Annual Conferences and Livestream Followup

This is the season when both of our denominations (United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church) prepare for their annual gatherings. In both settings, clergy and laity (church members) representing all of the churches within a region gather together to worship, conduct business, mark transitions, raise concerns, receive training, and enjoy fellowship together. 

This year, the Vermont Conference of the United Church of Christ will meet on May 1-2 in St. Johnsbury. Michele B. and Pastor Jen will again represent UCU at that gathering, which convenes under the banner, “Be the Church in the Chaos.” The keynote address will be given by Rev. Shari Prestemon, a national leader (Associate General Minister) in the UCC. Delegates and visitors can attend in person or online.

From June 3-6, Pastor Jen and Will W. will travel to Manchester, New Hampshire to represent us to the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church. (Tracie W. will also be in attendance wearing other denominational hats.) The theme of this year’s conference is “Faith for our Future, Loving Boldly.” After several years of hybrid conferencing, this marks a return to in-person only sessions for voting, though conference proceedings will be viewable remotely via livestream.

While our congregation can send two voting members (one pastor, one layperson) to each conference, others are welcome to attend as guests. If you have an interest in attending either of these events, or if you’d be interested in attending in a future year, please speak with me. There is a cost associated with both (including attending the UCC Conference virtually), but these can be very meaningful gatherings that stretch our understanding of who the church is and is called to be. Michele, Will, and I will be happy to share our learnings upon our return later this spring.

In other news, we apologize for the technical difficulties we experienced with our own worship live stream last Sunday. A new issue arose, and we now know how to address it, but it took a little time to troubleshoot (including the entire hour leading up to 10:00 am). Thank you, tech team, for persisting. We plan to be back online at 10:00 am this coming week for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, where we’ll reflect on the call to “Love Anyway.”

Pastor Jen