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Transitions announced

Kizzie Jones is retiring after 17 years as chaplain at Horizon House.

Alice Ling is the pastor at United Church of Christ congregational in Wallace.

Hal Bergmann of Shalom UCC in Richland was ordained Dec. 14 at University Congregational UCC in Seattle. At The Chaplaincy in Richland he serve at two Tri-Cities hospitals.

Andrew Conley-Holcom, a Pacific School of Religion graduate, will be ordained Jan. 3 at home church is First Congregational UCC in Bellingham. He will be installed Jan. 3 as pastor at Admiral Congregational in Seattle.

Lynn Nelson will be ordained and installed on Jan. 4 at Affirmational UCC-Plymouth Congregational in Colfax, which she has served as a licensed pastor.

Leslie Moughty, a Pacific School of Religion graduate from Bothel, will be ordained Jan. 18 at Northshore UCC in Woodinville. She is director of children, youth and families.

James Smucker died on Nov. 10, at the age of 92. He served as Washington North Idaho conference minister from 1967 to 1971, then as New York Conference executive minister until 1987. A graduate of Yale Divinity School and Chicago Theological Seminary, he served as a missionary in India with his late wife Onieta beginning in 1946. He also served churches in Ohio, Illinois and New York, and was associate conference minister in Illinois. After retiring, he returned to Washington and volunteered for the UCC Office of Church in Society.

Roland Schlueter, 95, of Seattle, died on Dec. 4. Born in Wisconsin, he married his late wife Frances in 1943, received a bachelor’s from Yale University, an MDiv from Union Seminary and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh. He served seven churches in the conference From 1943 to 1984, and was later active at Plymouth Congregational Church in Seattle.

Interfaith Advocacy Days set

The Faith Action Network of Washington is planning three advocacy days in January and February to inform pastors and members of congregations about issues before the 2015 Washington State Legislature and advocacy strategies.

“Act on the Dream” is the statewide theme. Events are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Spokane, at 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 7 in Yakima, and Thursday, Feb. 19, at United Churches in Olympia.

PNW Conference Minister Mike Denton will give the opening keynote on the theme, “Raising Prophetic Voices: Faith Communities Advocate for Justice,” for the 2015 Eastern Washington Legislative Conference in Spokane.

Workshops will address coal and oil transport, the Columbia River Treaty, wealth inequality, jails and police accountability, and interfaith reconciliation in Iraq. There will be legislative briefings by the Rev. Paul Benz of the Faith Action Network of Washington and representative sof the Washington State Catholic Conference.

Roberta Wilburn, associate dean of graduate studies in education at Whitworth University, will speak on proposals related to K-12 education issues.

The Fig Tree, Catholic Charities of Spokane and the Faith Action Network partner to plan Spokane’s event. For information, call 535-4112 or email kaye@thefigtree.org.

For information on the other Interfaith Advocacy Day events, call 206-625-9790 or visit www.fanwa.org.

Midwinter youth events set

The theme for the Pilgrim Firs for junior high and senior high Midwinter Retreats is “All In: Living Your Life with Purpose.”

Katy Lloyd and Kristen Almgren, co-chairs of the Outdoor Ministries Task Force, invite youth to jump “all in” to the retreat by setting phones and technology aside, along with the pressures of daily life, for the duration of the weekend.

There will be opportunities for youth to explore their values and where they feel called in life, along with reassurance that it’s okay if they don’t know what they want to be “when they grow up,” said Katy.

Campers will consider an adapted version of the “7 Strange Questions to Find Your Life Purpose” by Mark Manson, as well as how Jesus was called to the life he led, said Kristen.

Katy and Kristen have been planning the retreats with Leslie Moughty, Susan Andresen, Rich Porter and Andrew Conley-Holcom, with input from Margaret Irribarra and Tara Barber of the Youth and Young Adult Council.

“Because youth often take camp photos with their phones, we are asking for donations of digital cameras, so we can capture memories of the retreat,” Katy said.

People with digital cameras to donate can contact her at (206) 930-1639.

Junior High Midwinter at Pilgrim Firs is Jan. 9 to 11 with an early bird discount for registering before Dec. 19th.

Senior High is Jan. 16-18 with Early Bird discount deadline of Dec. 26.

For information, call 360-876-2031 or visit pncucc.org.

N-Sid-Sen’s Junior/Senior High Midwinter is March 13 to 15 with an early bird discount deadline of Feb. 20. Dana Sprenkle, Sarah McDonald and Mark Boyd are directors of that event.

For information, call 208-689-3489 or visit www.n-sid-sen.org.

Justice Leadership Program study continues into June

The Justice Leadership Program’s Faith and Justice class series continues in the winter and through June. “Building Skills for Social Change” includes sessions on community organizing, advocacy, caring for oneself and setting boundaries while caring for others experiencing trauma, cultural competency for global citizenship and leading inspiring meetings.

Participants study with the PNC’s four 2014-2015 UCC justice interns in Seattle, said Elizabeth Dickinson, JLP coordinator. The next “Skills for Social Change” class is on “Changing the World One Meeting at a Time.”
Cory Maclay, an organizational leadership consultant, will lead the session beginning at 6:30 p.m. with an optional potluck, and continue as a workshop from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Keystone Church, 5019 Keystone Place North in Seattle.

For information, call 206-320-0432 or email jlp.elizabeth@gmail.com.

Conference Council is Jan. 24

The Conference Council meets on Saturday, Jan. 24, at Normandy Park UCC in Seattle for the budget summit. Representatives of committees and task forces will bring their budget requests, said Andy CastroLang, moderator. For information, call 206-725-8383.

Debra Jarvis sermon on TEDMED

Based on a sermon she gave at University Congregational UCC in 2012, Debra Jarvis gave a TEDMED talk in Washington, D.C. in September. It is at www.ted.com/talks/debra_jarvis_yes_i_survived_cancer_but_that_doesn_t_define_me. She is living outside Geneva, Switzerland, where her husband is on sabbatical.