ALL CONFERENCE E-MAIL 
Dec. 23, 2009
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- Educator’s Days
- Forms are in the mail
- Condolences
- Freeport seeking Organist
- Dreams: A Window to the Soul
- Insurance Board introduces a new look
- ANTS LEARN Seminars
- Illinois South Conference seeking Director of Outdoor Ministries
- Christ Bell
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1. Educator’s Days
In January the Maine Conference Christian Education Ministry Team has arranged three opportunities for educators to gather and share ideas around the theme Lent & Easter. Gatherings will be held at South Congregational UCC in Kennebunkport on Tuesday January 12th, at First Congregational UCC in Bridgton on Wednesday January 20th and Holden Congregational UCC on Saturday January 23rd. All gatherings will be held from 10am -1pm. Participants are invited to bring a bag lunch so that the conversations can continue over the noon meal. A $5 per church attending is appreciated. Watch for a poster in the unified mailing going out in late December. For more information or to register for any of the events contact Anne Hodgman at resourcecenter@maineucc.org or 1-800-244-0937.
2. Church offices – your National Yearbook forms are in the mail. Please put them on top of the pile of things to do after Christmas. Thanks.
Thank you to all the Association Scribes who returned your Ministerial Standing forms. They are off to the National offices today
3. Some of you may remember Rosalyn Baston who died Dec. 19, from her work with the UCC. A member of the North Yarmouth Congregational Church, she served on the UCC Board of Directors from 1987-1993 and as the Maine Conference President from 1987-1989
Please keep her family and friends in your prayers!
4. First Parish Congregational Church in Freeport is seeking a choir director and organist for Sunday morning service. For more information, contact Brenda Skillin at 865-3700 or 615-5444
5. Dreams: A Window To The Soul
Working with our dreams, Friday, January 8 afternoon through Saturday January 9, 2010
at the Alcyon Center, Seal Cove, on Mount Desert Island. Overight accomodations are available. Sliding scale for fees. Facilitated by Rev. William Bigelow, a fourth-year candidate-in-training at the C.G. Jung Institute, Boston. Space is limited. For further information please call 207-244-3445
6. Insurance Board Introduces New Look
The United Church of Christ Insurance Board (IB) has introduced a new look for the company with a new logo. Earlier in 2009, the IB welcomed a third denomination into the Insurance Board program, Presbyterian Church (USA). “As we were making the transition,” says Cathy Green, IB President & CEO, “we quickly realized that we would need to design an identity and logo for the Insurance Board that better reflects the inclusion of the Disciples of Christ and Presbyterian Church (USA) denominations into our Program.”
The products, service, and exceptional value that IB participants have enjoyed do not change.
The new logo simply better reflects the three denominations the IB serves: the churches and
related ministries of the United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, and Presbyterian Churc
7. Andover Newton’s winter LEARN seminars are fast approaching. The following seminars have deadlines in the first few weeks of January.
Churchy Uses of Social Media with Tony Jones, author of The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier and Postmodern Youth Ministry. Explore the theology, practical and technical dimension of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media with someone who knows them well and uses them often.
Using Congregational Stories to Bring New Meaning to Lent with Charles Olsen, author of Transforming Church Boards into Communities of Spiritual Leaders and The Wisdom of the Seasons. Prepare for a different kind of Lenten season as you to discover, work with, and mine church stories for renewal and spiritual wisdom, using the Lenten season as a window to connect the seasons of our stories with the seasons of the church year.
Also coming soon:
Never Call Them Jerks with Arthur Paul Boers
Helping Congregations Do Theology with Tony Robinson
Leading in a Congregation with Jeff Jones
Spiritual Leadership with Graham Standish
Recruiting and Supporting Volunteers
For further information go to www.ants.edu/learn or contact Jeff Jones, Director of Distance Learning at jjones@ants.edu.
8. Illinois South Conference of the United Church of Christ is seeking a Director of Outdoor Ministries. Our year-round programming includes a major equine program, Christian and secular summer camps for children, individual family camping, year-round Nature’s Classroom workshops, a variety of retreats promoting Christian education and spiritual formation, corporate meetings and events, a craft and music festival, work camps and individual Sabbath and renewal. Qualifications and specific responsibilities are listed in the position description which is available with the application on the Illinois South Conference (http://iscucc.org/aboutisc/employment.html ) and DuBois Center (www.duboiscenter.org) web sites.
Christ Bell
THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are?
LOVE to YOU!
The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you
And give you peace...