Massachusetts Conference Edition
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by Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane, Editor
February/March 2007
The results are in. The Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Conference United Church of Christ will be held in two stages – the first in conjunction with a gala celebration event in Hartford, Connecticut, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the United Church of Christ.
“All Conference members should take advantage of this once-in-a-life opportunity to meet as the Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ, with members from all over the nation and to celebrate 50 years of United Church of Christ history and ministry!” said Susan P. Dickerman, Associate Conference Minister for Leadership Development.
Last Fall, the Board of Directors voted to hold the 208th Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Conference, UCC, in two sessions. According to Dickerman, Part One of the Annual Meeting will take place in Connecticut on Friday, June 22nd beginning with registration at 8:00 AM and concluding with a luncheon at 1:00 PM. This business meeting will include worship, a report from Minister and President Jim Antal, actions on the Conference’s budget and the slate of candidates presented by the Nominating Committee, and an initial report from the committee overseeing the Conference’s Listening Process. From there, visitors can travel just 12 minutes to the Hartford Civic Center, the location of the Twenty-Sixth General Synod of the United Church of Christ, and participate in the 50th Anniversary Celebration events. The celebration, which will include exhibits, worship, music, and workshops, is being held in conjunction with General Synod from June 22nd through June 26th, with visitors especially encouraged to attend for the weekend. Transportation will be available to the Civic Center following the Annual Meeting luncheon.
Part Two of the 208th Annual Meeting will take place on September 29th at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts and will include resolutions, workshops, action on recommendations from the Board of Directors for staffing and structure of the Massachusetts Conference, and the installation of the Minister and President, Jim Antal, with John Thomas, UCC General Minister and President, preaching.
“This will not be an ordinary Synod,” said Dickerman of the Part One event. “A good deal of Friday, Saturday and Sunday has been set aside for the celebration of our past and a conversation about our future. Delegates and visitors will all have a chance to be a part of Synod in the City – a day-long festival of worship, Bible Study, workshops, lectures, concerts, and other festivities. There will be a number of simultaneous events, so you won’t be able to see or hear everything, but you’ll have plenty to choose from.”
“It made sense to take advantage of the fact that this UCC celebration is going on in our backyard,” she said. “What better way to celebrate our Conference Annual Meeting than sharing our experiences with our own membership locally and nationally.”
Following an announcement last Fall that the Board had voted that the first phase of the meeting would take place in Hartford, there was a concern raised which can be summed up in one question: Will people come to Hartford? In an attempt to find an answer to that question, surveys were mailed to pastors and lay leaders of the Conference regarding the Annual Meeting plans. Over 235 people responded. The overwhelming majority, 71 percent, voted to hold the Annual Meeting in Hartford in conjunction with the UCC celebration. Nineteen percent of the respondees indicated they wanted the meeting to be uncoupled and held somewhere in Central Massachusetts while 4 percent said they would go with the majority.
Details and registration information were mailed directly to churches, and included in the Mailing and Emailing, in February. For updated information or to register online, visit www.macucc.org/annualmeeting.