December Message from Rev. Lorraine Ceniceros, Conference Minister
Where did the year go? I imagine this is a familiar question many of us ponder as we near the final week of Advent, moving from darkness toward the light that is the birth of Jesus with the holiday season of Christmas and New Year’s just around the corner. At this time last year, I experienced the lull and waiting of advent in a tangible way. Early December I arrived in Kansas and began to put my home in order, waiting for the beginning of my ministry and work with the K-O Conference. Much was unknown and in a real sense, time felt like it was on pause. A year ago this was your conference, but throughout the year, slowly and surely, it became our conference.
The year has been a busy one for me. I’ve been blessed to visit many of our congregations and have met with several church councils and search committees. I’ve gotten to know K-O folks over phone calls, lunches, coffee hours, and times of real fellowship and sharing. I’m looking forward to continuing to visit with more authorized ministers, leaders, and congregations. The year has also been busy for Conference leaders.
Some of the work done in 2022 includes:
We successfully had our first in-person Annual Meeting since 2019! Each segment of leadership, communications, the planning team, the Council, and the Committee on Ministry worked separately and together to create a meeting where we could gather and celebrate the Conference.
K-O Council leaders discerned it was time to bring an Associate Conference Minister (ACM)we-welcome-rev-rachael-pryor-as-our-new-associate-conference-minister onboard to help better resource our Committee on Ministry (COM) Sections A and D and as well as Members in Discernment (MIDS) seeking ordination in the United Church of Christ. As we move forward, our ACM’s portfolio will include resourcing congregations in ministerial transition.
Your ACM and COMs completed the work to create 2023 Compensation Guidelines for our authorized ministers serving the local church. The letter and resources available on the conference website consider the rise in cost of living as well as financial realities experienced by our local congregations. Clergy and leaders can work together to arrive at an equitable solution for all.
The emotional wellness and high cost of education for our MID’s and authorized ministers is important to the Council, so we have created several opportunities for MIDs and Authorized ministers to apply for grants to help with education and wellness. These grant opportunities will be announced and released in January.
This year, the care and wellness of authorized ministers has also been on the hearts and minds of the Alliance of Associate Conference Ministers and the Cabinet of Conference Ministers. Leaders from both groups collaborated on the creation of a pastoral letter and resources for our ministers and congregational leadership to consider. The letter and the accompanying resources will be released in January.
In February of 2022 the UCC Pension Boards released a pastoral letter for our authorized ministers and interested lay leaders regarding the cost of health care. Your Conference staff felt it was important to re-release the letter again and have placed the letter along with the Clergy Compensation Guidelines. We are striving to provide as much information as possible to help clergy and leaders make decisions for authorized ministers and the congregations they serve.
Last week Rev. Rachael Pryor and I attended a wider church event called Authorizing Ministry for the 21st Century (AM21). This year’s theme was "Breaking Open." Conference Ministers, Associate Conference Ministers, National Staff, and other Judicatory leaders gathered in person, and Committee on Ministry folks gathered online, to reflect on the ways the church has broken open over the past few years and the ways it continues to break open as we shift from pandemic to endemic. It was a week of meeting new leaders and connecting with colleagues—learning new ideas and sharing with others what is working well in our conference. I am always grateful for the chance to connect, learn, and share with committed church leaders across the United Church of Christ.
I’ll close with my usual thought; connecting with each other is important as healthy, strong connections allow us to care for one another, cheer each other on, celebrate, and lament as we grow more fully into the beautiful multifaceted gem we are as a conference. During this holiday season may you feel connected to all as you share the light of Christ with one another.
Many blessings as we walk this journey of faith together,
Lorraine