“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
You, the members of our New Hampshire Congregations, have voted to adopt the new thing God is doing! Overwhelmingly, each of our seven associations voted to dissolve and form the new Granite State Association [GSA]. This move was initially necessitated by decreased volunteerism, making it difficult for some of our associations to function. But, for those of us privileged to serve on the Association Capacity Task Force [ACTF], that which initially presented itself as a stumbling block quickly turned into a transformational opportunity for a” new thing”!
Over the past two years, with your insights and feedback, the ACTF created a model of this “new thing” and as it all came together, we became increasingly aware of the many positives this streamlined structure could offer. Better use of Conference staff time, greater transparency of the work of the Association, the potential for greater connections between our congregations, increased consistency of ministerial formation and continuing education for ministers and congregations, the ability to recruit members from across the state to serve on the committees of the Association, to name just a few. And now it begins.
On December 4th, the ACTF met with the newly formed Granite State Association Nominating Committee. Over the next eight weeks, this team will reach out to recruit folks to serve on the five committees of our new association:
COM for Ministerial Discernment; addressing everything having to do with Members in Discernment to Ordination. (The current UMMT will be responsible for this work).)
COM for Oversight and Accountability; managing all accountability processes. (This work has already been unified statewide.)
COM for Ministerial Authorization; keeping track of and supporting all ordained and licensed ministers.
COM for Congregational Empowerment; assisting congregations with making good use of the soon-to-be-released UCC Manual on Church, among other strengthening initiatives.
Committee for Connection and Covenant; providing opportunities for relationship-building and fostering connections between all congregations within the GSA.
Existing Associations will officially disband as of March 31, 2025, at midnight. The Nominating Committee is committed to making significant progress in staffing all committees by the time the Conference Board of Directors meets at the beginning of February. Between February and the end of March, Committee members will begin to discern how best to carry out their charges and, out of this work, the new by-laws for GSA will be written.
Members of the ACTF are extraordinarily grateful to all those who participated in information sessions, listening sessions, and the vote to consolidate as well as to those who have stepped up to serve on the first GSA Nominating Committee and our ever-present and ever-supportive Conference Staff. Thank you all. And now, by God’s grace, the work continues! Thanks be to God!
If you would like more information, please contact the Conference office, or reach out to a member of the Association Nominating Committee: Rev. Bill Briggs, Rev. Rob Grabill, Mr. Tim Griffin, Rev. Carolyn Keilig, Ms. Linda Lannin, Ms. Marcie Miller and Ms. Laura Sevigny.