ALL CONFERENCE E-MAIL
May 16, 2007
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1, Association Celebrations
2. General Synod 26 Badges
3. Parent’s Meeting for Youth to Synod
4. Plain Truth for Maine Youth
5. Imagine Another World is Possible – June 29
6. SoulJam at Funtown USA – May 26
7. “Above the Clouds” Opening
8. Resource Center – “Living the Question”
9. A Call to Prayer
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1. Cumberland Association – Rev. Elsa A. Peters will
be Installed as Associate Minster at the First Congregational Church, United
Church of Christ, in South Portland on Sunday, May 20, 2007 at 2 pm.
York Association will hold an Ecclesiastical Council on Thursday,
June 14, at 7 pm, at First Congregational Church, Kittery Point, for the purpose
of examining Kevin Goldenbogen for ordination to the Christian Ministry.
2. If you have registered for General Synod using your home address, you should
soon be receiving your name badge and meal tickets. The envelope
will have the “Let It Shine” logo on it. Please make sure you keep
this in a safe place and take it with you to Hartford. If you have signed in
as a group, or have used the same address for more than one person, all items
will be mailed together to the address provided. This mailing will also have
a Synod in the City Guide.
3. Bryan Breault and Heidi Bennett will be expecting to see all youth
and their parent/legal guardian on Sunday for the mandatory meeting
at Saco First. This will be the time to get all necessary paperwork filled out,
see the current schedule of events, and ask any questions you may have. Chaperones
are also expected to be there. See you on Sunday.
4. The Plain Truth for Maine Youth Coalition (PTMY) is seeking
high school youth that are interested in participating in an upcoming youth
forum. PTMY is a coalition that promotes and supports the right of every young
person to access the information and develop the skills necessary to make safe
and responsible choices about his or her sexual health and to actively support
and advocate for comprehensive sexuality education in Maine.
Towards this end we are holding a forum on June 11th for the purpose of speaking
with youth in order to hear their first hand experiences and insights in the
reality of sexuality education in the classroom, as well as hearing directly
from them what actually is happening in their lives. We also want to get some
input and ideas from them as we develop a strategic plan for the upcoming year
to further promote a comprehensive approach to sexuality education. For more
information please contact Doris Miller, Coordinator for the Plain Truth for
Maine Youth Coalition by e-mail at dmiller@fpam.org.
5. Singer-songwriter and United Church of Christ minister Jerry Leggett, also
known as “The Sea Wall Singer", began a yearlong peace mission on
January 12, 2007. He has been touring across the country bringing a non-sectarian,
non-political educational peace message to schools, churches, synagogues, mosques
and public gathering places throughout the United States. Each stop will offer
free live music and a priceless message: “Imagine Another World
is Possible." The Peace Bubble, as Jerry’s transportation
is known, will arrive at the First Congregational Church UCC in South Portland,
ME on Friday June 29. There will be a free concert at 6:30 PM in the church
sanctuary. Everyone is welcome! Come and imagine another world with us. If you
have any questions, please contact Rev. Elsa Peters at elsa@fccucc.org
6. We are very excited to be hosting our 7th annual SoulJam
at Funtown USA in Saco. We would love to have you come and be a part of this
awesome event on May 26th from 11:00 to 7:00 PM. Featuring 4 stages with 25
bands from all over New England and Canada. There is also a children's stage
with drama teams, puppeteers, mime and circus acts. For more information please
log onto www.worshipradionetwork..org
or call 207-622-1340 and ask to speak to Denise.
7. There is one opening on August 1-9 trip to La Vueltoza. The cost of the trip, which includes air, room. Board and transportation, is $1100. If you are interested please email Alice Anderman at Revalice@wtvlucc.org
8. The Resource Center has available for loan to churches four adult education courses produced by the "Living the Questions" publishing group. LTQ produces DVD and web-based adult study resources from a progressive Christian viewpoint. We have the following titles: "Living the Questions", "Saving Jesus", "Victory and Peace or Justice and Peace" (featuring John Dominic Crossan) and "Countering Pharoah's Production-Consumption Society Today" (featuring Walter Brueggemann).
Any congregation that pays its audio-visual subscription fee for the year may borrow these resources for the full term of their study. The Resource Center will provide you with a password to gain access to all the web-based downloadable resources. The next four ACEs, beginning with today's, will give full details on each course:
"Living the Questions" is a 12-week DVD and web-based small group program offering a progressive re-visioning of Christianity. The course is designed to help people wrestle with the relevance of Christianity in the 21st century, to explore beyond the rote theologies in which so many people and churches seem to be stuck. "Living the Questions" will help seekers and “church alumni/ae” alike to discover what a meaningful faith can look like in today’s world. Weekly sessions include: conversations with leading theologians, church leaders, sociologists and biblical scholars; concrete spiritual practices and disciplines; and suggestions for engagement in acts of social justice.
9. From the Moderators of UCC General Synod XXVI:
A Call to Prayer
April 7, 2007
Dear Church Family and Friends:
We are preparing for our United Church of Christ General Synod and 50th Anniversary Celebrations to be held in Hartford, Connecticut, from June 22 - 26, 2007. In our own preparations, we find ourselves seeking Divine wisdom and discernment for the task ahead. We write to ask for your help, support and involvement. We know we cannot do this alone. As Archbishop Tutu so eloquently states: “We are made to live in a delicate network of interdependence with one another, with God and with the rest of God’s creation.”
Everyone is invited to join us at Synod. If you will not be able to go, you
can all participate
by praying for us. Prayer can move mountains.
Please pray for the delegates, leadership, moderators and visitors to Synod,
for our families,
our churches, our denomination, and our world. We believe that the outcomes
of Synod have an
impact on our world. Pray that we will be deepened in our relationship with
God, that indeed we
will “Let it shine” (our Synod theme), that we will be God-centered
in all our conversations and
deliberations, and that we will listen deeply to hear and discern what the Spirit
is saying to
the Church.
Please consider any or all of the following opportunities to pray:
• When you see the Moderator banner, pray for us and the whole church.
• In the months ahead and during Synod, pray for us and those gathered;
and consider
sharing this request with your prayer circle or friends.
• If you are willing to gather with us in a prayer group for a couple
of times over
the next few months, we would welcome the opportunity.
Through your thoughtful and gracious prayers you are contributing immensely
to this ministry.
Thank you for creating a foundation for us to stand upon.
Blessings and Peace,
Merlyn Lawrence
Moderator, UCC General Synod XXVI
Rev. Elizabeth King
Assistant Moderator, UCC General Synod XXVI
Kevin M. Manz
Assistant Moderator, UCC General Synod XXVI