wfn.org | Providence roller rink becomes site for celebration at UCC Synod 22

[George Conklin <gconklin@wfn.org>]

United Church of Christ
Office of Communication
700 Prospect Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44115
contact: Barbara Powell
phone: 216-736-2222
email: powellb@ucc.org
http://www.ucc.org

"Let us create a Jubilee!"

by Tim Kershner
PROVIDENCE, RI - July 5 1999    A roller rink in downtown Providence became the
site of a celebration of life during General Synod 22.
        Singers, dancers and narrators told stories of struggles and liberation
from the Bible and from the experiences of African Americans during a Jubilee
event and lunch July 4. The presentation was sponsored by First Congregational
UCC, Warwick, R.I., and the Pond Street Baptist Church in Providence. Ensemble
members for this ecumenical production were drawn from many churches in and
around Providence. The event coincided with the 22nd General Synod of the
United Church of Christ which is meeting in Providence through Tuesday.
        Among the business items to be discussed during Synod is a resolution
calling for a “jubilee”  the cancellation of the major debt of the most
severely  impoverished nations by the end of the year 2000, along with debt
reduction for "middle class" nations.
        Dr. Virgil Wood, pastor of the Pond Street Baptist Church, told
listeners, “All believers have a stake in Jubilee.”
        The Bible teaches us that every seventh day is a Sabbath, a day of
rest,
said Wood. Flowing from that, every seventh year should be a sabbatical. Every
50 years, roughly seven sabbaticals, is Jubilee. Jubilee is celebrated with a
focus on justice, loving relationships, and a focus on family responsibilities.
Countries need Jubilee, cities need Jubilee, and people, especially, need
Jubilee, said Wood.  "Jubilee is every day for somebody."
        According to the event organizers, when the Jubilee arrived, "Slaves
were to be released, debts canceled, land given rest, and slave prisoners
freed."
        The lunchtime program at Providence’s Fleet Center began with a
recounting of the story of Joseph interpreting Pharaoh's dream of seven skinny
cows eating seven fat cows. "There will be famine," Joseph told Pharaoh. By
hoarding grain in anticipation of the famine, Pharaoh was able to enslave the
Israelites. “Proclaim at lastJubilee” Isaiah declared later.
        Later in the program, the story of Jesus feeding the crowd was told. 
During the telling, bagels were tossed into the crowd. Those who caught the
bagels split them apart into smaller pieces, sharing them with those seated
around them.
        The UCC resolution on Jubilee follows similar action by other church
bodies, including the Presbyterian Church, the Lutheran Church, and the World
Council of Churches.