Transitions announced

Lou Taylor, who served churches in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Colorado and Oregon before coming to the PNC in 1984, died Feb. 11.  He served as pastor in Forks and Wenatchee, served at Northwest Counseling and Consulting Associates and was administrator for the Lay Licensed Ministry for the PNC. 

Marj Johnston will be installed at 2 p.m., Saturday, May 12, at First Congregational UCC in Dayton.

Marsha Williams was installed March 2 as pastor of the United Church of Christ in Blaine.

At United Churches in Olympia,  Jill Komura is contracted as temporary associate pastor.  Mark Boyd celebrated his last day as youth minister on March 11 to transition to be the new director at N-Sid-Sen.

Craig Rennebohm retires in June from his role as associate pastor in mental health chaplaincy, an ecumenical outreach ministry of Prospect Congregational UCC.

Becky Withington, a member in discernment, was approved for ordination and has been called to Everett United Church of Christ.

Lauren Cannon, a member in discernment of the Chicago Metropolitan Association, has been called as associate pastor of Keystone Congregational UCC.

Eastside Clergy Retreat focus is on money and work

“At the Heart of It: Conversations about Money and Work” is the theme for the PNC’s Eastside Clergy Retreat from noon, Monday, May 14, to 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 16, at N-Sid-Sen on Lake Coeur d’Alene.  Participants will consider how they as clergy live into their pastoral roles and how to look at money with new lenses. For information, contact Tara Barber at barbertara@hotmail.com.

Kate Huey leads stewardship workshops in three locations

Kate Huey, minister for stewardship, Scripture and discipleship with the national UCC Local Church Ministries, will lead three workshops in the PNC on “Stewardship in the Local Church: Stewardship as Spiritual Practice, Telling the Story, and Forbidden Topics in Stewardship.”

The workshops are from 3 to 7 p.m., Thursday, May 10, at Westminster Congregational UCC in Spokane; from 3 to 7 p.m., Friday, May 11, at First Church of Bellingham UCC, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, May 12 at Plymouth Congregational UCC in Seattle.

Huey produces the UCC weekly preaching resource, “Sermon Seeds,” and the Bible study, “Weekly Seeds,” on ucc.org.  She has served with the national UCC since 2000.

The workshops are sponsored by the PNC-UCC Stewardship Committee.

Registration will be available soon at http://www.pncucc.org.

Environmental Justice Training will be held April 20 to 22

The Environmental Justice Training will be held April 20 to 22 at the new Environmental Justice Center at Pilgrim Firs Camp and Conference Center in Port Orchard.  The program will immerse participants from around the United States, and particularly the Northwest, in values of a justice-centered response to climate change and environmental equity.  Those trained will return to their home communities to communicate five core values of environmental justice based on biblical and ethical principles—gratitude, humility, justice, responsibility and community.

For information, call 360-876-2031 or visit http://pilgrimfirs.org and http://www.ucc.org.

 

Summer camp sessions set

At Pilgrim Firs, the PNC camp season begins with the Leadership Retreat, May 18 to 20; Work Camp, May 25 to 27; Spiritual Renewal GLBTQ, June 1 to 3; Young Adults, June 22 to 24.

The Senior High camp is July 1 to 7; Junior High, July 8 to 14; Intermediate, July 15 to 21; Kids, July 22 to 25, and Family, Aug. 19 to 23

At N-Sid-Sen’s retirement party for manager Randy Crowe is April 14.

Other retreats and camps are Women’s Retreat, May 10 to 16; Work Camp, June 10 to 16; Kids, July 8 to 11; Intermediate, July 8 to 14; Junior High Aqua, Aug. 5 to 11; Senior High Aqua, July 22 to 28; Family Camp #1, July 29 to Aug. 4, and Family Camp #2, Aug. 12 to 18.

For information, call Pilgrim Firs, 360-876-2031 orN-Sid-Sen, 208-689-3489.

 

Global Ministries group plans visit to Germany and Poland

The PNC Global Ministries Committee are recruiting five to 15 people to join in atwo-week, people-to-people partnership visit to Germany and Poland during September. Participants will connect with global partners in the Berlin-Brandenburg Synod of the Evangelical United Church. 

For information on joining the delegation should email jim@spraker.net.

 

State’s Faith Action Network names new co-director

Jackie O’Ryan is joining the leadership team of the Faith Action Network (FAN), Washington’s faith advocacy organization formed last year by the unity of the Washington Association of Churches (WAC) and Lutheran Public Policy Office.

She served as communication director for One America, Catholic Community Services of Western Washington, UFCW Local 21, Lakeside School and Seattle City Council.  She is a member of Seattle’s St. James Cathedral.  She follows retiring co-director Alice Woldt, who served almost 25 years on executive staff at the Church Council of Greater Seattle and the WAC.

For information, call 206-625-9790.

 

Mediation training set

The Lombard Mennonite Peace Center is holding a Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily, April 30 to May 4 at First Christian Church of Kent.  For information, visit http://www.LMPeaceCenter.org.

 

Inner Journey of Aging set

Carol Scott Kassner, a commissioned UCC minister on the spirituality of aging and a certified Sage-ing Leader, is exploring “The Inner Journey of Aging” from 1 to 3, Tuesdays, from April 3 to May 6, at University Congregational UCC in Seattle.  She points out that the tasks of the first half of life are about surviving and then explore conscious and healthy aging, facing life’s gains and losses, doing spiritual repairs, considering spiritual legacies and finding life’s deepest meaning.

For information, call 206-524-2322.

Copyright Pacific Northwest Conference News © April-May 2012