All Conference E-Mail
April 27, 2011
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- Congratulations
- Spring Clergy Retreat, May 17-18
- Annual Meeting Child Care
- Where’s Doug?
- Sponsor Doug’s Hike
- Condolences
- Choir Anthems needed for Annual Meeting Choirs
- Special Evening Prayer Service in Brunswick, April 30
- In the Resource Center
- Celebration Concert in Sanford, May 1
- Churches Wanted to Sponsor Honduran Pastor
- Pastors Retreat with Honduran visitors
- Seminarian Scholarships Available
- “In the Shoe Box”
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1. Please celebrate with us the listing of this new Open and Affirming church, as of April 15, 2011. ONA Church #931 South Congregational Church, UCC, Kennebunkport ME 04046
The number before the church name indicates the position of this church in the chronological list of all ONA churches since 1985.
2. Spring Clergy Retreat is coming soon. This year’s spring retreat, led by Barbara Brown Zikmund, is entitled “Does the UCC Matter?” This retreat will explore the experiences of clergy in the UCC and how our denominational covenants support, or do not support, local ministry. Come with a story to share. We will gather at the Living Water retreat center in Winslow, Tuesday, May 17 with registration beginning at 12:30 pm, through lunch on Wednesday, May 18. All clergy, active and retired, Members in Discernment and seminary students are invited. Cost is $125 for overnight and meals, or $90 for commuters with meals. Click here for the registration form http://www.maineucc.org/news/Spring%20Clergy%20Retreat%202011.mht
3. “Called to Tell the Story” is the theme for the 2011 Maine Conference Annual Meeting, to be held at the University of Maine in Farmington, June 23-26, 2011. Join with church members from around the state and learn new ways to tell the “old, old stories of Jesus and his love”. Registration forms, workshop descriptions and much more can be found on the Conference website at http://www.maineucc.org/annualmeeting/2011/AM%20frontpage%202011.html
Child care for those under 12 years of age will be provided at Old South Church, only during the scheduled meetings. Children should be with their parents during meals. Meals may be ordered on the registration form. Use the Childcare Registration Form to reserve childcare accommodations, and return them with the parent’s registration forms. If no childcare requests have been received by May 10th, childcare plans will be cancelled.
4. Where's Doug?
Rev. Doug Dunlap of Farmington is hiking the 2178 mile Appalachian Trail Georgia to Maine. He is walking for CEVER School in Honduras at pledges of "A Penny a Mile". Easter morning Doug saw the sunrise from the top of Wesser Bald in North Carolina just south of Smokey Mountains National Park. In two weeks he has covered 135 miles.
If your church wishes to support CEVER set up some penny jars and send donations to "Maine Conference", noting AT/CEVER on memo line. Doug will update progress every 10-14 days.
5. DOUG (Dunlap) is on the Appalachian Trail now! If you look at the Maine Conference Facebok page, an Easter sunrise picture will be posted very soon from Bald MT. Georgia. The Rev. Doug Dunlap is asking for individuals, Sunday Schools, fellowship groups, and churches to sponsor him for a penny per mile of trail hiked with the proceeds going to CEVER, the vocational training school operated by our Honduran partners. The total mileage is 2178 miles for a pledge of $21.78. And sponsors will be able to track Doug’s progress as he hikes north! You can learn more about CEVER at our website, www.theCEVERproject.org. (questions? Contact the Honduras Partnership Committee at mehpcomm@gmail.com)
6. We have just learned of the death of the Rev Donald Henderson. Don was born in Fairfield, graduated from Bowdoin College and Andover Newton Theological Seminary. In Maine, he served at North Windham, Blue Hill, Camden, and Bangor. He served a church in New Zealand and four in Florida, where he has lived for several years. He is survived by his wife, Susann, of Sarasota, FL, a daughter, Mary who lived in Lincolnville, ME and three sons. He published a book, "Kiss the Joy As It Flies" which contains sermons, poems, essays about his facing cancer. He was 83 and died on February 14, 2011.
7. Good news! Beth Barefoot will again lead two CHOIRS at the Maine Conference Annual Meeting in Farmington. A clergy choir will rehearse in the late afternoon on Friday and sing Friday night. The Conference Choir will rehearse in the afternoon workshop time slot Saturday and sing during the Sunday worship service. Folks who want to sing with the Conference Choir should indicate that preference when registering for workshops. Clergy who’d like to sing with the Clergy Choir should email Linda Gard, indicating their voice part: revgard@securespeed.net
Please help us keep costs low by checking your church’s music library for the following anthems:
Many Gifts, One Spirit, SATB, Allen Pote
Let the People of God Go Singing, SATB, Ken Medema
Witness, SATB, Jack Halloran, arranged by Dick Bolks (There are MANY editions of this piece. Please make sure you have THIS one.)
Order My Steps, SATB, words/music by Glenn Burleigh, choral setting by Jack Schrader
If you have them (sorry, we can’t use photocopies) and would be willing to loan them for the Conference meeting, please email me with the title and number of copies: revgard@securespeed.net
8. All are welcome to a special evening prayer service at First Parish in Brunswick on Saturday, April 30th at 7:30pm with our special musical guest, Jonny Rodgers. In both services, we'll be hearing new pieces particularly for worship. Jonny will also join us for our Sunday worship on May 1st at 10pm.
9. In the Resource Center!
Stewardship for Vital Congregations by Anthony B. Robinson
Would you like to learn how your congregation can create a culture of giving and generosity that changes lives and supports the mission and ministry of the church with adequate financial resources? Lay leaders, clergypersons, and members of your congregation’s stewardship program will appreciate and benefit from Stewardship for Vital Congregations. It provides practical tools to help congregations engage in the spiritual practice of Christian stewardship and become part of its mission and ministry. Theologically and biblically informed, it offers particular strategies and “how-to’s relating to money and giving, and includes questions for reflection, discussion, and action in each chapter. Please remember that the cart for the online catalog is not working, to order any resources send emails to resourcecenter@maineucc.org. or call 1-800-244-0937 or 207-846-5118.
10. North Parish Church in Sanford invites you to a free concert as part of their 225th Anniversary celebration with Matt Doiron and Piscataqua River Brass. The Piscataqua River Brass brings the high-powered sound of massed brass instruments and percussion to their audience through six hundred years of music. From classic brass sounds of Gabrieli and other Renaissance masters, through the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras to contemporary works, this group of talented regional brass players and percussionists strive to delight their audiences. Join them Sunday, May 1st at 7 pm, North Parish Church 893 Main Street, Sanford, FMI 207-324-3163
11. Churches Wanted! The Honduras Partnership Committee wants to have a Pastor (and perhaps a spouse) visit your church for 3 days this fall. Yes, it will cost money, but we will cover up to half the cost with a scholarship! The pastors and their wives will be in Maine from September 22nd to October 2nd of this year! We’re hoping that up to 30 churches will sponsor the 15 pastors and spouses on the 2 separate weekends, including them in the fellowship and worship of the congregation, and maybe even getting a sermon from the visiting pastor. Part of the sponsorship commitment is to help pay for their time here, and the sponsorship amount is $300. The extra good news is: the Committee can help with scholarships of up to $150 of that total. We are especially aiming this program at our smaller churches where $300 for the sponsorship might be a prohibitive amount of money (but a larger church with very tight finances may apply). If interested, mehpcomm@gmail.com is HPComm’s e-mail address. And thanks for thinking about it.
12. MAINE UCC PASTORS WANTED for a 2-1/2 day retreat with our Honduran brothers and their spouses. Please save these dates: Monday evening September 26th – Thursday after lunch September 29th, 2011. The Honduras Partnership Committee is making arrangements for 15 Honduran pastors and the wives of 12 of those 15 to come to Maine. The middle of their stay will be a retreat at which we will share the joys and challenges of our ministries plus engage in a study for our mutual benefit. The cost is $125. The place, UMC Camp Mechuwana in Winthrop. HPComm’s e-mail address is mehpcomm@gmail.com, if you are interested.
13. Attention Seminarians! The Witness Life Commission of the Maine Conference UCC offers scholarship assistance to seminarians who are Members in Discernment/ In Care in an Association in the Maine Conference. Applications must be submitted by May 15, 2011. The Scholarship Application can be found on the Maine Conference website at
http://www.maineucc.org/commissions/cwl/Seminarian%20Scholarship%20Application-%202011-%202012.pdf Please complete and submit as indicated on the application. If any questions, please contact Bill Walsh at 207-615-4556 or billwalshjr@gmail.com
14. The Shoe Box
A man and a woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.
For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman go very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.
In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife’s bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box.
When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.
He asked her about the contents. “When we were to married,” she said, “my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was never to argue. She told me that if I ever got angry wit you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.”
The little old man was so moved, he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.
“Honey,” he said, “that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?” “Oh” she said, “that’s the money I made from selling the dolls.”
Unknown author