September 2024 Onward, Upward!   What if the best days of the church aren’t behind us but ahead?  Instead of going back to the “good old days,” what if God is nudging us towards a future brighter than we could ever imagine … yet possible if we just believe?     Leitmotif (n): a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation.   From my undergraduate course at Goucher College in music theory, I remembered the above German word, leitmotif.  Looking back over my newsletters, you will discover a leitmotif of sorts.  That recurring idea – or question – is what if the best days of the church aren’t behind us but ahead?    As we begin a new program year, I offer you the above question again.  Furthermore, I have been hearing from UCC churches and non-UCC churches of growing Sunday church attendance.  Will re-growth mean that we go back to the way things were, or will it mean that we allow the power of the Holy Spirit to inspire us to be more faithful, more loving, more Christ-like, and more just than we have ever been before?    Beloved, will we rest on our laurels or will we, like Jesus, allow the Spirit to anoint us in bold new ways?  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the resources of the Conference, the support of the Committees on Ministry, and the faithfulness of our congregations, may we, together, move towards a future brighter than we could ever imagine … yet possible if we just believe! Blessings, Isaac Schedule your One to One conversations with Rev. Isaac Lawson The Rev. Isaac Lawson will be hosting one to one clergy meetings for 45 minutes on the first Monday and Thursday of each month from 10:00AM - 1:00PM and the fourth Thursday of the each month 1:00PM to 5:00PM. Please use this link to sign up for a meeting: Please contact Deb Holmes if you have any questions or problems signing up for a meeting.

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 September

40 Years
The Rev. Craig Cowing 9/15

30 Years
The Rev. Dr. Virginia McDaniel

2024 MILESTONE CHURCH ANNIVERSARIES

 First Congregational Church of Southington - 300 years
Congregational Church of Burlington - 250 years
Immanuel Congregational Church, Inc. - 200 years 

September 15, 2024 marks the 50 year anniversary of South Congregational and First Baptist Churches in New Britain, CT uniting in worship and ministry.  South Congregational-First Baptist Church (or South Church) will mark the occasion with a festive worship service and a potluck cookout meal and party following.  Former pastors and other significant staff leaders will be invited, and the Rev. Isaac Lawson, Area Conference Minister, will be in attendance as well.  We look forward to celebrating 50 years of ministry "In Spirit One" here in the heart of the city.

Groton CT Church hosting a Chicken Dinner

Friday, September 27, 2024 at 5:30 PM
Groton Congregational Church
162 Monument St
Groton, CT 06340
$12.00/adults, $6.00/children under 12
Click here to learn more?

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.