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Do Justice, Seek Peace, Build Community. 
National UCC Website Illinois Conference Website Other Links CMA Site Sections REGULAR CMA MEETINGSThe entire Chicago Metropolitan Association meets twice each year.Every Fall we have a program meeting with speakers and/or workshops. The next Fall meeting will be Saturday, October 18, 2008 at The Congregational Church of Park Manor in Chicago. Every Spring we have our annual business meeting which includes reports, elections and resolutions. The next Spring business meeting will be Saturday, May 2, 2009 CMA Association Council meetings are traditionally scheduled for the third Monday night of each month, with no regular meetings in July or August, and the January meeting moved to the 4th Monday to avoid the King Holiday. Each meeting begins with dinner at 6pm. The next Council meeting will be Monday, May 19, at 6pm at the CMA office, 332 S Michigan Av, Suite 510, Chicago 60604. CMA Church and Ministry Committee meetings are typically scheduled for the second THURSDAY of every month (except some months in the summer) at St. Peter's United Church of Christ in Elmhurst. ![[ Yahoo! Maps ]](http://us.yimg.com/i/yahootogo/buttons/yahoo_maps.gif){kind=small}
Starting times vary depending on the business scheduled. Subcommittees often meet before the full committee meeting, and have been known to meet as early as 8:00am. Check with your Subcommittee Chair to determine your own schedule. Bring your own lunch. The date of the next regular Church and Ministry Meeting is Thursday, June 12, at St Peter's in Elmhurst. CMA Church in Society Committee: normally meets on the second Tuesday evening of each month from September through June at the CMA office. The next meeting of the Committee will be Tuesday, June 10, at 6:30 pm at the CMA office. Roger Dart is Chair of CIS and can be reached at: rcdart@comcast.net. CMA Constitution The revised constitution, adopted at the annual meeting on May 7, 2005, became effective on June 12, 2005. Download a copy. Illinois Conference Constitution Download the most recent version here. United Church of Christ National Constitution & Bylaws Download the current Constitution here. Download the current Bylaws here. 
ILLINOIS SAFE CHURCH - ABUSE PREVENTION POLICYAfter considerable work and consultation with national leadership, other conferences and many within our Conference, the Illinois Conference Council has approved a policy to express our commitment to creating and maintaining programs, facilities and a community in which employees, volunteers and persons served by the Conference can work together in an atmosphere free from all forms of discrimination, harassment, exploitation and/or intimidation. The policy also puts into place clear guidelines for practices, particularly in ministries involving youth and children.Download Safe Church Policy Here. Please understand that this policy has been approved only for the Illinois Conference itself---our offices, events, ministries, camps, youth programs, etc. While we believe it is a best practices policy for our Conference and it may be utilized as an example for local churches, it is not intended to be a template for local church policies. Local churches are encouraged to look at the UCC Website, particularly: UCC Safe Church Policy PDF There are additional resources available at www.ucc.org; (then search "safe church policies" for additional links). Please remember that each church may and should refine their own policy to meet their particular situation and needs --but EVERY church needs a policy and needs to implement such a policy, not only because our insurance requires it but because it is the right thing to do to protect all the people of our churches and particularly the most vulnerable. Children of the IncarceratedJoin the Community Renewal Society and its community partners for on going discussions with those who are coping with and challenging the effects of parental incarceration.As part of our Children of the Incarcerated campaign, we are reaching out to those communities most affected, engaging members in a series of actionable discussions. Research shows that, without intervention, a large percentage - some estimates go as high as 70 percent - of children with parents involved in the criminal justice system are themselves likely to end up in the system. Community Renewal wants to end this cycle of intergenerational incarceration. Across the nation, children of the incarcerated, as much as their parents, bear the consequences of a misdeed or a mistake. They are disproportionately poor, African American and Latino and, for many, their lives are shaped by the same cycle of recidivism that ensnares their incarcerated parents. This cycle leaves children of the incarcerated bound by poverty, violence, uncertainty and deprivation. Community Renewal’s 18-month Children of the Incarcerated campaign combines public education, civic engagement and direct advocacy and will lead the region in developing public policy initiatives that address the needs of children with incarcerated parents. Find more information: On the CRS Website Download a Fact Sheet Renewal in the Wilderness 2008Trip dates and information for 2008 for Renewal in the Wilderness are available to download HERE.A couple of new trips have been added, including Kayaking in Lake Superior around the amazing Apostle Islands where we'll see caves decorated with ancient pictographs, rocky shores, boreal forests and some of the most pristine wilderness imaginable. This is a week-long trip. We've also added a schedule of one-day canoe trips, around the Chicago area, for those who cannot get away for longer trips but still want to experience God's presence through nature. |
Sunday, May 18, 2008 UCC resources available here Herry Mukdani Ordination - May 25CMA will Ordain Dr. Herry Mukdani to the Christian Ministry on Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 3:00 pm at the United Church of Hyde Park, 1448 E. 53rd Street, Chicago 60615 (773-363-1620).Dr. Mukdani has been called by Universitas Ma Chung in Jawa, Timur, Indonesia to join the faculty there. Herry has a Ph.D in theology from Chicago Theological Seminary. All clergy, church members and friends in CMA are encouraged to attend. Rob Leveridge Ordination - June 14On Saturday, June 14, 2008, the Chicago Metropolitan Association of the United Church of Christ will Ordain Rob Leveridge to the Christian Ministry at 4:00 pm at Galewood Community Church UCC, 1776 North Narragansett Av, Chicago (773-889-3337).Rob is a member of Galewood Community Church and has been called by Chicago Theological Seminary to be Minister for Seminary Relations. Please join us for worship ancd celebration. Clergy are invited to robe and process. A dinner reception will follow at the church. CMA Spring Meeting held in LombardThe CMA Spring Meeting was held on Saturday, May 3, 2008 at First Church of Lombard United Church of Christ. The theme for the meeting was To Your Health!The Rev. Rob Hatfield and the staff and congregation of First Church of Lombard were our hosts, and did a magnficent job of making us feel at home. From the careful planning to the helpful volunteers, wonderful food, moving worship service, and thoughtful attention to detail, the church members made this a meeting to be proud of. The business meeting included election and installation new CMA officers, members of the Association Council, and members of CMA Committees on Church & Ministry, Church in Society, Nominating and Staff Relations, as well as members of various Illinois Conference Committees. The Association adopted The Covenantal Relationship Between the Chicago Metropolitan Association and the Local Church. and an amendment to the CMA constitution incorporating that covenant. The workshops included a program designed by the CMA Church in Society Committee in partnership with Advocate Healthcare and the Illinois Campaign for Better Healthcare to local congregations to opportunities to participate in a Health Care Initiative promoting awareness and advocacy. Another workshop considered Sacred Conversations on Race, a program the national office of the UCC is encouraging congregations to discuss on May 18. Tyron Smith Memorial Mission Trips to New OrleansRegistration deadline: July 31, 2008 Our help is still very much needed! As the fifth largest body of churches in the United Church of Christ, we of CMA should be able to provide the fifth largest amount of help to those whose lives are still scattered across the Gulf Coast. We have a way to go, but we can do this! Our past trips have been rich and rewarding times. Ask any of those who were there! We put up drywall, painted, wired telephones, and tiled and grouted floors. And, we did those things without having any special skills. We went with open hearts and eager hands that enabled us to learn new skills. (We also had some good teachers.) But more important than fixing walls, floors and doors, we helped heal lives that had come close to being destroyed. Our government has provided only minimal physical help, and nothing in the way of leadership. They have written off most of the people of New Orleans, casting them aside as though they were just a bunch of plastic grocery bags. Once home to 425,000 or so, New Orleans is now home to only about 140,000. Most of it’s residents have not returned from all of the places to which they were forced to run for fear of being swept away by the furious forces of Hurricane Katrina. The good news is that if you wanted to add your hands and heart to those in distress, you still can! We have reserved three additional dates over the next fourteen months so that all of you who didn’t get to go this past May, can go. Go get your hands dirty and know the joy of watching someone get their home and their life back. There is no shortage of people who would like to return to their former homes, or homesites. (Many homes simply disappeared in the onslaught of water.) THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF PEOPLE TO DO THE WORK. Our next trip will be: Registration deadline: July 31, 2008 Each group will consist of up to twenty (20) volunteers. Housing in New Orleans will be at St. Paul UCC, at 600 Eleonore Street, in the beautiful old Garden District of the city. All other details regarding your participation are included in your volunteer packet. To obtain your packet contact: Roger Dart rcdart@comcast.net 847-945-6015 Rev. Ben McNeal aandbmcn@msn.com 708-447-0309 Rev. Bob Tripp rjtripp@ameritech.net 815-479-1308 Download Flyer Here CMA Boundary Training WorkshopsThe next CMA Boundary Training Workshop, which is now required of all clergy with standing in CMA and all those In Care with CMA, will be held on the following date:This training event will be held at the CMA office in downtown Chicago, and is open to both those In Care and those with standing. CMA boundary training uses the current Faith Trust Institute video-based curriculum plus a variety of supplemental materials. This current boundary training curriculum was first offered in January 2005. If you took CMA boundary training before 2005, you will have to take it again based on the new curriculum. This CMA training is accepted throughout the Illinois Conference. Other UCC conferences may or may not accept this training. At this point, CMA boundary training need only be taken once, so if you have taken the training with CMA after 2004 and received a certificate, you do not need to sign up again. Refresher courses may be offered in the future. Each program will begin promptly at 9:00 am sharp on both days. Please plan to arrive by 8:45 am. You must be on time. The program concludes at 5:00 pm on the first day and 4:00 pm on the second day. The CMA office is located at 332 S. Michigan Ave, Suite 510, Chicago, IL, which is convenient for all public transportation. There is ample parking in the Grant Park South Garage, the south end of which is located right in front of our building. You enter the garage from an entrance lane on the left side of northbound Michigan Avenue immediately north of Van Buren Street. YOU MUST ATTEND ALL DAY BOTH DAYS TO RECEIVE CREDIT FOR THESE TRAININGS. The registration fee is $30 for clergy and $10 for In Care. The fee includes all meals and materials both days. Send your registration form and check (payable to CMA) to the CMA office. Attendance is limited to 16 participants. A Registration Form can be DOWNLOADED HERE. We believe this training will greatly enhance your effectiveness in ministry and be a blessing to you and the people you serve. If you have any questions about the training, please contact Rev. Edward Goode or Rev. Michael Denton at CMA at 312-939-5918. |
"Never place a period where God has placed a comma." Boundary Training now required for all clergy and In Care students in CMA. PLANNING AHEADDetails and other events can be found on our Events PageCMA EVENTS: OTHER EVENTS: General SynodsThe next General Synod of the United Church of Christ will be June 26 - 30, 2009 in Grand Rapids Michigan.The following General Synod will be June 17 - 21, 2011 in Hawaii. CMA Forms OnlineHas your call or contact information changed? Need to fill out the Annual Information Review Update Form for all clergy with standing in CMA? Click on the form link above to download the form, print it, fill it out, and mail it to CMA. UCC Publications and Profiles Are Now OnlineThe complete UCC Manual on Ministry and several other UCC publications are now available online and can be read or downloaded in PDF format with Acrobat Reader. Publications available include:You can also now prepare and then update your UCC Ministerial Profile online. Faith and Wisdom: www.faithandwisdom.org is a searchable database of continuing education opportunities for clergy. The site is maintained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America but jointly sponsored by several mainline Protestant denominations including the United Church of Christ. The database can be search by topic, location, type of offering, denominational affiliation as well as several other categories. Trinity United Church of Christ, ChicagoMore Trinity on YouTube Midwest Seminarians Conference OCT 3-5This year seminary students in the Midwest region are invited to a Seminarian Gathering at Church House, the UCC national headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 3-5, 2008. This is a great opportunity for seminarians to meet one another, be introduced to the resources and staff of the national setting of the church, and join in worship and workshops. Please remember that we are only able to offer this opportunity because of the partnership with our conferences and associations. The student contributes $100.00, the association where the student is In Care contributes $100.00, and the UCC Parish Life and Leadership Ministry in Cleveland pays the remainder of the costs for airfare, rooming (double occupancy), meals and programming.All seminary students are encouraged to attend. Registration information will be available in March 2008. Contact Rev. Lynn Bujnak at bujnakl@ucc.org The assistance of all of the churches in Illinois Conference is needed to help replenish Disaster Clean Up Kits or having special offerings to help with delivery expenses, etc. Kit contents can be found on the Disaster link of the Conference website. Further information can be had by contacting either of the conference coordinators: Support Fair TradeBuy fair trade coffee and other fair trade items for your home, church and office. Read more at the website for the Chicago Committee on Fair Trade. Urge your friends and co-workers to do likewise.Chicago Interfaith Committee on Worker IssuesIsaiah says that in God’s economy, No longer will God’s people build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat (65:22).Join the Chicago Interfaith Committee on Worker Issues and other concerned religious leaders to learn more about worker issues and ongoing campaigns. Chicago Interfaith Committee on Worker Issues 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Av - 4th floor, Chicago, IL 60660-4627 Phone: 773-728-8400 Fax: 773-728-8409 www.chicagointerfaith.org Contact: Sister Barbara Pfarr at 773-728-8400 ext. 19 or at: bpfarr@iwj.org. Help Church World Service Fight HungerThe United Church of Christ is a supporting member of Church World Service and sends a significant amount of its mission gifts through CWS.Download a flyer here. Visit the CWS Website. LMPC Program Brochures AvailableLombard Mennonite Peace Center offers an ongoing schedule of programs on conflict resolution and family systems theory including the Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders and the Healthy Congregations Facilitator Training Institute.For information & brochures visit the LMPC website at: www.LMPeaceCenter.org or call them at 630-627-0507 |
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