What's New, and What's Brief
PLAINVILLE (08/12/2008) -- Nationally acclaimed singer-songwriter, recording artist, lecturer, and seminar leader Don Eaton will be visiting Connecticut September 22nd - 30th and is available to hold concerts or lead workshops for local churches. Already scheduled for a concert at the Congregational Church of Plainville UCC on Sept. 27th, his time is likely to be booked fast.
Plainville pastor the Rev. Dr. Claire W. Bamberg suggests that churches might want to consider inviting Don to lead (1) a retreat for a specific group or interest in the church, (2) a concert or fundraiser for the church, (3) an all-church retreat or mini-retreat, or (4) leading worship.
Don plays both six and twelve string acoustic guitar, and reviewers have compared his voice to Don MacLean, John Denver, and Dan Fogelberg. One reviewer states: "Eaton is a warm, open, life-affirming person whose songs have real content and deep messages really worth listening to."
Don Eaton is also founder and executive director of Small Change, a non-profit corporation, whose mission is compassion education and hunger relief. In dealing with both the hunger of the heart and the hunger of the body, Small Change focuses on compassion education, compassion in action, as the key to personal and social transformation, including peace, justice and environmental issues.
Blending his unique talents as both a lecturer and singer-songwriter, Don tours colleges and universities as part of their "arts and lectures" series. As an educational consultant to school districts, Don's work focuses on character education and Self-esteem to prevent alcohol and other drug abuse. He also brings the Small Change program to churches, businesses, and service and professional organizations.
Eaton led a workshop last year for the North Central Association's meeting which received rave reviews.
For more information about booking Don Eaton, call Claire Bamberg at 860.847.1099, or send email to her at cwbamberg@comcast.net. If using email, please put "Eaton Song" in the subject line.
Follow the link below for more information about the Sept. 27th concert in Plainville.
INDIANAPOLIS (07/31/2008) -- Your youth group can help change the world and be inspired through global mission! Are you up for the challenge?
Global Ministries would like to accompany you on the journey of being a Global Mission Youth Group. These ideas for action will help your youth group create an action plan for the school year. Will you commit to getting your youth group started on the journey?
A Global Mission Youth Group prays regularly for partners, missionaries, and the world; educates youth and members about global issues; seeks justice for the "least of these," receives the gifts of the global church; gives to the work of global mission; sends its members into the world to share the Good News; and grows in sharing the story of God's mission with others.
Global Ministries has prepared a Global Mission Youth Group Guide for download. Follow the link below for more information and for the guide itself.
HARTFORD (07/28/2008) -- In a opinion essay published in the July 27th Hartford Courant, members of the Connecticut Conference's recent delegation to Colombia challenged the assertion of U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman that "violence in Colombia has dropped markedly." In the essay, the delegation members contrasted their eight days in the troubled South American nation to the Senator's less than twenty-four hours; and their extensive conversations with human rights workers and families driven from their homes with the Senator's failure to see anyone outside of the Colombian government.
The authors were the Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree, Connecticut Conference Minister; the Rev. Allie Perry, worship coordinator at Shalom United Church of Christ in New Haven; and Charlie Pillsbury, a member at Shalom UCC and Executive Director of Community Mediation, Inc. Hosted and guided by the Conference's mission partner, Ricardo Esquivia, the delegation visited several locations in Colombia, including Maria La Baja in the province of Bolivar, Sincelejo in the province of Sucre and Montelibano and Tierralta in the province of Cordoba.
The Connecticut and Central Atlantic Conferences have a long-standing mission partnership with human rights activists in Colombia, including Esquivia and the Mennonite Church. They labor to improve conditions for people living in the midst of a multi-sided civil war, drug traffickers, and unregulated paramilitary militias.
Dr. Crabtree wrote a moving reflection on her visit with the refugees from a village in Murmullo Medio in the July 14 Spirit Calendar: http://www.ctucc.org/fido/spiritcalendar/index.php?article=413
To see the Hartford Courant opinion essay, follow the link below.
HARTFORD (07/24/2008) -- The Connecticut Conference and the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut have joined together to produce a curriculum for church members to use in understanding and responding to the state of health care in the United States.
Authored by Conference staff member Amy Beveridge, the resource is designed to help church members examine the health care system in light of their faith values, consider actions they might take as individuals and congregations toward reform, and develop the skills needed for effective communication with legislators.
Leaders can use the curriculum in two ways: a single session for a one and a half to hour length workshop, or a longer six-session series. The full package also includes Biblical resources, stories of real people in the health care system, and handouts.
Two DVDs accompany the curriculum, which are available from the Ruth Dudley Resource Center. A printed copy of the material is available for preview there as well.
The curriculum is now available on the Connecticut Conference web site in PDF format.
HARTFORD (06/16/2008) -- In Sunday morning worship, have you ever wondered "Why do they do that?"
If so, Hartford Seminary may have a course for you. "Fundamentals of Worship: Practice and Theology" is a three-credit graduate-level course focused on the nature of Christian worship and the central question: "Why do they do that?"
The instructors, the Rev. Jonathan Lee and the Rev. Donna Manocchio are pastors at the Rocky Hill Congregational Church, UCC, and Adjunct Professors of Liturgy, Worship and Spirituality at Hartford Seminary. They aim to explore the theological underpinnings of the community gathered for worship and to guide study to the elements of traditional and special services, including baptisms, weddings and funerals. They hope to provide practical guidance for developing worship experiences for both congregation and leader.
The class will meet Wednesdays from 4:30 - 6:30 pm beginning September 10, 2008, at Hartford Seminary.
The course carries three graduate level credits or may be audited. To register, complete the form at the link below and return it with appropriate payment. For more information, call or write Hartford Seminary at 860.509.9512 or admissions@hartsem.edu.
Hartford Seminary's web site is http://www.hartsem.edu
HARTFORD (06/12/2008) -- The national United Church of Christ's email publications service has been expanding in recent months. From its origins with the Still Speaking and 100K for Peace Campaigns, it has grown to include daily and weekly devotional materials, regular updates from the Common Global Ministries of the UCC and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and advocacy materials for some issues.
Subscriptions can be created and managed at this page on the UCC web site:
The resource resembles the Information Lists portion of the Connecticut Conference's FIDO* service, begun in 2000. Sign up for those services or discussion groups at:
HARTFORD (06/04/2008) -- While the Rev. Susan Townsley, Fairfield County Regional Minister, is on sabbatical from June 1 - September 1, other members of the Conference's Regional Ministry Team will provide coverage for the churches and authorized ministers of the Fairfield County Region.
June 1 - 20: the Rev. Michael Ciba
June 21 - July 11: the Rev. Dr. Mike Penn-Strah
July 12 - August 1: the Rev. Michael Ciba
August 2 - 31: the Rev. Dr. Mike Penn-Strah
