THE WEEKLY NEWS
March 25, 2025 | Volume 17 No. 12
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Conference Minister Corner
Read the whole message on nhcucc.org
Rev. Sara Marean | Assoc. Conference Minister
“The Thirty-Fourth General Synod of the United Church of Christ reaffirms and proclaims people of transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse experiences are beloved by God, with unique gifts and graces from the Divine for the life of the church and society, and are among the neighbors Jesus commands us to love and treat with worth and dignity.”
-Resolution passed by the 34th General Synod, Indianapolis, IN, June 30-July 4, 2023.
Dear Friends,
Last Thursday, dozens of friends and colleagues stood together outside of the NH Statehouse to protest several different anti-Trans bills being considered by both the NH House and Senate. This is just one of the ways we are able to live into the UCC Resolution of Witness “ACTIVELY AFFIRMING THE HUMAN DIGNITY OF TRANSGENDER AND NONBINARY PERSONS” adopted in 2023.
In a nation becoming increasingly hostile to our Trans siblings, our care, concern and affirmation of their worth and dignity is more important now than ever.
Trans Day of Visibility is next Monday, March 31. Please take a moment to let your Trans friends, relatives and colleagues know that you see them, care for them, advocate for their safety and affirm who they are.
| | Expressing Support for Our Transgender Siblings | All people are created in the image of God. As Christians, we affirm, celebrate, and will fight for the whole personhood of our transgender and nonbinary siblings. In the United Church of Christ we live out the Love and Justice of Jesus in our words, and in our actions. As we approach the Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31st, the Conference has made available a social media kit of profile/post frames and templates that can be used to make clear your support in whatever spaces you occupy online. Click Here for Details | | UKAMA CELEBRATION SHARE FOOD AND STORIES | | The Ukama Mission Group is sponsoring a celebration of our partnership with the UCCZ on Sunday, March 30, from 5-7 at the First Parish Church, UCC, in East Derry. Our time together will begin with a potluck dinner. Following that, some of the people who visited our partners in Zimbabwe last summer will share pictures and stories. We'll also be sharing the current situation in Zimbabwe, which is greatly impacted by the dismantling of USAID. We'll also report on the results of our Food Insecurity appeal. | | There is a lot going on in the world today, so we are resuming our Clergy Check-in opportunities. These are virtual (Zoom) gatherings for Authorized Ministers to talk about how modern events are impacting ministry, to share resources, and to learn of wider church initiatives. There will be two clergy check-ins each month, one during the day and one in the evening. | Final Clergy Check-in opportunity in March: | | The Association Capacity Task Force is coordinating a virtual prayer service on March 31st at 7 pm. On this day when our current associations conclude their work, it felt important to have an opportunity for community to gather together and offer prayers of thanksgiving for what has been and petition that grace may surround us as we step into what will be. A Zoom link for this prayer service will be shared as the event draws nearer. Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85452859751 | | NHCC: Clergy Only Worship Service | |
Clergy-Only Worship Service - Hybrid
March 31st, 10:30am
Soup lunch following the service
Hybrid In-person - Concord, St Paul's Chapel, 21 Center St., Concord
Reverend Sara Marean and Brother Paul Lutz will co-lead a us in the sacred quiet of this clergy-only worship service, faith leaders come together to replenish their spirits, drawing strength from shared prayers, sacred texts, and the unspoken bond of those who have devoted their lives to ministry. A simple soup lunch will provide a time for fellowship after the service.
Please RSVP: lisa@nhchurches.org
Zoom link HERE
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It’s time to escalate the transformative power of active nonviolence: resistance, care for one another, cooperation, solidarity, allyship, creativity. Now more than ever, we have to tap into our potential to resist together, to support each other, and to stand up for the beauty and belonging of us all.
The Peace with Justice Advocates ask you to Join us in making this commitment to RISE to the challenges of our times and SHINE: In this unprecedented moment
Click Here to read the commitment https://paceebene.org/rise-and-shine#!
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Is your congregation talking about the reality of gun violence in your church and your community?
In 2023, 43,000 people in the U.S. were killed by gun violence, including 650 mass shootings. That number includes the 27,300 people who died by suicide using a firearm. The issue is real and all around us.
If your congregation is talking about the reality of gun violence and planning to take action, please email the Peace with Justice Advocates (janet.zeller@gmail.com). We want to share your leadership with other churches in the New Hampshire Conference.
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All clergy are invited to Clergy Day 2025: Coping in a Moment of Anger and Ambiguity, Facilitated by Rev. Michelle DeCoste and Rev. Joel Eaton
Tuesday, May 6th from 9am-1pm at the Congregational Church of Hooksett Please join us for this important day of connection and conversation The cost is $20. Registration and more information coming soon!
| | Clergy Convocation: Just Eucharist: Communion and the Church's Public Witness | |
On September 15-17, 2025 at the Pilgrim Pines Camp and Retreat Center in Swanzey, NH, Rev. Mary Luti will guide us as we consider "the many ways Communion can 'communize' us for just and courageous living in the world."
The Rev. J. Mary Luti, Ph. D. is a retired seminary professor and pastor, having taught for 20+ years in the fields of Christian History and Worship at the former Andover Newton Theological School (now Andover Newton Seminary at Yale), where she also served as Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Director of the Wilson Chapel. From 2000-2008 she served as Senior Minister of First Church in Cambridge, Congregational, United Church of Christ, in Harvard Square (MA). In retirement, she has served as the sabbatical or interim pastor in several churches in the greater Boston area. A member of the United Church of Christ Stillspeaking Writers Group, she is a regular contributor to the UCC Daily Devotional, and the author of books and articles on various aspects of Christian life, most recently editing a resource for the SSWG entitled, Do This: Communion for Just and Courageous Living.
Registration will open June 11 at 9 a.m. There are 46 spots available, so sign up for reminders here.
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Greetings NH Conference! Your Board of Directors met recently on Zoom. Here are a few of the highlights from our meeting:
· We discussed, moved and passed a new Anti-Bias Training Policy brought to us by the Conference Justice and Witness Ministry. This policy requires all persons elected to serve New Hampshire Conference positions (Officers, Board of Director Members, Nominating Committee and General Synod Delegates), all persons appointed by the Board of Directors to serve on Conference Ministry Teams, and all year-around Conference staff to attend Conference-approved Anti-Bias Training... read more on nhcucc.org
| | Don't Wait - Report Your Church Data Today! | With the software update that took place this year, many people have questions about logging into the yearbook reporting system. The National setting has updated their Instruction Sheet and has brand new helpful videos that walk you through the process, step by step. The cycle has been extended until April 11, but the Conference requests you complete your reporting by April 1st, to allow time to correct any discrepancies. Contact the Conference Yearbook Team if you need support at (603) 715-9520 or email yearbook@nhcucc.org, or book a support session here. | | Administrative Professionals Day 2025 | |
Our Local Church Support Ministry Team and the Conference staff will be hosting our annual gathering for Church Administrative Professionals on Wednesday, April 30th at 10:00 a.m. at the Conference Office (140 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke). Lunch will be provided. Join us to meet your fellow church administrators and learn more about the NH Conference and its offerings. This event is funded by the Local Church Support ministry at no cost to churches. However, we encourage churches to compensate their staff for a full workday if they attend.
To register, please complete the electronic form here.. Please contact the office if you have any questions!
| | Annual Meeting Resolutions | | Submission of Resolutions to be considered for the agenda at the Conference Annual Meeting must be received by the Conference Minister no later than Wednesday, May 25, 2025. Please use the 2025 Resolution Process Guidelines in preparing your Resolution for submission. | | Harriet Ward Antiracism Speaker Series | | |
The Antiracism Ministries Group of the New Hampshire Conference invites you to the third annual Harriet Ward Antiracism Speaker Series.
The keynote speaker this year is James T. McKim, author and president of the Manchester chapter of the NAACP.
When it comes to racial diversity issues in New Hampshire, James McKim has got every angle covered. As the President of the Manchester NAACP, he advocates for “political, educational, social, and economic equality of all citizens.” As the CEO of Organizational Ignition, he consults with businesses across the Granite State, championing diversity as the key to giving businesses a competitive edge. In the church, too, McKim is active. He is the chair of the Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism & Reconciliation for the Episcopal Church, a body that is mandated to “promote racial healing, justice, and reconciliation in the Church.” We are eager to hear his perspective, and we think you will be too!
James McKim will speak at the United Church of Christ in Keene, 23 Central Square, Keene NH on April 27th, 2025, at 3PM. A light reception will follow.
Registration is required for this event. To register follow this link: tinyurl.com/antiracismlecture2025
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Camp Highlight: LIT Leaders in Training
(entering grades 10-'25 grads, June 25-28, tiered prices: $285, $255, $225)
Come hang out on the mountain and put together a toolbox of leadership skills! Take a whirl at leading activities, learning about camp behind the scenes and do some introspective work. Whether you want to be staff or a counselor or simply want to practice some leadership, this is the time for you. Make this a full week of camp by registering for both HC Serves (6/22-25) and LIT. We'll have lots of fun leading and serving together!
HC Sundays Continue!
Spring is here and the Horton Center-themed worship services are continuing! You are welcome to join us for camp songs, sweets, and messages anywhere and any time. Check out the full HC Sunday Schedule HERE.
Save The Date: Opening Work Weekend (5/16-5/18)
We would greatly appreciate any help you can give at Horton Center's Opening Work Weekend. Invite a friend for a couple hours, a whole day, or for the weekend! Whether you are a carpenter, a cleaner, a gardener, or an organizer - we need you! We'll have fun and great meals as we prepare the site for another awesome camping and retreat season. Email Tivvi if you're able to make it!
Shalom, friends!
Tivvi Pare (she/her/hers)
603-545-9660 | TPare@nhcucc.org
| | We're Back with a new edition of Christian Education News-from the Christian Formation Ministry of the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ. Read it today, and if you don't already get it in your inbox, you can click here to subscribe! | | Come to Star Island this summer! | |
- SUMMER CAMP ... BUT IN A HOTEL!
- FUN WITH FRIENDS, NEW AND OLD
- WORSHIP IN THE CHAPEL, OR ON THE
ROCKS
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- SWIM, ROW, KAYAK, OR EXPLORE!
- LET YOUR INNER ARTIST OUT TO PLAY
- ENJOY A QUIET MORNING WHILE YOUR KIDS HAVE FUN AT PROGRAM
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GRANT APPLICATION DEADLINES
Conferences before August 24, is April 15 Conferences after August 24, is June 15
Other conferences from June-Sept on other topics are also available.
Read all the the details online at www.starisland.org
| | Download a PDF flyer here | | |
PRAYER FROM GLOBAL MINISTRIES | PRAY WITH JAMAICA- Loving God, we lift up to You the people of Jamaica, praying that You may enable us to be a people who will seek to love You wholeheartedly and love our neighbours as we love ourselves. We pray that You will stir the hearts of leaders so that they may lead with wisdom, honesty, and righteousness, seeking to promote the well-being of the people they lead and not simply themselves. Faithful God, we give You thanks for the United Theological College of the West Indies. Continue... Read On...
| | UPCOMING CONFERENCE EVENTS | | | Retired Clergy Luncheon
June 25, 2025 | Time/Registration TBA | Havenwood Heritage Heights
149 East Side Dr, Concord, NH 03301 | | | | See What's Happening in and around our Conference! | | | |
The Merrimack Association will hold a Service of Installation for the Rev. Dr. Sadagopan as Pastor and Teacher of the South Congregational Church, UCC in Concord on April 6, at 3:00 p.m.
The Rev. Peter Lovett has announced his resignation as Pastor and Teacher of Meredith First Congregational Church, and his retirement from active ministry. His last Sunday will be May 25, with a Bluegrass Sunday Farewell Worship held on May 11.
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Our Trans siblings as we anticipate Trans Day of Visibility.
“Love Is Not Concerned” by Alice Walker
Love is not concerned
With whom you pray
Or where you slept
The night you ran away
From home
Love is concerned
That the beating of your heart
Should kill no one.
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Rev. Gordon Rankin
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Rev. Rankin will be preaching at the First Congregational Church of Dunbarton where the Rev.
Robert Vodra serves as Pastor.
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Rev. Sara Marean
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Rev. Marean will be preaching at the Maranatha Indonesian Church, UCC, where the Reverend Sandra Pontoh serves as Pastor and Teacher.
| | Monday - Friday | 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM | | |
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