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A Note from your Area Conference Minister
Dear Friends,
I have spent my first month working in and on behalf of the Southern New England Conference intentionally embracing the hope, peace, joy, and love that we are directed toward during this Advent season.
In the midst of communal as well as individual crisis and conflict, worry and anxiety, fatigue and fiscal peril; in the midst of woundedness and wonder…Advent breaks in.  Advent breaks in through an embodiment of our dream that God would break open the current realities by transforming the vision where beauty can be acknowledged in brokenness, hope can be experienced in despair, and joy can be a piece of any particular encounter of grief.   And in the complexities of all this, whether gingerly or boldly, we are called to be guided by hope. To point toward peace. To seek joy. To engage with one another in love. To be receptive of the ways in which Advent might break in to our lives.
 
Rev. Samantha Houser
Bridge Area Conference Minister
Southern New England Conference, UCC
 
Regional News and Association Events

What are you up to? Does your Church or Association have events or news that can benefit from being shared - Meetings, Ecclesiastical Councils, Ordinations, etc?  This newsletter space is just waiting to be populated by your activity!  Please send your events and news Roz Hooks to be included in future bi-monthly publications.   The Southwest Region of the Southern New England Conference is comprised of:

  • Fairfield East Association
  • Fairfield West Association
  • Litchfield South Association
  • New Haven Association
  • New Haven East Consociation

 

The Southern New England Conference offices are closed December 23rd through January 2nd, in honor of the Christmas and New Year holidays. In case of an emergency where you require Conference assistance, please call 866-367-2822. May the birth of the Christ Child bring hope, peace, joy and love to you and your faith communities this season.

 

Two New Associate Conference Ministers Named

The Southern New England Conference has called two new Associate Conference Ministers, both of whom have extensive Committee on Ministry experience and are currently serving within the Conference.  Click on the title to read more.

Rev. Carol Steinbrecher & Rev. Margret Hofmeister

 

 

2023 Stewardship Webinars

 

 

UCC Rural Ministries

Nourishing the Seeds of Faith 

Together We THRIVE

Greetings Authorized Ministers,

We wanted to bring to your attention several upcoming programs that you might be interested in taking advantage of, offered by Together We Thrive.  Details and registration links for all the programs may be found at www.togetherwethrivegrant.org.

 

 

 

 Becoming a WISE conference 

PLANNING FOR IMMIGRATION ARRIVALS

Are you involved in planning for the sudden arrival of migrants? Would you like to be? The Southern New England Conference and the Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum Task Team want to hear from you so that we can work together.  Click the title above for more information.
 

PATHWAYS TO TECHNOLOGY

A new year brings new opportunities to learn and grow in faith! PATHWAYS Theological Education, Inc. is pleased to announce our January term online, asynchronous courses that are accessible and affordable for curious Progressive Christians. All courses are designed with the Marks of Faithful and Effective Authorized Ministers at their core, and are helpful to anyone who wants to develop spiritual and leadership gifts for use in the church and the world.
For more information about PATHWAYS as an organization, our courses, and to register, please visit www.pathwaystheological.org.

 

Conference Launches Justice Leadership Program

If you feel called to work for justice or are eager to integrate faith and justice work into your life in meaningful and transformative ways, apply now for the Southern New England cohort of the Jubilee programwhich will launch this fall.

Read more about this program here.


Are you called to learn more or take action around Environmental Justice Issues? Visit the SNEUCC's Environmental Ministries web page for ideas and resources.


Green Congregation Challenge

The Green Congregation Challenge is a step-by-step approach that helps churches take small, but consequential, steps towards protecting God’s Creation Learn more about the Green Congregation Challenge.
This month, we celebrate the efforts of the following congregations - and particularly note the first congregations to reach Level 4! Read more about recently-celebrated congregations here.

  • Trinitarian Congregational Church, Concord, MA - completed Level 1
  • Church of Christ Congregational UCC, Norfolk, CT- completed Level 2
  • South Church, Andover, MA - completed Level 4
  • Old South Church in Boston, MA - completed Level 4
  • First Congregational Church, Southington, CT - pledged to begin work on Level 1

A Word about Proportional Giving

You’ve probably heard me say before that what binds us together as a denomination is covenant, not creed or practice or structure but sacred relationship and commitment. I give thanks to God for the strength of our covenantal bonds and partnerships. Every conversation or meeting I have with individual churches or pastors is buttressed by our covenantal bonds and indeed would not be possible without them.
 
Proportional Giving is one of the key ways we express that covenant. Each church recently received a letter about PR from the Rev. David Cleaver-Bartholomew, Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations. I want to personally thank you for your covenantal commitment to the work of the wider church through PG; it is essential to all the transformative things the conference is able to do. I hope you will make time to prayerfully consider how your church can be in covenant by contributing to Proportional Giving. 

Center for Transformational Leadership

 

Lunch & Learn for Leaders (2022-2023)

SPECIAL INVITATIONS:

  • Small Church Roundtable Group (REGISTER)
  • Time Capsule Teaser:  A Conversation with Pastor Chris Solimene - Reflecting on the Pandemic (READ MORE HERE)

Quarterly Racial Justice Training  OPEN TO ALL

The Racial Justice 101 workshop is designed as an overview session, grounded in the articulations of Christian faith and the belief that faithfulness to God mandates that we all work to bring forth justice for all of God’s people. It offers an introduction to racial formation; invites participants to consider the role of our country’s founding documents in constructing and framing U.S. racial realities; explores contemporary issues of racism; and introduces shared language for discussions of white supremacy. Throughout the workshop, participants are urged to use the lens of their faith and current ministry settings as they think about what they are learning. MORE INFO HERE 

Racial Justice Training for Authorized Clery and MIDs:               Wednesday, Jan. 18, 9 AM-12:30 PM
 
Racial Justice Training for All:  Wednesday, April 12, 7-9 PM AND Thursday, April 13, 7-8:30 PM

Discipleship Opportunities

Faith Formation Leadership Program

Interested in learning more about the 2022-2023 FFLP program year?
Click here

- Updated!- 

God's World in Community: a new resources from PA's GenOn Ministries that emphasizes intergenerational gathering and activities based on the Book of Acts. Fully available online!

ReNew: The Green VBS: A product of Spark House, this 5-day curriculum based around Christ's Parable of the Sower. Intended for younger VBS-goers (pre-K through sixth grade).

Under Your WingParents, grandparents, and caregivers of younger children: are you looking for a way to talk about bodily safety and physical development with your 5-7-year olds? If so, check out this video series from the UCC/UUA's Our Whole Lives (OWL) program. 

Look for more helpful materials and curated links under Make Disciples on www.sneucc.org.

 

Environmental Justice Youth Retreat

Sessions are led by Environmental Justice Intern Lillian Steinmayer. Lillian has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and is pursuing a Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School. She's a member of the Congregational Church in Goshen, CT, and is looking forward to diving deep into the topics of nature, faith, and what environmental justice looks like.  Click the title 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
Edwards House offers fully-equipped meeting space for working gatherings both large and small as well as a warm, intimate setting for small overnight retreats.

Irons Homestead, Glocester, RI
Nestled in the northwest corner of Rhode Island and where you can still see the stars at night.

Pilgrim Day Camp, Framingham, MA
This is a traditional summer day camp with over 50 years of experience in providing children safe, summer fun. 

Silver Lake Conference Center, Sharon, CT
Share the ministry of Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center with your community!  To help you get the word out about Silver Lake’s exciting programs, visit www.silverlakect.org/promote for a collection of materials and resources.  

Celebrations, Transitions and Obituaries

Here we recognize and celebrate Ordination Anniversaries listed from 5 years forward in increments of 5 years, as well as milestone church anniversaries.

November/December Ordination Anniversaries

30 Years

The Rev. Sharon Blackburn - November 29, 1992

The Rev. Jennifer Campbell - November 11, 2007

 

2022 Milestone Church Anniversaries

370 Years

First Congregational Church of Norwalk

100 Years

Lordship Community Church

(Please contact Roz Hooks if we have missed your anniversary or if you have a specific date to share.)

Transitions within the Southern New England Conference can be found here.

Obituaries within the Southern New England Conference can be found here.

Classifieds

A full list of classified postings can be found here on the SNE website.  Some examples include: Church Administrator, Digital Minister, Organist/Choir Director, Director of Faith Formation as well as items for sale or free.  Visit our classifieds web page for details of each listing.   Church administrators are welcome to use the online template to submit information.

Temporary Ministerial Coverage List

The Southern New England Conference maintains Temporary Ministerial Coverage (TMC) lists for all 6 SNEUCC regions. These lists contain Clergy and Lay people that are interested in providing Sunday Supply, Sabbatical Coverage, and Bridge Coverage. All the people included on the list have had a Criminal Background Check and are required to have Boundary Awareness Training as well as Racial Justice Training. 

These TMC lists are regularly updated in real time.  If your church is in need of a list please reach out to the Program Support Associate for your Region:

North Central & Northwest Regions: Deb Holmes, holmesd@sneucc.org
South Central & Southwest Regions: Roz Hooks: Hooksr@sneucc.org
Northeast & Southeast Regions: Lynn Varney: Varneyl@sneucc.org

If you are interested in being included on any of the Temporary Ministerial Coverage regional lists please contact Jill Ford at fordj@sneucc.org

Newsletter Subscription

You are receiving this newsletter because we've identified you as a local church or you have standing in one of the associations in the Southwest Region of the Southern New England Conference. The frequency of this newsletter will be changing for 2023.  More details will be in our January Newsletter - Stay Tuned!   If you would like to unsubscribe or change your email preferences, please visit sneucc.org/subscribe and enter your email address.

 

Southwest Region of
The Southern New England Conference, United Church of Christ

125 Sherman St.
Hartford, CT 06105
860-761-7112
fordj@sneucc.org
www.sneucc.org/southwest


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Proportional Giving to Our Church's Wider Mission.