MEXICO – Nine women from the Mexico Congregational Church of Christ traveled to Burlington, Vt., to attend the New England Women’s Celebration VII on March 17, 18 and 19.

Esther Cooper, Marcia Hamlin, Carol Cantin, Susan Gould, Charlene Pidacks, Virginia Snapp-Cunningham, Evon Soule, Diane Stanley and Faith Neil joined 900 women from New England at the event, which had as its theme “Celebrate Micah’s Call.”

The women attended workshops, worship services, lunches and dinners with guest speakers, listened to and participated in celebration singing. The Onion River Jazz Band of Burlington was featured on Friday evening, and the Rev. John Thomas, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, delivered the sermon on Sunday morning.

Other speakers were Edith Guffey, associate general minister of the UCC; Linda Jaramillo of Portland, Ore., executive minister of Justice and Witness Ministries of the UCC; Valerie Tutson of Providence, R.I., storytelling and theater arts teacher; and Elizabeth Horton Sheff of Hartford, Conn., chairwoman of the UCC’s Public Education Task Force.

The New England UCC Women’s Celebration has been held every four years since 1982. The first five celebrations were held in Portland. Each event requires 2 years of planning by six committees comprised of women from all over New England.