Northwest Word
November 2019
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This year for
#GivingTuesday
, The United Church of Christ is partnering with RIP Medical Debt to forgive millions of dollars of medical debt. When 43 MILLION Americans are burdened with debt from seeking medical care, that's an injustice.
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Join the UCC in *Creating a Just World For All* by giving generously on Tuesday, December 3.
For more information and to give now, see the
webpage.
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Blanket Exercise
First Congregational UCC, Menomonie
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The Blanket Exercise at First Congregatonal UCC, Menomonie received financial support from the Division of Mission in the World.
What is the Blanket Exercise?
The Blanket Exercise is a two to three-hour participatory activity that helps participants understand how colonization of the land we now know as the United States of America has impacted the people who lived here long before Columbus and other settlers arrived.
The exercise begins with blankets arranged on the floor to represent the United States before the arrival of Europeans. Participants are invited to step onto the blankets as Indigenous people, the original inhabitants. A narrator uses a script while someone playing the role of a European joins and interacts with those on the blankets. As the script traces the history of the relationship between Europeans and Indigenous people in the United States, participants respond to various cues and read prepared scrolls. At the end of the exercise, the devastation of the Indigenous People will be apparent as only a few people remain on the blankets, which have been folded into small bundles and cover only a fraction of the original area.
A Talking Circle is included in the two to three-hour time estimate to allow participants to de-brief.
What was the inspiration for doing the Exercise?
We were inspired to bring the Blanket Exercise to our UCC congregation and community based on our experience of the Exercise at the Ho-Chunk Immersion event in June. Our Ho-Chunk hosts demonstrated the spirit of the Blanket Exercise – sharing, not shaming - through the generous offering of their home, their stories, their food, comfort, worship and good company. It was an invitation to begin to repair the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people that we took to heart. Collaborating with members of the Ho-Chunk UCC congregation and the Ho-Chunk Nation to replicate the Blanket Exercise was an honor and, we hope, the beginning of a new relationship between the two congregations that will continue to grow.
Remarks from Participants
Participants were asked to share what they liked most about the Blanket Exercise; sample responses are included below.
The honesty, the warmth, the sense of compassion. An excellent summary of Native history with the U.S. It's good to hear the truth even if it's difficult. Hearing their own life stories from Native people. In the talking circle, people spoke honestly from the heart while others listened attentively. The honesty is a testimony to the atmosphere created by the organizers and facilitators.
Exploring the past, led by Indigenous voices, planned cooperatively, exploring our shared
past and a chance to share our present and future together.
The experience of experiencing loss of land & people. Feeling the information in my body –
Impact of the Doctrine of Discovery. The way it translates statistics into visual, physical experiences. Be present at this religious organization This exercise is history and rebuilding of friends. The Community of coming together and the symbolism.
Thank you for putting on this presentation. I look forward to sharing what I heard.
I'm grateful for the opportunity. 3 hrs is pretty long for folks to stay with a difficult set of information. However,…I wouldn't want to take out any pieces!
Video of event available at
TO THE CHURCHES OF THE NORTHWEST ASSOCIATION--
Do you have a mission project you want to do but not the funds to accomplish it? In addition to our mission trip scholarships, the Division of the Mission of the Church in the World is offering a new scholarship for funding church-sponsored mission projects or programs (in your church or community) that focus on social, environmental, or justice issues. For purposes of your planning, scholarships approved by our committee have a $200 cap. Scholarships will be granted as long as we have sufficient funds. The scholarship application form is
available online
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The Division of the Mission of the Church in the World
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And Community UCC is doing 20 days of sharing.
Nekoosa UCC refers to making love gifts
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A few of the things happening at First Congregational UCC, River Falls
Wednesday Meals
-Join us each Wednesday night for family meals served from 5:15 to 6:15 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Each week a homestyle meal will be served.
Dec 4 Pasta bar with red, white and meat sauces, salad and bread
Dec 11 Chicken ala king served over biscuits, fresh fruit
Youth Events
All Youth Cookie Bake-Sun, Dec 15
-Come enjoy baking together as we make over 100 cookies for the men at Kinnic Rehab.
Advent Musical: Important Information for Families-
Children in pre-school through Grade 6 will begin work on the 2019 Advent Musical.The musical will be presented on Sunday, December 22, during the 10:30 worship service.
Cribbage Night
-The group meets on the second Monday at the church. Players are asked to donate $2 and the group decides which charity to donate it to.
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Nekoosa UCC - Silent Talk with God
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Summer Youth Opportunities
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Young Ambassadors Youth Exchange
June 23-July 14, 2020 in Germany
July 7-28, 2021 in Wisconsin
Cost: $1650
We are looking for Wisconsin Conference UCC youth and young adults aged 15-22 to participate in this two-year exchange with our church partners from the Moers Church District in Germany. This is a wonderful opportunity for travel abroad, expanding your horizons and learning about Christians from Germany - their culture, faith, customs, etc. The Moers Church District is located in the North Rhine-Westphalia region one hour north of Dusseldorf. Based on previous exchanges, quality time will be spent with your host family, you will participate in an engaging group program and often the group will visit Berlin for some days of touring. It is expected that participants will commit to both ends of the exchange, as you will be hosting the person in 2021 who hosts you in Germany.
If you are interested in participating in this opportunity you can email Lisa Hart at the Wisconsin Conference Office at
lhart@wcucc.org
by
November 30, 2019.
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Wisconsin Conference Life Newsletter
link
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National Youth Event 2020
July 22-25, 2020
Purdue University
Theme: Unite!
When? July 22-25, 2020
Where? Purdue University
Who? Youth who have finished 6th grade through 12th grade; Youth leaders and chaperones
What? This 4 day event is celebrated as the largest denominational gathering. Often bringing in 4,000 participants, this time together is centered on faith, leadership, service and social justice to empower our youth and young adults.
Cost? $375*...includes housing, meals and program
*The Wisconsin Conference UCC will organize bus transportation to and from Purdue. Cost to be determined. More information will be available in January.
Workshop proposals are being accepted until November 30th. Workshops can be geared toward younger youth, older youth, young adults, or adult leaders. If you are interested in being considered to lead a workshop,
click here for the application
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THE CHRISTMAS FUND
For the Veterans of the Cross and the Emergency Fund
CAN YOU IMAGINE?
- A 60-year-old minister accumulates major debt due to costs associated with an adult son’s disabilities and a husband’s serious illness. Support from the Christmas Fund didn’t solve everything but provided a huge relief.
- A surviving spouse of a UCC pastor, whose husband was poorly paid throughout his career, was left with a small annuity upon retirement. Support from the Christmas Fund is easing the anxiety of constant financial worries.
- A UCC pastor, retiring due to health concerns, having chosen a career of service to small churches, has an insufficient retirement income. The Christmas Fund, by supplying a monthly annuity supplementation, allows for the ability to meet increasing living costs.
NOW IMAGINE THIS!
- You, the Church, have the opportunity to participate in God’s promise of renewal by providing assistance to those who have faithfully served our Church and who now find themselves facing unexpected financial needs.
- You, the Church, can make a difference in the lives of so many by supporting this concrete gesture of generosity and gratitude.
- You, the Church, can put one of God’s commas where life circumstances seemed to put a period. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it”. John 1:5
The Christmas Fund for the Veterans of the Cross and the Emergency Fund:
- Has been a tangible expression of god’s love for over 100 years.
- Provides direct financial assistance to individual UCC clergy and lay church employees.
- Administered by the UCC Pension Board’s Ministerial Assistance team.
- Approximately $90,000 a year comes to Wisconsin for distribution.
- 2018 offering totaled $2,539,471 and enabled:
Pension supplementation for 379 lower-income retirees ($1,453,050).
Health benefits supplementation for 174 lower-income retirees ($429,903).
Emergency grants to cover costs that arose unexpectedly, such as large medical expenses or home damage from natural disasters, for 49 individuals ($60,526).
Christmas “Thank You” gift checks to 401 retirees ($214,100). Give Generously. Be the Church to the Faithful in Need.
Suggested date to receive the Christmas Fund Offering is December 22, 2019
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5 for 5
The Association's Division of the Mission of the Church in the World is sending you a
quick summary
of the United Church of Christ's special offerings and the requirements for being recognized as a "5 for 5" church. Feel free to use it in your newsletters, on your bulletin boards, or as an insert if you'd like. We encourage all congregations to go for "5 for 5" giving.
Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas season!
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