Annual Meeting Registration Deadline:
Friday, June 1

The deadline to pre-register for the June 15 - 16 Annual Meeting in Springfield, MA is fast approaching. Those who do not register online by THIS FRIDAY, JUNE 1st, may not be able to participate in any of the luncheons being served on June 16.
 
The meeting will be the second time that the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island conferences will meet jointly. At this meeting, delegates of the three conferences will be asked to officially create a new, unified conference by approving a covenant agreement, set of new bylaws, establishing a unified Board of Directors, electing officers, and making minor changes to their existing bylaws. 
 
The meeting will also feature dynamic worship and a keynote address by the Rev. Traci Blackmon, Executive Minister of Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ.

The deadlines for discounted hotel rates has passed, but there are still rooms available. 
 
Read more and register

Time to Dig a New Foundation Together

By The Rev. Jack Perkins Davidson, Senior Pastor of the Spring Glen Church in Hamden, CT   The church’s foundation was literally rotting out from underneath itself, as the story goes. The church had built its sanctuary in the 1800s without a basement to make sure they would never be tempted to illegally hide escaped slaves. It was a reaction against their Underground Railroad congregationalist neighbors. So the beams of their wooden New England church sat in the damp soil for about a hundred and fifty years until it got so bad that the church had to undertake a multi-million dollar campaign to reconstruct its very foundation — this time with a basement.   In Luke 6, Jesus uses the image of a building’s foundation to explain the interplay of word and deed. According to his analogy, your solid foundation comes more from your action than your proclamation. If you’re just paying Jesus lip service without anything to back it up, well then watch out when the proverbial flood waters hit because that building will not hold.   This call to action makes sense coming from a savior who is described as the Word made Flesh. If we are the Body of Christ in the world, we’ve got to put a little meat on our faith. From all the Service Trips I’ve been on, I can testify that nothing builds muscle quite like digging a new foundation. Luckily, we have the opportunity to dig that new foundation together if we approach this new Conference with the right intention.   Read the full post This is the first in a series of four blog posts looking at the Vision, Mission and Purpose statement drafted for a new, unified Conference. Delegates from the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island conferences will vote on formally creating this new conference at the joint Annual Meeting June 15-16 in Springfield, MA.

Many Voices, One Mission: Born for Such a Time as This

By Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, Minister and President of the Massachusetts Conference, UCC
 Every morning, my first waking thought is one of gratitude - gratitude to God for having been born into a time such as this. 
 
Many have told me that this is not an obvious perspective. Every day we are shocked by new assaults on reason, unprecedented violations of human rights and increasing disregard of fairness and justice. So what exactly is there to be grateful for?
 
My response is simple: we actually get to make a difference!
 
Living as we are in a world of rampant injustice, a world in which we continue to run Genesis in reverse, when any of us as individuals, or as a family, or as a congregation, or as a community - when any of us choose to speak out, to bear witness, to leverage change by using our voices, our influence, our time, our bodies or our other assets - we can actually make a difference.

Read more
 

Together, As One Online Forums Leading up to the second Tri-Conference Annual Meeting of the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island conferences, Conference leaders will be hosting a series of five online forums for discussion about the upcoming votes to formally create a new, unified conference. Wednesday, May 30, 1:00 PM Thursday, June 7, 7:00 PM Tuesday, June 12, at 7:00 PM Read more and sign up

Ecclesiastical Council - Linda Hartley
June 3, 3:00 PM
Newman Congregational UCC, Rumford, RI

Free Fun Day at Irons Homestead
June 10, 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Irons Homestead Camp & Retreat, Glocester, RI
All members and friends of the UCC are invited to enjoy a day at the waterfront. Life guards on duty from 12:30 - 4 PM for boating and swimming; grills will be ready, please bring your own food. The field will be ready for play, the stone throwing area will be open, and there will be volleyball, basketball and lawn games in addition to waterfront fun.

Farewell Celebration - Barbara Libby
June 24, 3:00 to 5:00 PM
Beneficent Congregational UCC, Providence, RI
Please come join us in bidding a heartfelt farewell to Barbara Libby, who is retiring after four years as Interim Conference Minister.

Ecclesiastical Council for Chontell Washington
July 1, 3:00 PM
Beneficent Congregational Church, Providence, RI