June 2015

Dear Collegues,
 
It’s Synod time, and we look forward to seeing many of you in Cleveland very soon! For those attending, please join MESA for the following events during General Synod:

• Meet-and-Greet with the Habakkuk Group on Friday, June 26th from 5:00-7:00pm in the Convention Center. See your program book for the specific room number.
• Chaplains & Specialized Ministers Lunch (tickets required) on Sunday, June 28th from 12:00-2:00pm in the Convention Center.
• Search and Call Fair on Sunday, June 28th from 6:00-8:00pm in the Convention Center.
• Antoinette Brown Society Celebration on Monday, June 29th from 5:00-7:00pm in the Westin Hotel, 6th floor.

Also plan to visit MESA’s exhibit booth during Synod, where we will have a variety of resources available, including a new Discernment Travelogue that is especially useful for Committees on Ministry. The exhibit area will include a Tech Lab, providing hands-on opportunities to work with the UCC Data Hub, the UCC Ministry Opportunities website, and the Ministerial Profiles Portal.

Several of the proposed changes to the Constitution & Bylaws that will be voted on at Synod are related to authorized ministry. For your information, here is a summary of those particular proposed changes:

• Clarity of capitalization for formal terms including but not limited to Ordained Ministerial Standing, Ordained Ministerial Partner Standing, and Local Church.
• Consistency of UCC polity and practices through the inclusion of language such as ‘ecclesiastical support,’ ‘ministerial oversight,’ ‘fitness reviews,’ ‘may apply,’ and ‘search process,’ and removal of language including ‘disciplinary’ and ‘placement.’
• Clarification that Ordained Ministerial Partner Standing may be granted to a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister who is serving in a Local Church of the United Church of Christ or in a ministry setting directly related to the United Church of Christ. This change allows for ministers in specialized ministry settings such as judicatory or national staff to hold Ordained Ministerial Partner Standing if qualified, and is consistent with Disciples of Christ policy.

We look forward to greeting you in Cleveland!