“A Synod Like No Other”

by Edith Guffey

Calling All Volunteers!

There is still opportunity and need for volunteers to sign up to serve at General Synod this June in Hartford, as we prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary celebration of the United Church of Christ at the refurbished Civic Center.

This promises to be a true once-in-a-lifetime experience, and volunteering will offer a unique perspective and the chance to be a valuable part of it. Already, some 350 people are signed up to serve June 22-26. However, we estimate we will need twice that many over the course of the five days, especially City Guides to help facilitate the innovative “Synod in the City” presentations on Saturday, June 23.

Events that day will take place at numerous venues throughout the downtown area, and will include workshops, music, theater, lecture and discussion, and much more.

Volunteers are still needed in three general areas:

Operations, including registration/ information, logistics/ communications and transportation;
Hospitality, including welcoming/ greeting, children’s programs and City Guides; and
Environment/Worship, including props/aesthetics and ushers/servers at the community-wide Sunday afternoon worship service

To learn more about these and other General Synod opportunities, and to add your name as a valued volunteer, go to www.ctucc.org/synod2007. If you have already volunteered but have not yet heard from anyone, please be patient. You will be called!

General Synod registration, required for all visitors, is now being accepted online at www.ucc.org/synod.

HARTFORD (02/01/2007) -- As is common at the beginning of a new year, I’ve been purging some old files, and I ran across a letter from the Connecticut Conference Board of Directors, dated June 2001. Being one month out from the 2001 Synod in Kansas City, the very last thing on my mind was the 2007 General Synod and the 50th Anniversary of the United Church of Christ! But it was very much on the mind of the Conference’s Board of Directors. They had just passed a resolution to extend an invitation for Hartford to be the site of the 2007 50th Anniversary General Synod. The Board of Directors made a strong argument for Hartford.

The Connecticut Conference had never had the privilege of hosting the General Synod;
The Connecticut Conference has historically been a strong supporter of the wider ministry and mission of the United Church of Christ;
UCC membership in Connecticut is one of the largest and the enthusiasm for hosting the Synod was high;
And there was a new convention center on the horizon.

I confess, I was doubtful, but we took a look and the rest, shall we say, is history. We’re looking forward to being in Hartford for the 50th Anniversary Synod, June 22-26, 2007.

This is an important time in the life of our denomination, not only because it’s the 50th Anniversary. It’s also important to continually explore how we as the United Church of Christ are responding to the call to be the church in an increasingly complex world. When we gather in Hartford, we will explore how we have done that historically and how the Stillspeaking God is calling us to be the church in the next 50 years.

This will be a Synod like no other. In addition to the usual business, worship and workshops, Friday, Saturday and Sunday have been set aside primarily as 50th Anniversary celebration days. On Saturday, an event we are calling Synod in the City, will afford all visitors and delegates the opportunity to hear a wide range of speakers, lectures, Bible Study leaders, and musical and theatre presentations, in both large and small group settings. There will also be an all-day festival in Bushnell Park, and on Sunday afternoon we will all gather together in the Civic Center for a Service of Word and Sacrament. Of course, there will also be the ongoing business of the Synod to attend to; take part in a sponsored meal, and plenty of opportunities to meet new people and renew old friendships. Visit the UCC website for a more detailed schedule and list of presenters and programs.

The Connecticut Conference is key to making this once-in-a-lifetime event a memorable experience for our members across the country. There have already been many challenges as we have moved from the Convention Center to the Civic Center. While not all will agree with this action, the record of the General Synod on labor issues is clear. Any worries about plenary space have disappeared as the Civic Center seats over 14,000 people, and we hope to fill it, especially on Sunday afternoon for worship.

The only reason that we cannot only dream about, but actually implement such an expanded General Synod, is because of Connecticut’s many, many UCC members who are willing to volunteer, and because of the “can do” attitude of the Connecticut Conference staff and Local Arrangements Committee. If you are have already signed up to serve as a volunteer for Synod, thank you! If you can’t volunteer for Synod, you can be a part of the gathering in other ways. The most important way is to come to Hartford and join the celebration and encourage others to come as well. There will be something for everyone. If you’ve never been to a General Synod, this is one you must not miss; something happens when we join together in worship and praise and to do the work of the Stillspeaking God.

I’ll say this often between now and Synod, but it’s never enough. . . . Thank you for serving as the host conference for Synod. You’re making a very special, one of a kind, Synod possible. As I write this, it’s about 170 days before the General Synod convenes in Hartford, but then who’s counting? See you, Hartford!

Edith Guffey is Associate General Minister in the Office of General Ministries of the United Church of Christ.

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