March 25 - sonkaucc.org - Southwest Ohio Northern Kentucky ...

SNIPPETS March 25, 2008
SOUTHWEST OHIO NORTHERN KENTUCKY ASSOCIATION
OHIO CONFERENCE­UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.’
(Psalm 118:22)
* SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS *
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATTENTION!
A GIFT FOR PASTORS & CHURCH PROFESSIONALS
from your SONKA Post­Ordination Team
It’s Free (thanks to OCWM from your church and others)!
Register Now!
By calling or emailing the Association Office: office@sonkaucc.org or 888­631­9578
You have worked hard through Lent and Easter ­ Take a day for yourself
Meet and get acquainted with new colleagues – see old friends
Share * Listen * Learn * Offer your thoughts
Tuesday, April 8 – A Day for Church Professionals
(formerly “Clergy Day”)
David’s UCC, 170 W. David Rd., Dayton (directions at www.davidsucc.org or Google them or ask)
9 a.m.­2 p.m.
Honored Guests: Each of you
Outside Guest Resource: Tim Downs, (top guy at the UCC Pension Boards)
Expect:
Time primarily with each other 9­10 a.m. & 12­2 p.m.
Ruth Brandon leads with Qs to spark discussion & garner your suggestions 1­2 p.m.
Answers to your Q’s re: your pension in today’s market, health plan, disability insurance, etc.
10­12 a.m.
(this idea came from one of the groups of SONKA ministers)
Continental Breakfast and a fine box lunch catered by Dorothy Lane Market
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did you wonder? Re: Spring Gathering
The mailing has gone out – if you didn’t get one, ask at your church or call the Association Office. Here
are some answers to questions already coming from those who DID get the mailing:
Q: There are workshops – is it really only for delegates?
A: Not at all – we really urge you to bring as many as possible from every church – but in the tiny business
session, only the delegates can vote.
Q: Hey ­ you didn’t mention non­parish clergy – What about us? Have we been disenfranchised?
A: All retired clergy and non­parish clergy with standing in SONKA have a vote and are delegates – as
always. This means if these folks are in your congregation they PLUS the three lay delegates all vote.
Q: Where’s the registration form?
1

A: If you do not use the internet, you may call the Association office (888­631­9578) and staff will take
your registration information. However, if you do use the internet, go to SONKA.EVENTBRITE.COM
and follow the instructions. You may pay on­line or at the door. Register before April 16, please!
* PRAYER REQUEST *
Let us join together in prayer for Rev. Ruth Brandon, SONKA Association Minister, and her family.
Ruth’s brother, Paul Brandon, died on Good Friday after a battle with cancer. Paul was more than a
brother to Ruth. He was a little over 10 years older than Ruth and after her father's death, Paul became
like a father to her. Ruth went to Vermont this past week to be with Paul and support her sister­in­law,
Gail, as Paul was hospitalized after the cancer spread to his liver. Ruth will be out of the office until
April 1. Ruth and her family entered the Holy Week passion in a very personal and profound way. May
God's peace and comfort strengthen them; may God's goodness and grace be known and felt at this time.
Let us pray that God's resurrection life will spring forth in surprising and nurturing ways for Ruth and her
family. Cards of sympathy and care may be sent to: Rev. Ruth Brandon, 4171 Ridgetop Dr., Bellbrook,
OH 45305.
* SONKA EVENTS / NOTICES *
THIS WEEK:
Cluster 2 Meeting
NEW!
The March Cluster 2 meeting will be held Thursday, March 27, at 7 p.m. at St. Paul UCC, 6997
Hamilton Ave., North College Hill, OH. If you need specific directions, you can reach the church at 513­
931­2205. A representative from Christ's Community in College Hill will share with us about their
ministry.
COMING UP:
Bus Transportation for National Youth Event
First UCC in Cincinnati and St. John's Westminster Union have contracted with a chartered bus which
seats 50+ to go to the National Youth Event. The cost will be minimal thanks to the company's low price.
There is still room, but space is filling up. We will be leaving from Cincinnati. If demand is high, we will
look into chartering a second bus. Let's pray for that problem. Contact Dan Weyand­Geise for more
information at 513­317­2064 or danweyandgeise@cinci.rr.com.
Holy Humor Sunday
Lakeview UCC Church in Maineville will observe Holy Humor Sunday March 30 at the 10 a.m. service.
Lakeview will resurrect what for centuries was observed by the faithful as “days of joy and laughter” to
celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. Holy Humor Sunday is a modern adaptation of this custom. Join with us in
celebrating Easter in a fun way the week after we’ve celebrated it in a glorious way. Lakeview UCC is
located at 8639 Columbia Rd., Maineville, OH (513­683­2073).
ACT Meeting
NEW!
The next SONKA Association Covenant Team meeting will be on Saturday, April 5, at 9:30 a.m., at
David's UCC. Please register via the SONKA website. Also see the website for agenda items and updates.
Journey Pizza & Praise Services
2

The next ecumenical Pizza and Praise worship service is Saturday, April 5. Live music begins at 5 p.m.,
followed by pizza and a unique time of prayer and praise at 6 p.m. ALSO, we have added another Pizza &
Praise event on the third Saturday of each month, this one focused on youth worship. Join us April 19 for
the Lebanon Presbyterian Church's youth worship band starting at 5 p.m. Pizza will be at 6 p.m. and a
Praise JAM will begin at 6:30. Call Pastor Brice for more information (513­282­6223).
Volunteers Needed for Spring Meeting Preparations
Volunteers needed on Friday, April 18 to help prepare packets for the Spring Meeting. We will gather at
10:30 a.m. Lunch will be provided. This is a fun time and only takes about two hours. If you would like to
be a part of the Sonka Packet Stuffing Team, please call the office toll free: 888­631­9578.
Mission Priority Board
The next meeting of the UCC Mission Priority Board of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky will be
Tuesday, April 22, at 1 p.m. at First UCC, College Hill.
Church Vitality Training
NEW!
Church Vitality, training led by National UCC staff, is scheduled for May 31 at Shiloh UCC. Want to
make the most of God is Stillspeaking/Ready, Set, Grow? Learn more about: hospitality, stewardship and
online resource. Help your church get vital and stay vital! Bring a team of people for this session with
Rev. Kate Huey, Minister for Covenantal Stewardship, May 31 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Shiloh Church is
located at 5300 Philadelphia Dr., Dayton. Registrations are due by May 16; go to www.sonkaucc.org for
registration forms and a flyer. The cost is $5 for lunch. The event is brought to you by SONKA Partners
in Education, Springboro UCC, Shiloh UCC and OCWM.
* UCC – STATE AND NATIONAL *
TOM PATON AWARDS
Twenty­eight Times SONKA churches have received the Tom Paton Award. This is from the Ohio
Conference for progress in accessibility for persons with all manner of disability (physical, audio, visual,
etc). If your church has made major steps toward being fully accessible, please check the Conference
website www.ocucc.org, and scroll down to where you can click on Tom Paton Awards and learn the
criteria and find the application. These will be awarded in June at the Conference Annual Gathering. The
deadline is April 1.
PEACE PRAYERS AND LITANIES
NEW!
Many SONKA churches have a peace pole outside or a peace candle inside. We follow the Prince of
Peace and long for an end to war. The Maine Council of Churches has produced the attached resource in
recognition of the 5 th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. It's called "The Things That Make for
Peace," a collection of prayers for peace by various Maine religious leaders as well as other resources
churches or individuals might use to address the question of how to be peacemakers in these times of war.
Please feel free to use or share it in any way that seems appropriate to you. Click here → The Things
That Make For Peace to download this collection (PDF file).
­­Rev. Ruth Brandon
CELEBRATING NEW CHURCHES
NEW!
Too often we get stuck talking about decline – here are some interesting statistics about new churches in
the UCC:
3

During 1957­2006, the first 50 years, the United Church of Christ saw a gain of 1,197 churches­­ 787 of
these were intentional new church starts; 256 are adopted or affiliated congregations; 124 were unplanned
“pop­ups” of people finding each other and beginning. The rest derived from existing churches. 125 were
African American congregations, 730 were Euro­American, 231 were Pacific/Asian American, 87 were
Hispanic, 4 Native American, and 20 Multi­Ethnic. 72% of these congregations are still active.
The highest number of new churches received (53) was in 1958. Second highest (47) happened in both
1960 and 2004. The annual number of new churches declined from 1958­1991, but since 1991 the number
has increased again.
The largest worship attendance, largest membership and largest in OCWM giving is Trinity UCC in
Chicago, which was a new church in 1962. Victory UCC in Georgia and Cathedral of Hope in Texas, the
second and third largest in the UCC, were also new to the UCC in recent years. 580 of the new
congregations reported OCWM giving that totaled in excess of $5,350,000 with an average of $9,270 per
new congregation. (The average in all UCC congregations is $9,462.)
You will find much more about 50 years of UCC church development in the Spring 2008 edition of Prism
magazine.
SPRING DAY WITH GOD AND SELF
The Ohio Conference’s Spring Day with God and Self is coming up on May 3. Come for a time of
worship and guidance, and also experience a time with God in the beautiful spring woods of Pilgrim Hills
Camp in northern Ohio. This year we have focused on the life and teachings of Teresa of Avila, a 16th
century Spanish saint and mystic. The day goes from 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. The cost is $25. Registration
can be made on line at ocucc.org, or call the conference at 800­282­0740. You may come the night before
for a cost of $35.
* EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES *
Youth Leader ­­ Journey Church in Lebanon is looking for a young dynamic youth leader, preferably a
musician, who would like to grow our youth and concert ministries. This is a great opportunity for
someone interested in ministry at a truly exciting and unique church. For a full description of the position
and compensation, contact Pastor Brice (revbrice@journeyucc.org).
* SWAP SHOP *
Choir Robes – in good condition; 40 of varying sizes. They are light blue with darker blue accent
markings and the UCC orb and cross. St. John’s UCC, Newport, would be happy for them to find a new
musical home at no charge. Please call 859­431­1818 or email stjohnsucc@stjohnsuccnewport.org.
* MINISTRY RESOURCES *
THE NATIONAL UCC WEBSITE:
www.ucc.org
OHIO CONFERENCE WEBSITE:
SONKA WEBSITE:
www.ocucc.org
www.sonkaucc.org
4

OUTDOOR MINISTRIES:
SONKA SUPPLY PASTORS:
Outdoor Ministries
Supply Pastor List
Association Minister Ruth Brandon: ruthb@sonkaucc.org
Bookkeeper Gwen Marino: gwenm@sonkaucc.org
General Email: office@sonkaucc.org
Office Manager Lin Baker: lin@sonkaucc.org
Registrar Jim Hill: jimh@sonkaucc.org
Notes:
· For a complete listing of events in our SONKA area, please refer to the SONKA website, which features a
comprehensive association calendar and details on coming events.
· If you know of anyone who is not receiving Snippets due to lack of Internet access, please send their names and
addresses to the SONKA Office, so that we can send them the newsletter by regular mail.
5