In Memory — Rev. Dr. Rebecca S. Erb

THE REV. DOCTOR REBECCA S. ERB,  March 27, 1939 – October 13, 2024
     Born in Marion, Ohio, Rebecca was educated in the Caledonia, Ohio public schools.  She received her bachelors’ degree from Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, and earned a masters of science in Family Dynamics from the University of Rhode Island at Kingston.  Her theological diplomas, a Bachelors of Divinity, a Masters of Divinity, and  Doctor of Ministry were all granted by Eden Theological Seminary in Webster Groves, Missouri, a seminary of the United Church of Christ,.  She was ordained into the ministry of the United Church of Christ May 1, 1966 and thus was a pioneer for women in ministry.
     While at Eden, she married her classmate, Charles E. Erb, now more commonly known as Chuck.  Upon graduation they served, sometimes together, more frequently separately, parishes and settings of ministry in ten different states.  While still in seminary she served in field work assignments at the Kenwood-Ellis Community Center in Chicago, Caroline Mission, St. Louis, and an inner city ecumenical ministry in Cincinnati, and in the summer of 1963, the year she and Chuck were married, three months in Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, Colorado with a National Council of Churches venture entitled “A Christian Ministry in the National Parks.”  Throughout her life, she was a frequent accompanist for various choirs and choruses and also served periodically as a substitute organist.  Among her passions were quilting, poetry, journaling, and travel.  She and Chuck managed to get themselves into all fifty US states, all Canadian provinces, and five of the seven continents.  She professed no interest in wading through penguin poop in Antarctica.
     They are the proud and adoring parents of two children, Stephen Charles Smith-Erb (Ellen) of Cumberland Center, and Susan Rebecca Erb (Dr. Guy Matthew Phillip Coates), of Arkesden, United Kingdom, and two grandchildren, Hannah Louise Smith-Erb, and Matthew Charles Smith-Erb.

Ellison Address at Cumberland Association Annual Meeting

The Rev. Dr. Marvin Ellison was our speaker following the business meeting on October 6, 2024.  He was invited to consider the topic:

“A Fear-Not Gospel for a Fearful World: Being Faithful in a Challenging Social and Political Climate.”

With Marvin’s permission, feel free to share this link with others in your congregation who may be interested.

His remarks are available for viewing HERE. 

Rev. Dr. Ellison is a member of First Congregational UCC, South Portland, and served as Bass Professor of Christian Ethics at Bangor Theological Seminary from 1981 to its close in 2013.  

Maine School of Ministry(MESOM) Updates

…from the Dean of the Maine School of Ministry— 
Rev. Dr. Malcolm Himschoot

The Maine School of Ministry runs five classes a year for anyone who wants to learn more about theology, including the heritage, practices, and possibilities of Christian faith. Our classes are taught by passionate practitioners and scholars of ministry, with experience across the globe and around the state.

Upcoming Courses & Offerings

Spring Semester:  Introduction to Islam, a global religions course taught by Aida Mansoor, and Building Up a Thriving World:  Applied Ethics for Christian Churches, taught by Anne Dunlap.            The above are Zoom classes offered from February to May.  The course on Islam also involves in-person field trips to connect with Maine’s Muslim communities.      Tuition fee for each course is $350.  Scholarship assistance may be available from both the Cumberland Association and the Maine School of Ministry.

Register by December 4th for a January Term Special:  UCC Polity.   (UCC life and lore, governance and decision-making, covenant and commitment, past and present.  This is a required course for leadership authorization (Member in Discernment, Ministerial Standing, Privilege of Call, etc.)   Meets all 4 Saturdays in January, 2025, via Zoom.  The Instructor will be Rev. Shernell Edney, Associate Conference Minister in the Illinois Conference.

For more information, go to maineucc.org/mesom/

2025 Fellowship Dues Rates and IRS Mileage Rates

2025 Fellowship Dues for the Maine Conference will be $19.87/member.   Conference Dues fluctuate year to year by the federally-established COLA rate, unless changed by special vote of the Conference at Annual Meeting.  

2025 Fellowship Dues for the Cumberland Association are  $2.10/member.  (Many churches do add Conference and Association Dues together to make one line item for their budgets, but we want you to know how the dues are actually assessed.)

2025 Fellowship Dues for each church are calculated on the number of members reported as of December 31, 2024.  Membership MUST be reported to the UCC via the UCC Data Hub by each church.  If you do not file your statistics with the UCC data hub, your church’s dues will be calculated on the most recent statistics filed.  Data hub reporting is done in January or February each year. The Maine Conference Midweek News, which comes out on Wednesdays, will feature directions during January and February–or go to the Conference website: maineucc.org.

2025 DUES for both Association and Conference will be invoiced to churches in the Spring, and are due May 15th.

Debra DeLong is our Cumberland Association Treasurer. All Maine Conference and Cumberland Association dues  (also Scholarship Fund donations) should be sent to Deb at her address -152 Puritan Drive, Westbrook, ME 04092. Her email address is djgdelong@gmail.com. Checks should still be made payable to the Cumberland Association but mailed to Deb’s home address.  

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, the standard mileage rate for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) is 67 cents per mile for business miles driven.  Please check IRS.gov for 2025 rate.  The tax-deductible mileage rate for volunteers (not employees) driving in service of charitable organizations:  $.14/mile (set by federal statute, not the IRS, and does not change annually).