A Note from your
Bridge Area Conference Minister
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Hello South Central Region,
The beginning of August always feels like the turning point of summer. There are still plenty of warm, sunny days and vacation plans ahead of us. But thoughts of autumn begin to tickle the corner of our minds. To be clear, it is way too soon for pumpkin spiced anything! But it’s not too soon to be thinking about the new program year.
September is typically a joyful time of reunion in many of our churches. But this year, like last year, there is continued need for caution as we prepare to welcome and rally. While we are no longer in full quarantine, and many of you have been safely gathering in person for many weeks, the threat of infection from COVID-19 variants should shape our plans for gathering in the fall. Being a welcoming congregation means recognizing the spectrum of safety thresholds for our congregants and our neighbors.
This is a great time to review the safety protocols your church implemented last year. How well prepared are you to reengage them if there is a resurgence of COVID in your area? Are there additional safety steps that need to be included? How and who is monitoring infection rates in your community? How will you continue to minister to those who feel unsafe leaving their homes? What can your church do to support those in your community who are most vulnerable in times of crisis?
Pumpkin spiced everything season is coming, we can’t stop it! But we can help ensure that our loved ones and our neighbors remain healthy enough to enjoy it.
Faithfully,
Rhonda
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Conference Events and Resources
(please go to sneucc.org/events to see all posted events)
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Clergy are urged to sign letter to Biden administration to curb both carbon emissions and air pollution.
At General Synod, UCC and national faith leaders shared some of their efforts to bring about Climate Justice, emphasizing the importance of staying rooted in community and hope so that we do not become complacent. They urged us to continue pushing our elected officials for significant and urgent action on the climate crisis, including asking clergy to sign this letter, urging the Biden administration to curb both carbon emissions and air pollution. https://interfaithpowerandlight.salsalabs.org/cleancars/index.html?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=b1d69471-6515-4b6d-9f05-a7a8dd3d1f8d In addition to adding your name to this letter, I invite our Southern New England congregations to discern how God is calling you to respond to the climate crisis and environmental injustice. In the coming months, we will share more opportunities to join our efforts together, and I welcome the chance to be in conversation directly with you: brewer-walline@sneucc.org
Giving USA 2021 Report
Giving USA, which issues the oldest and most comprehensive report on charitable giving in the U.S., recently released its report for last year. The report contains mixed and helpful news for religious organizations, such as local churches and Conferences.
Click here to read more about the findings in this report, and what this all means for the local church, written by Rev. Dr. David Cleaver-Bartholomew, Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations for the SNEUCC.
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Are you familiar with the three-legged stool of stewardship? Find out more at the Stewardship, Generosity, Fundraising & Financial Management web page of the Southern New England Conference. "For wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also." ~ Matthew 6:21
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Wise, resilient leadership for a changing world.
Pastors, do you long to lead your congregation with less anxiety? Would you like to better understand how internal and external anxieties are affecting your congregation? Are you wondering how you can better address conflict in your church, anticipate pushback in response to change and manage complicated interactions within the congregation? Understanding the church you serve as both a system and a web of interlocking systems may be the key!
Tending the Fire is a retreat series focused on understanding churches & organizations through the lens of Systems Theory. Human systems are complicated, and churches are no exception. At their best, they draw out excellence in their people. At their worst, they become stuck--undermining and sabotaging even the most well-designed plans for change. Tending the Fire helps clergy "think systems" in their congregations and their personal lives, so they can lead change that lasts.
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For more information and to register for Tending the Fire 2021-2022 go to www.togetherwethrivegrant.org/tending-the-fire. Registration is now open and space is limited.
Click here to download a shareable flyer.
Click here to register to attend the August 12th book group.
Click here to register to attend the September 2nd book group.
Resources to purchase books from independent book sellers.
New SNEUCC Staff Directory Now Online
A new staff directory on the Southern New England website is designed to help explain the staffing structure, and clarify who can provide resources is what area. The directory also includes an organizational chart. Visit here.
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Tech Deacons Meetups - morning and evening options.
You are invited to join Rev. Eric Elley, Digital Minister, and other local church colleagues for weekly Tech Deacons Roundtable Discussions. During these gatherings we will provide an arena for churches to support one another by sharing ideas, bringing questions, and identifying new trends and opportunities in digital ministry. In these videoconferences, we will recognize that there won't be one expression of digital ministry to fit all churches. Yet now is the season for the sharing of ideas and experiences -- we all are endeavoring to figure out the coming season of digital ministry.
Every other Tuesday at 11am (8/10, 8/24 ...), and alternate Tuesday evenings at 7pm (8/3, 8/17 ...) Click here to find more information and ways to register for these ongoing discussions on the ever evolving landscape of digital ministry in the Southern New England Conference.
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The Rev. Isaac Lawson
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ACM Called for the South Central Region
A familiar face in the Hartford area has accepted a call to serve as the Area Conference Minister for the South Central Region: the Rev. Isaac Lawson will step into that role beginning Oct. 4.
Rev. Lawson joins the Conference staff having previously served in a dual call as Associate Pastor at Immanuel Congregational Church and Communications Associate at the Center for Leadership and Justice (CLJ), both in Hartford, CT. To read more on this announcement, click here.
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Boundary Awareness Training 2.0 - Online
Now open for registration. BAT 2.0 Online (Refresher) is a course for those who have completed at least one boundary training offering in the past. It includes a review of the power and responsibility of ministerial relationships, particularly sexualized behavior in ministerial relationships, a review of the UCC Ministerial Code, and an in-depth conversation about confidentiality. This program takes place on November 2, from 8:30 to 11:30. Registration is limited to 50 participants. Information, including a registration link, can be found here.
BAT 1.0 (Foundations) will be offered over the course of two different days (previously done over three days) in January: 1/18-1/19, 9:00am to 3:30pm both days. Once registration is open that link will be shared in future regional newsletters
Both of these trainings will be held via Zoom.
- South Central Regional Newsletter -
No August 15th edition due to vacation schedules.
Look for the next issue on August 30.
| Discipleship Opportunities |
You're Invited!
Chronicle Your Church's Resiliency
Are you looking for a fresh, new inter-generational program this summer that will engage your youth and benefit your congregation? One that will make the concept of “resiliency” come alive?
We invite you to proclaim your resiliency! Join us in this ground-breaking project, The Resiliency Time Capsule: Stories of Adaptation, Lessons for the Future. Let’s face it. Most of us simply want to forget 2020 ever happened. But, like any event that involves death and resurrection, it is important to record what happened and, more importantly, how we as the Church responded.
Saturday, September 18 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Relationships, Resiliency, and Re-Entry: Adaptive skills for local church leaders. Audience is local church Pastors and Faith Formation practitioners, including members of the Faith Formation Leadership Certification Program, and Faith Formation Communities of Practice. Registration is now open.
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
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR IN-PERSON CAMP!
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.
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR IN-PERSON CAMP!
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.
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You're Invited!
Please plan to join the Women's Connection of the Southern New England United Church of Christ for their Outdoor Fall Gathering.
WHERE: First Congregational Church, Canterbury, CT
WHEN: Saturday, September 18, 2021 (Rain Date - Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021) 8:30am - Registration, Coffee, Display Tables Open
Guest Speaker: Susan Schoenberger, Hartford Seminary
Other Activities: CWS Project, 2021 Recognized Women Awards, Worship and Communion
Food: "Coffee & More" and lunch.
Registration: $20.00 - Check here for more information.
Director of Music - Part Time - Monroe, CT
Director of Faith Formation (Part Time) - Ledyard, CT
Music Director - Part Time - Ellington, CT
Minister of Music (Part Time) - Ledyard, CT
Church Financial Administrator - Avon, CT
Director of Christian Education - West Haven, CT
Live Stream Technician - Granby, CT
Music Director and Organist - New Haven, CT
Christian Education & Youth Group Leader - Southbury, CT
Director of Faith Formation with Children & Youth - Canton, CT
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Do you have a story or event to share from your church or your association? If so, please send your notices to Jill Ford, Program Support Associate, so that the good news of your impactful ministry can be shared with your regional colleagues.
The South Central Region of the Southern New England Conference is comprised of:
- Central CT Association
- Farmington Valley Association
- Hartford Association
- Hartford East Association
- Middlesex Association
- New London Association
- Tolland Association
The Rev. Al Turner, Pastor Emeritus of South Congregational Church East Hartford died on Sunday, July 18, 2021 after a long period of declining health. He is survived by his beloved wife Charlotte.
Please click here to view all SNEUCC Obituaries.
Click here to see all church transitions in the SNE Conference.
| South Central Regional 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 South Central Region of the Southern New England Conference. This newsletter will be sent around the 15th and 30th of each month. If you would like to unsubscribe or change your email preferences, please visit sneucc.org/subscribe and enter your email address.
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