Super Saturday

Join hundreds of delegates, pastors and lay leaders from all over the Massachusetts Conference for our FOURTH SUPER SATURDAY!

This event will feature excellent worship led by Patrick Evans, Assistant Professor of Sacred Music at Yale Divinity School. Professor Evans, who will also lead two workshops, is committed to the reclaiming and renewal of congregational song.

The day will also include 33 workshops on a variety of subjects impacting the local church, a bookstore, a marketplace, lunch and opportunities for networking with colleagues in ministry.

Pricing and Registration

Delegates who attended the Massachusetts Conference Annual Meeting in June 2011 will receive the special delegate discount rate, or they may transfer that rate to someone else in their congregation.

• Annual Meeting Delegate rate: $29.00
• Regular rate (register by Feb. 22) $49.00

All prices include continental breakfast, lunch and materials.

Please Note:  Those registering after Feb. 22 will not be provided with lunch. 

Workshops

Due to the size of the classrooms, MOST workshops will be limited to 20 PEOPLE on a first-come firstserve basis, so please register early. If you register by mail, you will be asked to indicate your top three choices for both morning and afternoon workshops.

Morning Workshops

1. Resources and Curriculum
This participatory workshop is open to anyone interested in developing skills for evaluating, reviewing
and selecting printed resources and curriculum for educational settings in the local church. Carefully
selected resources and materials can help congregations fully experience God, the Bible and faith along the way. This is a required course for any participants in the MACUCC certification program for
educators.
Led Elsa Marshall, Commissioned Minister for Christian Education, Maple Street Church, Danvers

2. Budgets that Inspire Giving
This workshop will help participants learn to create a narrative budget that connects givers to mission and ministry and inspires new levels of generosity.
Led by Daehler Hayes, Cornerstone Fund, United Church of Christ

3. Disasters Transform More Than Landscapes
There was a time when disasters were rare in New England, but in the past two years we have been hit by spring rain flooding, hurricane flooding and tornados. Churches are often pivotal in the immediate and long term care and recovery of victims and may be impacted themselves. Is your church prepared?  Do you know how you will be called upon by neighbors and officials within your community?  Come learn from some of the experiences of churches within our Conference who have provided crucial support in the aftermath of disasters.
Led by Rev. Don Remick, MACUCC, Associate Conference Minister

4. Giving Is a Spiritual Practice
Generosity is a fruit of the spirit and mark of discipleship.  It is also a grace-filled way of life. As we let go of scarcity-thinking and living and embrace the promise of God’s abundance, a path of growth in faith and freedom opens before us. In this workshop, we will explore giving as a spiritual practice that is intentional, regular, a priority, proportional, generous, and most of all joyful!
Led by Jena Roy, Stewardship Commission, Clergy Community of Stewardship Facilitator

5. Prayer 101: Praying Out Loud (for lay folks)
Do you freeze when asked to say grace before a meal?  Do you look down at the table when the chair says “would anyone care to open the meeting with prayer?”  Does the thought of praying out loud at someone’s sickbed fill you with fear? Come claim your own “prayer voice” and learn to speak out loud the prayers that are in your heart.
Co-led by Rev. Bob Johansen and Rev. Anastasia Kidd, Commission for Leadership Development

6. Musical Skills and Vocal Development for Parish Ministry
This workshop is designed to help clergy and lay worship leaders develop their musicianship and is intended primarily for folks with limited musical experience. Through exploration of hymn tunes, meters, texts, and a wide range of congregational song, participants will increase their confidence in planning music for worship and leading congregational song.
Led by Patrick Evans, Assistant Professor of Sacred Music at Yale Divinity School

7. Marketing & Communications in the 21st Century
We will demonstrate how common business marketing and communication techniques can be applied to churches. Go home with an outline and next steps to create a “marketing” and communication program for your church. Note: Please come with a basic idea of what your church hopes to do (bring in families, make doubters feel welcome, connect people in the community) and with a list of all the ways your church communicates.
Led by Joseph Lima, Chair, Commission on Communication

8. Ecumenical Shared Ministries - Sharing Best Practices
Is your church a federated, union, united, or multidenominational “community” church? Pastors and lay leaders – let’s share our best practices, identifying the opportunities and strategies to invite our congregations to pioneer the future with the openness and creativity they exercised in the past.
Hosted by the Commission on Ecumenism

9. Open and Affirming (ONA) Stories - Changing Lives
Presenters will describe their experiences in an ONA church. Participants will share stories of how ONA has changed their church for the better. What you are proud of in your ONA church? What is God calling your church to do in the next phase of living God’s Extravagant Welcome? You’ll leave with a list of new ways to be that ONA church. If you are in a church not yet ONA, come to share your thoughts and hopes about this life-changing ministry.
Led by Ms. Ivy Tillman, First Congregational Church of Amherst UCC Coalition and MACUCC ONA Consultant

10. Not Falling Out of the Window! – Creative Worship with Youth
What’s worship in the youth group setting? Fast opening prayer? ... three praise songs? ... an inspirational reading? Participants will discuss interactive and seasonally based brief worship experiences in a weekly or monthly youth group setting or weekend retreat led by lay leaders and youth participants.  Resources will be shared as well as possible planning process for Youth Sundays.
Led by Rev. Maren Tirabassi, author, editor and teacher who has served congregations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire

11. Stewardship 101: 6 Things You Need to Know
Just put in charge of stewardship? Feeling lost? In this workshop participants will take a practical look at the basic things every stewardship team needs to know.
Led by Christine Barensfeld, Stewardship Commission, facilitator of Lay Stewardship Community of Practice and former chair of stewardship at Second Congregational Church, Boxford

12. Discipleship: A Model of Church for the 21st Century (Part 1 of 2 with workshop #27)
Is the goal of your church to get and keep members in order to fill board vacancies and increase the number of pledging units? Does your church operate as a kind of club: pay your "dues" and you will get benefits?  There is another way! We will discuss how the post-Christendom era requires a different model of church, and you will hear how one church transitioned from being a “membership model” to a “discipleship model”of church -- putting its focus on nurturing people’s relationship with God through Christ -- and was completely transformed in the process.
Led by Rev. Jean Lenk, Pastor of First Congregational Church in Stoughton

13. The Spirituality Wheel: A Tool for Planning Mission and Worship
Using a short assessment tool, participants will discover how the manner in which we “know God” and the manner in which we “conceptualize God” intersect to form an individual’s “Spiritual Identity.”  In her book Discover Your Spiritual Type, Rev. Dr. Corinne Ware describes the four “types” and shows how they are expressed in the local church through worship, music, prayer, preaching, mission, purpose and theology. Often, churches will express a dominant spiritual type, leaving the other types wanting.  We will imagine mission and worship planning that seeks to practice all of the types and meet the spiritual needs of all parishioners.
Led by Rev. Wendy Miller Olapade, Commission for Leadership Development

14. MissionInsite: Demographics Program
MissionInsite provides tools for high quality demographic research, real-time congregant analysis and easy to use web-based tools. Come learn how to use MissionInsite to reach your community.
Led by Rev. Gretchen Elmendorf and Rev. Karla Miller, MACUCC Commission for Evangelism and Church Vitality

15. The In-between Sized Church
What are the unique dynamics of congregations worshipping with 90-140 people? Come and learn some of the strategies for dealing with this “awkward size” and in fact how to grow through it.
Led by Rev. Paul Nickerson, Nickerson Coaching

16. What is the role of the Christian community with Palestine and Israel?
Do you know the story of Budrus, a village in the West Bank about to be bulldozed by the Israeli military?  The story is a testimony to the power of non-violent resistance. It is also about Israelis who are willing to stand up to their government’s inhumane and illegal policies as they take the risk of standing side by side with Palestinians. Come to this workshop and learn more. Catch up on what churches are doing and
saying about the Palestinian bid for UN recognition.  Find out what we can do to help our Israeli counterparts who encourage us Christians to stand up with them against wrong-doing. What side are we on? The side of peace and justice.
Led by Rev. Branwen Cook, Chair, MACUCC Israel-Palestine Task Team

Afternoon Workshops

17. Responding to Joy
Would you like to be energized by crazy optimism, awakened by unsuspected hope, and loved loud enough to transform sorrow to joy in your faith community? In this workshop, Turnaround Pastors from across the Conference will share real stories of life-sustaining change in local congregations, changes you may be considering already.
With Rev. Dr. Mary Louise Gifford and Clergy Community of Practice Turnaround Pastors

18. Safe Church Roundtable
Come be part of a discussion on how “safe church” programs and policies are offered in your church.  This is intended to be a round table for those who have already attended a Safe Church workshop and wish to share and offer best practices, concerns, ideas, suggestions and assist in resourcing each other.  This is a required course for any participants in the MACUCC certification program for educators.
Led by Elsa Marshall, Commissioned Minister for Christian Education, Maple Street Church, Danvers

19. Renewing Congregational Song
How do we help the members of our congregations reclaim or cultivate their own musicianship? This is an important pastoral ministry, and an essential aspect of liturgy. Many, if not most, of the “people in the pews” in our churches have been vocally disenfranchised by some personal experience in which they were told their singing was not good enough.  This workshop will examine the theology in the embodied act of singing, as well as the spiritual loss that arises when members of the community are cut off from that act. It will address practical, musical, and pastoral ways to help the members of the assembly reclaim their voices and their own musicianship.
Led by Patrick Evans, Assistant Professor of Sacred Music at Yale Divinity School

20. Inspiring Generosity
People do not give to budgets. People give to change lives. Learn 12 steps to inspire generosity from your congregants to the mission of the church.
Led by Andy Gustafson, Associate Conference Minister for Stewardship & Financial Development

21. Asset Mapping
Are your initiatives stymied because you’re missing something? What if you flip this over and think about starting initiatives based upon what you have? That’s asset mapping. Discover new possibilities with the assets you have. It’s an empowering strategy for churches that comes from community organizing.  This workshop will be a hands-on demonstration for all the participants.
Led by Rev. Quentin Chin, Commission for Leadership Development

22. Doing Bible Study with Youth ... and having Fun!!
In youth group settings, retreats, mission trips and even Church School classes, invitational Bible study engages participants in a way that develops life-long love of scripture. This workshop will offer a palette of Bible study styles and options independent of particular curriculum materials and encourage the workshop participants to share their most effective experiences.
Led by Rev. Maren Tirabassi, author, editor and teacher who has served congregations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire

23. Hear the Stories of the Genocide of the International LGBT Community: What Can You Do to Help?
Find out about this far-reaching project, which assists lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from repressive and homophobic countries to gain asylum in the US. Hear about religious abuse. Hear about the legal process to asylum. Hear stories first hand from
asylees living in Massachusetts. You’ll leave with your eyes opened and a list of what you can do to advocate for them and for others awaiting asylum.
Led by the Rev. Judy Hanlon, Hadwen Park Congregational Church, Worcester, Co-Founder of The LGBT Asylum Project

24. The Church Newsletter in 2012 - getting out of limbo
The church newsletter today is sometimes stuck in limbo - designed for print, but often distributed electronically. Is this our best option? We will discuss ideas for how to create better electronic newsletters (perhaps using Constant Contact) without leaving our non-technical folks behind. We’ll also look at how best to handle our mailing lists.
Led by Tiffany Vail, MACUCC Associate for Communications 

25. Innocence Commission
Are you confident that the person convicted of a serious crime is always the right person? If not, join our workshop to learn how the criminal justice system could be improved to make it less likely that innocent persons are convicted, and what we can do about it.
Led by Rev. Jonathan Tetherly and Rev. Fred Anderson, MACUCC Innocence Commission

26. Talking About Faith and Money: Sermons and Testimony
This workshop will prepare participants to inspire generosity and personal spiritual growth in their congregations through sermons and personal testimony.  For Clergy and Laity.
Led by Members of the West Clergy Community of Stewardship Interest.

27. Becoming a Discipleship Church: How to Transition to the Discipleship Model of Church Participants must have participated in Part 1 (workshop #12) in the morning or this past October.
So you’re excited about the discipleship model of church -- now what? How do you get your pastor/congregation to share your enthusiasm? How do you change people’s way of thinking and of being church? Join this interactive discussion of ideas that have worked on how to begin transitioning to a discipleship model, communicating with the congregation, offering opportunities for practicing the six marks of discipleship, and reconsidering ministries, programs, and bylaws in light of the discipleship model.
Led by Rev. Jean Lenk, Pastor of First Congregational Church in Stoughton

28. Capital Campaign Primer
Peeling paint? Need more space for your ministries?  Want to upgrade your furnace? Learn all about how a capital campaign can help fund your building needs, energize your congregation and engage your church in mission.
Led by Jennifer Davis, MACUCC Capital Campaign Consultant, Assoc. Director of Alumni & Parent Programs, Northfield Mount Hermon
School

29. How to Start an Additional Worship Service
This workshop will outline the how to’s of designing an additional service of worship that is on target to your community and launches with enough people to survive. Practical tools for ministry will be shared.
Led by Rev. Paul Nickerson, Nickerson Coaching

30. The Intersection of Faith and Politics: We have to go there
For many, faith and politics should not be said in the same breath let alone in the same place. Yet it seems as if the walk of faith often leads us to an intersection with politics. William Sloan Coffin says that if “Christians are called to live so that in everything God may be glorified then religion and politics do mix and to claim otherwise is really to understand neither.” Mind you, to say that faith and politics intersect is not to claim they are the same thing. Rather than trying to avoid the inevitable lets stand together for a while and seek to discern why it is that the two do meet and what we are called to do (other than turning around) when we find ourselves at the intersection.
Led by Rev. Peter Wells, MACUCC Associate Conference Minister

31. What we can learn from Hispanic New Church Starts
Our MACUCC Hispanic New Church Starts are connecting with the un-churched in their communities.  Come and learn from their experience so you can reach your mission field.
Led by Rev. Cesar DePaz, MACUCC Hispanic Ministries Coordinator

32. Transforming Lives Through Small Membership Church Ministry
For most of our faith’s history, most churches have been small in membership. They have been unique communities where faith can thrive. Today, 75% of our churches have less than 75 in worship. We’ll learn ways in which churches of this size can and do have ministries that transform lives within the congregation and community.
Led by Rev. Don Remick, MACUCC, Associate Conference Minister

33. All About Managing Your Invested Funds - Especially the “Endowment Policy”
Our UNITED CHURCH FUNDS strengthens the Church’s ministries through the faithful stewardship of resources by offering all parts of the UCC sound financial management. When it comes to building up your congregation’s long term investments, a clear and transparent “Endowment Policy” is an essential ingredient. Come learn “best practices”about accepting, investing, and spending your congregation’s endowment.
Led by Rev. David C. Williams, New England Regional Representative, United Church Funds 

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