Transformed and Renewed: 2023 Member in Discernment Gathering
Hosted by Ministerial Excellence, Support & Authorization (MESA)
1I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:1-2 (NSRV)

Agenda
Thursday, October 5
Unless otherwise specified, all activities will happen in Conference Room A.
- 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. – Travel & Hotel Check-in
- Location: Holiday Inn Express Cleveland Downtown
- 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. – Welcome, Overview of Agenda, Meet the MESA Team
- Location: Mezzanine at the hotel
- 7:00 p.m. onward – Dinner on your own
Friday, October 6
Meals will be served in Conference Room A at 1300 E. Ninth Street, 1st floor. Unless otherwise specified, all activities will happen in Conference Room A. Worship leaders are sought for music and liturgy. Please volunteer in the afternoon if you would like to assist with leading Friday evening worship.
- 7:00 – 8:00 a.m. – Pick up registration materials
- Location: Outside of Conference Room A
- 8:00 – 8:45 a.m. – “Welcome to Sacred Space”
- 8:45 – 9:30 a.m. – “Community & Relationship Building”
- Location: Groups will meet in different locations, see further details below
- 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. – “Seeing the Big Picture”
- 10:00 – 11:15 a.m. – “Taking the Long View”
- 11:15 – 11:30 a.m. – Break
- 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – MESA Presentations: What Every Minister Needs to Know
- 12:30 – 1:15 p.m. – Lunch
- 1:15 – 2:30 p.m. – Tour of UCC Offices (sign-up required), wellness break, or visit area venues
- 2:30 – 5:15 p.m. – MESA Presentations: What Every Minister Needs to Know Continued
- Location: location will shift throughout presentation, see further details below
- 5:15 – 6:30 p.m. – Dinner
- 6:30 – 7:15 p.m. – Worship, Blessing, & Dismissal
Further Details on the Friday Agenda
8:00 – 8:15 a.m. – Greetings from Dr. Jackson, Scripture and theme explained.
8:15 – 8:45 a.m. – Devotion
[Music: Order My Steps]
8:45 – 9:15 a.m – A Common Journey: Phases and Queries Along the Way
Phase Group break-outs
- Conference Room A: Discovery Phase (1 year or less) & Progressing Phase (2 years or more);
- Main floor lobby/outside: Transformative Phase (Nearing completion)
- During Phase Gatherings, volunteer scribes are requested to capture three elements of wisdom to share in our Closing Worship and in the broader MID Network.
9:30 – 10:00 a.m. – Greetings from the UCC Officers
- Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President
- Traci Blackmon, Associate General Minister, Justice and Local Church Ministries (Video)
- Peter Makari, Transitional Executive, Global Engagement& Wider Church Ministries
The Pension Boards: Your Covenant Partner for Financial Security and Personal Wellness in Ministry
10:00 – 11:15 a.m. – Discovery Phase Group:
- An Introduction to the Mission and Ministries of the Pension Boards – Jennifer Markewitz, Director, Health Plan Operations
- Progressing & Transformative Phase Groups: An Overview of Pension Boards Benefits and Services – Baheru Mengistu, Pension Counselor, Member Services Operations (Virtual)
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – What Every Minister Needs to Know
- The Manual on Ministry: Rev. Melanie Oommen
- The Marks, UCC Minister’s Code: Rev. Elizabeth Dilley
- Support and Accountability: Tara Barber
2:30 – 3:15 p.m. – What Every Minister Needs to Know Continued
- Government Chaplaincy and Government Endorsement: Stephen Boyd (Video)
- 4- and 5-way Covenants, Ordainable Calls, and Professional Chaplaincy: Anissa Glaser-Bacon
3:15 – 4:00 p.m. – Phase Group break- outs
- Conference Room A: Discovery Phase (1 year or less) & Progressing Phase (2 years or more);
- Main floor lobby/outside: Transformative Phase (Nearing completion)
- During Phase Gatherings, volunteer scribes are requested to capture three elements of wisdom to share in our Closing Worship and in the broader MID Network.
4:00 – 5:15 p.m. – Presentations Continued
- Legal Considerations – Ms. Heather Kimmel
- Overview of Search & Call Processes – Rev. Jeff Nelson
Saturday, October 7
Unless otherwise specified, all activities will happen in Conference Room A.
- 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. – Check-in/Devotion (Music selection: “Gonna Be a Lovely Day”)
- 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. – Phase Group break-outs
- Location: Groups will meet in different locations, see further details below
- 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. – Concurrent Workshops Part 1
- Location: TBD
- 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Concurrent Workshops Part 2
- Location: TBD
- 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. – Lunch
- 1:15 – 2:30 p.m. – Concurrent Workshops Part 3
- Location: TBD
- 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. – Break
- 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. – Reflections from Phase Groups
- 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. – Dinner
Further Details on the Saturday Agenda
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. – Phase Group break-outs
A Common Journey: Discovering Companions Along the Way
- Conference Room A: Discovery Phase & Progressing Phase
- Main floor lobby/outside: Transformative Phase
9:30 – 10:45 a.m. – Concurrent Workshops Part 1
Location: TBD
- Lessons Learned from Pastoring (White People) – Rev. Dr. Malcom Himschoot (Virtual)
- Planning For Successful Bi-Vocational Ministry – Rev. Anissa Glaser-Bacon
- Relational Support for your Ministry – Rev. Tara Barber
- Negotiating your first call – Rev. Jeff Nelson
10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Concurrent Workshops Part 2
Location: TBD
- Faith in the Public Square: Advocating with the UCC Office in Washington D.C. – Rev. Michael Neuroth
- Love is Louder: Communal Care for Trans &Non-Binary Siblings– Rachael Ward
- Professional Chaplaincy – Rev. Melody Ruffin Ward
- Transforming Lives through Service: The Ministries of CHHSM and its Member Agencies – Jamar Doyle
1:15 – 2:30 p.m. – Concurrent Workshops Part 3
Location: TBD
- Where Everybody Knows Your Name: The Joys and Challenges of Small Church Ministry– Rev. Dr. Ruth Shaver (Virtual)
- Marks for Vital Church – Rev. Melanie Oommen
- Disabilities Ministry (video only) – Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund
Sunday, October 8
Unless otherwise specified, all activities will happen in Conference Room A.
- 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. – Continental Breakfast
- 9:00 – 9:30 a.m. – Devotion (Music selection: “Total Praise”)
- 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. – Closing reflections with Dr. Jackson
- 10:30 – 10:45 a.m. – Prepare for Worship (Music selection: “Let’s Do the Work”)
- 10:45 – 11:45 a.m. – Worship with Communion
Further Details on the Sunday Agenda
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. – Closing reflections with Dr. Jackson
- “I feel further grounded in my Call because…”
- “What I take with me today is…”
- “I have hope for the Church because…”
- Continuing Connections Opportunities
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. – Departing Reflection
Music selection: “Great is Thy Faithfulness”
- Meditation/Sermon – MID
- Communion – Dr. Jackson,
- Benediction – Dr. Jackson
Music selection: “This Little Light/This Joy I Have NCH#524”
Closing music selection: “Light of God”
“I have no doubts that the one who set your feet on this good path will keep walking it with you until the day the Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One appears.”
Philippians 1:6
First Nations Version: an indigenous translation of the New Testament
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2021), 358.
Music files from GS33 (2021): Let’s do the Work by Kevon Carter; Light of God by Patrick Henderson; Break Up Your Fallow Ground by Tom Wuest.
“Gonna Be a Lovely Day,” Words and Music: Kirk Franklin, The Nu Nation Project, ©1998 ASCAP; All rights reserved. Streamed under WORSHIPcast License 7631.
“Total Praise,” permission obtained by , granted April 22, 2022 via email from lavonneburleigh@go.mccormick.edu.
“This Little Light/This Joy I Have,” public domain; arrangement copyright ©1993 The Pilgrim Press.
“To Give Thanks for What God has Done, Service prayers with Communion for Easter Sunday Year B,” was written by the Rev. Dr. Sheila Harvey Guillaume, pastor of Union Congregational United Church of Christ in West Palm Beach. Copyright 2021 Justice and Local Church Ministries, Faith INFO Ministry Team, United Church of Christ. Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education. All publishing rights reserved.
Be in the Know
Recommended Reading

Blessed Are the Crazy: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness, Family and Church by Sarah Griffith Lund

The Church Cracked Open: Disruption, Decline, and New Hope for Beloved Community by Stephanie Spellers

How To Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman

Where the Edge Gathers: Building a Community of Radical Inclusion by Yvette A. Flunders

Mental Health Basics for Spiritual and Religious Leaders by Awa Jangha, PhD
From the author: A free eBook that has helpful information on various concepts of mental health (such as crisis and trauma, substance use dependence, grief, when to refer to a counselor, self-care, etc.). It also includes reflection questions and mental health resources. While written for leaders with spiritual communities (those currently serving or those in training/discernment), it can be also be helpful to persons generally interested in mental health. Please feel free to share it with others.