An Informal Guide
to the 132nd Annual Meeting
of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ
meeting in the 202nd year of the Missionary Society of Connecticut
Friday, October 15, 1999
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| 1:00 - 3:30 |  Nourishing the Spiritual Life of Your CongregationFor the third year, we are offering an afternoon event for those who serve our Conference in Authorized Ministry. This year's event will be led by Alban Institute Consultant The Rev. Alice Mann Location: First Church, Groton. Child care will be provided on request. |
| 3:00 | Registration & Displays Open This year our meeting is at the fully-accessible Port 'n Starboard Conference Center at Ocean Beach Park, New London. This open and flexible space will allow us to have tables for delegates to put their materials on, easy and quick access to displays, Hartford Seminary book store, refreshments and rest rooms, and more casual meals. |
| 4:00 - 5:00 | Reception honoring 25/50 Year Ordinands Don't miss this wonderful event, honoring those who have served in ordained ministry for fifty and for twenty-five years. Honorees will eat at a special table at the dinner meal. Location: Port 'n Starboard Conference Center. Child care is at Mitchell College. |
| 5:00 - 6:00 | Buffet Dinner at Port 'n Starboard Conference Center. |
| 6:00 - 6:45 | Open Hearings on the Resolutions coming before our meeting. This is the time to come and ask questions about the resolutions which you got in the July mailing, in a much more informal setting than the meeting itself. Hearings will be at the Port 'n Starboard. |
| 6:45 - 7:00 | Orientation of Delegates This is the essential quick orientation to the way the Connecticut Conference conducts its business. Especially if you've never been to Annual Meeting before, this is the place to be. |
The Meeting begins -- |
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| The meeting will begin after dinner, in order to make it possible for lay delegates to attend all business sessions. Unless otherwise noted, all meetings will be held at the Port 'n Starboard Conference Center. |
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| 7:00 p.m. | CALL TO ORDER The meeting will begin with the Rev. Gordon Rankin, acting Moderator, and associate pastor at First Congregational Church of Madison, calling us to order. The Rev. Kate Latimer, Conference Chaplain, and interim pastor of Union Chapel, Fisher's Island, NY, will lead opening worship. |
| 7:30 p.m. | We begin with greetings from our hosts, the New London Association. Following the welcomes, we will meet the Connecticut Conference staff, honored guests, those who have been Ordained or Commissioned in the past year, those who have entered newly into ministry in Connecticut, in the parish or in special settings, and members of Connecticut congregations currently In Care (officially in the process toward ordination). Let's give them a hearty welcome!
There are some items of business which must be taken care of at the very beginning of our meeting. First we will adopt the formal Annual Meeting Rules and Agenda. Next, the Moderator will remind us of the guidelines for the "Presentation of New Matters." Annual Meeting committees (the committees which make the Annual Meeting run) will be appointed; "Speak Out" guidelines will also be presented. Finally, we will meet our Parliamentarian, the Rev. Malcolm C. Bertram, Jr., and other guests who will be granted voice without vote tatus. If you think you will want to introduce new business or sign up for a "Speak Out," this is the time to learn how! |
| 8:05 p.m. | Our Conference Minister, the Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree, a member of Center Church, Hartford, will deliver the annual Conference Minister's Address. Following the address, we will welcome the Rev. Dr. Barbara Brown Zikmund, a member of Center Church, Hartford, and President of Hartford Seminary, for a brief presentation. |
| 9:00 p.m. | The meeting's over for the evening, and you're invited to an After Hours Social Event in the Display area, with refreshments courtesy of the four seminaries which serve our Conference - Andover Newton Theological School, Bangor Theological Seminary, Hartford Seminary, and Yale Divinity School. |
Saturday, October 16, 1999 |
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| 8:15 a.m. | Registration, exhibits and snack bar are open |
| 8:30 a.m. | Orientation of newly-registered Delegates. If you came to yesterday's orientaiton, you don't need to attend again. Enjoy that cup of coffee or check out the displays! |
Saturday morning - Session Two |
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| 9:00 |  The Saturday morning session begins with the Moderator's Call to Order and Morning Worship, outside on the Boardwalk (weather permitting). Following worship, we will return to the meeting room where we will hear the Presentation and Receipt of the Treasurer's Report and the Budget, with time for questions and answers. We'll hear about "Rekindle the Gift" from a delegation from the Southeast Conference (who will also be doing a workshop - check it out). The Report of the Board of Directors, given by Jane A. Chittick, a member of the Monroe Congregational Church, will begin in this session. Just before the break, we'll enjoy a story from Valerie Tutson, Conference Storyteller. |
| 11:00 | Break |
| 11:10 | Several churches have joined our fellowship in the past year; following the celebration we will turn to Resolutions. The Rev. John Thursby, pastor of First Congregational Church, Lyme, will present a report on the 1998 Resolutions, then we will vote to set the priority order for this year's Resolutions. Following the vote to set the priority, the Moderator will remind the delegates of the procedure for Speak Outs. Then, just before the lunch break, we will recognize Tithing and Step-Up Churches. |
| 11:50 | Lunch recess, with many opportunities for Growth and Reflection to follow. A box lunch (you can eat out on the beach!) will be served; following lunch time, busses will take us to Saturday Seminar sites. At 4:00 p.m., the Conference Annual Meeting will re-convene at the Amistad reproduction site at Mystic Seaport, for a service of prayer and dedication. |
Saturday afternoon - Session Three |
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| 1:00 |  Busses will depart for Saturday Seminars, which will run from 1:30 to 2:45; when the Seminars are dismissed, busses will pick you up and take you to Mystic Seaport (free admission when you arrive on one of our busses) where the Moderator will call us to order and, in an official session of the Annual Meeting, we'll surround the Amistad replica with our prayers and blessings for its upcoming work. At 5:00 p.m., delegates and visitors will re-board the busses to return to Ocean Beach Park, and dinner at 5:45 p.m. |
Saturday evening - Session Four |
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| 6:45 | The Moderator will call the meeting to order and call on the Chaplain for an invocation, followed by speak outs. |
| 7:00 | All day Saturday has been a Work Day for our Youth and the Moderator will call on Merrillyn Garcia, Conference Specialist in Youth Ministry, for a report . The Youth Report will be followed by Action on the 1999 Resolutions. However, even if Resolution work is not completed, we will stop at 8:00, as the Order of the Day mandates that we move to a conversation with the Rev. John Thomas, President of the United Church of Christ. Of course, the voting members of the meeting may choose, by vote, to continue work on the Resolutions and delay the Conversation. |
| 8:55 | Just before the close of business for the night, the Moderator will invite sign-ups for Sunday's speak outs. There will be announcements and a benediction, and the meeting will be over for the evening. But if you'd like some fun, don't leave just yet, because there's going to be an after-hours Coffee House in the Display area. If you'd like to perform, contact Drew Willard at the Mystic Congregational Church (860) 536-4259. |
Sunday, October 18 |
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| 9:00 | On Sunday morning, we will return to the business of the meeting. This is a great change for us, as we usually worship with our HostChurch on Sunday morning. This year, however, Sunday worship will be in the afternoon, to allow all the churches of our Host Association to gather with us (and anyone else who wishes to come!!) So we will begin our business when the Moderator calls us to order and calls upon the Chaplain for an Invocation, and, if the business of our Resolutions is not complete, we will first turn to them. |
| 9:30 | The ORDER OF THE DAY calls us to a Report on Silver Lake Conference Center from Dana Fisher, Director. Following Dana's report, we will begin discussion and voting on the 2000 Budgets, including action on the Basic Mission Support Goal, the Distribution of Monies, Per Capita Contributions, and finally, the Budgets of the Missionary Society of Connecticut and the Fund for Ministers. Details are in your Call to the Annual Meeting. |
| 10:15 | After all that, we'll take a short break, and come back to another story from Valerie Tutson, Conference Storyteller. We'll then continue with the report of the Board of Directors which began yesterday. Following the Board report, we'll hear and act on the report of the Nominating Committee. |
| 11:45 | General Synod, the every-other-year national meeting of the United Church of Christ, took place this last July in Providence, Rhode Island. Lots happened at the meeting, and we'll hear a report from delegates, led by the Rev. Rose-Lee Petronella, Taftville. |
| 12:05 | The final Speak Out session of this year's annual meeting will take place. |
| 12:15 | It's time to say thank you. The Board presents the Amenities Resolution; Conference Minister Davida Foy Crabtree makes some presentations; there will be one final set of announcements, and then we will break for lunch. |
Sunday afternoon - Session Six |
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| 12:30 | Lunch |
| 1:30 | Prepare for our Festival Conference Worship Service by practicing some of the worship songs we will be singing. At 1:45 p.m. the Worship will begin. We'll praise God, install our new officers, hear a sermon from Kate Latimer, Conference Chaplain, and share the meal of Holy Communion. Blessed by God with fellowship with one another, we will go forth from this service, strengthened for another year of service as the United Church of Christ in Connecticut. |
| 3:15 | Adjournment |
An extra special guest this year is the Rev. John Thomas, member of Euclid Avenue Congregational Church, Cleveland, OH, who will, on October 1, 1999, become President of the United Church of Christ.
WARNING: Individual items may take more or less time than listed (according to the will of the delegates), and so times for events may differ slightly from those printed herein.
Annual Meeting Index:
Guide to the Meeting | Excitement! | John Thomas | Valerie Tutson | Blessing the Amistad | Fellowship | Women's Event | Youth Event | 25/50 Reception | Resource Event | Seminars | Mission Project | Resolutions | Missionary Society Budget | Fund for Ministers Budget | Costs | Registration Forms | Accomodations | Volunteer for the Webcast | Pre-Meeting Orientation
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