Northwest Word March 2020
March 32020

NW Association Campers: Apply for Camp Scholarships using the form at ucci.org . (The former form will no longer be used.)
One Great Hour of Sharing Offering is March 22 nd : Everything Is Potentially Local
By Terry Andre Dukerschein, Ladysmith United Church of Christ, UCC

One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) is a worldwide UCC Lenten Offering to be collected in UCC Churches March 22, 2020. It supports disaster aid, refugee relief, and development that is ecumenical and worldwide in scope and implementation. Before I retired 9 years ago, I worked first in medicine, then in ecology. I would argue that as our world shrinks and epidemiological, political, and climate instability issues loom larger, everything potentially has local implications. 
For example, my husband and I recently returned home to Northern Wisconsin from San Francisco, where we happily welcomed our sixth grandchild and got to know her big sister better. Our son, a Product Designer in the Bay area, must travel several times a year to China for business. For now, airline travel is restricted because of the Coronavirus epidemic, but what about later? This is not the first serious viral epidemic to arise in China. How long will it take to contain the Coronavirus epidemic?  No answers yet, but funds from OGHS offerings are already helping.  UCC Disaster Ministries are contributing a $5,000 solidarity grant toward a growing ecumenical response to the Coronavirus emergency in China. Funds will enable purchase and air shipment of medical standard masks and robes to the Amity Foundation, an independent Chinese social organization founded in 1985 on the initiative of Chinese Christians (OHGS/UCC Facebook post)


Without OCWM
by Rev. Elizabeth Hazel, chair, Northwest Association Division of the Mission of the Church in the World
 
Without OCWM, it would be like having the roof over our heads collapse. I know OCWM stands for Our Church's wider mission, and sometimes the sheer number of activities funded by our gifts to OCWM makes it hard for us to grasp what OCWM means for us. Just like a variety of structural elements are needed to hold up the roof over our heads, so the variety of activities funded by OCWM reinforces a shelter-like system of protection and opportunity for spiritual growth and development. That system makes it possible for us to conduct church life without having to "reinvent the wheel" every time life throws us a curve ball. 
 
Keane Foster
May 29, 1939 ~ December 16, 2019

 Keane served as a licensed minister for many years at St. Paul’s UCC in Wausau. We are grateful for his ministry in the NWA and for his faith that gave him peace in life and eternity. 


Social Media and
Newsletter editor needed
User friendly platforms, support from
Conference office.


Contact Rob MacDougall if interested. He can send you in the right direction,


Have You Eaten?
Peter Kwong, husband of Rev. Colleen Kwong, has written a book combining stories of old Hong Kong and simple and delicious recipes.

"Have You Eaten" Trailer - Peter Kwong





Reverend Colleen Kwong

Pastor and potter. She provided chalices and patens for General Synod last summer.
See more at,
Preaching Generosity

It can be hard to talk about money. And yet Jesus talked about it often, second only to the Kingdom of God. Explore how to preach and teach about generosity and the use of our financial resources. Each webinar will focus on a specific liturgical season and a set of readings. We will plan out at least one preaching opportunity for teaching generosity as a spiritual practice.
  • April 21, 2:00 pm: The Season of Easter: Beloved Community - The stories of Good Shepherd Sunday
Go to the Conference website at wcucc.org/generosity to get full details and links to
Watch for the rollout of the Manual on Ministry. I've been told these will be FUN events!
Healing Our Earthly Home: Annual Meeting 2020
 
All Creation is Groaning...but listen and the Earth will teach you --Romans 8:18-25 and Job 12:7-9
 
June 5-7, 2020 - Green Lake Conference Center
 
Love of Creation: it's one of the UCC's 3 Great Loves. And it's more important now than ever before. Grounded in our Judeo-Christian faith and seeking to honor the wisdom of the First Nations, we are called to love, revere and care for God's whole creation. Annual meeting will inspire you and provide you with information and connections to resources to help you and your congregation become involved and take action on this critical challenge of our time.
Join us at Green Lake Conference Center, June 5-7, 2020, for this year's annual meeting: Healing Our Earthly Home. 
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Creation Care Webinars available from Wisconsin Creation Care Team

Northwest Association Annual Meeting, April 18, 2020
Plymouth UCC; 2010 W. Moholt Drive, Eau Claire, WI 54703
9:30 Registration, Welcome and Refreshments
10:00am Meeting Begins - 3:30pm Meeting Concludes
Registration for the day is $15 (includes lunch)
Greetings, Northwest Association!!
 
We invite all our NWA churches (pastors, lay delegates, youth, retired clergy, and visitors) to the Annual Meeting as we gather as the NW Association of the 
Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ.
 
This year's NWA Annual Meeting theme is Creation Care, centered around our relationship to creation and responding to God's call to be faithful stewards 
and care for all of creation.
 
To register online, click here . A paper copy of the registration may be found here.  
Child care is being offered for this meeting, but you must RSVP by April 4, 2020. 
  
Please join us as we review old business and finances, hear from our NWA and Wisconsin Conference ministry partners and look ahead to 2021. During our morning session we will have an opportunity to hear about how the state of Wisconsin is better understanding the impacts of climate change, having an opportunity to explore 
how we can be involved in the conversation and partnering with 
our neighbors throughout the state.
 
We are inviting you to share/bring resources that you are using within your congregations that are guiding/shaping your congregational and community life. Please contact Sue Vornholt at [email protected] if you are interested in sharing resources and/or your church's story during our annual meeting.
 
"At this year's Annual Meeting, we're planning something fun to recognize the churches contributing to all "5 for 5" UCC fundraisers. We're going to have a raffle and pick a winner from all NWA churches who meet the requirements for "5 for 5." The winner will receive a hand-made cup and paten by Rev. Colleen Kwong (Cochrane) like the ones used for Holy Communion at the Milwaukee General Synod. We plan to "up" the number of prizes each year that shows an increase in the number of churches receiving "5 for 5" recognition".
The Division of the Mission of the Church in the World
 
We will see you April 18 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin as we are continually gathered together by the Holy Spirit. We will be gathering together in Plymouth UCC's new worship space celebrating with our brothers and sisters at Plymouth in the completion of their new building following the fire that destroyed their church in 2016.