Conference Minister Corner

Read the whole message on nhcucc.org

Rev. Linda Hirst | Transitional Associate Minister of Search and Call

My husband Brad’s birthday is at the end of October. And rather than declare just that day for his birthday, he has, for as long as I’ve known him, declared the entire month of October as his birthday month. Fortunately, for me, he doesn’t expect a gift every day, but he does rave continually about how wonderful his birthday month is: how beautiful the weather is, how wonderful the colors of the trees are, or how nice the autumn rain is for the one or two days it rains. And he’s right. October is a spectacular month; year in and year out. I don’t know too many of us living in New England who don’t like October.

My birthday is in November. My birthday month is always, always cold and rainy. I don’t claim a birthday month; it’s hard enough to have a birthday in November but given the weather (did I mention cold and rainy?) why would I claim an entire month of this? ...Read the full article here.

The Granite State Association calls for an
Ecclesiastical Council to consider

Derek Waldron

for Ordination

Sunday, November 23, 2025

at 3 pm

In-Person: Deerfield Community Church (15 Church St., Deerfield, NH)

or

On-Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89313124732

The Committee on Ministry (COM) for Ministerial Discernment has recommended Derek Waldron to an Ecclesiastical Council of the Gathered Association for consideration of Ordination Pending Call. Authorized Ministers, Delegates and members of all Granite State Association churches are encouraged to attend, in person or via Zoom, for this time of discernment.

Derek’s Ordination portfolio is available for review here.

THE ROAD FROM CEASEFIRE TO PEACE

The Urgent Task of Ending Genocide, Occupation, and Apartheid as the Only Path Toward Peace with Justice for Palestinians and Israelis:

A ROADMAP FOR UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST ADVOCACY AND SOLIDARITY

From the United Church of Christ Movement for Palestinian Solidarity (UCCMPS), to all congregations, conferences and settings of the Church.

November 5, 2025

A CEASEFIRE, HOWEVER STABLE, IS NOT PEACE:

The declaration of a ceasefire in Gaza in October, 2025, was a welcome step

toward ending the genocide that has killed at least 68,000 Gazans and lead

Gaza’s 2.3 million population displaced multiple times, most with no homes

to return to amid the rubble of relentless bombing. The recent return of

Israeli hostages captured on October 7, 2023, including 20 of them alive and

the bodies of 17 of the 28 who died in captivity, and the release of close to

2,000 of the 11,000 Palestinians Israel has imprisoned since October 7

brought relief to many families. That said, dueling accusations of ceasefire

violations have allowed Israel and its United States sponsor to justify extremely deadly military assaults on the civilian population in Gaza, and humanitarian aid, while increasing, remains far below the amounts needed to avoid starvation for many. Meanwhile, the reduction in violence in Gaza and

ensuing celebration of ceasefire have provided cover for dramatically increased settler and Israeli military violence and detentions in the West Bank.

A ceasefire, however stable, is not peace. The fact that this current ceasefire was orchestrated by Israel, the United States, and Arab nations while largely excluding Palestinian voices and imposed under the relentless threats of continued genocide serves as a warning. Israel’s settler colonialist history and its treatment of its Palestinian citizens and neighbors going back nearly eighty years have provoked regular eruptions of violence resulting in multiple ceasefires, peace agreements, and peace plans which have all proved to be either partial, illusory, or disingenuous. They have repeatedly distracted the international community from an increasingly oppressive occupation and the creation of an apartheid regime.

But now, since October 7, most of the international community is paying attention and speaking out not only against Israel’s genocide but against its expansion of settlements, its mass detentions of Palestinians, including children, its home demolitions, its repeated violations of international law and

human rights, and its denial of the legitimacy of Palestinian rights to sovereignty or to full citizenship.

Meanwhile, Israel’s increasingly right-wing government pursues the goal of full annexation of Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, with apparent acceptance by a majority of the Israeli population. The ceasefire and the current peace plan fail to address the perpetuation of these injustices.

A MATTER OF THEOLOGICAL URGENCY:

In 2021 the General Synod of the United Church of Christ adopted a resolution titled “Declaration for a Just Peace Between Israel and Palestine.” It offered a

theological framework, consistent with international law and human rights norms, for meaningful and enduring peace in the region based on justice rather than military domination. It serves as a plumb line against which to assess any peace process and proposals, and becomes particularly relevant as the Trump and Netanyahu administrations outline a way forward which they seek to impose on Palestinians. Shaped by classic forms of Christian confession in the face of Kairos moments in history, the resolution’s affirmations and rejections speak boldly to the current crisis as instructive warnings and hopeful signs for any roadmap toward peace from ceasefire. The General Synod, speaking to the churches and members of the United Church of Christ in 2021, stated:

We affirm that the continued oppression of the Palestinian people remains, after more than five decades of oppression of the Palestinian people, a matter of theological urgency and represents a sin in violation of the message of the biblical prophets and the Gospel, and that all efforts to defend or legitimate the oppression of the Palestinian people, whether passive or active, through silence, word, or deed by the Christian community, represent a fundamental denial of the Gospel.

Therefore, we reject the notion that Israel’s occupation of Palestine is a purely political problem outside the concern of the church or that the oppression of the Palestinian people is an inevitable consequence of global or regional geopolitical interests.

Any roadmap toward peace from ceasefire carries theological implications which the church must consider. In solidarity with our Christian Palestinian neighbors, we are called to remind political and diplomatic actors that negotiations, agreements, and compromises, particularly when imposed militarily and diplomatically by the strong against the weak, carry spiritual and theological implications requiring prophetic critique based on God’s preferential option for the poor and the vulnerable.

________________________________________________________

We affirm that the biblical narrative beginning with creation and extending through the calling of the Israelites, the corrective admonitions of the prophets, the incarnation and ministry of Jesus and the witness of the apostles to the “ends of the earth” . . . speaks of God's blessing extending to “all the families of the earth.” (Genesis 12.3)

Therefore, we reject any theology or ideology including Christian Zionism, Supercessionism, antisemitism or anti-Islam bias that would privilege or exclude any one nation, race, culture, or religion within God’s universal economy of grace.

Any roadmap toward peace from ceasefire must not privilege Israelis over Palestinians, nor encourage the demonization and dehumanizing of Palestinians, and must avoid justifications for occupation of the land based on distorted readings of the Bible by Jews and Christian Zionists that grant special rights to Israel up to and including annexation of the land from the river to the sea.

________________________________________________________

We affirm that all people living in Palestine and Israel are created in the image of God and that this bestows ultimate dignity and sacredness to all;

Therefore, we reject any laws and legal procedures which are used by one race or religion to enshrine one people in a privileged legal position at the expense of another, including Israel’s apartheid system of laws and legal procedures.

Any roadmap toward peace from ceasefire must recognize the full dignity of Palestinians as a people and must lead toward clear commitments to ending the occupation and the dismantling of a sinful apartheid regime.

________________________________________________________

We affirm that all peoples have the right to self-determination and to their aspirations for sovereignty and statehood in the shaping of their corporate religious, cultural, and political life, free from manipulation or pressure from outside powers, and that a just resolution of conflicting claims is only achieved through peaceful negotiation based on international law and UN resolutions, the equal protection of civil rights, and the fair and just sharing of land and resources.

Therefore, we reject the use of Scripture to claim a divine right to the land as the rationale for Israel’s illegal seizure and annexation of Palestinian land as well as the imposition of so called peace agreements by Israel or the United States through the exercise of political and military domination that leaves Palestinians without equal rights, full citizenship, and the opportunity to thrive religiously, culturally, politically, and economically.

Any roadmap toward peace from ceasefire must be built on the legitimacy of Palestinian sovereignty, and negotiations must include the full participation of Palestinian leadership chosen by Palestinians themselves. A just peace cannot be shaped by Israeli and American political actors alone, or with the selective engagement of Palestinian actors vetted by the occupying powers.

________________________________________________________

We affirm the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes if they so choose or to be compensated for their loss of property, consistent with UN General Assembly resolution 194 (1948).

Therefore, we reject the denial of this right, just as we reject efforts to manipulate internationally-agreed upon definitions of refugees to attempt to erase this right which extends across generations.

Any roadmap toward peace from ceasefire must no longer ignore UN resolutions addressing the rights of Palestinian refugees living for generations in refugee camps in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, or in the diaspora. Promises made by the international community almost eighty years ago can no longer be ignored or dismissed aided by the decades long pattern of United States vetoes of Security Council resolutions.

________________________________________________________

We affirm the First Amendment constitutional right to freedom of speech and assembly to protest the actions of the State of Israel and to uphold the rights of Palestinians, including the use of economic measures to support justice as a First Amendment right and joining the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement by individuals, institutions, corporations, and religious bodies that advocate peace with justice or participate in any aspect of the use of economic measures to support justice.

Therefore, we reject the idea that any criticism of policies of the State of Israel is inherently antisemitic, and we oppose the efforts of U.S. federal and state governments to limit free speech on university campuses and to restrict or ban support of the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.

Any roadmap toward peace from ceasefire cannot privilege Israel by denying supporters of the legitimate rights of Palestinians the ability to advocate for those rights using non-violent methods, including support for the BDS movement. The silencing of university students and faculty, immigrants,

or politicians through restrictions on free speech, the illegal or selective use of immigration enforcement, and the weaponization of anti-Semitism isolates Palestinians from the support of international solidarity. In addition it unlawfully inhibits the legitimate critique of Israel’s occupation and apartheid system supported by the US government, as well as of the US-Israeli peace process as currently conceived.

________________________________________________________

NOT CHARITY, BUT DIGNITY:

The suffering of the Palestinian people will not be relieved by a partially

and easily violated ceasefire, as important as that is as a first step. Nor will their legitimate political and ethical aspirations be achieved through a peace process orchestrated and controlled by the very forces that committed genocide against them and that have imposed an illegal occupation over them for decades. A true roadmap toward a just peace requires the affirmation of the human dignity of all parties and rejects schemes which simply create a more insidious occupation, provide corrupt economic opportunities to powerful outside business interests, or advance the annexation agenda.

In the book of Amos, the prophet envisions God holding a plumb line as a measure of Israel’s faithfulness. In keeping with that image, the “Declaration for a Just Peace Between Palestine and Israel” offers its set of affirmations and rejections as a plumb line for measuring any steps toward peace with justice. Based on the “Declaration,” the current proposals by the Trump administration for the future of Gaza and all of Palestine are seriously out of plumb. Lutheran pastor Munther Isaac of Bethlehem reminds us that “peace cannot be imposed. Rather it must be built on justice, equality, and the recognition of every human life as sacred. The people of Gaza, and all Palestinians, deserve not charity but dignity; not reconstruction under occupation but liberation from it. The ceasefire has given us a moment to breathe. May it also be the moment we awake to the truth that peace without justice is merely the continuation of war by quieter means,” (Sojourners, October 22, 2025).

The Rev. Dr. Linda Noonan, Co-Chair

The Rev. David Grishaw-Jones, Co-Chair

For more, see: www.uccmps.org

Further Resources:

• Costly Solidarity Toolkit
• Complicity Corporations Campaign/Boycott Chevron
• Chevron Campaign Special Event 11/22
• Chevron Campaign Advent
• Let Children Live (Online Vigil 11/20)
• Apartheid-Free Movement

Rev. Derek Terry's Keynote Speech from the 224th Annual Meeting

Cincinnati has a women’s choir. Muse: Cincinnati Women’s Choir. A member of

my church was a long time singer in the choir invited me to hear her choir sing.

And I’ll be honest with you, I went begrudgingly.

I’ve heard a lot of choirs in my life, and I thought, ‘Alright, this is going to be

sweet — maybe a little corny.’

But I was wrong. It was powerful — deeply moving.

That night, Melanie DeMore stood before the choir and began to talk about being a

standing stone.

She said, ‘Sometimes you can’t fix anything. You can’t find the right words. You

can’t take away someone’s pain. All you can do is stand by them. Be their stone.’

And then she asked, ‘Who are you standing with? Who are you holding up?’

That question has stayed with me ever since.



...read the full speech here.

Disaster Relief After Hurricane Melissa

On October 28th, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, one of the most powerful and destructive Category 5 storms on record in the Caribbean. Its devastation also impacted Haiti and Cuba.

The United Church of Christ issuing an appeal to help immediate and long-term recovery efforts in these Caribbean countries. The primary needs at this recovery stage are shelter, safe drinking water, sanitation, healthcare and food. Donation to the appeal can be made by sending checks to the New Hampshire Conference (140 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, NH 03275) with Hurricane Melissa Appeal in the memo or by visiting the Conference’s online giving portal and clicking on “Other Donation” and entering Hurricane Melissa Appeal in the memo line.

Calling all NH UCC Confirmation-Age Youth! 

Rev. Steve Miller, Tivvi Pare, and Rev. Gordon Rankin are excited to once again offer a Conference-Wide Confirmation Program to any youth who are interested in taking part in this Confirmation/Faith Formation experience! Whether you come from a church with a confirmation class and you're looking to continue that learning and faith exploration with our group OR if you are the only confirmation-age youth at your church and you want to be a part of our awesome community, you are welcome! This program is designed to supplement ongoing work and learning with your local church. We will gather together once a month either over Zoom or in person for fun, exploration, learning, community-building, and faith discovery. You won't want to miss it! 

Email Tivvi Pare for more information and to sign-up for this FREE program.

Dedication to the Cause of Peace

“Veterans Day may give us all the opportunity to learn that 

it is possible to gain peace without going to war”

by the Rev. John Buttrick, published in the Concord Monitor November 8, 2025

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs explains, “Veterans Day 2025 is a United States federal holiday that honors all military veterans who have served in the U.S. military and is observed annually on November 11.”.  As the day approaches this year, wars and rumors of war motivate citizens to not only honor all military veterans but also to assure young men and women choosing the military that they will also be among the honored ones. Secretary of Defense (War), Pete Hegseth, said in a speech, “To stay ahead of the curve, the United States celebrates its war powers: the equipment, the weapons, and the personnel to make it all work. What better way to inspire civilian and military to be ready to win the next war with the military might of the strongest nation in the world.”. He talked about restoring a warrior ethos for the strongest, most powerful, most lethal and most prepared military on the planet.  

This militaristic view is far from the goal of Veterans Day’s precursor holiday, Armistice Day, a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace; following “the war to end all wars.”. Yet, Secretary Hegseth insists there is “a simple yet profound truth. To ensure peace, we must prepare for war… History teaches us, the only people who actually deserve peace are those who are willing to wage war to defend it.” To the contrary, the history of perpetual war demonstrates that expecting war to be the path to peace is an exercise in naiveite. The evidence proves that war does not secure peace. Wars fought over borders, wealth, ethnicity, retaliation, vengeance, and slippery security have continued to obscure the way to peace for generations. It is disingenuous to fight wars over and over again expecting that the next war will somehow reap a different result. 

Perhaps an alternative is to seek peace by exercising a commitment to the understanding that war is a flawed instrument for peace. Perhaps Veterans Day may be a recommitment to the Armistice Day “dedication to the cause of peace,” meaning no more wars. President Wilson in 1919, called Armistice Day “an opportunity for America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”. The best support that may be given to veterans may be to introduce, in their name, a vision for a peace initiative that abandons the narrative of warrior and sacrifice and replaces it with a refusal to expect wars will ever bring peace. Perhaps Veterans Day may be the venue to revive the question from the anti-war movement of the 60’s, “what if there was a war declared and no one came?” 

That question haunts me to this day. You see, in that same decade I was one who was drafted and, against my conscience, went into the Army to become a neuropsychiatric medic serving at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. At first, I was quite self-righteous because I had chosen to be involved in healing rather than harming. However, a doctor under whom we served, explained to us that our very presence as medics gave the combat soldiers a deceptive sense of protection and therefore a willingness to go into battle. We medics learned that we were just another instrument of war. We were judged by the Kingston Trio song that includes the words: “Where have all the young men gone? / Gone for soldiers, everyone / When will they ever learn? / When will they ever learn?”. 

Veterans Day may be received as an honor by many veterans. However, for others, the day may simply remind them of the road to peace not taken. Or, some may feel that the glory offered to them is unwarranted and unwanted. Veterans Day may give us all the opportunity to learn, learn that it is possible to gain peace without going to war. Learn to honor veterans with an apology for luring them into military life and for sending many into harm’s way. Learn ways to demonstrate that Americans “ain’t gonna study war no more,” but instead study the value of human lives and ways to demonstrate love of neighbor. Then honor non-violent volunteer groups such as veterans of Doctors without Borders, the Peace Corps, Habitat for Humanity, and veterans of non-profit organizations that seek to feed the hungry, heal the environment, and host ethnic and cultural exchanges. In other words, dedicate the day “to the cause of peace.”  

Issa Amro is a Human Rights Defender based in Hebron City

On Zoom on November 19th - 7pm on Zoom

Please post and share the attached poster

The Peace with Justice Advocates NHCUCC, Not In My Name, NH Peace Action and other peace and justice groups, will be hosting a renowned peace activist and tireless human rights advocate via Zoom on November 19th at 7pm.

Issa Amro is a human rights defender based in Hebron city, West Bank and is the co-founder of the direct-action group Youth Against Settlements. He is the Executive Director of Working for Peace and Justice: Friends of Hebron. Amro was nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize and he is the recipient of last year’s Right Livelihood Award for his peaceful resistance to the Israeli occupation. He also received numerous other international human rights recognition and awards. In 2008, Amro won the One World Media Award for his role in coordinating the B'Tselem video camera distribution project in Hebron to document human rights violations by Israeli soldiers and settlers, and he was prosecuted in an Israeli military court on charges deemed “baseless” and “politically-motivated” by Amnesty international. Amro has also been jailed and beaten for criticizing the Palestinian authorities. Amro has been featured on a wide range of international media. On October 7th, 2023, Amro was captured and tortured by Israeli settlers joined by soldiers. Amro’s work focuses on community resilience, direct action, and international advocacy for Palestinian rights. Amro was listed as part of TIME Magazine’s “100 Next” upcoming leaders.

The suggested donation of $5 to $50 dollars is to benefit the nonprofit organization Working for Peace and Justice: Friends of Hebron.

Gun Violence Prevention Resources

The 56-page guide to assist you and your congregation.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

NH UCC Christian Educators Community of Practice

Next Zoom Gathering: Wednesday, December 3rd, 7pm 

RSVP HERE: https://forms.gle/dJwVYu4YHPT5u3im6 

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! 

Upcoming Faith Formation Events: 

• NEAUCE Annual Business Mtg. (November 12, 6:30pm, Register for Zoom Link here) 
• Help us plan for the future of the New England Association of United Church Educators!
• Youth and Young Adult Leadership Symposium
• APCE (Association of Partners in Christian Education) Annual Event (January 21-24, Pittsburgh, PA) 
• AUCE Members receive a $175 discount! Learn more about AUCE Membership HERE.

Questions? Email Tivvi Pare: TPare@nhcucc.org 

HORTON CENTER UPDATES

HORTON CENTER HAPPENINGS

Summer 2025 at Horton Center was a season deserving of celebration! 

With more campers, more summer sessions, more fall retreats, more amazing memories, and more transformative moments spent in Christian community out in God's Creation this summer has left us with full, full hearts, minds, and spirits. The amazing ministry that happens on Pine Mountain each year would not be possible without the generous support of people like you! Please take a moment to read our full Annual Appeal Letter by clicking here.

Each and every gift made in support of Horton Center is gratefully appreciated and put to good use! This past year donations and grant funds made the following possible: 

• Scholarships for every camper and family in need 
• Work on a new Song Book 
• Smaller bows for our youngest archers at camp! 
• Partnership with Catawba College's Discover Program to hire 2 young adult Faith Formation Specialists

Help us reach our $25,000 Annual Appeal Goal today! Donate Online by clicking here. 

Shalom, friends!



Tivvi Paré 

(she/her/hers)

603-545-9660

TPare@nhcucc.org

NOW HIRING

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.

Friends,

As we have announced, the Rev. Walt Hampton concluded his tenure as our Transitional Associate Conference Minister for Judicatory Ministries on October 31st. The Rev. Shayna Appel, our Transitional Associate Conference Minister for Ecclesiastical Celebration, will be departing for some time "wintering away" next week. Given these evolutions in our staff plan, the Reverend Linda Hirst has been invited and agreed to serve as our full-time Transitional Associate Conference Minister beginning November 15th. Linda's portfolio will continue to include search and call work and will be adding staffing of the following Conference or Granite State Association groups: the Committee on Ministry for Congregational Empowerment, the Committee for Connection and Covenant, the Local Church Ministry Team, the Wider Church Relations Ministry Team, the Justice and Witness Ministry Team and the Prepared to Serve Planning Team. Additionally, Linda will assist with some coverage of ecclesiastical celebrations and do some preaching in our churches. Thank you Linda for taking on this expanded role!

-Gordon

ACROSS THE CONFERENCE

The Rev. Debbie Gline Allen has been called as Pastor and Teacher of Madbury United Church of Christ. Rev. Gline Allen's first day will be November 16.

At the conclusion of a designated-term ministry, the Rev. Pam Spain has been called as Settled Pastor of the Lancaster Congregational Church.

O God, with what shall we come to Veterans’ Day

and honor those who serve to protect our nation?

What do our veterans require of us

but to do justice by renewing lost benefits,

to love kindness by caring for those

who have come home suffering

in mind, body, heart and spirit,

to return to service those removed

by gender biased rejection,

and to pledge a walk of peace

so that those who died

may not have fallen in vain,

and that children of all nations

may one day live humbly with one another?

Amen.

Continued thanks to Rev. Maren Tirabassi for providing our prayers.

Conference Office

Monday - Friday | 9:00AM - 4:00PM

The Weekly News promotes the mission and ministry of the NHCUCC.

We encourage you to use the web based version of this email to forward these materials to others in your church. If you know someone who regularly wants to be kept in the loop? Direct them to the sign up form.

Submit items for publication to TheWeeklyNews@nhcucc.org. The deadline for inclusion in the next edition is Thursday at 12:00 PM. Submissions should be brief, timely, and of a general interest to Conference readers. Please note: The New Hampshire Conference reserves the right to exercise editorial control over all content and may make changes, alter, or otherwise omit submissions without prior notice.

Links herein are provided for detail when possible, and we make every effort to ensure links are safe including pointing to our own content when available. Despite our best efforts, NHCUCC cannot be responsible for content contained in links that lead to websites we do not host, manage, or own.

Any logos, artwork, and other intellectual property contained herein is included with permission of the copyright holder or creator of the protected work.

© 2024 The New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ. All Rights Reserved.