All Conference E-Mail          
May 26, 2010
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  1. Coordinating Council recommendation to Annual Meeting
  2. Join the Clergy Choir at Annual Meeting
  3. Annual Meeting Deadline Extended
  4. Metal Chair Solutions
  5. Sabbatical??
  6. Congratulations
  7. Condolences
  8. Small Churches of all descriptions
  9. Choral Director Needed
  10. New in the Resource Center
  11. Blessing of the BBQ in Monson
  12. New BTS Certificate programs
  13. Pension Board Report available
  14. Insurance Board Webinars

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1.  At the last Coordinating Council meeting, the council voted to recommend to the Conference at the 2010 Annual Meeting that 5% of the net proceeds of the sale of the Rockcraft Retreat Center be given as an unrestricted gift to the National Setting of the United Church of Christ.
This recommendation will be submitted for a vote at the 2010 Annual Meeting during Plenary 1 to be held on Friday, June 11, at the University of Maine in Farmington.

2.  Sing!   Sing!   Sing!   Maine Conference Annual Meeting will feature TWO choirs.      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.  There will be one and only one rehearsal of this choir---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 especially for the clergy choir (1 gospel and fun to sing, 1 sublime and lovely). 

  If you’d like to sing, 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 SATURDAY NIGHT.  Yes, you can sing in both choirs if you like.

3.  Annual Meeting Registration deadline has been extended to Friday May 28th.  Please send your registrations to the Conference office today!  There will be a limited number of meals, and no campus lodging accommodations available at the Registration Desk.  We are looking forward to seeing all of you in Farmington for a wonderful weekend of “Reframing Church – Visions and Dreams”

4.  In addition to coffee and drinks, Old South Congregational will have seat cushions for sale in the lobby of Dearborn Gym, for those of us with enough of our own padding to sit on those chairs through all the Plenary Sessions.

5.  Is your pastor going on Sabbatical this year?  Please let the Conference office know when your pastor will be gone, so that we can answer questions with the best information.  Thanks for your help.

6.  Congratulations to Foreside Community Church in Falmouth who voted to become an ONA congregation on May 16, 2010.

7.  Condolences to the family and friends of Rev. Walter Wyman of Walla Walla, WA.  Rev. Wyman served the Rumford church from 1980 to 1984, and has maintained his standing in the Oxford Union Association since that time.

8.  PoP churches!!! Recipients of Small Church Grants!!  Small churches of all descriptions!  Show the Maine Conference how we shine!!!  The Small Church Mission Team wants to have your church shine at our information table at Annual Meeting 2010 in Farmington.  Posters, church models, photographs, drawings, Sunday School projects, and church fellowship snacks are all wanted and welcome.  If the SCMT has ever helped your church, or if you have never been involved with us before, this is our time to SHINE.  Churches with less than full-time pastors, less than 100 people, and/or great love for and pride in your small church are ALL welcome to Shine Together!  RSVP to  peace_b2u@yahoo.com.  We can show everybody what we are made of--love and worship!!

9.  Needed - Choral Director for well-established, active church music program. Will work with music director and clergy as a team to plan and prepare appropriate repertoire for singers of all ages. Salary commensurate with experience.  Send resume and cover letter to Music Director, First Parish Church, 116 Main Street, Yarmouth, ME 04096.  FMI contact Nancy Wines-DeWan at:  846-6058 or newd3@maine.rr.com
10.  New in the Resource Center!
Sing! Prayer and Praise
The Pilgrim Press, Publisher
Sing! Prayer and Praise comes to you through a vision of the United Church of Christ. This ecumenical resource of praise and worship music captures some of the many ways we worship.  The collection ranges from some simpler songs, learned quickly, to complex songs, demanding a bit more exploration.  It offers expansive language for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  It explores many images offered to us in the Holy Scriptures and intentionally tries to include all people, wherever they are on their journey of faith.

11.  Monson UCC will hold its annual Blessing of the BBQ on Sunday, May 30.  Join us for worship at 10am with your favorite grilling utensil and stick around for a family BBQ immediately following.  FREE OF CHARGE, salad or dessert for sharing appreciated.  159 North Guilford Road, Monson.  Call 997-3593 for more details.

12.  BTS has designed two brand-new certificate programs, starting August 2010, so that caregivers of all kinds may renew their ministries. We invite you to join us on the following educational journeys:
1. Ministry with Older Adults--offered in Portland in 2010-2011. This 10-month program offers a rich tapestry of theory, skills, support and opportunities for renewal for those who work with older people. It is designed for members of the helping professions.
2. Health Care and Spirituality--offered in Bangor in 2010-2011. This 10-month program provides support for both traditional and alternative health-care providers in recapturing their sense of ministry, broadening and deepening their service to people in need and making full use of the entire healing process.
To learn more about either of these programs, please contact Lesley Heiser at lheiser@bts.edu or 207-774-5212, ext. 202.

13.  The Pension Boards 2009 Annual Report is now available online at http://bit.ly/AR_09.
By offering the Annual Report electronically, the Pension Boards is able to reduce printing and postage costs significantly. If you requested a printed copy of the Annual Report in the mail, please expect to receive your copy the week of May 24.

14. Insurance Board webinars cover topics critical to churches based on claim experience. Claims involving child abuse and financial losses continue to top the list of severe claims after major fires.   
Two new webinars have been created to help you prevent these claims in your church. We welcome ALL churches to participate in the webinars, whether you are an IB participant, or not.
 


Topic

Session one

Session two

Adult/Child Interaction Guidelines – Know the Rules

6/2/2010 – 11AM EDT

6/3/2010 – 3PM EDT

Building Trust, Preventing Disaster – Financial Controls for Your Church

6/23/2010 – 11AM EDT

6/24/2010 – 3PM EDT


TO REGISTER:Go to this link:  https://insuranceboard.ilinc.com  Check the sessions you wish to attend and submit. It’s that simple. You will receive e-mail confirmation.   
Webinars are interactive. You may participate by telephone or electronic chat. We look forward to hearing from you and sharing your questions and concerns.
Carl J. Kotheimer, CPCU, ARM