banner
 

Help Save Boston Pride for the UCC!

A message from Kathie Carpenter, Open and Affirming Ministry Team Chair

Boston, we have a problem!  As of this date we do not have the two marshals we need in order to participate as Open and Affirming churches in Boston Pride on Saturday, June 8.  Our previous marshals are unable to be there this year.  If we cannot find two qualified marshals, we won’t have a UCC marching contingent this year, for the first time in nearly 20 years.  

Read more


Day of Prayer for Lucio Perez: Feb. 27

By The Rev. Vicki Kemper, Pastor,
First Congregational Church, UCC Amherst

Sacred scriptures are filled with stories of justice, liberation, and restoration ... We share stories of leaders who were imprisoned for their faith and how, after the fervent prayers of their communities, the dungeons shook, their chains fell off, and they were free to go. Hallelujah!
 
Lucio Perez, a Guatemalan man of deep faith and conviction, has been separated from his wife and four children since October 2017, when he took sanctuary from U.S. immigration authorities in the First Congregational Church of Amherst, United Church of Christ. For almost 16 months he has been living like a prisoner of our government, and his family has suffered the grief of separation and the anguish of uncertainty. Lucio and his lawyers continue to fight his legal case--and sanctuary prevents his deportation--while he and his family continue to wait and pray and hope.

The time has come to pray for Lucio out of this painful situation and back into the arms of his family.

Read more


SPOTLIGHT - Look What Can Happen When You Pair Children Up With Adult Friends

Excerpt from this month's Spotlight on Trinity Church in Shelburne Falls 

Their numbers were too small to have traditional Sunday school classes. They also realized that the children spend many hours during their week in school as well as after school programs, and came to believe that Sunday is not a great time for more school…not even church school.

“Today is not yesterday,” said Rev. Marguerite Sheehan.  “Keeping this in mind and knowing that what we do well as a church is building and sustaining friendships – sometimes unlikely ones – and trusting that Jesus loves us – we decided to create something unique that honors and builds on those relationships. We believe that if church does nothing more for us than bind us and challenge us and help us become more faithful, that is pretty great. So instead of a Sunday School we created ‘Sunday Friends.’”

Read the full Spotlight


Many Voices, One Mission: Collaboration and Communication

By Drew Page, News & Media Editor for the CT Conference, UCC.

In school, I never liked partner or team projects… except once. In 11th grade, my friend Dan and I designed a model of the effects of a nuclear explosion on an a city, complete with a butane-torched sculpture of what happens to a car 4 miles away from the blast (using a Hot Wheels model). Dan and I met at his house a bunch of times and created a model, prepared a written and oral report, and even played a recording of “Russians” by Sting during our presentation to class. The project was well received. Dan and I worked well together.
 
But I still wonder about collaboration. Much of the research I’ve seen on team work and collaboration talks about the benefits of shared resources, multiple perspectives, and the added-value of skill sets. But there is also another side: the overload of certain skilled individuals and a potential inefficiency of time that collaboration can cause. But there is another aspect to collaboration that the research doesn’t often address, or when it does, treats it like a separate topic: Communication.

Read the full post


 

Many Voices, One Mission is a regular series highlighting the ministries of the CT, MA and RI Conference of the United Church of Christ.


UCC Racial Justice Ministry Book Discussion

The United Church of Christ (UCC) Racial Justice Ministry will host its first online Book Discussion featuring, “Preaching as Resistance: Voices of Hope, Justice & Solidarity”edited by Phil Snider Thursday, March 7, 2019, 12 noon – 1 pm EST via live webinar discussion. You must register to participate.  Registration includes a free book for the first 10 registrants.

Read more


Conference Events

Youth Retreat: A Spiritually Healthy Relationship with Technology
March 22 - 24
Craigville Retreat Center

 A retreat for youth grades 7 and up facilitated by Rev. Matt Carriker and Rev. Sarah Buteux.  Through spiritual practices, reflection, and Sabbath-filled rest, we’ll explore how we can have a spiritually healthy relationship with technology.

Super Saturday
March 16
Minnechaug Regional High School, Wilbraham, MA

Registration now open!  A full day of worship, workshops and networking. The main speaker will be Rebekah Anderson, who has presented in various settings on disability theology.

Shine- Youth at Synod 2019
June 21 - 25
Milwaukee, WI

Deposits Due: Feb. 15
Youth at Synod is for young leaders ages 13 to 18 who want to experience the vibrant diversity of the wider church. 


 

Resource for Pastoral Relations Committees
Feb. 17, 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
First Congregational Church of Hadley, MA

Training for your pastoral relations committee, best practices, and ways to be proactive in establishing a group. Led by The Rev. Kelly Gallagher.

Human and Faith Development
Feb. 23, 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Centre Congregational Church,
Lynnfield, MA

Led by  Nancy Sides, Certified Christian Educator. Part of the Christian Education Certification program, this course is open to all.

Confirmation Retreat 
March 1 - 2
Prindle Pond Conference Center, Charlton, MA

Open to youth grades 8 & up currently engaged in confirmation classes.

Community of Practice for Christian Educators and Youth Leaders
March 2, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Edwards House Retreat Center,
Framingham, MA

Network and share experiences with your MACUCC colleagues.

Theories of Religious Education
March 9, 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Edwards Church, Northampton, MA

A Christian Education Certification class, open to all.

Climate Change, Extreme Weather, and Vulnerability
March 10, 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Old South Church, Boston

This summit will focus on the role of faith communities in helping their community members prepare for future climate impacts such as floods, extreme heat, and severe storms.

Active Threat (Active Shooter) Training
March 16, 9:30 AM
Second Congregational Church, Beverly, MA

Training is presented by Blue-U Defense. 

Preparing for the Search & Call Process
March 30, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, UCC

The morning session is the UCC Profile Workshop for all clergy.  The afternoon focuses on Members-in-Discernment or others who interested in learning about the search & call process. 

Church Treasurer Gathering for Metro Boston/ Northeast Area
March 30, 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
First Congregational Church, UCC, Reading, MA

Please join us for a cup of coffee and conversation that will help define your role as church treasurer and answer all those questions you might have.

Theories of Religious Education
March 30, 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Centre Congregational Church, Lynnfield

A Christian Education Certification class, open to all.

Application Deadline: June 3
Writer's Workshop - The Art of the Personal Essay: Make A Point. Change the World
Nov, 11 - 17
Warren Conference Center, 
Ashland, MA

With the Rev. John Hudson. Good non-fiction spiritual writing makes a point, tells a story, shares a memory, constructs an argument and always gives life to an idea.

More: macucc.org/events

Save the Date: The first Annual Meeting of new unified conference (Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island) will be Nov. 1 - 2, 2019, in Worcester, MA


Webinars

The following webinars are offered free of charge to members of the Massachusetts Conference through a partnership with Practical Resources for Churches. Click title to register.  Find a complete list here

The Critical Importance of Relationships in the Church
Feb. 21, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Debbie Gline Allen will look at current research related to the relationship between intergenerational ministries and child/teen commitment to a faith community well into adulthood. 



Transitions


Classifieds

Other Events of Interest

Peace Works: Silver Lake Summer Camp
June - August, 2019
Silver Lake Conference Center, Sharon CT

Registration is now open for campers in grades 4 - 12 to encounter God's love in creation; and to learn how to bring that love and justice into the world.
 

Parish Leadership Day
March 2, 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM
The Log Cabin, Holyoke, MA

The Episcopal Diocese of Western MA invites UCC partners to come for some new perspectives from the authors of Embracing Stewardship.

Soul Care: Caring for the Most Important Part of Your Ministry.
March 11, 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM
Edwards House, Framingham, MA

A one-day Lenten retreat by The Center for Career Development and Ministry

Longing for Belonging
March 28 - 30, 2018
Barbara Harris Camp and Conference Center,
Greenfield, NH

Explore radical hospitality through fellowship, worship, faith formation and outreach. Participants will leave with a specific plan for how to engage the rest of the congregation in this work and how to get started.

 

Letting Go: An NESC Stewardship Event
April 6, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Faith Community Church, Hopkinton, MA

This one-day program will feature TED-like talks with guided small group discussion, workshops on practical stewardship topics, a panel discussion on real-world experiences, meaningful worship, and fellowship.

"Generosity Transformed" Conference
 April 30 - May 3
Indianapolis, IN

Need to energize and revitalize your church’s strategies for faithful generosity? Does your church find it hard to talk about money? UCC Church Building & Loan Fund would like to make you aware of this ecumenical stewardship conference.

 
 

The Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ
508-875-5233
macucc@macucc.org
http://www.macucc.org 

Facebook Twitter   YouTube