UCCDM Update October 2013

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To those whom may be interested to know about the current work of the UCC Disability Ministries Board–Friends, UCC Members, UCC Clergy, UCC persons with disability and our ecumenical partners,

 

Greetings! The UCC Disabilities Ministries Board of Directors has recently completed our annual meeting. This is to give you a brief look at our recent work and the work we have planned for 2013-2014.

 

In October 2013 we welcomed three new Board Members to UCCDM Board of Directors they are The Rev. Leslie Carole Talyor, M.Div, D.Min. of the Ohio Conference; Mr. Kevin Pettit, Disability Inclusion Associate from the Rocky Mountain Conference; and The. Rev. Susan Burns from the Minnesota Conference. They each bring uniquie perspecives and energy to the work of UCCDM and their bios will soon be on the uccdm.org site so check back in November and get to know them better. At our annual meeting we also elected new officers of the UCCDM as follows: The Rev. Lynda I. Bigler, Chair; The Rev. Jeanne Tyler, Vice Chair; The Rev. Kelli Parrish Lucas, Secretary; and The. Rev. Craig Modahl, Treasurer.

 

There are a few things for us to celebrate in the year now ending, 2012-2013 these include:

  • UCCDM partnering with UCC Mental Illness Network to host the fourth Widening the Welcome in Long Beach as a Pre-Synod Event.

  • A UCCDM and UCC Mental Illness Network presence at Synod with a booth, speak outs about Mental Health Sunday and UCCDM, a witnesses to bullying of people with disabilities, and a request for funding of the Virginia Kreyer Scholarship (the later was sadly defeated).

  • UCCDM funded the first gathering of a renewed Mental Illness Network, which decided to change its name to the UCC Mental Health Network.

  • The creation of Access Sunday (October 13th) Worship Materials.

  • The establishment of Mental Health Sunday and the UCC Mental Health Network’s creation of worship resources for Mental Health Sunday (October 20th).

 

We also discerned what we most wanted to focus on in the coming year, 2013-2014 and these include:

  • Strengthening Relationships–within the UCC, with the Mental Health Network, Conference Inclusion Teams, and others.

  • Develop the “Accessible to All” (A2A) designation. This would include reworking the current A2A materials to make them easier for congregational use, encouraging more churches to become A2A and develop mental health ministries, and continuing to support Access Sunday throughout the denomination.

  • Develop a working group to address the ministry needs of persons with developmental disabilities as well as their families, friends, and congregations.

While the above will be our main foci for the coming year we will continue to:

  • Raise money to establish the Virginia Kreyer Scholarship Fund to support persons with disabilities seeking authorized ministry. $34,000.00 must be raised by 2015!

  • Improve our website to make it more informative/useful.

  • Continue to do the ecumenical work associated with disabilities on behalf of the UCC at the national and World Council of Churches levels.

  • Continue to develop the leadership of people with disabilities in the UCC.

  • Revise our by-laws and revisit establishing 501(c)3 status.

 

The UCCDM has a small Board of Directors working on these tasks. We ask for your prayers, your treasure, and your talent. If you have a particular gift that you think would be a match for helping to achieve the above mentioned goals and would like to volunteer please send us an email. We have also wondered what a “membership” with UCCDM might mean to those not currently on the Board–What does/would it mean to you? What would you contribute? What you want in return?

 

Let’s make this a two-way dialogue, we would like to hear from you!

In the memory of Christ, who called all people to Him,

Rev. Kelli Parrish Lucas,

UCCDM Secretary