Heart of Our Purpose - May 1-3, 2020

You are invited to join the Michigan USA Mission Center and the Graceland University Community of Christ Seminary for a weekend exploring the heart of our purpose as described in Doctrine and Covenants 163:2b,

"The restoring of persons to healthy or righteous relationships with God, others, themselves, and the earth is at the heart of the purpose of your journey as a people of faith."

This weekend long online conference and retreat will discover the nature of our relationships with God, others, self and the earth. With presentations by Katie Harmon-McLaughlin, Charmaine Chvala-Smith, Barb Walden, David Anderson, Zac Harmon-McLaughlin and Tony Chvala-Smith. Come to be both challenged and healed with discussion, spiritual practice, prayer, exegesis, presentations and more.

There is no cost to attend. You are invited to attend part or all of the weekend as your availability allows. Register for all sessions you wish to attend by clicking the links below each session. Zoom will automatically email you the appropriate links. Worship on Sunday will end in time to attend other online worships which may begin at 11am. All times listed are in Eastern Daylight Time (Michigan/NewYork). Schedule is subject to change.

Congregations are encouraged to consider using the Open Table model for building relationships with people seeking to transform their lives from poverty to relationship in and with the community.

Open Table’s faith-based model draws together the community and relationship life of congregations around the country. It provides technical support, training, structure, process.
Each Table is composed of a group of volunteers that make a year-long commitment to act–through relationship—as a team of life specialists, encouragers, and advocates. Over the course of a year, the Table works together to set goals, foster accountability, and implement a plan to create change.

Table members invest what they have learned on their life journeys and connect to their personal networks in their congregations and community to bring skill building, services and door opening to the plan.

The Human Element

In an arresting new documentary from the producers of Racing Extinction and Chasing Ice, environmental photographer James Balog captures the lives of everyday Americans on the front lines of climate change. With rare compassion and heart, The Human Element relays captivating stories from coast-to-coast, inspiring us to reevaluate our relationship with the natural world.

Thanks to a partnership with Earth Vision Film, Interfaith Power & Light is able to offer you this inspiring film. It’s a must see for people of faith concerned about the impact of climate change on human life in the United States.

Due to the gathering restrictions required to limit the spread of COVID-19, James Balog and the Earth Vision Institute have offered a free link to view the film online to IPL congregations and their congregants so that they can continue to build awareness about climate change in this challenging time. The link is good for the duration of Faith Climate Action Week, April 17-26,2020. IPL encourages you to share the link with your congregants and to host a post film viewing phone or video conference discussion using the questions in the Screening Kit.

Click here for more information and access to view the documentary.
 

The Michigan Mission Center Earth Stewardship Team will be hosting a post viewing online discussion. View the documentary at the link above, then plan to connect with us on Tuesday, Apr. 21 at 6:30p via Zoom with the meeting information below.

Topic: The Human Element - Documentary Discussion
Time: Apr 21, 2020 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
zoom.us/j/92755728874

Meeting ID: 927 5572 8874
Password: 450335
Dial by your location
312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
646 558 8656 US (New York)

2020 Faith Climate Action Week Kits are now available! These kits contain all the resources needed to put your congregation's love for the earth into action during Interfaith Power & Light's Faith Climate Action Week, April 17 – 26.

Faith Climate Action Week is IPL's annual program of climate-themed worship services and sermons that spans ten days of activities in celebration of Earth Month. This is IPL's premier event to create a mass movement of people of faith making the moral call for climate action. This year's Faith Climate Action Week theme, "Love Made Visible" is partially inspired by 19th century Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran who said, "Work is love made visible". IPL invites your congregation to make their love visible by engaging in Sacred Activism to protect the people we love and care about who are most impacted by climate change.

The kit includes a Sacred Activism Guide on the importance of people of faith taking part in civic engagement, plus suggestions and tips for activism challenges including planning a prayer vigil, taking part in a rally or march, conducting a voter registration drive in conjunction with your local election officials, and more. Use the Sacred Activism Art Guide included in the kit to create eye-catching banners, placards, street paintings, and more with faith-based messaging.

Collect pledges to vote with the climate in mind using the provided printed Faith Climate Voter Pledge postcards and stickers for all who pledge. The kit also includes a "For Love of Trees" booklet with a tree planting ceremony, blessing, music, poem, and more.

This Earth Day let's joyfully do the sacred work of making the moral call for climate action.

Blessings,

Rev. Susan Hendershot
President
Interfaith Power & Light

Multi-Faith Earth Day Service

Sunday, April 19, 2020 | 2:00pm
Washington National Cathedral and Interfaith Power & Light co-host this online service focused on our shared call to climate action. Join us in prayer and song in honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

Our traditions are beautiful in their diversity. Each offers a unique gift to our collective effort to protect our Earth with all her living communities. Leaders from Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Latter-Day Saints, Muslim, Sikh, Unitarian Universalist and other spiritual communities share their traditions' gifts through sacred text, commentary, and song, and call us to collective action.

NO REGISTRATION NECESSARY! Watch online at cathedral.org/earthday, or live on Facebook at facebook.com/wncathedral

Join us online for a special Sunday Eucharist to celebrate the goodness of God's creation, with guest preacher Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, minister for creation care of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts. Sunday, April 19, at 11:15 a.m.

Across the country, caring people of every faith tradition are coming together to respond to the climate crisis.

Participating organizations:

The Bhumi Project
The Center for Spirituality in Nature
Creation Justice Ministries
Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action
EcoSikh
Global Catholic Climate Movement
GreenFaith
LDS Earth Stewardship
One Earth Sangha
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth
Young Evangelicals for Climate Action

Online MEADS class

Community of Christ in Canada has provided a limited number of seats (open to anyone interested) in the MEADS "Spiritual Formation" class taught online by Katie Harmon-McLaughlin on Monday, 27 April through Friday, 1 May from 7:30-9:00 p.m. EDT. The fee is $35; enroll at developmetrics.org/index.php/meads-enrollment

Offering a course in your area? Let us know! mmcoffice@cofchristmi.org 

Camps sponsored for each grade level are listed below. Campers will register by their expected grade in fall 2020. When youth register by June 1, 2020 there is no fee to attend camp. After June 1, 2020 restrictions and fees may apply. Space is limited at camps based on the number of beds and licensing restrictions, so please register as soon as possible to reserve a spot.

Camp dates and locations are available on the Michigan Youth Camps website.

Questions can be directed to Winnie Johnston, Youth Camp Coordinator, at (231) 340-1849.

Register for 2020 Family Camps

Community of Christ members and friends often gather together in fellowship and learning experiences called reunions or family camps. This relaxed and casual atmosphere provides space for spiritual growth, personal discernment, incredible amounts of fun, deeper commitment, new and renewed relationships, and so very much more!

Dates and locations are available on the Family Camps website.

Detroit Hope

Detroit Hope is currently not accepting donations of food, clothing, or other items.  Thanks to all who have supported these ministries in the past!

Mission center officers are administering the Detroit Hope Emerging Congregation at this time.  Please contact Dan Nowiski if you have questions or would like to be involved with this ministry.

Campground Sales Update - March 2020

A six month listing agreement extension with Michigan Whitetail Properties, LLC was entered into effective December 22, 2019 to market and sell the Woodlands with an asking price of $1,250,000. The realtor has reported on marketing efforts, inquiries about the listing, and parties visiting the property. No offers for purchase of the property have been received. Ongoing dialogue and exploration will continue to determine how to best market the property and accomplish a sale after the expiration of the current listing agreement on June 21, 2020.

Additional information about the campground sales process and previous updates can be found online at CofChristMI.org/campground-sales.

In response to the COVID-19 emergency, Community of Christ has sent $35,500 USD to help families in Central and South America buy food. These funds were matched in that region by an additional $7,500.

Apostle Carlos Enrique Mejia said 643 families will benefit from the funds. The effects of coronavirus mean many people in Mejia’s area are unemployed and have no money for food. “Some pastors have used some reserves of the offerings to help families,” he said, but the need exceeds those funds, and government aid is erratic or unavailable.

International Headquarters has not received any other requests directly to this point. Individuals or families who need aid should contact a congregational financial officer.

Worldwide Mission Tithes make this support possible. To give, go to eTithing or mail a check to Presiding Bishopric, 1001 W. Walnut St., Independence, Missouri 64050.
www.cofchrist.org/etithing
 

Oblation aid is available for individuals and families in financial difficulty as a result of COVID-19. As a reminder, oblation aid is part of the Worldwide Mission budget. Your contributions to Worldwide Mission Tithes support mission around the world, including aid to those who need it most. For information about oblation aid, contact a congregational financial officer.

Church Receives Funds to Help Cover Payroll, Utilities During COVID-19 Emergency

On Friday, April 10, Community of Christ received $1.53 million USD as a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program, which is part of the CARES Act enacted by the USA government.

The loan will be used to cover employee payroll and utilities for eight weeks. Loan amounts used for these purposes during the eight-week timeframe are forgiven. Any amount not used for eligible expenses will be repaid at the end of the eight-week period.

The PPP loan will help bridge the gap for lost income due to cancelled events at the Auditorium and historic sites, lost preservation fees and sales due to closed historic sites and limited sales from Herald House, as well as anticipated shortfalls in Worldwide Mission Tithes.

While this funding will be a significant help in filling a short-term gap, continued support of Worldwide Mission Tithes and local tithes by those who are able is critical as the church navigates the months during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.