A UCC History, Theology and Polity Course that meets the requirements as set forth by the UCC Polity Teacher's Network will be offered online during January 2017. Classes will begin at 9:00am and end at 4:00pm on the following dates: January 7, 14, 21 and 28. The platform utilized will be Zoom Video Conferencing ( zoom.us ) The tuition will be $465. For more information contact the instructor, Reverend David Gaewski, NY Conference Minister, at  [email protected] . 

 

The U.S. Department of Labor has adopted new overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which go into effect on December 1, 2016. 

Many congregations, synods, and other ministries of the church have questions about how this impacts their employees and ministries. Does it apply to churches? What about pastors? Youth workers? Sextons? How about schools? Or camps? Join us for a free webinar on how the new regulations will affect religious institutions, and try to answer many of these questions.

Register  today for this free webinar. Instructions for connecting to the webinar will be sent to all registrants prior to the event.

Are you interested in joining the Mission group from the New York Conference heading to Nicaragua in the third week of February? February 18th-25th, 2017.

     

The group plan is to head to Managua and help the teachers and Schools related to our Ecumenical partner  Iglesia Misión Cristiana. This is an inter-generational trip, but for safety concerns we ask that Youth under 15 have a chaperone/adult from your church. The plan is to work, teach, learn about the history and people of Nicaragua~ along with have a few moments to see all that Nicaragua has to offer. The average temperature will be hot/humid and most of our activity will be in dirt floor locations.

The Estimated Cost is $1,100 per person - which will include Airfare, Lodging, Food, and Transportation while in Nicaragua.

If you are interested, please Contact Mission Coordinator Sueli Gaewsky at  [email protected]  to be put on the list and receive an application to attend.

Space is limited and preference will be given to those who have not gone before.

The Riverside Church in the City of New York, along with a growing list of partners, will host an intensive training on gun violence for faith leaders of all traditions beginning the evening of October 6 through the evening of October 7, 2016. Designed for millennial faith leaders, a demographic with the capacity to shift our culture, the training is also open to ministry teams of any age that include a millennial attendee. Those who attend do not have to agree on the solutions to the epidemic of gun violence, only that something must be done. 

Evangelicals and mainline Protestants make up 40 percent of the population, but own guns at higher rates than the rest of the country.   The power to change our culture is in our pews.

Attendees will gain concrete tools to educate, engage, and mobilize your congregations to enact change in your community. Each God and Guns 2016 participant will commit to taking concrete action in their circles of influence.

Space is limited. Click here to purchase tickets.

Following the training, The Riverside Church will provide ongoing support, resources, and reporting mechanisms. This will help those who attend stay connected and share the work you are doing in your congregations.

The training begins with a free, open to the public screening of "The Armor of Light" on Thursday, October 6 at 7PM. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers Rev. Rob Schenck, Abigail Disney, and Lucy McBath.

 

Chris emigrated with his family to the United States from the United Kingdom, where he received his education for ministry through the United Reformed Church of the UK. He has 15 years of experience working in religious settings in leadership teams, community development and outreach which ultimately brought him to the United States. He has been serving Church of the Living Hope since 2014, as a licensed minister. Chris holds a Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Theology from Angela Ruskin University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Theology (as well as a Bachelor of Arts) from Cambridge University in the UK and a certification for ministry from Westminster Seminary, administered by the United Reformed Church which made him eligible for ordination there. Chris made the decision to be educated in the ways of the UCC and to follow through with the process for ordination. He is married to Naomi Lawrence and has four young children.

 

In order to convene a duly constituted council, all Metro Association churches are urged to designate a representative to attend.