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A Note from Your Area Conference Minister

“Happy New Year! Happy, really? 

Honestly, I’ve never been more ambivalent about a new year.  I didn’t even put up the bright yellow 2022 vision board that I made. With the Omicron variant of Covid raging, I just didn’t feel very happy or visionary.  Yet, staying visionary is exactly what I’ve been asking all of you to do.
 
For the last two weeks I have been isolating and battling covid.  I got my positive test result the same day that Rev. Goodwin gave a conference-wide Covid 19 update pausing in-person meetings and worship events until February 14, 2022.  I was in the process of already changing at least three in-person meetings scheduled that week to virtual meetings.  The wisdom of his guidance resonated with me tremendously as I thought of the people I could have possibly infected (you all) and loved ones.
 
So yes, “happy” has not been the best word to describe 2022.  Yet, amid grief, the message from 1 Thessalonians 4:13 reminded me that we, siblings in Christ, grieve not as those who have no hope.  Clergy are familiar with this text often read at funerals about death and eschatological hope; however, my spirit has been ruminating over these words lately.  There’s a lot to grieve but there’s also hope!  While covid cases were rising exponentially, the rise of deaths and hospitalizations were tempered due to vaccinations.  Hope! While I battled fatigue, congestion, cough, and a runny nose, I didn’t need a trip to the emergency room or a ventilator.  Hope!  
 
Beloved, I know that so many of your churches are in transition or intense discernment about the future while simultaneously navigating the erratic ebbs and flows of pandemic life.  I see you, pray for you, and thank God for you.  Know the conference is here to support you.  Continue to be a space where people can pour out their grief and shed tears as they also encounter the love, grace, joy and HOPE of God. So, wishing you all perhaps not a happy new year, but one that is blessed, hope-filled, and pregnant with Divine possibility for you and your congregations.”  
 
Rev. Isaac Lawson (he/him) 
Area Conference Minister, South Central Region  
860-761-7188 (my new direct number - make note)

Regional News and Association Events

 Avon Congregational Church is co-hosting this virtual program

Douglas & Lincoln: "Race in America: From the Civil War to 21st Century America"

Tuesday, February 15, 2022, 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Register here.  Zoom links will be sent out before the event.

Conference Events and Resources

(visit SNEUCC.ORG/EVENTS for a full list of events)

Honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Monday, January 17, 2022 1:30-3PM (virtual)

Join us for a time of worship, reflection, and facilitated conversation led by one of the 2022 SNEUCC Theologians in Residence, Rev. Dr. Diane Schmitz, an ordained UCC minister. Her primary focus is working with predominantly white communities to increase the awareness, knowledge, and skills needed to be effective partners in the dismantling racism efforts led by communities of color. She will engage us in dialogue, so that as individuals and congregations, we build skills for addressing racism.  Read more here.

January 2022 - SNEUCC Month of Prayer

Rev. Darrell Goodwin, along with everyone in the Southern New England Conference, UCC, is using the month of January 2022 to purposely pray for all aspects of our life and ministry together as a Conference.  Video recordings of these weekly prayers can be found here.  Themes include:

Week 1: Lay members and leaders withing the SNEUCC

Week 2: All Authorized Ministers and MIDs in all settings of our Conference

Week 3: All of our National and Local Covenant Partners

Week 4: All those serving in the capacity of Conference Staff

We also encourage you to continue to pray for first-responders, and healing in our world.

Immigration, Refugee and Asylum

As many as 1,400 Afghan refugees have arrived in our area since summer, with many families still living on military bases.  These families all need homes, jobs, rides to appointments, language tutoring, and other help navigating unfamiliar surroundings.  Is your church hosting Afghan refugees or preparing to host?  Or are you looking to assist other congregations in this process?  Please fill out this form to let us know, and we will work to connect you with others also doing this work.  Here is an informational page with resources, a list of resettlement agencies and more:  Afghan Refugees: How to Help - Southern New England Conference of the UCC.  Contact Karen Methot with information or questions.

The Center for Transformational Leadership

New Programs are now available for January and February

Use these links for more event details, including registration instructions.
 

Environmental Internship

The Southern New England Conference, UCC is pleased to announce an Environmental Justice Internship for 2022-2023. The Environmental Justice Intern will help us create and lead school-year programming for youth or other church groups, hosted at two of our Outdoor Ministry sites, Silver Lake in Sharon, Connecticut and Irons Homestead, North Scituate, Rhode Island.  Click here for more information.

 

January 30, 2022 is Health and Human Service Sunday

The UCC Council for Health and Human Service Ministries recently released resources for Health and Human Service Sunday, which takes place Jan. 30, the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany.

The resources include liturgical elements and prayers written by the Rev. Dr. Elyse Berry, CHHSM’s associate for advocacy and leadership development, along with suggested readings for the day, and a graphic suitable for placing in church bulletins.  Click here to read more.

Churches Asked to Report Data to National Setting

The United Church of Christ Data Hub is open, and churches are asked to submit information on membership, attendance and finances between now and March 2.  Instructions related to the Data Hub can be found on the Conference website here: www.sneucc.org/datahub.  Email invitations are also being sent to churches asking them to submit their information.

Among the "12 Important Reasons to Report Annual Church Data" listed by the national setting are the need to update church contact information in the UCC Yearbook and the UCC website, and the importance of contributing to denominational trends in the annual UCC Statistical Profile, which tracks overall membership, ministerial compensation and church finances over time. 
 

Faith and Food: Stewarding Creation for Healthier Communities

Thursday, Feb. 17, 12-1:30PM

This free, online workshop will be hosted by Health and Wellness Ministry and the Environmental Ministries Team to help congregations participate in National Nutrition Month during March. The workshop will explore how faith informs our relationship with food as well as our relationship to others and to Creation,and is offered as part of the SNEUCC Health and Wellness Quarterly Webinar series. Click here for more details.

Conference Staff Travel to Pause Due to COVID Surge; Events Moved Online

Executive Conference Minister the Rev. Darrell Goodwin announced on Jan. 5 that the Conference staff will pause travel to in-person meetings and worship events until February 14, 2022. Read more here.

SAVE THE DATE!  Super Saturday

March 19th, 2022

"A Future of Hope"

Discipleship Opportunities

Our Whole Lives

Holistic Sexuality Education for UCC Congregations

The United Church of Christ, in partnership with the Unitarian Universalist Association, offers high quality materials for holistic sexuality education to congregations for use with their youth and young adults, as well as adults, older adults, and even younger children through the Our Whole Lives curriculum materials.

NEW! OWL Training for Elementary Curriculum will be offered on February 25th - February 27th. Click here for more details.

- Faith Formation Leadership Program 2021-2022 -

Now offered soley on Zoom!

The Southern England Conference's Faith Formation Leadership Program offers multiple sessions of five to six different classes that may be taken "a la carte" or for the purpose of working toward a certificate in Faith Formation Leadership. For more information about the certification program, click here.

Outdoor Ministries

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
With more than 60 acres of wooded land on lakeside shores, Silver Lake offers many opportunities for young people.  The SUMMER 2022 CAMP BROCHURE can be downloaded here. Registration opens on January 15, 2022.

Celebrations, Transitions and Obituaries

Here we recognize and celebrate Ordination Anniversaries listed from 5 years forward in increments of 5 years, as well as milestone church anniversaries.

375th Church Anniversary (omitted in 2021)

First Church of Christ In Saybrook (Congregational), UCC

2022 Ordination Anniversaries - (Date Unknown)

55 Years
The Rev. James Simpson
50 Years
The Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree
The Rev. Timothy Haut
45 Years
The Rev. Dr. Kendrick Norris
The Rev. Robert Woodward
35 years
The Rev. Meredith Jeffers
The Rev. Ruth Maedel
30 Years
The Rev. Mark Abernethy
The Rev. Dr. Doreen McFarlane
25 Years
The Rev. Elaine Fitzpatrick
The Rev. Louis Harper
The Rev. Susan Latourette
20 Years
The Rev. Catherine Zall

2022 Milestone Church Anniversaries

300 Years
Church of Christ Congregational, Newington
United Congregational Church of Tolland
150 Years
South Congregational Church of Granby
 
(Please contact Jill Ford if we have missed your anniversary
or if you have a specific date to share.)

Transitions within the Southern New England Conference can be found here.

Obituaries within the Southern New England Conference can be found here.

The Rev. Sidney Lovett, who held Ordained Ministerial Standing in the Hartford Association, SNE Conference, UCC, died on October 5, 2021.

Classifieds

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.

Pulpit Supply Information

Please email Jill Ford at fordj@sneucc.org for an updated copy of the regional pulpit supply list. 

If you are interested in being included on the South Central Region pulpit supply list please contact Jill Ford.

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 change your email preferences or unsubscribe , please visit sneucc.org/subscribe and enter your email address.

 

South Central Region of
The Southern New England Conference, United Church of Christ

125 Sherman St.
Hartford, CT 06105
860-761-7112
fordj@sneucc.org 
www.sneucc.org/south-central