UCC invites DeGeneres to bring love, laughter to General Synod 28

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

UCC invites DeGeneres to bring love, laughter to General Synod 28

> Written by Jeff Woodard
> October 26, 2010

In a unique bid to showcase the carefree, creative component of the
UCC, the church has officially invited popular talk-show host Ellen
DeGeneres to appear as keynote speaker at General Synod 28 next July
in Tampa, Fla.

Writing on behalf of the Synod program and planning committee in a
letter dated Oct. 1, the Rev. Geoffrey Black, UCC general minister and
president, rolled out the UCC welcome mat for DeGeneres to help
Synod-goers live the theme of General Synod 28: "Imagine What?s
Possible; God Is Still Speaking."

"Your life, values and humor represent the best of what our church
hopes to embody through our witness in the world: joy, love, hope and
service," Black wrote DeGeneres. "At a time when religion is often
used to divide and exclude people, we seriously believe your
participation at our biennial event could send a powerful message to 
the wo rld.

"Imagine what's possible if we could set aside our need to be right
and focused instead on bringing hope and healing to one another, if we
could lighten up ­ and love instead," wrote Black. "We feel you are
the one to deliver this message."

Black noted the UCC's reputation as "the church of firsts" ? first to
ordain an African-American (1773), a woman (1853) and an openly gay
person (1972).

"In 2005, we became the first mainline church to affirm same-gender
marriage equality," Black wrote the openly gay celebrity. "And, if you
will oblige our request, we will become the first U.S. Christian
denomination to have Ellen DeGeneres as our keynote speaker."

High-profile personalities are no strangers to General Synod. In
recent years, Barack Obama, Bill Moyers, Eugene Robinson, Marian
Wright Edelman, Andrew Young and Lynn Redgrave have appeared.

Acknowledging the vast number of speaking engagements requested of
DeGeneres, Edith Guffey, associate general minister for the Office of
General Ministries, says that persuading her will take some effort.

"While we're not asking Ellen to bring her show to Synod, we do think
she will need some heavy convincing as to why a major Christian
denomination would want her to be their keynote speaker," says Guffey.
"Ellen receives hundreds of invitations annually; we want our
invitation to stand out."

"As a television icon, Ellen's constructive use of humor, her
sensitivity toward others, and her ability to touch and lift the
spirits of millions every day is something we can affirm as a sacred
calling," says the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, the UCC's team leader for
Publishing, Identity and Communication.

It's not uncommon for DeGeneres' fans to launch campaigns to bring her
show to their area. Most recently, fans in Australia have been doing 
so.

"We are asking UCC members and churches to unleash their inner Ellen
by creating funny, inviting photos and videos and submitting them so
we can upload to YouTube and send them along to her," says Guess.

"We're a church that resonates with Ellen's personality, even as we
advocate for justice," adds Guess. "Ellen's address before a major
religious body could send a powerful message to the world, a message
of hope, inclusivity and acceptance ? and the need for more love and laug 
hter."

Learn more about the "Get Ellen to Synod" campaign at
http://www.ucc.org/get-ellen-to-synod/