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Transitions announced

Corey Passons, who has been serving the Community for Interfaith Celebration in Olympia since August 2016 as a licensed minister, will be ordained Aug. 22 at Priest Point Park in Olympia. He will continue as minister leading interfaith liturgy, teaching, holidays and spirituality. He will also continue as program director of Interfaith Works, a coalition of 30 faith communities in Thurston County and Olympia’s largest service provider for vulnerable adults experiencing homelessness. The organization also fosters an interfaith network and supports educational and relational opportunities for interfaith cooperation, understanding and peace-building.

Elizabeth Stanhope Gordon was ordained May 23 to a call as a per diem clinical pastoral care provider at the University of Washington Medical Center. She is also a fellow in Older Adult Spiritual Care at the VA Medical Center on Beacon Hill. She recently became a board member of Plymouth Healing communities, which serves individuals who are living with mental illness and who have experienced homelessness. She previously taught at Seattle University and did disability rights advocacy.

Sam Rennebohm was ordained June 27 into a specialized ministry in clinical psychology in covenant with Prospect Congregational UCC, the PNC and Swedish Family Medicine Residency - First Hill, where he is a member of the faculty. He completed a master of divinity degree at Pacific School of Religion in 2009 and became a member in discernment. He earned a doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Seattle Pacific University in 2019, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship in family health at the Seattle VA. In the Swedish health care system he teaches and coaches medical residents, supervises graduate psychology students, provides psychotherapy for patients and conducts research.

Conard Edwards, who died June 24 in Bremerton, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master of divinity degree from the American Baptist Seminary of the West in Berkeley. Ordained by the American Baptist Churches in 1961, he served churches in Idaho, California and Washington and also was an Army chaplain in Europe, Panama, Korea, Vietnam and the U.S. He and his wife, the Judi Edwards, transferred to the PNC in 1997 and served churches His memorial service was June 26 at St. Paul’s UCC.

Bobbi Virta, pastor at Ferndale UCC, retired on June 13

Disciples offer classes

The Northern Lights Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is offering second Saturday educational and spiritual growth opportunities focused on congregational transformation, justice ministries and spiritual growth.

The July 10 session is on “The Use of Story in Congregational Settings.” On Aug. 14, the theme will be “Built to Change - Adaptive Leadership in the Congregation. The Sept. 11 theme is “Shining a Light on the Table: Exploring a Wide(r) Welcome.”

For information, visit https://northernlightsdisciples.org/second-saturdays.

General Synod is July 11-18

The national UCC is holding a Special Virtual General Synod 33 from July 11 to 18 on the theme, “Rooted in Love.”

The opportunity to view 50 workshops during and after synod is included in the registration.

Resolutions include advocating to change the cash bail bond system to eliminate racial and social injustices; banning conversion therapy; commitment to gender safety and equity in ministry settings; ending 128 years of war between the U.S. and Hawaiian Kingdom; declaring a just peace between Palestine and Israel; affirming the rights of nature; becoming a church of contemplatives in action; declaring and responding to racism as a public health crisis; recognizing the UN International Decade for People of African Descent (2015 to 2024) and protecting workers at churches and religious institutions.

For information, visit generalsynod.org.

UCC Webinar is on Climate

The UCC is offering a webinar, “False Solutions: Climate Policies that Fail,” at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 22.

Leah Stokes and Gabriela Sarri-Tobar will discuss how some proposed climate policies fall short of meeting the moral demands of science, equity and justice. Leah is author of Short Circuiting Policy and Gabriela serves as the energy justice campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity.

To sign up for 1 p.m. Thursday or receive a recording, visit ucc.zoom.us/webinar/register/1116246392293/WN_ZziYoFxjS2KZKuVWrK593w.

PNC partners with Colombia

At its Annual Meeting, the PNC voted to establish a partnership with Justapaz and the Peace Committee of the ecumenical agency, CEDEPOL. They work for justice and peace with whose who have been displaced by violence in Colombia, said Mary Olney-Loyd, co-chair of the PNC Global Ministries Committee.

Global Ministries of the UCC and Disciples of Christ (DOC) is raising $115,000 to help support a couple from Puerto Rico to serve as mission co-workers in Colombia. They succeed Andrew Larsen, who served as a mission co-worker with Justapaz.

Alex Maldonado Lizardi and Xiomara Cintrón Garcia will work with Justapaz to build its capacity on peace issues with regional church leaders. Xiomara is a middle school teacher at a Puerto Rican Christian School. Alex is a Spanish teacher at the Laboratory School of the Inter-American University in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

For information, call 317-713-2555, email myrtos@comcast.net or visit donate.globalministries.org.

Admiral has Theology Thursdays

Admiral UCC in Seattle has been offering virtual Theology Thursdays on fourth Thursdays of each month of 2021. Speakers have included Darrel Goodwin in March on “What Is Finished? The Possibility of An Anti-Institutional Church.” Amy Johnson, the April 22 speaker discussed “Sexual Assault Awareness Month/Theology of Consent.” The May speaker, Aneelah Afzali talked on “Practicing the Faith (Islam). June’s speaker was Queerology podcast host Matthias Roberts on “What is a Queer Theology?”

“Secret Revelation of John: a Second Century Healing Text” is the theme Shirley Paulson will address on July 22. Rabbi Kahn will speak on “Judaism and Christianity” on Aug. 27. Judith Laxer will talk Sept. 23 on “Paganism: Nature Worship and the Divine Feminine: Autumn Equinox/Earth Based Spirituality. October, November and December events are being planned.

For information, call 206-932-2928 or visit allevents.in/org/admiral-congregational-united-church-of-christ/9410052.