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CMA Calendar
September 2010
Tues, Sep 7, 6:30p Shari Melde Ecclesiastical Council at Bethany UCC, 4250 N Paulina St, Chicago 60613; (773) 472-0729.
Sun, Sep 12, 3p Installation Service for Rev. Malcolm J. Griffith as Pastor of Advocate UCC, 2440 York St, Blue Island, IL 60406 (708-389-7470).
Sat, Sep 18, 8:30a - 3p LEEAP Revitalization Workshop, at First Congregational UCC, 700 E. 9th St, Lockport, IL 60441.
Sun, Sep 19, 3p Installation Service for Rev. Sally Iberg as Pastor of Pilgrim Congregational Church, 460 Lake St, Oak Park, IL 60302; 708-848-5860;
Sat, Sep 25 - Sun, Oct 3 Tyron Smith Mission Project trip to New Orleans
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Details and Additional Events
(Listed in Chronological Order)
September 2010
Shari Melde Ecclesiastical Council - Sept 7
On Tuesday, September 7, 2010, at 6:30 p.m., Cluster Two, on behalf of the Chicago Metropolitan Association of the United Church of Christ, will host an Ecclesiastical Council to consider the Ordination of Shari Melde to the Christian Ministry.
All CMA Clergy and Church delegates are urged to attend this important Ecclesiastical event in our life together. A quorum is required for a decision.
The Council will be held at Bethany United Church of Christ, 4250 North Paulina Street, Chicago, IL 60613; (773) 472-0729.
Shari's Ordination paper can be downloaded HERE.
She is a member of St. Pauls UCC in Chicago.
Rev. Malcolm Griffith Installation - Sept 12
The Chicago Metropolitan Association of the United Church of Christ will Install The Rev. Malcolm J. Griffith as Pastor of Advocate United Church of Christ on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 3 pm. The Service will take place at Advocate UCC, 2440 York St, Blue Island, IL 60406.
Guest Speaker will be Rev. Dr. Ozzie E. Smith, Jr., Pastor of Covenant UCC in South Holland, IL, where Rev. Griffith had previously served before becoming founding pastor of Advocate UCC.
All CMA clergy and church members are encouraged to attend this important event in our life together.
All clergy are asked to wear their robes and will gather for the Processional in the Parlor.
For more information please contact Advocate UCC at 708-389-7470.
LEEAP Revitalization Workshop - Sept 18
The Local Evangelism, Envisioning & Planting (LEEAP) ministry of the Illinois Conference is sponsoring a Church Revitalization Workshop on Saturday, September 18, 2010, from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm, at First Congregational UCC, 700 E. 9th St, Lockport, IL 60441.
The workshop will be led by Rev. Dan Smith based on his book Pathway to Renewal, which leads congregations through the renewal process. He will provide an overview of this process and introduce the participants to tools for assessing a congregation's current reality regarding health and decline.
The cost for the workshop including lunch is $30, but for registrations received by September 3rd, the cost is $25 per person. Download the flyer and registration form below and share them with your Council, Consistory, Deacons, Evangelism and Spiritual Life Ministries.
You can pay on-line at: http://www.ilucc.org by clicking on "Donate Now" at the top right hand side of the web page or mail a check with the registration form below.
Download LEEAP Flyer
Download LEEAP Registration Form
Rev. Sally Iberg Installation - Sept 19
The Chicago Metropolitan Association of the United Church of Christ will install The Rev. Sally Iberg as Pastor of Pilgrim Congregational Church in Oak Park on Sunday, September 19, 2010 at 3:00 pm at the church at 460 Lake St, Oak Park, IL 60302; 708-848-5860; www.pilgrimoakpark.org
All CMA Clergy and Church members are encouraged to attend this important Ecclesiastical event in our life together. Clergy are invited to robe and process.
Sally began serving as Senior Pastor at Pilgrim on August 2, 2010.
CTS Advent Lectionary Workshop - Sept 23
Featuring The Rev. John Thomas
Purple Preaching When It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Thursday, September 23, 2010, from 9 am to 3 pm, at First United Church of Oak Park, 848 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL 60301
In the spirit of faithful study and worshipful work, Chicago Theological Seminary is pleased to host another Advent Workshop in preparation for the upcoming liturgical season of Advent. All are invited - ministers, church leaders, worship planning committee members, seminarians and persons interested in biblical study and theological conversations.
Most preachers have struggled to present the rich theological themes of Advent while doling out enough Christmas carols to keep restive congregations at bay. What's at stake in the annual battle for the soul of Advent? Is Advent worth the struggle? This workshop will include lecture and discussion, exploring Biblical texts, classical prayers, and hymns ancient and modern in order to stake out space for the wild prophets, strange visions, and powerful hopes that inhabit this purple season.
The Rev. John Thomas is the Senior Adviser to the President and Visiting Professor in Church Ministries, having joined CTS after serving as the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ for 10 years.
$40 Advance Registration (two weeks prior)
$50 Same Day Registration
$10 Student Registration
Register by calling 773-322-0245 or
Register Online
Download Flyer
ALL are invited: ministers, church leaders, worship planning committee members, seminarians and persons interested in biblical study and theological conversations.
Tyron Smith Mission Project trips for 2010 - 2011
Next Trip Leaves Saturday, September 25
The Chicago Metropolitan Association, through its Church in Society Committee, continues to sponsor and organize volunteer groups to go to New Orleans to participate in the rebuilding and recovery process. Support funding for the UCC recovery efforts is running low, so 2011 may be our last year in which to participate.
There is still one 2010 trip departing Chicago September 25th on Amtrak's City of New Orleans and returning to Chicago on Sunday, October 3. Our lodging will be at St. Paul UCC, close to the Garden District. We have had some cancellations for this trip, so there is space available for eight to ten additional volunteers.
For 2011, we have confirmed dates and lodging as follows:
February 24 - March 7 with lodging at St. Paul UCC
September 24 - October 3 with lodging at St. Paul UCC
Travel for both of these trips is expected to be on Amtrak
The New Orleans homes that were left unliveable but repairable are 45% complete. An estimated 50,000 homes remain that have been abandoned and never touched since the day Katrina stormed ashore in 2005. Most of these are in the process of being condemned and will be razed by the city and the empty lots made available for new construction.
The good news is that many residents who left during the storm, swearing never to return, got homesick and came back, making our volunteer help more necessary.
Over seventy volunteers from some fifteen or so CMA, Fox Valley, and Wisconsin churches have made this trip and no one has returned home without powerful experiences and memories.
For more information and registration materials for the Tyron Smith Mission Project, please contact
Rev. Roger Dart at 847-274-2626 or at rcdart@comcast.net
Illinois Association of Trained Intentional Interim Ministers (ATiiM) Annual Conference September 29-30
ATiiM announces its 19th Annual Conference at Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center to be held on
September 29-30, 2010.
This year's conference will featurie the Rev. Dr. Kris Tenny Brittian, author of Top 10 Ways to Defuse Your Congregational Time Bomb
Kris is currently the Northeast Area Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Mid-America.
This annual event has become one of the premier continuing education events for clergy of a number of denominations and has featured such keynote speakers as: Mark Lau Branson, Israel Galindo, Gil Rendle, Terry Foland, Alice Mann, Jill Hudson and Tex Sample. A bookstore is provided. In addition to the keynote presentations, the event provides for several hours to enjoy the beauty of Starved Rock, the Illinois River and two other nearby state parks.
For further information
download the Brochure and Registration Form here.
Further information is available from Dave Kniker at
dfkniker@comcast.net or 309-853-7814.
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