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The Northern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ seeks to be a community of diverse congregations which nurtures, supports, and unites local churches in faithful covenant in Christ to carry out ministry and mission in the world.
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 Let's Talk: About Lent
By: Conference Minister Diane Weible
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Yesterday was Ash Wednesday so I’ve been thinking a lot about the intention with which I will approach Lent this year. 
The older I get the more I understand the importance of Ash Wednesday for my spiritual journey. It is not just the first day of Lent but an invitation to enter into the next six weeks in a different way. I meant it when I say that it really is a journey. Lent is a time to take a moment and look at my life in a different way. Meditation, Lenten devotionals (see two possibilities from our NCNC ministers below), a book or a song that opens my eyes to see the world differently, a prayer time each day that allows the Divine in me to not just fill me but to also open me to a new way of looking at the world—these are all the ways I am trying to find those moments in each day this season that allow me to experience this sacred time as never before. Click here to read more.
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Our donors make this newsletter possible. Thank you!
Your Church's contribution to Our Church's Wider Mission and individual contributions to Friends of the Conference empower our covenant connection.
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Day of Joy!
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Our wonderful Conference Administrator, Joy Davis, is retiring on April 30. Please join us for a Day of Joy to recognize Joy in celebration as we wish her great joy in her retirement.
The celebration will include special music, spoken tributes to Joy, and lots of good food and great fellowship! Please check out the details and RSVP here.
Even if you can’t commit to joining us at this point, Dick Hom has offered to create a video of pictures of Joy through the years. If you have any pictures of Joy in any setting, please forward them to Dick at richardlhom@gmail.com. (As soon as possible would be great so Dick have more time to work on the video).
Looking forward to celebrating Joy on May 9th !
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PAAM Convocation
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The Pacific Islander Asian American Ministries of the United Church of Christ is holding their National Convocation at Sonoma State University this summer, June 25-28. Registration is now open. Click here to check out this fun video for more information and register today.
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Lenten Devotionals from NCNC Pastors
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Two of our NCNC Ministers sent us links to devotions for lent that we want to share with you.
- A Daily Devotional from Rev. Dr. Mary Susan Gast
- A video Devotional from Rev. Dr. Bonnie Hollinger
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NYE 2020
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We are excited to travel to Indiana this summer with young people who have completed 9th grade through 12th grade. United Church of Christ’s National Youth Event will take place at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. This 4-day event is celebrated as the largest denominational gathering! Bringing in 4,000 participants, this time together is centered on faith, leadership, service, and social justice to empower our youth. Click here to see flyer.
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Boundary Trainings for Ministers, Youth Workers and Lay Leaders.
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Boundary Training for Authorized Ministers will be held on Friday, April 3, 9 AM to 4 PM at Community Congregational UCC, 1305 W Second St., Benicia CA 94510. Register here.
Boundary Training for youth workers and camp counselors will be held on Saturday, April 4, 10 AM to 2 PM at Orinda Community UCC, 10 Irwin Way, Orinda CA 94563. Also being offered at satellite locations click register to learn more.
Lay Boundary Training will be offered this year for the first time and is open to anyone, Sunday April 5 at First Congregational UCC, 1985 Louis Road, Palo Alto CA 94303. Also being offered at satellite locations click register to learn more.
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Scared air and Toxic Polution
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Because all Americans have the right to breathe clean air, the United Church of Christ has just released a new report that identifies the 100 industrial facilities spewing the most toxic air pollution in heavily populated areas across the United States.
“Breath to the People: Sacred Air and Toxic Pollution” pinpoints the locations of the U.S. “Toxic 100 super polluters” in 28 states and documents the hazardous chemicals being released into the air. The report includes a detailed demographic breakdown of people living within three miles of these toxic facilities. Notable in the demographic details are the number of children under age 5 living near the Toxic 100 — the most vulnerable members of the population because of their developing bodies and brains. Click here for for press information and more resources.
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Be a Voice
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The Council for Health and Human Services Ministries of the United Church of Christ has created an advocacy toolkit for faith leaders and congregations working on issues of affordable housing and homelessness. This toolkit contains resources, context and stories that churches can use in this important work. View the webpage here.
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Earl Lecture 2020
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Join us for this FREE event with John Dominic Crossan, the premier historical Jesus Scholar in the world!
This lecture is the opening session for the 35th anniversary of the Jesus Seminar, whose inaugural meeting was held at the Pacific School of Religion in 1985.
John D. Crossan is the premier historical Jesus scholar in the world. He is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, DePaul University, Chicago. He has written twenty books on the historical Jesus in the last thirty years, four of which have become national religious bestsellers: The Historical Jesus (1991), Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography (1994), Who Killed Jesus (1995), and The Birth of Christianity (1998). He is a former co-chair of the Jesus Seminar, and a former chair of the Historical Jesus Section of the Society of Biblical Literature, an international scholarly association for biblical study based in the United States. Click here to Register for the event.
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Skyland Community Church Photo Show
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Skyland Community Church's video has been featured in the 3 Great Loves project of the United Church of Christ. The video of this photo show, which was held last November, highlights the work of one of the action teams the church created as part of their work with the ReVision program. Click here to view.
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Open Positions at the National UCC Office
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Back Bay Mission Seeks a Dynamic & Passionate Executive Director- The Executive Director is the management leader of Back Bay Mission. The Executive Director is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs and strategic plan of the organization. Other key duties include fundraising, marketing and community outreach. The position reports directly to the Board of Directors. For full job description click here.
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AUCE info/new rep
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Misty Bonham is the newly appointed representative from the Western Region to the National Board of Directors of the Association of United Church Educators (AUCE). AUCE is a membership organization for UCC Christian Educators and Clergy, which advocates for excellence in faith formation ministries.
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Kevin Calegari Lecture
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To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Kevin Calegari's death, Dignity San Francisco will hold an annual lecture in his name on LGBTQ practical spirituality. The first speaker will be Deacon Brian Bromberger, who knew Kevin and has access to all his available papers. His lecture will focus on outlining Kevin's LGBTQ spirituality based on his life experiences and his writings.
The lecture will take place at Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1329 Seventh Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94122, on Saturday February 29, 2020 at 6:00 PM followed by an hors d'ouevres reception. There is no cost to attend.
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Staff Visit Schedule
Would you like a member of Conference staff to visit your church? Email Elane with preferred dates and we will coordinate availability. Please note that staff calendars are very full, and requests at least six months in advance are appreciated.
Rev. Dr. Diane Weible
- March 1: Sycamore Congregational Church, El Cerrito
- March 8: First Congregational Church, Berkeley
Rev. Davena Jones
- March 8: Sacramento Marshallese Ministry
- March 29: Pilgrim Community Church, San Francisco (Preaching)
Rev. Daniel Ross-Jones, MPA
- March 15: First Congregational Church, Fresno
- March 22: Campbell UCC (Preaching)
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