Southeast Area

The Rev. Mr. Dale A. Hempen
Associate Conference Minister in the Southeast Area
2005 Report

“Nurturing local church vitality and the covenant among our churches” is the mission of the Massachusetts Conference United Church of Christ.

Continuing Transitions
Transitions and change has been the norm in the Massachusetts Conference, during the recent year and years, and has given us the opportunity to go to the “balcony” for a fresh and new perspective. This transition time is especially stimulating as the Conference Board and staff work with Gil Rendle to rethink our purpose, output and places of leverage and influence. I am grateful for Steve Sterner’s thoughtful leadership and insightful questions and comments during these days of transition, change and growth. Life is certainly not dull in the Massachusetts Conference!

The local churches in Southeast Area also knew continuing or even constant transition, as seventeen new clergy were called to local congregations and twelve additional local churches are or will be in the Search and Call process in 2005/06. Thirty-seven percent of the 78 churches in Southeast Area were in “pastoral transition” during 2005!

An all-church retreat with First Church Sandwich, co-led with Susan Dickerman, introduced the search process, clarified some confusion and answered some important questions for the church and the search committee to seek and find the first full-time Associate in the churches 367 year history. The candidates selected by all the seventeen local churches show discernment of God’s vocation and calling of the local church’s mission and ministry, affirming their own gifts as the pursued and called new pastors and teachers. The trust built at this time of transition and discernment has strengthened the covenant among the churches, as I have selected and recruited past search committee chairs to resource new search committee chairs and committees. Many of the past search committee chairs have great insights, experience and willingness to share their perspective from a “lay point of view”. Offering both former chairs and my experience as staff to the search chairs and committees has been a benefit to all.

Another important part of the search process is a mock interview with “non” candidates giving a night to assist search committees prepare for interviews. Hospitality, organization, a relaxed yet structured time, along with asking the important and crucial questions are all aspects of the insights of this evening of learning. Neutral pulpits are also set up by the Area Office, as neighboring churches are more than willing to provide an opportunity for a search committee to experience candidates leading worship and preaching. A bond is often established, as I hear clergy introduce new colleagues with the joy, “He/she preached their neutral pulpit in our church!”

Settlement
While 2004 was a “record year” for settlement activity, i.e. clergy settled and number of profiles circulated, the activity of the local church search committees and the settlement table reveals fewer clergy settled (74 in 2005 compared to 108 in 2004) and fewer total number of profiles circulated (1,683 in 2005 and 2,639 in 2004). The work of Rev. Carole Baker and Rev. Jamie Howard, representing local church clergy at the settlement table, reading “out of state” candidates’ profiles, as well as meeting with the Area Ministers and the Minister and President each month is invaluable and worthy of a word of gratitude from all local churches who have called a new Pastor and Teacher in recent years, as well as every clergy who is or has been in the settlement process. Gratitude and praise is also given to Judy Anderson for her coordination, attention to detail, as the Administrative Assistant for the Settlement Process in Massachusetts. As the Parish Life and Leadership reworks the on-line profile, all of us need patience and understanding.

Leadership
The Southeast Area continues to be blessed with the nearly thirty “students in care/discernment” who are members of our seventy-eight local churches. An annual “Student in Care and Church and Ministry Committee” retreat was held on January 27th with Chris Braudaway-Bauman and Ann Plumley leading on “Pastoral Authority.” A great attendance and spirit were present after one of the many major snowstorms in our Area. This year, Larry Peers and I are leading the retreat on the theme “Leading from Within.”

The seventh annual Clergy Retreat for Southeast Area gathered at Craigville around the theme of “Centering Prayer” led by Armand Proulx. This year, Nancy Elder-Wilfrid will lead the retreat on “Being Present with God.”

I have helped lead three sabbatical workshops with Larry Peers, preparing clergy for Sabbath times, whether or not they write for a Lilly or a Louisville Grant. The sabbatical workshops have been important times of sharing with those who have been on sabbatical, and with those preparing to go, about how to prepare ourselves, our families, and our churches, as well as ways to ease the re-entry. Co-teaching United Church of Christ History, Theology and Polity each fall and summer this year with Beth Nordbeck is also a joy and a gift. This year’s class of twenty-seven students is made up of outstanding current and future leaders for our Church. I appreciate learning to know the students and sharing with them my practical experience of both local church and Area Ministry.

Fall Fellowship— Evangelism & Mashpee New Church Start
The Annual Fall Fellowship, when the three Associations join together, was outstanding this year. Evangelism and the new church start at Mashpee were highlighted and celebrated. Nancy Nelson-Elsenheimer from Local Church Ministries in Cleveland and Paul Nickerson, from MACUCC, were our keynote speakers. The concluding worship, led by Liz and Matt Boulton, Senior and Associate Pastors of the Hope Church in Jamaica Plain, was a testimony to the joy and excitement of assisting new communities of faith grow and develop. Yet, I hear from some that they cannot support the new church start until all churches on and off the Cape are growing, numerically and spiritually. The covenant we have is to strengthen the vitality, evangelism, stewardship, mission and ministry of all seventy-eight churches, even as we found new congregations in areas where population is increasing and no mainline congregation currently exists. At the present time an Organizing Pastor is being sought as we raise funds for leadership for this new church start.

Gratitude
I am grateful to God for the challenging and supportive ministry in the Southeast Area! As I recruit visitors for Round II of the Local Church Visitation program, I am grateful for the lay and clergy leadership who so willingly and ably serve. I am grateful for the deepening of relationships and the ever-growing trust affirming again, “no one can do this alone!” And thanks most of all to Diane Miliotis for her untiring service, support and organizational skills making sure the office runs smoothly and that communication is timely and correct.

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