Forward in Faith
A campaign for the Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)
Campaign Components and Goal Summary
Progress Update
Rural and Small Town Ministry Support and Encouragement
New Church Initiatives
Children, Youth and Families
Latin American Neighbors
Teaching Ministry Affirmation and Support
UCC "Make a Difference" Campaign Support
Forward in Faith Update
The Forward in Faith campaign has
begun. In these months of visiting churches, watching the video, sharing stories and
talking about our future together, over $4,462,494 has been
pledged. We have surpassed the minimum goal of $2,975,000 and are well on our way to
our challenge goal of $5,000,000.
Watch here for campaign progress updates.
updated
08/09/2007
Forward in Faith
All payments will continue to be mailed to the Conference Office.
Any questions in regards to payments, please call Tracy Hauge at 608-846-7880 or
e-mail at THauge@wcucc.org
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Campaign Components and Goals
There are six different components of Forward in Faith. These
were developed by prayerful consideration of our 243 congregations and were adopted at the
1999 Annual Meeting in Stevens Point.
Forward in
Faith Goal Summary
Encouragement and Support of Pastoral Ministry in Rural and Small Town Settings
Minimum Goal $ 500,000
Challenge Goal $1,000,000
Encouragement of New Church Initiatives
Minimum Goal $ 600,000
Challenge Goal $1,200,000
Children, Youth and Family
Minimum Goal $ 500,000
Challenge Goal $ 700,000
Affirm our Neighbors in Latin America
Minimum Goal $ 250,000
Challenge Goal $ 500,000
Affirm the Teaching Ministry of the Church
Minimum Goal $ 250,000
Challenge Goal $ 250,000
Offer Support for the United Church of Christ "Make a Difference Campaign
Minimum Goal $ 600,000
Challenge Goal $1,000,000
Administration of Campaign - $275,000
Total Minimum Goal $2,975,000
Total Challenge Goal $4,925,000
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Forward
in Faith: Component # 1
Encouragement and Support of Pastoral Ministry in Rural and Small Town Settings
Minimum Goal: $500,000 Challenge Goal: $1,000,000
One of our greatest challenges is
to recruit, train, and support pastoral leadership for congregations. Consider these
facts.
Fewer
than 125 clergy in the entire UCC are currently under the age of 35 years.
An
average of 107 ordained UCC pastors will reach retirement age annually in the next ten
years.
The
average number of ordinations annually over the past ten years in the UCC has been 95, a
number of whom have entered "specialized" (non-parish) ministries.
The
median age of UCC clergy today is 52 years.
The
wonderful pastors who have been ordained in the UCC in the past 20 years and more, have
largely been "second career" pastors.
The
average age of graduation from seminary during these years has been 43 years.
The
average debt of UCC Seminary graduates in 1998 was nearly $20,000, causing new pastors to
consider larger church settings that can offer greater compensation.
Forward in Faith seeks to raise money to provide
financial relief and incentive to pastors to consider calls to congregations by doing the
following:
Provide financial
assistance to help in repaying education loans for pastors who are willing to commit
themselves to service in small membership churches in small towns, urban or rural areas of
the Wisconsin Conference. Assistance could be in an amount equal to one-half of
seminary debt, up to $10,000, payable over the first five years of service.
Provide additional
pension payments to clergy nearing retirement who would be willing to serve in smaller
membership congregations at lower salaries. This would keep pension contributions at
an acceptable level prior to retirement.
Provide support for
continuing education and sabbatical leave for pastors serving in rural and smaller
membership congregations.
Provide support for
continuation of the Lay Academy and other ways of encouraging Licensed and Commissioned
Ministry.
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Forward
in Faith: Component # 2
Encouragement of New Church Initiatives
Minimum Goal: $600,000 Challenge Goal: $1,200,000
Grateful for the wondrous love of God revealed to us
in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we know that we are
commissioned to share that life-giving Good News with others. "New Church
Initiatives" will enable us to reach out to those who are searching for new life,
serving those who long for a community of faith.
Assist our four
Associations with detailed demographic studies to locate potential areas of population
growth that would allow them to found 2-4 new congregations over the next five years.
Funds would be allocated for leadership in these settings for the initial four
years.
Provide skilled
consultants to congregations designated by their Association as having potential to grow
if they can re-vision and renew their ministry or relocate their buildings.
Provide funds for
identifying pastors who might have high potential for serving in the specialized
ministries of "New Church Start Pastor" or "Renewing Church Pastor"
and offer significant training to capable, dedicated candidates available for these
specialized ministries.
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Forward in Faith: Component
# 3
Children, Youth and Family
Minimum Goal: $500,000 Challenge Goal: $700,000
This portion of Forward in Faith is designed to build
upon "the seeds we have planted" at Moon Beach and Pilgrim Center. Our
outdoor ministry sites are beautiful and important settings for year-around ministry with
children, youth, and families, as well as older members of our congregations.
Provide
resources to maintain and enhance the facilities at Moon Beach and Pilgrim Center in order
to keep them in the best possible condition.
At Pilgrim Center, renovate or rebuild the existing chapel and build
additional summer camper housing.
At Moon Beach, provide for staff and guest housing/retreat center.
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Forward in Faith:
Component # 4
Affirm our Neighbors in Latin America
Minimum Goal: $250,000 Challenge Goal: $500,000
Some of the most significant ecumenical ministry in the Wisconsin
Conference and the congregations is in Honduras, Chiapas, Mexico, and in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. Numerous working groups and mission teams have visited these areas over the
years, returning inspired by the faith and hope present among the humble poor. This
portion of the campaign would seek to do the following:
Guarantee
salaries (at $1,500 per year) to health care educators serving with the Rev. Barbara de
Souza in the favelas (shantytowns) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Currently, four women
work as health care workers and two as physical therapy technicians. Two women would
like to become nursing assistants and are being offered advanced schooling. Prenatal
care is offered along with hygiene, nutrition and exercise, and the nurture of a child.
In many cases, women are receiving medical help for the first time in their lives.
Work with the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristobal de las Casas and
other ecumenical partners in Chiapas, Mexico in building and staffing an Ecumenical Bible
Institute which would, for the first time in the history of the Church in Chiapas, bring
Catholics and Protestants together to study Scriptures and pray. Assisting the
Catholic Diocese is an important "confession of faith" as we enter a new
millennium seeking to respond to the longing of Jesus that "they might all be
one."
Work with the Evangelical and Reformed Synod of Honduras in building 75
additional homes with electricity and plumbing in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch.
Our responsibility would be to provide building materials so the Synod might employ
Hondurans to do this work and to respond to invitations from the Synod to send
"working groups" to assist in these projects.
As resources become available, assist significant projects in other
countries where we have ecumenical partnership and where poverty is a profound daily
event, for example in Haiti and Kenya.
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Forward in Faith:
Component # 5
Affirm the Teaching Ministry of the Church
Minimum Goal: $250,000 Challenge Goal: $250,000
For more than 130 years, there has been a Christian voice at
Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. In the early 1960's, the seminary moved to
New Brighton, Minnesota to form United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.
Lakeland College continues to provide opportunities for students to study the Christian
faith through its Department of Philosophy and Religion and the newly formed Master of
Arts degree program in Theology.
This portion of Forward in Faith is designed to help establish an endowed chair in
"Christian Thought" at Lakeland College so there will be a permanent place in
the faculty for such a voice. This is crucial for the continuing education of
pastors, the Christian nurture of laity, and the training of licensed and commissioned
ministers who may be asked to serve in fragile settings of the Wisconsin Conference.
It is also a symbol of the importance of the Church's commitment to the Christian
liberal arts college in Wisconsin.
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Forward in Faith:
Component # 6
Offer Support for the United Church of Christ "Make a Difference" Campaign
Minimum Goal: $600,000 Challenge Goal:
$1,000,000
As an expression of the unity of the Church and the covenants to
which we are committed as members of the United Church of Christ, the Board of Directors
has included the "Make A Difference" campaign in its plan. This campaign
consists of a number of varied components:
Caring for Clergy
Scholarship assistance for UCC seminarians and Ph.D. candidates
Support international seminarians from global and partner churches
Offer post-graduate study for leaders in health and welfare ministries
Develop advanced training for licensed and bi-vocational ministries
Caring for Church
Provide help with advance church site purchases
Establish a revolving loan fund for renovation and repair of existing local church
buildings
Help subsidize salaries and benefits for leaders of ethnic and racially diverse
congregations
Caring for Community - provide grants for new mission initiatives in three
areas:
Environmental Stewardship
Human Rights
Fair Use of Economic Resources
One half of the grant funds will be used in national settings and one half in global
settings. Fifty percent will be used to fund local church, Association and
Conference initiatives proposed by national instrumentalities.
Conference Needs for Mission and Ministry
Revitalize existing churches; develop new congregations
Nurture lay and clergy leadership
Establish workshops and stewardship programs
Enhance outdoor ministries
Provide continuing education opportunities
Support UCC affiliated institutions
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Wisconsin
Conference UCC
4459 Gray Rd.