June 2024
Build on the Best of What You Have
Dear Northwest Region,
This week the Conference staff, most clergy, and congregational delegates are all ramping up for our 5th Annual Meeting, “Grow the Church.” Many of us are also dealing with extreme heat this week, and I hope you are heeding the advice of the Massachusetts governmental advisory, which includes staying hydrated and checking on your neighbors, especially the elderly, homebound, or those who live with disabilities. There’s also a list of 32 designated swimming areas. To me, this sounds like the best of church actualized in real life: living water; sibling love; and care for the most vulnerable.
This is how we spread the gospel just by being who Christ calls us to be. And I am so excited for the programming at Annual Meeting because it is intended to meet our churches where they/you are; to help you build on the best of what you have; and to carry God’s love to those in your community.
If you or your church are not able to come to Annual Meeting this year, I hope you will keep an ear to the ground for the resources that will come from it, including recordings of the keynote addresses. Rev. Dr. Courtney Stange-Tregear from the Cornerstone Fund will be speaking about how to leverage your resources to multiply your abundance. Dr. Erica Dollhopf, statistical guru for the UCC, will be talking about the markers of congregational vitality that are present and achievable in your own congregation.
And of course we will be talking about “Find Hope Now,” a new initiative of the Conference to let people know that no matter who they are, or where they are on life's journey, there is a place of hope that will welcome them. The first stage of the initiative went live just a few weeks ago with a social media ad campaign. The second stage of the campaign is to develop branded graphics and ads that churches may customize to spread the word about your own congregations.
So please keep our Annual Meeting folks in prayer. Know there are more good things to come. But in the meantime, “stay cool” with the love and justice of Jesus!
Blessings,
Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa
Area Conference Minister, Northwest Region
One to One conversations with Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa
The Rev. Ogawa will be hosting bi-weekly coffee house hours to meet with clergy for 30 minutes on the first and third Thursday mornings. These can be scheduled by clicking here. Please contact her Program Support Associate, Deb Holmes if you have questions or problems signing up for a meeting.
|
|
Scholarship Available
The First Congregational Church of Harwich is pleased to make available a scholarship of around $500 from our Wood Fund this year. Ministry and Christian Education students who are members of congregations that are within the Southern New England Conference of the UCC are invited to apply for this scholarship to assist with the cost of attending seminary. Application forms are available online at First Church of Harwich website. (A link to the Wood Fund application is at the bottom of the page.) Application materials must be received by the First Congregational Church, UCC, Attention: Scholarship Team, 697 Main St, Harwich, MA 02645 by April 1, 2024. Please email Del Borah if you have any questions.
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.
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 Deb Holmes to be included in future monthly publications.
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).
If your name or church has been missed please contact Deb Holmes and updates will be made to your record and reflected in the next newsletter.
Ordination Anniversaries for June
40 Years
The Rev. Janet Powers - 6/15
The Rev. Randolph Puritan - 6/17
10 Years
The Rev. Carol Smith - 6/22
5 Years
The Rev. Anne Frieze - 6/2
2024 MILESTONE CHURCH ANNIVERSARIES
Southwick Congregational Church UCC - 250 years
|
Registration is open for the SNEUCC's 5th Annual Meeting, which is not only open to voting delegates and to authorized clergy but to ALL who wish to attend and take in all there is to offer,
The meeting itself is taking place both online and onsite at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA on June 22 and will include a keynote on God Math and growing the church, dynamic worship and Conference business. A children's program is available, as are opportunities to be a vendor or sponsor.
A number of pre-events are being held on June 21, including a screening of an award-winning film about how a Kentucky church changed their community by converting a parking lot into a village that houses social services and businesses. The president of that village will take part in a discussion following the screening. There will also be a tour of the UMass permaculture gardens, a tour of the Ancestral Bridges exhibit with its founder, and a live storytelling event.
Find out more and register at: https://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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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 holmesd@sneucc.org
Northeast, Southeast & Southwest 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.
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 South Central 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 Deb Holmes.
If you would like to unsubscribe or change your email preferences, please visit sneucc.org/subscribe and enter your email address.
.png?width=150)
