1. Honduras Mission Trip in April 2008
2. Disaster Recovery Committee meeting – Nov. 3
3. Disaster recovery workers needed in Minnesota
4. Sexton for a Month
5. Hymnals for Free
6. For the Bible Tells Me So, in South Portland
7. Condolences
8. Reading names of Iraq victims
9. BTS Open House in Bangor

1. Honduras Mission Trip – April 2008
There is a mission trip planned for April 2008 in LaVueltoza, Honduras. If you are interested in going on one of three trips please email Cheryl Tibbetts cbtibbetts@fairpoint.net to let her know of your intentions and she will add you to the information list. The trip application is posted on the Conference’s web site. There is a $100 non-refundable deposit due by November 15th. This is a construction mission trip and will be labor intensive thus we need folks who are physically fit and able to mix cement, lug buckets of cement and move cinder blocks as well as other laboring tasks. Contact Cheryl via email for more information.

2. There will be a Maine Conference Disaster Recovery Committee meeting on Saturday, November 3 from 10:00am -11:30 at the Old South Congregational Church in Hallowell, downstairs in the classrooms.
If you have interest or expertise in disaster planning, and adult mission trips, please come. For more information or to rsvp, email Lori Whittemore at loriwhit@maine.rr.com or call 207-846-0424.

3. In late August, 2007 a weather system produced heavy rains in the upper Midwest as remnants of Tropical Storm Erin made their way inland, producing major flooding across a broad area of the central U.S. In the wake of the storms seven counties in SE Minnesota received a federal disaster declaration. Preliminary estimates indicate at least $26 million in flood damage and including 1,500 damaged homes across six counties. In response to this flooding, there is an immediate need for volunteers to help begin the reconstruction in this area. For additional information contact, Lori Whittemore, our Disaster Coordinator, or Dave Engel (410-596-3427) in Ohio.

4. 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. Realizing that Larry will be notified on a day-to-day basis as to his selection for jury duty, we anticipate that of our needs will include:
1. 20 -40 hours/week depending on Larry’s availability. These hours would include Tuesday and Wednesday from 5-9:30 pm
2. cleaning and vacuuming
3. snow removal of walkways around church during weekdays
4. assisting the Portland Conservatory of Music as they move in to our building in mid-January (Note: you won’t be doing any piano moving!!)
Please call the church office at 774-8243 for more information or if you are interested.

5. Second Congregational Church, UCC in Newcastle, has about 100 of the green hymnals, "Hymns for the Family of God." We would love to donate those to any congregation that might need them. The office phone number is 563-3379 and the Office Administrator is Jane Najim.

6. 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.

7. Our prayers are with the Rev. Rob McCall, pastor in Blue Hill, and the Rev. John McCall, pastor in South Portland, on the October 26 death of their mother, the Rev. Dr. Barbara Warren McCall. Barbara was a pioneering figure in empowering women for ministry in the United Church of Christ. She received the Antoinette Brown award at the 1987 General Synod in Cleveland. A celebration of her life will be held in her hometown of Holden, Massachusetts, after Memorial Day. More information is available a http://www.fccucc.org/ministers/default.asp?lp=fromjohn

8. The names of soldiers/civilians killed in the Iraq War will be read on Saturday, December 8, starting at 8:00 in the morning. All churches are invited to send interested members to this remembrance event and to help with the reading of the names. More information will follow, but if you have any questions, please call Gretchen Kamilewicz at 833-5125 or email at dexkam@aol.com

9. Come Explore the Possibilities at Bangor Theological Seminary
We invite you to explore opportunities for theological education at BTS. Learn about classes, degree programs and financial aid as you speak with faculty, staff, and students. At BTS you’ll find small class sizes and a special commitment to part-time, commuter and second-career students. Whether you want to answer a call to ministry or seek answers to spiritual questions, you’ll find what you need at BTS.
Please join us at the Bangor Campus Open House on November 5. Lunch will be provided. For more information or to reserve a space, call Fae Gilbride, Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid: 800-287-6781 x126, email fgilbride@bts.edu
Bangor Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary in the Congregational tradition of the United Church of Christ. www.bts.edu