Northwest Region ENews - January 13, 2022

NEW PHONE NUMBERS FOR CONFERENCE STAFF

Area Conference Minister, The Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa and Program Support Associate, Deb Holmes have new phone numbers!

Rev. Ogawa: 860-761-7192

Deb Holmes: 508-244-4399

The conference has a new comprehensive phone system. You can call 1-866-367-2822 and be in touch with any staff member.
Both of the above numbers are now active, please update your phone contacts. Their old numbers will no longer work after 1/31/22.

WORDS FROM YOUR AREA CONFERENCE MINISTER

Dear Northwest Region,

If you follow my professional facebook page (RevTerry Yasuko Ogawa), you’ll see some of the ways I have been praying for you through the last months. I note the weariness; the continued pivoting (and the sickness about pivoting) that many of you have done in the face of the escalation of cases; improvising as you learn at the last minute re. losing participants in services to quarantine; moving services back online; or just generally doing the best you can with the resources at hand.

I spoke with Rev. Sarah Buteux of First Churches Northampton this week, and she said of this season, “All pastors deserve to go to an island filled with unicorns and (virgin?) pina coladas.” While I joked that Rev. Jackie Hall and I should use that as our byline for Clergy Camp at Silver Lake this summer, I realize that so many of you are in need of true respite. I hope and pray you can take it in whatever form it is available to you. Please let me know if you need support in taking it.

And yet, yes, the work goes on. Many of our area health workers are working in hospitals and clinics that have declared an emergency mode, which includes the delay of all vacation and sabbaticals. So we balance the acknowledgement of need for rest and the onslaught of “you are needed,” as did Christ and the disciples. What I hope for you is that you take the time where you are able, and that you give over to God that which you can no longer do.

As for real help, the Conference continues to offer advice and resources the best we can for such a large geographical area. Conference leadership decided to suspend all in-person staff travel until February 14, 2022 to protect you as well as ourselves, especially given the difficulty in procuring timely testing in some areas. This, in turn, we hope gives you and your congregations a conversation point you might need in making your own decisions for your community.

But we also know from whence our real help comes. Yes, from the public health experts and the front line workers, which includes many of you, but also from all of us embodying the love of Christ in caring for neighbors and each other.

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
   from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
   who made heaven and earth.

The Sovereign One will keep you from all evil;
   God will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
   your going out and your coming in
   from this time on and for evermore.
(Psalm 121: 1-2; 7-8)

May you feel this deeply. May you find rest and respite until you are able to give out of a full cup again. And may you know that you are held in love and prayer every day.

Blessings,

Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa
Area Conference Minister, NW Region

One to One conversations with Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa

The Rev. Ogawa will be resuming her bi-weekly coffee house hours to meet with clergy for 30 minutes on the first and third Thursday (new day) afternoons. These can be scheduled by clicking here. Please contact her Program Support Associate, Deb Holmes if you have questions or problems signing up for a meeting.

ASSOCIATION & CHURCH EVENTS
(Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Litchfield North)

Do we have your church leaders listed correctly?

Please have your church administrator (or whoever handles your church's email account) visit the Church Dashboard (part of the Southern New England Conference's data base) to make sure we're connecting with all the current leaders in your church. If you have problems logging into your account please contact Nancy Stubbs at stubbsn@sneucc.org.

Explore another facet of becoming a welcoming congregation...

W.I.S.E. ( Welcoming. Inclusive. Supportive. Engaged) is a U.C.C. initiative to
acknowledge and breakdown the stigma attached to people with emotional or
mental challenges and to welcome them into worship.
To forward this initiative I am offering to come to your church and to give a biblically based sermon on the historic and current stigma of mental/emotional illness, how we welcome or do not welcome people with these challenges into the pews, and a brief overview of W.I.S.E..
If you are interested in my coming to your church to give this sermon and/or if you have any questions please feel free to be in touch by phone or email.
Blessings,
Belle Fox-Martin, UCCLM
Contact Belle via email: bfoxm@roadrunner.com or phone: 413-298-0673

Monthly Vigils for Racial Justice

The members of Center Church, UCC (First Congregational Church of South Hadley), One Church Street, South Hadley have been holding a monthly vigil for Racial Justice. The vigils take place the first Saturday from 10:00 - 10:30 AM and will be earmarked with the ringing of the church bell. Bringing a sign is also encouraged!

Journey

Journey: a social and support group for trans and non binary individuals of all ages. The group is facilitated by Yohah Ralph. We will meet online using Zoom on the first and third Thursdays of the month.
If you have questions, or are interested in joining the group, please send an email to Yohah at journeynorthampton@gmail.com, and provide your phone number so we can have a brief conversation in advance.

CONFERENCE & REGIONAL EVENTS/INFORMATION
Please go to sneucc.org/events to see all posted events

Observance of
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Monday, January 17, 2022 at 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM

Join us for a time of worship, reflection, and facilitated conversation led by one of the 2022 SNEUCC Theologians in Residence, Rev. Dr. Diane Schmitz. Let us honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. of Martin Luther King, Jr. by rededicating ourselves to building up the beloved community. Click here for more information.

Faith and Food: Stewarding Creation for Healthier Communities

Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM

This free, online workshop will be hosted by Health and Wellness Ministry and the Environmental Ministries Team to help congregations participate in National Nutrition Month during March. The workshop will explore how faith informs our relationship with food as well as our relationship to others and to Creation, and is offered as part of the SNEUCC Health and Wellness Quarterly Webinar series.
Click here for more information and to register.

CENTER FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

New Lunch & Learn Programs being offered!

January 20 “Why Does My Church Need an Interim Minister?”
Is your congregation about to have a pastoral change? Did you have one recently? If so, are you curious or anxious about what to expect from pastoral leadership during this transitional time? Is hiring an interim minister beneficial? How might you assess that?
Presenter: Rev. Dr. James H. Latimer, PCC Coach and Founder, Coaching for Interims.
Thursday, January 20, at 12 noon. Here is the Registration link.

February 12th: Rev. Dr. Ruth Shaver on Polity (Part 1)
February 17th: Rev. Elizabeth Dilley on Behavorial Covenants

DISCIPLESHIP OPPORTUNITIES AT A GLANCE

Visit the Faith Formation webpage for more information.

OUTDOOR MINISTRIES

The Southern New England Conference engages in Outdoor & Retreat Ministry with the following sites:

Edwards House Meeting & Retreat Center, Framingham, MA

Irons Homestead, Glocester, RI

Pilgrim Day Camp, Framingham, MA

Silver Lake Conference Center, Sharon, CT.

The 2022 Silver Lake summer camp brochure is available online now & will be in mailboxes in January!

View and download the brochure

Check out all the exciting programs available and start getting excited for summer!

REGISTRATION OPENS JANUARY 15

ACTIVE FOOD PANTRIES AND OUTREACH MEALS

The attached list is an updated list of churches in the Northwest Region that currently have active food pantries and outreach meals for people in need. Please email Deb Holmes at holmesd@sneucc.org to have your church information included or updated. Northwest Region List.

Pictured are members of Trinity Church Shelburne Falls.

TRANSITIONS

Please click here to view all of the SNEUCC Transitions.

CELEBRATIONS

January Anniversaries

60 Years
The Rev. Keith Snow

50 Years
The Rev. Dr. Peter Ives

40 Years
The Rev. Madelon Nunn-Miller

Please contact Deb Holmes if we have missed your anniversary.
Anniversaries are listed from 5 years and forward in increments of 5.

If your church is celebrating a mile anniversary please let Deb Holmes know so that entire North Central Region can celebrate with you!

OBITUARIES

The Rev. James E. Chase, longtime Pastor of the Federated Church of Charlton, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, in his home from complications of colon cancer. He leaves his wife of 35 years, Diane Chase, and his daughter, Valerie Chase and her husband David Pinsonneault of Providence, RI. He was predeceased by his sister, Nancy (Chase) Cunningham.
The funeral service will be held on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022 at 10:00am in St. Joseph’s Church, 10 H. Putnam Road Ext., Charlton, MA. Burial will follow in West Ridge Cemetery, Charlton, MA. Calling hours in the Daniel T. Morrill Funeral Home, 130 Hamilton St., Southbridge, MA, will be held on Friday, Jan. 14, 2022, from 4:00 to 7:00pm. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Federated Church of Charlton, P.O. Box 70, Charlton, MA 01507.
Please click here to read more.