1. Website Problems
2. Watch the Portland Press Herald Tomorrow
3. Preach on Racism May 18th
4. National Youth Event Update
5. Attention All Youth – from State Youth Council Exec. Committee
6. A Great New Resource just in time for Earth Day
7. Can I Still Register for the NEAUCE Annual Conference on Christian Education on Cape Cod in May?
8. Registration Deadline for the “OWL” Training Has Been Extended
9. Brushing up on the New Testament at ANTS

1. Sorry for any inconvenience you may have encountered in the last couple of days with the Conference website. We had a problem with the company who hosts our website, and they took it off the web. I resolved the problem within an hour of the time the problem was discovered, but it took them 24 hours to get us back up and running. The website is active once again, so you can find all your Annual Meeting information. Again, I apologize for any inconvenience.

2. We Did IT! Through our Special Appeal, we raised enough money to run the United Church of Christ ad that appeared in the New York Times on April 2nd. It will be seen in the Portland Press Herald on Thursday, April 17th. This ad is the one that speaks to who we are as the United Church of Christ. Thank you to all who donated to make sure that the State of Maine knows that God is Still Speaking.

3. At a press conference held at Trinity UCC, the Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president, called upon the UCC's 10,000 active and retired clergy to purposefully preach on the issue of race on May 18 -- which happens to be Trinity Sunday (the Sunday after Pentecost) in the liturgical calendar -- and to begin important race-related conversations in each of the denomination's congregations, seminaries and other ministry settings. "Sacred conversations are never easy," Thomas said. "This is especially true when honest talk about race confronts us with a painful past and won't let us ignore the troubles of our present day. That's why sacred conversations require a readiness to see one another as sacred despite our differences, and why the sacred places where these conversations take place need to be respected." Thomas said he believes this can be "an important first step in beginning the broader nationwide conversation that needs to take place in our nation, in our communities and, especially, in our houses of worship." Resources for your May 18th sermons can be found on the Conference website (www.maineucc.org)

4. Many thanks to all who have registered for the National Youth Event. We continue with our planning and are getting very excited. Some of you have paid your full charge of $650. Others of you have paid your registration fee of $100. And there are others of you in between. We have been told by the University of Tennessee that for those who have already sent in their preregistration forms to the UCC office, the registration cost will only be $345.00 per person, a savings of $20.00 per registration. If you haven't sent your preregistration to the Maine Conference office, if there is any way possible that you could get it to the office before Monday, with $25.00 per form, this will save you $20.00 on your total costs.
In the meantime, our rolls continue to be open for additional applicants. We have a good group so far, but also room for more!
Think Tee-Shirt designs and mark May 18th at Waterville on your calendars for our parent-NYE participants meeting. If you have any further questions, please contact Susie Craig or Heidi Bennett at the Conference Office 207-846-5118, susiecraigacm@aol.com.

5. ATTENTION ALL YOUTH!!!!!
As some of you may or may not know, annual meeting will be held June 22-24 this year at University of Farmington! Hooray! The Executive Committee of the State Youth Council holds one of the worship services over the weekend, and this year we would like some help from all of you! The theme of annual meeting this year is “Who we are”, and for our sermon at the service, we would love to have pictures or videos from you that tell us and the U.C.C. who you are. It would be absolutely fantastic if youth in our local churches could be a part of this and help us out! Please send your pictures or videos to dan@mainesyc.org or kris@firstparishsaco.org Please include your church name and town and an email or phone # if we need to get in touch with you. No individual names will be used only church names. Peace out, The E.C.

6. What a Great Resource and Just in Time for Earth Day!
The Resource Center has just received a terrific new award-winning DVD called “Kilowatt Ours” that is sure to inform, motivate, and inspire individuals, churches, and communities to a better stewardship of our beloved planet and its resources. This 55 minute DVD came to us as a gift from U.C.C. Local Church Ministries Church Building & Loan Fund, because they are convinced if it is given a wide viewing by our churches, Associations, and Conferences, we will become agents of change and truly make a difference. Our Resource Librarian, Sandy Dyer, has viewed the entire film and given it two thumbs up. She has also written up a one-page synopsis which the Resource Center would be happy to share with you. The movie is very effective in both identifying the problems we face as a result of our current practices around generating and using energy and in outlining the changes we can make in order to solve the problems we have created. It identifies how both individuals and local communities can act to ensure a better future.

7. Can I Still Register for the NEAUCE Annual Conference on Christian Education on Cape Cod in May?
The answer to the above question is “yes”, but you will need to pay a $25 late registration fee on top of the regular registration fee, which is $225 for members of AUCE; $250 for non-members. With excellent keynoters, a smorgasbord of workshops, inspiring worship, and three days on the Cape, it’s still worth it! To have the full registration brochure e-mailed or mailed to you contact the Resource Center at resourcecenter@maineucc.org or 1-800-244-0937.

8. The registration deadline for the “Our Whole Lives” (OWL) Sexuality Education Curriculum training to be offered June 6-8 at the Bangor Theological Seminary in Portland has been extended for another week, since a few more training slots are available. This training is for the middle school and senior high school levels of the curriculum. Should your church want to offer this excellent sexuality curriculum, you will need at least two people (preferably one male and one female) who have received formal training in order to do so. If you want more information or would like the full registration brochure e-mailed or mailed to you, contact the Resource Center at resourcecenter@maineucc.org, 1-800-244-0937.

9. One of the Enrichment seminars we are offering on-line this spring is "Brushing Up on the New Testament." This would be a great seminar for someone who wants to begin the process of deeper Bible study or church school teachers who want to more than the explanation of biblical passages that the curriculum provides. Through a gift to Andover Newton we are able to offer a limited number of $100 scholarships for the seminar, which will reduce the cost to just $25.
If you are interested please contact Jeff Jones for scholarship information. More information about the seminar may be found at www.ants.edu/learn and click on the Seminar Listings link. The deadline for registration is Monday, April 21. There are just a few $100 scholarships available, so quick action is essential. Jeff Jones, Andover Newton Theological School
1-800-964-2687, ext. 291or jjones@ants.edu