The Structure of Our Church

Hello Everyone,

Recently it seems that I have been navigating and answering questions about the structure of our church and denomination. These are good questions because our church structure is the same as the larger communities of the United Church of Christ (UCC). Maybe these questions have arisen due to our church being the host church for the Old Colony Association Annual Spring Meeting on May 17th at 2pm.. "

We, the local church, affiliate with the UCC as a choice made by this church community back in the early 1960’s. The UCC itself was formed in 1957 via the Congregational Christian Churches and Evangelical Reformed Churches joining together “So that they may all be one”,  as found in the gospel of John. The Old Colony Association is made up of the local UCC churches from Seekonk to Wareham and those of us in-between. We have close sibling Associations in the Barnstable Association which is basically Cape Cod and the Pilgrim Association which is from Plymouth to Randolph. However, there are other associations throughout the state of Massachusetts and beyond. The Southern New England Conference (SNEUCC) encompasses all the Associations within Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.The National Conference is located in Cleveland, Ohio. General Synod is the national meeting of the delegates from the different Associations. This meeting takes place in different areas of the country every two years. If you wish to know more about any of these areas of the UCC please look them up online. There is all kinds of good information on the UCC and SNEUCC websites. If you want to learn about our specific church structure, please join me and the deacons for a Welcome New Members Seminar or Grow the Church on Saturday, May 16 th at 11:30 in the adult education room in the lower level of the church. Maybe you just want a refresh about how things work around here? Join us either way! Bring a beverage and snack or bag lunch if you wish. We hope to see you there!

Peace,

Pastor Cheryl Rieder