On Saturday, at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ (SNEUCC) held its 4th Annual Meeting.  It’s odd to relate that this is just the 4th Annual Meeting of the Conference because churches in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island are sometimes hundreds of years old (like ours!) and representatives from churches have been meeting with one another in various ways for a long time. 

Though the Conference itself is young, forming just a few years ago.  The SNEUCC brought together the historic Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island Conferences of the UCC.  Hundreds of people gathered in person and online from hundreds of churches across the three states.  I was happy to attend as did Kurt, our church’s UCC Delegate.  There’s always church business to do.  Just like at our church’s Annual Meeting, there’s a budget to present and pass and a slate of candidates to approve to serve in various capacities.  The day begins with worship and there are “breakout sessions” to attend that cover a whole range of topics, from church vitality to justice issues. 

Though sometimes the most uplifting part of being at a denominational gathering like Annual Meeting is simply being present with one another. 
Because we do not practice our faith in isolation. 
After all, one of the best metaphors in our tradition is the Church as the Body of Christ. 
As Paul wrote to the Christian community in Corinth, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)

There are many things that changed because of the pandemic, but denominational events like this meeting being held in person again reminds us that we are in this together. 
And it’s not to say that we can’t experience a level of that when we gather virtually. 
Though anytime we can remember (and truly feel) that we can do so much more together than we ever can alone, that is an uplifting thought!

Love,
Pastor Lauren 

Photo of SNEUCC Annual Meeting shared on the SNEUCC Facebook Page.

Thursday Thoughts 6/22/23