603.225.6647
Please Note: Conference Office Staff will not be working Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27
in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Upcoming Events

Conflict Management Workshop
December 2, 2020
10:00 AM
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Our Churches Wider Mission Basic Support, Association Dues, and Friends of the New Hampshire Conference Annual Appeal make this communication possible.
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.
News from the Wider Church

Keep updated on happenings at the national level:
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Conference Center Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Administrative Assistant

Office Manager
The Weekly News
November 24, 2020 - Volume 12 No. 47
The Christmas Fund 2020
“For Such a Time as This” Esther 4:14
The generous gifts of United Church of Christ congregations and individuals to the Christmas Fund enable the Pension Boards’ Ministerial Assistance team to provide the following gifts:

  • Christmas Thank You checks for retired UCC clergy/lay employees. Retirees with limited financial resources receive a gift at Christmas time as a way of saying “thank you” for years of service to the United Church of Christ.
  • Pension Supplementation. Retirees with limited financial resources receive monthly payments to bring their household income up to a minimum level so that they can afford basic needs such as food, utilities or medical expenses.
  • Health Benefits Supplementation. Retirees with limited financial resources receive assistance to pay their UCC Medicare Supplement Plan premiums.
  • Emergency Grants. Sometimes those who serve the Church (active and retired UCC clergy and lay employees) face unforeseen circumstances that create financial need. Our help and emergency funds are available to assist in covering those costs.

11-D
Spring Planting: An Act of Faith, Hope, and Beauty
The Environmental Justice Mission Group would like to remind everyone of a simple act of faith, hope and beauty: planting bulbs for the spring. This simple act shows our faith that there will always be new beginnings. It brings hope that the winter is coming to an end when we see the first green shoots. It shows us the Creator’s imagination and love of beauty in the variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, and it shows us the power of Nature and renewal when we see the shoots push up through snow and frost to reach for the sun. Colorful spring flowers bring joy, and we can all appreciate that.
11-D
Clergy Support Ministry to Offer Conflict Management Workshop December 2, 2020
“How Do We Begin to Comprehend Those Who Voted Differently Than We Did? Why can’t we worship in person? Why should people be asked/forced to wear a mask?” These challenging questions have lead the Clergy Support Ministry to sponsor a virtual workshop for clergy on Wednesday, December 2 at 10:00 AM. Conflict Consultant and Trainer Nancy Brown, MSW, will utilize a systemic perspective on conflict to offer tools for tackling the above questions with conversations within churches and communities. Clergy can be in a pivotal and difficult position related to conflict and Nancy has been working with churches and other organizations for years, helping them to utilize communication strategies that lead to systemic health and transformation. Another similar workshop will be offered after the first of the year if a need is indicated.

Register by sending an email to: [email protected] with a subject line of Conflict Management Workshop.
11-D
Racial Justice Mission Group Offers Access to YouTube Implicit Bias Training Video
On October 28th, a gathering of authorized ministers, members of the NHCUCC Board of Directors, and members of the Racial Justice Mission Group joined an informative Zoom training on Implicit Bias. Although the YouTube video does not contain the small group work, it provides the vital content presented by Dr. Darnisa Amante-Jackson and
Rev. Eric Jackson.
 
Participants found the workshop helpful as Darnisa went deeper and broader into the underpinnings of bias and clarifying understandings we need in anti-racism work. Darnisa works with nonprofits, is a lecturer with Harvard, and is the CEO and President of the Disruptive Equity Education Project (DEEP). Eric is the Senior Pastor of the Pilgrim Congregational Church, UCC, in Syracuse, NY and on the Board of Directors of the national setting of the UCC. He is a colleague and friend who also served in NHCUCC.
 
If you would like to receive a copy of the YouTube Training, send an email with your name and church to Kathleen Oliver [email protected]. She will send you the link.
11-D
November Covid-19 Update from Rev. Gordon M. Rankin
To the Churches, Clergy, and Friends of the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ:

I suspect that we are all aware that our Covid-19 trends are cause for concern. Not only is New Hampshire’s 7-day average of daily new cases the highest it has ever been, but it is over twice as high (208 vs. 102) as the worst time in the spring.

I have said before one of the keys pieces of data I use in assessing the Conference’s recommendation to our local church is positivity rate. I am looking for the positivity rate to stay below 3%. As of this weekend, our statewide Covid positivity rate is at 3.7 percent. The website I use for my county by county assessments is currently down, however earlier in the week Rockingham, Coos, Sullivan, and Strafford (at 5.4%) were all exceeding the 3% threshold with other counties edging quite close.
 
Congregate activities remain the most significant risk factor for Covid transmission. Modification to worship and other activities can help reduce risk but they cannot overcome a continually increasing number of Covid-19 case in the state. 

With all this in mind, the New Hampshire Conference is making the following recommendations: continue reading >>
11-C
November Worship with the UCC Council of Conference Ministers is now Available
The Council of Conference Ministers has prepared another worship service for use in our local churches. It is available now, but is not a date specific service and could be used later as well. 

The service information is posted in the worship resources section of the Staying Safe in a Time of Contagious Diseases page on the Conference website (https://nhcucc.org/caring-for-congregations/staying-safe-in-the-midst-of-contagious-disease/worship-resources).
11-C
December Clergy Check-Ins
All of our December Clergy Check-ins will include a time of celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion together. (Of course, you will need to supply your own elements. You may choose to be traditional and use bread and juice or to be more festive and use hot chocolate and peppermint bark.)

Clergy Check-ins for Local Church Pastors will be on:
  • Wednesday, December 2, 4 to 5:30 pm
  • Thursday, December 3, 10 to 11:30 am


The next Check-in for Chaplains, Counselors and Non-Parish Clergy will take place on Monday, December 7th from 2 to 3 pm.  The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/981363971.
11-C
Please Remember in Your Prayers...
We pray for those who have known and loved the Rev. Robert Andrews, who died peacefully, at home, on November 11, 2020. Rev. Andrews was the faithful and loving pastor at the Westmoreland United Church for 25 years, from 1977 to 2002.

As Covid trends worsen across our state and country, we pray for all those whose lives are directly affected by this pandemic: those who have family and friends who are sick; those who are grieving the loss of a loved one; doctors, nurses, and hospital workers; front-line workers in any setting; teachers and school administrators; those who are not able to be with loved ones during the holiday season; and those who lead during these tumultuous days. 

O God, in your tender mercy,
Hear our prayers!
Across Our Conference
South Congregational Church, Concord has called the Rev. M. Sean Dunker-Bendigo as their Interim Associate Pastor. He will start in mid-January.
Conference Minister
Sunday Schedule: November 29, 2020
The Rev. Gordon Rankin will be worshiping with our NHCUCC congregations via computer from his own home.
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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