wfn.org | UCC dinner to honor incoming leader, celebrate 20 years in Cleveland

[George Conklin <gconklin@igc.org>]

> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> Contact: Gregg Brekke

> United Church of Christ

> Phone: (216) 736-2177

> E-Mail: brekkeg@ucc.org

> Thursday, April 15, 2010

UCC dinner to honor incoming leader, celebrate 20 years in Cleveland

United Church of Christ welcomes the Rev. Geoffrey A. Black as its new general 
minister and president and looks back on 20 years in its Cleveland headquarters.

Cleveland, OH ? More than 500 guests from across the nation will gather at 
Cleveland?s Renaissance Hotel Grand Ballroom on Friday, April 16, to 
commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1.1-million-member United Church of 
Christ?s decision to relocate its national offices here from New York City.

The dinner serves as a prelude celebration for the installation of the Rev. 
Geoffrey A. Black, who succeeds the Rev. John H. Thomas after 10 years in 
office, as the UCC?s general minister and president.

Attendees will be able to meet Rev. Black and his family at the $100-per-plate fundraiser 
to support the denomination?s Strategic Initiatives Fund; celebrate the church's 
"God is Still Speaking" identity; hear about exciting new initiatives in the 
church; and enjoy dinner and live music with the 21-piece big band Gabriel's Horns. The 
event begins with a social hour at 5:30 p.m., followed by the meal and presentations.

The Strategic Initiatives Fund fosters innovation and excellence in ministry.  
It provides start-up funding for new initiatives with a clear potential for 
advancing the strategic interests of the Church and for which funding is not 
available or sufficient. The
Fund was inaugurated in 2007, during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of 
the formation of the UCC.

Black?s installation service will be held the following day at Federated 
Church, a UCC congregation in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. The service begins at 2 p.m. 
April 17, and a reception will follow.

The big UCC weekend also coincides with the viral internet launch of the next "God is Still 
Speaking" commercial, titled "The Language of God." The April 16 debut marks the 
first time the UCC will rely exclusively on social networking and the church's members to spread 
the message.

Also launching April 16 is the "Stillspeaking Voices" campaign, which will 
enable UCC members and supporters to opt-in individually in the Stillspeaking Movement. 
The goal is for every Stillspeaking church to enlist 10 percent of its members to become 
Stillspeaking Voices.

Media is invited to attend both the Friday dinner and Saturday?s installation 
service. For more information, please contact the Rev. Gregg Brekke, UCC news 
director, at 216-736-2177 or brekkeg@ucc.org.

> ###