"The Vine"
An email update.... Keeping Us Connected in Christ"
This newsletter is brought to you by your OCWM Contributions
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Your generous gift makes our ministry possible |
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"Blessings Always"
Rev. Daniel L. Busch
Association Minister Message
July 8, 2021
ADOPTED. “God destined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ because of his love.” (Ephesians 1:5, CEB). St. Paul’s use of the word ADOPTED offers an additional theological insight to our faith learning/understanding. As Christians we have been taught that God created each one of us and therefore we have “direct” lineage to God as our spiritual parent. It also means that we are created in God’s image, Imago Dei. As God’s children we are given responsibility to be earth keepers and even co-creators with God, responsible for its care, stewardship and protection. Creation is not ours alone as our personal property. God’s call for us to “have dominion” over it is not a call for gratification but oversight and protecting the creation.
Paul’s use of “ADOPTED” expands our relationship to God. Many adopted children like to say they were “chosen” by their parents to be part of a family. Yes, we are God’s family by birth, but Paul’s words remind us that God also chooses us in love to be God’s sons and daughters. In spite of our negligence or rejection of God at times, God still chooses us as sons and daughters in covenant together no matter what happens in our lives.
Paul also writes that we have an “inheritance” (vs. 14), shared out of God’s amazing grace that sets us free from all that would destroy life. We are bound (held together) always to be God’s children. We are God’s family both by birth and ADOPTION. It is a double seal of approval. It does not end there: we are called to embrace all God’s children as our family, too. No special privileges, no special advantages, no more elitism, just love, grace, forgiveness and hope for one and all. God embraces us extravagantly, even when our free-will makes a mess of living life abundantly. We no longer are strangers to God or one another, for God gives us an identity that affirms in us love that never ends. God does not create junk. Remember that you are a child of God by birth and ADOPTION. To God be the glory forever. BLESSINGS ALWAYS.
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Travel with Rev. Daniel Busch, Association Minister |
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July 11 - Attending worship at St. John's UCC, Tiffin 10:30 am celebration of Anniv.Ordin.
July 25 - Preaching at St. Paul UCC, Wapakoneta 10:15 am celebration of Anniv. Ordin.
August 1 - Preaching at Sycamore UCC, Sycamore 10:30 am
August 8 - Joining First UCC, Marblehead for a 3:00 pm Installation
Sept. 19 - Joining St. Peter's UCC, Millbury for a 3:00 pm Installation
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Prayer Concerns/Request
Continuing prayer for : Keith Huizenga, Rev. Steve Voelker, Rev. Diane Christopherson, Pastor Dee Schroer, Pastor Bill Kerr, Tim Metz, Jim Huckemeyer, Pastor Tom Kagy,
Rev. Marty Stiffler, Rev. Doug Williamson, Rev. John Rainey
Rev. John Miller, retired pastor living in Bucyrus, OH passed away Monday evening, July 5th. The NWOA family extends our Christian Love & Sympathy to Marcy and family. May God comfort them as they grieve the loss of their loved one.
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Celebration of life of the
Rev. Dr. Ralph C. Quellhorst
August 12,1937- June 23, 2020
Heidelberg University,
Wickham Great Hall
located in the Campus Center
Tiffin, Ohio.
Sunday, August 8, 2021 - 4 PM Service
followed by a reception outside
Following the service, our family will greet guests outdoors on the Campus Center lawn (Campus Center 220 in case of inclement weather). A meal will also be served on the lawn following the visitation (Hoernemann Refectory in case of inclement weather).
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Note: Heidelberg University continues to follow CDC guidelines with regard to COVID-19. We kindly request that those who are not fully vaccinated continue to observe masking and distancing protocols while on campus for the Celebration of Life ceremony.
Mindy, Jeff, AJ, Andy, Miranda, Charlotte, Cindy, Harry, Brad, Rob, Pam, Chris
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2021 OCWM Giving Goal - $280,000
2021 Giving through June - $102,849
CHURCH TREASURER
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The Northwest Ohio Association of the United Church of Christ and the Lay School Board offer classes to expand knowledge about the Christian faith to those folks in congregations who are actively involved in the life of the church.
This First Class will be in-person (if able). The next seven classes will be completed via Zoom.
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Lay School of Religion
Next Class:
Caring Conversations in Christian Ministry
Beginning:
September 7, 2021
Instructor:
Rev. Catherine
Lawrence
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2021 PERIODIC SUPPORT CONSULTATION
Date: Saturday, October 9, 2021
Location: VIA Zoom
Time: 9:00 am - Noon
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***From the NWOA Stewardship and Caring Ministry Team |
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Dear NWOA Faith Family,
The Stewardship and Caring Team is pleased to offer you a series of conversations with Don Hill, a specialist in Stewardship and Fundraising. The team met with Don one Saturday morning in April and from that meeting came 5 separate videos for your consideration. A new video will be posted each week so you might take time to linger over each one (about 15-20 minutes in length). If you wish to follow up with the team with questions or wish to be put in touch with Don for a follow up consultation use the Association email or phone number to send a message and someone will be in contact with you. We hope you enjoyed these “conversations” and that Don’s thoughts prove useful to all as we continue to engage our local church Stewardship practices.
Blessings to All, The NWOA Stewardship and Caring Team
Video # 1 - Post-Pandemic: Is this the time to ask for money? CLICK HERE
Video # 2 - A Church Member's Legacy:
How to Support the Church after You've Gone CLICK HERE
Video # 3 - Coming Soon!
Video #4 - We are Back!
Church Giving after the Return to the Sanctuary CLICK HERE
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***From the NWOA Witness and Proclamation Ministry Team |
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To the clergy and lay people of the Northwest Ohio Association…..
I am the Chair of the Witness and Proclamation Team, and we have been working to keep you informed through The Vine of ways in which we can witness to the salvation we have in Jesus Christ and proclaim it in the corner of Northwest Ohio where we live and worship. Please note that we are also trying to keep you informed through our Facebook page, and please LIKE / FOLLOW us so that you can stay engaged with us and others.
2 Timothy 4:1-2 New International Version
“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”
What a “season” this Covid pandemic has imposed upon us and which continues to influence us in ways that we are conscious of, and in other ways which are deeply unconscious or subconscious!! The long-term effects of this “season” will appear and reverberate for decades to come, with many of these revelations being rather shocking to us when they come, I imagine.
God blessing and peace to all,
Pastor Scott Johnson
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***From the Pastoral Relations Working Group
of the NWOA Church and Ministry Team
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Covid Resources
The coronavirus pandemic has revealed and exacerbated places of pain and injustice throughout our institutions and communities, and clergy have borne the weight of this. The Pastoral Relations working group has listened to the pain that exists in our local clergy and have been trying to pay close attention to mental health and family concerns. Included here are links to resources for clergy and churches to be aware of. Read more
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Spiritual Director
Ongoing Covid 19 issues and other daily life processes can get in the way of mental health and happiness. We are in the process of gathering names and email addresses of spiritual directors. The names we have so far are:
Please contact them if you would like to explore what spiritual direction is and how it can help in your day to day life.
If there are other spiritual directors you know who would be interested, please let us know by contacting the Pastoral Relations WG of the Church and Ministry Team by calling the Association office. 419-447-8323
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Anti-Racism & White Privilege
Attached to the end of the newsletter is an additional list of available resources.
We hope that these resources meet the needs of pastors looking for resources to begin conversations regarding anti-racism within their congregations. If you have other ideas for how we may assist in bringing resources / training to you regarding this topic, please contact Nanette Warnecke-Flood at Nanettef@syctelco.com
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***From the El Salvador Coordinating Team |
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Hello friends; The situation in El Salvador has changed since the pandemic started over a year ago. They are now receiving some vaccine and the population is starting to get vaccinated. Many of the older people have been vaccinated already. Christian had the coronavirus several months ago but he recovered very quickly. He will get his first vaccination shot next Monday.
Bishop Gomez has reached retirement age and a committee of pastors and lay persons of the Synod has been formed to come up with candidates for the bishop’s position. This will probably not be accomplished for the next 15 months. READ ON
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CHOIR MUSIC AVAILABLE
Trinity UCC, Elliston has a large archive of choir music that is no longer of use there. If you are a passionate music archivist and interested to look into their selections, contact Pastor Ryan ryandshields@outlook.com
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Small Church Cluster again this year will be selling tickets at the Seneca County Fair Gates on Thursday July 29th. Workers are needed from 8 -12 pm, 12 - 5 pm & 5 till closing. Please call Sue Rainey by July 10th if interested. 419-937-0500 or 419-701-9148
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Director of Faith Formation Opening
Sylvania United Church of Christ is seeking a Director of Faith Formation to develop and provide spiritual, relational, organizational and administrative leadership to all faith formation programs and church activities, with a primary focus on children, young families, youth, and young adults. The candidate must have a passion for faith formation, desire to engage meaningfully with individuals of all ages and life stages, and skills in program and event development and implementation are essential to this role.
Please send a cover letter and resumes to: Sylvania United Church of Christ, Attention: David Walker and Rev. Dr. Vern Swett, 7240 Erie Street, Sylvania, Ohio 43560 or emailed to pastorvern@sylvaniaucc.org.
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Director of Connection
& Engagement
Opening
Sylvania United Church of Christ is seeking candidates for Director of Connection and Engagement. This position helps connect internally and externally through outreach, fellowship, worship and membership. In each area of connection, opportunities are provided for in-person and digital engagement. The Director of Connection and Engagement will be an active participant in outreach, inreach, and digital communication offerings. A demonstrated passion for people, desire to creatively communicate through digital and in-person mediums, and skills to foster connections both internal and external to the congregation's life are essential to this position.
Please send a cover letter and resumes to: Sylvania United Church of Christ, Attention: David Walker and Rev. Dr. Vern Swett, 7240 Erie Street, Sylvania, Ohio 43560 or emailed to pastorvern@sylvaniaucc.org.
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Director of Christian Education
St. John’s Church (UCC), Genoa
Our congregation is in search of an enthusiastic Christian, who is looking for an opportunity to lead our children and youth in fellowship both through the church and Nurturing Center. The appropriate person shall have the ability to plan and implement activities for those ranging in age from 2 1/2 to young adults. The leader we choose will possess excellent organizational and communication skills, and will desire to be highly visible in our church community. This is a full time, salaried position. Applications must be submitted before 07/15/2021. For more information about our church, or to apply, please contact our office at 419-855-3906. Responsibilities
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Special Offerings
November 14- Stewardship Sunday
December 19 - Christmas Fund
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Conference Minister Nomination Announcement |
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Dear Heartland Conference Faith Family,
The Board of Directors of the Heartland Conference is pleased to announce the nomination of the Rev. David Long-Higgins to be called to the position of Conference Minister to the Heartland Conference, United Church of Christ. Rev. Long-Higgins, currently serving as the Transitional Conference Minister, has distinguished himself during these last three years as an effective, engaging leader who is well suited to continue the conference efforts to live into its emerging future.
The background of this proposal from the Board of Directors to make this nomination, a redefined job description, along with a biographical sketch of Rev. Long-Higgins for those of you who do not yet know him are below. Continue Reading.
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Join in conversations with local church pastors from across all three conferences as they share learnings from the long season of COVID and what those might suggest for emerging ministries going forward.
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Notice from
Heather E. Kimmel (she/her)
General Counsel
United Church of Christ, National Ministries
700 Prospect Ave East | Cleveland, OH 44115-1100
Tax Exemption Notice
Dear Colleagues—
This email is being sent to all Conference Ministers.
I am alerting you to a situation that I became aware of on Monday. As you know, the UCC maintains a federal group tax exemption (since 1964) for the benefit of its Local Churches, Associations, Conferences, certain National Setting companies, and certain affiliated companies. The group exemption is identified by a unique EIN, as assigned by the IRS, that is under the name of “United Church of Christ.” We have become aware that a Local Church of the UCC is filing returns under the UCC’s group exemption EIN, and as a result the name and address of the denomination have been changed by the IRS to the name and address of this Local Church. This is also reflected in GuideStar.
This means that any Local Church requesting a group exemption letter from the National Setting to prove to a third party (including donors and grantors) that they are a tax-exempt organization may be unable to do so because the EIN and name/address on our letter no longer match the name/address associated with the EIN in the IRS’s Exempt Organization database. Our CFO and I are investigating and will work to correct the situation with the IRS. I have spoken with my counterparts at several other denominations who have experienced the same issue and the consensus is that the process to repair this can be lengthy, given that it is the IRS we are dealing with. We will continue to issue group exemption letters to Local Churches as requested and will also notify Local Churches of the circumstances when we send such a letter.
Each church setting should have its own EIN that it uses for identification, banking, and employment tax returns. Under no circumstances should any Local Church or other church setting use the denomination’s EIN, or any other setting’s EIN, to do business. I am certain that most of our churches know this but wanted to this opportunity to remind folks of this fact.
Hosting Boy or a Cub Scout Troop
A Conference Minister brought to my awareness and that of the Insurance Board that in the aftermath of the bankruptcy filing of the Boy Scouts of America, there have been some changes to their policies. We understand that some of these changes may involve churches hosting troops taking on a greater role of responsibility for them, including certain components of liability insurance coverage. If a church is interested in becoming a host to a Boy or a Cub Scout troop, it is recommended that the church consult with legal counsel and also with their insurance company before signing any agreements to ensure that they are protected in the event of a claim for misconduct related to scouting.
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Some proposed climate policies have been described as false solutions by climate activists and policy analysts because they fall short in meeting the moral demands of science, equity, and justice. Learn what faith communities need to know in this webinar that will feature Leah Stokes, who authored of the acclaimed book Short Circuiting Policy, and Gabriela Sarri-Tobar, who serves the Center for Biological Diversity as the Energy Justice Campaigner. Even if you can’t make the scheduled time of 1 pm ET on Thursday, July 22nd, still sign-up, and we will send you a recording. Register now!
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There are many resources and updates that are very useful.
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Proclaim God's Word in Worship and Worshipful Ways
Strength our Witness to the Gospel in the World
Discern God's Will for Faithful and Effective Ministry
Manifest Faithful, Wise and Responsible Stewardship of all God's Gifts
Demonstrate Care, Compassion, Forgiveness and Accountability to and for One Another
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Stay Connected
Rev. Daniel Busch, Association Minister
cell: 419-934-5386 email: dlbusch@nwoa.org
Joan Davidson, Office Manager/Search Coordinator email: joan@nwoa.org
Deb Long, Bookkeeper
email deb@nwoa.org
OFFICE PHONE 419-447-8323
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