ALL CONFERENCE E-MAIL
MAY 23, 2007

1. Prayer Shawls for Virginia Tech
2. A Greater Gift representative needed
3. Update on camp taxation legislation
4. General Synod Info
5. General Synod on the Web
6. Condolences for Janet Leighinger
7. Adult Education programs from the Resource Center

1. In an effort to offer people a way to support the community of Virginia Tech, the YMCA at Virginia Tech is coordinating volunteers to knit or crochet "comfort shawls" (also known as prayer shawls) for those directly impacted by the school's tragedy. Comfort shawls "wrap, enfold, comfort, cover, give solace, mother, hug, shelter and beautify." The intent of the shawl is to put a loving thought, prayer or memory in to each stitch of the shawl to provide comfort during times of grief or joy.
They are hoping to receive at least 33 shawls for directly impacted families and more, if possible, to be given to faculty and staff. When I spoke with her they had only received a few. I would suggest that any group interested in contributing first contact Sandy to determine what kind of response they have gotten to date. ..........Please be sure to include your name and address with your donation."

YMCA at Virginia Tech.
403 Washington Street, SW
Blacksburg, VA 24060
Att: Sandy Wirt, Student Programs Director
540-231-3734

2. A Greater Gift- Jan McLaughlin has done a great job with A Greater Gift (formerly SERVV), but is unable to continue in this position. This is a popular program and is certainly worthwhile. We are looking for a volunteer to take over her position. If you are interested, contact Ernie Campbell, Chair, Witness Life Commission at ecamp3@verizon.net (tel# 487-3180) or contact the Conference Office at conference@maineucc.org

3. An update on the 3 bills concerning new taxes on non-profits have been reviewed by Jack Erler, an attorney working with the association of camps in Maine prior to the Legislative hearing on Friday, May 25. An update on his finding can be found on the website at http://maineucc.org/camptaxlegislation.html

4. General Synod Schedule is now listed on the UCC website in the "Synod in the City Guidebook." This guidebook has the shuttle route, time line of events, list of locations for each event, and time frame for each speaker or event.

We know that many people are interested in hearing Barack Obama speak, plan on being at the Civic Center Main Stage from 2:30 to 3:15 on Saturday afternoon. As we know, there are over 6,000 registrations so far for General Synod, and even though the Civic Center can hold 14,000 people, the area around the stage for Barack Obama will probably fill up fast. You might want to plan on getting there early to get a good spot.

If you are driving yourself, please go to www.hartfordparking.com to see a complete list of parking lots. Many lots are available for rates of $4.00 to 8.00. For those who are going on the bus with the Maine Conference, shuttles will travel a route covering each venue and can be used free of charge. The shuttle begins service a 7 am and continues to 11 pm.

5. For those you not going to Synod, you can see all the events on webcam. Go to ucc.org and you can streamline into General Synod. Streamlining, you can watch all the events from your home and not have the headache of all the noise and people.

6. Janet Leighinger’s father, George Bean, 92, passed away Saturday, May 19, 2007 at his home in Brunswick. He is survived by his wife of 55, Janet and her sister, Alice, and their husbands and two grandchildren. Janet is the Associate Pastor at Christ Church in Kennebunk. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday at the First Parish Church, Maine Street, Brunswick, with his daughter, the Rev. Janet S. Leighninger, officiating

7. 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. Where needed, the Resource Center will provide you with a password to gain access to web-based downloadable resources. In this ACE we provide fuller details on "Saving Jesus":

"Saving Jesus" is a dvd-based small group exploration of Jesus Christ for the third millennium. Featuring leading religious voices of our day, the 12-week program includes a printable participant reader and a facilitator guide offering discussion questions. The basic format for each weekly 1 to 1½ hour session includes conversation around the readings, a 20-minute video segment, and guided discussion. Join Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Matthew Fox, Amy-Jill Levine, James Forbes and a host of others for a conversation around the meaning of Jesus Christ for today.