Submit Church News
Conference Office News
Church News & Events
Let's Be Social
SWC Calendar
EPIC
Annual Meeting

PAST ANNUAL MEETINGS

2017 Annual Meeting
2016 Annual Meeting
2015 Annual Meeting
2014 Annual Meeting
2013 Annual Meeting
2012 Annual Meeting
2011 Annual Meeting
2010 Annual Meeting

2010 Southwest Conference Annual Meeting

April 23 - 25, 2010
The Church of the Red Rocks in Sedona, Arizona

The Annual Meeting was a time of decisions and action.  

The delegates:

• Approved two new churches affiliating with the UCC and Southwest Conference: Black Mountain Community Church, Scottsdale, AZ and First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Las Cruces, NM. 
   
• Took a stand against the harsh immigration bill passed by the Arizona legislature authorizing the conference minister to communicate this with our elected officials, including moving next year’s annual meeting to New Mexico.
   
• Approved the changes to the UCC Constitution voted by the 27th General Synod, relating to the Pronouncement, “Ministry Issues: Forming and Preparing Pastoral Leaders for God’s Church.”
   
• Approved a requirement that all active clergy meet a minimum annual goal of 15 hours of continuing education.
   
• Granted authority to the SWC Board of Directors during the period of April 24, 2010 and May 5, 2011, to prudently amend the By-Laws in those circumstances which it deems justifiable.
   
• Elected officers and leaders and for the coming year and approved the 2011 budget with an increase of $1 in per capita dues.

The complete minutes of the 2010 Annual Meeting (pending approval at the 2011 Annual Meeting) may be accessed by clicking the link below.

I'm not sure where to begin. 
2009 was a year of significant transitions. Committees that had served this Conference for many years looked to reshape themselves and refocus their shared mission and ministry. The Board of Directors undertook a major re-visioning effort that resulted in the articulation of a shared mission statement and mission plan. A dawning awareness of the need to restructure the Conference emerged as the year wore on. 

Considerable time was given to the search for new office space as we approached the end of our current lease. Significant steps have been taken to open the Southwest Conference Lay Academy this fall. We began the year with the introduction of a new staff person and will end the year saying a painful goodbye to another staff person. The budget was cut significantly for the second year in a row, this time with a committed effort to present a balanced budget to the Annual Meeting delegates. I will briefly look at all in this report. 

Committees 
The Justice and Witness Committee and the Church Growth and Development Committee have completely reshaped themselves, the manner in which they operate, and the purpose for which they operate. Please consult their reports for more information about that. The Board of Directors undertook an ambitious effort to clarify our shared mission.  

The mission statement they wrote reads: “As the Southwest Conference, we are extravagantly welcoming followers of Christ called to embrace God's unconditional justice and love.” This mission statement was accompanied by a mission plan calling for and empowering all covenant partners to participate in that shared mission and to develop strategies to help us realize that vision.  

The Committee on Church and Ministry implemented new strategies for meeting our need for Boundary Training, for deploying Response Teams throughout the geographic reaches of the Conference, and calling all active and authorized clergy of the Conference to meet a minimum annual Continuing Education goal.  

Restructure 
The Board talked throughout the year about the changes that are occurring at the governance level that will make it necessary to restructure the Conference and rewrite the By-Laws. Although during this year of Transition little more than recognizing the need was done, the Board has committed to making this a priority in the coming year. They anticipate coming to next year's Annual Meeting with some concrete recommendations.

Office Space 
After much consideration of many options, and in consultation with a Commercial Real Estate Broker, the Board finally reached agreement with our current landlord to renew a two-year lease in the same offices we currently occupy at a greatly reduced rate that will realize significant savings over the life of the lease agreement.  

Lay Academy 
Important steps have been taken to ensure the opening of the Southwest Conference Lay Academy this coming November. We are fully prepared to fund, to manage, and to organize the first year of the Academy. While we will be searching for funding beyond that, and we have every reason to be hopeful that this will occur, we are ready to launch the Academy and to announce the first year's cycle of professors and subjects.

Staff  
Katrina Glenn was introduced at last year's Annual Meeting and has completed her first year on staff as our Director of Youth and Outdoor Ministries. She is a gift. We are lucky to have her, and her first year was tremendously successful. Sadly, however, at the close of this year's Annual Meeting, we will be saying goodbye to another very gifted, very talented, very dedicated staff person. Peggy Ice will be moving to Boise, Idaho, and we are unable at this time to retain her services. Given the budget cuts, her responsibilities will have to be met, if at all, without any additional funding for this position through December.  

Budget 
OCWM has dropped almost $100,000 in the last two budget cycles. Last year, we began the year by trimming over $75,000 out of the budget and were still unable to present a balanced budget. This year, the Board committed fully to presenting a balanced budget, and therefore began the year with the daunting task of cutting another $50,000. The budget reflects some very painful cuts, including the elimination of a part-time staff person, a salary reduction for a long-time and loyal bookkeeper, and a second successive year of frozen salaries for all staff. These are hard economic times, and the Board is proud that they were able to present this balanced budget.  

Leadership Events 
I have enjoyed participating and teaching at our conference Leadership Events, held last spring and fall. We are still tweaking the format, but we hope you have found that the topics presented were informative and useful in your ministries. 

General 
The time I find most rewarding is the time I spend in ministry with our churches and clergy. Throughout the year, I have experienced profound joy as I preside at Ordinations and Installations, attend anniversary celebrations, worship with you and preach in your services, listen to your choirs, consult with settings engaged in conflict, working with your Search Committees, provide leadership with various committees as they search for new and better ways to move their church in mission and ministry.  

The Clergy Retreat is a special time for me, and being at Ghost Ranch for the first time this year was moving and inspirational. We had a very successful first effort this year at a Spring Clergy Convocation, and I look forward to building that into something more meaningful in the years to come.

I continue to develop important relationships with key ecumenical partners in both Arizona and New Mexico.

I am happy to report in closing that coming up on my second anniversary, and even in this year facing some real challenges, I am as happy to be here as the day I arrived. Serving you and the church in this ministry is a source of profound joy for me. I thank you for the opportunity as well as your prayerful support.

Back to Annual Reports

Committee Members: 
Rev. Dr. M. Lee Albertson, First Congregational Church Albuquerque, NM, Chairperson 
Mr. Jim Smith, Oro Valley UCC, Tucson, Arizona, Secretary 
Rev. Dr. George Ault, Church of the Red Rocks, Sedona, Arizona 
Rev. Donna Cavedon, Church of the Red Rocks, Sedona, Arizona 
Mr. Dan Mullen, Shepherd of the Hills UCC, Phoenix, Arizona
Rev. Dr. Bill Hershey, First Congregational Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico 
Ms. Lisa Sampson, Scottsdale Congregational Church, Scottsdale, Arizona 
Ms. Lisa Roger, First Congregational Church, Phoenix, Arizona 
Mr. Michael Holmberg, Valley Community Church, Silver City, New Mexico 
Rev. Dr. Abigail Atkins, Church of the Palms, Sun City, Arizona 
Rev. Dr. Tom Garrison, Sun Lakes UCC, Sun Lakes, Arizona 
Rev. Marie Bacchiocchi, Casas Adobes UCC, Tucson, Arizona 
Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer, SWC Conference Staff 
Ms. Barbara Decker, SWC Conference Staff
 

I.   Transfer of Ordained Ministerial Standing from the Southwest Conference: 

• Rev. Judith Horgan to the Northeast Association, Vermont Conference 
  
   

II.   Ordained Ministerial Standing Terminiated 

• Revs. Lyn and Carver Nixon's dropped at their request. They are ministers now in the Evangelical Covenant Church. 6-27-09. 
• Rev. Margaret Reed terminated without prejudice 8-13-09.
  
   

III.   Transfer of Ordained Ministerial Standing to the Southwest Conference

• Rev. Ric Brightman from the Western Association, Missouri Mid-South Conference 
• Rev. Lynn Brightman from the Western Association, Missouri Mid-South Conference 
• Rev. Lynn Holloway from the Eastern Association, Rocky Mountain Conference
• Rev. Edwin Mendenhall from the Wyoming Association, Rocky Mountain Conference 
• Rev. William Ingraham from the Covenant Association, Michigan Conference Rev. Stephen VanKuiken from SW Ohio N. Kentucky Association, Ohio Conference 
• Rev. James Clark from the Southeast Association of the Indiana-Kentucky Conference
  
   

IV.   Ecclesiastical Councils

• Tyler Connoley Ecclesiastical Council held 8-8-09. Approved for Ordination.
• Kristen Barner Ecclesiastical Council held 9-13-09. Approved for Ordination. 
• Teresa Blythe Ecclesiastical Council held 3-20-10. Approved for Ordination. 
• Craig Henderson Ecclesiastical Council held 4-10-10. Approved for Ordination. 
  
   

V.   Ordinations 

• Tyler Connoley was ordained 10-10-09 at Valley Community Church, Silver City, NM 
• Kristen Barner was ordained 10-18-09 at Shepherd of the Hills UCC, Phoenix, AZ 
  
   

VI.  3-Way Covenants 

• Approved 3-way covenant with Rev. Gail Joralemon and First Congregational Church, Albuquerque, 5-14-09. 
• Approved 3-way covenant with Rev. Stephen Van Kuiken and Rincon Congregational Church, Tucson, 11-12-09. 
• Approved 3-way covenant with Rev. William Ingraham and Church of the Good Shepherd, Albuquerque, 11-12-09. 
• Approved Rev. Deborah Clugy-Soto for Dual Ministerial Partner Standing in the UCC and a 3-way covenant with SWC and Desert View United Church of Christ, El Paso, TX, 2-11-10 
  
   

VII.   4-Way Covenants 

• Approved Rev. Sue Joiner's 4-way covenant with SWC, First Congregational, Albuquerque, and Samaritan Counseling Center, 4-9-09. 
• Approved Rev. Delle McCormick's 4-way covenant with SWC, The Good Shepherd UCC, and Borderlinks, 10-1-09. 
• Approved Rev. Charles Lehman's 4-way covenant with SWC, Casas Adobes Congregational Church UCC, Tucson, and St. Joseph's Medical Center Carondelet Health Network, 1-14-10. 

VIII. Ecclesiastical Endorsement for Board Certified Chaplaincy 

• Approved Rev. Rebecca Delzell's endorsement for hospice chaplaincy, 3-11-10
  
   

IX.   Granted Ministerial Partner Standing to Disciples of Christ clergy (to be activated when UCC call is accepted) 

• Rev. Erin Wathen, Phoenix, AZ, 1-14-10 
• Rev. Eric Dale, Albuquerque, NM, 3-11-10
  
   

X.   Placed on Leave of Absence 

• Approved Rev. Sandi Anthony's leave of absence 5-14-09. Standing reactivated 3-11-10. 
• Approved Rev. Karen Negronida's extention of leave of absence for second year, 8-13-09 
• Approved Rev. Gary Reyes' extention of leave of absence for third year, 11-12-09. 
• Approved Rev. Donna Cavedon's leave of absence for one year, 1-14-10
  
   

XI.    Licensing Licensed 

• Diane Schrecengost for one year as Assistant Pastor and Director of Care Ministries at Desert Garden UCC, Sun City, AZ: expires 6-11-10. 
• Renewed Luis Gonzalez' license for one year: expires 6-11-10. Renewed Jane Cheek's license as pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ, Prescott, AZ, for another year: expires 3-12-11.
  
   

XII. Installations 
There have been no installations since the last Annual Meeting. However, three are to take place in May 2010: 

• Rev. Bill Ingraham (Church of the Good Shepherd) 5-1-10, Rev. Deborah Clugy-Soto (Desert View UCC) 5-8-10, and Rev. Stephen Van Kuiken (Rincon Congregational Church) 5-9-10. 
  
   

XIII.   In-Care/Discernment 

• Lorraine Ceniceros Taken in-care of SWC 4-9-09 
• Jeremy Lopez Taken in-care of SWC 4-18-09 
• Debby Stinton Taken in-care of SWC 6-11-09 
• Allen Buice Taken in-care of SWC 8-13-09 Removed 1-14-10 
• Noel Andersen Taken in-care of SWC 1-14-10 
  
   

XIV.    Other Actions 

• Recommended to the Board of Directors that Black Mountain Community Church, Scottsdale, AZ, be accepted as a United Church of Christ congregation. The Board of Directors will make recommendations to be considered at the 2010 Annual Meeting. 
• Recommended to the Board of Directors that First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Las Cruces, NM, be approved for dual affiliation with the United Church of Christ. The Board of Directors will make recommendations to be considered at the 2010 Annual Meeting. 
  
   

XV. Other Activities of the Committee on Church and Ministry 

• Conducted Boundary Training for clergy: Albuquerque, NM, Nov. 17, 2009; facilitators Lee Albertson and Sue Joiner Mesa, AZ, January 27, 2010; facilitators Len Silvester and Tina Campbell Tucson, AZ, May 5, 2010; facilitators Lee Milligan and Marie Bacchiocchi Dewey, AZ, May 20, 2010; facilitators George Ault and Donna Cavedon November 2009 
• COCAM conducted a clergy fitness review. It ended in the information gathering stage without further action. 
• February 12, 2010 John Dorhauer and Dick Sparrow, from Parish Life and Leadership, conducted Fitness Review Response Team training with John Herman, Gail Bird, Cathy Kim, Beth Johnson, Mark Clark, Tina Squire, Pat Dunn, and Lee Albertson. Conducted two Situational Support Consultations. 
   

Church Anniversaries 
50th Anniversary of The Church of the Red Rocks  

Ordination Anniversaries:
10th Anniversary: 
Laura Adelia, Katharine Harts, James Riggins, Tina Squire, Michael-Ann Veziroglu, Deborah Worley 

25th Anniversary:  
Bernard Backman, Barb Doerrer-Peacock, Tom Garrison, Elaine Jordan, John Mansell, Gwendolyn Regnier, Stephen VanKuiken 50th Anniversary: Leroy Calbom, Fritz Hardt, Clint Reynolds, Judson Souers

Back to Annual Reports

I'm always intrigued, hiking or driving in the desert, when all of the sudden, and seemingly from nowhere, swirls of dust and sand begin spiraling upward from the ground. Dust devils engage me. One or two arising from the desert floor are intriguing. But when you begin to see more you know that a potential thick blanket of dust and sand can be on its way from the not-too-distant horizon. 

You'd best move quickly. 

I'm not precisely sure of all the causes of their emergence but they are a response to some meteorological disturbance, some imbalance in pressure and temperature. They are an adjustment towards stability.

We've tasted the dust lining our teeth. And despite closed windows, we dust incessantly in the Southwest, particularly when these mini-swirls merge. 

"Lift up your eyes and see," Southwest Conference UCC. 

There are swirls drawing our attention to greater ecological justice and environmental ethics coming from Santa Fe. There are swirls of engagement with suffering, threatened, dying migrants blowing from Yuma, Green Valley, and Tucson. There are swirls of GLBT justice issues arising in El Paso. There are swirls of concern for health for seniors in Sun Lakes. There are swirls of advocacy for prisoners and their families, public education, intervention into oppressive policies towards the poor, mentally ill, and most vulnerable people in our communities in Phoenix and all throughout this Conference. There are swirls of resistance to exclusion in Albuquerque. 

Your Justice Witness Team held a summit to hear your passions as faith communities and individuals of faith in a still-speaking God. We held listening sessions this year to hear, reveal, and envision ministries of Justice and Witness within and among our covenant partners of the Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ. We asked: "Tell us everything you are currently doing for your community" and "What is on your heart -- locally, nationally, and globally—that you feel called to address?"

Behind these questions were the larger ones: "What is God calling us to do?" and "Who is God calling us to be as the United Church for Christ in the Southwestern United States en la frontera in 2010?" 

We heard extraordinary stories of engagement, advocacy, charitable outreach, love of neighbor, feeding the hungry, getting wheel chairs to the afflicted. We heard challenging questions about why we haven't been more deeply engaged in justice work.  

We heard winds blowing. We think its time to disturb some significant dust. 

Your Justice Witness Team is assembling your reports for this Annual Meeting. Please give us your feed-back. What we're engaged in, we're engaged in together. 

We'll move next to these primary tasks:

Facilitation of justice work in the Southwest Conference 
Resourcing covenant partners to justice work 
Networking covenant partners in justice work 
Communication among partners called by God to justice work and bold witness of God's Spirit still speaking. 

We are a widely dispersed, fluid team engaged in empowerment of the ministries God is calling out from the covenant partners of the Southwest Conference UCC - and with other partners engaged in justice work in the contexts in which we minister.  

We need to open our eyes (See) and look deeply. We need be about study and prayer (Judge) about the needs, opportunities, and issues surrounding us. We need to act (Act) as God equips us to act—and that generally means going where we don't necessarily want to go—together. We need to ask what sense new church development makes without a strong justice agenda. And we need to lay some grit on the teeth and in the gears of those systems which are depriving us of the answer to our prayer that the reign and will of God comes "on earth as it is in heaven." 

Sorry for this long report. It is, however, just the beginning. Wait 'til next year.

Join us. You and your gifts will augment our capacity significantly. Thanks to Rev. Dorhauer for inspiring, encouraging leadership, Holly Herman, Peggy Ice, Brian Frederick-Grey, Sandi Britton, Lee Clegg, Fletch Widemen, B. J, Johnson, Bonnee Henry, Liana Rowe, Ellen Eyberg, Marcos Aragon. Tyler Connoley, Noel Anderson, Robert Koth and the 102 of you who have already made it clear that you are ready to step out as justice witness partners. Let us pray for knowledge of God's will and the power to carry it out. 

Submitted by Phil Reller, on behalf of the Justice Witness Team

Back to Annual Reports

Available to help local churches with ministries of education, the Southwest Conference Partners in Education are committed to assisting congregations plan and provide effective teaching ministries through workshops and consultation requests. 

Consultations with local congregations include acquainting churches about multi-age curriculum resources (Seasons of the Spirit, 'Gather Round, Faith Practices, The Thoughtful Christian, The Present Word and the Kerygma Program) as they prepare educational ministries. There have been inquiries regarding specific adult Bible study materials as well as ways to re-cycle previously utilized resources with other congregations. 

Larry Trent, Susan Wadell and Carol Wilson attended the 2010 Partners in Education National Event in February. This event unveiled the new Faith Practices resource from The Pilgrim Press, which will be available for use this fall.  

Partners in Education continue to be available via email to churches that have questions or are looking for resources for their educational ministry. 

Tucson
Carol Wilson

Tucson
Marie Bacchiocchi

Tucson
Larry Trent

Phoenix
Susan Wadell

Phoenix
Dana Bender 

Albuquerque
Juanita Marken

Your Partners in Education, Marie Bacchiochi, Dana Bender, Juanita Marken, Larry Trent, Susan Wadell and Carol Wilson

Back to Annual Reports

"You are witnesses of these things" were the instructions that Jesus gave to the disciples when he appeared to them after the resurrection, and they are the words chosen this year to celebrate Christian unity. All those who follow Christ are asked to be a witness to the love and grace that God has shown us through Jesus. We are to be a visible sign of God's love for the world. 

This is the 100th anniversary year of the often stated beginning of the modern ecumenical movement, The Edinburgh Missionary Conference of 1910. The goal was to find common ways of proclaiming the gospel so that missionary efforts would not be undermined by confusing or contradictory messages. And from that initial effort we have seen great strides in bringing Christian churches together to proclaim, "Christ is risen!" and create communities that nurture life. We pray that the Arizona Ecumenical Council lives into that vision. To that end we have collaborated on efforts to advocate for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and Health Care Reform. Our various faith traditions have all spoken the same goals for these two major public policy efforts, and through educational efforts we have helped people understand how much our faith speaks to the need for these reforms. 

The Council has also encouraged the good work of those who are concerned about the earth and its resources to sustain life. The Earth Care Commission was instrumental in the formation of Arizona Interfaith Power and Light, a non-profit organization that will resource any interested faith community to help them better manage their energy usage. 

The interests of our members are varied and so the AEC sponsors or supports various programs throughout the year. We help set the agenda and get the word out about the value these programs have for the churches. They include Survival School: Managing Church Leadership Successfully (a must attend conference for staff and volunteer leaders), Facing Cancer with the Faith Community (how faith communities can assist those who are sick), Safeguarding God's Children (for church staff who work with children), Arizona Ecumenical Institute for Spiritual Directors (2-year certificate program), and others. 

Perhaps the most important role the Council plays is in creating and sustaining relationships between the member denominations and organizations. Our office coordinates the monthly luncheon of the bishops and executives when they pray and discuss important matters together. In addition we plan an all-day Advent retreat which allows for longer and more substantive conversations. In addition, the work of the commissions brings many of our church leaders together around a particular task such as theological dialogue, ecumenical worship, public policy, and disaster response and preparedness. 

As some of you have heard, the AEC office space has had a number of management problems which has forced a decision to find other space. The office of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has offered us a section of their suite for the AEC and at the end of April we will be moving there, 7227 N. 16th St., Suite 260, Phoenix 85020.  

Lastly, I would like to thank all the people from across the state who have supported the work of the AEC, especially the Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ. May our work together help the world to believe that God comes among us to bring abundant life. 

God's Spirit be with us all, 
Jan Olav Flaaten, Executive Director

Back to Annual Reports

This is my final report to the United Church of Christ as president of Pacific School of Religion. On June 30, 2010, after 14 years in office, I will retire from PSR. It has been my great privilege to serve this feisty little seminary, and I will deeply miss the many friends who have been partners in this wonderful venture!  

Our fall semester got underway with the painful decision by the PSR faculty, executive committee of the board of trustees, and the administration that our PANA Institute (the Institute for Leadership Development and Study of Pacific and Asian North American Religion) would be put on hiatus for a year.  

We celebrated the life and achievements of Delwin Brown, who died September 12. Del was dean emeritus at PSR who served the seminary in that capacity from 2002 to 2005. Although his tenure was brief, his leadership helped PSR shape an innovative new curriculum for its Master of Divinity program and a strategic plan that placed progressive Christian leadership development at its center.

We welcomed two new faculty members this year, Rossitza Schroeder and Horace Griffin. Rossitza, whose PhD in art history is from the University of Maryland, follows the ground-breaking path of the late Doug Adams in teaching courses on art and religion. Horace (PhD in religion and personality, Vanderbilt University), follows the quarter-century leadership of Lynn Rhodes in becoming associate professor of field education and leadership development. 

PSR's 109th Earl Lectures and Leadership Conference was held on campus in January. At the center of the three days of workshops and lectures was the theme "Spiritual but not Religious: Chasing the Divine." The speakers rejected the notion that religion and spirituality are polar opposites and found that each needs the other to be truly healthy. The Earl Lectures as a whole was also a vital reminder to me of the wonderful synergy that springs forth when you bring together groups of very interesting people and give them opportunities to engage one another. 

During the academic year, we continued to blend our "secular" services together among the seminaries of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. We are now sharing dining, personnel, business and finance, and IT services, seeking not only to save money in these troubled times but also to re-imagine how each of these services can best be performed. We have been pleased and excited by the results, which I'm sure my successor will build upon. 

William McKinney 
President of Pacific School of Religion

Back to Annual Reports

The Southwest Conference Board of Directors and Executive Committee have worked faithfully and diligently this past year in service to our Covenant Partners. In addition to facilitating the maintenance of the SWC, we have taken on the necessary and challenging task of Ministry Planning for the Conference, working to discern the mission to which God calls us and to find new ways to live into that mission. 

This effort was germinated with John Dorhauer and me meeting with John Thomas, then General Minister and President of the UCC, who suggested that the SWC do some short-term strategic planning to help guide our work. We also discussed the possibility of redirecting our Conference Minister's duties so that he could spend more time on revitalization and growth. The Board and Executive Committee affirmed the need to define our mission and ministry in what we acknowledged to be a time of change and opportunity in the Conference. We invited a facilitator, Beth Mohr of First Congregational Church of Albuquerque, who graciously offered her time to help us define the major tasks of the Conference. These were named as the authorization and oversight of clergy, providing a network of resources for our churches, and encouraging local church participation in our shared vision. 

Holding these three tasks in mind, the Board developed a mission statement in an effort to help guide us. "As the Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ, we are extravagantly welcoming and affirming followers of Christ, called to embody God's unconditional justice and love." 

The Board's future work will flow from this statement, as we move into the new creation God is calling us to be. The Board, feeling the urgency of focusing its work, used these three defined tasks and our working mission statement. We know that the Conference has a duty to support our clergy and to provide resources to strengthen our faith communities. We pray that, by the movement of the Spirit, our churches will enjoy new vitality and will discover new ways to participate in the mission of the SWC. 

As partners in this work, the Board and Committees focused on building the foundation of the Conference so that we might better serve our Covenant Partners. In this Annual Report, you will read about the productive efforts of our Committees to create a more efficient organization. I thank all of the Committee Chairs for sharing their gifts in building up the Conference. 

Living into our call to shared ministry will require additional resources. John has expressed the need for additional staff, but we do not have the resources at this time to support this. In answer to his request, the Board has asked John to discern which of his duties might be delegated to trained and committed non-staff leaders—both lay and clergy—who can help with some of the maintenance tasks of the Conference. This is intended to enable John to focus more on growth and revitalization even as it expands the work of the Conference to the ministry of all believers. 

Please be assured that your Conference will continue to serve you to the best of its ability. We are blessed with fine leadership, both in our staff and in our volunteers. John Dorhauer brings a passion for Conference ministry and a love of the UCC that shines in his work. Our support staff—Holly, Barbara, Peggy and Katrina—deserve our deepest thanks as well for their professionalism and for the spirit they show in their service. As Moderator, I am grateful to the Board for meeting our challenges with courage, love, and faith in the future of the SWC. I have been blessed to have the wise support of our Moderator-Elect, Brendan Mahoney, who will bring a deep love of the church to his work as Moderator. It has been an honor to work with him, and with our Officers, Susan Waddell and Alan Cochrane, and with the Executive Committee and Board. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all of you. 

The Board's work this year shows that God is calling the Southwest Conference into something new. It will be up to the next group of leaders to continue to work with our Conference Minister to create an action plan to make this vision into reality. With the help of all of you as Covenant partners, and with God's help, I am confident that the mission of the SWC will be realized. Our message of extravagant welcome, offered in Christ's name, needs to be heard throughout the Southwest. May it be so! 

Respectfully submitted,  
Alissa Marquis, Moderator

Back to Annual Reports

From April 2009 through March 2010 the Church Growth and Development Committee engaged in five meetings, several conference-wide trainings and discussions and ultimately worked and thought itself out of a job. Soon after last year's annual meeting we held Regional Listening Sessions at five locations, El Paso, Albuquerque, Sedona, Phoenix (two), and Tucson to reconnect the work of church growth and revitalization with churches throughout the conference. We explored the following questions:

1. How would you assess the current ability of the SWC to fulfill its mission of growth, development and revitalization?
2. What are the emerging needs for SWC growth and development?
3. What challenges and obstacles will we face?
4. What resources are needed?

These sessions provided a good opportunity for churches to voice their hopes, needs, and frustrations about new church starts and renewal. Some regions hoped the Conference would provide greater resources for Latino ministries. Some expressed a hope for a Conference staff person dedicated to church growth and renewal. Most hoped for greater unity within the churches of the Conference and greater use of technology to keep us connected. One location embraced the idea that instead of waiting for the conference, that area should find ways for laity and clergy alike to gather and be proactive about church growth. Some regions wondered what had happened to the Ambassador program of the Conference.

In October and December the committee participated in two Leadership Training Conferences, in Tucson and Phoenix, sponsored by the Southwest Conference. We asked three people who had attended a recent Church Growth and Revitalization Conference in Atlanta, Georgia and showed passion for new and renewed churches to lead the church growth workshop at each event. Churches, hungry for ideas, flocked to those sessions and learned some truths such as "the ten mistakes made in new church starts."

In January we participated in a Conference-wide Church Development Summit in Phoenix envisioning new ways to be and do church in the years to come. Thinking outside the box energized many leaders with a passion for church growth and skills for this work.

On this day and on other occasions during the past year, the Church Growth and Development Committee had the great fortune to meet with Cameron Trimble, a church planter who has recently become the Executive Director of the Center for Progressive Renewal, an organization dedicated to strengthening and starting progressive congregations. Cameron's clear, pragmatic suggestions gave us hope that growth is possible. It also became clear in her presence that church starts and revitalization need a more vital framework in order to happen within the Southwest Conference. We took to heart Cameron's advice that committees don't plant churches, they plant committees. Churches plant churches and so we look to strengthening healthy congregations but realize we can no longer do this in the format of this present committee. 

Stay tuned! 

A new paradigm is being created for church growth and renewal in this Conference. The Conference offers technological tools for church growth. We have a subscription to Mission Insite, a program that can help churches discover and use demographic information. While we do not have the resources for a staff person dedicated to church growth, John Dorhauer is exploring ways to shift his time away from a large percentage spent with congregations in crisis to church growth.  

The present members of the Church Growth and Development Committee may no longer carry on the challenge, but we lend our support and prayers to growth in this Conference! 

Submitted by Tina Squire, on behalf of the Church Growth and Development Committee

Back to Annual Reports

First, let me thank all of you who make Youth and Outdoor Ministries possible! A special thank you goes out to all the Pastors, Youth Leaders, Advisors, Parents, Volunteers, Host Churches, and Youth who bless us all with their gifts, ideas, creativity, compassion, and faith at every event. We truly appreciate all the time and effort you have dedicated to making these wonderful and meaningful programs a success. 

Thanksgiving Alive 2009 was hosted in Silver City, NM by Valley Community Church over Thanksgiving weekend, November 26-28. A huge thank you to Valley Community, especially Tyler Connoley and Larimore Wickett! We stayed at Camp Thunderbird in Mimbres, New Mexico which is owned by some of our New Mexico and El Paso, Texas churches. What a beautiful location! The youth then descended upon Silver City and its suburbs on Saturday and did a great deal of community service! Our 75 youth did the community service expected of over 125 youth! Sunday morning, the youth played a large role in the worship service at Valley Community Church which was a wonderful and moving experience. If you missed Thanksgiving Alive this year, don't fret, Thanksgiving Alive 2010 will be another life-changing experience!  

For the first time ever in January 2010 we had a Graduated Youth Retreat. We had five young adults in attendance and we all brainstormed and envisioned what we want young adult ministry to look like both at the Conference level and in individual churches. The vision we articulated: "Within our church there are a lot of programs for adults to share and grow in their faith. There are also a lot of places and outlets for our youth to get involved and grow in their faith. We feel there is a gap in our Conference's ministry. We want to call attention to the need for a young adult ministry. For a young adult in the world today there are many ways to get pulled off the path and we would like to encourage the conference to focus on ministering to the young adults in their churches and involve them in the upcoming events we have planned." The goals of young adult ministry communicated at this retreat were to call attention to the need for young adult ministry, encourage churches to create young adult programs, create a sense of community between young adults within our churches by creating a forum/creating opportunities where young adults can feel comfortable discussing their faith with one another, and to create opportunities where young adults can serve in their communities and demonstrate their faith. If you are interested in becoming involved in young adult ministry at the Conference or local church level, or have any ideas for young adult ministry please contact Katrina Glenn (kglenn@uccswc.org or 602-565-5768). 

Senior High Sneak Trip 2010 travelled once again to Los Angeles, California. We focused on social justice issues, paying special attention to issues of workers and solidarity. We visited the Skirball Cultural Center and saw some powerful exhibits on the Civil Rights Movement. Afterwards, we went to the Getty to see a photographic exhibit on workers across many different cultures. Later in the evening, we went to the Pan-African Film Festival and saw a documentary on the Nigerian Oil Crisis called Sweet Crude. This film had a very powerful impact on many of the youth, instilling in them a frustration with news media and a desire to change these issues. The next day we visited the Tolerance Museum, which was hands down the favorite experience of the youth because of its continually updated relevance and interactive nature. This powerful and experiential trip stays with all the participants long after we have returned home.  

Junior High Retreat 2010 was in Sahuarita, Arizona and focused on border issues hosted by Good Shepherd UCC. A huge thank you to Noel Andersen and Randy Mayer for their coordination of this event! The Junior High youth participated in a desert walk to see how immigrants travel to the United States and the huge challenges facing them in that journey. They also participated in a BorderLinks Border Simulation to understand why people would want to take on that dangerous journey. The youth absorbed so much over the weekend and shared it with the congregation at the Good Shepherd Sunday morning at the worship service which the Junior High youth led. It was a powerful and awesome experience. The Youth Council met several times throughout the year. CJ Simonson and Janice Talley served as the co-moderators. 

Youth Council helped provide planning, inspiration, creativity, and leadership at Thanksgiving Alive, Senior High Sneak Trip, Junior High Retreat, and the Annual Meeting. This program which deepens our Youth and Outdoor Ministry Programs is also indispensible as leadership growth, training and development for our young leaders. 

2009-2010 members of the Youth Council elected this year: 
Rachel Anderson, Shadow Rock UCC, Phoenix, AZ 
Scott Beaudoin, Shadow Rock UCC, Phoenix, AZ 
Michael Bergstrom, Sierra Vista Community UCC, Sierra Vista, AZ 
Alexandria Boice, Shadow Rock UCC, Phoenix, AZ  
Emmery Groomes, First Congregational Church, Phoenix, AZ 
Janelle Jewell-Roth, First Congregational UCC, Albuquerque, NM 
Caitlin Johnson, Shadow Rock UCC, Phoenix, AZ  
Eli Johnson, Rincon UCC, Tucson, AZ 
CJ Simonson, Scottsdale Congregational UCC, Phoenix, AZ  
Janice Talley, Shadow Rock UCC, Phoenix, AZ  
Katie Webb, Church of the Beatitudes, Phoenix, AZ 

The 2010 Camp season is quickly approaching! Camp is a powerful and transformative week spent up in the mountains of beautiful Prescott, Arizona. We will be Finding Sacred Every Day, by exploring what we find sacred, how to be present with ourselves and each other, and trying to bring a piece of what we find sacred to every day. We will be again returning to Emmanuel Pines for Super Camp, June 20-25. Senior High Camp, July 12-18, we will be returning to a camp we used for many years, many years ago: Mingus Springs. Encourage all those you know to register for camp as you don't want them to miss out on this life-changing opportunity!  

Attendance at camp and other youth and outdoor ministries events have been down as a general trend. We do such wonderful ministries and activities at the Conference level which is why I implore you to promote them in your local churches. As someone who grew up in the SWC Youth and Outdoor Ministry program I can assure you that the program has shaped who I am and my continued involvement with church. In fact, most youth and young adults who are active in the Conference and at local churches, came up through our SWC's Youth and Outdoor Ministry program. Not to mention that most UCC ministers received their call to become ministers at camp. We want to encourage our continued ministry, growth, and vitalization as a denomination, Conference, and as individual churches.  

Also, some of you may have noticed the changes to our website. Along with that we have been able to incorporate online registration for camp this year! Payment by credit card is available online as well. We are hoping that utilizing technology in this way will be helpful and increase the ease of reserving yourself a spot for Youth and Outdoor Ministry events.  

Speaking payment, Sow the Seed, our Conference youth scholarship fund helps to make our SWC Youth and Outdoor Ministry events accessible to all. Look for some creative ways of fundraising for this essential scholarship fund in the future! In the meantime, please consider giving to this vital part of our ministry.  

We have many wonderful things in motion for this year, and years to come, including, but not limited to, an eco-justice and animal rights focused Senior High Sneak Trip, after the Justice and Witness Listening Session at Thanksgiving Alive 2009 revealed the youth passion for these issues. Also, we are hoping to pair up with TOX Ministries for the Junior High Retreat next year to create an Encuentros/Encounters experience. These are just a few samples of things to come. If you have any ideas or passions you wish to share with Youth and Outdoor Ministries please contact Katrina Glenn (kglenn@uccswc.org or 602-565-5768) as we are always looking to innovate our program and events. According to Janice Talley, a graduating member of our Youth Council, "At conference youth events, everyone is able to come together and not forget about their differences, but use them to enhance their experience." I hope we can continue doing this in many different ways long into the future! 

Peace and hugs,  
Katrina Glenn Youth and Outdoor Ministries Coordinator

Back to Annual Reports

To say that this has been a year of transition for NMCC would be the ultimate in understatement! Transition is defined as movement, passage, and/or change, and all three have been experienced. 

The Rev. Barbara Dua, Executive Director, went on a three month disability leave in May of 2009, and during that time she was granted disability retirement status, so she did not return in August as she had planned. Also during this time Julian Philips, NMCC's Conference Administrator decided, for health reasons, to also retire. Barbara Hill was hired as his replacement. In August of 2009, the Rev. Stephen Miller became the Acting Director for the Conference on a part time basis until the end of the year. In January 2010, Jim Baird joined the staff as the Interim Executive Director.  

The year ahead is one of great challenge and huge promise. The Board began a process of critical thinking and strategic planning at its January Retreat. During the year, Carole McGowan, Board President, will be appointing a Search Committee to look for the permanent Executive Director. It is hoped that the new person will be in place by the end of 2010. 

NMCC's main fundraiser, The Turquoise Chalice Awards Banquet, was held on September 25, 2009 in Albuquerque and honored Marian Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund in Washington D.C. for her work on behalf of children. 

Even in the midst of this change, NMCC's programs were active: 

Legislative Advocacy: 2009 proved to be a banner year as the New Mexico State Legislature with the Governor's signature repealed the death penalty in the state. This partnership had been actively working for more than two decades and celebrated its final passage. In this year of state budget shortfalls, NMCC continued to advocate for those with no voice, families, the poor, homeless and children, and pushed to make sure spending cuts did not come at the expense of their support. 

Parole Empowerment Program: This program works with youth who have been incarcerated and are being released from a juvenile detention center. A trained team from a faith community serves as weekly support, and helps the young person make the difficult transition. Like all programs currently, the challenge is money. William B. O'Neill, a Representative in the NM Legislature, has contracted to work for six months to help raise awareness and additional funds for PEP.

Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations: NMCC's Faith & Order Task Force chaired by the Rev. Stephen Miller continues to have conversations on traditional Christian issues and theological roots. They work with groups seeking membership in NMCC to increase the numbers of those at the table. Mary Ann Lundy and Hal Nilsson are joining these conversations as resource persons for 2010. 

Partnership Organizations: NMCC works with a multitude of organizations who share the same mission and ministry. This year individual board members took on specific agencies to become liaisons with the Conference. These include: Pam Gilchrist = NM Interfaith Power & Light; Robert Sandoval and Joe Whitley = New Mexico Loan Fund; Carolyn Good = NM Voices for Children; Mary Carter = Bread for the World; and Richard Griego = Redeeming Grace Church and Family Institute. I continue to represent the Conference on the Board of the Storehouse in Albuquerque. 

Respectfully submitted, 
James K. Baird, Jr. Interim Executive Director

Back to Annual Reports

Back to Annual Reports