On the Way July 2014 CENTRAL PACIFIC CONFERENCE * UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST Extravagant Grace * Generous Hearts * Renewed World

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1 On the Way July 2014 CENTRAL PACIFIC CONFERENCE * UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST Extravagant Grace * Generous Hearts * Renewed World Save the Date!! Central Pacific Conference Annual Meeting The people of the CPC Climate Action Network are actively working with the Annual Meeting team to make this a meaningful and action-generating event for our congregations in response to questions like: How does being church need to change in order to meet the ecological and theological emergency that the climate crisis poses to humanity? What are our churches called upon to be and do in this world in which our own actions threaten our survival and the survival of our planet? What new or repurposed practices, sacraments, liturgies, education, and mission are required of us? Why Those Who are Not Delegates Should Attend CPC Annual Meetings Of course each congregation s delegates attend because there is important conference business to be dealt with. But for the two whole days we re together only three sessions, totaling about four hours, are devoted to those matters. What else happens? Each year there s an inspiring keynote speaker who starts Saturday with challenging insights related to that year s theme. This year s speaker is Dr. Larry Rasmussen, Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and author of Earth-honoring Faith: Religious Ethics in a New Key, who will get us focused on our theme. A 45-minute Q & A follows his address (and he ll also give the sermon at Sunday s worship service). In addition there are nearly 20 different workshops in three sessions so you ll have a chance to attend three. Many of these will be on the church s response to the climate crisis, but others ranging from the theoretical to the practical make for lively learning. There s great fellowship (at great meals and elsewhere), and the chance to renew yourself and be an even greater asset to your congregation than you are today. Did I mention we have fun, too? 1

2 Call for Workshops! Would you like to offer a workshop at this year s Annual Meeting? Are there workshop topics that you would like to see offered by an appropriate leader? We want to hear from you! You are invited to propose a workshop topic or apply to lead a workshop for the CPC Annual Meeting, September 26-28, in Pendleton. Please go to to complete and submit the workshop proposal form. All workshops will take place on Saturday, September 27th. There will be three separate workshop time slots on Saturday. Delegates and visitors will be able to attend three different workshops. Each workshop will be 60 minutes in length. Start times for the workshops are still to be decided. DEADLINE FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS & APPLICATIONS IS MONDAY, JULY 15. From the CPC Director of Planned Giving ~ David Avison What is a Gift Annuity? A Gift Annuity is a contract under which a charity like your church, in return for a transfer of cash, marketable securities or other assets, agrees to pay money to one or two individuals, for their lifetime. The payments (called the "annuity") are fixed and unchanged for life. The contributed property (the gift) becomes a part of the charity's assets, and the payments are a general obligation of the charity. The annuity is backed by the charity's entire assets, not just by the property contributed. Gifts to UCC churches and the CPC are administered by the national Financial Ministry of the UCC. Example. Many people have money in CDs for income but eventually plan to donate the money invested. Depending on one s age, a gift annuity will return many times the income that a CD generates. Recently a UCC donor raised his income from below 2% to over 9% on $10,000 he had previously invested in a CD. For more information about gift annuities, contact the CPC s Director of Planned Giving by at dbapg@comcast.net or at his personal office (503) Available: Teachers, Speakers, and Preachers on Palestine Israel ~ Diane Dulin Much discussion and interest exist in our conference regarding Palestine Israel. Many of our CPC members have traveled to the Holy Land and have encountered sights both deeply inspiring and profoundly unsettling. Much injustice exists in the everyday lives of Palestinian men, women and children whether they live in Israel proper, the West Bank or Gaza. A RESOLUTION OF WITNESS ON PALESTINE ISRAEL will come before the Annual Assembly when we gather as a conference in September. This Resolution asks us to join other conferences and denominations in urging boycott and divestment from companies and products which actively profit by or invest in the mechanics of the military occupation of Palestine. This Resolution has already been endorsed by the CPC Wider Church Ministries Team, CPC Justice Witness Team, Zion UCC in 2

3 Gresham, Bethel UCC (Beaverton) Board of Outreach, and is under consideration in several other CPC congregations. The following clergy within our conference are available to preach, speak or teach on this subject. They can offer stories and images of their experiences and insights in the Holy Land. They can lead studies of the proposed Resolution of Witness. They can help your congregation understand the Kairos Palestine a Moment of Truth document issued as a unified statement of Christians in Palestine. They can lead worship and preach with power on this subject. For additional information, kindly contact Rev. Diane Dulin, convener of the Central Pacific Conference Palestine Israel Network ( , diane.dulin1@gmail.com) Rev John Hickox * Rev Jean Doane Rev Catherine Alder * Rev Diane Dulin CPC Justice & Witness Grant Applications are Due July 30 th Every year we award modest funding to local churches, groups, or individuals in support of activities that advance the local church or Conference involvement in justice and witness issues. Our awardees last year were: Waverly Heights UCC/ Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Youth Chorus Clackamas UCC/ Celilo Indian Education Summer Program Lincoln City UCC /Fields of Peace: Adult Peace Curriculum Various UCC churches/ Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice (IMIrJ) Rev. John Boonstra/ Environmental Ministry Our total funding source is $4,000 and awards average $250 - $800. All applications will be read once the July 30 th deadline closes, and all will be given equal consideration. The application can be accessed on the CPC website here: by clicking on grant application form. Awardees will be notified in late August. Wright Congregational Church Boise, ID Calls New Pastor Wright Community Congregational United Church of Christ in Boise called a new settled pastor on May 4. The Reverend George Andrew (Drew) Terry started his ministry on June 5 and his first Sunday in the pulpit was June 8, Pentecost. Drew comes from Atlanta, Georgia, where he was a member in discernment at Kirkwood United Church of Christ. Drew grew up in Florida and Atlanta. He is a graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio and Chandler School of Theology in Atlanta. Drew says that his most important personal quality is a genuine love of other people. The people of Wright are looking forward to Drew beginning his ministry in Boise. Welcome, Drew! 3

4 WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD A workshop with Nelson Murphy of United Church Funds Saturday, July 26 * 9 am - Noon Hillsdale Community Church UCC 6948 SW Capitol Hwy Portland, OR Learn how to create an effective endowment fund policy and encourage planned giving, so your congregation can work together for Good! No Charge for UCC laity or clergy RSVP or Kathy@hillsdaleucc.org 4

5 Calling all Women in our Idaho Churches of The United Church of Christ And Friends in our Oregon Churches Mark these dates: August 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4 th The 2014 Women s Retreat will be held at Pilgrim Cove Camp and hosted by the McCall Community Congregational, United Church of Christ Women s Group of McCall, Idaho. The theme this year is, A Stitch in Time? Our guest speakers will be: Rev. Charlottie Havlicak And Charla Havlicak. It promises to be a fun and relaxing weekend on the beautiful Payette Lake. The event begins with get acquainted time on Friday evening and concludes after breakfast on Monday. The cost for lodging and 7 meals is $145/person. Send an to ccchurch@citlink.net for registration forms for this wonderful weekend with some great ladies. Bring your mother, daughters, granddaughters, neighbors, and co-workers. See you there! Save the Date for the CPC Clergy Retreat Revival April 14-16, 2015 It s time for a revival of the CPC clergy retreat. At date is set, the keynoter is recruited; now we need your help to make it rich and meaningful. Our Keynote Speaker will be Rachel Hackenberg of the national UCC offices. She is staffing the team working on developing new ordination guidelines. She is the author of Writing To God, and Writing to God: Kid s Edition, as well as a forthcoming book on keeping sabbath in the modern age. We are seeking a diverse group of clergy to be on the planning retreat for this event. If you are interested, please contact Jennifer Brownell pastor@hillsdaleucc.org or by August 15. Co-sponsored by Local Church Ministry and Covenants Team Ministry. Back Bay Mission Calls New Executive Director Biloxi, Mississippi, June 13, 2014 Back Bay Mission is pleased to announce the selection of Kaye Harris as Executive Director of the Mission. Ms. Harris has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit administration, including service as: Executive Director of the New Orleans Coalition on Open Governance, Executive Director of Social Services in the Office of the Public Defender in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and Executive Director of Child and Adolescent Programs at the Village for Families and Children in Hartford, Connecticut. She is a graduate of American International College (Springfield, Massachusetts) and Boston University (Boston, Massachusetts). 5

6 The Mission's search committee was particularly impressed by Ms. Harris's ability to build consensus among stakeholders, market programs, raise funds and advocate for those served. Ms. Harris will begin as Executive Director on July 1, The Central Pacific Conference is now on Facebook! Please join in the conference-wide conversation! LIKE the CPC Facebook Page. Please, LIKE CPC from two places your own personal page AND your church s Facebook Page. CPC will do the same and LIKE every congregation in the conference. In this way, we can all see what s happening around the conference, share good ideas, and stay connected with each other throughout the year. See you on Facebook! 2014 CPC Women s Retreat * October 3-5 * Camp Adams, Molalla, OR Women Doing Justice! is the theme of this year s retreat, sponsored by the Central Pacific Conference UCC Women s Board. Patricia Rumer is this year s Resource Leader. Patricia currently lives in Portland where she went to grade school and high school. Since then, she has traveled extensively in the Caribbean, Latin American, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. In 1969, Patricia began working in Guatemala as a community development volunteer with the American Friends Service Committee in the rural highlands area. Last year, she returned as a delegate to a women s human rights conference there. She is a graduate of Occidental College with a Masters degree in political science from UCLA. In addition, she has a PhD from Portland State University in urban studies and public policy. There, she has been an academic administrator and has taught senior capstones for the last seven years. This year s Women s Retreat will focus on how to do Justice in our world. So, plan to learn some new ways of doing justice in our everyday lives and what God has to us about it. Join us at Camp Adams to worship, discuss, meditate, sing, and play together. It s our chance to greet old and new friends, walk in the woods, and share our joys and sorrows as we build community among our Central Pacific Conference Women. We hope to see you there! 6

7 Registration Due September 29, 2014 * Questions? Call Nancy Klingeman at Please include: name, address, telephone, , and your home church. Total Retreat Fee is $ Pre-registration (transferable but non-refundable) is $65, with the final $40 due on arrival (you can pay in full, in advance, if you prefer. Please make checks payable to: United Church of Christ Women. Mail to: Nancy Klingeman, registrar NW Elmwood Drive, Corvallis, OR Note: The weekend begins with dinner on Friday night and ends after brunch on Sunday morning. Things to Bring: sleeping bag & pillow, Bible, notebook, pen, flashlight, comfortable shoes, towel and toiletries, casual clothing, warm sweater or jacket, camera (optional), and a sense of humor! Need financial aid? Ask your church office for assistance or an application form for a Rev. Anne Smith Educational Fund Grant. The registrar also has forms. Completed forms should be sent to Deanna Mason, 9020 SE Market St., Portland, OR by September 29, On The Way Article Submission Deadline: Thursday, July 24 th, 2014 Please submit all articles in WORD format and send to: wjboris@gmail.com A Personal Note Vacation and the Conclusion of Sabbatical In February, I returned from sabbatical one week early in order to participate in the UCC Conference Minister retreat with our UCC national officers. I ll use that February week at the end of June. I ll be out of the office from June 28 th July 7 th. I ll be back in the office on July 8 th. All of that schedule switching leaves me with one final month of sabbatical time. I ve scheduled that last month from August 7 th to September 4 th. I ll be in the office for just a few days, before leaving on a trip to Israel, to hear how Israelis and their supporters defend their occupation of the West Bank. I ll return from that trip on September 18 th, in time to join with all of you at Time to Lead: Call to Action on the Climate Crisis - CPC Annual Meeting in Pendleton, September 26 th -28 th. Breaking my sabbatical time into 3 pieces August 2013, January and February 2014, and August 2014 has worked well for me, and for the Conference. I ve been able to travel and find time to recharge, without any negative impact on CPC projects in process. I ve been able to attend the Board and almost all of the ministry team meetings. Gene Ross has graciously served as an on-call consultant for local church search committees. Thanks, Gene! I ve been able to enjoy my sabbatical, and the CPC has not had the expense of an interim Conference Minister. A win-win! Thank you for calling me to join with you in ministry as, together, we follow Jesus On the Way! Yours in Christ, walter john The Rev. Dr. Walter John Boris Conference Minister Central Pacific Conference * United Church of Christ Interchurch Center 7

8 0245 SW Bancroft Street, Suite E Portland, OR wjboris@gmail.com (O) (M)