ALL CONFERENCE E-MAIL
October 7, 2009
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- Conference seeking “A Greater Gift” representative
- State Youth Fall Convention – Oct. 16-18
- Mardi Gras in November – Nov 14
- Working Together for Good on Health Care – Oct. 8
- Spirituality and Health Care: A False Dichotomy? – Oct. 28
- Bishop Gene Robinson will speak on Marriage Equality, Thursday, October 15
- Marching for Marriage Equality – Oct. 18
- Special Date Night in Saco - Oct. 24
- Disaster Response Team Kit Drive
- New England Justice Event "Just Practice" scholarships available
- Save the Date! Ecumenical Advocacy Days March 19 - 22, 2010
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1. You may have noticed that there was no booth from “A Greater Gift” (formerly known as SERRV) at this year’s Annual Meeting. After many years dedicated to presenting “A Greater Gift” merchandise to the Maine Conference, our representative, Jan McLaughlin, retired in 2007. The Mission committee from Old South Church in Farmington graciously staffed the booth at the 2008 Annual Meeting. However, no one stepped forward this year to staff the “Greater Gift” display. So the Conference is looking for someone who would like to continue Jan’s valuable work including order and inventory the Greater Gift items and display them at Association and Conference Annual Meetings. If you are interested in becoming the next “Greater Gift” person, please contact Sue Stevens at the Conference office.
2. STATE YOUTH COUNCIL FALL CONVENTION is October 16-18 at Pilgrim Lodge. All youth, Grades 9-12 are eligible to attend. It is a weekend of fun, food, fellowship and faith. Check out www.mainesyc.org for more information and registration forms about this AWESOME weekend and to learn more about YOUR State Youth Council.
3. MARDI GRAS IN NOVEMBER Saturday, November 14 at Saco First Parish, UCC, from 5:30 to 8 PM Have you been to New Orleans on a Mission Trip? Are you getting ready to go to N.O. on a Mission Trip? Are you interested in knowing more about NOLA Mission Trips throughout the conference? The newly formed Maine Conference Disaster Relief Committee invites YOU to this great evening of entertainment, live Jazz Band, and a guest speaker, The Rev. Allan Coe, who is the minister for Disaster Relief of the South Central Conference, UCC Disaster Response Ministry. Mardi Gras dress is optional. Dinner is provided, please bring a side dish or dessert to share. For more information or to RSVP: Loriwhit@maine.rr.com (Lori Whittemore) or (207) 699-8991 or kris@firstparishsaco.org (Kris Galasyn) or (207) 283-3771
4. Working together for good on health care.
Dear friends,
I invite you to join me and Jim Wallis of Sojourners on a conference call to talk about what is really going on with health care reform – hosted especially for church leaders – with Maine policy experts. This live call will take place October 8th at 1:00 PM.
This call is an attempt to bring some civility and clarity to a very confusing debate. It is part of an effort led by faith groups across the country to ensure that Congress passes reform legislation that extends quality, affordable health care to every American family. As special interests distort, disrupt, and shut down dialogue across the country, we need a chance for honest dialogue.
Join us Thursday October 8th at 1 p.m. - RSVP now, because space is very limited.
By joining the call, you are choosing to be a part of the solution - to join the discussion about what America really needs from health care reform. We can’t let such an important opportunity to improve the lives of our families, churches, and communities pass us by. Please join us, and please share this message with your friends and colleagues.
Jill Job Saxby, Executive Director
P.S. You can read Maine Council of Churches' vision of a health care system that is inclusive, affordable, accessible and accountable on our website at www.mainecouncilofchurches.org/healthcare
5. Spirituality and Health Care: A False Dichotomy?
Maine Medical Center will present Dr. Daniel P. Sulmasy, whose research interests encompass both theoretical and empirical investigations of the ethics of end-of-life decision-making, ethics, education, and spirituality in medicine, on Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon at The Charles A. Dana Health Education Center, Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine. For more information phone: 207-662-2951 or email: draveg@mmc.org
6. Bishop Gene Robinson will speak on Marriage Equality, Thursday, October 15, at 7 pm at Cathedral Church of St. Luke, 143 State Street, Portland, ME 04101. For more information contact Katy Jayne at kjayne@mclu.org or 774-5444.
7. WE ARE MARCHING IN THE LIGHT OF GOD in a witness against discrimination and in support of marriage equality for all Mainers. You are invited to join in the march and rally on Sun., Oct. 18 at 2:30 pm. People of faith from all over the area will be gathering at churches and parks and walking to Monument Square for an Interfaith service to celebrate our unity in God’s love and our desire for justice for all God’s people. With prayer, music, and spoken words we will all have the opportunity to express our faith and to call for the end of discrimination against LGBT persons. Your faith community can join in. Meet with other marchers at one of the following locations in Portland at 1:45pm:
Back Cove Parking Lot / Across from Hannaford’s
Eastern Promenade Parking Lot
Hope.Gate.Way Church, 185 High Street
First Parish Church, 425 Congress Street
Williston West Church, 32 Thomas Street
Immanuel Baptist Church, 156 High Street
Please meet at 1:45 pm. We will start marching at 2 pm and arrive in Monument Square by 2:30.
Program starts at 2:30 pm. Bring your church banner and flags. If you are clergy, please come in appropriate attire. If you have any questions, please contact Katy Jayne at kjayne@mclu.org or 774-5444.
8. First Parish Congregational Church Saco UCC is hosting a special “date night” to strengthen a couple’s relationship - Saturday October 24 from 5:30-8:30pm
Rev. Dr. Don Hodgson, Pastoral Counselor from Woodfords Congregational Church UCC will be facilitating these relationship seminars to which all varieties of couples are very warmly welcomed to attend.
The evening will include a time of enjoying delicious appetizers, delightful company, live music, and a one hour relationship growth seminar. Couples are then encouraged to dine-out at one of Saco/Biddeford’s many fine dinning establishments.
So that couples may enjoy the intimacy of the evening, participants are encouraged to register their children for the “pajama party” hosted by the youth group in the lower level of the church from 5:30- 8:30. Cost of the event is $10 per a couple and includes appetizers and childcare.
To register please contact Abby at abby@firstparishsaco.org.
9. Friends,
All the flooding and storms in the United States and the tsunami and earthquakes around the world has created a shortage of CWS Gift of the Heart Kits. Specifically needed are clean up buckets and hygiene kits. The Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ Disaster Response Team (DRT) is working on a state wide-ecumenical kit drive to amass hygiene kits and clean-up buckets to be sent to the CWS New Windsor warehouse in November or December. The DRT is working on coordination of warehousing and staging in partnership with the State VOAD (volunteer organizations active in disaster) in Portland as well as pick ups at churches that need kit pickup. Please post this call with the kit information flyers from the below links and start having your parishioners make kits. If each family in our state made one kit that would be more than 15,000 kits. We will be posting further instructions in the next few weeks. Please also remember that nothing additional should be put in the kits or buckets (Christmas presents or Christian reading material), as this relief goes to folks who need it and they may not be Christian. More information will be sent by ACE and on our soon to be launched website.
Hygiene Kits:
http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer?pagename=kits_hygiene
Clean up buckets:
http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer?pagename=kits_emergency
With Peace and Blessings
Leigh Kirchner
Disaster Response Team
leighmk@maine.rr.com
207-712-7244
10. The Witness Life Commission has some "scholarship" money available to support folks who would like to attend the New England Justice Event "Just Practice" in Worcester, MA- November 6 & 7. If you would like to attend this conference and agree to report back to your local church or association about what you learned from attending the event PLEASE get in touch with Tara Olsen at tazbo24@yahoo.com. Thank you!
11. Save the Date! Ecumenical Advocacy Days March 19 - 22, 2010
A Place to Call Home: Immigrants, Refugees, and Displace Peoples
Jesus had no place to lay his head. Neither does tens of millions of migrants, refugees and displaced persons. Be a part of an action weekend addressing this global injustice. Join hundreds of faith-based advocates in taking action on legislation that will welcome immigrants, protect refugees, and prevent displacement for millions.
Worship, study and dialogue with hundreds of people of faith at the annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days. Then join us as we go to Capitol Hill to advocate for our members of Congress to remedy this global injustice. The 2010 conference will be held March 19 - 22 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Crystal City, Va.