By Drew Page

HARTFORD – A coalition of 12 interfaith and community organizations has joined to oppose the expansion of casino gambling in Connecticut.

At a press conference at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford on Tuesday, the Coalition Against Casino Expansion in Connecticut, organized by Michele Mudrick, Legislative Advocate for the Connecticut Conference, UCC, voiced concerns about the proposal of an off-reservation commercial casino.

Connecticut's Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes have asked the state's legislature to allow them to jointly open a $200-300 million “convenience” casino in the Hartford area.

Read more and watch a video of the press conference

HARTFORD -- In a letter to patrons on January 23, Karen Ziel, Minister of Faith Formation and Leadership of the Connecticut Conference ,UCC, stated that the Ruth Dudley Resource Center will become the Ruth Dudley Collection at J.P. Webster Library.

Staff have already begun transferring resources from the Conference Offices in Hartford to the newly renovated J.P. Webster Library at First Church of Christ in West Harford.

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By Pam Arifian

On Sunday, January 22nd, during the first 100 hours of the new presidential administration, people of diverse faiths gathered at three different vigils across Connecticut to pray for the US government to accelerate its response to climate change.

The vigils were held in Salisbury, Fairfield and New Haven. A fourth vigil was held in Bloomfield on Tuesday evening. These vigils were linked with over 140 similar vigils and dozens of other actions nationwide under the banner of the People’s Climate Movement, a coalition of environmental, labor, environmental and racial justice, faith, student and other organizations, in partnership with Greenfaith, an interfaith environmental nonprofit, among others.

A common thread running through all vigils was the emphasis on addressing climate change not only as an environmental concern, but also as a matter of health and economic opportunity, particularly for working class and poor communities.

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By Kelly Jane Forbush
Pastor, First Congregational Church of East Hartford.

On January 21 over a dozen disciples from First Congregational Church of East Hartford journeyed to Washington D.C. to participate in the massive Women’s March on Washington.

The Women’s March on Washington was a way for the congregation to stand together for equal rights and respect, in solidarity with people across the country, transcending differences in gender, age, immigration status, and sexual orientation. The goal of the rally and March was to send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office, and to the world, that women's rights are human rights.   

Read the entire blog post here

Silver Lake Launches New Promotional Effort

SHARON -- The Silver Lake Conference Center has launched an ambitious plan to add 100 new campers to the summer program in 2017, and has developed new promotional materials - including bulletin inserts for church use - to help reach that goal.

"Silver Lake is at its most vibrant when the local church shares in the joy of helping young people -- and even adult volunteers -- find their way to camp through promotions, encouragement, and scholarships," said Executive Director The Rev. Ryan Gackenheimer. 

Read more and find out how to download materials

2016 Year End Report Now Available

HARTFORD -- The Connecticut Conference published "2016 Ministries of the Connecticut Conference UCC" on Friday, a two-page document designed to be inserted into local church annual reports. The report features easy-to-read statistics and colorful photos. Click on the image to download, or scroll down for the text of the report to copy and paste into other formats.

Read more and download a copy