The Vicarious Villager Voice
Before going any further, three cheers for Punxsutawney Phil, whose missing shadow foreshadows an early Spring this year! (And to the high church folk, Happy Candlemas!)
On Wednesday I attended my first all-Conference gathering (of the UCC’s Southern New England Conference) since 2019. It was a seminar and workshop for leaders of the Committees on Ministry across the region. Each Association’s Committee on Ministry is responsible for credentialing, authorization and support for both clergy and those who are in the process of preparing for ordained ministry. Since the event drew from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, I saw quite a few friends and colleagues I’ve worked with over the past forty years. I also got the chance to meet some of the SNEUCC’s staff, all of whom are new since the merger of our Conferences in 2020.
It was also my first opportunity to meet and hear our Executive Conference Minister, the Rev. Dr. Darrell Goodwin, who gave the keynote address. Darrell offered a comprehensive overview of the state of the church from global, denominational and local perspectives. The words he brought were words of hope, of the ways that local churches are responding to the ever-changing landscape in which we live and serve. While the pandemic tossed us a real cultural curveball, he said, local churches are finding creative ways of remaining resilient while adapting to the new realities of church life. Although it took a whole day out of my work schedule less than two weeks before my departure, I’m glad I was able to be part of the event; it was informative, educational, and inspiriting.
Here are the links to this Sunday’s bulletin and service: