1. Sorry
2. 2008 Yearbook Updates
3. Focus on “Bean Suppers”
4. Maine Seacoast Mission Christmas Open House
5. Condolences
6. Position Available for Academy Director
7. Woodbury Management Workshop

1. I need to apologize. Last week’s ACE suggested that you could send a Christmas card to a recovering soldier at Walter Reed Hospital. Unfortunately, I did not verify the information before including it in ACE. Following several suggestions, I did check it out and they specifically will not accept cards under these circumstances. There has been a policy in place since 2001 prohibiting them from accepting anything not addressed to a specific person. According to the website the USPS will not even deliver the cards to Walter Reed. Apparently it is a security issue. The Walter Reed Hospital website does however suggest some alternatives, so you can visit www.wramc.amedd.army.mil/Pages/default.aspx for more ideas.

2. It is the end of the year (already) and we are getting ready to issue a new Conference yearbook. I am asking for your help. Please look at last year’s yearbook, and let me know if there are any changes. I am especially interested in changes in your e-mail address or your website. You may have already sent them to us, but with the loss of my computer, and changes in personnel, I would like to make the yearbook as correct as possible before it is sent out. Thanks for your help.

3. As you know each issue of MainStay has a different focus. The issues are generally focused around a serious topic, and designed to give you pertinent information and resources for the future. However, the next issue of MainStay will be different. Let’s hear about the fun things that churches do in Maine. The focus of our next MainStay is “Bean Suppers”, or church suppers in general. Send us a good story about your church suppers - “We got 100 new members after we served roast beef” “The Fellowship Hall that Bean Suppers Built” “Oops, we thought that was sugar, but it was salt” I am sure that there are some really good stories out there that you could share with the rest of us. Deadline is Jan. 15, limit of 250 words. Send it Sue Stevens (suestevens@maineucc.org) in a Word document. Please let Sue know if you plan to submit an article.

4. Maine Sea Coast Mission Christmas Open House
The Maine Sea Coast Mission will be hosting an Open House at their facility on West Street in Bar Harbor on Friday, December 7th from 6-8 p.m. There will be hors d'oeuvres, entertainment, door prizes, and house tours of their beautiful historic building. It's a great way to get into the holiday spirit so come and enjoy food and fellowship. There is no charge for the event, however all donations will be used towards the Mission's Christmas Gift Program which serves the children and families of Downeast Maine.

5. Our prayers and thoughts are with Janet Weidler, interim pastor at Poland Community Church, in the death of her father, Olin Boyd, who died on November 24 in Georgia.
Condolences also to Rev. Linda Harper on the death of her husband, Henry Miller Harper, Jr who died on Monday, Dec. 3.

6. Job Opening: The Maine Conference is seeking a Director for its new Academy for Congregational Life and Leadership. We are looking for a qualified person, lay or ordained, to 1) assist the Academy for Congregational Life and Leadership planning team in bringing the Academy into being and 2) provide general administration and oversight of the Academy.
Duties include, but are not limited to: recruiting faculty and students, publicizing and promoting the Academy, coordinating the Academy calendar and site arrangements, being present at Academy sessions and retreats, planning and leading retreats, maintaining communication with students, maintaining Academy and student records, and attending meetings of the Advisory Board.
Job Qualifications: College graduate. Experience in the teaching ministry and/or administration is required. Ideally a candidate for this position should be able to demonstrate skills and experience in both areas.
This is a part-time position requiring an average of ten hours of work per week. The annual stipend is $8,500 and work mileage will be reimbursed.
Contact Annette Mott at the Resource Center (1-800-244-0937, resourcecenter@maineucc.org) for a detailed job description and for more information about the Academy. To apply for this position, please send an e-mail, accompanied by a resume and a list of three references in Word format to Annette Mott at the e-mail address given above. Application deadline is December 27th. The job will start in January 2008.

6. Woodbury Management Workshop 2008 – Andover Newton Theological School Building a New Matrix for Leadership with Diana Butler Bass, author of "Christianity for the Rest of Us" on February 7-8, 2008

After years of people talking about the decline of the mainline church, at last someone has something to say about how its faith and experience are leading to renewed and revitalized congregations. At the workshop you will:
i. learn ways in which the rediscovery of the ancient practices of the church is a key to renewed vitality;
ii. explore key dimensions of the leadership that enhances renewal;
iii. discover ways in which you can foster your own growth as a renewed and renewing leader.

For further information and to receive a brochure and registration form, please contact Jen Walker at 617-964-1100 ext. 316, or jwalker@ants.edu. You can also access the brochure from the Andover Newton homepage, www.ants.edu.