Nestled in the northwest corner of the state in Litchfield County, the town of Norfolk, Connecticut, has a population just under 2000. This picturesque town is home to nearly a dozen nationally recognized historic places, and three state parks. Norfolk is also the home of The Yale Summer School of Music — Norfolk Chamber Music Festival held at the Ellen Battell Stoeckel estate. It is the quintessential Litchfield Hills town, located in one of the richest parts of one the richest states in the country.
 
So it surprises people to learn that 9% of Norfolk’s population live in poverty. Equally surprising is the fact that there is no social worker in town.
 
Over five years ago, representatives from the Selectman’s office, the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, and Church of Christ, Congregational, UCC, each doing what they could to assist those in need, came together to discuss how to work more efficiently and to complement each other. The three organizations formed Norfolk NET, a grassroots organization committed to alleviating poverty and fostering new relationships.
 
According to Church of Christ’s Pastor the Rev. Erick Olsen, the organization initially worked to provide a tighter net, “to prevent people from falling through the cracks.” That has changed. Norfolk NET has gone from a team of three people to about a dozen working on a safety net and dreaming about a way to facilitate and foster relationship building in the community.

By Martha Goodman, Administrative Assistant for the Southeast Area of the MA Conference, UCC

It’s been many years since homework, in the going-to-school sense, has factored into my daily life.  And I confess that, back in those days, I wasn’t very diligent in its completion.  I thought of it as unimportant busywork, and therefore not to be taken seriously.  (In all honesty, much of it was busywork.  But still.)  There were always more interesting pastimes, like reading a book or helping my mother bake cookies.  Homework was to be avoided when possible, rushed through with a “good enough” attitude when unavoidable. 
 
In the course of administering the search and call process for the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Conferences, I correspond every day with ministers who would like their Ministerial Profile sent to a church or churches seeking a pastor ... Preparing a profile certainly is a formidable task.  Candidates strive to write engaging, informative text that fits the limited space allowed.  “Good enough” isn’t good enough—their next pastoral call is at stake—so most candidates take this homework very seriously indeed.

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