Theme, Program & Worship	Childcare	Board of Directors Report
Tentative Order of Time and Events	Vacation Bible Camp	Treasurer's Report
Location	Awards Dinner	Business Not as Usual! Using a Consent Calendar & A New Resolution Process
Driving Directions	Clergy Gathering
Campus Parking	Clergy Luncheon
Registration	Friday Morning Gatherings for Laity	Advance Materials booklet with registration form Size: 1.36 MB. Estimated download time is 3 minutes, 23 seconds on a 56k modem. This is a PDF document. If you cannot access it, click here for help.
Registration Area Hours	New and Young Adult Clergy Lunch
Handicapped Access	Evening Activities
Emergency Numbers	Saturday Workshops	Registration form only Size: 204k. Estimated download time is 29 seconds on a 56k modem. This is a PDF document. If you cannot access it, click here for help.
Campus Lodging and Meals	What to Bring
Area Inns and Motels	Volunteers Needed

Theme, Program & Worship

The 207th Annual Meeting will focus attention on worship and ways in which it can be transformed and transforming. Each day will begin and end with time for prayer and praise. In between those times of worship there will be opportunities to learn, to share, to network, to deliberate, and to celebrate.

Friday morning there will be three worship services from which to choose. 1) Lisa and Cesar DePaz, new church start pastors at the Hispanic Community Church, UCC, Lowell and The Hispanic Community Church, UCC of Boston with musicians from their congregations will lead us in a bi-lingual and bi-cultural worship service in the tradition of their native Costa Rica. 2) Wanda Harris-Watkins, pastor of Pakachoag Church, Auburn, and gospel singer/pianist Linda Brown-San Martin (along with Willie Sordillo, Doug Rich, and Stanley Swann) will lead us in worship which honors African-American spiritual practice and perspective. 3) Liz and Matt Boulton, pastors of Hope Church in Jamaica Plain, along with Hope’s musical ensemble, “Sweet the Sound” will lead us in worship rooted in early North American sacred music and bluegrass traditions. Each of the three 8:30 AM services will affirm Christian baptism as our first vocation. Select a service of your choice to experience a music and worship style that will fill your soul and praise God.

Friday evening’s worship will take place in the Chapel and will focus on our call to Christian ministry. It is expected that the candidate for Conference Minister and President will offer the message.

The keynote address will be a part of the Saturday morning worship service, which will focus on “Imagination.” The talk will be given by Rev. Sidney D. Fowler. Rev. Fowler is a consultant who assists congregations in becoming centers of spiritual formation through worship, sacraments, prayer, education, the arts, and spiritual discernment. Currently he is developing resources for the United Church of Christ’s Congregational Vitality initiative, directs the lectionary project for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and is adjunct staff with Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. For the past 13 years, Sid worked in the national setting of the UCC as Minister for Worship, Liturgy, and Spiritual Formation. The title of his talk will be “The Transforming Heart of Worship.”

The closing worship on Saturday will include the Annual Meeting choir and a service of communion. The Rev. Dr. Stephen Sterner, Interim Conference Minister and President, will preach.

Tentative Order of Time and Events

Location

The Annual Meeting will be held on the beautiful campus of Mount Holyoke College. Participants will be able to use the college facilities, including the auditorium, chapel, classrooms, grounds, pool, dormitories, and dining halls. Mount Holyoke, a non-sectarian college for women, is located in South Hadley, which is five miles north of Holyoke and 12 miles north of Springfield.

Driving Directions

Mount Holyoke College is five miles north of Holyoke and twelve miles north of Springfield on Route 116.

From the South — Travel north on Route I-91, exit at Route 202 (Exit 16 Holyoke/South Hadley). Head north on 202 through Holyoke, across the Connecticut River, and around the rotary to the exit marked South Hadley Center-Amherst, Route 116 North. The college is approximately 2.5 miles from the exit. Registration is in Woolley Hall, which is on Route 116 at the southern end of the campus, near Morgan Street.

From the North — Travel south on Route I-91, exit at Route 141 (Holyoke-South Hadley, exit 17). Proceed east on Route 141 until it intersects with Route 202. Turn left on Route 202 and follow same directions as above.

Campus Parking

Parking will be available in any of the student lots around campus and on Morgan Street, where it is advisable to park while registering. After dormitory assignments have been received in the registration area, participants may move their cars to parking areas designated for their dormitories. Please note, parking regulations will be strictly enforced. Parking on the circle in front of Woolley Hall will be limited to those with handicapped parking license plates or permits.

Registration

Packets of delegate registration brochures were sent to each church in March. A copy of the registration form can be downloaded here. All delegates and guests need to be registered. The Registration Fee of $40 pays for program expenses connected with the Annual Meeting. The fee must accompany the registration form. Lay delegates must be members of local United Church of Christ congregations and need to have their registration forms authenticated by their pastor or church clerk. Other voting delegates’ registrations will be authenticated by the Registrar of the Conference. This year there is a special registration fee for those who wish to attend only the workshops and worship on Saturday.

Registration Area Hours

The Registration Area will be located in the New York Room on the second floor of Woolley Hall. Registration hours are as follows:

All those attending the meeting should come to the registration area in order to pick up meeting materials, meal tickets and dorm assignments. For those staying in campus housing, there will be a $20 key deposit required at the time of registration. Woolley Hall is on Route 116 at the southern end of the campus, near Morgan Street.

Handicapped Access

Woolley Hall is wheelchair accessible, with an elevator going from the outside ground level to the upper floors. Abbey Chapel is partially accessible. A few of the dormitories are accessible to wheelchairs. If you have such a need, please indicate it on the registration form. You may also contact Registrar Jane Clarke at (508) 875-5233 or via email at clarkej@macucc.org.

Emergency Numbers

Direct telephone calls to meeting participants are not possible. Messages will be taken and posted on a message board in Woolley Hall. Announcements will be made in the plenary session only during extreme emergencies. To leave a message, call (413) 538-2624 during registration hours, which is the number of the UCC Annual Meeting Office in Woolley Hall. During other times, the college operator will take urgent messages at (413) 538-2000.

Campus Lodging and Meals

The college is making available accommodation-meals packages. These packages include two nights and five meals. While one night packages are not available, we are able to offer a choice of two two-night options again this year. Participants may choose to stay the nights of June 8 and June 9 or the nights of June 9 and June 10. In either case, the meals are lunch and dinner on June 9, breakfast, lunch and dinner on June 10. Breakfast will not be served on Friday and no meals will be available on Sunday. Please be sure to indicate your choice of nights on the registration form. The registration area will be open both Saturday evening after dinner and Sunday morning for key return. There will be a $20 key deposit.

Commuter meal packages are also available. These packages include lunch and dinner on both June 9 and June 10.

Persons who wish to share the same dorm with friends or church groups may do so by: (1) noting the request on their registration forms; (2) sending all the registrations together; and (3) registering by May 5.

Area Inns and Motels

For those who prefer to stay off-campus, commercial accommodations within 20 minutes of the college include:

• Holiday Inn, 245 Whiting Farms Rd., Holyoke 413-534-3311 ($130 - $160)
• Super 8 Motel, 1515 Northampton St., Holyoke 413-536-1980 ($69 - $89)
• Yankee Pedlar Inn, 1866 Northampton St., Holyoke 413-532-9494 ($85 - $140)
• Economy Inn, 671 Northampton Street, Holyoke 413-536-3377 ($69-$75)
• Quality Inn, 237 Russell Street, Hadley 413-584-9816 ($135)
• Days Inn, Parwick Ctr., 450 Memorial Dr., Chicopee 413-739-7311 ($75)
• Econolodge, 357 Burnett Rd., Chicopee (Pike exit 6) 413-592-9101 ($82 - $89)

Childcare

Quality licensed childcare for children ages 1 to 7 is available for Annual Meeting participants for a nominal fee. For information and registration materials, please write Jane Clarke, Registrar, Massachusetts Conference, UCC, 1 Badger Road, Framingham, MA 01702 or email her at clarkej@macucc.org. Inquiries must be received by May 5, 2006. If you require childcare for an infant (under 1 year of age), please contact the registrar with your needs.

Vacation Bible Camp

On Saturday, June 10, there will be a Vacation Bible Camp for children 7 to 12 years of age. More information will be available in the Advance Materials and on the Conference web site. Please request more information on the registration form. Inquiries must be received by May 5, 2006.

Awards Dinner

An awards dinner will be held on Thursday evening, June 8 at Willits-Hallowell. Recognition will include Haystack Award, the OCWM Awards, and the 50 Year Honorees. Award recipients will be guests of the Conference. The dinner is open to others who would like to attend at a cost of $25 per person. Please register for the event on the registration form.

Clergy Gathering

On Friday morning at 9:30 a.m., a Clergy Gathering, sponsored by the Pastoral Excellence Program, will be held. The speaker for the event is Marva Dawn, a theologian, musician, and educator, who serves as a Teaching Fellow in Spiritual Theology at Regent College in British Columbia when she is not traveling the globe speaking at church events. She is the author of more than fifteen books on subjects ranging from raising children to leading worship. The title of her presentation will be “How does worship form us against a culture of war and wealth?” The program is free of charge but prior registration is necessary as space is limited.

Clergy Luncheon

The Clergy Luncheon will follow the Clergy Gathering at 12:30 PM at the Willits-Hallowell Center on campus. The luncheon will be an opportunity for colleagues to meet and share insights and conversation. The meal is by reservation only and is included in the clergy overnight and commuter packages or may be purchased separately. See registration form.

Friday Morning Gatherings for Laity

Those arriving early will have an opportunity to participate in a gathering for laity. Rev. Sid Fowler will lead a time of conversation around the topic “Worship beyond You and a Pew,” exploring recent discoveries about laity in worship. Following that conversation, Rev. Steve Sterner will join the laity for a discussion about the Conference’s budget and staffing concerns. These two conversations will be followed immediately by the New Delegate Orientation, which will include a review of the schedule, major items of business and ways delegates can be effective participants.

New and Young Adult Clergy Lunch

New Clergy, those in their first few years of ministry, and Young Clergy, those 35 years old and younger are invited to gather for a luncheon at Willits-Hallowell on Saturday at 12:45. In addition to having a chance to visit with one another, the luncheon will feature a speaker on a topic related to pastoral ministry. Watch future mailings for more details. The cost of the lunch is $15.

Saturday Workshops

On Saturday there will be two workshop times for all delegates and visitors. The same workshops will be offered at both 11:00 AM and 2:30 PM. See the list of offerings, labeled 1-36. Participants may pre-register on the registration form.

Evening Activities

There will be three choices for those who arrive on campus on Thursday evening. Rev. Bert Marshall, Pastor of First Congregational Church in Lee, will repeat his program of The Gospel of Mark, a storytelling performance of the whole gospel from memory. Hear Mark’s mysterious, enigmatic story from beginning to end, as it may have been told in the early years of the Jesus Movement, before the rise of institutional Christianity. Veteran Biblical storyteller and a member of the Network of Biblical Storytellers the Rev. Bill Fleming will share popular and favorite Biblical, sea, and other stories from his recent and acclaimed “Stories of Hope” storytelling concert. In addition, Judy Hanlon, Pastor of Hadwen Park Congregational Church in Worcester, will lead an old-fashioned Hymn Sing.

On Friday evening, there will be a reception for the newly elected Conference Minister and President. In addition, “Sweet the Sound” will entertain in concert.

There will be an opportunity for informal entertainment and fellowship after the close of business on Saturday evening.

What to Bring

Participants will want to bring casual clothing, comfortable footwear, rain-gear, and a bathing suit if they wish to use the college pool. Those staying in dorms may want to consider a reading lamp, a small fan, extra towels and blankets depending on the weather forecast.

Volunteers Needed

The Annual Meeting goes smoothly only with the help of a large body of volunteers. People are needed to be ushers, deacons, campus guides, and dorm hosts. Visitors and delegates may volunteer by checking the appropriate space on the registration form. Assignments will be made in consultation with individual volunteers. Please sign up to help with Annual Meeting.