| Words from your Area Conference Minister |
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Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4.16-19
Are we churches or are we social service agencies? Are we country clubs that believe in Jesus or are we justice activist? Are we conservative or liberal? Beloved, why are we stuck in these over-and-against dichotomies when the Gospel offers us such a rich testament to the power of God’s anointing?
Jesus reminds us of a mighty ancient, Divine anointing. A powerful anointing that is liberative and restorative. While I know that we must keep the church lights on and handle other business, I ask you, what is this ancient, Divine anointing doing in your midst? What is God calling the church of Jesus Christ to be in 2023?
May the force of the anointing be with you,
Rev. Isaac Lawson
Area Conference Minister - South Central Region
Southern New England Conference, UCC
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Regional, Association & Church Events
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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 South Central Region of the Southern New England Conference is comprised of:
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Here we recognize and celebrate Ordination Anniversaries listed from 5 years forward in increments of 5 years, as well as milestone church anniversaries of 100+ years (increments of 25).
Ordinations & 2023 Milestone Anniversaries will be listed in the end of the month newsletter
| Conference & Partner Events/Information |
Please go to sneucc.org/events to see all posted events
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Webinars offered from 6:30 to 7:30pm Central Time
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Quarterly Racial Justice Training
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
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Nourishing the seeds of faith.
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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.
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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.
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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 program, which 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
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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.
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SPECIAL INVITATIONS:
- Small Church Roundtable Group (REGISTER)
- Time Capsule Teaser: A Conversation with Pastor Chris Solimene - Reflecting on the Pandemic (READ MORE HERE)
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.
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| Discipleship Opportunities |
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Interested in learning more about the 2022-2023 FFLP program year?
Click here
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- 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 Wing: Parents, 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.
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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.
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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.
| Transitions and Obituaries |
Transitions within the Southern New England Conference can be found here.
Obituaries within the Southern New England Conference can be found here.
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
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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.
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 South Central 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.
