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New Church Dashboard Launches

Churches in the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island conferences are being asked to use a new communication tool: The Church Dashboard.

Local church leaders can log into the dashboard and update contact information for the churches and their staff and volunteer leaders. This enables conference staff to know who to contact with such items as bulletins for church treasurers, alerts about justice actions or announcements of upcoming training opportunities.

The dashboard is available as part of a recent project in which the databases of the three conferences have been combined into one new system, which is also linked with the conference websites. 

"As we move toward unifying into one, new conference, it is more important than ever that we have up-to-date contact information for the leaders in our churches," said Tiffany Vail, Associate Conference Minister for Communications for the three conferences. "We need to be able to get resources into the hands of the people who need them."

Read more and try the Church Dashboard


Peace Walk: Listening to the Call of the Great Spirit

2019 is the fourth in a five-year series of walks leading up to 2020, the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower landing. The walk is taking place May 31 – June 22 in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.  The walk will be in Amherst, MA, on Saturday, June 8, and then move through the state east to Boston on June 13. On June 14, it will be in Mystic, CT, then in RI June 15 to 17, and then back into Massachusetts.

This year, the group will walk in prayer a portion of regions which underwent "The Great Dying" in 1616 - 1619, prior to the landing of the Mayflower. Indian villages from Maine to Massachusetts lost 90 -100% of their population to a terrible disease bringing a catastrophic, rapid and agonizing death. The pathogen causing this plague was from Europe.

Read more 


Debbie Gline Allen to Receive AUCE Founders Award

The Association of United Church Educators (AUCE) has announced that the Massachusetts Conference's own Debbie Gline Allen will receive the AUCE Founders Award at General Synod later this month.

Gline Allen is the Associate for Faith Formation and Youth Ministries for the Conference and is a Commissioned Minister of Christian Formation in the United Church of Christ.

Read more


2019 Stewardship Theme Materials Now Available

The United Church of Christ has prepared coordinated stewardship materials for your congregation's annual stewardship efforts. The 2019 theme is "The Way". 

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life..."  - John 14:6

Read more


Environmental Justice Webinars 

Environmental Synod Resolutions Webinar
June 6, 2019 at 2:00 PM
Online

The UCC's Council for Climate Justice webinar in which lead authors and advocates for five environmentally-related resolutions will present on their respective resolutions.

Standing Rock and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance
June 13, 2019 at 1:00 PM

Featuring Nick Estes, who recently published the acclaimed book on Standing Rock and the long tradition of indigenous resistance.

Many Voices One Mission: Partners

By Karen Ziel, Minister of Faith Formation and Leadership for the CT Conference, UCC.

Then the angels asked God, “Is the world finished yet?” and God answered, I don’t know. Go ask my partners!”*   This last sentence from the story, Partners by Rabbi Marc Gellman (as midrash) has a big impact.  Partners is a creation story in which the angels are flustered by the messy-ness of creation and ask God to help.  God continually points the angels in the direction of those with whom they can partner, to little avail.  The last line is comical and powerful. I can imagine God in the most frustrated and flustered of voices; I don’t know, Go ask my partners!  Our partnership in God’s creation and re-creation is a central theme of our discipleship. That we are not asked to do it alone, nor could we do much of it alone, is also central to our journey as disciples in the way of Jesus. Let’s explore a few ideas about partnership.

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.
 


Overcome Volunteer Burnout by Building Capacity

By Dana Horrell 
The Parish Paper

Vital congregations reach out to strengthen the communities where they are located. Different denominations give different names for this ministry, including mission and outreach, home missions, and social ministry. But where do congregations get the strength for mission? How do they retain that strength in the midst of providing food and clothing, mentoring individuals, or advocating community change? How do they keep from burning out? They do it by building capacity.

Read more



Conference Events

Registration Deadline: June 13
ONA 35 - Time to Celebrate!
June 15, 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM
The Plymouth Church, Framingham, MA

The ONA Ministry Team invites you to a celebration of 35 years of Open and Affirming in the Massachusetts Conference!  The event will be a beautiful day of worship, music, small group workshop conversations, lamentation, healing, revitalization, imagination and empowerment. Registration is $10.


 

Spring Interim Gathering
June 18, 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM
Congregational Church of Westborough, MA

Agenda for the Day: Together As One General Information, interim life in the new conference, Don Remick presentation: "Powerful Questions Can Change Your Church."

Active Threat (Active Shooter) Training
Sept. 21, 9:30 AM
Second Congregational Church, 
Beverly, MA

This training is presented by Blue-U Defense. 

Annual Meeting
Nov. 1 - 2, 209
DCU Center, Worcester, MA

More: macucc.org/events


Transitions

The Rev. Donna Vuilleumier called to Smith Memorial UCC, Hillsboro, NH, as Pastor
Effective: June 1, 2019 

More: macucc.org/transitions


Classifieds

Other Events of Interest

Pride Shabbat 2019
June 7, 6:30 PM
Open Spirit, Framingham, MA

Rabbi Katy Allen will lead people from many faiths and traditions in prayers welcoming in the Sabbath and celebrating Pride. 

Inspiring Courage: Stories of Passion & Compassion
June 9, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Open Spirit, Framingham, MA

Director of the Metrowest Worker Center, an advocate of worker and immigrant rights, shares his story of compassion, community, and justice-seeking.

51st Annual Ecumenical Office Managers, Administrators and Secretaries Gathering
June 9 - 11
Craigville Retreat Center

We will focus on learning how to communicate effectively within our workplace as well as how to resolve conflict.


34th Annual MCCM Karl Barth Summer Session
June 10 - 11
First Church In Dedham, MA

The Massachusetts Convention of Congregational Ministers invites all to this discussion on the first edition of Barth's "Commentary on Romans."

Clergy Camp
June 26 - 29 
Silver Lake Conference Center, Sharon CT

Join fellow clergy for reflection, renewal, and worship in the woods.

2019 Craigville Theological Colloquy
July 8 - 12
Craigville Retreat Center, Craigville, MA

Faith & Science:  The Choices We Make with Dr. Jennifer J. Wiseman and Professor Ron Cole-Turner.  

 

 
 

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

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