All Conference E-mail 
April 27, 2010
_____________________________________________________________________________ Remember . . .
Your OCWM (Our Church's Wider Mission) contribution to the ME Conference makes this email newsletter and the
numerous programs described herein available to you and your church.
_____________________________________________________________________________
- If not in the dorm . . . . ?
- Annual Meeting registration now accepting credit card payment
- Condolences
- Celebration of Life for Rosalyn Baston
- Special Clergy Choir at Annual Meeting
- Stay connected to the national UCC with an on-line newsletter
- Hancock-Waldo Assoc. meeting to address Safe Church Policies – all welcome
- Interim Organist/Pianist needed
- CWS kit collection May 5-6
- New England Regional Youth Event – June 24-27
- Boundary Training for transitioning ministers – May 18
- New in the Resource Center
- Adventures for the Mind and Spirit
- That’s all I need to know!
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1. Although many of us enjoy re-living our college days by visiting the campus at Univ. of Maine in Farmington, I realize not all of you are happy sleeping the dorms. So I have reserved a block of rooms at the new Comfort Inn on the Farmington/Wilton line (Phone 645-5155). They will honor the special price of $89 for a double room, until May 10, 2010. Be sure to mention that you are with the Maine UCC Annual Meeting. For those of us staying on campus, the school has promised to lower all the dorm beds to normal bed height for us. Please join us on the UMF campus June 10-13 for Reframing Church: Visions and Dreams.
2. Credit cards will now be accepted as payment for Annual Meeting Registration. I have been trying to set up a registration form that could be completed on-line and returned, and that could contain information for payment by credit card, but alas my skills are lacking in that area. So, there is now a second registration form on the website where you can provide your credit card information, and then mail it to the Conference office and we will charge your card for your registration fees. Sorry for any inconvenience the delay may have caused.
3. Our thoughts and prayers are with Barbara Chodkowski, a student at BTS and student pastor at the Carmel Congregational Church, on the sudden death of her husband Vincent on April 21.
4. A service of Thanksgiving for the life of Rosalyn Baston will be held on Monday May 10 at 11:00 am at Walnut Hill Cemetery, North Yarmouth Maine. Rosalyn was active in her church, First Congregational United Church of Christ, North Yarmouth, the Maine Conference and the National UCC. You are invited to join in this celebration of her life.
5. CALLING ALL CLERGY WHO LOVE TO SING! You are invited to join a special clergy choir which will sing at the Friday night worship service at this year’s Maine Conference Annual Meeting in Farmington. The only rehearsal of this choir will be at 4 pm on Friday, at the close of the first plenary session. Annual Meeting musician Beth Barefoot (Minister of Music at New Gloucester, Fine Arts Director at Hebron Academy and freelance musical theater director) has chosen two anthems (1 fun, 1 lovely). Please email revgard@securespeed.net with your contact information and voice part (S, A, T or B). And be honest: if you will practice or at least play through your part before you come to Farmington, we’ll send you the music. If you won’t, you can pick it up at the 4 pm Friday rehearsal. C’mon, now. Commit thyself. We promise you’ll enjoy the experience! Linda Gard for the Worship Planning Team
P.S. and FYI: The “regular” annual meeting choir will rehearse during the second workshop session on Saturday, and sing at the Saturday night worship service.
6. Do you miss the UCC News newspaper? Want to keep up with what is happening at the national level in the United Church of Christ? Staying connected is as easy a following this link - http://www.ucc.org/news/print/digest/ for an on-line newsletter in an easy to read, or print format.
7. Safe Church Policies will be the focus of the Hancock-Waldo Association Spring meeting May 1. Conference Minister David Gaewski will discuss this subject including how to do background checks, handling angry people and policies for registered sex offenders participating in church life. The H-W Association invites any folks from other Associations to join us for this important meeting. We’ll meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Union Congregational Church of Hancock UCC just east of Ellsworth. A light lunch will be served following the morning session. Please call the Rev. John Holt at 422-3100 for directions and to report how many from your church expect to attend or you may e-mail him at johnjoyce@midmaine.com
8. The North Windham Union Church is looking for an Interim Pianist/Organist to accompany a 15 plus member mixed voice adult choir. Job responsibilities would include a weekly choir rehearsal (Thursday evenings (6:30 -8:00 PM) and the Sunday service (9:00-11:30am). There is no involvement in directing the choir or with music selection. The choir is under the direction of Dr. Richard Nickerson. The choir does not sing during the summer months. This is a paid position. For more information you may contact --- 892-6142
9. If you have prepared kits for Church World Service and would like to avoid the expense of shipping them to Massachusetts, CWS is sending a truck to Maine for your donations. They will be at Woodfords Congregational Church, 202 Woodford Street, Portland, ME on Wednesday, May 5 9 AM to 2 PM and Thursday, May 6, 9 AM to 5 PM. For more information contact: Sharon Stephenson at 207-774-8243
10. New England Regional Youth Event, Inside-out, Outside-in, Finding our Way in God's World. June 24-27, Boston University, Boston, Mass.
Already we have over thirty people registered for RYE. Sign-ups are continuing, and scholarship help is available. Come join us as we meet young people from all over New England. Great leaders, an urban mission experience in Boston, a historic trolley tour, music, worship, workshops! There is much that awaits you. Go to New England Regional Youth Event on the internet and see what is in store. Questions? Call Susie Craig at 846-5118 or e-mail susiecraigacm.aol.com
On May 15th at 1 pm will be a required meeting for participant, parents and youth advisors at the Waterville Church at 1 pm. Mark your calendars!!!
11. Transitional Ministry Boundary Training May 18th at 9:30-3:00 pm at First Parish in Yarmouth
Announcing a new Boundary Training for Pastors, spouses and church leadership planning for transition. Pastors leaving, interims leaving, pastors moving to new locations, pastors remaining in the area, pastors entering retirement - all of these are challenges to all involved. All these aspects are important parts of a pastor's life. Even in retirement, we continue as pastors. This training will attend to self-care, care for families, and care for churches. It will highlight appropriate boundaries, and recognition of such for congregations. Lunch will be provided. A contribution of $10 is requested to cover food and materials. Please call the Conference Office to register 846-5118.
12. New in the Resource Center!
Living Our Story: Narrative Leadership and Congregational Culture
Editor: Larry A Goleman
Living Our Story explores how good narrative work—the retrieval, construction, and performance of valued stories—takes place in ministry. Authors Larry Golemon, Lee Ramsey, Graham Standish, Tim Shapiro, Carol Johnson, Mike Mather, Niles Elliot Goldstein, and Diana Butler Bass examine this question from a variety of perspectives, including the role of the pastor or rabbi as narrative leader, the sacred and mundane stories that shape congregational life and identity, storytelling as a means of community building, and story sharing as a practice of hospitality. Through the stories they themselves tell, these authors show how stories witness to God’s presence in the unfolding of human life, and how the best leaders craft stories that reveal how God is at work among the people and inspire them to become a part of this larger story.
13. Adventures for the Mind and Spirit: Your Next Step?
Come Learn about New and Existing Courses at Bangor Theological Seminary; Information Sessions at our Bangor and Portland Campuses Coming Up Soon!!
To learn more about Bangor Theological Seminary’s summer and fall 2010 courses, please attend one of our Information Sessions Monday May 3 at the Portland Campus/Monday May 10 at Bangor Campus. Both sessions begin at 5PM and end at 6:30PM. Come learn about our Master of Arts, Master of Divinity and new certificate programs in Ministry with Older Adults and Healthcare and Spirituality/Parish Nursing.
Bangor Theological Seminary offers first-class theological education and adventures for the mind and spirit in Bangor and Portland, ME.
To register for either Information Session, go to http://www.bts.edu/prospective/reservationform.htm
14. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.
On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Rick was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, 'The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know.'