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Archived Items Previously Posted on the CMA Website Through September 2004


THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30: BUILDING BRIDGES BEYOND PADS

The public is invited to meet Mark Milligan, Founder and Director of BRIDGE COMMUNITIES, working together to help homeless families become self-sufficient in 2 years. Mark will be with us to share how we can start a program in our area. Mark has devoted his life to helping people who would otherwise be homeless to participate in a two year program. The family is provided housing at a modest rent fee along with furnishings and assistance with food, child care, job training and eventual employment with remuneration sufficient to provide for the families needs. At the end of two years the family is empowered to be self-sufficient and "graduates" from the program.

It's really an exciting program. I hope you and members of your faith community will be in attendance to hear about this program. A desired outcome of this meeting is an agreement among several faith-based groups (churches, temples/synagogues, etc.) to sponsor one family in the very near future.

Our meeting is Thursday, September 30, 2004 at 7pm at Faith United Protestant Church, 10 Hemlock St, Park Forest, IL (708-747-1330).

Directions: Take I-57 South and exit at U.S. 30 East; Then Right on Orchard, Left on Indianwood, Right into U.S. Bank parking lot. Use playground entrance to church.

Several pastors have shown the "Bridge" video to boards or committees in your faith community. Those who have not seen it but would like to borrow it for viewing, may contact Steve Hanning, Pastor of Faith United Protestant Church at 708-747-1330, or Debbie Anderson at 708-748-6951, to arrange a time to pick it up and return it.

If you know of others who should receive this announcement, please forward it on.

The BRIDGE program is sponsored by FAITH HELPING HANDS, a consortium of Christians, Jews, Ba Hai, & Hindu faith communities and Human Services and Governmental Agencies. If you would like to work with us on the challenge of providing housing for low-income families, we meet at noon on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at New Faith Baptist Church, 25 S. Central Road, Matteson, IL

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25: MINISTERING TO YOUTH AFTER CONFIRMATION

The Illinois Conference's Partners in Education presents a workshop entitled: Ongoing Faith: Ministry with Youth after Confirmation led by the Reverend K. Ray Hill, church educator and teacher, on Saturday, September 25, 2004, at Pilgrim Park. The cost for the workshop is $15 and includes a meal and supplies. The workshop starts at 9:00 AM and concludes at 3:00 PM. Come and share in this excellent opportunity.

Each year, the Illinois Conference Partners in Education sponsors two training events. This fall, we are focusing on ministries with youth. As educators committed to the teaching ministries of the church, we believe that we possess and continue to grow into a vision for educational youth ministry that extends past confirmation. We are concerned with the specific needs that arise in small group ministries and the particular ways spiritual growth / faith growth occur during adolescence. We also desire an event where additional concerns related to ministry with youth may be identified and discussed openly.

Workshop Leader: Rev. K. Ray Hill, an ordained pastor and teacher serving Maple Temple UCC in Raleigh, NC. He is a former business consultant who now uses his gifts and skills for enhancing the ministries of the local church. He was formerly Program Associate in Christian Education for the 135 churches of the Eastern North Carolina Association, Southern Conference UCC; he serves as Southern Region representative on the Association of United Church Educators and serves on the UCC Local Church Ministries Committee on Certification for Church Educators.

Schedule:

  • 9 AM: Greetings by co-conveners and Introduction of Rev. K. Ray Hill

  • 9:15-10:00: Keynote Address by Rev. Hill

  • 10:30-noon: Morning workshop (led by Rev. Hill)

  • Noon: Lunch

  • 1:00-1:30: Reflections and discussion starters

  • 1:30-3:00: Afternoon workshop led by Rev. Hill

    For more information and to register, please contact: Rev. Dr. Thom Bower, Partners in Education co-convener, Chicago Theological Seminary, 5757 S. University Ave, Chicago, IL 60637; 773-322-0243; email: Tbower@ctschicago.edu

    For more information you may also call Bob and Martha Selby at 630-355-3709 or email them at: bselby5186@aol.com.

    Join the UCC God is Still Speaking Initiative

    RSVP for the meeting on Saturday, September 25 at CMA to learn more about it and to enable your Church to join (details below)

    Deadline for churches to join is October 1st


    The UCC National Office has announced that October 1st is the deadline for local UCC churches to opt-in to the God Is Still Speaking Initiative.

    By Opting-in an individual UCC congregation indicates that they want to participate in the program.

    As part of this initiative, the UCC will air a national TV commercial beginning in November 2004 to start raising identity awareness of the UCC. We feel the UCC is one of the best-kept secrets around.

    You can view the commercial on the UCC Still Speaking website at: www.stillspeaking.com

    When your church opts-in, your congregation will be included on the website list of congregations participating in the Initiative so that people viewing the commercials or visiting the national website will be referred to your church if it is in their selected community.

    A team of people from your congregation will go through a three-hour training program in order to prepare the church for people visiting in response to the advertisements. The UCC wants to make sure that the promises made in the commercial are fulfilled by participating congregations.

    CMA will conduct this three-hour training program on Saturday, September 25 from 10a - 12:30p at the CMA Offices. Get the complete story on the STILL SPEAKING INITIATIVE and find out what it could mean to your Church by attending this meeting. Please RSVP to the CMA office at 312-939-5918.

    Churches choosing to become part of the STILL SPEAKING INITIATIVE may do so upon completion of this session.

    There may also be future "update and move ahead" sessions that will not be required as part of the initiative but will be offered to supplement and continue the process. Congregations who do not send representatives to the training cannot be included on the list of participating churches.

    To opt-in simply CLICK HERE. You can opt-in on line, or you can print off the form and fax it in.

    Even though the ad campaign doesn't begin until mid-November, you will need time to attend the training program and to receive materials to be sent to your church. So please opt-in right away. If you decide to change your mind and not attend the training, you can still make that choice later. So far 15 CMA churches have opted-in to this initiative. We hope as many CMA churches as possible can participate. (You do not have to be an official ONA church to take part.) Visit the UCC website and OPT-IN today.

    To read more about the UCC God Is Still Speaking Initiative visit the Still Speaking website at: www.stillspeaking.com

    For more information about CMA's participation in this initiative and the upcoming training program, please contact CMA Association Co-Minister Rev. Edward Goode.


    SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25: STILL SPEAKING INITIATIVE MEETING

    The God is Still Speaking Initiative is a new cooperative effort among UCC Conferences and the national setting of the UCC to meet two inter-related challenges:

  • Lack of a distinctive identity for the United Church of Christ among its members, congregations, and the public

  • Declining financial support for the church in all settings: local, conference, national, and international.

    In Chicago---we're beginning with an Invitation.

    Join us Saturday September 25th from 10a-12:30p at the CMA Offices to get the complete picture of the STILL SPEAKING INITIATIVE and find out what it could mean to your Church.

    Churches choosing to become part of the STILL SPEAKING INITIATIVE may do so upon completion of this session.

    The Stillspeaking Initiative will create and manage an identity advertising campaign for the United Church of Christ based on the "God is still speaking" theme.

    The campaign will include television commercials broadcast here in Chicago.

    The "God is Still Speaking" campaign is directed at current members of UCC churches just as much as outsiders or potential visitors or new members. Resources including Bible studies and adult education materials will be made available to make UCC identity part of congregational life.

    Read more about it on our Home Page.

    SEPTEMBER 20-24: FIVE-DAY TRAINING: Providing Spiritual Care in Disasters

    Seminar and Training for Clergy and Endorsed Laypersons

    Police, firefighters and emergency workers are dispatched immediately to the scene of a disaster to aid victims and their families. Yet there is another kind of first responder - the spiritual caregiver. Faith communities and professional chaplains need to become an integral part of the response to disasters in the Chicagoland area.

    Join with Chicago-area clergy of all faiths on a Spiritual Care Response Team to meet spiritual needs born of disaster.

    The University of Chicago Hospitals and the Chicago Department of Public Health, through a federal grant from the Human Resources and Services Administration, will offer training programs to prepare clergy of all faiths to respond to disasters ranging from attacks using weapons of mass destruction or bioterrorism to events such as the E2 nightclub tragedy, the County Building fire, and last year’s north side porch collapse.

    A Five-Day Training will be offered twice, September 20-24 and October 11-15; both from 9-5 each day, at Hyde Park Union Church 5600 S. Woodlawn Av, Chicago, IL 60637. This training will include:

  • emotional, physical, spiritual responses to trauma
  • specific spiritual care responses to people in crisis
  • interfaith and multi-cultural sensitivities in disaster response
  • incident command structure and the role of spiritual care providers
  • mock disaster scenario

    There is no charge for either event.

    Those who complete the Five-Day Training will be eligible to receive a Disaster Spiritual Care credential from the City of Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications. Through a comprehensive disaster response network they will be called upon to provide spiritual care in the event of a disaster in the City of Chicago, or in the case of a bio-outbreak at medical centers such as The University of Chicago Hospitals. There will be quarterly follow-up meetings to continue the education process and to keep team members abreast of the latest developments.

    Please pass this information along to clergy who would be interested in such training. A brochure can be downloaded by clicking Here (1) and Here (2).

    Spiritual Care in Disaster: Become Part of the Team

    Contact: Therese M. Becker, Manager, Department of Spiritual Care, University of Chicago Hospitals, 5841 S Maryland Av - MC2120, Chicago, IL 60637-1470; Phone: 773-702-6574; fax: 773-834-2526; email: therese.becker@uchospitals.edu

    FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17-18: Our Whole Lives Curriculum Training

    Our Whole Lives is a Church School Curriculum that presents a comprehensive approach to human sexuality in an age-appropriate manner. These educational programs are based firmly on the values of respect, responsibility, justice and inclusivity and will help young people apply these values to their behavior and provides them with information and skills they can use throughout life.

    A Teacher Training Workshop for OWL Grades 7-9 will be held September 17-18 in Rockford. Registration Deadline is August 25. Registrar/Contact Info is Dori Davenport; phone 708-805-1866; email: doriduure@aol.com. Our Whole Lives teachers: if you know of anyone who would like to receive the trainings, please pass the information along.

    Information about the Curriculum generally is available from Ann L. Hanson, Minister for Children, Families and Human Sexuality in the Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115; 216-736-3718; email: hansona@ucc.org; website: www.ucc.org/justice/owl.

    A second Teacher Training Workshop for OWL Grades 7-9 and 10-12 will be held December 3-4 in the Chicago area. Registration Deadline is November 12. Contact Dori Davenport about this workshop also.

    (Posted 08/09/04 thru 9/20/04) CHOIR DIRECTOR: ST. PAUL'S - GOOD SHEPHERD UNITED PROTESTANT CHURCH, Park Forest, Illinois

    St. Paul's-Good Shepherd United Protestant Church in Park Forest, Illinois, is looking for a Choir Director. We have an enthusiastic 15-member choir and a dedicated church organist. The choir rehearses on Wednesday nights and sings at our 10 am Sunday Worship Service. If interested, please send a resume to St. Paul's-Good Shepherd Church, 480 Lakewood Blvd, Park Forest, IL 60466; or call 708-748-5451 for more information.


    (Posted 07/30/04 thru 09/17/04) YOUTH ASSOCIATE (Part-time): CHRIST CHURCH OF CHICAGO, Chicago, Illinois

    July 30, 2003

    Christ Church of Chicago, United Church of Christ, is interested in considering applicants for a part-time Youth Associate position. A position description is attached, and we would appreciate your making it available to students and other interested parties along with the information about our church below.

    Christ Church of Chicago UCC, located in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, is a growing congregation of about 180 confirmed members. Weekly worship attendance averages 90, and there are five Sunday School classes and a nursery. The present building was purchased from a Lutheran congregation and occupied in December, 1999.

    The church was established in 1948 by Japanese American Christians, who were relocated to Chicago from World War II internment camps. Christ Church is a warm and inviting community of faith that celebrates its rich heritage while eagerly welcoming the diverse peoples within this city neighborhood. The various activities throughout the year are a rich blend of Japanese traditions and American customs. The church is accepting of a broad range of theological stances and spiritual journeys and is supportive of the interfaith marriages that are represented in the congregation.

    The Sunday School year begins the week after Labor Day in September and ends in June. During the summer there are special and enriching worship experiences that include all ages. In September, the Sunday schedule begins with an education hour at 10 AM for Sunday School classes and adult forums and is followed by all-ages worship at 11 AM.

    This past year, the senior high youth group was revitalized and a new junior high group was formed. We hope to offer regular opportunities for spiritual growth, service to others, and fellowship.

    Thank you for your assistance. If you need further information, please call the church at 773-338-8170.

    Sincerely,

    Rev. Gloria G. Hopewell, Minister


    JOB DESCRIPTION

    This part-time staff position will provide leadership in junior and senior high school ministries with particular focus on forging relationships with the youth and their parents and providing regular opportunities for spiritual growth, service to others, and fellowship. The Youth Associate will work in collaboration with the Board of Christian Education. Direct responsibility will be to the Minister of the church.

    Responsibilities

  • Builds and strengthens the junior and senior high youth groups
  • Plans, coordinate, and carries out the regular youth group meetings and special fellowship events and service projects (ideally this would include occasional retreats, regional or national youth events, and work camps)
  • Is involved in some teaching on Sunday mornings
  • Plans and coordinates periodic youth-lead worship services (including Easter sun-rise service)
  • Assists the senior minister with confirmation classes and events
  • Attends Christian Education Board meetings and works with the Board in the formulation of goals and policies and development of programs
  • Prepares and submits yearly youth budget to CE Board
  • Prepares youth report for the church's annual meeting
  • Maintains regular communications through parent/family meetings, e-mails, bulletin boards, newsletter articles, weekly bulletins
  • Keeps abreast of new developments in church education and attends workshops/conferences to support youth ministry and for professional growth

    Time Requirements: 10-12 hours per week, including Sunday mornings

    Qualifications:

  • Commitment to the Christian faith and familiarity with progressive and inclusive mainline Protestant churches
  • Passion for youth ministry and working with children
  • Ability to work collegially with volunteers and staff
  • Experience in a church setting in either volunteer or professional positions
  • Some seminary training

    Those interested in applying for this position should send a resume with cover l etter to the attention of Rev. Gloria Hopewell at:
    Christ Church of Chicago, UCC
    6047 N. Rockwell Street
    Chicago IL 60659
    E-mail: ChristChurchChicago@comcast.net

    For questions or additional information, please call Rev. Hopewell at 773-338-8170.

    THURSDAYS, SEPTEMBER 16 & 23: FUNDRAISING WORKSHOPS

    Steve Havey will be leading 2 final Fundraising Workshops in September for the Illinois Conference Capital Funds Campaign:

  • Thursday, September 16 at 6:30pm at St. Peter's UCC, 125 W Church St, Elmhurst

  • Thursday, September 23 at 6:30pm at First UCC, 907 Paul St, Ottawa

    We encourage you to attend one of these workshops if you have not already done so, and, spread the word to those in your churches who may find this learning beneficial. These are really informative workshops that can help with all sorts of fundraising needs in your churches and communities.

    Please RSVP so we might prepare appropriately. Contact Jan Johnson, Director of Follow Up, Illinois Conference Capital Funds Campaign; phone: 309-267-3260; fax: 309-925-5374; email: ilconfcfc@insightbb.com Also, if you need directions, leave that message too and we will get that information to you.

    Illinois Conference Minister Returns from Africa: Rev. Jane Fisler Hoffman returned August 30th from a five week trip to Africa on behalf of the Illinois Conference and the national United Church of Christ. She and others from the UCC were visiting mission friends in Ghana, South Africa and Angola, and attending the meeting of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. In Angola they visited a church that became a partner with the Illinois Conference under a resolution adopted at the conference's annual meeting in June at Elmhurst College.

    Hannah and Martin

    Winner of six Jeff citations, Hannah and Martin tells the story of Jewish political theorist Hannah Arendt who is thrown into turmoil when and her lover and mentor, the renowned philosopher Martin Heidegger, develops ties to the Nazi party and becomes a vocal supporter of Hitler. After the war, she returns to Germany and must weigh the consequences of forgiving Martin for his actions and question whether or not love can overcome everything. Windy City Times says "it challenges, entertains, enlightens. It is a nearly flawless theatrical experience."

    Powerful and well-acted, Hannah and Martin raises many of the troubling questions we face again today. It runs through October 10, 2004 at TimeLine Theatre Company, 615 W. Wellington Av, Chicago 60657 (The Wellington Ave UCC church building); phone 773-281-8463 or visit www.timelinetheatre.com.

    Read Timeline's Study Guide for Hannah and Martin.

    Islamic Society of North America
    Interfaith Unity Banquet

    The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) and The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) cordially invite you to attend the ISNA's 6th annual Interfaith Unity Banquet on Friday, September 3, 2004 from 6:00 - 9:00 pm in the Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, across from the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Rd., Rosemont, Illinois.

    The dinner will be held as part of the Islamic Society of North America's 2004 Convention to which you are also invited. The Convention runs for two days: Saturday, September 4, and Sunday, September 5, also at the Stephens convention Center in Rosemont.

    Attendance at both events is free, but your RSVP is needed to the Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Office at the Archdiocese of Chicago. Please consider attending and forward this invitation to those in your parish or agency that may be interested. This will be a unique opportunity to learn more about Islam and the Muslim community

    To RSVP and for more information, please call 312-751-5325 or send an email to eia@archchicago.org.

    A flyer and RSVP form can be downloaded HERE.

    The Peoples Church of Chicago
    Annual Labor Day Picnic for the Homeless

    Monday September 6th

    The Peoples Church of Chicago, a member of both the United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist Association, invites you to support this unique end of the summer event, which honors homeless members of our Uptown neighborhood.

    Several years ago, Peoples Church member Billy Hand Robinson first proposed the idea of a Labor Day Picnic for people who are homeless. Billy, who had himself experienced homelessness, understood that living on the streets is hard work. Finding meals, shelter, a restroom or a place to relax in relative privacy -- resources that many of us take for granted -- requires tremendous energy and effort when one is homeless. In recognition of this kind of labor, and as part of our ministry to celebrate the dignity of all people, The Peoples Church hosts a Labor Day Picnic by the lake every September.

    Hundreds of guests attend the picnic each year, enjoying a first rate barbeque complete with ribs, chicken, sausage, hamburgers, hot dogs, salad, fruit, bread, chips, and cookies. Because The Peoples Church has very limited financial resources, nearly everything -- from the food to the trash bags -- is donated. Thus, the event can only continue through the generosity of supporters like you. We ask you to consider a donation in support of this year's picnic.

    Our wish list includes: 30 solid colored t shirts (all the same color to identify volunteers), paper and plastic goods for 450 guests, one barrel grill, one large subzero freezer, and monetary gifts to support the picnic.

    If you are interested in helping us with any of these items, please call the Rev. Alison Buttrick Patton at 773-384-2369 or email Craig Patton at craigdbpatton@att.net for additional information. Thank you for your time and generosity.

    Grace and Peace, Rev. Dr. Susan Harlow, President, Board of Trustees, The Peoples Church of Chicago, 941 W. Lawrence Ave, P.O. Box 408319, Chicago, IL 60640; Phone: 773-784-6633; Fx: 773-784-6614; www.peopleschurchofchicago.org

    THE PEOPLES CHURCH OF CHICAGO
    A CHURCH FOR ALL PEOPLE

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