“Fully Invested”
CCCC 67th Annual Family Conference
Sunny Thoughts
by Susan Moody, Local Arrangements Chair for the 2015 CCCC Annual Gathering
Transitional Pastor of the Congregational Church of Chester, Vermont
2 degrees. Tonight my car’s dashboard thermometer read 2 degrees — 30 whole degrees below the place where water starts to freeze. As I sat on the icy-cold seat and waited for the car to be at least as warm as my refrigerator, the long line of winter days yet to come stretched out before me like an Olympic luge track. How to cope?
There are few coping options available, since only the Creator God has power to change the weather, and I am called to minister for the Kingdom here in New England. Of course, I can wear layers of fleece, snuggle under cozy quilts and drink vats of cocoa. But one of the best ways to survive these frigid winter days is to go to a warmer place in my mind, dreaming of upcoming happy times in summer sunshine.
Of course! Why not think about the 67th Annual Gathering of the CCCC? As I did, I found three things to warm my heart on a cold winter’s evening, even if my toes are still on the chilly side.
#1 — WORSHIP: The Annual Gathering offers the opportunity to worship with our CCCC brothers and sisters from across the nation. Hymns, songs of praise, prayer, reading and preaching of the Word — whatever the mode, thoughts of worshipping in spirit and in truth with like-minded Kingdom folk warms my heart!
#2 — SPEAKERS: We will have not one but four different featured speakers to challenge and encourage us this summer. Neil Hudson (Imagine Project director for the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity), Dr. Gordon Hugenberger (senior minister at Park Street Church), Dr. Carol Kaminski (professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) and Ryan Howell (president of Vision New England) will all be with us in Rochester. The thought of a
ll that learning at my fingertips makes my blood start a-pumping!
#3 — CONNECTIONS: What better way to warm my heart than to dream of connecting with friends old and new at the Annual Gathering? There are opportunities to share meals, to learn together, to listen to one another tell stories of how God is working in the local church, to offer and receive support and encouragement for those places of difficulty, to laugh, to work, and to grow. Like being enfolded in a warm hug — that’s connecting with our fellow CCCC Kingdom workers! And I cannot wait to eat Hank’s Frozen Custard on a sticky-hot summer day! Makes me long for my flip-flops instead of these wool socks!
Now, I realize that not all of you live in New England. And some of you can’t relate when I discuss temperatures that are lower than the average age of the congregation. But wherever you live, I am sure your winter weather has YOU longing for the warmth of summer. Why not cope by making your travel plans to Rochester, New York? The Annual Gathering registration brochures will be arriving next month; so save July 20–23 and we’ll see you in Rochester!
July 20-23, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Rochester, New York
