The Rev. Kelly Thibeault, pastor of the First Congregational Church in North Attleborough, has been hired as the Massachusetts Conference’s part-time interim Associate for Youth and Young Adult Ministries.
Thibeault will be working 10 hours a week, taking over from Kris Lofrumento. Lofrumento has moved out of state for family reasons, and Friday, Jan. 13, was her last day with the Conference after more than seven years.
Thibeault will fill the role on an interim basis until September, and part of her responsibility will be to work with the Commission on Educational Ministries to discern focus areas for the youth and young adult ministry of the Conference for the next 3 to 5 years. Funding for part-time youth and young adult ministries staff support is one way the Board of Directors has used the endowment funded by The Gift and the Promise capital campaign of the 1990’s.
Thibeault will also support the planning of a Conference delegation to the UCC National Youth Event in July, and coordinate other related programs in the Conference. Her role will be one of advocacy for the needs of youth and young adults, as well as administration.
“What a gift it will be to have Kelly Thibeault on our education team," said Associate Conference Minister Susan Dickerman. "Kelly has had experience in a similar position in the Rhode Island Conference, UCC prior to accepting her call in 2010 as the part time pastor with our church in North Attleborough. In that capacity, she worked side by side with other New England colleagues to plan this national event. I couldn’t be more pleased to be working with her in the months ahead.”
Thibeault will be in the Conference office in Framingham each Wednesday and can be reached at 508-875-5233 ext 274. Her email is thibeaultk@macucc.org.
“I am honored and excited to be working with the Conference staff," Thibeault said. "And I am eager to begin working with our local churches, encouraging and supporting them in their work. I feel called not only to share information from the national setting and other conferences, but also to uncover the hidden treasures that are already happening right here in our Massachusetts Conference churches and to talk with youth and youth leaders about how the Conference can best support them in their ministry."
" I look forward to leading our delegation to the National Youth Event at Purdue University in July and to work hand in hand with the Commission on Education to help imagine the possibilities and envision the future steps that our Conference will take to ensure strong, healthy and spirit filled youth and young adult ministry here in Massachusetts," she said.
Lofrumento had also served part-time as the Administrative Assistant for the Pastoral Excellence Program.
Dickerman said Lofrumento will be "dearly missed."
"Kris' participation as a member of our Pastoral Excellence Program leadership team and our educational ministries team has been an important asset through the years. Her skill, intelligence and ability to relate to pastors and lay leaders throughout a number of settings in the United Church of Christ have been invaluable. I know that our entire PEP leadership team and her colleagues on the Massachusetts Conference, UCC staff wish her well in the years ahead," she said.
Willie Sordillo, part time Administrative Assistant to the Conference Minister and President, will increase his hours and assume much of the administrative work that Lofrumento was doing. Cindy Bolton, Administrative Assistant for Leadership Development and Educational Ministries, will provide the financial administrative oversight for this ministry.
"The Pastoral Excellence Program will continue with strength," Dickerman said.
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