Spring Association Meetings

Prairie/Western Association

Joint Spring Meeting

Saturday, April 29, 9:30 - 3:30

Pilgrim Park Camp

The meeting will take place in the Dupree Center at Pilgrim Park Camp (26449 1340 N Ave, Princeton, IL 61356). The theme for the meeting is Stronger Together: Creating the “ties that bind”, Reinforcing the network of support, Weaving the wisdom that empowers. The deadline to register is Sunday, April 23rd. The cost is $35. Children under 12 are free.

Chicago Metropolitan Association

Spring Meeting

Saturday, May 6, 8:00- 12:00

Bryn Mawr Community Church

The focus of this year’s event is on Storytelling, Collective Healing, and Building Community. This event is a hybrid event and you can join by Zoom or in person at Bryn Mawr Community Church (7000 S Jeffery Blvd, Chicago, IL 60649). The deadline to register is April 30th. There is no cost to attend, but you are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to donate.

Outdoor Ministries - Camp of the Week!

Godstock Camp

July 23-28 at Tower Hill Camp

Grades 3-9 | Fee: $500

Directors: Jamie Kirscher, Dennis Kirscher

A weeklong camp for kids finishing grades 3-9. Come spend a week making life-long friendships while spending time in nature and growing in your faith. Campers have the opportunity to engage in whole camp, age group, and choice activities including campfires, sports and games, beach time, archery, worship, and much more.

Godstock Tenderfoot Camp

July 26-28 at Tower Hill Camp

Grades K-2 | Fee: $300

Director: Cindy White

A camp for kids finishing grades K-2 who want to see what camp is all about! Campers will engage in activities both with and separate from the larger Godstock camp group to provide a fun and exciting experience for our younger campers. Activities include crafts, games, beach time, worship, and much more!

Festival of Homiletics Clergy Retreat

May 15-18, 2023

Tower Hill Camp & Conference Center

Would you love to attend the Festival of Homiletics in Minneapolis but can't make the trip? Join with colleagues at Tower Hill to view and engage with the best of the Festival of Homiletics. There will also be ample time to wander in the woods, walk on the beach, go kayaking on the river, and just relax. Registration includes private bathroom, shared bathroom, and all meals. If you would like to access every session of the Festival of Homiletics you may also register for the Online Upgrade for an additional fee.

Nollau Leadership Institute

April 28th Application Deadline

The Council for Health and Human Service Ministries (CHHSM) recognizes the importance of cultivating leaders in the realization of its mission to advance the work of the UCC’s health and human service ministries in creating a just, caring, and compassionate world. This belief is why, for more than 20 years, CHHSM has hosted a program like the Nollau Leadership Institute. Enrollment for the 2023-2024 class is open online through Friday, April 28, and the application can be found on the CHHSM website. 

Grounded in the health and human service organizations of the United Church of Christ, this program offers a unique space in which to experience leadership formation. Each year, Nollau brings together a community of leaders committed to creating a just, caring, and compassionate world. Through retreats, online interactions, and peer mentoring, this program supports leadership formation through a variety of learning modalities and within a community of practice.

Upcoming UCC Webinars

April 26 - General Synod Frequency Town Hall 2/3

5:00 PM Central Time

At General Synod 34 in Indianapolis, delegates will consider amendments to the UCC Bylaws that would change the frequency of General Synod from two years to three years. Join one of the Town Halls to learn more. Register Here.

April 26 - Rethinking What God Calls Volunteers to Do

6:30 PM Central Time

Rev. Bridget Flad Daniels of Union UCC in Green Bay, WI, and Rev. Elena Larssen of the National Ministries will reflect on ways to engage volunteers. Register here.

May 3 - Create Playspace

12:00 PM Central Time

Part 6 of the Create Playspace with the President series - A new eco-system for Members in Discernment. Register here.

May 24 - Building an Endowment

6:30 PM Central Time

Rev. Andrew Warner will draw on his experience with the Wisconsin Foundation UCC when discussing how to raise, manage, and use endowment funds. Register here.

National UCC Disaster Ministries becomes WISE!

The National Team of Conference Disaster Coordinators recently went through the process to receive their designation as a WISE. organization through the UCC Mental Health Network! A WISE congregation/organization has joined the mission to being Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, and Engaged in the Mental Health of the community and the wider world. Click here to learn more.

From the UCCMHN: "On behalf of the entire Mental Health Network, I congratulate you on becoming WISE! We are so excited to extend our national family to include your vital work. You have been delightful to work with, and I am beyond thrilled to offer you this designation."

Congratulations to the National Team of Disaster Coordinators on becoming WISE!

Congratulating Lesli Remaly on Her Retirement!

Lesli Remaly joined the Global H.O.P.E. team in early 2021, bringing deep experience with the United Church of Christ and with disaster response. Lesli grew up in the UCC and began her working career serving in Christian Education in Florida. Her call into disaster recovery work began after a hurricane swept through her community; this led her from local to regional and then national response coordination, including with Church World Service and, later, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. When the Global H.O.P.E. team was being reconstituted in late 2020, the timing was perfect for Lesli to come full circle through one more vocational transition. In the newly revised role of Minister for Disaster Response and Recovery, Lesli worked quickly to connect with UCC Conference Disaster Coordinators, providing resources to increase capacities and to support the pursuit of their priorities. Together, they established working groups to increase collaboration, to connect with congregations, and to support emerging needs for community response. A natural connector, Lesli consistently worked to build relations and strengthen support with and between ecumenical and interfaith partners at the local, conference, and national levels, including through the birth of the Willing to Respond Network. Lesli also supported the re-birth of a UCC Emotional Spiritual Care team which, with resources through Global H.O.P.E., is now providing services to communities affected by trauma. And she convened a multi-organizational task force focused on human-caused environmental and technological disasters that has established the United Church of Christ among the leading agencies for this type of response. 

The greatest gift Lesli brought to this ministry was her care for those who have experienced trauma and disaster. Her expertise in the mechanics, systems, and processes for disaster preparedness and recovery is grounded in this compassion for others, which drives her support for such systems - or her passion to transform them when they are not serving people as they could. The Global H.O.P.E. team is grateful to Lesli for her service, which will conclude at the end of April. While her presence, gifts, and spirit will be missed, we celebrate with Lesli this upcoming transition and wish her well on the exciting new adventures that lie ahead.

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FAITHFUL FRIDAYS is published by the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ, 1840 Westchester Blvd, Suite 200, Westchester, IL 60154. The Rev. Molly Carlson, Conference Minister; Sarah Lohrbach, Editor. Copy may be sent to: SarahLohrbach@ilucc.org.