THE WEEKLY NEWS
January 13, 2026| Volume 18 No. 2
| | The Conference Office will be closed on Monday, January 19th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. | | CONFERENCE MINISTER'S CORNER | | |
Conference Minister Corner
Read the whole message on nhcucc.org
Rev. Gordon Rankin | Conference Minister
FAITH = ACTION
“Faith equals action everything we do, everyway we move. Oh, faith equals actions. Come on, everybody, put your faith to work
Isn’t it plain to see, what you say’s gotta be what you do if it’s true? Everyone gather round, finding our common ground. Be the change right now!”
In the early summer of 2018, I was on the leadership team that developed that West Central Regional Youth Event (RYE) that was held at Grinnell College. (It just so happens that I flew from an interview with the NH Conference search committee and went straight to Grinnell with out even going come to make it on time for RYE.) The theme of our Regional Youth Event was “Faith = Action.” I found this to be one of the most engaging themes I’ve worked with for any event I have been a part of planning.
...Read the full article here.
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PREPARED TO SERVE 2026
Registration Open!
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 8:00 AM Registration
9:00 AM Worship
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Workshops
Location: Pembroke Academy
209 Academy Rd. Pembroke, NH 03275
The 2026 Prepared to Serve workshops will follow our theme, "Another Way", by focusing on a new pathway system: the Four Pathways of Care: Self, Church, Local Community, and the Wider World. The workshops have been grouped into these four categories. This new system allows you to select workshops based on the Pathways of Care that most interest you.
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Self: workshops focus on individual care, such as self-care, clergy support, or personal growth. Class subject examples include self-care practices, living a fuller life, and making the most of your time.
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Church: workshops focus on supporting a church community. Class subject examples could include financial trainings for churches, intergenerational worship, marketing or technology education, or pastor/staff job search.
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Local Community: workshops focus on the local community, such as towns or states or multiple churches in an area. Class subject examples could include social justice issues in New Hampshire, environmental protection for local pollinators, or connecting with other church communities in your area.
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Wider World: workshops focus on subjects that affect our national or global community. Class subject examples could include anything related to Ukama, social justice lessons on a national scale, and how the church connects to the global community.
To view the most up to date course catalog (which will include any class changes), please visit here.
Register online here! All major credit cards and personal checks will be accepted. If you have any questions, please call (603) 225-6647 or email Cameron Keller.
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Installation Service
February 8,2026
The Granite State Association is pleased to invite all to the Installation of the
Reverend Cynthia D’Andrea
as pastor and teach of the South Newbury Union Church.
The members of the South Newbury Union Church are excited to have called Reverend D’Andrea as their settled pastor and invite all to celebrate with them. The service will be held on
Sunday, February 8, 2026
at 2:00 p.m. at the church (162 Village Road, Newbury) with a reception held after in the Friendship House.
We hope you will join with the Association, South Union Church, and Reverend D’Andrea in celebrating the hope for the future comes from this new covenant partnership.
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Save the Date!
The Anti-Racism Ministry Group of the NH Conference will host the fourth annual Harriet Ward Memorial Anti-Racism Speaker Series on the afternoon of April 12th, 2026, at the Congregational Church of Amherst.
Mark your calendars and stay tuned for our 2026 Speaker announcement!
Questions? Contact Tivvi Pare or Rev. Mark Koyama.
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Conference Accounting Books
Closing Friday January 16, 2026
Happy New Year!
Please note that the Conference will be closing the 2025 books for church donations in mid-January. All OCWM, NIN, OGHS, STC or Christmas Funds must be received at the Conference office by January 16th to be counted towards the church’s goals in 2025. If you are sending 2026 donations, please note that on your paperwork. Please contact Lydia Frasca with questions!
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Register for an opportunity to grow and strengthen your skills for leadership!
Ministry21 has three upcoming course offerings, each addressing an aspect of leadership in the church in a way that speaks directly to the specific realities encountered by churches and faith leaders in NH and VT—the two most secular and oldest states in the country. Ministry21 courses are developed to offer support for learning and space for growth to all leaders of the church—lay, authorized, and Members in Discernment. Our goal through each class is to foster covenant, connectivity, and learning for all leaders within our two conferences.
Meeting People Where They Are: Exploring Context, Theology, and Ministry that Propels Us into Ministry Outside of the Church with the Rev. Gayle Murphy, founder of the New Things Task Force and a clergy person who has spent the last seven years learning how to minister to those identified as “the nones.” --- This course conveys the very foundation for why Ministry21 exists—the realities of age, secularity, volunteerism and more—and explores the hope that exists when imagination and a heart for creative risk-taking is present in a congregation. While it will not provide all of the answers to success in outreach, this course will provide many examples of effective and thriving ministries (a note of caution…they look different than what you expect…).
Course meets: Jan 17, Feb 14, Mar 28, May 9
Pastoral Care and Ethics with the Rev. Jonathan New --- This is an essential course for anyone engaged in or considering engagement in licensed ministry or who is an MID needing coursework in the theology and ethics of Pastoral Care as well as seeking to deepen pastoral identity. It will also lay out a framework for healthy caregiving for lay-leaders seeking to develop congregational care goals. For ordained clergy, this is a space to look at pastoral caregiving through a different lens and to ask critical and brave questions of your existing practice. Drawing on the wisdom of literature and poetry and the writings of authors such as Howard Thurman and Henri Nouwen, this class will invite students to think creatively and imaginatively about the tensions between self and other, speech and silence, desire and detachment. The goal is to help participants find the paths that will lead them into wholeness and integrity in ministry.
Course Meets: Jan 24, Feb 28, Mar 21, Apr 18
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Hope Springs Eternal
“There does exist hope that not only eases despair, but also motivates action”
by the Rev. John Buttrick, published in the Concord Monitor January 10, 2026
The beginning days of 2026 are consumed with commentaries about the events of the past year and hopes for things to come. Dr. David DeSteno, a research psychologist, observes that more than 50% of Americans are expressing disillusionment concerning the possible progress for major global challenges. This disillusionment signals the risk of feeling hopeless. Where is the hope for peace when Mr. Trump orders a military mission involving 150 aircraft that worked to dismantle Venezuelan air defenses so military helicopters could deliver troops to Caracas, the country’s capital? There was significant resistance, with 40 Venezuelans killed, including civilians as well as military personnel. Where is the hope for justice when U.S. forces kidnap Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife? Where is the hope for freedom from piracy when Venezuelan oil tankers are threatened and seized? Where is the hope for an end to colonialism when the U.S. president says, “We are going to run the country (Venezuela) right″?
There is little or no hope for America when the president scorns U.S. ethics, makes a mockery of international law, and seeks to use the office of president to enhance his own wealth. He has proven unfit to be the President of the United States and has destroyed faith in the role of the executive branch of the government. In essence, he has abdicated his presidency and taken with him his appointees to leadership positions in the government. The executive office is peppered with pseudo leaders who have abandoned the American vision. “Truth, justice, and the American way” have been relegated to the ‘40’s episodes of Superman.
In order to avoid being overwhelmed by the hopeless situation in the executive branch of government, we might take guidance from the oppressed Palestinian Christians. There is wisdom in their proclamation, A Moment of Truth: “hear our cry of hope in the absence of all hope.”
The experience of powerlessness under occupation seems to have destroyed any hope of obtaining freedom. However, their helplessness is not hopelessness. Dr. David DeSteno, quotes the words of Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, “Freeing hope from our egos frees us from despair. To hope is to do good without expectation that we can make it so. It is to resist the darkness daily, whatever may come.” DeSteno continues, “Hope compels you to pursue goals with urgency but without the fear that if your hopes aren’t realized, you’ve failed. As a Rabbinic teaching from the Mishna puts it: It’s not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to stop trying, either.” And finally, DeSteno writes, “it’s unwise to base hope on the belief that if we just work hard enough, we can reach any goal. The Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas cautioned that a feeling of hope that rests on trust in our own power is often misguided.”
In summary, there does exist hope that not only eases despair, but also motivates action. The old adage, coined by Alexander Pope in An Essay on Man, “Hope springs eternal”, reminds us, for example, that a hoped-for goal of transforming the office of the presidency into a place of honesty, solid ethics, and virtuous action does not need to be dismissed as hopeless. Nor does ending the current wars raging in and among nations.
Yes, it may seem to be impossible to maintain hope for a transformation of the presidency and international relationships in this New Year. Yet, hope lives on for ourselves and our neighbors. We may find hope in people’s aspirations to do good. And then, perhaps in some future year, the powerful will follow the people’s lead. “Hope springs eternal.”
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NH UCC Christian Educators Community of Practice
Next Zoom Gathering: Wednesday, January 14th 7pm
RSVP HERE!
All Christian Education staff, volunteers, and lovers are welcome to join us to connect, share, and support one another as we get back into the groove of youth groups, intergenerational happenings, and more in our places of worship! Together we'll build community, exchange ideas, and offer support to each other.
Please share this information with the CE leader in your home church so we can loop them in!
Questions? Email Tivvi Pare.
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REGISTRATION FOR CAMP IS OPEN!
Summer is coming! Sign up for a camp or retreat today - there's something for everyone on this year's schedule!
SUMMER 2026 CAMP AND RETREAT SCHEDULE
Are you looking to make a real difference this year?
Horton Center's volunteer counselors create joy, boost confidence, and inspire our campers to be their best!
Come learn about the role of counselor at one of our upcoming info sessions. RSVP here: tinyurl.com/counselorinfo2026
Invite a friend, family member, or neighbor to give camping at Horton Center a try!
New/Prospective Camper Zoom calls are the perfect way to learn more about the sleepaway camp experience.
Share this quick RSVP form with a loved one: tinyurl.com/newcamperinfo2026
Souper Saturday (April 11th): Save the date for our 2026 Souper Saturday event which will once again take place at Tad's Place on the Havenwood Heritage Heights Campus in Concord. All are welcome!
Shalom,
Tivvi Pare
(she/her/hers)
Horton Center Executive Director
NHCUCC Christian Edu. Specialist
603-545-9660
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The New Hampshire Conference seeks candidates to serve as our Communications and Programs Coordinator. The Communications and Programs Coordinator provides logistical organization for Conference events and programs (including Annual Meeting and Prepared to Serve), maintains the Conference technology infrastructure, and publishes Conference communications including the Conference website and Weekly News. A position description is available upon request.
The Communications and Programs Coordinator position is a 30 hours a week, non-exempt position. Salary information available on request. Benefits (health and dental insurance, pension, etc.) are provided.
Interested candidates should submit a resume (with references to contact) to the Reverend Gordon Rankin, Conference Minister, at grankin@nhcucc.org.
The New Hampshire Conference is a Racial Justice, Just Peace, Open and Affirming Conference of the United Church of Christ.
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Monday, January 26, 6:00 - 9:00pm ET, Boundary Training for Ministers in Specialized Settings with Rev. Tara Barber and Rev. Anissa Glaser-Bacon
This training, hosted by Revs. Tara Barber and Anissa Glaser-Bacon, is open to ministers serving in specialized settings throughout the United Church of Christ. Serving in specialized settings requires particular attention to boundaries within the ministry setting and home church that are challenging and different from those serving as local church pastors. This training will focus on matters that relate specifically to issues that these ministers face, providing opportunities for clergy to reflect on best practices and growth in their practice of ministry.
Thursday, March 12, 3:30 – 6:30pm ET, Boundary Awareness Training for Retired Ministers with Rev. Tara Barber and Rev. Melanie Oommen
Maintaining healthy boundaries is challenging at any stage in ministry and it is particularly tender and difficult attending to boundaries as we transition out of our last call, and while in retirement. "A Sure Foundation", "The Ministerial Code" and Rev. Dr. Bruce Epperly's new book, "The Jubilee Years" along with case studies, will provide the content of this training. Rev. Tara Barber and Rev. Melanie Oommen will offer this focused Boundary Awareness Training for those entering and living in retirement. Participants must be able to use zoom chat and breakout room functions and have their camera turned on throughout the training
| | Gordon will be preaching at Hampstead Congregational Church and Atkinson Congregational Church where the Rev. Paige Besse-Rankin serves as Interim Pastor. | | | UPCOMING CONFERENCE EVENTS | | | See What's Happening In and Around Our Conference! | | | | |  | |
February 28, 2025
Pembroke Academy
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Remembering that Someone Needs My Prayer
God who knows and loves us all,
I pray for someone going out to breakfast
with an old, old friend,
someone preparing for an infusion,
someone who's late with a college application,
someone looking at a seed catalog
and dreaming of summer.
I pray for someone choosing clothes
for an old friend's visiting hours,
someone deciding whether the time's come
to quit the church choir,
someone going to the animal shelter
to find adopt that really homely dog,
someone planning games
for a sibling’s baby shower.
I pray, O God, for those I know,
and those I don't know,
and I trust you with all the people
who need love today
but probably I have forgotten. amen
Continued thanks to Rev. Maren Tirabassi for providing our prayers.
| | Monday - Friday | 9:00AM - 4:00PM | | |
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