June 20204 You may have heard that on Monday night, the Boston Celtics won their league-leading 18th NBA Championship.   When I opened the Boston Globe the next morning, the first thing I saw was an editorial titled: "The champion Boston Celtics – this is just the beginning." The spilled champagne has barely dried in the Celtics' locker room, and already the attention has turned to next year’s NBA championship and the future for this core of young players.   While I am excited to see what they can do in the future, the duck boat parade hasn’t even happened yet, and we’re already moving past this moment, wondering, “What’s next?” and if we can keep up.   In truth, this happens all the time. It’s so hard for us, culturally, to sit in the moment. We struggle to linger in the present feeling, whether we’re filled with joy, pain, or a little bit of each. In the church world, we’re already planning for the next “program year” before we’ve even hit the end of June.   I understand that much of this planning and looking ahead is important and good. I love to plan. And then I think of Jesus’ words to the disciples in Mark 6:30-31. The disciples return to him after preaching and teaching, full of excitement and energy, likely asking about what’s next. In response, Jesus says: “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” If you know what comes next, you know their rest doesn’t last long. Soon they are found, and we are told the story of the “feeding of the five thousand,” reminding us that ministry and work will surely be there for us in the near future. However, for just now, maybe we can heed Jesus’s advice to rest for a while in this moment.   As we approach the summer months, I pray that you—pastor and church member alike—may find moments to rest for a while, maybe even away at a deserted place all by yourself! In doing so, you might encourage and empower others to do so, too.

With love and thanks,

Alex

Rev. Alex Shea Will
Area Conference Minister
Northeast Region (Metropolitan Boston and Northeast Associations)

Rev. Shea Will can be reached at sheawilla@sneucc.org or call/text: 508-244-4769. 

Siblings in Christ: Thank you for the invitations to worship with you! I’m currently scheduled through spring 2024, and I’d love to continue scheduling into the fall. I am eager to visit with each of you, join you for life together, and even preach if you would like. Please reach out and let me know a few options of what might work for you and your congregation.    

Metropolitan Boston Association

Ordination of Rachel Barton on Sunday, June 23, 2024 at 3pm at Hancock United Church of Christ, Lexington, MA

Ordination of Jasmine Buchanan on Sunday, June 30, 2024 at 3pm at United Parish in Brookline, MA

Region Event

This summer, Rolling Ridge invites families that have a trans, non-binary or gender non-conforming young person to join us for a weekend family retreat.  “Trans Families Together: A Weekend of Connection” is intended to create safe and sacred space for families to know that they are not alone in the coming out process.

Through educational programming, listening spaces, and fun activities, this two-night and three-day retreat (July 5-7) will build bridges of support and resourcing for the journey.  Each member of the family – the trans young person, the parents, and the siblings — will find a supportive and inclusive community through affinity group activities.  We will also provide opportunities with trained spiritual directors for listening within families and between families and with the larger LGBTQ community.  Love, openness, and encouragement are the values of our weekend together.  Click here for registration.

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 Lynn Varney to be included in future monthly publications.

Clergy Renewal
Throughout the Bible, spiritual renewal is lifted up again and again as essential to human wellbeing. Keeping the sabbath holy is one of the ten commandments. The 50-year Jubilee of rest is even extended to the earth. Jesus routinely stepped away from the demands of his ministry to pray alone. Self-care is not selfish; it is faithful.  Click above for more information.

Do we have your church leaders listed correctly?

Please have your church administrator (or whoever handles your church's email account) visit the Church Dashboard (part of the Southern New England Conference's data base) to make sure we're connecting with all the current leaders in your church. If you have difficulty logging into your account please contact Nancy Stubbs at stubbsn@sneucc.org.

Here we recognize and celebrate Ordination Anniversaries listed from 5 years forward in increments of 5 years, as well as milestone church anniversaries of 100+ years (acknowledging every 25 years).

Ordination Anniversaries for June

5 Years
The Rev. Dr. Aaron Pratt Shepherd - 6/30/2019

35 Years
The Rev. Wendy Vanderhart - 6/25/1989

40 Years
The Rev. Dr. William Albright - 6/17/1984
The. Rev. Lorraine Edwards - 6/24/1984
The Rev. Dr. Calvin Genzel - 6/15/1984
The Rev. Lisa Stedman - 6/10/1984

45 Years
The Rev. James Fraser - 6/10/1979

50 Years
Rev. Dr. Kenneth Larsen - 6/2/1974
The Rev. Dr. Philip Mayher - 6/9/1974

55 Years
The Rev. John Cupples - 6/15/1969
The Rev. Roger Paine - 6/15/1969

~~~

2024 MILESTONE CHURCH ANNIVERSARIES

Park Avenue Congregational Church, Arlington - 125 years
Plymouth Congregational Church of Belmont - 125 years
North Congregational Church, Woburn - 175 years

If your name or church has been missed, please contact Lynn Varney or update your data using the Clergy Portal and Local Church Dashboard. 

SNEUCC Local Church Dashboard can be found here.
SNEUCC Clergy Portal can be found here.

The 5th Annual Meeting of the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ will be held June 21 and 22 at UMass, Amherst, and will focus on growing the church.

The keynote speaker for the event will be the Rev. Dr. Courtney Stange-Tregear, the Chief Relationship Officer at the Cornerstone Fund of the UCC, who plans to talk about "God Math," and to share inspiring stories of churches that have grown their ministries - and more greatly impacted their communities - by working smarter, not harder. 

In person registration is closed.  Walk in registrations are open but lunch is not guaranteed.  Online Registration closes Mon. 6/17.  More information here: www.sneucc.org/2024AM.

Eastern Regional Youth Event July 28 - 31 at Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center, Sharon, CT This program is open to youth who are currently in grades 6-12 who may attend with advisors or on their own.  This regional event is a place to grow while connecting with teens from all over New England and other Eastern UCC Conferences. There will be time for swimming and service work, reflection and recreation, worship and workshops.  Find out more and register at: https://www.sneucc.org/2024youth Silver Lake Camp Season Starts Soon! The SNEUCC Silver Lake Camp and Retreat Center in Sharon, CT, has been nationally recognized as one of the best in the United States. Find out more – register your child for Summer Camp, or look into booking a retreat in the Fall of 2024, or Spring or Fall of 2025.  Find out more at: https://www.silverlakect.org/    Announcing 2024 Justice Summit: Politics as an Act of Faith The third annual Southern New England Conference Justice Summit will focus this year on politics as an act of faith. Local church leaders will gather both onsite in Middletown, Connecticut and online for this hybrid event on September 14th.    “This country is in the most polarizing time we’ve seen collectively,” says Rev. Dr. Chris Davies, Executive Minister for Programs and Initiatives. “It is the role of faith organizations to be in the gap and continue to encourage people to witness to each other in shared humanity.  This summit will equip churches to do just that.”    Read more: https://www.sneucc.org/newsdetail/announcing-2024-justice-summit-politics-as-an-act-of-faith-18369906

There is a lot going on in Southern New England! Click here to access the SNEUCC Upcoming Events Newsletters, which list details about upcoming trainings, gatherings and events. Or, click here to access the Events Calendar.

Classifieds, Transitions, and Obituaries

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.  Church administrators are welcome to use the online template to submit information.

Temporary Ministerial Coverage

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, South Central & Northwest Regions: Deb Holmes at:  holmesd@sneucc.org
Northeast, Southeast & Southwest Regions: Lynn Varney at:   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. 

Newsletter Subscriptions

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 Northeast Region of the Southern New England Conference. The Regional Newsletter is sent on a monthly basis, on or near the Third Tuesday of each month. If you would like to have events included, please make sure to have them submitted by the Second Wednesday of the month to Lynn Varney.
If you would like to unsubscribe or change your email preferences, please visit sneucc.org/subscribe and enter your email address.