This online United Church of Christ (UCC) History, Polity, and Theology course is six weeks in duration based on the Marks of Faithful and Effective Authorized Ministers (The Marks). It is designed as a self-paced course in a shared learning community with other students (At anytime, this course is available as an independent study). This course […]
Lent is a season of helping our congregations look inward and opening to God's extravagant love. As we encourage our congregations to do this, we must, ourselves be nourished spiritually. "Contemplative Practices for Lent" is space offered in community for us to practice one aspect of what we preach in this season. For the Lenten […]
The Group: Would you like some support for your spirit and the work of ministry? Join our new virtual spiritual direction group for clergy with the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center! You will care for each other, nurture your own spirits and offer space to share about the joys and challenges of ministry during these […]
The Workshop: All people dream but many people do not know how to understand these messages. This workshop with the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center (DMPCC) is an opportunity to both learn about dreams from a Jungian perspective and to interact with your own dreams and the dreams of others. Dreams provide opportunities for us […]
You are invited to Rev. Melissa Finlaw Draper's 40 year of Ministry and retirement celebration! It will be held in person at Northeast UCC in Lincoln, NE on March 13th from 10:30am to 2:30pm CT. All attendees will be required to wear masks and hand sanitizer will be available. Rev. Melissa requested that you bring […]
Transitioning from being an active pastor to retired takes many forms and no two of us navigate it exactly the same way. From great joy to deep grief, we have real experiences of what it's like to no longer shepherd a flock, or lead worship, or live through Lent and Holy Week and Christmas. Join […]
As congregations, we find ourselves at a crossroads sometimes; when a pastor leaves, when numbers dwindle, when "the way we've always done it" no longer works. When we encounter these times, we are invited, as people of faith, to discern our next faithful steps. Often we make quick and logical decisions without doing the slow […]