The Villager Voice
In the fall I shared with you news of the Ecclesiastical Council of Grace, a young seminary student whose home church is just up the river in Portland. The Council was Grace’s opportunity to present her credentials and her understanding of ministry and theology in order for our Middlesex Association of the UCC to approve her for ordination. Both Ed Sypher and I represented our United Church that afternoon, and we witnessed her pass with flying colors. Early next month, Grace will be ordained in the Portland church, a truly celebratory moment. If memory serves, this is the first ordination we’ve celebrated since I’ve been part of our Association, and I look forward to the moment we lay hands upon her (a biblical expression of the grant and recognition of authority) and pronounce her ordained. It is a signal moment in the life of the church and the ordinand alike, as it continues a tradition as old as Moses himself, the tradition of God calling forth leadership for the local and universal community of faith.
Another local denominational event takes place next Wednesday at the Tolland UCC. A group of Moderators and Chairpersons of regional Committees on Ministry is convening to inspect and comment on the UCC’s proposed Manual on Church, a long-awaited partner document to the Manual on Ministry which has guided generations of clergy and congregations in the process of leadership development. I haven’t seen the new document yet, but it is intended to provide a set of guidelines for the ways a local church expresses its own ministry. In the spirit of full disclosure, as a rock-ribbed Congregationalist I am sometimes leery (and sometimes weary) of denominational efforts to bend the local church to a set of recommendations that turn into requirements, but I am eager to engage the new manual to learn how it addresses the realities in which we find currently ourselves. It will also be interesting to see how it passes muster, and how our input might influence the final product. Plus it will be fun to gather with wider-church colleagues and share stories and best practices.
Meanwhile, back home, here are the links to Sunday’s bulletin and service:
Please note that the front steps to the church are icy. For your safety, please use the side entrance to Fellowship Hall.