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Celebration Held for Barbara Libby
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The Rev. Barbara Libby, who is retiring after having served for four years as the Interim Conference Minister, was honored on Sunday at an ice cream social.
A dozen friends, current and former colleagues and family members gave touching tributes to the Rev. Libby at the reception, hosted by the Beneficent Congregational Church UCC in Providence.
Photos from the day can be viewed here
(no Facebook account required to view)
The Rev. Marilyn Kendrix will begin as Rhode Island's Transitional Conference Minister beginning July 1st.
John C. Dorhauer Invites Celebration for Together, As One
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United Church of Christ General Minister and President the Rev. John C. Dorhauer sent out a video on June 26 inviting people across the denomination to celebrate the planned coming together of the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island Conferences.
"Signaling to the wider church that more can be accomplished together than apart, this move demonstrates that the United Church of Christ lives in an interdependent world in which we all need each other. This new configuration carves out a pathway for new life, vitality, and relevance," he said.
Watch the video
Blackmon: You Have to Get Your Feet Wet (with video)
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On the eve of the historic vote on whether three conferences should unite to join as one, The Rev. Traci Blackmon preached on how faith in God is what makes bold steps into the unknown possible.
"It is always challenging to move from one place to another, always frightening to let go of what has been to walk into what will be," Blackmon said, drawing on Scripture to tell the story of Joshua leading the Israelites across the Jordan River, following the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant.
"And the Bible said as soon as the souls of their feet rested in the waters of the Jordan, the water stopped flowing, and the people crossed over the Jordan just as those before them had crossed the Red Sea," she said. "What is particularly significant is the role of the priests ... they can only fulfill their sacred task if they are prepared to step in the water and get their feet wet."
Read more and watch the video of the sermon
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Many Voices, One Mission: Paying Attention
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By Martha Goodman, Administrative Assistant for Search & Call for the Massachusetts Conference, UCC.
In my work supporting Search & Call in the Massachusetts Conference, it is my privilege to communicate with hundreds of ministers, and dozens of search committee members, every year. Routinely we have some 250 ministerial candidates, from all over the United States and occasionally beyond, discerning the possibility of a call to a Massachusetts church. Similarly, two dozen or more of our congregations are searching for a settled or designated-term pastor at any one time. The only way to keep up with the volume is to make creative use of a number of technical resources: a contact database, a robust email program, and a large collection of pre-crafted boilerplate messages.
One might think that the semi-automated, template-driven processes I rely on every day for routine communications erect barriers to meaningful, personal interaction: or, in business terms, "high tech" interfering with "high touch." And yet it seems that just the opposite takes place
Read more
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 Many Voices, One Mission is a regular series highlighting the ministries of the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island conferences of the United Church of Christ.
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Upcoming Conference Events
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Ecclesiastical Council for Chontell Washington
July 1, 3:00 PM
Beneficent Congregational Church, Providence, RI
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 Eastern Regional Youth Event
July 19 - 22
California University of Pennsylvania, California, PA
The Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island Conferences are collaborating to provide bus service to the event, for youth who have completed 6th grade up to 2018 graduates of 12th grade.
Installation of Rev. Betsy Aldrich Garland
Sept. 9, 3:00 PM
Moosup Valley Congregational Church, Foster, RI
Other Events of Interest
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2018 Craigville Theological Colloquy
July 9 - 13
Craigville Retreat Center, Craigville, MA
This year's topic: Building Bridges: Immigrants, Refugees, and the Church. Keynote Speaker: Ms. Linda Hartke, President & CEO, lirs.org, Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service.
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