ALL CONFERENCE E-MAIL          summer2
August 27, 2009
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1.  A couple of reminders about Annual Meeting:
          Reservations for lodging at Sunday River, with deposit, must be received by Sunday River by August 25.  The group rates and availability for rooms at Sunday River Grand Hotel are not guaranteed beyond the deadline of August 25.
          Registration for Annual Meeting deadline is Sept. 1.  Please send your registration, along with the check, to the Conference office as soon as possible. Sunday River must have reservations for meals shortly after our deadline, so no meal tickets will be available at the registration desk.
Several of the workshops are filling up rapidly, and workshops are filled on a first come-first served basis, so be sure to get your registration in quickly, and designate a second choice for your workshop selections.
          Please join us at Sunday River for a weekend of visiting with friends, participating in the work of the Conference, eating, relaxing and worshiping together.  See you on the mountain.

2.  Just Practice, A New England Justice & Witness Event on Practicing Justice in our Lives, Communities and World, will be held Friday, November 6 (5:00 PM) through Saturday, November 7 (4 PM), 2009, United Congregational Church ~ 6 Institute Road ~ Worcester, Massachusetts  Through creative worship, Bible study, movement and group reflection, you’ll be invited to deepen your own understanding of what “just practice” means to you and your faith community – and share your insights with others. Together we’ll explore what happens when we see, reflect, and act on today’s reality; and we’ll add tools for healing and transforming trauma to help us live fully into God’s call. And then, well, we’ll just practice.
Register at http://www.macucc.org/mission-justice/JustPractice.htm
Sponsored by the New England Conferences of the United Church of Christ

3.  You are invited to come out to Rockcraft Retreat Center for an event which will celebrate the site and the ministries which have happened there, as we prepare to relinquish it to other hands. The date is Sept. 13, from 2:30 to 5:30. In the spirit of a meaningful Rockcraft experience, there will be time to take in the physical beauty of Sebago Lake, visit, reflect, worship and eat. And, you are invited to bring a momento of Rockcraft – a photograph, a poem, etc., to help create a collage which will exist only for the afternoon: you can bring it, and take it home with you. To RSVP to this event, please contact Cathy Croudis at the Conference office: cathycroudis@maineucc.org, or 846-5118.d

4.  We have just learned that Rev. Stanley Welch died Friday Aug. 21, 2009 at Winship Green Nursing Center.  Funeral services were held Wednesday,  at 1:00 PM at the Phippsburg Congregational Church with Rev. Mark Wilson and Rev. Dan Coffin officiating.  Burial followed at Morningside Cemetery in Phippsburg.

5.  On-Line Seminars from Andover Newton
Andover Newton offers on-line seminars for both clergy and laity through the Local Education and Renewal Network (LEARN). They are four weeks long and offer great opportunities for enhancing your ministry skills and knowledge without leaving home.
Fall seminars are open for registration now. There’s something for everyone – clergy, laity, beginners, experts, speakers of English and Spanish!
Introductory seminars include:
Islam: A Basic Introduction
Four Keys to Teaching Children
Good Girls, Bad Girls: Discovering the Women of the Bible
Introducción al Antiguo Testamento
More advanced seminars taught by the authors of the book include:
Appreciative Inquiry: Shaping Conversations, Leading Change with Mark Branson
Becoming a Blessed Church with Graham Standish
The Soul of a Leader with Margaret Benefiel
For further information on the seminar check out the LEARN website, www.ants.edu/learn or contact Jeff Jones, Director of Distance Learning, at jjones@ants.edu.