on Wednesday, February 21st from Noon to 1:00 pm for those who would like to learn a bit more about how best to access the information that may be most helpful for your congregation

·    100 campers have registered for summer camp 2024 in the first 6 days of registration.(24.5% of our summer goal)

·    Register today to secure your spot. Space is limited. 



We need you! We are looking for volunteer and paid staff to make this the best summer ever! Do you have a half week, a full week, or a few months?

·    Volunteer nurse for half week or full week

·    Volunteer kitchen helper

·    Volunteer grounds helper

·    Volunteer Counselor

·    Volunteer Grands and Family Camp Director in Training for 2024 or 2025,

·    Volunteer Grands and Family Camp Director 2025 or 2026 and beyond.

·    Paid Staff Site and Facilities Assistants

·    Paid Staff Assistant Cook

·    Paid Staff Health Supervisor (minimum First Aid)

Paid lifeguard/program specialist

Registration Deadline February 25th

ATTENTION: Pastors/Faith Formation Leaders and Confirmands/Youth!

2024 Faith Formation Conference - Worship As Faith Formation

Satellite Locations in Each Association!!

The world needs people formed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that transform the world with love and justice for all. Worship is a foundational space where this formation can happen. 

We encourage you to join us on March 2nd 2024 to:

·   Expand your understanding of worship as faith formation

·   Experience the wisdom and creativity of Rev. Dr. Claudio Carvalhaes

·   Engage confirmands/youth as partners in worship that matters

Explore creative new ways for faith-forming worship planning (hands-on lab)

Please Note:

• All participants must register themselves. 

• Parents will need to register Youth/Confirmands.

• Contact our Executive Administrator, Becca Hoskins (becca@heartlanducc.org) if your church wants to pay for your folks to attend the conference. We can help you set up a coupon code to give to them before they register. 

If you have any questions or concerns reach out to Becca Hoskins by email at becca@heartlanducc.org.

Mission Moments

Use Mission Moments every week to tell a story about your congregation’s connection with the wider church. Each issue – which is designed to be inserted with your newsletter or Sunday worship bulletin – is an effective way to inform your members about what they make possible through their gifts to Our Church’s Wider Mission.

MTSO’s Seminary Hill Farm seeks paid interns

Seminary Hill Farm on the campus of Methodist Theological School in Ohio is seeking full-time, paid farm interns. The intern experience is open to applicants 17 and older who have a calling to steward the land and engage in justice-oriented personal and community development. People from diverse life paths and of non-traditional ages are welcome to apply.

Compensation includes pay of $13 per hour, campus housing, lunch in the MTSO dining hall and a free weekly share of produce grown on the farm. Start and end dates are flexible. The season for internships spans March through mid-November annually.

More information and instructions for applying are at //seminaryhillfarm.org/employment.

Founded in December 2013, Seminary Hill Farm has grown to become the most visible component of MTSO’s broad commitment to sustainability and social justice. Covering 10 acres of MTSO’s campus in greater Columbus, the farm provides fresh produce for campus meals, people in need and members of its Community Supported Agriculture program.

Methodist Theological School in Ohio provides theological education and leadership in pursuit of a just, sustainable and generative world. In addition to the Master of Divinity degree, the school offers master’s degrees in social justice, public theology and theological studies, along with a Doctor of Ministry degree.



Engage with MTSO through Facebook and Instagram (@MTSOedu).