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WORDS FROM YOUR AREA CONFERENCE MINISTER

Dear Northwest Region,
 
This is the last weekly message you will receive from me for awhile, as our newsletter will transition in June to being biweekly to give our beloved Program Support Associate Deb Holmes a break. Thank you, Deb, for all you do for us!
 
And now, as many of you are thinking about how best to reconvene in person, I feel there is no better time to talk to you about Safe Church.
 
Trigger warning: sexual abuse.
 
The news has been ricocheting around the region, and indeed, the nation this week that the Hampden District Attorney announced that former Catholic priest Richard Lavigne murdered Danny Croteau in 1972. In our Franklin clergy gathering this afternoon I learned that some of you knew and worked with Lavigne as a clergy colleague, and some of you grew up knowing peers who were abused at the hands of priests.
 
My heart breaks, and my prayers go out to all who are connected to any story of abuse.
 
And yet we know that sexual predation knows no denominational boundaries, and so we are compelled to do all we can to keep our children and youth safe.
 
If your church has not yet undertaken the work of creating a safe church policy and implementing those policies, you might consider creating one or revisiting the guidance therein. Resources, from a congregational assessment tool to templates and online trainings, are available here
 
If you are new to ministering in the area, know that Massachusetts state law requires all volunteer organizations that provide activities or programs to children to conduct CORI (background) checks of the volunteers. The law also requires CORI checks any time there is a potential for someone to have unmonitored contact with a child.
 
The Southern New England Conference strongly recommends that all churches conduct background checks of all employees and volunteers who have contact with children, i.e. Sunday school teachers, youth group leaders, choir directors, etc. and all paid staff.  Additionally, "Mandated Reporters" must immediately make an oral or written report to the state when, in their professional capacity, they have reasonable cause to believe that a child under 18 is suffering from abuse or neglect. There are resources on how to do this at the link above.
 
And if you need to process some of what you are carrying, please be reminded that help is out there from the Pension Boards for clergy. If you need a mental health care provider in MA, please go here. And in Connecticut, here.
 
Know you are in my prayers as you consider the myriad challenges it takes to come back together in safety and wellness. Please see the links in the sections below for webinars on covid-related worship matters, from how to conduct dynamic hybrid worship to how to reintroduce singing safely.

And as you hold all this in tension, thank you for all you do. May you be buoyed by the power and strength of Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit as we approach Trinity Sunday.
 
Blessings,
Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa
Area Conference Minister, NW Region

 


One to One conversations with Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa

The Rev. Ogawa has been holding bi-weekly coffee house hours to meet with clergy for 30 minutes on Wednesday afternoons. These can be scheduled by clicking here. For the months of July and August she will be taking a break and resume them on September 1, 2021. Please contact her Program Support Associate, Deb Holmes if you have questions or problems signing up for a meeting.


 Healthy Relations Committees with
Rev. Tara Barber and Rev. Stephen Boyd
June 21, 2021 @ 7:30PM - 9:00PM

Pastoral Relations Committees provide essential leadership in the life of a congregation. Come to this workshop to explore what the purpose of a PPR Committee is and is not. We’ll be talking through a newly developed PRC covenant to help name the priorities and commitments of a well-functioning PRC. Stephen will share best practices from around the church and be prepared to answer your questions. Click here to register.


UCC Pension Boards Introduces Member Assistance Program:
The New MAP+Work/Life Benefit

All of us at one time or another have experienced some type of personal crisis or life event that resulted in grief, stress, financial loss, and more. At the Pension Boards, we are fully committed to your health and personal well-being. We care when life throws you a curve ball.
The Member Assistance Program + Work/Life Program, or MAP+Work/Life, offered through West Health Advocate Solutions, a leading clinical health advocacy company, is a no-cost benefit that gives you confidential access to a Licensed Professional Counselor or Work/Life Specialist. Through in-person visits, and unlimited, confidential phone consultations, these specialists can walk you through any of life’s temporary setbacks. Click here to find out more. 

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

Pausing to Replenish
Saturday, June 12, 2021 at 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Humans need to Replenish. We get stuck in cycles of complacency, busyness, and restlessness. Our spirits are exposed to negativity, pain, and everyday stresses, internally and externally.
This workshop will help you get centered for your higher purpose.  Learn to identify the signs that you are feeling depleted. We will explore and build on a variety of methods and maintenance tools of spiritual replenishment.
Take this day to create space to pour in positive energy.
Join us at Irons Homestead and experience the peaceful waterfront and Path of Mindfulness. Bring a bag lunch and your water bottle. Light morning refreshments and all supplies will be provided.
Contact Kate Ostertag at Ostertagk@sneucc.org to inquire about overnight accommodations the night before this event.


October 17, 2021
Hampden Association Annual Meeting
3:00PM, hoping for in-person meeting



A Songwriting Series
with Folk Musician and Songwriter
~ John Farrell ~

6:30pm June 7th, 14th and 21st - 141 West Center Road,
West Stockbridge, MA

In this series we will:
~ explore how songs and songwriting bring us together and can provide experiences that deepen our understanding of ourselves and others.
~ sing, and learn new songs; 
~ and contribute to a collaborative songwriting project.

 
Aspects of songwriting that may be explored include:
Choosing a topic or theme *Finding and planting the seed *Developing the hook *Creating Melodies *Working with rhythm, feeling and style *Confronting dead ends *Revising *Performing.
Sponsored by Creating Space Spirituality & Arts Collective
Click here for a shareable flyer
 
 

 Appalachian Trail Mini-Mission Day Trips
Take One Day this Summer
Bring Four Volunteers to Sheffield
Sit 10:00AM to 3:00PM and 
Make Magic!

 

Begun in 2018 as a shared ministry of two Sheffield churches, First Congregational Church, UCC and Christ Trinity Church (Episcopal and Lutheran), ‘Trail Magic” is back and we’re inviting you to share it with us. 
We have all the supplies, we’ll guide the set up and clean up, we’ll even bring most of the day’s food.  You simply pick a day, bring four people and a $50 Big Y gift card, sit in the shade, and create a corner of kindness in the world.  It’s the easiest, most rewarding, least expensive, most volunteer inclusive mini-mission trip you’ll ever do!
Our 2021 Appalachian Trail Ministry will run from June 21st – August 14th. Guest Mission Days will occur on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays during the season.
For more information, or to register for a 2021 one-day Mini-Mission Trip please contact Rev. Jill Graham at grahamj@firstuccsheffield.org. 
Click here for a flyer to share.


WEEKLY 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 weekly vigil for Racial Justice. The vigils take place every Saturday from 10:00 - 10:30 AM on the church lawn. People are asked to wear a mask and stand at least 6ft apart. 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.

CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION

 

Many churches have been asking re. Covid Guidelines. It is difficult for the Conference to put out guidelines for the whole Conference because the situations vary so greatly across our region.
 
However, All guidance from the Conference is here. 
From National some of the latest guidance is here. 
And their general pandemic page is here. 
Our Executive Conference Minister’s video statement and explanation of why our offices are remaining closed at least until Labor Day is here.
 
CT released this graphic to explain the new guidelines on masking for fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people. 
Here’s a discussion of how different churches are responding to the new mask guidelines. 
And on May 25, EMA is offering a webinar to help faith organizations cope with stress as we emerge from the pandemic. Register at this link. 
We are certainly keeping you in prayer as you consider how to best reopen.


Return to Congregational Singing Panel Discussion
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
3:30PM - 4:30PM

Join us for resources and ideas to help your congregation return to singing in a way that is safe and practical for you. We realize this is a deeply contextual issue, so we can't give you all the answers, but our panelists will provide resources, ideas and plans from their own work, encouragement and advice.

Online registration thru this link.

Leaders: 
Brian Hehn - Director of the Center for Congregational Song
Karrie Rushing - Music Director, First Presbyterian Church, Greenville, NC and board member for Presbyterian Association of Musicians

Additional information can be found by clicking on these links:

Sing! The Center for Congregational SongCovid

Sample of a local church's plan to move forward

 Click here to see all COVID resources

WORSHIP RESOURCES

 

Radical Belonging: A Mental Health Sunday Resource for All:

Spring has finally sprung, and the additional hours of sunshine welcome us brightly into May, Mental Health Month. The United Church of Christ and The United Church of Canada honor this month by dedicating the third Sunday of May as Mental Health Sunday, a time to celebrate mental health and recommit ourselves and our congregations to being places of welcome, inclusion, support and engagement with everyone.
Radical Belonging: Mental Health Sunday Resource for All offers liturgies and education materials any congregation of any denomination can download a PDF or accessible Word version for free and use to celebrate Mental Health Sunday. It was created in prayer and partnership between the United Church of Christ Mental Health Network and The United Church of Canada, with generous contributions by Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund, the United Church of Christ’s Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice. Within it, you will find liturgy that challenges the systemic sins that create “otherness” and ableism, resources that share the stories of people living with mental illness and disabilities, and words of grace and celebration for the opportunities we have as the Body of Christ to love, care for and accept one another.
Please click here to read more.


Silver Lake Sunday Worship Videos Available

The Silver Lake Conference Center has made a complete virtual worship service available for churches that they may use - in whole or in parts - to celebrate their church's participation in outdoor ministry. Click here for more information.


DISCIPLESHIP OPPORTUNIES AT A GLANCE

Designing Hybrid Faith Formation for the Post-Pandemic World
June 10, 7:00 - 8:30 PM

Fuel For Hybrid Faith Formation Ministry

(An online presentation for faith formation with all ages) For decades the church and faith formation have relied on in-person, fixed-time gatherings, events, and programming offered in physical spaces. The pandemic disrupted this “default” model, and pushed us to experiment with new models. Hybrid models of church and faith formation integrate in-person gatherings at church or in family groups or small group meetings with online content with a rich menu of faith forming experiences. Click on the link above for more information and to register.


 

Youth @ Synod

This summer the United Church of Christ will host a virtual General Synod gathering on July 11-18.  Delegates from all over the country will convene for worship and discussion of resolutions.  Planners have also been busy preparing special parallel programs for youth and young adults. Youth @ Synod is a life-changing experience of the wider church for teens ages 13-18 and past participants name the powerful impact of the event. Read more here.


 

 

Click here to view the Faith Formation Newsletters.

OUTDOOR MINISTRY

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, Irons Homestead offers religious and educational groups a sacred space to lean into nature and connect more deeply with God and one another.
Pilgrim Day Camp, Framingham, MA
This is a traditional summer day camp with over 50 years of experience in providing children safe, summer fun.  PDC is located on 113 acres of sprawling fields and woods at the SNEUCC Framingham property. The camp ensures fun, and emphasizes a warm welcome for each child, care for the natural world, and respect for the differences among us.
Silver Lake Conference Center, Sharon, CT.
With more than 60 acres of wooded land on lakeside shores, Silver Lake offers many opportunities for young people to take risks and try new things with the support of an intentional Christian community. 

 

PULPIT SUPPLY INFORMATION


Please email Deb Holmes at holmesd@sneucc.org for an updated copy of the regional pulpit supply list. 

 

ACTIVE FOOD PANTRIES AND OUTREACH MEALS

 

South Congregational
in Pittsfield

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.

 

CELEBRATIONS


May Anniversaries

65 Years
The Rev. Dr. Thomas Derr

15 Years
The Rev. Michael McSherry

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


Is your church celebrating a milestone anniversary? Let Deb Holmes (holmesd@sneucc.org)  know so that the entire North Central Region can celebrate with you!
 

TRANSITIONS


Please click here to view all of the SNEUCC Transitions.

OBITUARIES

 

The Rev. Earl W. Miller died on April 12, 2021 at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Jack Burns Palliative Care Center in Lebanon, NH. He leaves behind his loving wife of almost 53 years, Gail, and his two children, Rebecca and Thomas (Joy), whom he greatly loved. He also leaves behind several grandchildren whom he loved and was very proud: Prairie Irizarry (Ivan), Satchel Lefebvre (Bernadette Dineen), Adelard Lefebvre, Lycienn Lefebvre-Miller, Zeubulon Lefebvre-Miller, Kate Miller, and Keri Miller. Last but never least is his first great-granddaughter, Emilia Marie Irizarry, who had her first birthday two days before Earl’s death. Please click here to read more.

The Rev. Cynthia E. Shoemaker died in Medford, MA on April 21, 2021.  
When more information is available it will be posted here.
 

Please click here to view of the SNEUCC Obituaries.
 

CLASSIFIEDS


Pilgrim Hymnals - Northampton

Please click here to view all of the SNEUCC Classifieds.
 

 

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

508-963-8106
holmesd@sneucc.org 
www.sneucc.org/northwest

Office Hours: 
Monday: 8:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Tuesday-Thursday: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday: Closed