September 2024 Lock-Down The first time I heard the term "lock-down" outside of a prison riot, was when my 14 – year old daughter and some friends were making snacks in our kitchen talking about a lock-down drill that they had in school that day.  I asked them what a lock-down drill was.  They told me that they practiced what to do if someone entered the school with a gun and started shooting people.  I took a deep breath and asked them what they practiced.  It went something like this.   Two students are assigned to move the teacher’s desk to block the door.  One student is assigned to turn off the lights.  The other students then pile other desks and chairs on the teacher's desk (they don't actually practice this part).  Then they all go to a corner of the room, out of line of the door, and stay on the floor away from all windows.  They are allowed to call and text out.  My daughter told me I would be the first person she would text.  I asked her to call me just to make sure she got hold of me quickly.   My daughter went to a vocational high school, so she and her friends then calmly discussed the advantages of being trapped in one of the shop areas instead of in one of the classrooms.  The shop areas had back doors.  The shop teachers told them that they could try to escape into the woods as long as they knew the shooter(s) were on a different floor.    They discussed which would be better.  Running out one at a time?  If they did, they would have to draw straws to see who would go first, as someone could be waiting outside and the first one out would probably get shot.  Or, would it be better to run out all at once and run as a pack to the woods?  Or, is it better to run out all at once and scatter in different directions?  They walked off mulling their choices and munching their snacks.  I wasn’t sure what horrified me more, the necessity for the drills, or their matter-of-fact manner as they discussed their survival options.   My daughter is now 26.  Students are receiving variations of this same training each and every school year, all across our country.  Two weeks ago, a 14-year old boy took an AR-15 assault rifle to school and killed fellow students and teachers in less time than it takes to dial 911.   We have been assured that he will be prosecuted as an adult, but let’s not kid ourselves, he’s a boy, a child, who took a gun to school in order to shoot and kill other children.    All we hear about these days is how divided we are as a country.  Can’t protecting our children, and frankly, our fellow citizens from being gunned down, whether they are at school, or shopping at the mall, or going to a movie, or attending worship, or simply walking through the neighborhood where they live, can’t that be the one place we can come together and work towards solutions?   There are so many good, common sense ideas for restricting access to guns; being thoughtful about who can own and use guns; and plans for how to train and hold people responsible if they want to own guns.  And yes, we need to increase our support and resources for the epidemic of mental health challenges our children and young people are struggling with these days.    This problem doesn’t have an either/or answer, it’s both/and.  It’s all the above and more.  It's been 12 years since I stood in my kitchen listening in shock to my daughter and her school friends planning how to survive a live-shooter loose in their school.  Isn’t it time for us to unite together and demand change?  Isn’t it way past time to answer the cries of our children? Peace and blessings, Pastor Carol Area Conference Minister, North Central Region 508-244-4887 steinbrecherc@sneucc.org Let’s Get Together! The best part of my work is when I have an opportunity to come visit and learn about what is going on in your congregations.  I would love to come join you in worship, or come and preach on a Sunday, so please let me know when that might work in your schedule.  If you have questions about resources, or you feel you need one-on-one time, please give me a call, or send an email and we will schedule time together. My number is: 508-244-4887, email: steinbrecherc@sneucc.org.  Hope to see you soon!  Carol

Fueling Inclusion, Voice, and
Opportunity for All

WAMS Works with individuals and community partners to inspire economic and education equity through social change. Click here to learn more about WAMS. 

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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.

Central Massachusetts Association Events

Installations
Rev. Shannan Hudgins
Federated Church of Charlton, MA
September 22, 2024 at 3:00PM

Rev. Greta MacRae
First Congregational Church of Milford, UCC, MA
October 20, 2024 at 3:00PM

Rev. Virginia Bove
First Parish of Bolton, Interdenominational
November 3, 2024 at 3:00PM

Rev. Gary Gumuchian
Congregational Church of Christ, Leominster
November 17, 2024 at 3:00PM
 

Association Meetings
Central MA Association Annual Meeting
First Congregational Church, Shrewsbury, MA
September 29, 2024 at 3:00PM

Ordinations
Christine Van De Wege
First Congregational Church, Holliston, MA
October 27, 2024 at 3:00PM

Russ Goliger
First Church in Marlborough, (Congregational)
November 10, 2024 at 3:00PM

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 September

35 Years
The Rev. Barbara Keast - 9/17

25 Years
The Rev. Janet Sandquist Skagerlind - 9/12
The Rev. Jonathan Wortmann - 9/26

2024 MILESTONE CHURCH ANNIVERSARIES

Memorial Congregational Church, UCC, Baldwinville - 150 years
The Congregational Church of Christ, Leominster - 150 years
First Congregational Church, Brimfield - 300 years
The Congregational Church of Westborough - 300 years
 

Sharing from The Congregational Church in Westborough
The Congregational Church of Westborough is celebrating it’s 300th Anniversary in 2024. Our first Service as a Congregation was held on October 28, 1724. This year on October 27th we are celebrating our Founder’s Day with a Special Worship Service and Dinner. Additionally, our 300th Anniversary Committee has planned events for every month, each week were have historical notes in our Worship bulletin and our Choir sings a historical piece. We have a Quarterly newsletter that traces Worship, theology daily life, music, etc.. through the years. We began the year having a Worship Service as it was done in 1724 and we wore period costumes. We have Also celebrated Holy Communion as it was done then We are really learning our history this year!

The Plymouth Church in Framingham Hosts Annual Fall Fair, MA

Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM 
The Plymouth Church
87 Edgell Road
Framingham, MA 01701

Project Proclaim Launches Labs, Cohort Groups & Online Learning  Project Proclaim, the compelling preaching initiative of the Southern New England Conference, is launching multiple opportunities for lay and clergy to get engaged with the project this fall, including learning cohorts, an in-person proclamation lab and online Bible and preaching courses.  Read more     Center for Transformational Leadership Announces Events for the Season   The Center for Transformational Leadership, the Conference’s hub for programming and resources, has announced its schedule for the program year including workshops, retreats, lunch & learn sessions and more. Click here to learn more!      Church Life Cycle & Capacity: A Snapshot of Your Church’s Vitality This hands-on workshop includes information about church life cycles, opportunities often available at each stage of the life cycle, and the kind of capacity (financial, leadership, health, etc.) needed. This gathering is for church leadership groups.  Sept. 25, 7:00 to 8:30 PM • Online  or Oct. 8, 7:00 to 8:30 PM • Online     More Than 200 Attend Justice Summit to Take on Politics as an Act of Faith  The 3rd Annual Justice Summit: Politics as an Act of Faith, presented by the Southern New England Conference's Center for Transformational Leadership, was held Saturday, September 14, 2024, at the campus of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. This day-long hybrid program aimed to equip local church leaders, both lay and clergy, to engage with politics as people of faith, and was open to people from any denomination, as well as other UCC Conferences.   Read more  Read more about the keynote, in which Dr. Obery M. Hendricks, Jr. Challenged Christians to Take Tangible Steps to Oppose Oppression and Injustice.

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.