1. No Commission Meetings Dec. 1
2. Final Town Meeting Scheduled
3. Last Chance for April Honduras Trip
4. Resource Center Shopping Cart is Working
5 . Spirituality and Stewardship Event April 4-5
6 . Save the Date for NEAUCE Conference May 6-8
7 . Franklin Assoc. trip to Honduras, Jan. 7-14 has openings
8 . Westbrook Warren Advent Service and Festival of the Trees
9 . Christmas Cards to Recovering Soldiers
10 . Convocation 2008 is January 21 – 23
11. Church on the Brink
12. Sexton for a Month at Woodfords
13. “For the Bible Tells Me So”, at South Portland Nov. 30
14. Explore the Possibilities at BTS in Portland, Nov. 26
15. Service of Remeberance in Brunswick, Dec. 8

1. Since the 2009 budget presentation process will not be presented to the commission until January, the committee chairs have agreed to cancel the December 1 meeting in Waterville. We hope that everyone has a very special holiday and we will see all of you on January 5.

2. The final town meeting has been scheduled. On December 8 at 1 o’clock the Lincoln Association will hold the town meeting to discuss the assets of the conference at the Newcastle Second Church. We hope that you will be able to attend to share your thoughts. See you on December 8 at 1 o’clock with Steve Foote as the facilitator.

3. April Mission Trip to Honduras
Last chance! If you are interested in participating the in April 2008 (during April vacation) mission trip to build homes in La Vueltosa. Please contact David Gaewski asap. davidgaewski@earthlink.net

4. Reminder: Resource Center Online Catalog Shopping Cart Feature Up and Running
This is just a reminder that you can once again send a resource request to the Resource Center directly from the Online Catalog. Once you have identified the resource(s) you want and added them to your “shopping cart”, you can have the catalog automatically send your request to the Resource Center. This feature had been broken for a number of months, but it is now fixed.

5. Reserve the Dates for the “Spirituality and Stewardship” Event April 4-5 in Worcester MA
The Northeast Ecumenical Stewardship Council will hold its biennial “Spirituality and Stewardship” conference on Friday and Saturday, April 4-5. 2008 in Worcester, Massachusetts. The theme is “Pursuing the Disciplines of Stewardship.” Featured speakers include Rev. A Roy Medley, Bishop Margaret Payne, Bishop Peter D. Weaver, Bruce Rockwell, and Ed Hoyt. Many workshops will be offered as well. Registration is limited to 300, so early registration is recommended (you can register online). To receive a PDF file or paper copy of the full event brochure, contact the Resource Center (1-800-244-0937, resourcecenter@maineucc.org).

6. Hold the Dates for the Annual NEAUCE Christian Education Conference on Cape Cod:
The New England Association of United Church Educators will hold its annual conference for church educators, clergy persons, and teachers May 6-8, 2008 at the Craigville Conference Center in Craigville, MA. The theme will be "Christian Faith Formation and the Emergent Church." Keynoters are Sue Dickerman and Ivy Beckwith. Workshops will address interests of new as well as seasoned Christian Educators, with topics including classroom management, curriculum, multigenerational drama, self-care, theme topics of Christian practices, making disciples, and much more. The registration brochure should be available in December.

7. Franklin Association mission project in El Junco has openings for its January 7-14 trip and would welcome you to join us. We will be doing a construction project in this rural mountain village as well as taking a medical team to work out of the Pinalejo clinic. Itinerary also includes a day trip to the Mayan ruins and shopping in Copan. Youth under the age of 18 need to be accompanied by a responsible adult (we currently have five high school and college students going on this trip). Cost of the trip, including airfare, is less than $1,000. If interested, contact Marcia Charles as soon as possible at revmcharles@gwi.net or 474-7383.

8. The Westbrook Warren Congregational Church presents an Advent Ecumenical
Service entitled “What Are You Waiting For?” on Friday, November 30th at 7 pm
Join the Westbrook Clergy Association for this special service to start the Festival of Trees.
A reception in the Fellowship hall will follow immediately after the service. Come and see 50 beautifully decorated trees - all indoors! Daily events at the church from Nov. 30 to Dec. 8. Free Admission ~ Donations Accepted. The Festival of Trees benefits local charities.
For more information visit www.westbrookwarren.com/festivaloftrees

9. When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, consider including the following:
A Recovering American soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

If you approve of the idea, please pass it on to your friends.

10. Bangor Theological Seminary announces Convocation 2008, January 21 through 23.
We have a dynamite line up and a new format this year. We have extended our Wednesday program to a full day and have introduced workshops led by faculty members on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. You may register for one, two or all three days. Our focus for this convocation will be preaching. Each day, one of our guest speakers will preach during a major worship service and offer a lecture on preaching. For more information and to register online, please click on the following link: http://www.bts.edu/Convocation/default.htm.

11. Church at the Brink. The UCC conferences of CT, MA and RI have collaborated in organizing a one-day conference to begin to address the needs and issues of churches who are facing a triad of challenges – an aging building that may be in need of significant maintenance catch up; a shrinking membership, perhaps related to changing demographics and community make-up; and inadequate financial resources to do all that the congregation may want to do. We have engaged Diana Butler Bass as our keynote speaker. The conference will be Saturday, December 8 at Old First in Springfield, MA. There will be eight workshops that will be offered twice. For more information contact Lois Happe at (413) 737-1411 or brink@oldfirstchurch.net

12. A Unique Opportunity in January : Sexton for the Month!
Larry Stuart, the church building manager/sexton at Woodfords Church, has been notified that he will need to make himself available for Jury duty for the month of January. Therefore Woodfords will need to find a substitute for Larry while he is doing his civic duty. This is a paid position. Please call the church office at 774-8243 for more information or if you are interested.

13. First Congregational Church UCC in South Portland, in collaboration with Equality Maine,
is proud to present the critically acclaimed film FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO
on Friday, Nov. 30 at 7: 00 pm. Through the experience of five very normal, very Christian, very American families, we discover how insightful people of faith handle the realization of having a gay child. FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO offers healing, clarity, and understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual identity. For more information call Deb Theriault at 799-8990 or visit www.forthebibletellsmeso.org.

14. Come Explore the Possibilities at Bangor Theological Seminary’s Portland Campus
Information Session: Monday, November 26, 2007, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Hosted by the Director of Admissions, this session will feature informal discussion of the various opportunities at BTS, including degree programs, the admissions process, and financial aid information. Light refreshments will be provided. For more information or to reserve a space at the Information Session, call Fae Gilbride, Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid: 800-287-6781 x126, or email fgilbride@bts.edu.
To register online or to learn more about BTS visit http://www.bts.edu/prospective/visit.htm
Whether you are thinking of answering a call to ministry or seeking answers to spiritual questions, you’ll find what you need at BTS. Founded in 1814, Bangor Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary in the Congregational tradition of the United Church of Christ. www.bts.edu

15. A SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE: READING THE NAMES OF THE DEAD on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2007 at UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH - 15 PLEASANT STREET in BRUNSWICK, MAINE. The Reading of the Names of the Dead will be a reverent remembrance of Americans and Iraqis and other unnamed but remembered emotional and physical casualties of the invasion and occupation of Iraq who still suffer in life what others have been spared in death. All life is sacred. The times of the service will be from 9AM to 6PM, or until the last name is read. There will be two short services: One at 12 Noon - A 15-minute service will be conducted by Deacon Frank Semancik of St. Charles Borromeo Church, and one at 5PM – A 15-minute service conducted by Rev. Sylvia A. Stocker of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick. All clergy are invited to announce this service to their congregations and any others whom they believe will benefit from this service of remembrance.

For more information contact Dexter and Gretchen Kamilewicz at 207 833-5125 or Email: Dexkam@aol.com