Dear Northwest Region,
 
One of my seminary professors was fond of saying, “If it persists, it is probably from God.” So I pay attention when things keep coming up.
 
This week I heard from a number of you about the traumas you are carrying as we emerge from this phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of you have done (and are doing) far too many funerals. For others, it is the way grief expresses itself in elusive joy or a dulled sense of the world. A great many are weary of the constant need for adaptation and innovation that covid-safe worship requires. Still others of you have mentioned that you feel that your bodily pains are related to carrying too much of others’ sorrow and not releasing it back to God.
 
At our Conference’s gathering marking a year of wandering in the wilderness of the pandemic, Debbie Ringen, our Minister of Health and Wellness, spoke about the need to empty and let go of the accumulated clutter within.
 
“Prayer helps us empty the clutter, and make room for God,” she said, citing the work of Joyce Rupp.
 
I leave you with a blessing by Joyce Rupp, with prayers for your own healing and Spring cleaning. May you throw open the doors to God’s cleansing Spirit in this Pentecost season.
 
May the ever-present love of family and friends sustain and support you, especially in those times when you feel alone and lonely.
 
May you accept your worthiness to receive self-compassion,
to give yourself permission to care for your inner and outer self as best you can.
 
May you be in touch with the resilience residing within you,
a strength that enables you to go on when you feel weak and vulnerable.

May you find comfort when you are hurting, and
experience a tender presence of the Holy One when you are most distressed.
 
May the beauty contained in gestures of kindness, and
in the loveliness of nature, bring you quiet joy.
 
May you give yourself to restfulness when you are weary, and
be content with inactivity when your body and spirit demand that you go slowly.
 
May you be patient when you want things to change, or
when difficulties appear to be insurmountable and unmanageable.
 
May you be released from the burdens of fear and dread, and
anything else that tries to drag your spirit into desolation.
 
May you discover hope in the most unexpected situations, and
store this treasure in a special corner of your heart where you can easily find it.
 
May you sink into the peaceful embrace of the Great Healer, and
may this peace permeate you with divine tenderness.1
 
Amen and Amen,
Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa
Area Conference Minister, NW Region

One to One conversations with Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa

The Rev. Ogawa has been holding bi-weekly coffee house hours to meet with clergy for 30 minutes on Wednesday afternoons. These can be scheduled by clicking here. For the months of July and August she will be taking a break and resume them on September 1, 2021. Please contact her Program Support Associate, Deb Holmes if you have questions or problems signing up for a meeting.

Installation of the Rev. Darrell Goodwin Join us online for the installation of the Rev. Darrell Goodwin as the first Executive Conference Minister of the Southern New England Conference.  The Rev. Goodwin, who began serving on Jan. 1, is the first openly LGBT black person to serve as an Executive Conference Minister in the United Church of Christ. As the Chief Vision-Keeper, he is responsible for guiding the conference and its affiliates to have a positive and lasting impact in our world. The Rev. Traci Blackmon, Associate General Minister for Justice and Local Church Ministries for the United Church of Christ, will preach at this installation. Please click here to register or for more information.

 Healthy Relations Committees with
Rev. Tara Barber and Rev. Stephen Boyd
June 21, 2021 @ 7:30PM - 9:00PM

Pastoral Relations Committees provide essential leadership in the life of a congregation. Come to this workshop to explore what the purpose of a PPR Committee is and is not. We’ll be talking through a newly developed PRC covenant to help name the priorities and commitments of a well-functioning PRC. Stephen will share best practices from around the church and be prepared to answer your questions. Click here to register.

UCC Pension Boards Introduces Member Assistance Program:
The New MAP+Work/Life Benefit

All of us at one time or another have experienced some type of personal crisis or life event that resulted in grief, stress, financial loss, and more. At the Pension Boards, we are fully committed to your health and personal well-being. We care when life throws you a curve ball.
The Member Assistance Program + Work/Life Program, or MAP+Work/Life, offered through West Health Advocate Solutions, a leading clinical health advocacy company, is a no-cost benefit that gives you confidential access to a Licensed Professional Counselor or Work/Life Specialist. Through in-person visits, and unlimited, confidential phone consultations, these specialists can walk you through any of life’s temporary setbacks. Click here to find out more. 

June is designated as PRIDE Month

In case you were not able to attend the Health and Wellness Conversation with Kathie Carpenter, it is not too late. Here are some ways to engage your congregation with this topic. The conversation recording may be found on Vimeo at: https://vimeo.com/557656790.
A Bibliography of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Materials for Children can be found here.

You can also find it on the SNEUCC Health Ministry webpage under Health Topics or under Resources on the SNEUCC Open and Affirming webpage.

You are encouraged to check out both webpages where you can find helpful information on health related topics.