1. Witness Life Commission requests pledges
2. Change in Commission meetings for June
3. Help Aroostook County
4. Pilgrim Lodge Registration on-line
5. PL “Handle with Care” needs napkins
6. Youth Message at Annual Meeting
7. Name Tag Board available

1. The Commission for Witness Life is requesting pledges from Associations, congregations and individuals toward purchase of newspaper ads to run the UCC press release announcing the May 18th Sacred Conversations on Race. The ad can be viewed on-line at www.UCC.org. Communicate pledges to the Conference office immediately. Newspaper selection will be based on the amount raised and readership for the cost, and suggestions will be noted.

2. Note: Spiritual Life and Community Life Commission meetings regularly scheduled for June 7, have been rescheduled to May 31 due to various conflicts. Please change your calendars.

3. Help Aroostook County
As we are all aware, recent flooding in Aroostook County has devastated several communities in our northernmost part of the state. Whittier Congregational Church in Island Falls has sustained some damage, which is still being evaluated. While our church in Fort Kent was not damaged, their community has been devastated. More than 600 people have been displaced from their homes, and the regional Food Pantry was flooded and lost all of its provisions, just when the need is the greatest. In speaking with John Woodward, Pastor of Christ Congregational Church in Fort Kent, and his Deacons, our Disaster Coordinator, Lori Whittemore, determined that the best way that we could help would be to help rebuild the Food Pantry. The National offices of the UCC have pledged cash, but Lori will be organizing the collection and transportation of food and supplies to replenish their regional Food Pantry. Please watch the Conference website (www.maineucc.org) and next week’s ACE for details on how you can help. For more information, contact Lori Whittemore at loriwhit@maine.rr.com

4. Registration for Pilgrim Lodge is now available on-line, or you may print the registration forms and mail them to the Conference Registrar. Go to www.pilgrimlodge.org, to register or print your registration, health or scholarship forms.

5. As part of our Pilgrim Lodge curriculum "Handle With Care", we will be switching to cloth napkins this summer. If you have soft, absorbent cloth remnants in the back of your closets, we would like to recycle them! It would be really great if they were cut into 16"- 20" squares and hemmed on all four sides. We're hoping also that there will be enough for each camper to take one and start the cloth habit at home. We're not fussy about exact size and perfect hems so dust off that sewing machine and crank out a few for our kids and Mother Earth! Drop them off at PL or the Pennell Center in Yarmouth by June 1 or mail them to 103 Pilgrim Lodge Lane, West Gardiner ME 04345

6. ATTENTION ALL YOUTH!!!!!
The Executive Committee of the State Youth Council is preparing a worship service for this year’s Annual Meeting, and we would like some help from all of you! The theme of annual meeting this year is “Who we are”, and for the message at our service, we would love to have pictures or videos that tell the Conference who their youth are. As youth from our local churches, please help us out! Please send your pictures or videos to dan@mainesyc.org or kris@firstparishsaco.org by May 15. Please include your church name and town and an email or phone # if we need to get in touch with you. No individual names will be used only church names. Peace out, The E.C.

7. NAME TAG BOARD...The New Gloucester church has a well-engineered name tag board to offer your church. It is 4'2" X 8'2" and made of heavy plywood with taut wires for clip-type name badges. Holds up to 396 tags. Call Rev. Linda Gard @ 926-3260.