Associated Church COVID-19 Quick Links

• Associated Church Online Giving Your continued contributions help us further our mission and ministry even during these unfamiliar times. Since we aren’t able to be together in person, we encourage you to use electronic giving to make your gifts. Thank you!
• Follow Associated Church on Facebook Our most current updates and announcements regarding schedules will be posted to Facebook. We will also be using Facebook to livestream future worship services.
• Sign Up to Receive our Emails If you are not already receiving our emails, sign up on this form and we’ll add you to the list! We are communicating regularly via email to our members and non-members.
• Contact a Staff Member Our church office is closed to the public, but some staff are still working remotely as they are able. Contact them directly if you have questions or concerns.
• Send us a Message If you have any general comments, questions, or prayer requests, you can send us a message on Facebook Messenger! You can also contact us using our website contact form.
• Breeze Login Need a current church directory? Want to update your electronic giving? Log in to your very own Associated Church Breeze account. For questions about setting up your account, please email office@associatedchurch.org.

• Sunday Worship will not be held in-person until further notice.

We encourage you to connect with us during our livestreams (9AM on Sundays) on Facebook, or on this website. You can also view the last 12 weeks of worship services on-demand at OwatonnaLive.com. We will also continue to update our worship service videos on Owatonna Public Access TV (Spectrum channel 181, Jaguar channel 900) as long as city staff is also able to do so (time slots are Tuesdays at 10 AM and 8 PM, Thursdays at 10 AM and 9:30 PM).

• All other activities at Associated will not be held in-person until further notice.

Please contact us with any questions, and continue to stay connected with fellow faith community members through other means (phone calls, emails, texts, Facebook, and more).

Associated Church Livestream

When a livestream is active, it will show below. Refresh the page if video is unavailable. When no livestream is active, the video below will show a recording of the most recent livestream.

Click Here to watch last week’s worship service

Associated Church COVID-19 Update – May 8, 2020

Letter from Pastor Coqui Conkey

Dear Church,

How I wish there was something new and different to say about our journey through this COVID-19 time! It seems that we are like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. We are melted into this liminal, transforming time. It seems our cocoon is still a thick, incubating frame around us.

I have taken to tracking the confirmed number of cases in Steele County and those that border us. We seem to be at a rapid increase right now. I think our local and regional numbers will have an impact on how we return to our building and our personal encounters. I recognize that statistics can tell more than one story!

Thursday night (5/7), a small group met at the direction of Council to begin formulating a plan for returning to our building on Havana Road. I still remember how quickly we needed a phased plan for responding to the approach of the virus. I remember how quickly we went from Phase 1 to Phase 3! I believe that moving from Phase 1 to Phase 3 of returning will take much more time. And even when everything has started up again, each of you will need to decide what is best and healthiest for you.

May 31 will be Confirmation Sunday. It is Pentecost Sunday. We are working out the technology around that. It will look different. Pilgrim Church, Duluth, also has confirmation students. We may share this special time in a joint service. That is starting to sound really exciting to me! Or, we may decide that each congregation will have an extra and separate service for confirmation.

Our worship live streams at 9:00 AM on Sundays. You can find the live stream on our Facebook page and our website (above, no Facebook account needed). This week we plan for a special guest musician. The gospel reading from John 14 starts us in a place of “troubled hearts” and sends us out to do as Jesus does.

Java, Juice, and Joy at 10:00 AM (right after the service) gives us a chance to see faces and chat. Join us by Zoom. If you need the link, meeting number, or password, please get hold of me!

In our prayers:

• Margaret-Ann Miller and her family following Bob’s passing on May 6
• Emily O’Malley-Laursen as she prepares to be at home with Alan and Jean
• Parker Holton, serving as a Navy medic
• Larissa Blong and Cassie Hager graduating from college
• Our city, county, state, and federal leaders
• All those who work so we can get what we need and want

As we continue to live in these days of confusion, isolation, disorientation, and transformation, I invite you to begin wondering (if you haven’t already) – what are we learning in this time about God, about Church, about ourselves, and about hope, faith, and love. God beckons us towards the future.

For a manuscript of Pastor Coqui’s latest sermon, click here.

Pastor Coqui
coqui@associatedchurch.org
(518) 596-9990 (cell phone)

Associated Church… Who We Are:

Associated Church in Owatonna MN – a community of faith of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ – is an open, diverse, and inclusive community where God’s love is shared and all persons are welcomed… those who believe, those who question, and those who hope. It is our mission to help every person grow into deeper relationships with one another and with the God we meet in Jesus Christ through:

Worship That:

• rejoices in the good news of God’s unconditional love for all
• finds wisdom, inspiration and encouragement in Christ and the Scriptures
• celebrates milestones together to strengthen our ties as a faith family
• calls each other into action as life-long disciples and faithful stewards

Nurture That:

• builds caring, significant relationships and an authentic community
• fosters relevant, everyday-life faith formation for all ages
• educates each generation to know, love, and serve the Lord
• empowers us to be leaders within our homes, communities, and beyond
• prays for God’s will in our lives and the world
• engages in meaningful conversations about our faith, our stories, and our ideas

Service That:

• works together to serve the needs of others locally and globally
• supports our denominations and the Church beyond through generous giving
• helps us discover, develop, and use our God-given gifts to fulfill Christ’s mission and ministry

Upcoming Events

June 2, 2020

9:00 am CANCELED TOPS

10:00 am CANCELED School District

6:30 pm ONLINE Worship Ministry Team Meeting

7:00 pm CANCELED Relay for Life Meeting

June 3, 2020

10:00 am CANCELED School District

3:30 pm CANCELED Mission Ministry Team Meeting

5:30 pm ONLINE Congregational Life Ministry Team Meeting

June 4, 2020

10:00 am CANCELED School District

June 5, 2020

10:00 am CANCELED School District

June 7, 2020

Communion Sunday

9:00 am ONLINE Worship

10:00 am CANCELED Java Juice and Joy Fellowship Time

June 9, 2020

9:00 am CANCELED TOPS

June 11, 2020

10:00 am ONLINE Adult Ministry Team Meeting

6:30 pm ONLINE Welcoming Work Group Meeting

June 13, 2020

9:00 am Graduation Party

June 14, 2020

9:00 am ONLINE Worship

10:00 am CANCELED Java Juice and Joy Fellowship Time

6:00 pm CANCELED Boy Scout Meeting

June 15, 2020

Monthly Pulse Deadline