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HARTFORD (06/14/2007) -- Among the business of the United Church of Christ's General Synod, which includes officer elections, budgetary matters, and consideration of social and theological questions, delegates and visitors to the UCC's 50th Anniversary national gathering will hear remarkable speakers, participate in stirring worship, and learn about the life and faith of the United Church of Christ.
Before Synod even officially begins, a major UCC conference on the environment, "Caring for Earth," will be held at Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford on June 21st, and will issue a new report on "The UCC--Toward a National Environmental Focus."
The same day, the Freedom Schooner Amistad will begin her Atlantic Freedom Tour, which will include visits to Great Britain, Sierra Leone, and the Caribbean, leaving Long Wharf in New Haven with a Bon Voyage ceremony at 2:30 pm. UCC General Minister and President John Thomas, Connecticut Conference Minister Davida Foy Crabtree, and members of the UCC's Executive Council will be part of the day's festivities.
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| Barack Obama |
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| Bill Moyers |
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| Marian Wright Edelman |
Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell will welcome Synod guests during the opening plenary session, which begins at 2:30 pm on Thursday, June 22nd. The Rev. Da Vita McCallister, the UCC's Minister for Youth, Young Adults, and the Outdoors will preach during the evening's worship service, beginning at 7:30.
Saturday, June 23rd, will be Synod in the City, featuring keynoters Bill Moyers and Barack Obama, and fifty-five other speakers, artists, and performers: plus fifty-seven workshops! Beginning with worship at 8:15 am in the Civic Center, the day will conclude with the UCC's 50th Anniversary Bash at 7:30 pm.
The General Synod's central Community Worship service, which is open without charge to all who wish to attend, will begin at the Civic Center at 3:00 pm (the doors open at 2:00). UCC General Minister and President John Thomas will preach at this very special time of prayer and celebration.
Musician Ken Medema, whose compositions on Biblical stories and themes sparkle with life and a jazz rhythm, will perform at several points during the 2:30 plenary on Monday, June 25th. The morning will also include the keynote address of Marian Wright Edelman, President and founder of the Children's Defense Fund. In the evening, new UCC Conference Ministers will be recognized, including Connecticut son Kent Siladi, who takes up his duties in Florida later this summer.
Actress Lynn Redgrave, a member of a UCC church in Connecticut and whose documentary "Troubled Waters" illustrated the threat posed to the planet's water sources by human activity, is the featured presenter during the morning session on Tuesday, June 26th. The Synod will close with worship at 7:30 that evening, with preacher Dr. Mary Mikhael, President of the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon.
