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“On the Way” Retro Version! Thanks for your patience…

Yes, we are back to the retro version of On the Way. Two days after the CPC Board of Directors voted to eliminate the secretary/receptionist position in our Conference office, we received word that our webmaster, Ellen Yarnell, is stepping down for personal reasons. The loss of Shawn Burchfield in our office and Ellen Yarnell as webmaster will take some adjustment. For the past 6 months, I’ve passed the editing/composition of On the Way to Shawn. She has done a beautiful job gathering announcements and articles. Ellen not only has shaped our webpage, she is also the one who has converted the WORD/pdf versions of On the Way to the attractive html document that is linked to a blog on our CPC website. The editing job for On the Way now returns to my desk. We’re still working to figure out a way to replace Ellen. Please send all submissions for On the Way to me at wjboris@gmail.com. Please put OTW in the subject line. Thanks for your cooperation, and your patience! walter john

YouTube Video for the CPC “Rise Up: Climate, Faith, and Action 2014” Did you miss the CPC environmental justice retreat, March 7-9, 2014 at Camp Adams? You can watch a quick overview of the powerful event at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqHz__3Bc9c&feature=youtu.be

Lake Oswego UCC Searching for Administrative Bookkeeper Progressive, vibrant, suburban church seeks skilled bookkeeper for general accounting duties in support of the church’s ministries. The bookkeeper works in cooperation with the Pastor, church officers, and the Office Administrator, to ensure the integrity of financial transactions and statements. The bookkeeper will have the required skills in general ledger/financial statements, accounts payable, personnel/payroll, and contributions. The candidate must have an Associate degree in Accounting, and a minimum of three years bookkeeping experience. This is a non-exempt, 3 to 5 hour per week position, with a salary range of $17.00-$20.00 per hour, depending on qualifications. For full description of position, including responsibilities, qualifications, and how to apply, go to www.loucc.org. Applications due by April 15, 2014.

On the Way April 2014

CENTRAL PACIFIC CONFERENCE * UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST Extravagant Grace * Generous Hearts * Renewed World

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Office Administrator Needed at Lake Oswego UCC Progressive, vibrant, suburban church seeks skilled office administrator to manage general office functions of the church. These functions include greeting visitors, answering phones, routing mail, preparing weekly worship bulletins, creating and distributing written communications, maintaining the church website, overseeing the church calendar, and working with church leaders and volunteers. The successful candidate will have strong written and oral communication skills, the ability to multi-task and prioritize, and an understanding of the nuances of working in a congregational setting. The Office Administrator will work with the Pastor to create an efficient and welcoming office environment. This is a non-exempt, 15-20 hour per week position with a salary range of $13.00-15.00 per hour, depending on qualifications. Anticipated start date of May 15, 2014. For full description of position, including responsibilities, qualifications, and how to apply, go to www.loucc.org. Applications due by April 30, 2014.

Applications Invited for the Alan Creech Memorial Scholarship

Dear Counselor, Youth Advisor and Friends: In the summer of 2002, our church, community and the Central Pacific Conference - UCC lost a friend and valuable member. Alan Creech, the Police Chief of Nampa, and his best friend Mark Hupe were killed in a small plane crash while checking out the site for a church youth group camp. To memorialize Alan, and to continue the good work with youth he was involved in, we created the Alan Creech Memorial Scholarship Fund. From its beginnings within our church, the Scholarship grew as other organizations in our community, which Alan contributed so much to, joined in. With the support of these other organizations, an endowment has been established that will insure the scholarship is perpetual. The amount of the scholarship is a onetime payment of $500.00. This letter is to ask for your participation in the promotion and nomination of candidates for the scholarship. It is our desire to see the recipient of the Scholarship to be an individual who truly exemplifies the spirit of Alan Creech. A youth who may have faced unfavorable conditions or circumstances, but has shown the desire and spirit to make a contribution to their community, church or society. A nomination packet that includes a short biography of Alan is available on line at our church website www.uccnampa.org. Nominations need to be received by April 30. Please share this information with anyone who may be able to identify a worthy candidate. If you need additional information contact the Scholarship Committee at the Nampa United Church of Christ. With God’s Blessing, Scholarship Committee

Nampa United Church of Christ, 55 S Midland Blvd, Nampa, ID 83651 Chi Morgan, Pastor * 208-466-6581

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Pride Season is Coming: Start Planning! Celebrate with the UCC! ~ Joyce Liljeholm There are Pride opportunities throughout the Conference. If you are a local organizer, please send me corrections & updates. Pride dates for 2014: Boise Pride (leadership reorganizing-stay tuned) * Portland Pride June 14 & 15 Bend Pride June 28 * Vancouver July 12 * Salem June 6-8 Eugene August 9 * Lincoln City September 5-7 * Ashland October ? The largest event is Portland Pride. If you are coming to Portland, join the UCC activities. Visit the booth (G-3) at the festival at the waterfront. Worship at 10 AM Sunday morning in the North Park Blocks-look for UCC Conference banner). March in the UCC contingent in the parade. Let us know if you can provide your convertible or pick-up truck. We are registered for 2 vehicles. Worship will be near the line-up. We expect the parade to start at 11:00 AM from SW 13th and W Burnside. Watch the Pride Northwest website [www.pridenw.org] for the parade line-up. Once again we'll have the rainbow placards for each ONA church. Feel free to bring welcoming church banners. To be a parade monitor or staff the UCC booth please e-mail Joyce Liljeholm at jliljeholm@gmail.com

Portland Marriage Equality Vigil ~ Joyce Liljeholm Friends, please bring a group from your church to the April 22 marriage equality vigil in downtown Portland. Come to Terry Schrunk Plaza by 5:30 PM. (between SW 3rd and 4th, SW Jefferson and Madison). This is the eve of the oral arguments in court. A strong presence is needed especially the presence of people of faith. Let the community know that the UCC cares. Bring your church banner. Bring signs of support for the freedom to marry. Bring signs saying your church won't discriminate. Details at: http://www.oregonunitedformarriage.org/vigils/. A new endorsement form is attached that includes both support for freedom to marry AND opposition to the new discrimination initiative. Please engage your congregation. Thanks, Joyce Liljeholm at jliljeholm@gmail.com

From the Conference Attorney: ~ DAVID AVISON Property Tax, Watch Out!? What many church leaders do not know is that churches’ property tax exemptions are statutory, not constitutional. So, your constitutional exemption from income tax has no bearing on your property tax exemption. And, that exemption can be removed by the state or local government that has given it to charities.

Many local governments are looking at the costs of providing services to exempt property and asking it the charity is contributing enough community service to warrant the exemption. When you think about it, it makes sense. Your city police and fire give you the same protection as your non-exempt neighbor gets. But you do not pay for those services.

In my next note in On The Way, I will share some “Property Tax Traps for the Unwary Church” about which your Trustees need be concerned.

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2014 CPC JUSTICE & WITNESS GRANT CYCLE NOW OPEN

The Justice and Witness Ministry Team can provide modest funding to local churches, groups or individuals in support of activities that advance the local church or Conference involvement in justice and witness issues. Our 2014 grant cycle is now open. Deadline for receiving grant applications is July 30, 2014. All applications will be reviewed in August and awardees notified. For more information and to access the grant application form, please go to: http://cpcucc.org/justice_team.html.

Ainsworth UCC Celebrates Lynne Smouse Lopez – You are Invited!

Celebrating the Rev. Ms. M. Lynne Smouse Lopez’s 60th Year of Life & 18-year Anniversary at Ainsworth UCC

Saturday, April 26, 2014, 6:00 PM Ainsworth United Church of Christ Fellowship Hall

Dinner, music by Dan Gaynor, Marilyn Keller and special guests, fellowship, anecdotes and blessings will comprise the evening program.

No personal gifts; all are invited to share contributions to the Ainsworth United Church of Christ

Capital Campaign “Freedom to Grow” Please let us know you are coming! RSVP to the Rev. Hector Lopez at hecklopez@msn.com or the

office of Ainsworth UCC at office@ainsworthucc.com.

Calling all Women in our Idaho Churches of The United Church of Christ And Friends in our Oregon Churches

Mark these dates: August 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th

The 2014 Women’s Retreat will be held at Pilgrim Cove Camp and hosted by the McCall Community Congregational, United Church of Christ Women’s Group of McCall, Idaho.

The theme this year is, “A Stitch in Time?”

Our guest speakers will be: Rev. Charlottie Havlicak And Charla Havlicak.

It promises to be a fun and relaxing week-end on the beautiful Payette Lake. Details will follow with registration forms, times and costs for this wonderful week-end with some great ladies. Bring your mother, daughters, granddaughters, neighbors, and co-workers.

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Exploring and Discerning Spiritual Invitations to respond to the Climate Emergency Churches in the Central Pacific Conference are invited to join in an important and timely exploration of the realities of our climate crisis. Through worship, education forums, input at church retreats and other community gatherings congregations are invited to explore individual and congregational participation in the climate movement. 2014 finds the climate emergency continuing to accelerate. The number of climate refugees continues to escalate. And it is getting worse. Weather extremes are becoming the norm. Seas are rising. Polar ice is melting. Scientific research continues to present us with dire warnings about climate

change and the future of life as we know it on the planet. Our economic system continues to pit our long term environmental interests against our insatiable desire for material growth, our uncompromising insistence on convenience, our preoccupation with short term profit, and our relentless addiction to mobility. Our political system continues to grant social licenses to the fossil fuel industry to exchange intolerable carbon emissions for its short-term profits. Communities of faith are invited to be 1st responders to the climate emergency. We have strong spiritual invitations to be healers of a planet that cries out for recovery. These invitations are among the reflections addressed by Rev. John Boonstra. John, a United Church of Christ minister and the former director of the Washington Association of Churches, has recently left his local congregational pastoral position in the conference to devote himself on a full time basis to resource the United Church of Christ and the regional interfaith community to respond to the climate crisis. John has been active within the UCC and its eco-justice programs. “It is a big and frightening topic,” Rev. Boonstra explains “and it is an emergency that summons our immediate response…if communities of faith are to be of any consequence at this point in human history, we must engage the spiritual invitation behind climate change, and we must do it now—there is no time to waste.” Churches are invited to ask John to preach, teach and participate with you as we all address the public policy and community organizing responses to climate change. For more information about John and his work as a spiritual advisor and climate change activist, contact him at johnboonstra@msn.com or 541-505-6282.

Central Pacific Conference Calendar Saturday, April 12th Justice and Witness Ministry Team, 9am-11:30am, ICC, Portland, OR. Saturday, April 12th Wider Church Ministry Team, 1pm-4pm, ICC, Portland, OR. Thursday, April 24th Climate Change Steering Committee, 11am-5pm, 1st Cong. UCC, Eugene, OR. Saturday, April 26th CPC Board of Directors, 9am-2pm, ICC, Portland, OR. Fri-Sun, May 2nd-4th Education Ministry Team meets in Idaho Saturday, May 3rd Local Church Ministry Team, 9am-11:30am, ICC, Portland, OR.

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From the Planned Giving Director: ~ DAVID AVISON WHY GIFTS TO CHURCHES? When assisting local churches in their planned giving programs; sometimes I am asked “why would anyone want to make planned gift to our church? “Passion,” I say! It is all about passion! Research shows that people make these sorts of gifts (called “bequests” if given at life’s end) out of a personal passion for the goals, objectives and programs of their local church. Income tax deductions and other benefits, while nice to have, are almost always of secondary importance. Making such gifts helps people act on this passion and enables the giver to make a gift that will make a difference in to the ministry of the donor’s church. Even if a local church lacks an active planned giving program, members need to be reminded to consider the church in their estate planning. Whether a bequest in a will (or trust), a bequest as part of one’s remaining retirement funds, a gift annuity, etc.; these sorts of gifts allow the support the ministry of one’s beloved church to last beyond one’s life, converting passion into tangible action.

“On The Way” Article Submission Deadline: Monday, March 17, 2014 Please submit all articles in WORD format and send to:centralpacific@cpcucc.org

The Central Pacific Conference is now on Facebook!

Please join in the conference-wide conversation!

LIKE the CPC Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/CentralPacificConferenceUCC

Please, LIKE CPC from two places… your own personal page AND your church’s Facebook Page. CPC will do the same and LIKE every congregation in the conference. In this way, we can all see what’s happening around the conference, share good ideas, and stay connected with each other throughout the year.

See you on Facebook!

The Rev. Dr. Walter John Boris – Conference Minister Central Pacific Conference * United Church of Christ

Interchurch Center 0245 SW Bancroft Street, Suite E

Portland, OR 97239-4258 wjboris@gmail.com (O) 503-228-3178 (M) 206-235-3801