Montana-Northern Wyoming Conference Annual Meeting (UCC) Re-Cap

First Congregational UCC – Great Falls was well represented at this past weekend’s Conference Annual Meeting (CAM) in Billings. Lay delegates were Dean Jardee, June Rovero, Carol Shipley, Karen Spencer, and Ray Young. Attending as Board of Directors members were Hank Branom (Moderator) and Denise Jackson (Chair, Committee on Outdoor Ministry). Clergy Delegates included the Revs. Sara MacGilvra Branom and Lynne Spencer-Smith (also Board of Director member).

Reports and the full packet of CAM materials can be found on the Conference Website: https://www.mnwcucc.org/ – under the “CAM” tab.

The business items that were voted on included:

• The election of the Rev. Dr. Tony Clark as our settled Conference Minister. Tony has been serving as a transitional conference minister. A service of celebration and installation will be held at a later date.
• The adoption of a budget for 2025 with budgeted expenditures of $350,423.00
• Election of a slate of nominees for Conference leadership.

Highlights of the meeting (from our representatives) include:

• A workshop on “Truth-telling in Community – Settler Stories and Indigenous Stories”, by Rev. Laura Folkwein and Dr. Laurie Walker. The workshop brings family settler stories alongside indigenous stories from the same period as a way to realize how the stories are told differently and reflect the different lenses through which we tell our family stories.
• Hank Branom concluded his term as Conference Moderator.
• The grace shown to those displeased with National including a gentle invitation to take the opportunity to work with National as a rural representative.
• The joy of meeting old and new friends.
• Discovering (or re-discovering) the depth of community and support.
• Insights and interactions with national UCC staff members the Rev. Dr. Renee Jackson (Minister for Ministerial Formation with MESA) and the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt (Minister for Environmental Justice)