Children's Time

One of the members sitting in the balcony of First Church snapped a photo of children's time on an Advent Sunday.  That's me in white.

Healthy Clergy Ethics certificate of training

Certificate



Congregational UCC in Sparta, Wisconsin

 Here we are on Palm Sunday singing the processional hymn and getting ready for the blessing of the palms.

 Confirmation was on Pentecost.

And here I am with the confirmands.  Not only were they confirmed, but they were liturgists during the service.

Verification Letter 2

Verification Letter

Interim Ministry

Last week I received my certificate for completing my Transitional Ministry course of study provided by the Interim Ministry Training.  I had begun the training process about a year ago and getting it completed and certificated was satisfying.  Made good my advocacy for lifelong learning.  The training had three components:  a class on the work of the leader; a class on the work of the congregation; and a fieldwork piece with conference call check-ins.

 I took the first class at an Episcopal Center in Echo Park in Los Angeles, California.  Got to see some family and friends on the trip.  That was in April 2013.

 In the small world department the instructor for the class, Rev. Bill Peterson, grew up in Moline, Illinois.  And his late mother had been a member of First Congregational Church United Church of Christ in Moline, where I was then serving as the Interim Pastor!  And I am acquainted with his sister.  Very funny.

 The second class on the work of the congregation took place in Buffalo, New York.  Above is the group shot taken on the last day.  The class was in November 2013.

The fieldwork took place in early 2014.  There were five of our Buffalo group in the cohort and each of us did a project and made presentations about it in the conference call context.

One of the satisfying elements of the instruction was to meet others who were similarly taking the classes.  Bill's connection is just the most dramatic example of the ways we found ourselves connected through different affiliations.  US seminary trained clergy have lots of connections and culture that we share across denominations.  It was nice to brush up on church administration stuff - the basic subject of the classes.  And it was good to have the issues of interim ministry lifted up in an intentional way.

Good experience.  Now, to find the next interim ministry setting for me.