Scarsdale Congregational Church

New York Conference, UCC - 2002 Annual Meeting - II

About the SCC

Friday evening provided an opportunity to gather for friendly conversation in "Regional Gatherings". The Southeast Region, of which we are a part, had a lavish spread.

Here Marco Pereira and Geoffrey Black enjoy the Southeast Region's hospitality.

Lois Seulowitz has been "on the road". Just back from the national conference of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice in Washington, DC., she was at the NY Conference Annual Meeting with a display table, reference material, buttons, t-shirts, answers and enthusiasm.

Ninety minutes on Friday evening and three-plus hours on Saturday were devoted to the discernment process. Trained facilitators took participants through ten steps to discern God's will on eight subjects brought to the Conference.

Part of the process was brain-storming options. Here is one chart of options from a group looking at the poverty, sickness and desperation in Haiti/Hispanola.

Instead of yes/no votes on resolutions, the Conference sought consensus on the issues which emerged from the discernment groups. Consensus was reached on the seven recommendations brought to the Saturday evening session of Worshipful Work.

Saturday evening we celebrated the ministry of a diverse group of people - a person helping to form a Disaster Response Network in the New York Conference, youth leaders, a family physician who includes those in Honduras as part of his work, a person who guides us in Christian education, our former Conference registrars, the former chair of the Pennies for People Program, activists for social justice and women's issues, the executive director of the Capital Area Council of Churches, a prison chaplain, a lay minister who is still serving a church at age 90, an engineer who now coordinates a food pantry.

Here Regional Conference Minister Michael Caine stands back as David Van Epps accepts his Celebration of Ministry Award.

Everyone wears a nametag at the Annual Meeting. Nametags for these two read "Sue Gibson".

Sue Gibson on the left is a former staff member of the New York Conference. Sue Gibson on the right is the minister at the Community Church in Pelham.

Next year will be the 40th Annual Meeting of the New York Conference. Here members of the planning committee invite this year's participants to the 2003 Meeting in Binghamton. UCC President and General Minister John Thomas will be with us for this celebration.