SNIPPETS - sonkaucc.org - Southwest Ohio Northern Kentucky ...
SNIPPETS - sonkaucc.org - Southwest Ohio Northern Kentucky ...
SNIPPETS - sonkaucc.org - Southwest Ohio Northern Kentucky ...
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<strong>SNIPPETS</strong> Feb. 13, 2012<br />
SOUTHWEST OHIO NORTHERN KENTUCKY ASSOCIATION<br />
OHIO CONFERENCEUNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST<br />
‘I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of<br />
knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake I have suffered<br />
the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish,<br />
in order that I may gain Christ.’<br />
(from Philippians 3:89)<br />
* SONKA EVENTS / NOTICES *<br />
Dayton Day of Caring Brunches to Take Bite Out of Hunger<br />
A decadesold tradition in many Dayton area churches, including several in SONKA, the annual Day of<br />
Caring Pancake Brunches are scheduled this year for Sunday, Feb. 26. The event raises money to help the<br />
hungry and homeless, with all proceeds going to hunger<br />
and housing coalitions within the counties where the<br />
brunches take place. Currently more than 600<br />
volunteers help with brunches at more than 60 sites in<br />
Montgomery, Miami, Greene, Hamilton and Clinton<br />
counties.<br />
Flipping flapjacks for a Day of Caring Brunch at<br />
Polk Grove UCC is member Ed Shoemaker.<br />
Shiloh UCC in north Dayton, Polk Grove UCC in<br />
Vandalia, First UCC in Troy, Eaton UCC in Eaton and<br />
Oak Creek UCC in Kettering are among the SONKA<br />
churches which will host Day of Caring Brunches. (See<br />
schedule, page 2.) The menu always includes pancakes<br />
with sausages and beverages at a cost of $6 per adult,<br />
and $4 for seniors and children. About $500,000 has<br />
been raised by the brunches to date, benefitting such<br />
agencies as The Foodbank, the F.I.S.H. Pantry, St.<br />
Vincent De Paul, the Emergency Housing Coalition and<br />
others. Churches interested in hosting a brunch this<br />
year may sign up on the Day of Caring website at<br />
www.dayofcaring.us.<br />
The Day of Caring was founded in 1991 by a<br />
Beavercreek woman, Jan Venkayya, as a way of giving<br />
the community a handson means to address problems of hunger and homelessness. –Lynne Wise<br />
Gathering Workshop<br />
Presenters Wanted<br />
There is still time to propose a<br />
workshop for the April 28<br />
SONKA Spring Gathering.<br />
Anyone who has knowledge to<br />
share which is consistent with the<br />
meeting’s “Church: Come Alive”<br />
theme is asked to contact Sherry<br />
Scheuerman of the Worship and<br />
Planning Team by Feb. 20.<br />
Email her at<br />
sscheuerman@woh.rr.com or call<br />
her at 937/3393134. The Spring<br />
Gathering is traditionally a<br />
“festival of workshops.”<br />
Several from Eaton UCC good naturedly don sports jerseys for worship<br />
on Super Bowl Sunday, which is also Souper Bowl Sunday in many<br />
churches, a special day in which collections are taken up to help the<br />
disadvantaged. Eaton members enjoyed observing both.
Message from Rev. Ruth<br />
SONKA Needs New Webmaster; Churches Asked to Refer<br />
The SONKA office is searching for a new webmaster, someone who can frequently update the association’s<br />
website at least weekly with information mainly provided by Communications Coordinator Lynne Wise.<br />
We are seeking competent candidates. At the recent Boundaries training three pastors told the Association<br />
Minister they knew somebody who would be good as a new SONKA webmaster. I said to have them apply.<br />
I did not write down any names and none have applied yet. If you were one of those three – or if you also<br />
know good possibilities – please contact me or have the potential webmaster make the contact. This is very<br />
parttime but we do pay a minimal hourly stipend. It is helpful to have a person who understands churches,<br />
but it is essential to have a person who is technically competent in websites and detailoriented enough to<br />
maintain it well.<br />
Ruth Brandon, Association Minister<br />
THIS WEEK<br />
SONKA Office Holiday Closing<br />
The SONKA office in Centerville will be<br />
closed Monday, Feb. 20, in observance of the<br />
Presidents’ Day holiday. The next issue of<br />
the Snippets newsletter will be published<br />
Tuesday, Feb. 21.<br />
American Spiritual Ensemble<br />
The American Spiritual Ensemble will<br />
perform in Cincinnati tonight, Feb. 13, at 7<br />
p.m. at a free concert at St. Peter in Chains<br />
Cathedral in downtown Cincinnati on Elm<br />
Street between 7th and 8th Streets at 7.<br />
Several pastors and churches have contributed<br />
to the SONKA sponsorship of the event. The<br />
ensemble is dedicated to keeping the<br />
American Negro Spiritual alive and is<br />
comprised of worldclass singers.<br />
Senior Housing Info Fair<br />
Shiloh UCC in north Dayton will have a<br />
Senior Housing Options Information Fair on<br />
Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 24 p.m.<br />
Representatives from local senior living<br />
facilities will be available to answer questions<br />
about options. Individual consultations may be<br />
arranged to help families looking for solutions<br />
for care of loved ones. For more information,<br />
call the church at 937/2778953.<br />
NEW! RVCC Cluster 1 Meeting<br />
The River Valley Covenant Cluster, SONKA<br />
Cluster 1, will meet Thursday, Feb. 16, at 11<br />
a.m. at The Gathering UCC, 1431 Main St.,<br />
OvertheRhine, Cincinnati.<br />
Music on the Avenue Concerts<br />
The Music on the Avenue series of free<br />
concerts at St. John UCC in Bellevue, KY will<br />
continue this Friday, Feb. 17, at 8 p.m., as the<br />
church welcomes the PhillipsHofeldt Piano<br />
Trio. Everyone is welcome.<br />
NEW! Mardi Gras at Nashville<br />
Nashville UCC in West Milton will have a<br />
Mardi Gras Family Fun Night on Sunday, Feb.<br />
19, from 6:308:30 p.m. The<br />
party, suitable for all ages, will<br />
include a Mardi Gras trivia<br />
contest, mask making and treats.<br />
Churches in Dayton Area Schedule Day of Caring Brunches<br />
Day of Caring Pancake Brunches, with proceeds going to help local hunger and homelessness efforts (See<br />
related story, page 1), are scheduled in the following SONKA churches on Sunday, Feb. 26:<br />
Polk Grove, 9190 Frederick Rd., Dayton, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.<br />
Shiloh, 5300 Philadelphia Dr., Dayton, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.<br />
Eaton, 113 W. Decatur St., Eaton, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.<br />
Oak Creek, 5280 Bigger Rd., Kettering, 9 a.m. to noon.<br />
First UCC, 120 S. Market St., Troy, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with proceeds<br />
going to support the church’s Backpack Program.<br />
In addition, members of St. John’s UCC in Germantown are encouraged to<br />
support the Day of Caring Pancake Brunch at Germantown United Methodist<br />
Church, 525 Farmersville Pk., Germantown, with serving from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.<br />
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FYI: Pulpit Updates<br />
St. John’s UCC in Dayton will say goodbye to its<br />
funloving “interim, interim pastor,” Mike<br />
Carman, who stepped in last fall to lead the<br />
church while it searched for an interim. SONKA<br />
minister Andrew Bierkan will serve as the<br />
interim pastor at St. John’s, and will begin his<br />
pastorate there tomorrow, Feb. 14. Mike leaves<br />
the church with some colorful memories, such as<br />
the Sunday Christmas service he preached wearing<br />
a nightshirt, reindeer headgear and doggie<br />
slippers, accompanied by his pet dog. Mike had<br />
invited the entire congregation to attend worship<br />
on Christmas morning wearing whatever they had<br />
on when it was time to leave for church. This<br />
“come as you are” invitation was apparently not<br />
taken as seriously by the members as it was by the<br />
pastor (See photo at r.), who really grabbed their<br />
attention that morning.<br />
Derek Terry, currently a minister in the AME, is<br />
the new pastor at St. Peter’s UCC in the Pleasant<br />
Ridge neighborhood of Cincinnati.<br />
Todd Peterson, former SONKA moderator, was<br />
granted licensure by the association and will serve<br />
in a pastoral role as a licensed minister at<br />
Lakeview UCC in Maineville while he pursues his<br />
Master of Divinity degree at Bethany Theological<br />
Seminary<br />
Association Minister to Retire<br />
Ruth Brandon, who has been Association<br />
Minister in SONKA since 2006, announced she<br />
will retire June 30. Ruth plans to eventually<br />
move to the state of Washington, where her son<br />
and his family reside. The Association Covenant<br />
Team (ACT) accepted her resignation with regret<br />
at its Feb. 4 meeting. The search for an interim<br />
association minister will begin soon.<br />
She also expresses thanks to all who sent cards,<br />
and email and Facebook messages, on the<br />
occasion of her 70 th birthday Feb. 12, including<br />
those who celebrated with her at the Feb. 12<br />
meeting with UCC General Minister and<br />
President Geoffrey Black at David’s UCC.<br />
NEW! FirstCincy Sauerkraut Dinner<br />
First UCC in Cincinnati will have a Sauerkraut<br />
Dinner Saturday, Feb. 25. The church again<br />
will have two seatings: 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.<br />
Tickets may be purchased at church or by<br />
calling the church (513/5417302, ext. 10).<br />
Ticket prices are $12 for adults; $5 for those 7<br />
12 years; and under 6, free.<br />
Neighbors in Need Grants<br />
Available for Justice Programs<br />
Any UCC church which has funding needs for a<br />
special justice program within its community may<br />
apply now for a Neighbors in Need (NIN) Grant. NIN<br />
is a mission offering of the UCC which supports works<br />
of justice and compassion. Two thirds of NIN receipts<br />
support programs and direct grants through Justice and<br />
Witness Ministries. Churches and <strong>org</strong>anizations may<br />
receive up to $3,000 over the course of three<br />
consecutive years.<br />
Grant applications are available online at<br />
www.ucc.<strong>org</strong>/nin. Applications must be received<br />
before March 31. The NIN page also lists many of the<br />
grant recipients from prior years. For more<br />
information about these grants, email nin@ucc.<strong>org</strong>.<br />
COMING UP<br />
SONKA<br />
minister Mike<br />
Carman leaves<br />
St. John’s in<br />
Dayton with<br />
some<br />
unf<strong>org</strong>ettable<br />
moments in<br />
ministry.<br />
NEW! Interim Pastors Meeting<br />
SONKA interim pastors will meet on<br />
Thursday, Feb. 23, at 11:30 a.m. at the<br />
association office in Centerville. Participants<br />
are asked to bring brown bag lunches and get<br />
ready for informal sharing and fellowship.<br />
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NEW! UTS Song/Hymn Contest<br />
United Theological Seminary in Dayton is<br />
conducting its first song and hymnwriting<br />
contest, New Songs and Hymns for Renewal.<br />
Writers and composers are invited to submit<br />
songs or hymns with themes of church<br />
renewal or personal spiritual renewal by April<br />
20. Cash prizes will be awarded and the<br />
winning compositions will be<br />
performed at the seminary’s Music<br />
Ministry Convocation in June. For<br />
details, including guidelines, prizes<br />
and application information, go to<br />
http://united.edu/MusicCompetition<br />
/NewSongsandHymnsfor<br />
Renewal/menuid639.html<br />
* NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE *<br />
NEW! Spring Lantern Fellowship<br />
“Jesus According to a Woman” will be the<br />
theme of the Spring Lantern Fellowship retreat<br />
Women from the Conference enjoy some of the<br />
activities at the Fall Lantern Fellowship retreat.<br />
for women of the <strong>Ohio</strong> Conference, to be held<br />
April 2022 at Pilgrim Hills Camp. Kathryn<br />
Ketchum, ordained minister and church choir<br />
director, will lead the program, which will<br />
explore how God has used women to proclaim<br />
the power of the gospel. Plenty of activities,<br />
with many opportunities to enjoy the beautiful<br />
outdoor setting, are part of the retreat, including<br />
skits, a secret sister exchange, camp activities<br />
and communion. The cost is $135, and<br />
registration forms may be found on the <strong>Ohio</strong><br />
Conference website, www.ocucc.<strong>org</strong>.<br />
NEW! Emergent Mainliners Webinar<br />
The Center for Progressive Christianity will<br />
offer a webinar directed at those who have one<br />
foot in the mainline church and one foot in the<br />
emergent church movement. It will be<br />
available Thursday, Feb. 16, at noon. The<br />
Hyphenateds: How Emergence Christianity is<br />
ReTraditioning Mainline Practices will be led<br />
by Phil Snider, awardwinning author and<br />
speaker who focuses on the intersections of<br />
religion and postmodernism in relationship to<br />
community practices and traditions. His books<br />
include Toward a Hopeful Future (winner of<br />
the 2011 Mayflower Award), and The<br />
Hyphenateds. According to Snider, emergent<br />
Christianity is one of the driving forces<br />
shaping the future of Christianity. The webinar<br />
will offer a vision of the ways in which the<br />
Church might undergo the transformation<br />
necessary to faithfully embody the love of<br />
Christ in the midst of an everchanging<br />
postmodern world. The cost is $9.99. Go to<br />
http://progressiverenewal.<strong>org</strong>/ to register.<br />
* PRAYER REQUEST *<br />
Please pray for SONKA minister Mike Carman, who is just completing his “interim, interim pastorate” at<br />
St. John’s UCC in Dayton. Mike was hospitalized last week for a brain bleed and is expected to be<br />
discharged today, well on his way to full recovery.<br />
A memorial service to honor the life of Pastor Paul Aultman, who died Feb. 6 at the age of 93 (See Prayer<br />
Request email of Feb. 7) will be held in June 17 at Fellowship Chapel in Lebanon at 10:30 a.m. The month<br />
was chosen due to the desire to include the many Fellowship Chapel members who winter in Florida in the<br />
service.<br />
A praise: Julie Peterson, daughter of Christ Church, UCC Pastor Dave Schwab and wife, Bonnie, received<br />
a good report from tests at Cleveland Clinic recently. An angiogram tested negative. Julie’s family<br />
appreciates SONKA friends’ prayers and support.<br />
Association Minister Ruth Brandon: ruthb@<strong>sonkaucc</strong>.<strong>org</strong><br />
Snippets Editor Lynne Wise: lynnew@<strong>sonkaucc</strong>.<strong>org</strong><br />
Bookkeeper Wilda Peters: wildap@<strong>sonkaucc</strong>.<strong>org</strong><br />
Registrar Jim Hill: jimh@<strong>sonkaucc</strong>.<strong>org</strong><br />
SONKA: 937/4388050 or Toll Free: 888/6319578<br />
SONKA WEBSITE: www.<strong>sonkaucc</strong>.<strong>org</strong><br />
NATIONAL UCC WEBSITE: www.ucc.<strong>org</strong><br />
OHIO CONFERENCE WEBSITE: www.ocucc.<strong>org</strong><br />
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