Annual Meeting Registration Deadline: Friday
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The deadline to pre-register for the June 15 - 16 Annual Meeting in Springfield is here.
Those who do not register online by June 1 may not be able to participate in any of the luncheons being served on June 16.
The meeting will be the second time that the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island conferences will meet jointly. At this meeting, delegates of the three conferences will be asked to officially create a new, unified conference by approving a covenant agreement, set of new bylaws, establishing a unified Board of Directors, electing officers, and making minor changes to their existing bylaws.
The meeting will also feature dynamic worship and a keynote address by the Rev. Traci Blackmon, Executive Minister of Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ.
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The deadlines for discounted hotel rates has passed, but there are still rooms available.
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“Melt Me, Mold Me, Fill Me, Use Me”
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By The Rev. Kurt Walker, Pastor of Chapel Street Congregational Church, UCC, in Lincoln, RI
We UCCers love to listen to the still, small voice of God whispering to us through the chaos of this world; to determine what it is that God would have us do to bring about God's kin-dom here on earth as it already is in heaven. We tend to take that Call from of the Lord’s Prayer very seriously.
Yes, by all means, let’s partner with God the Creator to be not-so-secret agents of change with the divine. Let’s go out to be in relationship with God, to do God’s will. Let’s be about the business of breaking bread with the hungry, offering a cup to the thirsty, welcoming the wayfarer into our homes and our sanctuaries, clothing those who shiver from naked loneliness, caring for the ill, and visiting those held captive by the shackles of judgment, oppression, and persecution.
As important as our actions are, I’ve learned that to become an effectual agent of God’s change, I must first be willing to be changed myself.
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Many Voices, One Mission:
Connected
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By
Jennifer Kronholm Clark, Program Director at Silver Lake Conference Center
We gathered on the beach after dark, full of roast pork and s’mores and drowsy at the end of a long week. A spotlight backlit the gathering, making shadows long on our faces. Cameron moved to the center of the circle and began to strum his guitar. He explained that his final gift to me, his secret pal, was a song. He began to sing:
When you’re down, and troubled, and you need a helping hand
And nothing, whoa, nothing, is going right
Close your eyes and think of me, and soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night.
At that long ago Midsummer’s Fest closing circle, an annual tradition among the Silver Lake summer staff, Cameron gave me a gift that I have carried with me since. Whenever I hear that song, whenever I feel alone and discouraged, I remember that moment, sitting with those people, singing in the dark, and I feel connected to a community. I grew up and I grew away, but the relationships I formed here drew me back.
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Many Voices, One Mission
is a new regular series highlighting the ministries of the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island conferences of the United Church of Christ.
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Local Clergy Take Part in DC Demonstration
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Several Massachusetts and Connecticut Conference clergy joined more than a thousand other progressive Christians in a Washington DC demonstration on May 24 which is part of the larger
Reclaiming Jesus
movement.
According to press reports, between 1,000 and 2,000 Christian leaders gathered at the National City Christian Church for a rousing service, and then walked a mile, in silence and holding candles, to Lafayette Square, a park facing the White House.
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CT Women of the UCC Celebrate 90 Years
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Submitted By Jeanne Grandy
C
lergy and lay women from across the state gathered in Annual Meeting recently to celebrate the 90
th
Anniversary of the CT Women of the United Church of Christ (under its various names over the years), hosted by the lovely women and men of Mystic Congregational Church.
With an Official Statement of Recognition and Congratulation from both Her Excellency Nancy Wyman, Lieutenant Governor, and a letter from our Connecticut Conference Minister, Kent Siladi, we began this day of celebration with words of welcome from Bridge Pastor James Harrison and dynamic worship under the leadership of Stacy Lee Goforth.
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Starting With Scripture:
Being Known
By The Rev. Mary Louise Howson is a retired UCC pastor
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my thoughts from far away . . . and lay your hands upon me. For it was you . . . who knit me together in my mother’s womb. . . . Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. . . . If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. - Psalm 139
My grandmother taught me this psalm when I was so young that I cannot remember not knowing it. My grandfather died when my mother was 9. In 1922 she was left to raise my mother on her own. And this text was the scripture that had enabled her to go on. Its intimacy is probably without equal in any other text in the Bible. Imagine God beholding your unformed substance. The intimacy is exquisite.
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Starting with Scripture
is a weekly devotional written by current and former clergy and church leaders of the Connecticut Conference, UCC. Subscribe to receive the reflection each Monday at:
ctucc.org/subscribe
.
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Upcoming Conference Events
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Leading up to the second Tri-Conference Annual Meeting of the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island conferences, Conference leaders will be hosting a series of online forums for discussion about the upcoming votes to formally create a new, unified conference.
Thursday,
June 7
, 7:00 PM
Tuesday,
June 12
, at 7:00 PM
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Sat., July 14, \9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
First Congregational Church Essex, Essex, CT
This "From Tolerance to Unity" training is an eight-hour session where we unmask racism, create a common language around issues of racism, and inspire people to do more work to eradicate racism. We will spend the day engaging in the Sacred Work, creating a brave space for the conversations to be held. Content will include the Four Realms of Racism, and the Inclusivity Spectrum. We will accomplish our work through small-group exercises, articles, videos, music, and much more to develop a firmer understanding of how racism is sustained, maintained, and perpetuated, so that way we can work toward its unmasking, dismantling, and eradicating racism in all its realms.
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June 5, 2018 at 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Lyman Orchards Golf Course, Middlefield
Grab your buddies and your clubs and swing into summer with a day on the links, all while helping to support the Connecticut Conference's vital outdoor ministry. The 12th Annual Silver Lake Golf Tournament
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June 10, 2:00 to 4:00 PM
Immanuel Congregational Church,
Hartford
Interested in learning more about criminal justice reform in Connecticut and how you can get more engaged? Hear from advocates and policy makers, and bring your questions and ideas!
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June 27 - 30
Silver Lake Conference Center, Sharon
Join fellow clergy for reflection, renewal, and worship in the woods.
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July 19 - 22
California University of Pennsylvania, California, PA
The Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island Conferences are collaborating to provide bus service to the event, for youth who have completed 6th grade up to 2018 graduates of 12th grade.
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June 4 - 8
Yale Divinity School, New Haven
Why Youth Ministry? A Beacon of Joy in the Midst of Suffering
featuring leading practical theologians and youth workers. Live streaming will be available.
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July 9 - 13
Craigville Retreat Center, Craigville, MA
This year's topic: Building Bridges: Immigrants, Refugees, and the Church. Keynote Speaker: Ms. Linda Hartke, President & CEO, lirs.org, Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service.
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