November Ordination Anniversaries

50 Years
The Rev. Mick Comstock
The Rev. Worth Noyes

20 Years
Ms. Debra Moore, Commissioned Minister

15 Years
The Rev. Julie Olmsted

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

UCC General Counsel Warns Against
Officiating Weddings Remotely

Heather E. Kimmel,  General Counsel for the United Church of Christ, sent the following email to Conference Ministers:

Please know that one of your colleagues contacted me today regarding the legality of a clergy person officiating a marriage remotely.  After some research into that state’s law, I recommended that clergy not do this because of a “presence” requirement for a solemnizing officiant.  While there are a few states that have issued COVID-era exceptions to officiants solemnizing marriages in person, it is only a few.  And so I would encourage any clergy person who is considering doing this to proceed with extreme caution and consult a domestic relations attorney for a legal opinion in their state.  The risk is that the couple’s marriage could be invalid, and also that the clergy person may be charged with a likely misdemeanor level offense for officiating an invalid marriage.

Hampden Association announces Annual Meeting
November 15th at 2:00 PM via Zoom

The Executive Committee of the Hampden Association of the Southern New England Conference of the United Church has issued a call for the Annual Meeting of the Association. Please be in contact with your association church for the Zoom link information. Attached is the Call For The Meeting.