141st Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Conference United Church of Christ

Theme: “Nurturing Generosity”

Fall Meeting Materials

Rules (PDF) Poster (PDF) Authorized Ministers' Luncheon Flyer (PDF) Being a Delegate in the UCC (PDF) Resolution: "On the Urgency for Action on Climate Change" (PDF) Invitation Letter (PDF)

“Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift is from above.” James 1:17

Fall Session
Friday and Saturday
October 17 - 18, 2008
Central High School,
1 Lincoln Boulevard, Bridgeport

TO:

• All Delegates of Connecticut Conference Churches including Youth Delegates
• Authorized Ministers: Ordained, Commissioned, Licensed
• Officers, Board of Directors, Moderators of Associations
• Former Moderators of Annual Meetings
• Nominating Committee of the Conference
• In-Care Students

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

This comes to you as the first of only two mailings for the October Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ.

The Moderator, Rev. Mark Abernethy of South Windsor; the Assistant Moderator, James Robertson, III of Watertown; the Conference Minister, the Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree; and the Chair of the Board of Directors, Joan Burgess of Litchfield, join in inviting you to the One Hundred and Forty-first Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Rev. Stephen Gray

The Keynote Speaker will be The Rev. Stephen Gray, Conference Minister of the Indiana Kentucky Conference. Rev. Gray has served as Associate Conference Ministers in the Penn Northeast Conference and the Massachusetts Conference. He has also served on the staff of the National Setting of the United Church of Christ. In addition to his Conference Minister duties he is the chair of the Development Committee of the Council of Conference Ministers. One of his passions in ministry is a theology of abundance and a conviction about the power of giving to transform our lives.

The Steering Committee has designed a two-day meeting beginning on Friday afternoon. Here are the highlights of the meeting.

Friday

• Authorized Ministers’ Lunch and Program at the United Congregational Church of Bridgeport. The speaker will be The Rev. Stephen Gray, Conference Minister, Indiana-Kentucky Conference… “Growing Beyond ‘The Reluctant Steward’” Please see the enclosed flyer for more information. The program will include honoring those ordained 50 and 25 years. Registration for the Annual Meeting will take place at this event for those who attend
• Registration
• Hearings: one on the Resolution(s) and one on a proposal for the Resolutions Process going forward.
• Dinner
• Opening Plenary including Worship
• Conference Minister’s Address

(Note: A full agenda will be included in the September mailing and will be available at www.ctucc.org.)

Saturday:

• Saturday’s agenda will highlight “Nurturing Generosity”. The keynote address, “From the Myth of Scarcity to the Reality of Abundance,” and various workshops will help participants focus on many aspects of the church’s relationship with generosity, philanthropy and giving.
• Business will include:
• Presentation on Now for the Future: the Campaign for Silver Lake
• Resolution (enclosed)
• Stewardship of our Resources for 2009

Setting:

Fairfield East Association will host the meeting to be held at Central High School in Bridgeport.

Youth Delegates:

Youth Delegates will continue to be involved in the meetings this year as regular delegates.

Child Care

Child Care will be available if requested. Forms for sign-up will be included in the early September mailing/email, along with forms for registration, housing, and special needs.

Please plan now to attend the Annual Meeting on October 17-18! You won’t want to miss it!

Faithfully yours,

Davida Foy Crabtree
Conference Minister

P.S. If you have any questions about this mailing, please contact Cecile Gilson or Sue Wilber at the Conference Office by email (cecileg@ctucc.org or suew@ctucc.org) or phone (860.233.5564 or toll-free 866.367.2822).

Enclosures/Attachments

• Rules of Procedure for the Annual Meeting (please bring them with you to the meeting)
• Resolution/Delegate description
• Authorized Ministers Luncheon Flyer
• Poster