Dear Friends in Christ: This month marked the anniversary of me joining the conference as your Area Conference Minister.  With 100+ congregations and seven associations to keep up with, there are times when this position still feels like mission impossible.  This month I was in a different church four out of five Sundays, helped coordinate clergy revivals in Boston and Hartford, and in the previous week alone had 19 meetings.  The reality is that I still missed some events, postponed meetings, and wasn’t as responsive to requests as some would have liked.  Beloved, yes, this position often feels like mission impossible AND I am reminded that I am not alone.  We all – from clergy to lay leaders, committee on ministry to conference staff – face the anxiety of trying to understand as we navigate new realities of what it means to be church in shifting, unchartered times.  Our revivalist, Bishop Yvette Flunder, suggested that we are perhaps in a new moment of church reformation in which God is stretching us in bold, new ways.  How daunting, yet exciting! I am not perfect, you are not perfect, and our churches are not perfect.  Yet, amid our imperfections, God is present and still at work.  We ended the revivals with an anointing of oil reminding those gathered that they are beloved children of God in their highs and lows.  YOU are a beloved child of God!  I am a beloved child of God!  Thus, my prayer for you and me: may the Holy Spirit guide, protect, and sustain us in this church reformation of revolutionary love.   Blessings The Rev. Isaac Lawson Area Conference Minister

October was Clergy Appreciation Month Listen to this 3-minute video where Rev. Darrell Goodwin thanks the Authorized Ministers and Ministers in Discernment for their work and talks about upcoming events for Clergy Appreciation Month.   REGISTRATION CLOSES NOVEMBER 3, 2022 - ACT NOW! (Deadline Extended) The Southern New England Conference, in partnership with the Pension Boards-UCC, invites currently and recently serving authorized ministers of the Conference to a Clergy Day Away at Edwards House in Framingham on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is limited space for this retreat. Please register soon!  If you are unable to attend in November, there will be two more retreats in 2023. REGISTER HERE

What are you up to? Does your Church or Association have events or news that can benefit from being shared - Meetings, Ecclesiastical Councils, Ordinations, etc?  This newsletter space is just waiting to be populated by your activity!  Please send your events and news to Roz Hooks to be included in future bi-monthly publications.  All submissions should be in a PDF format or have a URL that readers can be directed to for more information.   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

Committees on Ministry - keep your records up-to-date.  Make sure you have sent in your updated members and meeting notices.  We can't connect with you if we don't have the right information.  Send the information to Roz - hoosksr@sneucc.org     Support for the Heavy Lifting of Ministry Ken Reeves, earned a Masters of Divinity and has served congregations in Ohio and Delaware. He also earned a Masters in Pastoral Counseling and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. He is currently a clinical psychologist with a therapy practice, and a consulting psychologist with the Center for Career Development and Ministry. He is the author of The Whole Church: Congregational Leadership Guided by Systems Theory.  Click the title for more information.  Together We THRIVE Greetings Authorized Ministers, We wanted to bring to your attention several upcoming programs that you might be interested in taking advantage of, offered by Together We Thrive.  Details and registration links for all the programs may be found at www.togetherwethrivegrant.org.   Another Seeds Fellowship is being launched! If you’ve followed the work of the Seeds Fellows and have felt the pull to get involved, we have great news.    Here’s what you need to know:   Seeds is a 10-month, fully-funded fellowship for entrepreneurial leaders who are: passionate about the Gospel; eager to grow; and creative in their approach to developing new ways of being church in a changing world. The deadline to apply is November 1, 2022, so there’s no time to delay!   Stewardship: An Epiphany, Part I Rev. Dr. Sarah Sarchet Butter, Senior Pastor, Wellesley Village Church, introduces the option of conducting your church’s stewardship/generosity campaign during the season of Epiphany instead of the traditional fall season. Click the title for more info & to register.   Our Whole Lives, together with Sexuality and Our Faith, helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their relationships, health and behavior in the context of their faith. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. It provides not only facts about anatomy and human development, but helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills and understand the social, emotional and spiritual aspects of sexuality.     This form is a survey to map interest in Our Whole Lives. Please take a moment to fill it out before November 11 so we can make plans for future facilitator trainings. It will also help us build collaborative programming. You may also contact Debby Kirk, Faith Formation Team Leader at kirkd@sneucc.org for more information.       SNEUCC CONFIRMATION RETREATS '22 - '23

PATHWAYS TO TECHNOLOGY The PATHWAYS Theological Education Board of Directors invites all questioning, curious people of faith to join us for our 6-week courses beginning Fall I (mid-August) and Fall II (beginning late September) (see website for details and registration links). The 12-week UCC Polity course runs three times a year beginning September 7, January 11 and May 17. Enroll now at PATHWAYS Theological Education, Inc

Allowing Others to Use Church Property:
What Churches Need to Know

This year we have received a number of questions about third party use of property—both leasing and one-time or short-term use by individuals and groups.  Earlier in the year I posted Leasing Church Property to a Tenant:  What Churches Need to Know.  Today I have posted Allowing Third Parties to Use Church Property:  What Churches Need to Know.  The first covers leasing and the second covers facilities use.  These should answer some of the basic questions that are filtering up from Local Churches.
 
Additionally, I’ve recently posted articles on using photos of others in church media, and how to be political but not partisan.  I hope you find these helpful.
 

Conference Launches Justice Leadership Program If you feel called to work for justice or are eager to integrate faith and justice work into your life in meaningful and transformative ways, apply now for the Southern New England cohort of the Jubilee program, which will launch this fall. Read more about this program here. Are you called to learn more or take action around Environmental Justice Issues? Visit the SNEUCC's Environmental Ministries web page for ideas and resources. Green Congregation Challenge The Green Congregation Challenge is a step-by-step approach that helps churches take small, but consequential, steps towards protecting God’s Creation Learn more about the Green Congregation Challenge. This month, we celebrate the efforts of the following congregations - and particularly note the first congregations to reach Level 4! Read more about recently-celebrated congregations here. Trinitarian Congregational Church, Concord, MA - completed Level 1 Church of Christ Congregational UCC, Norfolk, CT- completed Level 2 South Church, Andover, MA - completed Level 4 Old South Church in Boston, MA - completed Level 4 First Congregational Church, Southington, CT - pledged to begin work on Level 1 A Word about Proportional Giving You’ve probably heard me say before that what binds us together as a denomination is covenant, not creed or practice or structure but sacred relationship and commitment. I give thanks to God for the strength of our covenantal bonds and partnerships. Every conversation or meeting I have with individual churches or pastors is buttressed by our covenantal bonds and indeed would not be possible without them.   Proportional Giving is one of the key ways we express that covenant. Each church recently received a letter about PR from the Rev. David Cleaver-Bartholomew, Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations. I want to personally thank you for your covenantal commitment to the work of the wider church through PG; it is essential to all the transformative things the conference is able to do. I hope you will make time to prayerfully consider how your church can be in covenant by contributing to Proportional Giving.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Registration: Resiliency Time Capsule Documentary Virtual Premiere - RSVP (brtapp.com)

Description: The Center for Transformational Leadership is pleased to welcome you to the Resiliency Time Capsule Documentary's virtual premiere session, to be held on Wednesday, November 2nd, from 6:00-8:00 PM via Zoom! Gather your church members for a watch session to reflect on church experiences during the 2020 COVID and Racial Justice pandemics. Resources will be provided to prompt conversations about innovations and the carryover of "lessons learned" into the modern church. Registration is free and available to all SNE UCC churches!

Strengthen Your Work for Racial Justice Saturday, November 5, 10 a.m.- noon:  Creating Change in Your Sphere of Influence   Quarterly Racial Justice Training  OPEN TO ALL The Racial Justice 101 workshop is designed as an overview session, grounded in the articulations of Christian faith and the belief that faithfulness to God mandates that we all work to bring forth justice for all of God’s people. It offers an introduction to racial formation; invites participants to consider the role of our country’s founding documents in constructing and framing U.S. racial realities; explores contemporary issues of racism; and introduces shared language for discussions of white supremacy. Throughout the workshop, participants are urged to use the lens of their faith and current ministry settings as they think about what they are learning. MORE INFO HERE  Racial Justice Training for Authorized Clery and MIDs:               Wednesday, Jan. 18, 9 AM-12:30 PM   Racial Justice Training for All:  Wednesday, April 12, 7-9 PM AND Thursday, April 13, 7-8:30 PM

- Updated!- 

Several of the Faith Formation team's resource pages/lists have been updated with new and current material. These updated resources include Safe Conduct and Church Safety, Talking with Children and Teens about Tough Issues (including the war in Ukraine), and Vacation Bible School.

God's World in Community: a new resources from PA's GenOn Ministries that emphasizes intergenerational gathering and activities based on the Book of Acts. Fully available online!

ReNew: The Green VBS: A product of Spark House, this 5-day curriculum based around Christ's Parable of the Sower. Intended for younger VBS-goers (pre-K through sixth grade).

Under Your Wing: Parents, grandparents, and caregivers of younger children: are you looking for a way to talk about bodily safety and physical development with your 5-7-year olds? If so, check out this video series from the UCC/UUA's Our Whole Lives (OWL) program. Afterward, you're welcome to explore the OWL K-1 Books and Media Recommendations for additional resources.

Look for more helpful materials and curated links under Make Disciples on www.sneucc.org.

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.

Do You Need a Day Away? Edwards House is now offering Complimentary Retreat Days to SNEUCC Lay and Clergy Leadership Click here for the November & December schedule.

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

Save the date - November 19-29

11 Days of Thanks and Giving

Starting Action Weekend and running through Giving Tuesday, join us for a celebration of gratitude and fundraising for Silver Lake's Annual Appeal.

Share the ministry of Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center with your community!  To help you get the word out about Silver Lake’s exciting programs visit: www.silverlakect.org/promote for a collection of materials and resources.  Read more about the exciting things happening and coming up at Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center.

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

No November Ordination Anniversaries

2022 Milestone Church Anniversaries

325 Years
First Church of Christ, Simsbury

300 Years
Church of Christ Congregational, Newington
United Congregational Church of Tolland
 

275 Years
First Congregational Church of Bristol
Congregational Church of Marlborough
South Congregational Church of Middletown
 

150 Years
South Congregational Church of Granby

(Please contact Roz Hooks 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.

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.

The Southern New England Conference maintains Temporary Ministerial Coverage (TMC) lists for all 6 SNEUCC regions. These lists contain Clergy and Lay people that are interested in providing Sunday Supply, Sabbatical Coverage, and Bridge Coverage. All the people included on the list have had a Criminal Background Check and are required to have Boundary Awareness Training as well as Racial Justice Training. 

These TMC lists are regularly updated in real time.  If your church is in need of a list please reach out to the Program Support Associate for your Region:

North Central & Northwest Regions: Deb Holmes, holmesd@sneucc.org
South Central & Southwest Regions: Roz Hooks: Hooksr@sneucc.org
Northeast & Southeast Regions: Lynn Varney: Varneyl@sneucc.org

If you are interested in being included on any of the Temporary Ministerial Coverage regional lists please contact Jill Ford at fordj@sneucc.org. 

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, with the exception of December 30th. If you would like to unsubscribe or change your email preferences, please visit sneucc.org/subscribe and enter your email address.