Barack Obama joins 'Synod in the City' line-up
Written by J. Bennett Guess Tuesday, 24 April 2007 U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.), an active UCC member since 1988, has accepted an invitation to speak at UCC General Synod 26, June 22-26, in Hartford, Conn.
Obama ? a member of the 10,000-member Trinity UCC in Chicago ? will speak to delegates and visitors during a special day-long "Synod in the City" event on Saturday, June 23, at the Hartford Civic Center.
Gathering to commemorate the denomination's 50th anniversary milestone, Obama joins an impressive line-up of prominent presenters during the five-day General Synod that includes journalist Bill Moyers, activist Marian Wright Edelman, preacher Peter Gomes, actress Lynn Redgrave, author Marilynne Robinson and more.
The occasion will mark the historical 1957 union of the Congregational Christian Churches in America and the Evangelical and Reformed Church, the first ecumenical marriage of unrelated Christian denominations in U.S. history.
Obama, a Democratic candidate for President, has spoken often about his profession of faith, his membership in the socially progressive UCC and the need for Democrats to take seriously the concerns of religious Americans.
The Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president, said Obama will further strengthen the draw to the UCC's 50th anniversary gathering.
"Sen. Obama is one of the most exciting figures on the political landscape today," Thomas told United Church News. "More than that, he is a public figure who takes seriously the relationship between faith and public life. We look forward to being challenged by one of our membership about how to make a difference in the world."
Already, more than 4,000 have registered for General Synod, which guarantees it will be denomination's largest national gathering in its 50-year history. With two months still remaining, it's being rumored that as many as 10,000 might attend, especially since the celebration gathering is being held in New England, where the UCC is the largest Protestant church.
Billed as a high-point of this summer's biennial national gathering, "Synod in the City" will be a day-long series of celebratory events held in multiple venues throughout downtown Hartford where an array of speakers, artists and performers will help take Synod out of its traditional convention-hall setting and into the streets of the city. "The world comes to Hartford ? courtesy of the UCC" is how the event is being billed locally.
Obama, who became familiar with Trinity UCC during his days as a Chicago community organizer, wrote about his faith and his UCC membership in the August-September 2006 issue of United Church News, the UCC's national newspaper.
"You come to church ? in the first place ? precisely because you are of this world, not apart from it," Obama wrote. "You need to embrace Christ precisely because you have sins to wash away, because you are human and need an ally in this difficult journey. It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity UCC on 95th Street in the Southside of Chicago one day and affirm my Christian faith."
In November 2004, during his acceptance speech following his election to the Senate, Obama expressed appreciation for the support of Trinity UCC's members. The Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., pastor of Trinity UCC, is one of Obama's close spiritual advisors and is credited with giving inspiration to the title of Obama's bestselling book, "The Audacity of Hope." Obama said he first heard the phrase when Wright used it in a stirring sermon.
"Trinity UCC has been a true community to me ? a place in which the mind, heart and soul come together to celebrate God's goodness," Obama told United Church News in 2004.
Five U.S. Senators, including Obama, are members of the UCC, as well as five U.S. Representatives. Of the 10 UCC members of Congress, five are Democrats, five are Republicans.