Conference Weekly E-Newsletters to Go On Hiatus

The weekly email newsletters of the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island conferences will be going on hiatus this summer, while new communication strategies are researched and put into place for fall.

This week's editions will be the last separate email newsletters for the three conferences, which are moving toward uniting together to form a new conference. The United Church of Christ national meeting, General Synod, will be voting next week on whether to approve formation of the new conference, which would then officially come into being on Jan. 1.

Next week, a special Synod edition of the newsletter will be sent out to readers in all three Conferences. Then for the following eight weeks, no Conference-specific weekly newsletters will be published. Informational emails will be sent out to various constituent groups as needed. Regular email newsletter publications covering the entire new conference will begin in late August.

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Responding to the R.I. Opioid Crisis with Hope and Healing Part 4

The Words We Choose Matter

We are often drawn into conversations about those affected by opioid misuse and other substance use disorders. “…The language we choose to use when discussing this disease can either perpetuate or overcome the stereotypes, prejudice and lack of empathy that keep people from getting the treatment they need.”¹ When discussing substance use disorders, our words can be powerful when they “inform clarify, encourage, support, enlighten, and unify. On the other hand, stigmatizing words often discourage, isolate, misinform, shame and embarrass…”² The stigma of this disease remains the biggest barrier for patients to self-identify and seek a life-saving cure.

Read the full post, with examples of non-judgmental language

Upcoming Events

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. Presentations, biblical reflections, morning prayer, workshops, Taize worship service, small group discussions, singing in the choir, many ways to renew or make new friendships, and free time to enjoy the beach and explore Cape Cod.

The Fiscal Cliff: Part 1 of Navigating the Wilderness
July 10, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Online
Is your church approaching a financial cliff? Are you wondering how to avoid going off the edge. Take part in this first in a series of webinars.

Save the Date: The Annual Meeting of the CT, MA and RI Conferences will be Nov. 1 - 2, 2019, in Worcester, MA

Many Voices One Mission: From the Inside

By The Rev. Chuck Ericson, Interim Eastern Regional Minister for the CT Conference, UCC

The United Church of Christ and the Connecticut Conference have been part of my life for all but my first four years. I was baptized, confirmed, married and ordained in a UCC congregation. My call to ministry came into focus as I went to conferences at Silver Lake. I have been present for more Annul Meetings and Association Committee on Ministry meetings that I can count. For 36 years I pastored in Connecticut Conference churches.

Throughout all of these life experiences, I would say that I knew our Conference and its staff pretty well ...

From the first moment I began serving our Conference as Interim Eastern Regional Minister, though, I was struck by how wrong I was.

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

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