News from Local Congregations

More news about generous churches! The last Leaders’ Link announced a list of Covenant Keeper churches, churches that contribute 10% of their operating budget to OCWM (Our Church’s Wider Mission) Basic Support, and regrettably missed a number of names.  With our deepest apologies we add these churches to the list: 

• Sandy Creek UCC, Lafayette, Al.  Wayde Washburn, the pastor of Sandy Creek points out that the church; a new church start has from its inception been a tithing church!
• United Church UCC, Cookeville, TN.  Tom Eckert, pastor of United Church noted that the church not only is a Covenant Keeper, but gives another 5% to local missions, is 5 for 5, and supports a range of other missions.
• Garden of Grace UCC, Columbia, SC, a newly affiliated church, has stepped forward from the first day it joined the UCC.
• Pilgrimage UCC, Marietta, GA, has a long history of generosity to the United Church of Christ.
• Union Chapel, Tougaloo MS, a small and faithful congregation on the campus of Tougaloo College, and the only UCC church in Mississippi
• Liberty Christian UCC, Brantley, AL, a member of the former South Alabama-Northwest Florida Association, the Liberty Christian Church and their pastor Woody Clark has long been leaders in the area.

We are pleased to announce that Charles Traylor has been elected the new pastor of Fairfield Glade Community Church, Fairfield Glade, TN.   Charles was the Presbytery Executive of the North Dakota Presbytery, and is a pastor in the PCUSA.  Our congratulations to him and to the congregation.

Garden of Grace, UCC, Columbia, SC, celebrated its 15th anniversary on August 24th.  Their guest preacher for the occasion was Michael Piazza, Dean of the Cathedral of Hope, a UCC congregation in Dallas, TX 

While not strictly speaking a congregation, we are proud to report that Talladega College, a school related to the UCC, has had a dramatic increase in enrollment for the fall semester. They have recently hired a new president, Dr. Billy Hawkins, who has initiated a major recruitment campaign.

Pilgrimage UCC, Marietta, GA, has called Heidi Schuler to be their Minister of Christian Education and Youth.  Heidi was recently the coordinator of the Southeast Conference Mountain Mission Project, and is a recent graduate of Candler School for Theology.  Heidi is a student in care of the Georgia South Carolina Association.

Many of you are aware of the tragic violence in July at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, TN.  A number of people were killed and others injured by a single gun man during a worship service on Sunday, July 27th.  We are deeply proud to report that the UCC youth who were attending the UCC National Youth Event at the same time, in Knoxville responded with a banner of greetings and condolences signed by thousands.  The Youth of Church of the Savior UCC, Knoxville took this banner to the Tennessee Valley UCC congregation declaring in the words of M.L. King, Jr., and “darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that…”   John Thomas, General Minister and president of the UCC saw the television coverage of the youth of Church of the Savior and sent a letter saying in part” …your witness in Knoxville is something you do on behalf of all of us…”

Posted on September 12, 2008