Last November as I was preparing to relocate to Kansas, I enrolled and attended the Kansas Leadership Center’s program Your Leadership Edge (YLE)at the invitation of the Conference Council chairperson, Bobbie Henderson.

Last month, the Conference of Conference Ministers Gathering in Cleveland reflected to me, in a very real way, the importance of the connections we have with one another and the significance of making new connections in our life and work.

These last few weeks I have been contemplating the importance of ongoing connections and support for one another. I witnessed the embodiment and importance of these connections this last week at the gathering of the Cabinet of Conference Ministers in Cleveland.

A Risk Champion is a person who works with the Insurance Board and Conferences to set a good example, to encourage and inspire church leaders, employees and volunteers to make positive changes that help create and maintain a safe ministry for all.

Has something ever weighed on your mind so much that it kept you up at night? Have you ever longed to have somebody with whom you could talk things through?

Peace United Church of Christ has called a new pastor to a church that was originally formed in 1879. Julia Gaughan, who serves as the Conference’s Consultant for Equity and Inclusion, will serve as a designated term minister for the congregation.

On the morning of February 24th, we awoke to news that Ukraine had been invaded by the Russian military. We were invited to join our hearts in prayer each day at noon with Evangelishe Landeskirche, one of our mission partners in Baden Germany.

This war in Europe is happening far away from us, but in truth we are connected to each other in meaningful ways.

For the second year, the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference UCC has secured a Leadership Transformation Grant from the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) to offer clergy and lay members of UCC congregations the opportunity to participate in leadership development programs, beginning with the introductory course, Your Leadership Edge.

As yet another Covid-19 variant has emerged, and as we enter year three of the pandemic, it appears congregations are adjusting in ways that work for the individual faith communities. Many of our churches are temporarily returning to virtual worship and those who are worshiping in person are masking and distancing as needed.

Colonial Church in Prairie Village, Kansas, is preparing to welcome a new Associate Pastor.

As we enter the third week of the new year, I am happy to share that I am comfortably settled into my new home, have officially become a member of Zion UCC, and have begun meeting with clergy and church leadership.

Central Congregational Church in Topeka, Kansas, is a recent recipient of a Neighbors in Need grant from the United Church of Christ.

KO books will close for 2021 OCWM gifts on January Tuesday January 18th. Please have your OCWM gifts postmarked and mailed in the to arrive by the closing date.

On Sunday December 12, Wichita United Church of Christ voted to call the Rev. Jacob Poindexter as their next settled pastor.

We awoke on Saturday morning to the news of destructive storms that tore through at least five states the previous night, including Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee. T

We’re fortunate for the work of the Committee on Ministry here in KO. Read updates from the subcommittees as they reflect on their work in 2021.

Throughout December, we’ll be sharing reflections from authorized ministers, lay members, and friends of the United Church of Christ here in Kansas and Oklahoma.