UPDATE ON 2020 NACCC ANNUAL MEETING & CONFERENCE
AND 2020 NAPF – HOPE CONFERENCE
April 7, 2020 - After many weeks of monitoring the continuing spread of COVID-19 and discussing options and alternatives, both the leadership of the NACCC and that of NAPF – HOPE have decided the best and safest course of action is to cancel both the NAPF – HOPE meeting and the face to face meeting of the NACCC.
What about the business items for the 2020 NACCC ANNUAL MEETING?
With the cancellation of the Annual Meeting and Conference, there are still items of business that must be resolved so the work of the NACCC can continue. At this point, we are examining options on how to handle the votes on the 2020-2021 NACCC Budget, on the slate of nominations for leadership positions, on ratifying the actions of the Board of Directors, and any other necessary items. More details will be forthcoming.
I have already paid my registration fees. What now?
Everyone who has paid registration fees will be contacted. You will be able to decide whether you want a refund or would like to donate the fees to the NACCC. If you made a donation to the Providence Fund or for a NAPF – HOPE scholarship fund as part of your registration, again, you will be given the option for a refund or to donate the money for use next year.
I am really going to miss the fellowship of the Annual Meeting. Aren’t you?
The business of the Annual Meeting is important, but the fellowship with one another we share is consistently ranked as the most important aspect of the gathering. I think we all will miss that. This year, make a special effort to attend the state or regional association meeting near you. Then, make plans to be at the 2021 Annual Meeting in Spokane, Washington.
What should we, as member churches of the NACCC, do now?
We would suggest that you designate an Official Delegate and an Alternate Delegate for your congregation for the business items and complete the appropriate Delegate and Alternate Delegate cards with name and email contact information to the NA office. Delegate cards were mailed to the churches in February, and the cards are also available here.
With the cancellation of the Annual Meeting and Conference, there are still items of business that must be resolved so the work of the NACCC can continue. At this point, we are examining options on how to handle the votes on the 2020-2021 NACCC Budget, on the slate of nominations for leadership positions, on ratifying the actions of the Board of Directors, and any other necessary items. More details will be forthcoming.
I have already paid my registration fees. What now?
Everyone who has paid registration fees will be contacted. You will be able to decide whether you want a refund or would like to donate the fees to the NACCC. If you made a donation to the Providence Fund or for a NAPF – HOPE scholarship fund as part of your registration, again, you will be given the option for a refund or to donate the money for use next year.
I am really going to miss the fellowship of the Annual Meeting. Aren’t you?
The business of the Annual Meeting is important, but the fellowship with one another we share is consistently ranked as the most important aspect of the gathering. I think we all will miss that. This year, make a special effort to attend the state or regional association meeting near you. Then, make plans to be at the 2021 Annual Meeting in Spokane, Washington.
What should we, as member churches of the NACCC, do now?
We would suggest that you designate an Official Delegate and an Alternate Delegate for your congregation for the business items and complete the appropriate Delegate and Alternate Delegate cards with name and email contact information to the NA office. Delegate cards were mailed to the churches in February, and the cards are also available here.
SIXTY-SIXTH (66TH) ANNUAL MEETING & CONFERENCE
June 27-30, 2020
Hosted by the Congregational Christian Council of Maine and
the Massachusetts Association of Congregational Christian Churches
THE GREAT CROSSING
400th Anniversary of the Pilgrims' arrival at Plymouth in New England.
"Jesus said to them, Let us go across to the other side." Mark 4:35
HOTEL: The Holiday Inn by the Bay is located at 88 Spring Street and is an easy walk to Old Port and the Waterfront, reserve your room by clicking here. The group rates are: a standard room with two double beds for a rate of $179 for single, double, triple, or quad occupancy; a standard king size bed room is $189 for single or double occupancy; executive edition room types, king or double/double at a $199 rate for a single or double occupancy. The discounted group rates will be extended three (3) days before and after the conference dates, based on availability. If you would like to extend your stay, please call the Holiday Inn at (207) 775-2311 or
(800) 345-5050 and identify yourself as with the NACCC. All guest rooms include a microwave, refrigerator, a Keurig Coffee Maker, and high-speed internet. NACCC overnight guests will be charged a fee of $10.00 for daily parking which is located underneath the Hotel. Any attendee traveling in for the day will be charged a discounted fee of $5.00 for daily parking in the Multi-Level lot BESIDE the Hotel. In and out privileges will be provided.
TRANSPORTATION: If you arrive by air at Portland International Jetport (PWM) which is four miles or a
15-minutes ride, or if you arrive by train or bus at the Portland Transportation Center, which is 2.5 miles or a
10-minute ride to the Holiday Inn by the Bay, please call the Hotel at (207) 775-2311 or (800) 345-5050 for their complimentary shuttle van service for all registered guests.
Ride Amtrak's Downeaster between Brunswick, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts and beyond.
Bible Lecturer - Rev. Dr. Gregory Mobley is Associate Professor at Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Centre, Massachusetts and will deliver three inspirational Bible Lectures.
“Consecrating anew the soil of the Pilgrims”: Great Crossings of the Bible
The topic of the lectures by Professor Mobley is the motif of great crossings undertaken by God’s people in the Old and New Testaments—that is the subject to which the second half of the above title alludes. But the first half of the title, drawn from a sentence Wendell Philips, the great 19th c. Congregationalist abolitionist, wrote in his introduction to the 1845 edition of Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, provides the motivation for the lectures: a rediscovery and revival of the ethical and spiritual tenor of what’s best in the Christian and biblical tradition for contemporary communities of faith.
Lecture Topics:
Congregational Lecturer - Rev. Dr. Mary E. Biedron is Senior Minister at North Congregational Church, Farmington Hills, Michigan
Lecture Topic“The Great Crossing, Then and Now”
As we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Plymouth Pilgrims’ Great Crossing to North America, it’s important to reflect on the beliefs, theological assertions, and self-understanding that they brought with them, and those that they had to leave behind. What can this tell us, as we confront a different, but just as profound, kind of Great Crossing? What are the beliefs, assertions, and understandings that we need to carefully take along, and what do we need to leave behind…and how do we make those choices in an authentically Congregationalist way?
Official Call to the 66th Annual Meeting & Conference
Registration Brochure
Workshops/Presentations
Agenda-at-a-Glance ~ updated Feb. 19, 2020
Meals and Events
Gatherings
Registration Form
Nominating Brochure
Online Registration
Credentials Cards:
Delegates and Alternates will not be certified without a signed credentials card on file with the NACCC Office.
Delegate/Alternate #1 - #3
Alternate #4 - #7
A Quiet Day for 21st Century Pilgrims - Friday, June 26 - contact Rev. Dr. Charles Packer
ENJOY: In Greater Portland, you'll absolutely experience the quintessential Maine coast in the Casco Bay and
it's easy to explore without a car.
Visit Portland to find sightseeing tours and restaurants and there is much to do in Downtown Portland.
Trolleys offer narrated tours, and boats are lined up along Commercial Street ready to take you out on the bay.
Catch a game with the Portland Sea Dogs Baseball Team.
The Old Port is a quaint historic district with cobblestone streets and brick buildings housing clothes boutiques, gourmet food stores, and souvenir shops. It's a lively dining scene including stylish New American restaurants and traditional seafood spots by the waterfront. Ferries depart to Casco Bay Islands from the pier.
Portland & Vicinity MAP
Portland - Downtown MAPA adventure awaits you aboard the Odyssey
Enjoy a Maine Whale Watching Adventure. adventure awaits you aboard the Odyssey
Visit Dean's Sweets in Old Port and mention you are with the NACCC conference for a 10% discount.
Portland Paddle - Explore Casco Bay by paddle.
First Parish Church, built in 1825 for a congregation established in 1674, it is the oldest church building in the city.
Wadesworth-Longfellow House is a historical house and museum in Portland.
Lighthouses of Casco Bay - welcoming visitors for over 200 years are all within 20 minutes of downtown.
AREA ATTRACTIONS:
Freeport, Maine is a 20 minute car ride from Portland.
L.L. Bean is open 24 hours a day/365.
Optional transportation include:
Plymouth's Pilgrims: Their Church, Their World, and Ours
2020 marks the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims' arrival at Plymouth. A Free Curriculum Series from the Congregational Library & Archives will be available for downloading in September 2019.
(800) 345-5050 and identify yourself as with the NACCC. All guest rooms include a microwave, refrigerator, a Keurig Coffee Maker, and high-speed internet. NACCC overnight guests will be charged a fee of $10.00 for daily parking which is located underneath the Hotel. Any attendee traveling in for the day will be charged a discounted fee of $5.00 for daily parking in the Multi-Level lot BESIDE the Hotel. In and out privileges will be provided.
TRANSPORTATION: If you arrive by air at Portland International Jetport (PWM) which is four miles or a
15-minutes ride, or if you arrive by train or bus at the Portland Transportation Center, which is 2.5 miles or a
10-minute ride to the Holiday Inn by the Bay, please call the Hotel at (207) 775-2311 or (800) 345-5050 for their complimentary shuttle van service for all registered guests.
Ride Amtrak's Downeaster between Brunswick, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts and beyond.
Bible Lecturer - Rev. Dr. Gregory Mobley is Associate Professor at Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Centre, Massachusetts and will deliver three inspirational Bible Lectures.
“Consecrating anew the soil of the Pilgrims”: Great Crossings of the Bible
The topic of the lectures by Professor Mobley is the motif of great crossings undertaken by God’s people in the Old and New Testaments—that is the subject to which the second half of the above title alludes. But the first half of the title, drawn from a sentence Wendell Philips, the great 19th c. Congregationalist abolitionist, wrote in his introduction to the 1845 edition of Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, provides the motivation for the lectures: a rediscovery and revival of the ethical and spiritual tenor of what’s best in the Christian and biblical tradition for contemporary communities of faith.
Lecture Topics:
- The Great Crossing from the Garden to East of Eden
- The Great Crossing through the Wilderness
- The Great Crossing across the Jordan
Congregational Lecturer - Rev. Dr. Mary E. Biedron is Senior Minister at North Congregational Church, Farmington Hills, Michigan
Lecture Topic“The Great Crossing, Then and Now”
As we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Plymouth Pilgrims’ Great Crossing to North America, it’s important to reflect on the beliefs, theological assertions, and self-understanding that they brought with them, and those that they had to leave behind. What can this tell us, as we confront a different, but just as profound, kind of Great Crossing? What are the beliefs, assertions, and understandings that we need to carefully take along, and what do we need to leave behind…and how do we make those choices in an authentically Congregationalist way?
Official Call to the 66th Annual Meeting & Conference
Registration Brochure
Workshops/Presentations
Agenda-at-a-Glance ~ updated Feb. 19, 2020
Meals and Events
Gatherings
Registration Form
Nominating Brochure
Online Registration
Credentials Cards:
Delegates and Alternates will not be certified without a signed credentials card on file with the NACCC Office.
Delegate/Alternate #1 - #3
Alternate #4 - #7
A Quiet Day for 21st Century Pilgrims - Friday, June 26 - contact Rev. Dr. Charles Packer
ENJOY: In Greater Portland, you'll absolutely experience the quintessential Maine coast in the Casco Bay and
it's easy to explore without a car.
Visit Portland to find sightseeing tours and restaurants and there is much to do in Downtown Portland.
Trolleys offer narrated tours, and boats are lined up along Commercial Street ready to take you out on the bay.
Catch a game with the Portland Sea Dogs Baseball Team.
The Old Port is a quaint historic district with cobblestone streets and brick buildings housing clothes boutiques, gourmet food stores, and souvenir shops. It's a lively dining scene including stylish New American restaurants and traditional seafood spots by the waterfront. Ferries depart to Casco Bay Islands from the pier.
Portland & Vicinity MAP
Portland - Downtown MAPA adventure awaits you aboard the Odyssey
Enjoy a Maine Whale Watching Adventure. adventure awaits you aboard the Odyssey
Visit Dean's Sweets in Old Port and mention you are with the NACCC conference for a 10% discount.
Portland Paddle - Explore Casco Bay by paddle.
First Parish Church, built in 1825 for a congregation established in 1674, it is the oldest church building in the city.
Wadesworth-Longfellow House is a historical house and museum in Portland.
Lighthouses of Casco Bay - welcoming visitors for over 200 years are all within 20 minutes of downtown.
AREA ATTRACTIONS:
Freeport, Maine is a 20 minute car ride from Portland.
L.L. Bean is open 24 hours a day/365.
Optional transportation include:
- Metro Breez, https://gpmetro.org/155/METRO-BREEZ
- Amtrak Downeaster train service: https://amtrakdowneaster.com
Plymouth's Pilgrims: Their Church, Their World, and Ours
2020 marks the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims' arrival at Plymouth. A Free Curriculum Series from the Congregational Library & Archives will be available for downloading in September 2019.
