UCC:  Progress & Promise

UCC Ministry Team Newsletter #4

June 2008

This newsletter is a resource to the Byfield Parish Church, its friends, and

associates from its UCC Ministry Team

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Philippians 4:4-5

The UCC Ministry Team and its Mission Statement

The UCC Ministry Team was established by the elders of Byfield Parish Church following the congregation’s Annual Meeting in May of 2006.  The team consists of five members from the congregation:  Jim Harrell (chairman); Doug Dawes (recording secretary); Don Hudson, Jr. (PRN administrator); Malcolm Fowler (in-care seminary student); Nancy Cumming (UCCMT Newsletter editor); and our pastor, Bill Boylan.  The two elder liaisons to the team are Dan Tymann and Henry Richenberg.  We are a small team within a larger team that is every member and friend of Byfield Parish Church.

Our mission is to design and implement strategies to affirm the historic gospel in the UCC, particularly in and between UCC congregations, by monitoring/engaging the denomination and by regular communication with the Byfield Parish Church. 

In This Issue:

1.      Two Team members Appointed to the Essex Association Board of Directors

2.      Malcolm Fowler In-Care with the Essex Association

3.      Essex Association Women’s Fellowship 2008 Spring and Fall Meetings

4.      Pastors’ Dessert and Roundtable held at Byfield Parish Church

5.      Essex Association Annual Spring Meeting held at Byfield Parish Church

6.      Bill Boylan Member of Massachusetts UCC New Church Plant Committee

7.      Faithful and Welcoming Churches hold National Gathering, Cleveland, OH

8.      Essex and Andover Associations Combined Fall Meeting

9.      Massachusetts Conference UCC Annual Meeting

10. Pastor Referral Network Update

11. Gordon-Conwell UCC Polity Meetings - Restarted!

12. 2008 Fellowship Dues

13.  UCC Primer: “Our Founding Documents”

14.  Links

1.  Two Team Members Appointed to the Essex Association Board of Directors

            By God’s generous hand, UCC Ministry Team members Nancy Cumming and Malcolm Fowler have been appointed to the EA Board of Directors.  Nancy has been made an ex-officio member by virtue of her board position on the Essex Association Women’s Fellowship. Malcolm Fowler was appointed Member-at-Large at the EA Annual Meeting in May 2008. One of the Team’s goals for 2008 has been to participate on local boards and committees in the denomination.  These appointments mark an important step in networking with, and connecting to, decision-making bodies in the denomination locally.  Nancy and Malcolm have attended two EA Board of Directors meetings and our fellow board members have warmly welcomed us.  At his first meeting, Malcolm volunteered to be a member of a sub-committee to review and rewrite the Essex Association by-laws.  God’s Holy Spirit has been present in the prayers and the presence of our team members at the board meetings. We are grateful for the opportunity He has given us to be His ambassadors.

2.  Malcolm Fowler In-Care with the Essex Association

            Malcolm Fowler is a student at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.  God has called Malcolm to be a pastor.  He has further directed Malcolm to ordained ministry in The United Church of Christ.  Our brother has taken the action steps to become a shepherd in the denomination the bears the name of our Savior.  “In-Care” is a two-year process to that end.  It is a partnership between the local church and the Essex Association Church and Ministry Committee in the selection and nurturing of candidates.  Please remember Malcolm and his wife Emili in your prayers as they step out in faith to serve our Lord! 

3.  Essex Association Women’s Fellowship 2008 Spring and Fall Meetings

            The EAWF held its Spring Meeting at the First Congregational Church in Saugus on Wednesday, April 30.  Program Coordinator Miriam Boylan was pleased to introduce Rev. Sarah Frank, Senior Pastor of Immanuel Congregational Church in Beverly, as guest speaker.  Jean Goulden of the West Concord Union Church of Concord, Massachusetts, was our worship leader.  Sixty-seven women attended the meeting, including 15 from Byfield Parish Church. 

            The EAWF Fall Meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 9:30 am to 1:00 pm, at Immanuel Congregational Church in Beverly. Featured guest speaker will be Rev. Kathleen Rhyne, Senior Pastor of The Congregational Church of Topsfield. All women are invited to attend.  The program includes coffee fellowship, a business meeting, guest speaker, and a luncheon.  The cost is $7.00. 

            There is an open seat on the EAWF Board of Directors.  If you sense the prompting of the Lord to serve in this capacity, please speak to EAWF board members Miriam Boylan or Nancy Cumming. 

4.  Pastors’ Dessert and Roundtable Held at Byfield Parish Church

            The UCC Ministry Team, in an effort to network with pastors of sister churches in the Essex Association, held a pastors’ event at Byfield Parish Church on Friday, May 2, the eve of the Essex Association Annual Spring Meeting.  By personal invitation, all pastors of Essex Association churches and their spouses were welcomed to a dessert and conversation on the topic of “Covenant.”  The Rev. Dean Pedersen, Senior Pastor of the First Church of Swampscott moderated the discussion.  There were 20 people at the event, nine of whom were pastors, along with two in-care students.  Members of the Hospitality Committee Karen Sylvester, Terry Terry, and Erin Searles served a delicious strawberry shortcake dessert.  Simon Miner donated 10 copies of his Awakenings CD, which were given as gifts to the pastors and their spouses.  The team was very pleased with the overall event.  The turnout was good, and the conversation was respectful and well moderated.  We made new connections and established relationships.  The team is grateful to all who supported this event.  We look forward to holding similar events in the future as a ministry to pastors and as a means of connecting in the Essex Association.

5.  Essex Association Annual Spring Meeting held at Byfield Parish Church

            On Saturday, May 3, the Essex Association of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ held its Annual Spring Meeting at Byfield Parish Church.  This marks the first time in memory that BPC hosted the annual meeting of the 35 churches of the Essex Association.  The UCC Ministry Team took a role in the planning and preparation of the event, with considerable support from Bill and Miriam Boylan and the BPC Praise Band.  There were approximately 125 people in attendance.  The day consisted of registration and coffee fellowship, a business meeting, worship led by in-care students, keynote speaker Jim Antal (Conference Minister and President of the Massachusetts Conference, UCC), and workshops.  Our own BPC Praise Band was featured at the worship time.  Many of those attending commented that they enjoyed the worship music.  Our two voting delegates to the Essex Association are Malcolm Fowler and Don Hudson.

6.  Bill Boylan Member of Massachusetts UCC New Church Plant Committee

            Our pastor, Bill Boylan, has been invited to participate on the New Church Start Committee of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ.  This conference board is charged with church planting.  We thank God for the opportunity He has given Bill to serve in the greater denomination in this capacity.

7.  Faithful and Welcoming Churches Hold National Gathering in Cleveland, OH

            Faithful and Welcoming Churches is an organization committed to restoring the founding vision of the United Church of Christ.  See http://www.faithfulandwelcoming.org/. FWC will hold its National Gathering in Cleveland, Ohio, July 10-12 at the Radisson-Gateway that is owned by, and adjacent to, the national UCC headquarters.  The keynote speakers will be Rev. John Thomas, UCC President, and Rev. Jim Heidinger, publisher of Good News magazine.  There will be an opportunity to interact with Rev. Thomas and other members of the UCC national staff.  The gathering will include workshops designed to inform and inspire those with an ECOT (evangelical, conservative, orthodox, or traditional) orientation, as well as a tour of the national headquarters of the UCC.  Bill Boylan will be a workshop presenter on the subject of strategies for church renewal.  Jim Harrell will represent the UCC Ministry Team, along with his wife, Sharon. 

8.  Essex and Andover Associations Combine Fall Meeting

            The Board of Directors of the Essex and the Andover Associations of the Massachusetts Conference has decided once again to have a combined Fall Meeting.  The tentative date is Saturday, October 25.  The meeting will consist of workshops and worship and there will be no business meeting.  The venue has not yet been determined.  There is no cost to attend this event, and all are invited.  Watch for future updates with registration information. 

9.  Massachusetts Conference UCC Annual Meeting

            The Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ is holding its 209^th Annual Meeting on Saturday, November 1, 2008.  The meeting will focus on The Congregational Way and Spiritual Discernment.  The day will consist of a business meeting, resolutions, lunch, workshops, and worship.  The keynote speaker is Rev. Martin Copenhaver, Pastor of the Wellesley Congregational Church.  The event will be held at the United Congregational Church and the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Worcester.  Our delegates to the Massachusetts Conference are Malcolm Fowler and Don Hudson.  Registration is required.  Watch for future updates with registration information.  All are invited to attend.

10.  Pastor Referral Network Update

            The Pastor Referral Network (PRN) is a referral service for pastors and congregations in the United Church of Christ.  It serves to connect godly pastors and churches of like mind and spirit, as part of the renewal effort in the denomination.  The work, records, and mechanics of the PRN have been transferred to the oversight of the UCC Ministry Team at Byfield Parish Church.  We anticipate with excitement that the UCC Ministry Team, under the leadership of PRN Administrator Don Hudson, will enable this ministry to grow with renewed energy and new vision under the power of the Holy Spirit. 

There are currently 21 search committees and 62 pastors from all over the country registered with the PRN. Churches of the UCC with empty pulpits are encouraged to register (email:  info4churches@pastorreferralnetwork.com). Those that do so will be included in a descriptive listing of “Churches Seeking Pastors” that is sent periodically to clergy who have registered with the PRN.  Clergy are then free to contact search committees directly, to inquire about open pastoral positions.  The team rejoices with the three pastors and congregations that have successfully used the PRN to fill empty pulpits in the UCC in the past year. It is our prayer that these new pastors will bring the light of the gospel into these congregations.

An independent PRN phone line has been installed in the Byfield Parish Church office (978-352-6800).  Don Hudson (Jr.) is the national PRN Administrator.  In that capacity (and under the auspices of the UCC Ministry Team), Don is overseeing the program and is responsible for its general direction and growth, as well as handling special correspondence.  He is working with Minda Fowler, who is responsible for day-to-day operations.  Don has formed a sub-team of seven members – each with a special gift to support this ministry – to assist him in the reworking and growth of the PRN.  They are Robin Hudson, Gary Fowler, Minda Fowler, Jim Harrell, Amy Harrell, and former PRN Administrator Liz Claver. Among their first endeavors will be the thorough re-make of the PRN website at www.pastorreferralnetwork.com.

11.  Gordon-Conwell UCC Polity meetings – Restarted!

            Members of the UCC Ministry Team have restarted UCC polity meetings at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Massachusetts.  These are gatherings for seminary student who are interested in ministry in the United Church of Christ.  Fellowship meetings will continue through the summer. 

12.  2008 Fellowship Dues

            From the Massachusetts Conference website,

 “Fellowship dues have been paid by the churches of the Massachusetts conference to support common ministries since the 1840’s.  It consists of two parts.  Association dues cover the cost of Association programs and services.  Each Association sets its own dues.  Conference dues contribute to the cost of Conference programs and services including regionally deployed ministers and staff.  Fellowship dues are assessed on a per-member basis.  Association treasurers bill each church for its fellowship dues.  They retain the Association portion and remit the Conference portion to the Conference.  Dues are due by December 31 each year.”

At our Annual Meeting in May of 2006, we voted as a congregation to remain in the UCC denomination. We further decided to respect those members of our congregation who, as a matter of conscience, choose not to support the denomination financially.  Accordingly, UCC dues are no longer a General Budget item.  However, members may still choose to give money to the UCC Fellowship Dues Fund voluntarily.  The amount we are assessed per member is $17.00 per year.  $16.00 of that goes to Massachusetts Conference with $1.00 going to the Essex Association. If you are led to support our membership in the UCC at this level or over and above it, please clearly indicate this intention with your giving.

13.  UCC Primer

#1: “Our Founding Documents”

Editor’s Note: This is the first installment of a new column in the UCC Ministry Team Newsletter. In it, we will attempt to provide information about what the UCC is, how it came to be, how it is organized, what its central beliefs are, and where Byfield Parish Church fits within the denomination. We hope you find it instructional, and a means of discovering your own place of belonging and service.

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

PREAMBLE

1          The United Church of Christ, formed June 25, 1957, by the union of the Evangelical and Reformed Church and The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches of the United States, in order to express more fully the oneness in Christ of the churches composing it, to make more effective their common witness in Him, and to serve His kingdom in the world, hereby adopts this Constitution.

2          The United Church of Christ acknowledges as its sole Head, Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior. It acknowledges as kindred in Christ all who share in this confession. It looks to the Word of God in the Scriptures, and to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, to prosper its creative and redemptive work in the world. It claims as its own the faith of the historic Church expressed in the ancient creeds and reclaimed in the basic insights of the Protestant Reformers. It affirms the responsibility of the Church in each generation to make this faith its own in reality

of worship, in honesty of thought and expression, and in purity of heart before God. In accordance with the teaching of our Lord and the practice prevailing among evangelical Christians, it recognizes two sacraments: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion.

3          The provisions herein define and regulate the General Synod and those Covenanted Ministries, Affiliated Ministries, and Associated Ministries, as hereinafter set forth, of the United Church of Christ which are related to the General Synod and describe the free and voluntary relationships which the Local Churches, Associations, Conferences and ministers sustain with the General Synod and with each other. The pattern of relationships and procedures so described is recommended to Local Churches, Associations, Conferences and ministers, to enable them more effectively to accomplish their tasks and the work of the United Church of Christ.

You have just read the fourth edition of the UCC Ministry Team’s E-Newsletter.  We hope this communication is a blessing to you.  If you would rather not receive this email, please reply via email to Nancy Cumming at uccministryteam@gmail.com and put “unsubscribe” on the subject line. 

If you are reading a hard copy of this newsletter and you desire to receive the next edition by email, please email Nancy Cumming, uccministryteam@gmail.com, and put “subscribe” on the subject line.

Suggestions and comments are welcome at uccministryteam@gmail.com

…is the Lord calling you to become involved at a new or deeper level in this renewal work?  Consider speaking to our pastor or any member of the UCC Ministry Team.  The Almighty is opening doors in many areas and He is calling His own to this kingdom building effort! 

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