The Conference Learned

Authorized Ministry Event

Before the Annual Meeting officially began, over sixty clergy and other authorized ministers of the Connecticut gathered at First Congregational Church in Groton, across the Thames River from New London. There the Rev. Alice Mann, an Episcopalian and consultant with the Alban Institute, led a workshop on Nourishing the Spiritual Life of Your Congregation. The gathering was lively, involving a good deal of discussion among the participants and quite a lot of singing. Rev. Mann frequently used hymns (and they'd have to be sung!) to illustrate the subject matter.

Rev. Mann demonstrated a model of four spiritual paths which could be used to understand the religious practice of individuals and, more roughly, of congregations. These four paths are the Head path, the Heart path, the Mystic path, and the Kingdom path, and each focuses on experiencing God in different ways. It is very important for church leaders to understand which path they are walking at the time, and to know which path best describes the life of their congregation.

It is not the goal to make everyone everything, to somehow persuade people to comfortably walk all four paths simultaneously. It is the goal to help them grow on their path, to deepen their experience and also to help them open ways into the other paths, which they may choose to follow.

She provided a lengthy reading list for further exploration of the topic.

Displays

Port N Starboard provided a good-size room for displays this year, which presented many of the concerns of the United Church of Christ. They ranged from Christian Education material to denominational information to retirement communities to Amistad America to the computer lab at Broadview Community Church in Hartford.

Speak Outs

Three times during the meeting, the business paused for individuals to come forward for "Speak Outs," opportunities to raise concerns before the body which were not on the agenda. These ranged from announcements of events to political concerns to prayers requests.

Workshops and the Women's Fellowship Luncheon

Nineteen different seminars, plus the Women's Fellowship Luncheon, provided delegates with information on a wide range of subjects: Biblical perspectives on homosexuality, making new visions for the Annual Meeting, the partnerships with Colombia and Korea, and UCC 101 were just the tip of the iceberg. Some chose more relaxing pursuits, including a visit to the New London railroad station to watch the trains and ferries go by. Others created a giant paper tapestry which was then displayed on the wall in the meeting hall. The Women's Fellowship luncheon featured displays and presentations from Church World Service and others, plus the very special talents of the Rev. Marti McMane, who told "Stories to Stir the Soul."

The Youth Report

During the day Saturday 152 young people and their 24 adult advisers did hard labor to clear a lot for a Habitat for Humanity building project. "I brought my hammer," one young man said, "but I used a shovel all day."

The activity had its rewards, however. The youth emerged from the day invigorated and excited about their work and the work of the church. SouthEastern Region Youth Specialist Merrillyn Garcia enthusiastically introduced a great parade of young people to the delegates on Saturday evening to tumultuous applause. Each wore a special T-shirt designed for the occasion and bearing as well the logo of the Missionary Society of Connecticut's two hundredth anniversary. The youth proudly showed a videotape of their day, showing lots of small trees, brush, and other vegetation being removed by the efforts of a crowd of young people.

"This," said Merrillyn Garcia, "is what youth programming can be like."

Silver Lake Report

On Sunday, Silver Lake Conference Center Director Dana Fisher presented her report on the condition of "The Lake," interspersing good news and bad about the Conference's summer camp and year-round retreat center.

The facility is well-used and well-loved by the Conference churches, according to a study commissioned this year, and it is very heavily used by them. Summer conferences have a very high occupancy rate, and during the year weekends have very few vacancies at all. The primary gap is in weekday use, and that, said the consultant, can make the difference between deficits and covering the camp's cost. Ms. Fisher and Dr. Crabtree, along with the new Silver Lake Board of Directors, have begun working on mid-week activities. A ropes course is a strong possibility, and they are also looking into providing environmental education on the site.

The physical condition of the site is safe, but also deteriorating. Many camps experienced a large building boom in the 50s and 60s, and like them, Silver Lake is now seeing the aging process affect its buildings. Both Ms. Fisher and Dr. Crabtree encouraged the Conference to prepare for a major financial commitment to Silver Lake, to repair and replace where necessary. Plans are not, however, ready for implementation, and the Board still has a great deal of work to do. And for now, the site has received the full blessing of the state's licensing, and even a few additional kudos.

Dana Fisher ended her presentation with a videotape of activities at "the Lake" this past summer, with background music by the summer staff. The delegates applauded heartily at the scenes of young people playing, praying, and singing at the Conference's greenest spot.

General Synod Report

In addition to meeting the new President, John Thomas, the delegates heard much more about the recent General Synod in nearby Providence, Rhode Island. The Conference's delegation made its report on the five day event, and showed an Office of Communication video which further described the Synod. The assembly noted several familiar Connecticut faces on the screen! Each Synod delegate bore a sign which had the name of one issue or concern which had been raised at the national meeting, and on the reverse bore the one word which best captured their impressions. The one that caught the most notice was "cookies," referring to the Rhode Island Conference's hospitality booths which offered free cookies to all the attendees.