Author Archives: LKG

Spring Association Meeting To Incorporate Ecclesiastical Council

Please take note that our Cumberland Association (of Churches and Ministers) Spring Meeting will be at Brunswick, First Parish, on May 5, 2 pm.  The meeting will combine a very brief official Association Meeting with an Ecclesiastical Council, as explained below.  

The Churches and Ministers of the Cumberland Association are hereby called to an
ECCLESIASTICAL COUNCIL
to Examine Danielle Keller for Ordination to Authorized Ministry in
the United Church of Christ at the

First Parish Church UCC
9 Cleveland Street, Brunswick,

Sunday, May 5, 2023 at 2:00pm

Delegates:  One (1) lay delegate from each Member Congregation
Each Minister who has recognized standing in this Association
Officers and Committee members of the Association
Visitors from each congregation are invited and encouraged to attend!
We will hold a brief Association meeting before the Ecclesiastical Council.

Refreshments will follow.

Quorum: 12 Association Clergy and lay delegates from 12 Churches

Please join us for this important event!

Please provide your delegates with copies of Danielle Keller’s ordination paper, which may be downloaded or printed HERE.

Webinar for church leaders

Event promotional graphic.

FREE WEBINAR  Wednesday, April 17, 2024 (1-2 pm)

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Not all church records are historic. Church stewardship also encompasses the records your church is producing today. This might include vital records, meeting minutes, financial documents, and legal records, among others. Some need to be kept for a set period of time and can then be safely disposed of, while others will have lasting historic value.

In this virtual workshop, Billy McCarthy and Zachary Bodnar will discuss the retention schedule, a policy document which lays out how records created today will be handled in the future. Creating such a document ensures that record keepers who come after you have a clear guide to what has been preserved and what should be preserved in the future.

Join us for this next program in the Congregational Library & Archives’ Church Stewardship Initiative, a series devoted to empowering churches to steward and preserve their valuable records. In this program, the CLA’s archivists Billy and Zachary will present a model retention schedule, speak to how federal and state regulations may affect the policy, and explain how to implement such a policy at your church.

The event is free to all, but registration is required via this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Hp1nju97RtiYqqE_pHbTrw.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about the webinar.

For more information, please email programs@14beacon.org.

Maine School of Ministry(MESOM) Updates

…from the Dean of the Maine School of Ministry— 
Rev. Dr. Malcolm Himschoot

The Maine School of Ministry runs five classes a year for anyone who wants to learn more about theology, including the heritage, practices, and possibilities of Christian faith. Our classes are taught by passionate practitioners and scholars of ministry, with experience across the globe and around the state. We match advanced certificate students in our program with mentored practice internships, and contribute to leadership development across the United Church of Christ.

ALSO— FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND CALENDAR 

June Intensive – Jun 5-7 at Pilgrim Lodge:
Christian Spirituality at Retirement

Description: Retire and Become A Saint! Practicing Christian Spirituality at a Major Life Transition, taught by Rev. Dr. Carol Kerr and Rev. Dr. Deb Jenks.  Coming Soon… For those whose lives are opening up in unknown ways at the end of a career, for those who might be following a call into ministry, and for those who are retiring from a parish pastor lifestyle. This course will focus on spiritual practices that ground human beings throughout times of transition, faithful practices that source fertile development of purpose no matter what.   Course credit (Leadership). Also satisfies ongoing clergy Boundaries Education requirement.

2024 Fellowship Dues Rates and IRS Mileage Rates

2024 Fellowship Dues for the Maine Conference will be $19.39/member.   Conference Dues fluctuate year to year by the federally-established COLA rate, unless changed by special vote of the Conference at Annual Meeting.  

2024 Fellowship Dues for the Cumberland Association are  $1.95/member.  

2024 Fellowship Dues for each church are calculated on the number of members reported as of December 31, 2023.  Membership MUST be reported to the UCC via the UCC Data Hub by each church.  If you do not file your statistics with the UCC data hub, your church’s dues will be calculated on the most recent statistics filed.  Data hub reporting is done in January or February each year. The Maine Conference Midweek News, which comes out on Wednesdays, will feature directions during January and February–or go to the Conference website: maineucc.org.

2024 dues statements will be sent to Cumberland Association congregations in the Spring. Both Conference and Association Dues are paid to the Cumberland Association via the Treasurer.  (Do not send Conference Dues directly to the Conference!  Why?  Oh, the history lesson you’ll get if you ask that question!   Note, however, that church treasurers should send Our Church’s Wider Mission–OCWM contributions directly to the Maine Conference, as well as UCC Special Offerings like One Great Hour of Sharing, Neighbors In Need, etc.)

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, the standard mileage rate for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) is 67 cents per mile for business miles driven. The tax-deductible mileage rate for volunteers (not employees) driving in service of charitable organizations:  $.14/mile (set by federal statute, not the IRS, and does not change annually).