‌ ‌ www.nhcucc.org 603.225.6647 Save the Dates for Upcoming Events Prepared to Serve Pembroke Academy Feb 25, 2023 General Synod 34 Indianapolis June 30 - July 4, 2023 Thank You for Your Support! Our Churches Wider Mission Basic Support, Association Dues, and Friends of the New Hampshire Conference Annual Appeal make this communication possible. Donate Now Special Focus E-Newsletters Available Did you know that the New Hampshire Conference has other periodic newsletters that are distributed by subscription? In addition to receiving The Weekly News, you may also enjoy reading:    HC Happenings A publication that keeps campers, parents, churches, and volunteers up to date on all things Outdoor Ministries and Horton Center.    CE News The monthly newsletter focusing on Faith Formation for all ages, upcoming Christian Education events, training opportunities, and resources for Christian Educators. Manage My Subscriptions News from the Wider Church Keep updated on happenings at the national level: United Church of Christ Association of United Church Educators (AUCE) Global Ministries UCC Volunteer Ministries Local News Events Happening in Our Local Churches Want Ads from our Local Churches Conference Events Conference Center Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Cindy Bradley Administrative Assistant Ann Desrochers Office Manager The Weekly News October 18, 2022 - Volume 14 No. 42 The Results Are In! Rev. Sara Marean Elected as New Associate Conference Minister Among the highlights of Saturday's Annual Meeting was a unanimous vote to elect and call the Rev. Sara Marean to serve as Associate Conference Minister beginning January 3, 2023. Other business items of note were affirmative votes passing: the Bylaws Amendment to Allow Authorization to Conduct Meetings by Electronic Means the Resolution of Witness Free from Plastic Pollution (as amended during the meeting) the Mission Income & Spending Plan the Resolution of Witness Affirming the Rights of All People to Access the Full Range of Reproductive Healthcare, Including Abortion, Within Society 10-C Back by Popular Demand! Register Now for the New England Environmental Justice Youth+ Summit Download the flyer >> Register Now at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3A2lBIxTTpOwip3aQYzYQw 10-C Reminder: Retirement Open House in Honor of Ann Desrochers is Scheduled for Tomorrow We will be celebrating the ministry of our Office Manager/Christian Education Specialist, Ann Desrochers, on Wednesday, October 19th, from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Conference Office located at 140 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, NH. We invite your presence as we bless her as she heads into retirement.  10-C What in God’s Name? Sparking Holy Curiosity and Conversation In an era of increasing division and polarization, have you wondered about the role of theology in recasting public conversations, and the stories we tell about ourselves? Are you interested in invitations to holy imagination that spark curiosity about self and others? We invite you to join us on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at noon for a podcast recording and lunchtime conversation with the Rev. Shayna Appel, and Chris Owen. Chris and Shayna are asking the question: What in God’s name? Their core values are: Be Curious. Shine Light. Go Deep. Come learn, and explore with us! Registration coming soon. Learn more here: https://www.whatingods.com This event is co-sponsored by the New Hampshire Council of Churches and the New Hampshire Conference United Church of Christ. 10-C

Nelson Congregational Church Invites Applications for Social Justice Grants"

In 2019, the Nelson Congregational Church created the Garrett-Larsen Social Justice Fund, in honor of the 19-year ministry of Rev. Dawn Garrett-Larsen in the wider Nelson community. The fund is offered to individuals or nonprofits in the Monadnock region that demonstrate a passion for social and environmental justice, a plan to advance that cause, and a need for funding.    In 2021, grants were awarded to Monadnock Quaker Meeting in Jaffrey to help build a short-term emergency shelter; to MATS (Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter) for its Hope Fund; and to the Sacred Ally Quilt Ministry for its work in racial justice. The fund also provided a challenge grant last winter to raise money to support Afghan refugees as they settle into the community.     Any individual or nonprofit group with a strong tie to the Monadnock region is invited to apply in writing. For 2022, a total of $2000 will be awarded. Recipients will be notified within four weeks of the October 31 deadline.    To receive an application form and details on the process and criteria for applying, email [email protected], or call the church office, 603-847-3280. The guidelines and application are also available at nelsonchurch.org/social-justice-fund.  10-C

NHCUCC Economic Justice Mission Group Encourages You to Attend Tonight's Webinar: "Public Education and the Common Good Under Attack"

The Economic Justice Mission Group invites, and strongly encourages, UCC clergy and members to register for our eye-opening webinar on Tuesday evening October 18th from 7:00-8:30 PM, Public Education and the Common Good Under Attack: Understanding the Free State Movement and Christian Nationalism in NH. Collaboratively offered with the NH Council of Churches, the American Friends Service Committee-NH Program and the NH Faith & Labor Coalition, the webinar will feature journalist Jennifer Berkshire who closely follows the intersection of anti-government and religious right forces and the resulting threats posed not only to public education and the common good but to democracy itself. Berkshire is co-author of the book A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door: The Dismantling of Public Education and the Future of School. Also featured will be Zandra Rice Hawkins of Granite State Progress speaking on the "Free State Movement" in NH and WNHN-FM radio host Arnie Arnesen as program moderator. The webinar planners explain, "This program is offered for people of faith and moral conscience to provide information about nationally-orchestrated, locally-manifested efforts to undermine what we value collectively as beloved community.” Webinar registration is required: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5R1RdltcSDiZIcw6cLnFcQ Download the event flyer to learn more >> 10-A

Mark Your Calendar: Ukama Sunday Celebration to Take Place October 23

The annual celebration of our partnership with the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe takes place on Sunday, October 23. Partnered churches have already received a packet of resources with a wide variety of options for the celebration. As has been the custom for many years, the Ukama Mission Group invites congregations to receive an offering to address a need mutually agreed upon between our Mission Group and the Ukama Committee of the UCCZ. This year, that appeal will enable UCCZ churches to contribute to children’s educational expenses. Children in Zimbabwe are required to wear uniforms, and families are expected to pay school fees. Many families cannot afford to cover these expenses.  Download the flyer detailing this opportunity >> The Mission group will have posters available at its table at Annual Meeting.  If your church receives an offering, pass your gathered gifts along to the conference, with “2022 Ukama Appeal” in the memo line.    For more information about Ukama Sunday or the Appeal, send an email to Cindy Bradley, NHC Office Administrator, at [email protected]. For a delightful look at children in our UCCCZ partnership sharing the faith, click here. Kim McKerley filmed this during her visit to Zimbabwe this summer.  10-B

Please Remember in Your Prayers... At Easter the Rev. Maren Tirabassi offered this prayer through her blog, “Gifts in Open Hands.” "Teach us a new peacemaking, guiding the leaders of nations, and holding gently in your heart the many who live and die because of their decisions, for we pray in the name of Jesus who wept for our great needing of the things that make for peace. amen” May that prayer continue to find a place in our hearts and minds as wars continue throughout the world, some reported and some not. Let us not forget God’s vision of a peaceable world, and pray and work for the fulfillment of the dream. O God, in your tender mercy, Hear our prayers!

Across Our Conference The Rev. Beth Simmons concluded her ministry as Designated Term Pastor of the Washington Congregational Church, United Church of Christ at the end of September. The Rev. Beth Simmons has accepted the invitation of the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Hancock, to become their Pastor and Teacher. Beth began her ministry at Hancock on October 2, 2022. The Rev. Neil Wilson has announced his resignation from the role of Pastor and Teacher of the Laconia Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, and his retirement from active ministry. Neil’s last Sunday at Laconia will be October 23, 2022. The Southwest Association of the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ will gather at the United Church in Acworth, United Church of Christ, to install Ms. Maureen Adams as Pastor and Teacher at 3:00 PM on Sunday, October 30, 2022. The Rockingham Association of the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ will gather at the Newfields Community Church for a Service of Installation for the Rev. Cheryl Stromski at 2:00 PM on Sunday, October 30, 2022. Mr. Jonah Mayer has accepted the invitation of the Bartlett Union Congregational Church, UCC, to be their Settled Minister. Mr. Mayer expects to begin his ministry at Bartlett later in November, 2022. The Southwest Association will hold its Annual Meeting on Sunday, November 06, 2022 at 1:00 PM via Zoom. The Grafton Orange Sullivan Association will hold its Fall Meeting on Sunday, November 6, 2022 at 2:00 PM via Zoom. The Rockingham Association will hold their Fall Meeting, via Zoom, on Sunday, October 23rd. Fellowship time will be 1:30 to 2:00 PM, with the business meeting starting at 2:00 PM.

Conference Minister Associate Conference Minister Sunday Schedule: October 23, 2022  Rev. Gordon Rankin will be attending the Installation Service of the Rev. Dr. Lillian Daniel as the Conference Minister of the Michigan Conference of the United Church of Christ. Rev. Richard Slater will represent the NH Conference at Rev. Neil Wilson’s final service as Pastor and Teacher of the Congregational Church of Laconia, United Church of Christ. Weekly News The Weekly News is published to promote the mission and ministry of the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ. 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 using the link below and to share them in your bulletins and local church newsletters. Send your items to [email protected].The deadline for submitting items for the next issue is Thursday at 12:00 PM.

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