Name Recommended For New CT-RI-Mass Church Conference

HARTFORD, CT — A grouping of churches from Connectcut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island will likely be called the "Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ" when a combined governance effort officially begins.

The board of directors overseeing the transition will officially recommend the name when delegates from the three states gather on Nov. 1 and 2 at the DCU Center in Worcester for their annual meeting.

After conducting two surveys in which Southern New England was the "hands-down favorite," and gathering feedback in a variety of other settings, board members said they felt convinced that Southern New England is the right choice going forward, according to a report from the conference.

The new conference has been provisionally referred to as the "Together, As One Conference." Members of the three conferences affirmed their desire to work under one banner more than two years ago.

There are no immediate plans to close any of the state conference offices, a church official said.

Last month, the UCC’s national gathering – the General Synod – approved the request of the three conferences to form a new, united conference effective Jan. 1, 2020.