Time to Dig a New Foundation Together
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By The Rev. Jack Perkins Davidson, Senior Pastor of the Spring Glen Church in Hamden, CT.
The church’s foundation was literally rotting out from underneath itself, as the story goes. The church had built its sanctuary in the 1800s without a basement to make sure they would never be tempted to illegally hide escaped slaves. It was a reaction against their Underground Railroad congregationalist neighbors. So the beams of their wooden New England church sat in the damp soil for about a hundred and fifty years until it got so bad that the church had to undertake a multi-million dollar campaign to reconstruct its very foundation — this time with a basement.
In Luke 6, Jesus uses the image of a building’s foundation to explain the interplay of word and deed. According to his analogy, your solid foundation comes more from your action than your proclamation. If you’re just paying Jesus lip service without anything to back it up, well then watch out when the proverbial flood waters hit because that building will not hold.
This call to action makes sense coming from a savior who is described as the Word made Flesh. If we are the Body of Christ in the world, we’ve got to put a little meat on our faith. From all the Service Trips I’ve been on, I can testify that nothing builds muscle quite like digging a new foundation.
Luckily, we have the opportunity to dig that new foundation together if we approach this new Conference with the right intention.
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Annual Meeting Registration Deadline: June 1
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The deadline to pre-register for the
June 15 - 16 Annual Meeting
in Springfield is fast approaching.
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.
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A Fun Look at the Search for Delegates
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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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Many Voices, One Mission:
Born for Such a Time as This
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By The Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, Massachusetts Conference Minister and President
Every morning, my first waking thought is one of gratitude - gratitude to God for having been born into a time such as this.
Many have told me that this is not an obvious perspective. Every day we are shocked by new assaults on reason, unprecedented violations of human rights and increasing disregard of fairness and justice. So what exactly is there to be grateful for?
My response is simple: we actually get to make a difference!
Living as we are in a world of rampant injustice, a world in which we continue to run Genesis in reverse, when any of us as individuals, or as a family, or as a congregation, or as a community - when any of us choose to speak out, to bear witness, to leverage change by using our voices, our influence, our time, our bodies or our other assets - we can actually make a difference.
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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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The 8th Annual Water is Life Walk Begins on the Housatonic (Howsatunnuck) River
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Every year, Grandmother (Uncí) Carole Bubar-Blodgett, of Wabanaki lineage, takes four rivers into prayer and waits for Spirit to guide her. This year, Spirit guided her to the Housatonic (Howsatunnuck) River for the 8th Annual Water is Life Walk, which is a celebration of life, an opportunity to witness, to offer respect, gratitude and care for the "SacredWater," and to grow relationships with humans and non-humans in the watershed. The Water is Life Walk is an opportunity to come together and heal the river and our connection to it, and help prevent further damage to the river and watershed.
Uncí Carole received the blessing of
Sachem (Chief) Robert Hawkstorm Bergin
of the Schaghticoke First Nations, the local indigenous people who traditionally held stewardship of the watershed. Over the 28-day moon cycle, Uncí Carole will walk 220 miles from Source to Sea, beginning in Massachusetts and ending at the Long Island Sound in Connecticut, offering blessings and ceremony along the way. Uncí Carole extends an invitation to “all people, all faiths, to gather like the drops of water and join us in this prayer for the SacredWater of all life.”
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Starting With Scripture:
Drama
By The Rev. Alison Buttrick Patton, pastor of Saugatuck Congregational Church, UCC, in Westport.
Do you know that scene in The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy’s three friends finally stand before the wizard, awaiting their rewards? The wizard (who may be wiser than he looks) realizes that they already have everything they’ve been looking for: brains, courage, a heart. What they need is something to remind them that they’ve got what it takes: a little pageantry, tangible signs – a diploma, a medal, a heart-shaped clock. Isn’t that just like us? To want clear signs? To need reassurance? To crave a public blessing?
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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 five online forums for discussion about the upcoming votes to formally create a new, unified conference.
Wednesday,
May 30
, 1:00 PM
Thursday,
June 7
, 7:00 PM
Tuesday,
June 12
, at 7:00 PM
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May 29, 6:00 to 7:30 PM
Online
An opportunity to discuss the four resolutions coming before the 151st Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Conference UCC. The resolutions are:
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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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The Connecticut Conference was recently informed that The Rev. Mason Blair Ellison, who served in ministry for 50 years, died on Jan. 28, 2018. He was 94.
The Rev. Ellison was ordained on November 20, 1957 after having graduated from the New York Theological Seminary. He served as pastor at the Community Chapel of West Glens Falls, NY, Meriden (NH) Congregational Church, and Broadview Community Church in Hartford, CT. He wrapped up a 50 year career in the ministry by serving as the Pastoral Care Minister at Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford. Mason was a lifelong donor to the American Red Cross (131 pints) and worked with many colleagues from the Elmwood Community Church on numerous "work days" with Habitat for Humanity in Hartford
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May 31, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Woodridge UCC, Cranston, RI
Rev Susan Cartmell, a Massachusetts Conference UCC minister and author of "Uncommon Preaching," will explore with other clergy her approach to preaching and lead participants through a step by step process to try some new approaches.
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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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