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Transitions announced

Alan Claassen is interim of First Congregational Church in Bellingham. He has served churches in Oregon and California.

Amy Furth, a member of University Congregational UCC, is a chaplain with University of Washington Medical Center.

Mark Miller returns to the PNC conference and is serving as interim pastor at Congregational Church on Mercer Island.

Jan Shannon has been licensed to serve at Westminster UCC in Spokane. She is working with middle school youth and leading an adult class.

Kathleen Morgan retired after serving multiple churches in the conference.

Boundary training sessions offered

To maintain standing in the Pacific Northwest Conference, clergy with standing and licensed pastors are required to take a boundary training workshop once every three years.

The training offered to prevent misconduct by people in positions of power and those who work with children and vulnerable people.

Each is responsible to be sure his or her training is current, with verification sent to the Conference Office. Retired clergy who have been granted “Inactive Retired” standing in ministry are exempt from this requirement.

Members in Discernment are also required to have Boundary Training before beginning any internship placement.

A two-day Clergy Boundary Training session is planned from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 24, and 8:30 a.m. to noon, Friday, April 25, at Fauntleroy UCC, 9140 California Ave. SW in Seattle.

Both sessions are required to obtain credit. The sessions are sponsored by the PNC-UCC Committee on Ministry and led by the Rev. Tara Barber.

For information, contact Marj Johnston, Eastside chair, by calling 509-730-9969 or emailing pastormarj@gmail.com, or Tara Barber, Westside chair, by calling 425-213-9335 or emailing barbertara@hotmail.com.

Another option is to participate in “Building Safe Communities” Boundaries Training session, being offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, May 29, at Christ Lutheran Church in Fauntleroy, for rostered leaders and professional staff of the Northwest Washington and Southwestern Washington synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

This training will be led by the Rev. Mark Nelson, coordinator for missional leadership of the Region 1 of the ELCA and the Rev. Susan Kintner, assistant to the bishop of the Oregon Synod.

To register, UCC clergy will need to approval from Committee on Ministry to substitute this class for the UCC Boundary Training. Contacts are the same.

Northshore starts film program

Northshore UCC in Wooodinville began a Meaningful Movie program and community discussion with showing “Do the Math” on April 11. Lin Hagedorn said the movie is the first in a series being offered to members and community residents.

The film produced by the 350.org tells the story of grassroots movements trying to change tragic outcomes of climate change by challenging the fossil fuel industry.

For information, email mountainclimber4@gmail.com.

Meditation set April 19

Richard Rohr, an internationally known teacher of spirituality and contemplation from the Franciscan tradition, and founder of The Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in New Mexico, will present a meditation on the Resurrection from his book, Immortal Diamond: The Search for the True Self, from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 19, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish gym, 3401 SW Myrtle St., Seattle.

For information, email kukowskikm@gmail.com.

Keystone holds series on evil

Keystone UCC, 5019 Keystone Pl. N. in Seattle is hosting a Tuesday Justice Leadership Program Lenten Study with a 6:30 p.m. potluck and 7 p.m. discussion on “Resisting Structural Evil: Love as Ecological-Economic Vocation.” Leaders are Cynthia Moe-Lobeda and research assistant Freddie Helmiere. Upcoming sessions are April 22 and 29.

For information, email lauren.cannon@keystoneseattle.org.

Preaching festival starts April 28

The Festival of Preaching Northwest from April 28 to May 1 will focus on “Preaching in a Post-Modern World.” It will be held at First United Methodist Church of Seattle, 180 Denny Way.

Preachers and speakers include Debbie Blue, Lillian Daniel, Anna Carter Florence, James Forbes, Tony Jones, Scott Kisker, Jose Morales, Heidi Neumark, Rodger Nishioka, Rleming Rutledge, Melissa Skelton and Will Willimon.

For information on the event, sponsored by Congregational Leadership Northwest, visit www.festivalofpreachingnw.org.

Broadview sets presentation

Bobby Dykema will give a slide presentation and talk on “Beauty in the House: Art and Meaning in the Christian Church, 235 – 2014 AD” at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 29, at Broadview UCC, 325 N. 125th St. in Seattle.

Bobbi, who is author of articles on artistic representations in the Reformation and of Mary Magdalene at the Resurection, teaches in the humanities department at Strayer University. She is youth pastor at Olympic View Community Church of the Brethren in North Seattle.

She will report on findings of a soldier’s 1920 digging in a trench near the village of Salhiyé in present-day Syria . He discovered a group of wall paintings, the earliest Christian church art yet known.

For nearly 2,000 years, Christians have labored to make the words of Scripture both visible and beautiful in the interiors and sometimes exteriors of churches, often creating new interpretations of familiar stories and giving them new power.

For information, call 206-363-8060.

Church shows health care film

Fox Island UCC will show “The Health Care Movie” at 7 p.m., Friday, May 2, at the church, 726 6th Ave,

The documentary tells the story of how the health care system in Canada turned out to be so different from that in the United States, when in the 1950s, they were essentially the same.

It reports that Canadians experience the benefits and peace of mind of Canada’s universal health care system, but the forces against change in the U.S. are now stronger, with much at stake financially.

For information, call 253-549-2420 or email fiuccpastor@gmail.com.

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