SOUTHERN CONFERENCE UCC NEWSLETTER - 2/24/10

Notes from the Office...

As we enter the Lenten season, we anticipate the end of winter and the arrival of Spring. Below you will find remarks from Rev. Mark Pickett about Ash Wednesday and thoughts about preparing for Easter. Community services are being held each Tuesday at noon during Lent at various churches. A short service will be followed with a soup and sandwich lunch. Cost is $5.00. Check your local paper or call First Christian UCC for the locations.

If you missed the February 15th deadline for the G form, you can still submit it online until March 15th.  If you do not have computer access, you can send your completed form to Linda Carter and she will submit it online for you.  All other forms ( E and F) are due in the office by March 1, 2010.  Thank you to all who have helped our Conference with the challenge from the Hawaii Conference.  Not sure what place we will come in, but I greatly appreciate your help. 

Preparing for Lent...  Rev. Mark Pickett Reminds Us of the Meaning of Ash Wednesday and Lent
 
Lent is that period of time that leads us from our celebration of the birth of Jesus and his revelation to all the world, to his journey to Jerusalem and his death upon a cross.
 
Traditionally, palm fronds from the previous years Palm Sunday service are saved and burned on this day, and the ashes are used to mark the foreheads of believer with the sign of the cross.  I didn't grow up in a church that practiced this marking with ashes, but I have participated in numerous such services since and find it a powerful experience.  There is something special about wearing the mark of the cross on your forehead for all to see.

Unlike the bright and beautiful crosses of fine jewelry that so many wear today, a smear of ashes on the forehead is far different.  Rather than a thing of beauty, it is like wearing dirt on your head, and being proud of it no less.  But in fact, that is part of the purpose.  In ancient times, as a sign of contrition for one's sins, people would often tear their clothes a throw dirt upon their heads.  It was a public admission of guilt, and a no less public statement of sorrow and repentance.  Which brings us back to the smear of ashes on the forehead.  After yesterday's celebration of Marti Gras in New Orleans and elsewhere, Ash Wednesday marks a time of introspection, a time to examine our lives as clearly and as honestly as we are able to see them.  Then, having seen our lives for what they are, we are invited to repent of our sins, ask forgiven from God and others we may have harmed, and then seeking strength from God, begin our journey anew.  Quite weighty stuff for an everyday, ordinary Wednesday!  But that's just the point.  Ash Wednesday isn't just any ordinary Wednesday, it begins a spiritual journey, a journey that we are to take with Jesus as he heads towards his deadly encounter with a hard wooden cross. Needless to say, it is not a journey to be taken lightly.  If you were unable to participate in an Ash Wednesday service,   spend a time of quiet reflection, prayer and confession...... and then continue the pattern until that day when we gather together, bright and early  on Easter morning to proclaim, "The Lord is risen!  He is risen indeed!!"
 
In order to help us on our spiritual journey through Lent consider participating in the weekly noon Lenten community services that will take place every Tuesday in various downtown churches.  The next service will be held at noon at the Front Street United Methodist Church on February 23. A half hour service will be followed by a simple soup and sandwich lunch.  The cost for the meal is just $5. Check with your church or call First Christian UCC for the location of the next Tuesday service.
 
Programs Offered at Johns River Valley Camp

(1) Johns River Valley Camp announces its Spring Workday scheduled for Saturday, March 13, 2010. Additional information is on the Southern Conference web site. Breakfast (8:00 am) and lunch (12:30 pm) are provided (please RSVP). Negotiate with Curly Stumb (e-mail: stumb@boone.net) -- in advance -- regarding work projects, and then arrive at camp with appropriate tools and labor to take on any of an assortment of tasks. Read more
 
(2) Mothers' Retreat at Johns River Valley Camp boasts a time with "No cooking, chores, kids; a time for renewal, relaxation and recreation; a time for personal meditation, study and worship; a time for fellowship, food and fun. Retreat is scheduled for April 16-18. Register by April 1. Details can be found on the SOC and JRVC websites. Registration Form

Church Leadership Training Event in Western North Carolina Promises a Resourceful Afternoon

A Leadership Training School (re-scheduled on March 14 at Corinth Reformed UCC in Hickory, after an earlier weather postponement), and planned by the Catawba District Ministers of WNCA, offers a rich resource for churches in the Western region. Workshops include "Overview of the Gospel of Luke" (by Lenoir-Rhyne University professor Dr. Jonathan Schwiebert), Church websites (Charlie Shankles and Jamie Treadaway), Cross Cultural Experience of South Africa (by PLD student in care Cyndi Burns), The Office of Elder and Deacon in the Church (Rev. Bob Thompson), Spirituality in the Small Membership Church (Rev. Trudy Irving), Liturgical Dance (Ms. Kathy Jachowski), a Choral Music Workshop (Dr. Peter Corneliussen), and "How to Involve your Congregation in Outreach and Missions" (by Rev. Don and Mrs. Jo Anne Flick). A brochure can be downloaded from the SOC website. Registration form

A Message from Rev. Emmett Floyd
 
Dear Friends:
 
We send you warm greetings toward the close of a difficult winter. Hopefully, spring will soon bring warmer days and a renewed spirit for all of us.  We want to share the news that our giving to Our Churches Wider Mission in this new year is down from 2009 which was the lowest in several years.

Our Executive Committee of the Board along with our staff is wrestling with ways that we can deal with this short-fall.  Persons from our National UCC office in Cleveland will be meeting with elected leaders and staff to help chart a new path for Southern Conference.

We covet your prayers as we seek to move forward in new ways of serving our churches.  We also appeal to all our congregations to respond as generously as they possibly can to our current needs.  Any gifts to OCWM will be greatly appreciated and are urgently needed. Thank you for your past support and your continued commitment to our common mission.

Yours in the Service of Christ
Emmett Floyd                                                       
Transitional Interim Minister
 
 
Franklinton Center at Bricks, Inc. to host Conference: African Americans in the UCC - Where we came from, where we are going!
 
A Conference about Black Congregational, Afro Christian and other African American UCC Churches will be held March 8-10, 2010 to exploring and acknowledging our history and charting our future! Any clergy or lay member or friend of the UCC is invited. For information on registration, room, meals and a schedule, contact Rev. Ervin Milton at 252-437-1723 or 800-345-1850

Proclamation, Identity and Communication Ministry will be in attendance. PIC will also tape the event and it is anticipated that selected copies will be available after the conference. Justice and Witness Ministries is providing significant leadership to the event. PIC's participation is but one example of JWM's involvement.

Email us at FranklintonCenter@ucc.org
Visit our web site at www.franklintoncenteratbricks.org.

PLD Director, Mrs. Margot Pickett announces several events:

1. A UCC History and Polity Class for those seeking authorized standing in the Southern Conference is being offered starting March 2. The 6 class sessions will be held at Community UCC, 814 Dixie Trail, Raleigh NC, on March 2, 16, 23, 30, April 6 & 13, from 6:30-9:30 PM. The cost is $300. Read more
 
2. Remember to register for the Voices and Vocations event on March 20 at Trinity UCC, Conover, NC. Rev. Stephen Lewis, National Director, Calling Congregations of The Fund for Theological Education will lead a session on recognizing and nurturing the many and varied gifts of lay leaders. While this certainly includes young people, this forum is not designed for youth, but for Pastors and lay leaders who want to help identify and encourage the giftedness of everyone in their congregation.
 
3.*Save the Date*: Friday, April 16, 2010, 10:00-4:00 for a workshop on Preaching in Times of Crisis, led by Dr. Joseph Jeter, Professor of Preaching at Brite Divinity School. Location: Umstead Park UCC, 8208 Brownleigh Drive, Raleigh, NC 27617. Cost: $50, includes lunch.

For more information or registration about any of the above three events, contact Rev. Margot Trusty Pickett at PLDdirector@verizon.net or 919-493-2722.

From Parish Life and Leadership and Verónica Kramer

The February United Church Employment Opportunities document may be found by accessing the UCC website: http://www.ucc.org/ministers/search-and-call/united-church-employment.html 
 
• The February PLL Bulletin
• Persons Placed
• Disciplinary-Related Actions
• Changes in Ministerial Authorization

UCC Event planned for Office Support Staff
 
If you are office support staff (secretaries) working in any UCC setting, you are already a member of UCCOSSN. To become a part of the Communications Network, please send your name, address, place of employment and email information to www.uccossn.org. Plan to attend the Annual Meeting in Cleveland, OH  on April 8-11, 2010..  You will network with staff from across the United States, meet our national President, hear excellent speakers and tour the national UCC offices. If you have questions, call Linda at the conference office at 336-222-8771.

Informative Program about Alzheimer's Scheduled at Abernethy Laurels
 
NEWTON, NC - Abernethy Laurels announced today they will be hosting the Western Carolina Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association's program, YES WE CAN!

The program will be presented by Nicole Rieger Thomas of the Alzheimer's Association on March 11, 2010 at 3:00 pm on the 3rd floor of the Community Center at Abernethy Laurels.  The program is FREE and open to the public.

Some of the topics to be discussed are how to have positive interactions with someone with dementia; the different types of dementia; different ways to deal with dementia; and how to handle someone with Alzheimer's disease.  If you are living with or caring for someone with dementia, or a family member or friend has been diagnosed with a form of dementia, this program will be of great benefit to you.
Abernethy Laurels, a not-for-profit retirement community located on a gently rolling 120-acre site in Newton, NC, offers a casual, warm atmosphere, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  It is easily accessible to Charlotte, Hickory and Asheville.  Abernethy Laurels combines elegant independent housing with full-service accommodations on a fee-for-service basis.  For more information, contact Carol Ronney or visit www.abernethylaurels.org or call toll free 877-637-7941 or 828-465-8552.

Haiti Relief Nets SOC Results

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Haiti Relief Fund from Southern Conference. Our total contributions are aound $20,000.  
 
Sincerely,
 
Mrs. Linda Carter
 
Ms. Janelle Bunn