September 15, 2020
Greetings ICCC clergy brothers and sisters!
The New Front Door of Church: From web to welcome – https://refreshthechurch.com/the-new-front-door-of-church-from-web-to-welcome/
How to Preach When Your Congregation is Online and In-Person – https://factsandtrends.net/2020/09/02/how-to-preach-to-two-audiences-at-the-same-time/
1 in 5 churches facing permanent closure within 18 months due to COVID-19 shutdowns: Barna pres. – https://www.christianpost.com/news/1-in-5-churches-face-closure-within-18-months-due-to-covid-19-shutdowns-barna-president-238612/?fbclid=IwAR3gfW_-HBQil7FRBynfmLK8A57wUVMWv_uRlLeX0yF8SgFY-3pEbCXtqQs
During this pandemic, clergy and congregational leaders have had to become adaptive, agile, and creative to maintain their worship services and ministries with their congregation members and their communities. Most congregations, large and small are facing financial challenges. This time has been especially difficult for smaller membership congregations which for many were already struggling financially pre-Covid!
I welcome your stories about creative solutions and resources that might be of help to our ICCC clergy, congregations, and members.
We continue to provide a monthly leadership development webinar. Past webinars can be downloaded from our ICCC website (links below). I welcome your suggestions for future webinars.
As you know, ICCC received a modest one-year grant this year from Duke Divinity Leadership Education Program. We are using the grant to provide the monthly webinars. We had plan to use the grant to provide support for our clergy through monthly clergy peer group gatherings, and for regional clergy retreats. Due to the pandemic, there has not been much support for these programs. I talked with the staff from the Duke Divinity Leadership Education Program last month. He supported our request to re-purpose the grant for the remainder of this year. We now have two small grant funds:
- Leadership development grant for clergy or lay. The maximum grant is $400. Since most continuing education programs have gone on-line, this grant will cover the cost for many on-line educational programming.
- Vital Worship grants. The maximum grant is $500. I borrowed this idea from The Calvin Institute of Worship at Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI. It provides Vital Worship grants. On its website it describes the purpose of the grants – “Grants to worshiping communities stimulate thoughtful and energetic work that will result in worship services that exhibit renewed creativity, theological integrity, and relevance.”
Obviously, our grants are much smaller than the grants offered by The Calvin Institute. Hopefully, our Vital Worship grant will assist and stimulate some of our congregations, especially our smaller membership congregations, to discern how they might do worship differently and more creatively as they move into the new normal of combining in-person and on-line worship and ministry!
Let us continue to keep one another and our congregations in prayers as we all move through this time of great challenge and opportunity. Take care and have a blessed day.
Peace,
Phil Tom
icccpt@sbcglobal.net
Leadership and Development Opportunity for YOU!
The ICCC will be offering several high-quality leadership development opportunities for clergy and laity. Many of these programs will be facilitated by Pinnacle Leadership Associates, a coaching and church consulting group that seeks to partner with others to discover and pursue God’s mission in the world. Get to know some of the Pinnacle team through your participation in one or more of the following programs:
A Vision For The Emerging Purple Church
By Dr. Doug Cushing – Pinnacle Leadership Associate
A recent Pew Research finding concluded that: “Political polarization is the defining feature of early 21st century American politics, both among the public and elected officials.” Might it be the same in our churches? Is it becoming increasingly difficult in your church to have conversations that don’t become polarized? Are you looking for ways to preach, pray, study and be on mission that unite rather than divide your conservative, moderate and progressive members?
The Purple Church is made of red-leaning conservatives, moderates and blue-leaning progressives who band together to embrace Jesus’ command in John 13 to: “love one another,” with the John 17 goal that “all may be one.” This four-week webinar will offer some hopeful ‘first-steps’ toward becoming a Purple Church as well as an emerging vision for how a Purple Church engages in study, mission, worship and prayer that unite church members and strengthen the bond of Christian love.
About Doug: “When you are ready to move ahead, taking initiative toward positive growth and mission advancement, Doug is glad to partner with you. High energy, along with experiential wisdom, makes Doug an effective Pinnacle Associate. Individuals, congregations, and denominations value Doug’s coaching, consulting and training, but he has fun doing both. Doug resides in Leland, NC.” ~ Pinnacle Associates and Affiliates.
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ICCC LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR 2020
Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNIEFzQUXs0
Part 1 https://vimeo.com/442455647/a9e34fa855
Powerpoint (no video)
Ushering Duties During Covid handout
https://vimeo.com/403084558/b6d472b9f3
Cultivating Adaptive Change in Congregations from 2/19/2020
https://vimeo.com/392532326/49d9adc388
A Vision for the Emerging Purple Church
Part 2
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QZKNHZX
It’s here!
The 2020 Inclusive Pulpit is here! Available now!
The ICCC annual “book of sermons” is now out, with sermons, poems, prayers, etc., all submitted by ICCC family. Thank you to all that have contributed to this example of God’s word, and thank you to our editors: Rev. Tim Meadows, Pamela Jones and Cindy Conolly.
The purchase of this annual book is normally included in the Annual Conference fee for all attendees. For a limited time, you can purchase the book for $8.50 (includes s&h, regular price $19.95), since we will have no conference for 2020.
If you would like to purchase the book, send payment to the Council Office, or pay through our website. Click here. Please note that it is for the 2020 Inclusive Pulpit.
Be sure to share this information with ICCC family without email! The 2020 Trentham Award will be announced during our 2020 2-Day Virtual Gathering being held July 20 & 21. Details can be found on our website as they become available. https://www.icccnow.org/annual-conference/
WORSHIP WITH US!!
Antioch Community Church – *Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AntiochChurchKC/ or search in FB Antioch 4805. For more information on what Antioch Community Church has to offer virtually, visit their website: www.acckc.org.
Wilson Memorial Union Church– Sunday Worship can be found on their YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmXd-MMkSkEEJVqsN-8Yoeg or on their website https://www.wilsonmemorialchurch.org/videos They also post their worship links on their *Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mywilsonchurch For more information on what Wilson Memorial Union Church has to offer virtually, visit their website: www.wilsonmemorialchurch.org.
Lake Oconee Community Church – https://locc.co/worshiping/services-livestream/ For more information on what Lake Oconee Community Church has to offer virtually, visit their website www.locc.co.
New Covenant Community Church – YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfQ4tfz6CmH64kug4zjVGmA For more information on what New Covenant Community Church has to offer virtually, visit their website http://www.covenantakron.org/
Greater Faith Community Church – For information on what Greater Faith Community Church has to offer virtually, visit their website http://www.greaterfaith.org.
Imagine Church of the Carolinas – *Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImagineChurchoftheCarolinas/. For more information on what Imagine Church of the Carolinas has to offer virtually, visit their website: www.imaginechurchnow.org
Chapel By The Sea – YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjSPp9qNZq9DFRfoNcJ83g For information on what Chapel By The Sea has to offer virtually, visit their website www.imaginechurchnow.org
upRising – a church without walls – *Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uprisingaustin/ For more information on what upRising has to offer virtually, visit their website: www.uprisingaustin.org
Peace Community Church – *Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peacecommunityftmyers/ For more information on what Peace Community Church offers virtually, visit their website: www.peacecommunitychurch.com
People’s Community Church, Berea, OH – *Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesCommunityChurchBerea/ For more information on what People’s Community Church may have to offer virtually, visit their website: www.peoplescommunity.org
Christian Catholic Rite of Community Churches – YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHGa_5lyPn0 . For more information on what CCRCC has to offer virtually, visit their website: http://ccrcc.ca/
Historic First Community Church Nashville – *Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/526657234126797/videos/652357822159867/?vh=e&d=n
Speed Memorial, a Community Church – *Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speedmemorial/ For more information on what Speed Memorial has to offer virtually, visit their website: www.speedmemorial.org
Tellico Village Community Church – https://www.tellicochurch.com/watch
Historic People’s Community Church, Detroit – *Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesCommunityChurchDetroit/ live at 10:30am ET Sundays. For more information on what People’s Community Church has to offer virtually, visit their website: www.historicpcc.org
*For Facebook links, you may need to first “Like” the church’s page before you can view their postings.
Read (and sang) by Joe Higgins, Wilson Memorial Union Church:
- “Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do. - Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will,
To do and to endure. - Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Till I am wholly Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine. - Breathe on me, Breath of God,
So shall I never die,
But live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity.”
Read by ICCC Chaplain Wendy Childress. Written by her daughter, Ikia Noel, 23 years ago when she was 9 years old:
Why?
A world full of crime, drugs, and violence
Violence seems to be the answer to. . .
Every question
Every problem
Yet, there are people who live in poverty and despair
A world where people want to see you fail
Yet, there is no one willing to. . .
Love them
Guide them
Why is the world so evil?
A world where your race, gender, religion, or nationality
Can determine so many things
Or have a certain amount of money to be accepted?
Why?
Greetings.
Please accept the following prayer from your ICCC leadership!
Lord, in the midst of great uncertainty in our communities, our cities, our states, our nation and our world community, give unto us the certainty of your loving presence and hopeful promise of your love for us.
May we be certain of your present healing spirit as we face uncertain of the COVID 19 virus.
Guide us, O God that we would make wise decisions in our day to day life.
Bless our ICCC and all our communities with a calming assurance of your love.
Your are our breath and life. We praise you.
Harry Foockle, ICCC President
Instagram: @icccnow 
Snapchat: icccnow 
Twitter: @icccnow
Churches Uniting in Christ, a gathering of 11 communions in a covenantal relationship, affirm and support the dignity of all people and to the care for the gift of the earth that God has entrusted to us. It is, for this reason, we join with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and the dozens of tribes standing in support of their efforts to protect their sovereignty, water, culture, a way of life, and their sacred sites.To view the entire statement, recently signed by Abraham Wright, ICCC Secretary and other ICCC officers, click here.
Give By Text
Direct Thrivent Choice Dollars®.
During this special time of year, we pause to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for. Family, friends, faith …
We are pleased to announce that the ICCC has recently been accepted into the Thrivent Choice program.
One way eligible Thrivent Financial members can show their thanks is by directing Choice Dollars to the ICCC. If you’re a Thrivent member who has designated Choice Dollars
®, please take this opportunity to recommend where Thrivent distributes some of its charitable grant funds by directing them to the ICCC. Thrivent Choice grant funding will be used for Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations, and for our three missions: Agape, Creating Community, and Feeding the Hungry.
To learn more about Thrivent Choice, visit Thrivent.com/thriventchoice. Or call Thrivent at 800-847-4836 and say “Thrivent Choice” when prompted.
