SEPTEMBER 2019
NORTHWEST WORD
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Neighbors in Need 2019 Appeal
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29
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
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Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31
Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32
So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33
But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion,
34
and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35
And the next day he took out two denarii
[
a
]
and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
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Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
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He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:29-37, RSV
It seems a bit odd, not to mention sad, but some two thousand years after these words were recorded, we still deal with the question: “Who is my neighbor?”
The short answer:
Everybody
.
The God we follow is a God of justice, compassion, and love. God in the Person of Jesus Christ not only did not avoid those who were the outcasts and the “undesirable elements” of their society, but actively
sought them out
for special consideration, and taught them – and the rest of us, too, through that teaching – that “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34) and that God’s love is given abundantly, freely, and without reservation to all people in the human family.
Our yearly Neighbors in Need offering is one way in which we can all follow that teaching. Our gifts, of whatever size, are multiplied by all the other gifts given throughout the UCC and go to help people in need, most of whom we will never meet.
Your contributions to NiN support the following:
- The Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM);
- The UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM);
- Justice initiatives;
- Advocacy efforts;
- Direct service projects through grants;
- Grants to UCC churches and organizations doing justice work in their communities; these grants fund projects which range from direct service, to community organizing and advocacy to address systemic injustice;
- A particular, and particularly timely, focus this year is on our immigrant neighbors and communities. The words of Leviticus 19:34 are especially significant on this point: “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”
Such is the power of compassion. The Neighbors in Need offering is not just another envelope you find in your Sunday bulletin; it is, rather, an opportunity to you to
directly and positively minister to your neighbors, far and near.
The NiN offering is scheduled for October 6th.
Please give it your careful and prayerful consideration.
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Boundary Training
November 12, 2019
Community UCC, Middleton
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Meet the Association board
Mary Jo Laabs, Chair, Division of Ministry in the Local Church
Mary Jo Laabs grew up in Merrill in a Catholic Family. Her college years took her to St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI, where she studied vocal music education and graduated with a Bachelor of Music Degree. At St. Norbert, she played the organ for many chapel services on the campus. In 1970, the college hosted a memorial service for the recently deceased Vince Lombardi. Unaware of Lombardi’s stature in Green Bay Packers culture, she turned down the assignment to play for that service. (She was busy that day and believed she couldn’t handle “one more” funeral.)
When she returned to Merrill, she accepted a position as Music Director at St. Stephen’s United Church of Christ. She liked the atmosphere at St. Stephens church, finding it much more accepting of people’s differences and lacking in harsh judgments of others. She liked it so much that she joined St. Stephens in 1985.
After the encouragement from a friend, she began her studies in the Wisconsin Conference’s Lay Academy, with the goal of gaining personal enrichment. She completed 4 years of Lay Academy in 2006. Along the way, she married Myron Laabs, moved to Medford, WI, joined and began helping out at Community United Church of Christ, Medford, WI. She worked as the church’s secretary, choir director and organist. During her 4
th
year of Lay Academy studies the Medford Church requested that she be licensed to serve as part-time Pastor.
At the same time, Mary Jo occasionally “supply” preached at other churches, and soon found herself accepting a call to serve as the Pastor of First Congregational UCC in Park Falls and First congregational UCC in Fifield, WI. Retiring after five years and eventually finding retirement disagreeable, she once again was not only “on” the pulpit supply list, but, also,
under the direction of the NWA Division of Church and Ministry, took on the task of keeping the list updated.
In April of 2015, when Community United Church of Christ in Medford was in need of an Interim Pastor, she found herself in the pulpit there once again, and this time, is serving as part-time, long-term Interim Pastor—and the occasional short-term organist and pianist!
In her spare time, Mary Jo enjoys gardening, walking, audio books, chairing the North West Association’s Division of Ministry in the Local Church, serving on the NWA Executive Board, the Wisconsin Conference UCC Arts Committee and spending time with friends and family. Oh, and now, she feels blessed to be able to preach hope and to provide music for memorial services whenever asked!
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Licensed Ministers Retreat
Save the date
Saturday, February 1, 2020
Eau Claire, WI
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Meet the Association board
Elizabeth Hazel, Chair, Division on Ministry in the Wider Church
E
lizabeth Hazel was born in Illinois and moved to Rhode Island with her family at age eight. As a young adult, she found her way to the United Church of Christ through Newman Congregational UCC in East Providence. She found the UCC’s polity very attractive, as local churches have so much freedom—and responsibility—to follow Christ as his disciples.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Drew University and a Master of Arts Degree in Art History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During her early working years, Elizabeth invested her energy in a wide variety of unconventional jobs. She was a research assistant for Christian Ethicist James Luther Adams, then recently retired from Harvard Divinity School. As an art critic, she published dozens of articles for high quality newspapers, including the Boston Globe and the Christian Science Monitor. Several additional articles were published in art history journals.
During the mid-1980’s, she felt a call to ordained ministry, and pursued her Master of Divinity degree at Boston University School of Theology. “The curriculum,” she reports, “was all about erasing prejudice.” She cherished her years studying with African American students preparing for ordination in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and Korean Students preparing to serve Korean United Methodist churches in the U.S or Korea. She also treasures the experience of studying with professors with whom Martin Luther King, Jr. studied during the early 1950’s.
Ordained in 1991, she soon found herself caring for her husband, Morrin Emerson Hazel, Jr. Nevertheless, she pastored churches in Massachusetts, Illinois and Wisconsin, retiring from First Congregational UCC in Park Falls in 2014. She still has a passion for church committee work, both in the United Church of Christ and in ecumenical settings, enjoying the variety of topics it brings into her life. Her latest retirement project co-facilitating a grief support group in company with a pastor from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
She stays in Wisconsin because it looks so much like Maine and she enjoys midwestern friendliness. She enjoys supply preaching, and tells this writer that she has preached in more than 70 churches.
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September is National Preparedness Month
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BUILD A KIT
GRANTS AVAILABLE
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Due to several years of back-to-back hurricanes, Church World Service’s inventory of Emergency Cleanup Buckets and other Kits is at an all-time low in CWS warehouses.
United Church of Christ Disaster Ministries is stepping up to help by offering $250 matching grants to qualifying UCC congregations assembling these life-giving supplies.
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Dear Members of the Northwest Association,
Thank you for your scholarship donation towards our summer mission trip. With your generosity, we were able to travel to Minneapolis to provide a “Week of Hope”.
Three members of our crew worked with the group “Hearts and Hammers”. They scraped, primed and painted a garage, trim and windows for a senior citizen. A veteran’s deck was stained. They also assisted in cleaning their warehouse and preparing trailers for their next jobs. Another member of our team worked with a local food pantry, preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner for a soup kitchen. They also helped the group Feed My Starving Children provide hundreds of meals for children in Haiti.
Others were assigned to Boys and Girls Clubs. They helped out by developing one on one relationships with kids; helping with math, art and reading. Our volunteers helped prepare food, weed gardens, and play with kids giving them needed attention and setting a positive example.
The theme of morning and evening devotions was “Relentless.” Using David as an example, we learned of God’s relentless love for us. Daily we discussed how:
- · God relentlessly pursues us.
- · God chooses us.
- · God is with us always.
- · God forgives you.
- · God wants us to pursue Him.
We were all touched through our service in Minneapolis. We learned that there is a diverse population with diverse needs. Even something as small as a one on one conversation; the stroke of a paintbrush; chopping vegetables; or listening to a young person read can bring a smile and create a sense of worth. It was truly a blessing to be able to attend.
Blessings,
Senior High Youth Group
Peace UCC, Schofield
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Happening at our churches
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TIME OUT MINISTRY
@ First Congregational UCC, River Falls
Time Out Ministry is a new ministry of First Congo that seeks to connect, support and serve our families with young children. If this speaks to your season of life, we would love to see you at one of our upcoming events!
White Pine Berry Farm-Saturday, October 19th, 10:00-11:30 am
Come and enjoy a morning in the country at this local & well known apple orchard and pumpkin patch, complete with U-pick options, corn maze and wagon rides. The address is: 1482 Oak Drive, River Falls, 54022; phone 715-222-2946
Make and Take Meals-Sunday, November 3rd, 11:30 am-2:30 pm
Childcare provided-Come and enjoy church and a quick lunch followed by an afternoon of making freezer meals to help get us through the upcoming busy holiday season!
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First Congregational UCC, Menomonie is hosting a Blanket Exercise both Sunday, October 13 and Monday, October 14.
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Sending condolences to Collen Kwong, serving Hope UCC, Cochrane, on the death of her father. Paul Zimmerman died on August 29, 2019 at Wisconsin Veteran's Home in King Wisconsin.
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Everything you need to know -
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Justice Events
Innovation Opportunities for Congregations
Learning for Church Leaders
Youth Events
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