wfn.org | Town Hall meeting garners no action by UCC Synod

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> Town Hall meeting garners no action by Synod

> Written by Micki Carter
> June 30, 2009

The proposal to institute a town hall meeting on justice issues one
day before each General Synod was postponed indefinitely when it came
to the plenary floor Tuesday afternoon with its committee recommending
no action.

The resolution was brought by the Pacific Islander and Asian American
Ministries, and Ron Fujiyoshi of the Hawaii Conference urged the
committee to support a biennial gathering of justice advocates who
would create a two-year justice platform for the UCC.

However, the committee had problems reconciling the wording of the
resolution with the goals Fujiyoshi presented. Tuesday morning
Margaret Irribarra of the Pacific Northwest Conference, the committee
chair, summarized the group's thinking in voting to take no action.
"We were in favor with what we were hearing but not what we were
reading (in the resolution)."

"We didn't hear the covenantal connections between the groups (PAAM
and Justice and Witness Ministries) for an idea that we agree is
useful," another delegate said.

John Gregory-Davis of JWM observed that Justice and Witness "sees
themselves as already moving in that direction."

Fujiyoshi said he was sanguine about the committee's decision but "if
we're not focusing on the justice agenda, it won't happen. I want the
UCC to continue to be the Just Church."