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Current News from The Chesapeake Association:
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Current News:
God is Still Speaking Funds: The Chesapeake Association is currently looking to give Association churches a chance to apply for GSS funding. This money can be used for Tv/Radio ads. New worship ideas...etc.. For more information please contact Craig Sparks, Chair of Church Development/Vitality @ Chesapeake. His email is cssparks@comcast.net . Or you can mail your request to Craig at the address on the contact page and put it to the attention of Craig Sparks, GSS Funds. The funding request deadline is October 6, 2008. United Ministries-Earl's Place: United Ministries is offering exclusive Macy’s shopping passes that can be used for discounts when shopping during the Shop for a Cause event on Saturday, September 20, 2008. Your one-day shopping pass for only $5 includes:
So, while you’re enjoying a day of shopping, you will also be supporting Earl's Place. Order your exclusive discount pass today by calling me at 410-522-0225 or or e-mail unitedministries@verizon.net On July 18 Rev. Jerry & Libby Fuss along with a number of youth and adults from Emmanuel Baust in Westminster came to Earl’s Place for breakfast and fellowship before spending the day at the aquarium. Along with all the ingredients for a huge breakfast they also brought a number of items from our wish list and a framed jigsaw puzzle that is a map of the area around Earl’s Place. They have received a grant from the Goldseker Foundation to develop a fundraising plan to compliment our Strategic Plan.
Peoples Church Of Dover, UCC: New Members Are UCC Ministers People’s Church of Dover has received among its new members recently two who are ordained ministers of the United Church of Christ. Dusty Pruitt joined in December, 2007: she has transferred her ministerial standing from Colorado: she is working at Delaware Hospice and the new Veterans’ Home as chaplain, both on “Four-Way Covenants” with People’s Church. Courtney Mys joined in June, 2008: she is still working on the transfer of her ministerial standing from Penn Central: she is working at Delaware Hospice. With these new members, People’s Church now has seven ordained ministers as members of the congregation, besides the pastor Dan Griggs. Sussex House church initiative: Rev. Dusty Pruitt got the green light to start a house church initiative. She would like to let people know they are there and give them these contacts: Contact Rev. Pruitt at 302-856-7444 or email her at UCCSussexCoDE@aol.com. This House Church is located in Delaware, Please contact Dusty for further information. 2007-2008 Annual Report to the Central Atlantic Conference
Report on the 2008 Central Atlantic Conference Annual Meeting The Central Atlantic Conference just concluded its annual meeting for 2008, organized around the theme “IMAGINE!—A New Church Is Possible.” This report is designed to report back to our congregations and clergy on that gathering June 13-15 at the University of Delaware. This year’s annual meeting was graced by the presence of Rev. Dr. John Thomas, president and general minister of the United Church of Christ. The meeting got off to a great start with a provocative dialogue between John, Rev. Dr. Barbara Brown Zikmund and Conference Minister Rev. Dr. John Deckenback, reflecting on the UCC’s first 50 years and where it is likely to go in the next half-century. John Thomas followed later that evening with a keynote address, suggesting that it was time for the UCC to move from its “big tent” of inclusivity out into a “parade” that would seek to engage with the rest of the world. “The days of being able to pitch a big tent on the town green are over for the United Church of Christ,” he asserted. The age of cultural establishment when our churches could thrive by simply mirroring cultural respectability are behind us. No matter how welcoming, no matter how courageous, church only imagined as big tent all too easily surrenders to a culture eager to privatize and marginalize it.” John also brought the sermon at our Saturday afternoon worship and then joined with John Deckenback and Rev. Felix Carrion, head of the StillSpeaking Initiative, to discuss how the UCC is continuing to respond to the various public relations challenges it has faced this year. We are grateful that John Thomas could be so generous in sharing his time with us, and also that our annual meeting provided him with the opportunity to spend some time with his twin brother, Dick, a member of First Congregational Church of Montclair, NJ. We were also able to enjoy a few jokes at the expense of the nearly identical Thomas twins. The Conference culminated some 18 months of work by approving revisions to the Conference Bylaws. At its June 13 meeting, the CAC Board of Directors also approved revisions to the Conference’s Personnel Policies and Practices and a new conflict of interest policy for Conference board members and staff. Thanks to Glenn Patterson, chair of the board’s Operations and Personnel Committee, for shepherding this process, and to all of the board members and conference members who contributed to this process. The Bylaws passed with just a few amendments; the updated document will be posted to the CAC Website at a future date. During the course of the meeting, delegates approved the Conference’s budget for calendar year 2009, stipulating again that 65 percent of church contributions to Our Church’s Wider Mission will be kept within the conference, and 35 percent sent on to the national church. Delegates also approved the CAC’s 2008-09 Clergy Compensation Guidelines. The guidelines were revised this year to respond to issues that had been raised in recent years by delegates to the annual meeting. The revisions are designed to better serve the needs of small congregations, to clarify the concept of the housing allowance and to provide a list of online resources to help churches determine local housing costs. Thanks to Rev. Dr. Gerry Hanberry and his subcommittee for their work on this initiative. Delegates also voted to approve a resolution in support of Physician Assistance in Dying. This topic was first discussed at a workshop at the 2007 CAC annual meeting, in consideration of another resolution at last year’s General Synod and then during a hearing at the start of this year’s CAC annual meeting. The CAC board will take appropriate action in response to the resolution’s call for it to be forwarded to General Synod 2009 for consideration. The annual meeting provided an opportunity for many persons working in youth ministry around the conference to network with Kristen Curlee, the Conference’s part-time youth ministry coordinator. Young people attending the annual meeting got dedicated time to meet with John Thomas. A contingent of more than 100 young people from the Central Atlantic Conference will be attending the National Youth Event later this summer, and plans are progressing for regular meetings of youth ministers and leaders from around the conference for working together to strengthen these programs. We also appreciated an opportunity to interact with two representatives of our partner church in Germany, Rev. Johann-Heinrich Witzel and Rev. Peter Kube of the EKMD (Evangelical Church of Middle Germany). The EKMD is the newly formed merger of our former partners in the KPS (Church Province of Saxony) and their Lutheran neighbors in Turinga. This year’s workshops were designed to focus on the needs and interests of our congregations, and included programs on church fund-raising, Christian education, responding to the immigration policy debate, among other topics. Speakers’ presentations and other resources will be made available on the CAC Website where possible. These and other materials from the annual meeting will be made available on the CAC's website (www.cacucc.org) in the coming weeks so that more of our churches and members can benefit from the annual meeting resources. Workshop leaders on Sunday morning included the Rev. Dr. Donna Allen, assistant professor of preaching and worship at Lancaster Theological Seminary and founder of New Revelation Community Church in Oakland, California. Donna brought the sermon to our closing worship together. Thanks to the New Jersey Association for serving as hosts, and particularly to Rev. Linda Holzbaur, who served as chair of the Annual Meeting Planning Task Force, Rev. Sherry Taylor of the CAC staff and Christine Shesler, who coordinated all of the workshops. Thanks also to the choir of Holmdel Community Church of Holmdel, NJ, for providing the core of the Conference Choir, and our other worship leaders from New Jersey. Many people took on tasks, both large and small, and for that we are very grateful. Sara Fitzgerald Check out more upcoming events & news by reading the newsletter/news/events pages from the Churches & Ministries below: "The United Endeavor" from United Evangelical UCC in Canton News & Events from Columbia United Christian Church "People's to People" from the People's Church of Dover "The Herald" from First and St. Stephen's in Baltimore "HUC Electron Newsletter" from Heritage UCC in Baltimore "The Chimes" from Immanuel Church of Christ in Catonsville "The Webster Word" from Webster UCC in Havre de Grace "Mark Our World" from St. Marks UCC in Baltimore Newsletter page from United Ministries - Earl's Place
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