ALL CONFERENCE E-MAIL
Aug. 5, 2009
1. Annual Meeting – Sept. 25-27, 2009
2. Introducing our new Placement Assistant
3. Prayer Shawl Celebration
4. Seeking Music for Middle School Choir
5. Part Time Sunday School Coordinator Needed
6. Condolences for Rev. Willard Strong
7. Cards for Rev. Ernie Johnson
8. BTS Opening Convocation
9. Articles about H.R. 3200 – Affordable Health Care for Americans Act
2009
10. Today’s thought
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1. Amazing isn’t it? It is August already, and Annual Meeting is only a little over 6 weeks away. Did you know that our Keynote Speaker this year is Rev. Otis Moss III, the pastor at Trinity Congregational Church in Chicago, who delivered a moving speech at General Synod last month? Our theme this year is around Justice, and so we have also invited Rev. Linda Jaramillo, Executive Minister of Justice and Witness Ministries at our national offices, who will speak on Saturday morning and conduct a workshop following her talk. Please join us for an inspiring weekend to open our eyes to the many ways that we can promote love and justice in our world. Information and Registration materials for Annual Meeting 2009 are posted on the Conference website http://www.maineucc.org
2. Please join the Maine Conference staff in welcoming our new Placement Assistant, Beth Campbell. Beth joins us after 7 years in the Development office of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. A member of the Williston West UCC church, Beth is active in her church family and happy to be working within the UCC tradition. You can reach Beth at placement@maineucc.org or the Conference office phone number. Be sure to say Hi to Beth when you are at the Pennell Center or at Annual Meeting.
3. A little more about our Prayer Shawl celebration at Annual Meeting. We hope to have a procession at the beginning of Annual Meeting where the prayer shawls will be brought forward, and draped around the front of the room, to lend color and warmth during the meeting. After Annual Meeting, we will be sending the prayer shawls on to our hospital chaplains at Maine Medical and Eastern Maine Medical to be distributed to patients in their hospitals. Knitters and Crocheters – please consider contributing prayer shawls for this loving outreach. You can send your shawls with your pastor or delegates. If you have a card that you attach to your shawls, please leave the “To:” blank, and have the person who made the prayer shawl sign it.
4. First Parish Congregational Church in Freeport is seeking contemporary music for a newly formed Choir of Middle School aged youth. If you have some music to share, please contact Brenda Skillin, at 615-5444.
5. Part-Time Sunday School Coordinator: The Bar Harbor Congregational Church, United Church of Christ seeks an enthusiastic part-time Sunday School coordinator for preschool thru Grade 12. For more information, please contact Rev. Dr. Sandra Reed, smreed@barharborucc.org or 207-288-3280 or Kathe Simons, CE Board Chairperson, kathe@simons.mv.com or 207-244-3207.
6. Rev Willard W. Strong passed away Tuesday, July 21st in Geauga County, Ohio. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Betty and their family. Notes may be sent to Mrs. Strong c/o Sue Juhasz, 9652 Morgan Rd., Montville, OH 44064.
7. We learned recently that the Rev. Ernie Johnson suffered a stroke last week.
Rev. Johnson served Old South in Hallowell as a settled pastor in the 1950s
and then as an interim pastor in the 1980s. He currently serves the Manchester
Community Church.
Rev. Johnson is in the rehab unit at MaineGeneral/Thayer in Waterville. Except
for family, NO visitors are being allowed to see him, but he would love to receive
cards/notes. He is expected to be at Thayer for about two weeks. Please keep
Rev. Johnson, and his family, in your prayers.
The address is as follows:
Rev. Ernest Johnson-- patient
MaineGeneral/Thayer
149 North St.
Waterville, ME 04901
8. Please join us for BTS Opening Convocation for 2009-2010 Academic Year
Bangor Campus - September 9, 12-1PM
Dyke Center for Family Business,
Husson University
Please RSVP to Trish Annis
pannis@bts.edu or 942-6781 x114
Portland Campus - September 16, 12-1PM
159 State Street, Portland Maine
Please RSVP to Bonnie Wright
bwright@bts.edu or 774-5212 x201
A reception will immediately follow.
9. There is an email being circulated about H.R. 3200 – Affordable Health
Care for Americans Act 2009 – that contains some misleading statements
about the Bill which might be confusing to some people. Below are some articles
for you that may clarify the proposed Bill. I hope this is helpful.
Barbara T. Baylor, MPH
Minister for Health Care Justice
Justice & Witness Ministries, United Church of Christ
http://mediamattersaction.org/factcheck/200907300008
http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm - (A Side-by-Side comparison of all major health care Reform proposals)
10. Peace starts with a smile.