2007 was a year of significant accomplishment for your Conference, as we took major steps on several fronts with initiatives that promise to inspire our churches for years to come.
General Synod was an unprecedented event in our life. More than 10,000 people, many from the Connecticut Conference, gathered at the Hartford Civic Center over five days in late June to worship and sing, discuss and discern, pray and praise in celebration of our first 50 years of mission and ministry and inspired anticipation of the next 50 years of faithful witness.
The Church Phase of Now, For the Future: The Campaign for Silver Lake hit full stride in 2007. At year’s end, 80 churches had appointed church representatives and are taking the initial steps in discerning their commitment to the campaign. Rev. David Taylor and Rev. Jane Hawken accepted the positions of Church Cultivation co-chairs. The $12 million campaign includes additional summer conference capacity and a year-round, adult-friendly retreat capability. Hugh and Kate McLean and Rev. David Peters continue as Campaign Co-Chairs, supported by Bev Hughes, the Conference’s Development Coordinator. Bruce Barrett continues his role as chair of the Leadership Gifts Committee.
The Fall Meeting at Tolland High School focused on Youth and Young Adult Ministries, featuring an address from Hans Holznagel of the national staff, who facilitated a conversation among three young adults about ways The Church can invite, attract and retain young adults. Delegates approved by near-unanimous vote a resolution calling for Universal Health Care.
We welcomed Rev. Mike Penn-Strah in August as the South Central Regional Minister, following the ministry of Rev. Kent Siladi, who departed in July to accept the call as Florida Conference Minister. RMs provide support to congregations in times of transition, assist Association leaders, and offer resources in their respective areas of expertise. Last year, they worked with 90 churches in the ministerial Search and Call process.
We were pleased to welcome Sue Wilber, of Spring Glen Church, as Office Manager and University of Hartford junior, Megan Williams, as our new part-time Office Services Assistant.
2007 saw the passing of several saints of the Conference and the United Church of Christ. Rev. Dr. Nathanael Guptill, Connecticut Conference Minister Emeritus, was known for his preaching, his New England practicality and his love of the Church. He was one of the founders and guiding lights of the Christian Conference of Connecticut. Rev. Arthur Higgins served the Chester and Wilton congregations and gave many years of service as a member of your Conference staff, including time spent as Acting Conference Minister. He was a leader on issues including racial justice, disability ministries and peace and non-violence. His inspired creativity and commitment gave rise to New Samaritan Corporation. Rev. Dr. Edwin R. “Doc” Edmonds was Pastor Emeritus of the Dixwell Avenue Congregational Church UCC in New Haven, where he served for 35 years. As one of the founders of the national UCC Commission for Racial Justice, his was an articulate and powerful prophetic voice against racism and for civil rights, public education and housing and community development. Their spirits continue to shine brightly among us!
ConnTact, Conference Call and our ever more robust website, www.ctucc.org, help keep the lines of communication open among us. The Conference offers resources to churches and individuals through the Ruth Dudley Resource Center, where Amy Beveridge oversees a wide range of books, videos, and other resources. She also works with churches in Christian Education, as well as Youth Ministry. In 2007, both areas saw the successful introduction of “Stepping Stones,” mini-courses (typically two hours) designed for those who want to explore faith formation topics and contemporary issues and ideas and network with others to energize or refresh their ministry. “Stepping Stones” are sponsored by the Connecticut Partners in Education, consultants trained through the UCC national network of Partners, and are available to consult with local churches to help refocus and/or revitalize the educational program of the congregation.
Our partnerships with our Colombian and Korean partners help deepen relationship, cultural awareness and Christian fellowship through visits, exchanges of delegations, regular prayer and learning from one another. In July 2008, the Korean Partnership will welcome 12 Korean youth and their chaperones to Connecticut and Silver Lake as part of Sacred Journey 2008.
In anticipation of General Synod, we completed the ambitious project of producing 36 weekly bulletin inserts on topics of UCC heritage, theology, mission, and polity as our gift to local churches throughout the UCC. The complete series remains available at www.ctucc.org/uccat50.
Your Public Policy Advocate worked on behalf of financial assistance for low-income families, expanded access to health care for parents of HUSKY children, compassionate care for victims of sexual assault, and property tax exemptions for churches who lease space to other non-profit organizations.
Many local churches continue to face financial challenges. The Conference sponsored several initiatives to support your ministries. These programs included “Churches on the Brink,” a joint venture with the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Conferences, to help renew the ministries of older, urban churches; the “New Dollars/New Partners” training program offered through Partners for Sacred Places, works with selected congregations with older, historic buildings to diversify resources that can support the care and good use of their buildings as assets of ministry; and our newly-launched Small Church Consultations, which afford an appreciative opportunity for the sharing of dreams, challenges, and supportive relationships among our smaller churches.
The Conference was blessed to receive an unanticipated increase in OCWM Basic Support giving as well as some bequests in 2006, which helped make possible the creation of the Youth and Young Adult Ministry position. We hope this generosity continues as a reflection of appreciation for the covenant that binds us together as the Connecticut Conference. We remain committed to managing our expenses and resources in the most efficient way possible, so that we can offer the services, ministry and witness to local churches and congregations that our covenant requires.
We look ahead to 2008 with faith-filled anticipation, a year in which we will build upon and boldly affirm our identity and unique witness as the United Church of Christ, proclaiming the Gospel to the communities of Connecticut. God Is Still Speaking!
