Annual Meeting 2003 For the three days of October 17 - 19, the Fairfield West Association hosted the 2003 Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Conference, United Church of Christ, at Saxe Middle School in New Canaan, Connecticut. Delegates sang, debated, worshiped, learned, decided, and broke bread together in an atmosphere of what Conference Minister Davida Foy Crabtree called "prophetic hospitality." In the Conference Minister's Address, Dr. Crabtree challenged the state's churches to hear, welcome, feed and sustain one another. The stories of her experiences of hospitality in local churches--some very good, and some very bad--elicited laughter, groans, and familiar recognition among the assembly. She called the delegates to passionately claim the movement of the United Church of Christ, and to tell its stories to a world that needs them.
Keynote speaker the Hon. Frederica Brenneman spoke eloquently on "Impact Thinking for a People of Hope." Judge Brenneman brought a wisdom tested in experience from her long career in the Child Protection Division in Connecticut's Superior Court. "I have come to the conclusion," she said, "that all of us have an obligation as individuals, as church members and as citizens of the most powerful country on earth to make realistic and accurate predictions of the impact of any proposed action or policy on the people who will be affected by them." She offered examples from child welfare law, domestic and foreign policy, and even the Marshall Plan that followed World War II. The assembly received her words with deep appreciation. The delegates heard a remarkable greeting from the Rev. Kim Hyo-Sung, Moderator of the Kyung-Ki Presbytery, our partner church in South Korea. "In these days when violence, war and hostility seem to dominate our world," he said, "we are especially thankful to have you who show us witness on behalf of human rights, justice and peace as partners in the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ." The chairs of the Local Church, Wider Church, and Justice and Witness Ministry Teams presented reports of their work over the last year, touching on a variety of workshops, studies, and projects they had undertaken, and stressing the need for the input of local churches to guide their future activities. The Annual Meeting considered one affirmation and four resolutions. The affirmation and three resolutions were approved after some debate and, in some cases, amendment. The delegates voted by a narrow margin to table the Resolution on Same-Sex Marriage until the 2004 Annual Meeting. Rules of parliamentary procedure will require the body to vote to reconsider it at that time. The body referred a floor motion calling the Conference to offer learning opportunites on the issues of same-gender marriage to the Board of Directors. Approved were:
The conference voted the proposed budgets for the Trustees of the Fund for Ministers and the Missionary Society of Connecticut. The recommended increase of the per capita request from $2.00 to $4.00 per member elicited some debate, but it too received an affirmative vote. The Worship Committee prepared some creative approaches to the divine over the weekend. Friday night's worship asked "Who are you? Where were you? Are you able?" of the assembly, and voices accented with youth, age, and different genders and languages responded in some of the many ways humans can. Answering "We are able," Associate Conference Ministers Charlie Kuchenbrod and Jim Morgan and Silver Lake Co-Directors Tim and Anne Hughes were installed into their ministries. On Saturday, the Rev. Bette Anne Crowell and the Rev. David Jarvis led an enthusiastic congregation in a joyous hymn sing of favorites new and old. As the music faded into memory on Sunday afternoon following the Festival Worship service of Word and Sacrament, the delegates returned to their homes. Now the learnings and the decisions turn to commitment, prayer, and work. Daily ReportsFirst DayWelcome, introductions, opening business, the Conference Minister's Address and worship were the order for the day. Authorized Ministers heard about the life of prayer at luncheon, and all delegates learned about hospitality in word and deed as they gathered for the evening. Second DayDelegates learned about the work of ministry teams, the challenges of funding the Conference's ministries, and attended to the wisdom of Judge Frederica Brenneman. They debated and decided two of the proposed affirmations and resolutions before the body.
Third DayDelegates voted three resolutions and endorsed the budgets for 2004, then repaired to the Congregational Church of New Canaan for an inspiring closing worship service.
Downloading DocumentsAnnual Meeting documents may be available here in HTML, PDF, or both formats. HTML documents will display in your web browser in the same layout as other web pages of this site. PDF documents are better suited to printing for later reference, as they duplicate the original faithfully on a variety of computer systems. PDF documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader for display and for printing; it is a free download from Adobe's web site.
Click here to obtain Acrobat Reader. Annual Reports: A Special Edition of ConnTactClick here to read the reports that describe last year's Conference ministries. Call to the Meeting and Proposed Budgets
Sermon for the Sunday of Annual MeetingAlternate Conference Preachers Bette Anne and Josh Crowell have a prepared a sermon which may be used by volunteers leading worship in local churches on Sunday, October 19, whose usual worship leaders may be attending Annual Meeting.
Second Mailing: August, 2003
First Mailing: June, 2003
EventsCT Women of the UCC Luncheon
Resolutions
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