By Tom Rehling

The report is in, the Groundhog saw his shadow, indicating that we will have six more weeks of winter. 

 I have seen many commercial reminders that Valentine's Day is near and we should use this occasion to tell our loved ones that they are indeed loved.

 But somewhere in the mix of Mardi Gras and Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday seems to get lost.  Yet of all of these dates Ash Wednesday is the most significant for us as Christians.  It is the 7^th Wednesday before Easter, marking the beginning of Lent and our 40-day journey toward the cross and the resurrection of Jesus.  Lent is a season for meditation, prayer and self reflection.  Through these disciplines we prepare ourselves for God's ultimate grace offered to the world through the death and resurrection of Christ. 

 May this Lenten season be a holy and renewing spiritual journey for you. 

Steps Toward Church Transformation

 By Hal Youngblood

  Would the neighbors around your church say, "We're glad this church is here," even if they don't attend? If your church relocated, would anyone care? Are your members actively reaching out to friends, neighbors and co-workers?
  If you answered "no" to any of these questions, your church has an inward focus that needs urgent attention.
  A dead-end, unhealthy church exists primarily for those on the inside--a cloister. Like the culture it is called to transform, it gives an unhealthy amount of attention to individual needs.
  By contrast, a transforming church is one that has a shared focus of mission beyond its walls. These courageous churches help transform people into God's image. They transform the communities in which they minister. And, as organizations, they are continually transforming how they lead, operate and minister. They are missional, or outwardly focused, in nature.
  Dead-end, unhealthy churches tend to focus on what happens inside the church (ushers, committees, Sunday school teachers and greeters). Transforming churches define ministry in broader terms--ministering in the name of God in their neighborhoods, workplaces, social circles and schools. 
  If your church wants to navigate toward a transformational focus, your leadership team will need to implement these steps:

• Redefine your mission statement to target people outside the church walls.
• Focus your evangelism and mission efforts largely on your own local community.
• Help people connect to your outreach efforts.
• Resist the temptation to be all things to all people.
• Take time to develop a strategic plan that bridges your church's passions and strengths with the needs of people in your community.
• Engage a large percentage of your membership in the process of discovering your community and developing your strategic plan.

As the church focuses on doing a few things well, it provides a permission-giving culture for members to follow their calling. Ministry then moves from the few on the inside of church bureaucracy to those on the front lines.

Excerpted from "Us to Them"-an article featured in Rev! Magazine. If an outwardly focused, transformational church is of interest to you, I  recommend  The Externally Focused Church, The Externally Focused Life, Field Guide to Neighborhood Outreach, and Outreach Ministry in the 21^st Century.

Salt Lake Celebrates Interfaith Week

The many faiths of Salt Lake City will showcase their best in a weeklong celebration Feb. 13-21.  Under the theme of "Building a World of Harmony," the eventsrange from a HIndu Wedding Ceremony to a demonstration of baking challah bread. 

• "Forgiving One Another As the Path to Peace," a workshop at the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, 10 am-4 pm Feb. 13
• "Saints of the Church --St. Valentine?" by Father Peter Rogers at the University of Utah Newman Center, 3 pm Feb. 14
• "Faith of Our Founding Fathers" by genealogist Gordon Remington at the Capitol, 4 pm Feb. 15
• "Breaking of Challah Bread," at Kol Ami, 6:30 pm Feb. 16
• Ash Wednesday observance at St. Mark's Cathedral, 7 pm Feb. 17
• "The Wisdom of Sacred Texts for Modern Times," a presentation by Rev. Michael Chittum at First Congregational Church, 7 pm Feb. 18
• "Islam: Reaching Beyond Boundaries," Khadeeja Islamic Center, 5:30 pm Feb. 19
• Hindu Wedding Ceremony of the Gods, Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple of Utah, 10:30 am Feb. 20
• "Discovering Harmony in Utah, featuring Christian and Muslim Refugee Children, Disocvery Christian Community, 4 pm Feb, 20
• Interfaith Musical Tribute, featuring Presbyterian St. Scots, performers from China, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Greek Orthodox, Buddhist & Hindu dancers, North Ute and North Piute blessing, Baha'i, Sikh and others, 6 pm Feb. 21 at Salt Lake Tabernacle.
• African-American Spirituals & Their Roots, concert featuring Calvary Baptist Choir, Westminster Chamber Singers and N. Layton Jr. High Chorus, 7:30 pm Feb. 24, Westminster College
  

All events are free, and more details are available at www.interfaithroundtable.org.

News
from National

UCC's Emergency Appeal for Haiti has added a text message option. If you text LOVE to 25383, a $10 donation is added to your phone bill. In the three weeks since the quake hit, more than $650,000 has been donated through the UCC's One Great Hour of Sharing program. Persons wishing to contribute online may click here.  Checks may be sent through Church House at 700 Prospect St., Cleveland OH 44115. To learn more about how UCC donations are being used in Haiti, click here.

StillSpeaking, a glossy, "coffee-table" magazine featuring in-depth articles on UCC issues, will debut in late April. Inaugural subscriptions will be available until July 1 at a discounted rate of $29 for three years. After that the rate will rise to $39. The magazine will be published twice a year. To order a subscription, contact ucc.org/magazine.

UCC leaders have lodged a complaint against CBS for its planned airing of a Super Bowl commercial from the Focus on the Family conservative religious organization. The network (and others) refused to air the UCC ads several years ago, claiming they were too controversial. Network representatives have claimed that the economy prompted the decision to allow the anti-abortion message this year. A Facebook group encourages UCC supporters to air their opinions. A new UCC ad campaign is scheduled for mid-April.

The UCC and its forebears have played a minor but important role in African American history, Check out worship and educational resources for Black History Month  here.

Global Ministries has announced the theme for the Universal Day of Prayer for Students as "Climate Justice." One of the oldest ecumenical days of prayer, the UDPS is observed on the third Sunday of February; in 2010 it is celebrated on February 21.

Calendar of Events

Feb. 6-March 6: UCC Polity
10am-noon Saturdays click here for details

Feb. 7-10: Clergy Retreat,
Waunita Hot Springs Ranch

Feb. 11: Iliff School of Theology Annual Awards Banquet, Denver

Feb 13-21: Salt Lake Interfaith Week (click for details)

Feb. 17: Bridges of Hope, Zoe's, 715 10th St., Greeley (click for details)

March 7: Vista Grande Celebration of Open and Affirming Status, Colorado Springs

April 16-18: Building An Inclusive Church, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Denver, co-sponsored by UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns (click here for details)

June 11-13: RMCUCC Annual Conference, La Foret Retreat Center

July 11-17 Contemplative Life Camp, La Foret (register through youth camps)

Aug, 4-8: CrossRoads in the Wilderness, Ward CO, retreat sponsored by Men's Leadership Alliance,  click here for details

Seminary Sunday Scheduled Feb. 28
The role of seminaries in our churches cannot be understated. Seminary Sunday is a chance to take note of the three UCC seminaries.

If you would like brochures, posters, or offering envelopes, please email CUE Development Coordinator, Kiely Todd Roska at cueseminaries@yahoo.com. Printable bulletin inserts will be available in early February.

  Clever ideas from your newsletters

Several of our Conference churches participate in the Souper Bowlof Caring, a youth-led initiative that has spread across the country and collected millions for local hunger relief programs. Check out the website and put it on your idea list for next year: http://www.souperbowl.org/

Celebrate Valentine's Day (Sunday this year) with a chocolate fundraiser or the member-building "bring a friend to church." Share the love.

  Summer camp is an experience a child will remember forever. To see a short video on how camp affected some notable people, click on the picture.

A week at Colorado's beautiful La Foret Camp enjoying fun, faith and fellowship --who could ask for more? Opportunities for youth

from 7 to 17 and adults are available, but only until they fill up. Visit the RMCUCC Camps page for full details and registration.

Also available: Confirmation Retreat Feb. 26-28
Middle School Spring Retreat
March 19-21
click for details

Global Partners Youth Trip to Venezuela July 21-28 click for details

• Church World Service provides emergency kits to address basic hygiene needs. Donations of cash to send supplies or assembled kits are desperately needed. 

Faith Community Church in Littleton has organized an "assembly party"  for Feb. 15 (President's Day). Join in the fun or do your own. Click here to see what they're doing. 

• UCC's One Great Hour of Sharing works in situations like Haiti year-round. Contributions can be made online, through a local church (mark checks for Haitian relief), sent to the conference office or to national, 700 Prospect Ave., Cleveland OH 44115. Now available is a texting option: Text LOVE to 25383 to have a $10 donation added to your phone bill.

Although some want to be of hands-on help in times of crisis, authorities assure us the best work can be done at home, either raising funds to donate, gathering materials to send as the needs become clear and to focus on ongoing rehabilitation projects in New Orleans/the Gulf Coast and Iowa.  

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