08/05/2020 - Responding to Hurricane Isaias

Disaster Relief

We are reaching out to all the members of our Conference to check in and invite you to check in with each other.

08/04/2020 - SPOTLIGHT: Taking it To-Go

By: Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane - Spotlight

Northborough Church Serves Drive-Thru Community Meals

08/04/2020 - Conference Begins Search Process for Regional Staff

By: Tiffany Vail - Conference staff

The Southern New England Conference has recently posted a number of staff positions to the national UCC website, including six for "Area Conference ...

07/20/2020 - SPOTLIGHT: Affordable Option for Making Phone Calls to the Entire Congregation

By: Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane - Spotlight

Terryville Church Uses Voice Broadcast System to Get the Word out

07/19/2020 - Kendrix/Remick/Siladi Fund Announced

Conference staff

The Board of Directors has voted to invite contributions in honor of the Bridge Conference Ministers - Marilyn Kendrix, Don Remick and Kent Siladi - to a fund that focuses on faith formation and stewardship. The Board voted to re-name the Seeds of Faith Fund, which was...

07/15/2020 - Conference Staff Restructuring Begins

By: Tiffany Vail - Conference budget Conference staff

The Bridge Conference Ministers have begun restructuring the Conference staff following a three-month delay due to the pandemic.

07/13/2020 - '3 Good Things' Webinar First in Resilience Series

By: Deborah Ringen - Conference programming Disaster Relief

Dr. Bryan Sexton, Associate Professor and Director of Duke Center for Healthcare Safety & Quality, Duke University Health System, spoke on July 7th at the first in a series of webinars hosted by the SNEUCC Health and Wellness Team and the Disaster Resource and Response ...

07/07/2020 - Silver Lake Site Manager To Join Staff

Outdoor Ministries

Silver Lake Conference Center is excited to introduce you to the new Silver Lake Site Manager, Matt Taylor. Matt has decades of experience with Silver Lake, starting as a young camper, continuing through summer staff, followed by decades of volunteering. Matt is ...

07/06/2020 - SPOTLIGHT: Bringing God, Kids, and Animals Together Online with a Song

By: Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane - Spotlight

West Stockbridge Church Offers Online Musical Menagerie Children’s Messages

07/01/2020 - SPOTLIGHT: Northampton Church Sees New Energy - and New Members - Online

By: Andrew Page - Church Growth and Vitality Spotlight

Two churches share experiences with online events and the energy they've seen as a result.

06/29/2020 - Series Supports Resilience, Well Being

By: Jessica McArdle Deborah Ringen - Conference programming Disaster Relief Justice and Witness

by Rev. Dr. Jessica McArdle and Deborah Ringen MSN, RN-BC Faith Community Nurse    "The hardest about being a pastor today is NOT the long hours, the substantial and unrequited grief, issues on justice that demand our attention, eclectic responsibilities, and grave ...

06/29/2020 - Siladi Stepping Down as Bridge Conference Minister

Conference staff

In a letter emailed out across the Southern New England Conference Monday, the Rev. Kent Siladi announced his resignation as Bridge Conference Minister. He will be taking on the role of Director of Philanthropy for the national setting of the United Church of Christ.  ...

06/25/2020 - 2020 UCC Stewardship Materials Now Available

Stewardship

"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." - 1 John 4:7 Materials for your congregation's 2020 stewardship campaign featuring the theme "Beloved, Love" are now available in print form or as a digital ...

06/24/2020 - Annual Meeting Attendees Receive Kaur Book

Annual Meeting

Attendees of last November's Annual Meeting have been finding a pleasant surprise in their mailboxes recently: copies of Keynote Speaker Valarie Kaur's new book, See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary War. Part of the arrangement for Kaur to speak at ...

06/23/2020 - List of RIP Medical Debt Donors

The folks at United Church on the Green, UCC: New Haven, CT will dedicate their Easter offering to the SNEUCC RIP Medical Debt Initiative; AND they will match that from their Outreach Budget. Church of the Good Shepherd in West Woodstock, CT, counts between 8...

06/21/2020 - WWLP.COM:Community to-go meals resume at First Congregational Church of Chicopee

Local Buzz

Chicopee’s First Congregational Church resumed its mission late Sunday afternoon of providing food for families facing hard times caused by the ...

06/16/2020 - SPOTLIGHT: How to Stay Calm and “Be Not Afraid” During Pandemic

By: Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane - Spotlight

Payson Park Church Offers Online Meditation

06/13/2020 - TELEGRAM.COM: Worcester’s Park Congregational Church ends 133-year run

Local Buzz

People have worshipped at Park Congregational Church United Church of Christ since 1887, but the number of members has plummeted so the church will ...

06/12/2020 - Clergy Work Together on Online Worship

By: Andrew Page

Six UCC churches along the Massachusetts shoreline of Buzzards Bay worked together in May to produce an online Pentecost worship.

06/09/2020 - SPOTLIGHT - Afterschool Program Goes Online

By: Andrew Page - Church Growth and Vitality Spotlight

Pilgrim Congregational in Harwich Port Responds to Covid-19 With Online Children's Program

06/04/2020 - CTPOST: Milford clergy lie silently on ground to note last minutes of George Floyd’s life

Local Buzz

A heartbeat coming from a loudspeaker drowned out the noise of traffic around the Milford Green when 16 members of the clergy and 100-plus ...

06/04/2020 - MIDDLETOWN PRESS: First Church Middletown launches partnership to feed city’s neediest

Local Buzz

Just days before the pandemic closed down the state of Connecticut, First Church of Christ in Middletown approved a new outreach plan focusing in part...

06/04/2020 - Responding to the Scourge of Racism

Conference programming Justice and Witness

We hope that you will engage the resources we recommend here and post them as you see fit on social media and other communication tools at your disposal.

06/02/2020 - SPOTLIGHT: Scavenging for Fellowship and Connection

Spotlight

Peace Dale Church Offers Virtual Youth Group Scavenger Hunt

06/02/2020 - Churches Partnering More in Service; Less in Worship

The Conference recently conducted a wide-ranging survey of churches, in which 260 churches participated. This is the fourth article in a series ...

05/29/2020 - Survey: Moving Worship and Other Programming Online is Working Well for Many Churches

The Conference recently conducted a wide-ranging survey of churches, in which 260 churches participated. This is the second article in a series ...

05/28/2020 - NEWS8: Bloomfield churches pool resources to support families in need with backpack program

Local Buzz

The Bloomfield Congregational Church may not be able to hold services as usual during the pandemic, but it’s food programs are still going strong ...

05/28/2020 - Pilgrim Day Camp Will Not Open This Summer

For more than 50 years, Pilgrim Day Camp has operated on the Framingham, MA, campus of the Southern New England Conference. For the first time in it's history, the camp will not be held this summer due to COVID-19.  Following is the letter announcing the camp's closure ...

05/27/2020 - The 2020 Youth Revival Project is online

Conference programming Leadership Development

The 2020 Youth Revival Project, an online series of videos released daily, began on Monday May 25 and continues through Friday May 29.

05/26/2020 - Survey: Clergy are Tired, But Embracing Innovation

The Conference recently conducted a wide-ranging survey of churches, in which 260 churches participated. This is the second article in a series looking at the results, and focuses on how clergy are doing during this time. The first article looked at the financial ...

05/23/2020 - JOURNAL INQUIRER: Interview with Rev. Nina Barlow Schmid

Local Buzz

The First Congregational Church in South Windsor celebrated its 325th anniversary this past October. The original roadside chapel may not exist ...

05/22/2020 - Survey: Churches Talking About Money are on Firmest Financial Footing

By: Tiffany Vail - Stewardship

A recent survey of churches indicates that the willingness of church leaders to be vocal and transparent about the church's needs is crucial in ...

05/21/2020 - Bridge Conference Ministers Speak Out On Murder of Ahmaud Arbery

Justice and Witness

A Message From the Bridge Conference Ministers of the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ    As followers of Jesus, who has...

05/20/2020 - SPOTLIGHT: Compassionate Care During Covid-19 Crisis

By: Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane - Spotlight

First Church of Rowley Launches New Care Ministry and Women’s Support Group

05/20/2020 - A Book Club for Stewardship Enthusiasts!

Conference programming Stewardship

Hearing a young attorney speak of the faith-based reasons for which he had just made a substantial monetary gift to a community youth center, Clif Christopher asked the speaker if he would consider making a similar contribution to the congregation of which he was an ...

05/19/2020 - Churches Advised Not to Resume In-Person Worship Despite New MA Guidelines

By: Tiffany Vail

The Bridge Conference Ministers are maintaining their position that Conference churches should hold off on resuming in-person worship until at least ...

05/18/2020 - All-Conference Online Gathering to be Held in September

Annual Meeting

The Southern New England Conference will hold an All-Conference Gathering - online - on Saturday, Sept. 26. Clergy, delegates, and all those ...

05/15/2020 - Tax Laws and Giving to Your Church

By: David Cleaver-Bartholomew - Stewardship

Recent tax law changes provide people an opportunity to make tax-free charitable contributions to your church from your IRA. This may be of special interest to those who must take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) annually from a traditional IRA.* The tax law now ...

05/08/2020 - Rev. Timothy Haut: Celebrating 40 Years in Deep River

Church Growth and Vitality Church History and Identity

In March, the Rev. Timothy Haut celebrated 40 years serving as pastor of the First Congregational Church of Deep River, Connecticut.

05/05/2020 - SPOTLIGHT - Masks Flying Off The Doors

By: Andrew Page - Spotlight

United Church of Bernardston, MA, Mask Making Ministry Offers Masks For the Taking

05/05/2020 - Interim Regional Minister Comes Onboard - Remotely

Conference staff

The Rev. Holly MillerShank began serving this week as the Interim Associate Conference Minister for the Metropolitan Boston and Northeast Associations - albeit, from her current home in Cleveland, Ohio. "Working remotely is par for the course for our little family," ...

05/05/2020 - Paycheck Protection Program Loans and Recordkeeping

Conference staff Disaster Relief

New! Best Practices and Forgiveness Information and Webinar On March 31, the application for the CARES ACT, Payroll Protection Program was posted on ...

05/04/2020 - REPUBLICAN AMERICAN: Local woman “Zoomed” into Ordination

Local Buzz

Kaeley McEvoy was ordained via Zoom in a service that included art, scripture, music, sermon message, and even a virtual laying on of the hands.

05/02/2020 - FOX8: Pastor memorializes each of the thousands of COVID-19 victims in his state with a white flag

Local Buzz

A pastor in Connecticut is planting white flags on his church’s property for each person who has died from COVID-19 in the state. Patrick Collins of ...

05/01/2020 - Important Information About Summer at Silver Lake

Outdoor Ministries

The Bridge Conference Ministers and the Silver Lake Staff announced on May 1 that they have made the decision to cancel in-person summer camp ministry for 2020.  Please read and/or watch the announcement below: Dear Friends, At Silver Lake, we teach our conferees to ...

05/01/2020 - Strengthen the Church Offering Aimed at Nurturing Disciples

Faith Formation and Christian Education Outdoor Ministries Stewardship

The Southern New England Conference is asking churches to support ministries that strive to nurture discipleship through the upcoming Strengthen the ...

04/29/2020 - SPOTLIGHT - Mission Trip Goes Virtual

By: Andrew Page - Spotlight

Glastonbury First Youth Engage in Virtual Service Program As Alternative To Planned Trip

04/27/2020 - Conference Ministers Speak Out on Racial Disparity of COVID-19 Impact

Justice and Witness

This pandemic has once again demonstrated that there is no equality in America

04/27/2020 - Edwards House Food Put to Good Use

By: Tiffany Vail - Justice and Witness

The freezers at Edwards House Meeting & Retreat Center were full of food when the Coronavirus hit Massachusetts, forcing the facility - part of the Southern New England Conference's Framingham property - to stop hosting gatherings.  But thanks to the Edwards House ...

04/27/2020 - Small Church Makes Big Effort on RIP Medical Debt

By: Andrew Page - Church Growth and Vitality

In West Woodstock, Connecticut, a small village in the town of Woodstock in the northeast corner of the state is the equally small church, the Church of the Good Shepherd. Their pastor, The Rev. Alice O'Donovan, says the average attendance in worship is between 20-25 ...