Inviting, Growing, Serving...since 1638​
In 2005, at the 204th Annual Meeting of the New Hampshire Conference, United Church of Christ, adopted A Resolution Declaring the NH Conference to be OPEN and AFFIRMING.
RESOLVED: That the 204th Annual Meeting of the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ declares the New Hampshire Conference to be an Open and Affirming Conference, and that all people, no matter what their sexual orientation or gender identity, are fully welcomed into the life of the Conference.
Final “All Congregation” meeting in the ONA Process before the vote
When: Sunday, May 18, 2025
Time: 11:30 AM (after worship)
Where Fellowship Hall
Description:
We will hold our last ONA meeting before the vote on: Sunday, May 18th, 11:30 a.m. This is also Children’s Day, so the meeting will begin after we all get a chance to consume some goodies at coffee hour. (There will be childcare for any families wishing to stay for the meeting.)
The format of our meeting will be different than previous meetings. Here is what we want to do, for the following reasons—so that we can: hear and see each other better; keep the tone of our meeting positive; give everyone who wishes to speak equal say; prioritize what is the most important thing each of us wants to share; and to keep our meeting within a reasonable timeframe.
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FORMAT:
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Congregants will sit in a circle.
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Everyone is invited to talk.
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Each congregant who accepts the invitation to speak will be given 3 minutes to say:
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3 things that they have appreciated during the ONA process.
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1 thing that is on their heart that they would like to share with the congregation
NOTE: All comments are expected to follow the “Covenant for Christian Communication.” If the covenant is broken, the speaker will be asked to pause and please rephrase.
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We trust that the Holy Spirit will continue to work in and among us to prepare our hearts to share and receive the sharing of others.
FYI: The Deacons set the date of the ONA vote for June 1, 2025.
We welcomed members of the ONA team and the pastor from the North Hampton United Church of Christ on April 6.
When: Sunday, April 6, 2025
Time: 11:30 AM (after worship)
Where Fellowship Hall
Description:
The meeting took place after church on Sunday, April 6th. We had 3 guest speakers - members of the ONA team and the pastor from the North Hampton United Church of Christ, which voted to adopt the UCC designation “Open and Affirming” last year.
Our guest speakers spoke about what has changed, if anything, since their church voted to become ONA.
FYI: Inviting members of the North Hampton UCC is part of our plan to address the remaining questions/concerns that have been brought up to our ONA team. The other part of our plan to address your questions includes providing written answers in the form of a "FAQ” sheet in this newsletter and church bulletin.
Note: We listed the questions/concerns we heard from you below. If, after the April 6th meeting and reading our answers to FAQ’s, you still have unanswered questions or concerns, please feel free to request a one-on-one meeting with anyone on our committee.