Call to the Annual Meeting

September 9, 2002

To: Lay Delegates from Local Churches
All Authorized Ministers of the Conference
All Officers of the Conference
Moderators of Associations
Former Moderators of the Annual Meetings
Board of Directors and Named Committees in the Bylaws

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

This comes to you as the Call to the One Hundred Thirty-fifth Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ (Connecticut Conference of the Congregational Christian Churches) to be held at

Hill Regional Career High School
140 Legion Avenue
New Haven, CT
October 18 - 20, 2002

The meeting is hosted by the churches and ministers of the New Haven Association. This is the third mailing on the Annual Meeting.

Remember that all sessions are open to registered visitors as well as delegates, so be sure to tell others about the events of the weekend!

A Reception honoring ordained ministers celebrating both 50th and 25th year of ordinations will be held at Yale Divinity School in the Common Room in New Haven (a short distance from the high school) on Friday afternoon, 3:30-4:15. (Their names were listed in the second mailing as well as the directions to Yale Divinity School)

The Call to Order and Opening Prayer will be at 6:15 P.M. followed by the Conference Minister's Address at 7:00. (See the "What's Happening..." guide for the complete schedule mailed in the second mailing.)

A Worship Committee led by our Conference Preacher and Chaplain, the Rev. William J. Zito of Watertown, has planned worship experiences, with the goal of the Annual Meeting to be framed around worship. In order that members from congregations of the area churches might attend the major worship service on Sunday, Worship with Holy Communion will be on Sunday afternoon at 1:15 at the United Church on the Green in New Haven, which will also include installation of officers. We invite clergy to bring your robes to join in the processional with your lay delegates. We encourage delegates and pastors to attend the final business session on Sunday morning at the Hill Regional Career High School.

Our keynoter will be Bernice Powell Jackson, Executive Minister of Justice & Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ and a member of the Collegium of officers of the UCC. Bernice will bring her passion for social and economic justice, her commitment to peacemaking and reconciliation, and her vision of an exciting, inclusive and accessible Church of Jesus Christ, alive for our time and alive to our challenges.

Our theme "God is still speaking..." was chosen by the Planning Committee in keeping with the new identity campaign of the denomination. See stillspeaking.com on the web!

In addition to hearing and acting on Social Resolutions and reports from the Board of Directors the following business will be discussed and acted upon:

1. Actions Recommended by the Board of Directors of the Conference
   1. Actions recommended pertaining to the conduct of the Meeting
      1. Adoption of Rules of Procedure for the Annual Meeting
      2. Business and Amenities
         The Conference takes the following actions concerning Committees for the 2002 Annual Meeting:
         1. a. The Executive Committee of the Conference shall act as the Business Committee at the Annual Meeting.
         2. b. The Program Committee for the Annual Meeting will act as the Committee on Amenities and present resolutions in appreciation for action by the Conference.
   2. Revisions to the Bylaws
   3. Formula for allocation of delegates to General Synod Suggested Action: The Board of Directors suggests the Conference take the following action: The Conference, in addition to General Synod Delegates and alternates fulfilling unexpired terms, elects for a period of four years, beginning in 2003, those persons nominated prior to the Annual Meeting of the Conference by Associations according to the following pattern:

      Association	Class of 2005
      Central	1 lay
      Fairfield East	1 ordained; 1 lay
      Fairfield West	1 lay, 1 ordained
      Farmington Valley	1 ordained; 1 lay (1 under the age of 30)
      Hartford	1 ordained, 1 lay (1 under the age of 30)
      Hartford East	1 ordained, 1 lay (1 under the age of 30)
      Litchfield North	1 ordained
      Litchfield South	1 lay
      Middlesex	1 lay person for Class of 2003; 1 ordained for Class of 2005
      Naugatuck Valley	1 lay under the age of 30
      New Haven	1 ordained; 2 lay
      New Haven East Conso.	1 ordained
      New London	1 lay
      Tolland	1 ordained under the age of 30
      Windham	1 lay under the age of 30

      In addition to those nominated by Associations, the Nominating Committee of the Conference will nominate, as delegates-at-large, people to fill out our delegation as authorized by General Synod.
      
      Further, the Conference authorizes the Board of Directors to elect delegates and alternates to the General Synod to fill any vacancies existing at the close of the Annual Meeting of the Conference or any vacancies which may occur subsequent to the Annual Meeting of the Conference before or during the meeting of the General Synod.
   4. Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM)
      OCWM Goal for 2003
      Suggested Action: The Board of Directors recommends to the Conference the adoption of a Basic Mission Support Goal of $2,730,000 for 2003.
   5. Distribution of Monies
      Suggested Action:
      The Board of Directors recommends that the Conference take the following action: The Conference adopts the following distribution of monies received for the Connecticut Conference and the ministries of the United Church of Christ during 2003:
      1. Basic Mission Support monies to be divided on the basis of 37% for the Conference and 63% to the United Church of Christ nationally for distribution among the ministries according to the payment schedule adopted by the General Synod of the United Church of Christ;
      2. Investment income to be used entirely for Conference work unless otherwise stipulated by the donor;
      3. Special Support, capital and emergency appeal monies to be designated entirely to the purposes for which they were authorized.
   6. Per Capita Contributions Suggested Action: The Board of Directors recommends that the Conference take the following action: The Conference, upon recommendation of the Board of Directors, continues the per capita contributions for 2003 at $2.00 per member to be used entirely for Conference work.
   7. The budgets will be adopted for 2003. The budgets will be presented on Saturday morning and voted on Sunday morning.
      1. Proposed 2003 Budget for the Missionary Society of Connecticut
         Suggested Action: The Board of Directors recommends that the Conference take the following action: The 2003 Proposed Budget of $5,780,388 for the Missionary Society of CT is adopted, and the Conference grants to the Society the privilege of revising the budget during the year as funds are available and needs arise.
      2. Proposed 2003 Budget for the Trustees of the Fund for Ministers
         Suggested Action: The Board of Directors recommends that the Conference take the following action: The 2003 Proposed budget of $999,490 for the Trustees of the Fund for Ministers is adopted, and the Conference grants to the Trustees the privilege of revising the budget during the year as funds are available and needs arise.
2. II. Officers and the Nominating Committee will be elected on Sunday morning and commissioned in the closing worship on Sunday afternoon.
3. III. Such other actions that may come before the meeting.

When we assemble in New Haven at Hill Regional Career High School, we will be the Body of Christ worshipping, praying, deliberating, and making a witness to Jesus Christ. Come prayerfully, thoughtfully, and enthusiastically to seek God's wisdom for our common mission as the United Church of Christ in Connecticut.

Sincerely in Christ,

The Rev. Davida Foy Crabtree
Conference Minister

Enclosures:

• Report to the Annual Meeting from the Board re: Proposed Revisions of the Bylaws (please bring this letter, the proposed bylaws, Rules & Procedures of Annual Meeting, and the proposed budget with you to Annual Meeting) (The proposed budget was in the second mailing - green sheet)
• Updated Flyer on Church World Service School Kits for Annual Meeting

P.S. The street address of Hill Regional Career High School is 140 Legion Avenue, New Haven; this was not noted on the directions mailed in the second mailing.