WORKSHOPS

Bringing People Together
Hosted by Arise Portland
Led by Members of the Arise Portland Leadership Team

Arise Portland’s mission is: Bringing people together to celebrate and foster wholeness. We know that this is an expansive mission, and we are an expansive community. Some of us are Christian and some are not; many of us are in our 30’s and 40’s but some of us fall well outside that range; more than 75% of us are queer identified; many of us are educators, activists, healthcare providers and clergy; ALL of us are seeking a community where we can expand and deepen our spiritual lives. Arise attracts young (and young at heart) adults who seek a community in which to explore their own spiritual path, to heal from the pain of injustices caused by oppressive practices of traditional “church,” and to fight for justice in our community. Arise welcomes innovative, creative, thoughtful, and spiritually brave ways of being in the world through our regular programming which includes: Faith and Activism Book Group, Holy Potlucks & Holy Hikes, Pints and Perspectives and, during the Covid-19 Pandemic, an Evening Prayer Service (four nights a week) where folks can experience consistent, meaningful community. Arise creates a space where those who go to church and those who will never step foot inside a church can experience the deepest form of acceptance and appreciation for the diverse paths we take to finding what is holy.

Conversation About Chaos & Covenant
Hosted by Old South Church, First Congregational Church of Farmington UCC
Led by Rev. Marraine Kettell

Join Rev. Marraine Kettell for a conversation about chaos and covenant. The past 18 months at Old South in Farmington have been particularly packed with challenged. We had bats and pigeons in our belfry; the proposal to use the house we own next door for the homeless shelter was denied with great drama by the town; we had a gas explosion that killed a firefighter and flattened an agency who serves those with developmental cognitive, and intellectual disabilities; we learned that a staff member was accused of sexual assault in a place of prior employment; and then for good measure… we threw in a pandemic.
Join us for a discussion about how we navigated the rough waters
(hint – covenant is key) and how we can continue to hold fast as the challenges continue.

Deepening Your Congregation’s Connection with PPC
Hosted by Maine’s Poor Peoples Campaign
Led by Katie Thiesen & Hannah Smith-Erb

Join the Maine Poor People’s Campaign for a workshop on how your congregation can deepen its work with this movement. The PPC is a national campaign that organizes for the structural change of systemic racism, poverty, militarism and the war economy, ecological devastation, and the warped moral narrative that allows these problems to continue. We’ll go into more detail about the movement, connect PPC demands with UCC values, and guide you through the next steps of organizing with the PPC in your congregation. This workshop welcomes people of all levels of familiarity with the campaign.

Guidance for the COVID-19 Pandemic: Communities of Faith
Hosted by North Waterford Congregational Church UCC
Led by Rick Karg

Should you “reopen” your religious buildings of worship now? Should you wait? What should you consider before making this challenging decision? Rick Karg*, a member of the ASHRAE^† Epidemic Task Force, will discuss the issues to consider before reopening, including the vulnerability of your community members, the adaptability of your building, the history of the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses, and what science provides. He will address what can be done in the short- and long-term to make your religious building safer for services, including social distancing and alterations to your heating and ventilation systems.Should you conduct services online, outdoors, or in your house of worship? As an aid to this challenging decision, Karg will discuss a method using six worship options ranked by virus transmission risk, cost, weather uncertainty, and member isolation. This non-prescriptive approach will provide you with an effective tool for your community of faith.  Questions are welcome.

* Karg has been generously assisted with the authoring of this presentation by Rev. Leslie Anne Chatfield, M.Div.

† American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers, www.ashrae.org

Puerto Rico Times Two!
Hosted by The Katahdin Association of the Maine Conference UCC
Led by Bruce Burnham

The Space Between Us
Hosted by Pilgrim Lodge (A Mission of the Maine Conference UCC)
Led by Rev. Jen Paty (Director of Pilgrim Lodge & Youth Ministries)

The Space Between us is Sacred Space: In this workshop we will learn the beginning essentials of how to go from conflict resolution to conflict “dissolution”, from negotiation and compromise to creativity in finding the “Third Option,” from the tension of polarities toward a unified path.  Creating Safe Conversations to talk about the hard stuff in our lives and the lives of our children. 

Transforming from “Re-becoming Who We Were” to “Becoming Who We Wanted to Become”
Hosted by Waterville UCC
Led by Mike Muir

Waterville UCC has been changing! Come hear our story of transforming, from trying to become (again) who we used to be, into becoming a vibrant, mission-focused church, committed to serving those on the margins of our community. Working with a designated pastor we shifted from “coming to church” to “becoming the church,” first by identifying needs within our community, empowering congregants to create new missions they are passionate about, identifying how our wonderful, historic building was holding us back, and moving to a smaller, sustainable space closer to those we wanted to serve. Along the way, we redefined what it was for us to thrive. It is possible for UCC churches in Maine to continue to thrive in 2020 and beyond!

Worship Creation for Laity
Led by Rev. Maren Tirabassi

Workshop Description Coming Soon!