Transitions is the best work to describe this year of my ministry. In one way or another there have been six staff transitions. After two years Rev. June Boutwell completed her service as our Transitional Associate Conference Minister. June’s work in Maine was greatly appreciated. Her skills with Church and Ministry Committees as well as her pastoral care of clergy are most noteworthy. In late August we welcomed Rev. Susan M. Craig as our new Associate Conference Minister. I was a member of the search committee that chose “Susie” as our unanimous first choice for the position. I provided Susie with one week of intensive orientation and training, including two days in Cleveland with training from the Parish Life and Leadership staff as well as time with Lorin Cope who assisted us in reflecting on best practices of Conference Minister/Associate Conference Minister working relationships.

After twenty-five years on the conference staff Ms. Cheryl Tibbetts retired as the Administrative Assistant. I worked with Mark Schussler in the search for and decision of hiring Ms. Susan Stevens as the new Executive Assistant. Some changes were made to the job description which has given more administrative responsibilities to the newly designed position.

Also leaving the staff was Eric Belcher as Rockcraft Manager. Mr. Schussler handled the search and decision to hire Mr. John George as our new retreat center manager. Ms. Liz Charles was hired as the Honduras Mission Coordinator, a position of 16 hours per week. The funding for this position came from fees-for-service initiated by the Honduras Partnership Committee rather than from OCWM income. This is a one year position with a term ending on Nov. 1, 2007.

Finally, at the end of the summer I received the letter of resignation of Rev. David Ray, the Associate Minister for Small Church Development. Currently the leadership of the conference is developing a plan on filling this position.

I continue to be grateful for the work of every staff member, as I continue to believe I am blessed with being surrounded by skilled and dedicated staff members.

This year I continued the development of a new Task Force within our conference called the “Financial Envisioning and Development Committee”. This is a necessary piece of our conference life and it is my hope that a future change in By-Laws with make this group a permanent standing committee in our conference structure. Primary work this year has been in the area of OCWM analysis and creation of policies for receiving special directed gifts. The 2006 end-of-year financial analysis includes these items worth noting:
• 50% of the $15,000 deficit in Fellowship Dues income is attributed to three congregations.
• 50 churches increased OCWM, 53 decreased OCWM, and 47 had no change in OCWM from 2005 to 2006.
• Friends of the Conference appeal was 100%+ more successful in 2006 over 2005. Also the Friends of Pilgrim Lodge appeal netted $10,060. This is a 125% increase over 2005

In the Fall of 2006 I taught the UCC History and Theology course and in the Spring of 2007, the UCC Practice of Ministry course at Bangor Theological Seminary.

As my tenure as Conference Minister grows, I am asked to assume more national responsibilities for our life together as a denomination. Not only do I consider this my responsibility, but it is also a way in which the Maine Conference gives toward the overall mission of our denomination. My national responsibilities are:
1. The Brown/Make-a-Difference Committee, which meets via conference telephone call three times/year to administer grant and scholarship funds for clergy continuing education, lay ministry development, and clergy nurture.
2. Conference Minister’s New Church Advisory Committee, which meets twice a year in Cleveland to administer funds for New Churches (one grant was given to Open House, UCC in Portland this year).
3. Conference Minister’s OCWM Committee, which meet once or twice a year for the purpose of national OCWM development strategies. Later this year I have been asked to meet with the West Coast Conference Ministers for the purpose of strategizing how these conferences can increase their support to our denomination.
4. Executive Council, which meets twice a year. After finishing my term on the Board of Directors of Local Church Ministries, I was asked to fill the unexpired term of Jean Alexander on the Executive Council. Beginning this year I have started my own two year term. The Executive Council functions as the General Synod of the UCC between General Synods.
5. Council of Conference Ministers which meets approximately twice/year. This is the body within the UCC that oversees our denominational life from the perspective of conference executives. The Council provides oversight to the UC Insurance Board and the Essential Conference Ministry Fund. It has also had a key role in conversations regarding potential re-structuring of the denomination, legal issues, OCWM development, orientation of new Conference Ministers, the Still Speaking Initiative, etc.
The Maine Conference was asked to forgive the loan that the conference made to the Still Speaking Initiative in the amount of $26,000. The Coordinating Council considered this request and did forgive the loan earlier this year.

I attended 2 days of the Annual Meeting of the Maritime Conference of the United Church of Canada. During those days I had private meetings with one staff member of their conference, their national ecumenical officer, and their Franco-ministry coordinator. A retreat is planned in October for the programmatic staff of the Maine Conference together with the programmatic staff of the Maritime Conference of the UC of Canada. Our goal will be to do asset mapping to discern ways we can work more closely together to serve churches in the Aroostook and Washington Associations and the Woolastook and St. Stephen Presbyteries.

I continue to meet on a regular basis with the executives of the other judicatories in Maine through the meetings hosted by the Maine Council of Churches.

My two weeks of Study Leave in Japan were very rewarding and informative. Significant highlights:
• Visiting UCC mission site in Sendai with Jeff Mensendiek and preaching in a local church.
• Asian Rural Institute: a UCC supported ministry. I had an interesting meeting with the director discussing possibilities of making a link between their work and the E&R Synod in Honduras.
• Hiroshima. This was the most moving experience of my trip helping me to deeply understand the Japanese Peace Constitution.
Temples and Shrines were visited in every city traveled. I was particularly moved by the reverence of the Buddhist Temple in Miyajima. During this time I reflected on the book “Living Buddha, Living Christ” by Thich Nhat Hanh.

A Church and Ministry Training event took place in Saco. Eight of our ten associations were represented. I led the first half of the event introducing the newly completed “Church on Ministry Toolkit”. I also lead the program portion of a Cumberland Association In-Care Student retreat. I conducted a MOM 101 Workshop in February. Three Association committees were in attendance. During the past year my primary staff support was for the Church and Ministry committees in York, Cumberland, and Aroostook Association. Since Susie Craig’s arrival as ACM, my duties have shifted to providing staff support to Cumberland, Lincoln, Hancock Waldo and Aroostook.

Placement Team attended the biennial Search and Call Event in Orlando, FL. Many of the Maine Conference practices were highlighted and discussed at the meeting.
Placement is a fundamental piece of my work as well as that of the ACM and AM4SCD whom I have supervised. Since last years Annual Meeting our Placement Team as served the Maine churches with the placement of 14 settled pastorates (Rangeley, S. Portland, S. Freeport, Norway, E. Sumner, W. Brooksville, Springfield, Yarmouth, Madison, Ellsworth, Edgecomb, Gardiner, Cornish and the ACM Conference position). The Team assisted in the placement 7 Intentional Interims (Brewer, Sanford, N. Buxton, Falmouth Foreside, Steven’s Ave., Ellsworth and Scarborough 1st). We have worked with four congregations choosing a “Redevelopment/Turn-a-Round” Ministry (Gray, Millbridge, Weld, and State Street); and one Student Minister placement (Monson). Finally we provided Bridge Ministers for 4 congregations (Williston West, Scarborough 1st, N. Buxton, and N. Berwick). The team continues to receive feedback and revise our working document entitled “Categories of Transitional Ministry”. This document received strong interested from the Search and Call Gathering in Orlando as other conferences indicated that our work was a useful tool for their own settings of ministry.

Certainly this has been the most challenging year of the Honduras Partnership with the Evangelical and Reformed Church of Honduras. Differences in theological perspectives and polity have caused severe strains in the relationship at a time when the level of activity had reached unprecedented highs. At the writing of this report, the Honduras Partnership Committee is in a season of discernment regarding our future work. There is agreement within the Maine committee that certain areas of trust are in need of mending and that communication from our partner church over the past six months has lead to a weakening of our relationship.
I am pleased to report that a gift of $5000. was received from the First Congregational Church of Greewich, CT for the support of our Mission Director and Interns. Our efforts in finding a donor for the purchase of a vehicle for our Mission Director and Interns has been successful. Debi and Jay Shaw of Greenwich, CT have donated a total of $34,000. for the purchase of a 2006 Nissan 4x4 Pickup Truck. Their gift will also cover registration, insurance, and maintenance costs for 4 years!

In nearly every area of this annual report, I have addressed or have been working with transitions: staff, clergy, national UCC structure, methodology of financial development, focus of Honduras mission, ecumenical relationships, ministry issues for Church and Ministry committees, etc. While the church universal is always in a state of transition, this particular moment seems to be more ripe for change than my previous years of ministry. It is my assessment that the Maine Conference is well situated to live through these changes with integrity, open communication, and vision from laity and clergy alike.