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REGIONAL NEWSLETTER SCHEDULE CHANGE

The Regional Newsletter will now be sent on a monthly basis. The regular schedule will be on the Third Tuesday of each month. If you would like to have events included please make sure to have them submitted by the Second Wednesday of the month to Deb Holmes: holmesd@sneucc.org

WORDS FROM YOUR
AREA CONFERENCE MINISTER

February 21, 2023

Dear Northwest Region,

This marks the first newsletter where we have moved to a monthly format. It is part of a considered effort by your ACM Team and Conference to be thoughtful about how much information we are sending to you. We are also trying to ensure that each region gets the same basic information, and in time for your own monthly newsletters!
 
We do, however, really want to include goings-on relevant to the region and especially events in your congregations, so please send them to Deb Holmes by the 2nd Thursday of the month!
 
As a for-instance of what you might submit for inclusion: Wednesday night I will be joining the Ash Wednesday service hosted jointly by our congregations in Montague, Sunderland, Hatfield, Whately, Shelburne, and North Hadley. The service will be held at the Montague Congregational Church at 7:00 PM, and Rev. Dr. Cynthia Crosson-Harrington, pastor of the Whately Congregational Church, UCC, will preach on the message of  Living Circles.
 
It is an effort that spans two Associations and draws together clergy and congregations in a covenantal way—and a partnership that has lasted 26 years, according to Rev. Randy Calvo, pastor of the Hatfield and Sunderland congregations. How good it will be to be in worship with so many of our churches and clergy.
 
And even as I go, my heart will be with the church folk and clergy across the region observing the threshold to the season of Lent in their own ways. It is a holy thing to take the time to notice the dust and the pain of the world—to spend time in the wilderness and to be reminded that, like Christ, we are tended by angels, and yes, we can come through it, with God’s help.
 
May your own Lenten observances be meaningful and full of God’s presence, and may you be drawn deeper into the embrace of the Holy One.


Blessings,
Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa
Area Conference Minister, NW Region


One to One conversations with Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa
The Rev. Ogawa will be hosting bi-weekly coffee house hours to meet with clergy for 30 minutes on the first and third Thursday mornings. 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 UPDATES
(Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Litchfield North)

National Data Hub is open for updates

The Data Hub will be available beginning noon, Wednesday, January 4, 2023. The deadline for entering data is midnight Wednesday, March 1, 2023.  Data Hub deadlines are related to publication schedules; late information may not be included in the 2023 Yearbook. Please click here for information on how to enter your church info.

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 difficulty logging into your account please contact Nancy Stubbs at stubbsn@sneucc.org.


2023  -  26th Annual Lenten Discussion Series  -  2023
On the Outside Looking In 

CELEBRATIONS
(Church Anniversaries & Ordinations)

 

Ordination Anniversaries

30 Years
Rev. Ann Hallstein

20 Years
Rev. William Ault


Church Milestones in 2023

Southwick Congregational Church UCC - 250 years


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.   

CONFERENCE & PARTNER UPDATES

Do You Need a Day Away?

Edwards House provides Complimentary Retreat Days to New England Non-Profit, Lay, and Clergy Leadership. Two different opportunities can be found here


 

Northwest Regional Gathering

Sunday, June 11, 2pm-5pm
Location: TBD
 

Come and G.R.O.W. with us at the Regional Gatherings this spring! We hope that local church leaders, authorized ministers and association leaders will join Conference staff and board members for the chance to connect, collaborate and strengthen our covenantal connections in person. You can watch the invitational video here find more information here and register here.

 

Save the Date! SNEUCC Annual Meeting
June 17, 2023
Worcester, MA - DCU Center
Roll Away the Stone Mark 16:1-4

A message from the Rev. Dr. Chris Davies, Executive Minister for Programs and Initiatives:
To the churches of Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts in the United Church of Christ, save the date for the Annual Meeting of the Southern New England Conference of the UCC.
We will gather together on Saturday, June 17th, all day, for an in-person meeting in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the DCU Center, where our first historic vote to be the Conference happened.
There, we will do the business of the Conference, enjoy the incarnate presence of each other and reconnect, and witness to the power of what we can do when we come together.
Together , we bring hope in making disciples of Jesus, making God's love and justice real, bringing new life as agents of change, and forming covenantal partnerships.
We expect that there will be a digital component to our Annual Meeting as well, the details of which are still TBA, and we're working out a few details on optional pre-events in addition. But for now, save the date and look to more information coming your way soon.
Beloveds of God - I cannot wait to be with you at our Annual Meeting in June!
Please click here to learn more.


Proportional Giving Video & Infographic Available to Churches 
The Southern New England Conference has posted a video and infographic to aid churches in understanding the impact of their contributions to Proportional Giving to Our Church’s Wider Mission. Link: https://www.sneucc.org/newsdetail/proportional-giving-video-infographic-available-to-churches-17276953 

New Partnership to Bring Incredible Days to Edwards House 
The Southern New England Conference's Edwards House Meeting and Retreat Center is partnering with Incredible Days to host four weeks in July during which youth and intergenerational groups can sign up for mission programs where participants will stay at Edwards House and do daily service projects focused on addressing urban poverty in Greater Boston. Link: https://www.sneucc.org/newsdetail/sneucc-partners-with-boston-mission-to-host-incredible-days-17301184 

Ministry Matters: An Evening of Conversation
Thursday, April 7, 6:30pm - 8:30PM
Come! Connect! Be Inspired! 
All are invited to come for a time of conversation, education and relationship building. 
The Rev. Darrell Goodwin, Executive Conference Minister, The Rev. Eric Elley, Digital Minister, and Ms. Karen Ziel, Assistant Director of The Center for Transformational Leadership, will talk about new and exciting ministries offered by the SNEUCC and engage in Q&A. Light refreshments will be served. Click here to register.



Spring 2023 Gathering for SNE Women's Connection!
April 15 2023

Registration Form and Recognized Women Form

CENTER FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

 

Church Leadership Training 
Feb. 25, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM • Online 
Basic training over Zoom open to all, but especially relevant for new and returning moderators, assistant moderators, treasurers, and pastor-parish relations committee members. This event is offered at no cost to participants through Proportional Giving to Our Church's Wider Mission. 

Link: https://www.sneucc.org/eventdetail/17296317 

FAITH FORMATION

 

Lenten Chapel of the Heart 
Wednesdays, 9 AM, March 1 - 29  Online 
All are welcome to join a virtual devotional time on five Wednesday mornings during Lent.  The SNEUCC Faith Formation Team will lead the sessions of prayer, reflection and music which are 45 minutes in length. 

Link: https://www.sneucc.org/eventdetail/17276511 

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

 
 Conference Launches Lenten Book Study on Microaggressions in Ministry

Executive Minister of Programs and Initiatives the Rev. Dr. Chris Davies will lead this Conference-Wide book study for people in congregations who want to learn how to be more welcoming, more inclusive, and more attentive to the way God is calling them to accompany ALL people along their spiritual paths at church.   
This book study fulfills conference Racial Justice Training  requirements.
Link: https://www.sneucc.org/eventdetail/17308085  

OUTDOOR MINISTRIES

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

Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center

Edwards House Meeting & Retreat Center, Framingham, MA

Pilgrim Day Camp, Framingham, MA
Registration opens January 29th at Noon!


Irons Homestead, Glocester, RI

Both Silver Lake and Pilgrim Day Camp are recruiting summer camp staff. 
Silver Lake will be opening camp registration March 1 at 9 AM
Summer Staff applications are due by Feb. 24 – info is here: https://www.silverlakect.org/employment 

Pilgrim Day Camp registration is full for the summer. 
Summer Staff can apply here: https://pilgrimdaycamp.org/staff-applications/ 

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 Reg
ions: Lynn Varney: Varneyl@sneucc.org

If you are interested in being included on any of the Temporary Minister

MORE...
(Classifieds, Transitions, and Obituaries)

 

Please click here to view all SNEUCC obituaries. 

Please click here to view all SNEUCC Classifieds

Please click here to view all of the SNEUCC Transitions

 

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

508-244-4399
holmesd@sneucc.org 
www.sneucc.org/northwest

Office Hours: 
Monday: 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Tuesday-Thursday: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday: Closed

This newsletter is made by possible by your church's contributions to
Proportional Giving to Our Church's Wider Mission.