Texas School Shooting: Staff Respond with Prayer, Suggested Action

by Tiffany Vail, Director of Media and Communications

The Southern New England Conference staff responded to the news of 20 children being shot and killed in an elementary school in Texas yesterday with words of lament, words of prayer - and suggestions for how to act both out of love and out of a desire for justice. 

"If you are like me, you are torn," said Executive Conference Minister The Rev. Darrell Goodwin in a video message. "You're torn today between a sense of feeling numb, then maybe you're feeling lamentation and grief. And maybe on the other end, this sense of righteous anger about 'how are we here again?'  Read more and view videos featuring Rev. Goodwin and Rev. Emma Brewer-Wallin here


Reflection on the Shooting in Buffalo 

by Emma Brewer-Wallin, Minister for Environmental and Economic Justice

Angry? Yes.  
Heartbroken? Yes. 
Shocked at violence like this? Yes. 
Not shocked that this violence continues? Yes. 
Wanting to turn away, to ignore the pain? Yes. 
Unable to turn away, called to join the Buffalo community in their anger and their grief? Yes. 

This is a list of emotions I quickly cycled through upon reading the breaking news headline that there had been another mass shooting carried out for the sake of white supremacy. These are the emotions I continue to move through as I hear news coverage and go about my own daily life. As a white person, it is easy for me to stay with the feelings of surprise – how could this happen? – and numbness – this doesn’t affect me. Read more

 Rev. James D. Ross II

Schedule a Visit 

Rev. James D. Ross II, Minister of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Rev. Emma Brewer-Wallin, Minister of Environmental and Economic Justice, are available to serve as guest preachers or to address a small group in your congregation. Some visits may be virtual. To schedule a visit from Rev. Ross, please contact Karen Methot at methotk@sneucc.org. To schedule a visit from Rev. Brewer-Wallin, contact her at Brewer-Walline@sneucc.org.

Upcoming preaching dates by Rev. James D. Ross II include: 6/12, Beneficent Church, Providence, RI; and 7/24, First Church Somerville, MA.  

Upcoming peaching dates by Rev. Emma Brewer-Wallin include: 6/5, Church of Christ Congregational in Goshen, CT; and 6/26, Eliot Church of Newton UCC in Newton, MA.  


Conference Launches Justice Leadership Program

Adults who feel a call to work for justice or are eager to integrate faith and justice work into their lives in meaningful and transformative ways are invited to apply now for the Southern New England cohort of the Jubilee programwhich will launch this fall. 

The Conference has partnered with the Justice Leadership Program (JLP) to offer this six-month online program. JLP is a faith-based educational and networking platform designed to help individuals and communities transform the world. It was formed in 2012 as an intentional community program for young adults, who worked in justice-based nonprofits and justice-centered churches in the Seattle area while living together and learning the tenets of simple living, spirituality, and basic theories of justice. Read more


2022 Justice Summit: Program Details Announced

Saturday, September 24, 2022 ~ 9 AM-4:30 PM ~ First Church of Christ, Congregational in Glastonbury, CT ~ Registration coming soon!

The 2022 Justice Summit is a one-day event hosted by the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ to inform, engage, and offer opportunities for connection among people interested in issues of social justice. This year's Justice Summit will focus on racial justice.  Read more    View program agenda


Juneteenth Webinar - #Realtalk for White Folx  

Becoming Better Partners in the Work of Racial Justice

White supremacy harms everyone, most especially and obviously, people who are not white. But it also harms white folks, sickening our souls and keeping us from experiencing spiritual liberation. We, too, need to be liberated from white supremacy. This requires work – of the head, heart, and hands – that calls on white people to act and be in ways that are different from what we are used to and can be uncomfortable. 

Join Rev. Susie Hayward, a member of First Church of Cambridge who works at Harvard Divinity School, and Rev. Dan Smith, Senior Minister at First Church, as we share in conversation about principles and resources that will help us avoid doing harm to Persons of Color, even and especially those with whom we are working for racial justice and collective liberation. Read more


Public Health Issues in the News: What Can Churches Do?

by Debbie Ringen, Minister for Health and Wellness Ministries

Covid-19, Monkeypox, and infant formula shortages are top news stories today. Congregations are praying, mobilizing resources, and considering what they can do to respond. Many people turn to the clergy for help when they are struggling with food insecurity, inability to pay rent, or physical, mental, and spiritual health concerns. How can clergy care for all those in need?

The answer is that clergy do not have to do it alone, nor do they be expected to know all things. It is important to know what resources are available in the community, and when to refer. Read more


Paying Royalties for Singing Negro Spirituals

June 23 at 4 PM online

You have heard about some churches paying “royalties” when they sing Negro spirituals. Join us a few days after the Juneteenth holiday to learn more about how it works, what has been learned, and suggested principles and practices for congregations seeking to enact a similar initiative.

Susan DeSelms, Minister of Music at United Parish of Brookline (MA), and Gerami Groover, Executive Director at Hamilton-Garrett Music and Arts in Boston, will discuss their partnership in which United Parish pays “royalties” when the congregation sings spirituals.  Read more


Resolutions of Christian Conviction - Developing a Process for SNEUCC  

In each of our three historic Conferences, Annual Meeting Resolutions provided an opportunity for learning, prayer and action on matters of social justice. Each historic Conference handled Resolutions a bit differently. We need to decide how we will do this in the Southern New England Conference.  

The Annual Meeting Business Committee is hosting two gatherings (same agenda for both) to hear from interested people about what they value in a Resolution process. Contact Dawn Hammond with questions.  

  • A Hearing on Tuesday June 7th at 7 PM, open to any interested member of the Conference (register here)
  • A Ministry Engagement Gathering at Annual Meeting on June 18th , open to anyone who is attending Annual Meeting (more information and registration link here.)

Pre-Trip Gathering for the Poor People’s Campaign Moral March

Planning to join the June 18 Poor People's Campaign Moral March in Washington DC? Join us for this virtual pre-rally gathering on June 6! We will ground ourselves in the values and commitments of the Poor People's Campaign in preparation for taking action as people of faith. This rally is co-hosted by the SNEUCC and City Mission of Boston, and open to all in the SNEUCC.

Email Emma Brewer-Wallin at brewer-walline@sneucc.org to talk more about getting your church involved in the Moral March and connect with other UCC congregations attending. Limited financial assistance may be available to assist with travel costs. Read more about the gathering, an option for those attending Annual Meeting, and register here.


Exploring our Haiti Connections

SAVE THE DATE! OCTOBER 15, 2022

Join members of the SNEC Haiti Team for a gathering at the First Church of Christ, Longmeadow UCC (MA) if your church:
  • Currently conducts mission work in Haiti
  • Has worked in Haiti in the past but is not currently active
  • Would like to conduct mission work in Haiti
If you are interested in being part of this gathering, please let us know on the Indication of Interest form no later than June 17.  More here

Pride Events are Back!

Here is a partial updated list of events in our area. Let us know about others.


Juneteenth: Our Churches Respond

Juneteenth is observed on June 19 and marks the day in 1865 when Union troops reached Galveston, Texas and told enslaved people that the Civil War ended and they were free. Here is how two of our churches are observing this day.

Old South Church in Boston will pause to recognize Juneteenth on Sunday, June 19. The Rev. June R. Cooper, who is the church’s Theologian in the City, will be preaching. Old South will also dedicate a room in honor of Phillis Wheatley, a former slave who was baptized into the Church on August 18, 1771. Contact jamie@oldsouth.org for more details.

First Parish Church of Lincoln, MA will hold a Juneteenth Celebration on June 16 at 7 PM via Zoom. Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson, Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College, will offer an overview of the history of the holiday and its traditions. The program is free and open to all but advance registration is required.  Image by Tasha Jolley/Unsplash


Rooted and Rising in Love: A Summer Solstice In-Person Retreat 

June 21~ Rolling Ridge Retreat and Conference Center, North Andover, MA

A retreat with Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, SNEC Missioner for Creation Care

As we celebrate the beginning of summer and the northern hemisphere’s longest day of the year, this retreat will allow participants to reflect together on sources of courage and hope. In the face of converging social and ecological crises, what spiritual practices and perspectives can sustain us? As we struggle to protect the web of life and to create a more just society, where do we turn for meaning and strength?

This one-day retreat, held at the Rolling Ridge Retreat & Conference Center in North Andover MA, will include a mix of presentations, small group conversations, individual reflection, and free time for contemplative wandering and prayer. Read more and register


Camp Pride Welcomes LGBTQ Youth to Pilgrim Lodge

July 10-16, 2022 ~ West Gardiner, Maine

Camp Pride, a week-long camp for LGBTQ+ youth and allies, is offered at the Maine Conference UCC's Pilgrim Lodge, located on the banks of Lake Cobbesseecontee in West Gardiner, Maine. This week is intentionally interfaith and seeks to provide a place of safety and support for LGBTQ+ youth to discover and to be themselves. With counselors from multiple faith traditions and backgrounds, the camp strives to build a community founded on love, openness, and inclusivity. Open to those entering grades 9-12 and new graduates.

Read more and register!


Your justice related news, events and reflections are welcome! Pleasesubmit to Editor Karen Methot for consideration: methotk@sneucc.org, by the third Thursday of the month for a fourth Thursday publication date. Thank you! 

 
 
Southern New England Conference, United Church of Christ
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