Christian Education & Formation

October 2023 Issue

EVENTS

New England Regional Youth Event

Sunday, July 28 through Wednesday, July 31

Silver Lake Conference Center in Sharon, CT

SAVE THE DATE for the 2024 Regional Youth Event!

All youth ages 13-18 are welcome to attend with their advisors.

More details will be coming soon but you can be sure that RYE will be a place to grow your spirits and connect with teens from all over New England. This beautiful outdoor ministry site features swimming, boating, and a challenge course for team building.

NH Youth are invited to join together and attend this awesome experience and meet young people from all over New England! More details and registration forms will be available soon along with how you can attend both Horton Center and RYE next summer!! Double the fun! For more info contact: dtinkham@nhcucc.org.

RESOURCE HIGHLIGHTS

Focus on Accessibility

Webinar - Accessible to All Churches and Disability Justice from the UCC’s Thursday Nurture for the Soul series features the work of the Disability Ministries Committee uccdm.org. The panel includes Bekah Maren Anderson who is the keynote speaker at NHCUCC Annual Meeting on Oct. 21. In this webinar, you will hear the panel of UCC Disabilities Ministries Board members discuss practical resources to help remove barriers to fully welcome those with physical and mental health challenges.

Disability Justice intersects with the UCC’s commitments to racial, economic, gender, sexual identities, just peace, and environmental justice.

In 2005, the UCC adopted the A2A -Accessible To All Covenant as a denomination as part of its commitment to Disability Justice. More links to assist you on the path to making your congregation fully welcoming:

Disability Etiquette is a good place to begin. This printable brochure includes a checklist to use when preparing to welcome individuals when planning events, on Sunday mornings, and during meetings.

How to Become an A2A Congregation

Accessibility to All - A2A Guide

Multisensory Worship Ideas

TOGETHER Website TOGETHER is an innovative approach to Bible study that is designed to help congregations develop a sense of true belonging among people of all levels of ability. Through the use of interactive videos, Bible presentations, discussion prompts, and more, people with and without disabilities can grow in faith.

CURRICULUM IDEAS

Spark House produces curricula, Bibles, and resources for Faith Formation for all levels of learners in print and digitally.

Read this extensive article listing top picks for Youth Ministry Curriculum from Building Faith, a ministry of Lifelong Learning of Virginia Theological Seminary.

SERVICE OPPORTUNITY

Tom’s of Maine has great information on how to begin to organize a Sock Drive for the Unhoused Neighbors in Your Community. Your congregation might decorate a Christmas tree in your church with socks, have people wrap socks up in pretty paper under the tree, or in a basket, or on your church steps- so many possibilities!

TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS

Faith Formation Leadership Training and Certification offers many great opportunities. Take stand-alone classes or register to complete the process for certification in Faith Formation &/or Youth Ministry leadership in the Southern New England Conference and valued in any location.

Webinars - Go to Practical Resources for Churches to register and see the many free one-hour webinars of current topics. Some interesting examples are listed below:

How can Churches Prevent Gun Violence?

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

2:00 - 3:00 PM EDT

Panelists - Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Rev. Dr. Sherry Molock, Rev. Deanna Hollas

Holy Listening: Connecting to the Faith Lives of Kids & Teens

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

2:00 - 3:00 PM EDT

Leader - Leanne Hadley

Now and Next for Youth Ministry

Thursday, November 2, 2023

2:00 - 3:00 PM EST

Leader - Deech Kirk

MUSIC

Enjoy Nigerian artist DappyTKeys’ video Time Alone With GOD: 3 Hours of Piano Worship for Prayer and Meditation for 3 minutes or 3 hours! Listen to the beautiful piano music or watch it and appreciate the scenic photos with Bible verses on the screen.

Suggested Podcasts

On this “On Being” episode Serene Jones-Grace in a Fractured World, Krista Tippett interview Rev. Serene Jones, the first female president of Union Theological Seminary.

On this episode of Everything Happens with Kate Bowler, Angela Williams discusses the Caring Power of Community and how to sustain a life of service. Williams is an ordained minister and the President and CEO of United Way Worldwide.

UCC Podcasts

ASSOCIATION OF UNITED CHURCH EDUCATORS

AUCE is a membership organization, of and for lay and ordained, paid and volunteer pastors, educators, and youth ministry leaders, which has been providing advocacy and support for church education and educators in the United Church of Christ since 1971. The AUCE Faith Formation and Intergenerational Resources page has websites, blogs, curriculum and many other resources and links. Go to AUCE Membership to learn how you can become a member of a network of people who work in partnership to help broaden the scope and depth of faith formation and education ministries.

SNECUCC Resources

Conference Classifieds

National Job Listings

Conference Center

Monday - Friday | 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Gordon Rankin

Conference Minister

Sara Marean

Associate Conference Minister

Cindy Bradley

Administrative Assistant

Diane Tinkham

Christian Formation Resource Specialist

Lydia Frasca

Finance Officer

Susanne McCarron

Search and Call

Tivvi Pare

Horton Center Executive Director / Christian Formation Resource Specialist

Thaddeus Sieverding

CTE Specialist

Phone Number:

603-225-6647

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These announcements are intended to be brief, timely, and of a general interest to our Conference readers. Supportive links are provided whenever they are available. We encourage you to forward these materials to others in your church and to share them in your bulletins and local church newsletters.

Please contact Diane Tinkham at DTinkham@nhcucc.org with ideas and suggestions.

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