Annual Meeting 2013 Workshops
There are two workshop breakout sessions on Saturday, at 10:45am and 1:30pm. Please indicate your workshop choices when registering so that we can better plan for space needs.
Saturday Workshops
The Best of both Worlds – Blended Worship
Blended worship (using the best of traditional and contemporary worship elements) is not only an effective model for inspiration within the church family, it is also a powerful demonstration of Christian inclusivity where the diversity of the Body of Christ is acknowledged and celebrated. In this workshop we will: Experience a variety of components (new and old together, done in innovative ways) that comprise the blended worship model; Examine and discuss the philosophy and theology of this style; Equip participants with a variety of materials and resources to take along for use in their churches. Jenny Dawson and Jim Martin (Yes, they're married... happily!) have been engaged in ordained ministry in the Wisconsin Conference for a combined... really long time. They have served UCC congregations in Tomahawk, Elcho, Kempster, Merrill, suburban Johnsonville, picturesque rural Fond du Lac, and, currently, Church of Peace in Fond du Lac.. Jenny particularly enjoys small-group leadership, and Jim has written more than 170 songs, several of which are in The New Century Hymnal and Sing! Prayer and Praise.
The Cavalry Isn't Coming: How and Why to Be a Generative Congregation
Especially in the area of music, many UCC congregations struggle to find material that is theologically appropriate for their worship. In this workshop we will discuss briefly the challenges that congregations face, and then explore the creativity and joy that can be released when congregations give their own members permission to create.
Clergy Communities of Practice
Clergy support and learning groups are making an enormous difference to pastors all across the country. Last year the Wisconsin Conference launched a program offering a network of groups throughout the state. What have we learned this past year? What is a community of practice like? Come to this workshop if you are curious about how these group work or if you have been part of a group and want to share your experience. The Rev. Joanne Thomson, Associate Conference Minister For Church Development and Renewal will facilitate this sharing and discussion.
Do I Really Have To Worry about Copyright?
Yes! This will be presentation and discussion about copyright issues facing church staff, including clergy and musicians. Don DeBruin currently serves as Director of Music Ministries at First Congregational UCC in Madison. He has spent more than 35 years in church music ministry, working at churches both large and small in a number of different denominations.
Evangelism for Today's Church
In this presentation Tisha will explore past approaches to Evangelism and suggest ways of approaching how we might continue to share the Good News we've found in the Christian Faith in ways that are more culturally and contextually appropriate for today's world. Tisha Brown is the Pastor of Community of Hope, UCC in Madison. She is also a jazz vocalist and a dreamer about the present and future of our faith.
Fill Your Cup to the Brim: Hands On Worship How-To's
Andra will present hands on ideas and practical information for both creating a new worship experience in your congregation and adding creative and artistic content to your existing worship service. Andra Moran is a singer/songwriter in Nashville TN, Creative Director for an Alternative Worship Experience called The Bridge in Nashville, and author of Brim: Creative Overflow in Worship Design.
Got is an Artist and You Can Too!
How to incorporate more art in the life of the church and why one should bother...(spiritual deepening, education, expression and sharing, enhancing quality of worship experience...) This workshop will include a bit of theology/philosophy about the arts, and practicalities of implementing ideas, with details. Includes one church's story of creative growth and faithfulness. The Rev. Colleen Kwong is a UCC pastor, currently serving as Minister of Arts at Christ Church UCC in Milwaukee and as a hospice chaplain; potter; painter; wife, mother, friend; birdwatcher, traveler, and nature lover. She is a graduate of Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary and Cornell College.
How to Increase Worship Attendance in Your Church
There are two primary ways to grow a worship service. One is by reaching more people. The other is by increasing increase relevance. The process happens in that order. Find out why! And, find out how to implement worship changes in your church that engage worshippers and encourage participation in your context. The Rev. Cathy Townley is a former worship leader, songwriter and author of Designing Worship Teams, Abindgon Press 2002, and Missional Worship, Chalice Press, May 2011. She also writes a column for NetResults e-zine. She's a Griffith Coaching Associate in worship and evangelism; an evangelism coach for the Unbinding the Gospel Project, with Martha Grace Reese; a turn-around consultant and coach for the Healthy Church Initiative for the United Methodist Church in Minnesota; and a Coach Share coach and on-line instructor for the Center for Progressive Renewal in Atlanta, GA.
The Labyrinth
This presentation will provide some history of labyrinths, clarify differences between labyrinths and mazes, show depictions of labyrinths around the world, include a group experience of the labyrinth, and offer time for questions. Wanda Veldman is an ordained minister since 1993, currently serving UCC of Pittsville & Veedum Moravian Church, Certified Facilitator with Veridtas: The Worldwide Labyrinth Project, spiritual director, fabric artist, retreat leader, secretary of the Wisconsin Conference UCC
Making All Things New: Worship Planning Employing Tradition, Scripture, Art
Christians have inherited beautiful forms from the past which shape our worship today. How do we honor those traditions by expanding upon them in our own congregational contexts? This afternoon we will explore together ways to plan in light of the lectionary texts and the congregation's "context". We will reflect on when to depend on what is known "by heart" and when it may be time to innovate responsibly. We will look to possible collaboration with artists-poets, dancers, visual artists-to help us renew and refresh the tried and true. [And maybe a preview of General Synod Worship, since I will be up to my very ears in finishing it by then!!!] The Rev. Susan A. Blain is the national UCC Minister for Worship, Liturgy, and Spiritual Formation with the Congregational Vitality and Discipleship Ministry . Sue works with writers and liturgists from around the UCC to create Worship Ways, the on-line resource for Sunday and festival worship; she leads workshops with congregations and Associations on congregational worship, assists with planning and execution of General Synod Worship and worship at other UCC events and represents the UCC at various ecumenical tables focused around worship.
Praying and Making Ritual
Using the Faith Practice, "Praying and Making Ritual" we will explore ways that we make and keep rituals within our tradition. This time will not only provide a time of prayer and reflection, but also an introduction of one of the latest practices to be published. The Rev. Rebecca A. Johnston is the Intentional interim pastor at St. Peter's United Church of Christ in Saukville, WI. She was a writer and editor for the Faith Practices resource and is an active member of the Association of United Church Educators.
A Psalm Spirituality of Music and Adventure
For 3000 years the Psalms have formed the core of our tradition of worship. But what is their place in the 21st century? Join Richard to explore how the Psalms serve as a dynamic, hopeful bridge to both new and renewed faith. Come ready to sing! Richard Bruxvoort Colligan is a member of the SHIFT progressive worship music quad. He loves the Psalms, chocolate, naps, blue and bad jokes
Stop Sending Money to Haiti!
In February, 2013, 3 years after the earthquake of 2010, Haiti's president Martelly told the world to stop sending money to Haiti. Why did he say that? And why, after 3 years, has less than 3 % of the billions pledged and/or raised in response to the earthquake been released? Why are 1.5 million still homeless after the quake? What happened to all this money and who is benefitting from it not being released? And how were the millions raised in response to the quake by UCC and Disciples of Christ congregations used? For that matter, what are our missionaries and mission partners in Haiti doing, and to whom are they accountable? Are our short-term "mission trips" to Haiti doing more harm than good? After 22 years of working extensively with grass roots organizations among the poorest of the poor in Haiti, I am now completely rethinking what cross cultural mission in the so-called "third world" needs to be about-especially in Haiti. Let's explore these and other related questions together... Bryan Sirchio is an ordained UCC minister, the founder/director of Crosswind Music Ministries, author of The 6 Marks of Progressive Christian Worship Music, board member of The What If? Foundation, and co-founder of Haiti Allies (rooted in Community of Hope UCC in Madison, WI.
What Does it Mean to You?
Come if you're interested in learning exactly what it will mean for the Wisconsin Conference to declare itself as an ONA Conference, and what the impact on your church will and will not be. Also included is a walk through the study materials. The LGBT Committee.
What is Happening in Your Outdoor Ministry Program?
Your outdoor ministry program is alive and active with new camps, retreats, and conferences as well as your favorites. We invite you to come and meet with Glenn and Mike to learn more about what is happening, their long – term goals, and the exciting new things happening in 2013 at Moon Beach and Pilgrim Center.
Where's the Gay Church in Town?
Here is an opportunity to talk to folks who've gone through the Open and Affirming process in their churches, and learn about the wide variety of processes that worked, ask about growth since becoming ONA, or anything else related to becoming and living as an Open and Affirming Church. The LGBT Committee.
Writing Liturgy - the Piques and Prods
Have your worship services become the same old boring old boring old repetitiously redundant stale tired ocean liners sinking from the icebergs of lugubrious desensitization and logorrheic overcompensation, like this sentence? Or maybe the passengers of your worship like it but grow tired of constant white tie-ism. Worship is not just something we do, it molds us into God's people. What kind of people are we molding our congregation to be? If you lead or create worship, this is for you. Worship's taste, smell, sound, feel, and look affects worshipers and also affects worship leaders. After a brief tour on the basics of worship form and intent, we will look at some examples of iceberg liturgy (might not sink your ship, but sure rips a hole in it!). Then most of our time will be a hands-on/interactive lab turning scripture into liturgy that piques the mind and prods the heart. Learn how to find a theme to thread through the service for a coherent message and how to do so with words that are artistic and world-enlarging but still feel natural, normal, and not so boringly... churchy. The Rev. David Huber is the pastor at Plymouth UCC in Eau Claire. He has many years' experience writing and creating worship liturgy for use in churches, camps, retreats, and special occasions. He has roots in the sciences and in the arts, with a preference for the surreal, the Dadaistic, and the avant-garde while being rooted in the reality of human experience.
