Changes In Our Parish

[Cooperative Parish News]

At Bishop’s Day in Meriden, we received word that The United Methodist City Society (UMCS) received a $1.25 million grant through the Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative.

This generous endowment will be used to enhance the UMCS partnership with the New York Annual Conference (NYAC) of the United Methodist Church and build upon NYAC’s cooperative parish ministry model launched in 2021 as an innovative response to the issues of long-term demographic shifts, declining attendance, and clergy shortages currently plaguing all denominations.

UMCS Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Rev. Angela M. Redman, Esq. is enthusiastic about the possibilities, noting how this new funding will allow “cooperative parish leaders to have both a spiritual and an organizational framework to understand their new parish identity, learn new ways to function together, and develop shared ministries that allow each to make use of their buildings in ways that reflect a new and more community-focused identity. I’m grateful that we can now lean more fully into this promising ministry model.”

Bishop Bickerton initiated the cooperative parish system in the NYAC three years ago as an innovative means to advance mission and ministry, while stimulating creative and collaborative engagement among clergy and laity.

During the heart of the Pandemic, some NYAC churches found the architecture of the cooperative parish system became a vehicle for support, collaboration, planning, and enhanced communication, Bishop Bickerton says, adding that “shared ministry through cooperative parishes offers a means to tap into the gifts of neighboring churches and fill the void created by the inability to carry out ministry as usual in these transitional times for the church.

Our District Superintendent Alpher Sylvester attended our Parish Council meeting at MUMC last Thursday (4/25) to share the news of some reorganization of our Connecticut Parishes.

With the closing of Winsted UMC and the sharing of pastor appointment in other churches in the Farmington River Parish, it became apparent that they needed to include additional churches in that Parish. Therefore effective July 1, Memorial, Litchfield-Bantam and Torrington UMCs will be joining Simsbury UMC and neighboring smaller churches – Pleasant Valley, Copper Hill, North Canton and Washington Hill – to become part of the Farmington River Parish.

Plainville, Asbury and Prospect UMCs will become part of the Midstate Parish which consists of Cheshire, Walingford, Durham, Middlefield, Southing, and Yalesville.

All changes are for the greater good of our ministries.

Rev. Sylvester made it clear to us that the parishes have “invisible lines” – meaning that we are welcome and encouraged to continue our relationships with the churches of our current parish. We will continue with events we have already committed to.

We will have one final time together as the members of our Central Ct. Parish Council have already made plans for our “last hurrah” sharing a potluck supper together here at Memorial in June.

Our ministries and partnership will continue while we commit ourselves to be an active participant in the Farmington River Cooperative Parish with the leadership of Rev. Gene Ott of Simsbury UMC, Parish Coordinator.