Alabama -Tennessee Association Holds 2012 Annual Meeting March 16th and 17th in Pleasant Hill, Tennessee

Over 100 people gathered for the Alabama-Tennessee Association Annual Meeting at the Pleasant Hill Community UCC, surrounded by the incomparable music of the Holy Trinity Community UCC choir from Nashville, an engaging and dramatic puppet troop from Church of the Savior, Knoxville, an  inspiring ecclesiastical council, the beautiful newly rebuilt sanctuary and facility of the church, and a call to move forward toward being an association for the new century. On Friday evening an ecclesiastical council was convened to exam Cameron Barr for ordination.  Cameron is a member in discernment of the association, a member of Howard Congregational UCC, Nashville, and about to graduate from Vanderbilt Divinity School. He was introduced by his mentor in ministry Lawrence Clark, and his CPE supervisor, Lois Morrison.   He preached an inspiring sermon  lifting up the challenges of living out of the call to Christian unity as a denomination in this time. He was unanimously voted to become ordainable pending a call.  Following a service which featured the puppets of Church of the Savior UCC, Knoxville, the choir of Holy Trinity Community UCC, and communion led by host pastor, Tom Warren, the association adjourned to an ice cream social.

Saturday morning following breakfast the association gathered into small groups to share our life stories and come to know one another better, then convened to the business meeting. The treasurer, Ginny Nixon reported a balance of $13,830 and a budget for 2012-2013 of $18,500.  The nominating committee reported that all of the current officers and committee chairs would continue another term. They are: Gray Myers, moderator, Leslie Etheredge, vice-moderator, Ginny Nixon, treasurer, and Marilyn Jones, secretary.

Mission Trips that Matter

Are you looking for a mission trip opportunity for your congregation? 
Here is an invitation for a work camp mission trip.

Where: Pleasant Hill, TN, on the beautiful Cumberland Plateau in mid east Tennessee.
Overview: Neighbors Together, a local grass roots organization serving basic needs of individuals and families in the area, is in need of work groups to help us renovate a small old house recently acquired for office space. Uplands Retirement Village, a UCC supported retirement village with residents from all over the country, and Pleasant Hill Community United Church of Christ, a just peace, whole earth, open and affirming congregation, will provide additional work sites and support for volunteers.

Available work camp dates: May, June, and early July
Age preference: high school - adult
Length of work camp: Groups are welcome to come for several days to a week.

Missionaries Available to Visit Your Local Congregation

We are pleased to announce that Maryjane and Don Westra, Global Ministry missionaries serving in Zimbabwe will be available to visit your church for to speak at worship or to groups interested in the global ministries of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). they will be available during the month of October.  Don and Maryjane are completing a three-year term of service with the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe. Don serves as staff to the Micro-Enterprise and Strategic Planning/Management Program at Mt. Selinda and Maryjane serves as a Hospital Administrator which includes administration responsibilities at the Daisy Dube Children's Home in Mt. Selinda.

We are also pleased to announce that Anil and Theresa Henry medical missionaries serving in Mungeli, India, will be available August 21 - September 14, 2012, Anil and Theresa are commissioned by the Alabama-Tennessee Associating for their work in India, and were members of Brookmeade Congregational UCC while they were in Nashville.

Please contact Tim Downs at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , if you are interested in making arrangements.

Writing the Sacred: A Journaling, Poetry & Psalm-writing Workshop

• Presenter: Ray McGinnis
• Date: Thursday, May 10, 2012
• Workshop: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. | Dinner: 6:00 p.m.
• Location: Pilgrimage United Church of Christ
• 3755 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta 30066
• Cost: $15

To register call: 770-971-0007

Writing the Sacred: A Psalm-Writing workshop. As a veteran workshop leader, Ray McGinnis brings a splendid range of writing exercises to spark your imagination. At this workshop, come play with words, come nurture your spirit as you learn ways to make your own new psalms. Explore how Psalm writing can deepen self-understanding, expand self-expression, personal and spiritual growth. Ray offers a splendid range of Psalm excerpts along with other poets who have glimpsed the sacred in the ordinary through writing. Ray brings to this workshop simple step-by-step journal writing and poetry exercises to help you write a new psalm with ease. Come and explore the thin spaces where reflective writing and spirituality meet. This workshop is designed for both those who enjoy writing and those who have never put pen to paper. This is a workshop open to older children, youth and adults. Come and discover how God is still speaking.

Signed copies of Writing the Sacred will be available for sale during the workshop for those who wish to purchase a copy priced at $20

"This was THE most spiritually honest, open-hearted, accessible workshop I think I have ever attended."

- The Rev. Linda Campbell, St. John's Episcopal Church, Ross, California

"Writing the Sacred is rich with insight, power and meaning. Ray McGinnis gives us a great gift by showing the Psalms to be a living language, a poetic language vital for today. These pages are permeated with our human story - our raw and beautiful longing for God...(and) acts as a healing balm and creative catalyst to help you reclaim your soul's voice."  - John Fox, author, Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-Making, Mountain View, California

“Have I told you how much I like your book? I just quoted your work to someone again yesterday and she's going to go buy it.” – Christina Baldwin, author, Storycatcher, Whidbey Island, Washington

“Some of the people who were at this workshop today I have known for many years. Yet, I found myself starting new conversations, discovering sides of myself, new insights and appreciations of others who are apart of my church family... I come away with some fresh perspectives about myself and who I am in community that feels both surprising, expansive and affirming.”

- Mary, Participant, Trinity Congregational Church, Gloucester, Massachusetts