 Greetings friends. Welcome to CTUCC Conference Cast for January 9th, 2015, the regular podcast of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ. Whoever you are and wherever you may be on life's journey at this very moment, you are welcome here. We begin this week's conference cast with this meditation from Charlie Cooke-N-Broad, Executive Associate Conference Minister, read this week by your podcast host. The Gospel reading for Epiphany comes from the second chapter of Matthew and is the familiar story of the Magi, who see a star in the sky, read it as the proclamation of a newborn king of Israel, and make their way to visit the child bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They make the error of visiting King Herod, whose interest in the child is to eliminate a potential rival. Charlie writes, This is a strange story. Foreign dignitaries observe a celestial object rising and discern that this signifies the birth of the king of the Jews. Say what? Herod already appointed as the king of the Jews learns of this and discerns that this new king is the Messiah. Say what? The foreign dignitaries are able to follow the celestial object to a specific household. Say what? And are then overwhelmed with such joy that they offer outrageously expensive gifts. Are you kidding me? But this is also a powerful story. Herod, a ruler whose authority is rooted in violence and oppression, recognizes that Jesus Christ, God's anointed one, did not come to support him but to challenge him. Rulers have used and manipulated religion to serve their interests since long before and then long after the birth of Jesus. This story suggests that rulers themselves know that this is a misrepresentation of faith, that God is not on their side and that they are not on God's side. God is not the God of the unjust rulers. God is the God of the oppressed people. Here is a prayer for this week. God help us to be wise as we seek Jesus even today. Forgive us when we get too comfortable with our privileges. Make us uncomfortable whenever we are the passive beneficiaries of oppressive systems. Most of all God, may we be overwhelmed with joy whenever we see signs of hope, peace and love in the world. Amen. In the news this week, the staff of the Connecticut conference wishes you a very happy new year as we roll out this first conference cast of 2015. As is the way of organizations as the new year begins, we've been remembering the previous one and we've published both a review of highlighted stories during 2014 and a two page summary of the ministries of the Connecticut conference. The summary is intended as an insert for local church annual reports, many of which are being produced this month. We've moved to a more visual format this year, pairing the text down to brief points and adding color through photographs. But it must be said 2014 was an active year. We began living into our conference vision of interdependence, joining the Massachusetts conference for Super Saturday last March and bringing together the boards of directors of the three Southern New England conferences for their first joint meeting ever in November. Regional ministers helped 53 pastors find pulpits while they supported and encouraged the leadership of our 240 member churches. 448 young people worked over a thousand hours through the Give Squared Youth Service program. At Silver Lake, 970 young people grew in their faith and their being through 38 conferences last summer, supported by the efforts of over 250 volunteer deans, counselors and chaplains. Over 2,500 people attended 127 weekend programs during the other three seasons of the year. We held our first clergy camp and our first fancy camp gala fundraiser and over $31,000 in scholarships helped 120 young people learn and grow at Silver Lake. We continued our work with sacred conversations on race, holding trainings and recruiting the first group of conversation facilitators. We sent representatives to Ferguson, to New York and to Washington, and live streamed a conversation between conference minister Kent Solati and associate conference minister Davida McAllister when she returned from Missouri. We celebrated 20 years of partnership with the Kyungi Presbytery, sending a 12 person delegation in April and receiving a six person delegation in October. With the founding of the UCC's Northeast Regional Environmental Justice Center at Silver Lake, we participated in several advocacy and educational events including the People's Climate March in New York City. Although conference cast took the summer off because of my sabbatical, new media offerings in 2014 included the Vantage Point Series, the CTUCC mobile app for iOS and Android devices, the recruiting of the first group of CTUCC chroniclers, and the launch of the Spirited Wednesday Reflections. And our congregations, well they held over 13,000 weekly services of worship in 2014 and that does not count special services like Ash Wednesday, Monday, Thursday, Easter sunrise, or Christmas Eve. Weekly attendance totaled nearly 24,000 people who contributed 40 million dollars to those congregations. Those churches passed 6.2 million dollars of that to ministries of the UCC or other agencies near and far. And we're not actually even able to count the thousands of volunteer service hours which those people also gave. It's been quite a year. Conference Minister, the Reverend Kent Solati has asked UCC churches around the state to join in ringing their bells at noon on Monday, January 19th, in recognition of Martin Luther King Day. We ring the bells in our churches to call people to worship, to mark significant occasions, to lament, and to rejoice, he writes. In this case, we can hear the famous words let freedom ring from Dr. King echoing over the passage of time. The church bells will ring out at the same time as a state capital observance rings the state's bell. Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi, a UCC service agency with long and deep ties to Connecticut and its churches, has announced the call of a new executive director. The Reverend Dr. Alice Graham, former executive director of interfaith partnerships in Mississippi, and a former professor of pastoral care and counseling at Hood Theological Seminary in South Spring, North Carolina, began her work with the mission on January 5th. Throughout her professional life, Dr. Graham has been active in building relationships with community organizations that serve vulnerable communities. She's excited about the new opportunities offered by Back Bay Mission to expand her commitment to collaborate with other coastal organizations in building sustainable communities. In Woodbury, members and friends of the first congregational church UCC will face the hard questions of faith head on. When author Frank Schaefer will discuss his book, Why I am an Atheist Who Believes in God, How to Give Love, Create Beauty, and Find Peace. Pastor the Reverend Lynn Barrett says, Those who may have doubts or questions about their faith or those who have left their faith behind may find this presentation especially helpful. You'll find more on all these stories, including the downloadable PDF of the 2014 Ministries of the Connecticut Conference at ctucc.org slash news. Registration for Silverlake Summer Conferences opens on January 15th. The 39 offerings include mission trips, bicycling, sports, singing, swimming, and family group conferences. You'll find all the information and can download the 2015 calendar at silverlakect.org. Stepping Stones returns on January 15th with Lenten activities for all generations in Talland. The Reverend Dr. Verdi Powers is the featured speaker at the Hartford Area Celebration of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 19th. Prey and Play is a retreat for UCC clergy under the age of 40 at Silverlake, running January 27th through the 29th. If you're a high school age youth who's thinking about working for God for a living, there's a weekend retreat for you at Silverlake the weekend of January 30th. Clergy women are invited to a special retreat day to refresh themselves with soul food for the journey on February 3rd in Glastonbury. There are still openings in this year's confirmation retreats in February and March, so consider bringing your group to Silverlake for a weekend learning about becoming and belonging alongside other young people from around the state. Get ready for summer with a workshop called Unpacking Vacation Bible School on February 7th in West Hartford. The Stepping Stones Workshop team building with youth groups and adults too will be February 10th in Cheshire with another Stepping Stones event on Church Asset Mapping for Faith Formation on February 26th in Milford. Young people have an opportunity to prepare to be a counselor in training at Silverlake with a weekend conference March 13th through 15th and by all means get Super Saturday on your calendar. This day of workshops features keynote speaker the Reverend Ruben Duran who works on promoting new church development for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This joint venture with the Massachusetts Conference will be held March 21st in Ludlow, Massachusetts. The women's yoga and spirit retreat is at Silverlake March 27th through the 29th and that is also the maple sugaring at Silverlake weekend for middle school aged youth. To learn more about these events or to register visit us at ctucc.org slash events. Our spirited Wednesday thought comes from the Reverend Allison Buttrick Patton, senior pastor of the Saga Tuck Congregational Church UCC in Westport. As Jesus saw the heavens torn apart at his baptism he also heard the voice of God reassuring him, you are my beloved child. Reverend Buttrick Patton writes, From the first moments that Jesus claimed his call there were signs that the road would be fraught with challenge. What sustained him I suspect is the same thing that can sustain us, those words spoken out of the breach in the midst of the messiness as Jesus stood sopping wet in the middle of the Jordan. You are my child. I love you. And that brings this conference cast to a close. Thanks to Charlie Cuchenbrod for his reflection and to GarageBand for our music. Primary funding for conference cast comes from your congregation's gifts to our church's wider mission, basic support. Changing lies through the United Church of Christ. This is Eric Anderson, the Associate Conference Minister for Proclamation, Identity and Communication for the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ, praying that your days this week may be filled with the presence, the guidance and the grace of God.