Prairie Association Spring Meeting - 4

Things wrapped up wonderfully with the "What do we do now" session of our Ready Set Grow meeting. We talked about ways to revitalize congregations. We were also reminded that if we stop after saying, "What a nice meeting," instead of going back to our congregations and putting what we've learned into practice . . . well . . .

The highlight for me today was being able to preach a short sermon as part of Rev. Kathy Lawes' installation as our Prairie Association Minister. The sermon's called "Illogical and Ridiculous." There's a separate post for the sermon.

Great meeting -- now it's time to put things into practice.

Prairie Association Spring meeting - 3

Quick thoughts from this morning's session:

• Great - exciting translation of God's name- YHWH: I will be what tomorrow requires
• Fun sending forth: (While giving out combs to the congregation) 'God will be what tomorrow requires -- now it's time to do your part.'

Prairie Association Spring meeting - 2

I have to say that yesterday was a great day. Some brief thoughts:

• I think David was tired -- or maybe a little exhausted from all the UCC stuff in the past week.
• I'm sure I spoke too quickly when I told the folks about i.ucc -- but I hope they caught some of the 5 minutes of stuff I said (in 2 minutes) .
• Pastors love wine and cheese -- and s'mores.
• Campfire music is still fun -- I got to play a bunch and my friend Chuck played some classics I didn't know.
• After the campfire I got to listen to some Hoyt Axton classics
  

Coming up today. . .

• RSG part 2
• The business meeting for the association
• Officially Installing Kathy Lawes as our Association Minister (I get to preach!)

Prairie Association Spring meeting - 1

I'm at Pilgrim Park Camp and Conference Center in Princeton, IL for our Prairie Association's Spring meeting. Our theme this year (I had a little to do with the planning) focuses on the UCC's Ready, Set, Grow! congregational vitality initiative. I'm looking forward to hearing more about the initiative (I went through the RSG training last year) as well as connecting with others in the association about RSG.
Some expected highlights for me:

• The presentations by Keynote Rev. David Schoen
• Having the opportunity to provide some leadership during our sessions and also having the honor of preaching at Saturday's closing worship service.
• Playing some guitar at tonight's vespers service.
• An open, frank, and spirit-lifting conversation about the recent controversy surrounding the UCC
• Spending time reading Craig Rennebohm's new book, Souls in the Hands of a Tender God

And here's a list of the fun in the meeting folders:

• Worship bulletins for 3 services
• The Prairie Association Spring 2008 directory
• The PA 16th annual meeting agenda packet
• A resolution to adopt a Statement of Mission for the Illinois Conference
• The big, full RSG envelope -- filled with RSG resources
• A letter, titled "Our broad range of emotions," from UCC president John Thomas - addressing the recent controversy
• Advertisements for some upcoming workshops and events in the Illinois Conference

I'll post a few times with the events of the weekend as they unfold!

Ready Set Grow 3

The second day of Ready Set Grow training has its technical difficulties -- (OK-- just one real difficulty -- no reliable Internet access in the room) but it was still full of learning, great discussion and ideas. Here are a few things I wrote down and/or experienced:

• Vital churches know their strengths – and rehearse them and will tell you them.
• Non-Vital churches know their problems – and rehearse them and will tell you them.
• Never underestimate the power of an invitation – no matter how clumsy.
• Church development is community development. Community development is church development.
• I got to meet Kate Huey in person -- What a great person!
• Now more people are going to sing Phil Porter's "Let Loose the Spirit" in their churches! (I led the group in the song at the beginning of one of our training times.)
• Many people get really stressed when we talk about online ministry, blogging, i.ucc etc. We need to have training specifically for those things.

I want to use the ideas I discovered at Union Congregational Church, in the Prairie Association, In the Illinois Conference, with youth, at the Illinois Conference annual meeting in June . . . . This was a great training!

Ready Set Grow 2.5

I'm really chewing on this thought tonight. It's not a verbatim quote, but what I think is a reasonable paraphrase of the intent of something I heard during training today. I'd love to hear thoughts on this one.


It’s too difficult to reach out to a broken and devastated neighborhood if you don’t have enough people who are not dealing with brokenness and devastation in your church. You might have to change the area you go to to invite new members so that you'll better be able to serve your close neighborhood in the long run.

Ready Set Grow 2

I feel "twittery" blogging live from the training room at the Church house in Cleveland.

Some un-contemplated thoughts I've got running through my mind:

• God’s extravagant welcome is ridiculous (and necessary)
• What if we looked at the word "Squander" as a good thing rather than a negative? (Using the gifts illogically to welcome all.)
• What if we looked at the word "Squander" still as a negative thing that leads to using our gifts to keep people out?
• Why do we still think of it as US inviting THEM?
• What will communicate to all desparation about the need to go out and invite and to welcome all?
• The UCC and it's founding denominations have been early on many issues. (Ordination of women, people of color, people who are lbgt , , , being abolitionists, advocating for public access to the airwaves etc.) And in each case that "early-ness" has been costly in terms of loss of congregations, horrible treatment of people in and out of our congregations and other things. We've been paying the cost for being early for a LONG time.

Ready Set Grow 1

I'm in Cleveland for the UCC's God is Still Speaking, Ready Set Grow Train the Trainer event. We'll be learning from Ron Buford and David Shoen as well as each other, I'm sure (I have no idea how many are here for the training -- I'll find out later today!) I hope I get to meet Kate Huey in person too! (Kate and I facilitiate a Bible study discussion at i.ucc.org - but we've only met on the phone and at the online community.)
Things will get going late this morning with a tour of the Church house (I've never been here before - others have told me I'm in for a treat.) Then it's intense training time today and tomorrow. I'll post a bit about what's happening.