wfn.org | UCC Listening tour makes multiple stops in Washington-Baltimore area

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

Listening tour makes multiple stops in Washington-Baltimore area

> Written by J. Bennett Guess
> November 24, 2009
> 	
> 	The Rev. John Deckenback , Central Atlantic Conference
> Minister, made introductory comments at a listening session held at
> Christ Congregational UCC in Silver Spring, Md. The conversation with
> General Minister and President Geoffrey A. Black, one of several held
> over the weekend, was open to anyone who wanted to attend.

More than a half-dozen opportunities for church members to share their
dreams for the future of the United Church of Christ were held over
the pre-Thanksgiving weekend throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C.

The listening events were the fourth installment in a 10-stop
nationwide tour organized by the Rev. Geoffrey A. Black, who became
the UCC's new general minister and president on Oct. 1. During his
first months in office, Black has taken to the road in an effort to
hear first-hand from diverse groups across the UCC.

During his four days in the D.C. area, Black maintained a busy
schedule. In addition to participating in multiple listening sessions
attended collectively by nearly 200 people, he also met with a
representative of the Obama Administration, delivered health care
petitions to the U.S. Senate, preached two morning services at Peoples
Congregational UCC in Washington, D.C., and participated in an
ordination service at the 500-member Covenant Baptist Church in
Washington, D.C., that voted recently to pursue affiliation with the UCC.

As during recent trips to the Northern California-Nevada, Connecticut
and Massachusetts Conferences, Black opened Friday evening's (Nov. 20)
session with 50 guests at a Baltimore inner harbor restaurant, asking,
"How is God calling us to better shape the United Church of Christ
with an expectation that God's spirit is moving among us?"

Attendees in Baltimore, as well as those at sessions in Frederick,
Bethesda and Silver Spring, offered candid thoughts on dozens of
issues, ranging from use of technology to the deployment of
missionaries, including hopes that the UCC would:

* Reach out more intentionally to young people, including college
students. "My vision is that we get back to campus," one person said.

* Expand monetary support for global mission. "I fear that our
[UCC] world is shrinking since fewer dollars means that we have
lessened our ability to send people into the world," a pastor said.

* Not be afraid of what the future might bring. "I suspect that in
the future we may have smaller but more effective Stillspeaking
congregations," a retired pastor said.

* Do more to assist African American clergywomen. "I have found
it's not a glass ceiling; it's a cinder block ceiling," a frustrated
pastor articulated.

* Embrace gay-inclusive evangelism. "I have noticed that most of
the people are coming [to our church] because we are open and
affirming," a layperson said, noting that her church's LGBT-inclusive
outreach committee "has more energy than anything I have seen in our
church for five to 10 years."

* Utilize technology to reach young people. "We need to reach out
on Facebook and Twitter. We need to reach out and go where the young
people are," one person said.

* Articulate our distinctiveness. "I would like us to be able to
say what makes us different, to say what makes us unique," a pastor said.

* Broaden our theological vision. "We tend to articulate a
theology of the middle class while, in our urban contexts, many of us
are ministering to the underclass," a pastor said.

* Specialize in outreach to interfaith couples. "We need to poise
ourselves to be the church that welcomes them," said a woman whose
husband is Jewish.

* Know our stuff. "We need to be more grounded in our story, our
history," one person said.

* Not shirk from justice advocacy. "We need to keep a very strong
presence in the area of public policy," a recently retired pastor said.

* Recognize new forms of global partnership. "There is a kind of
grassroots global work that is fermenting in our churches. It needs to
be supported," said a pastor whose church has developed strong
relationships in Colombia.

> 'This church has a future'

Although Black most often resisted a question-and-answer format out of
preference for hearing others offer ideas and opinions, he did
occasionally offer feedback to members' comments:

On deepening our ecumenical partnerships: "You've heard that
'necessity is the mother of invention'? Necessity may also be the
mother of ecumenical partnership. Most of our ecumenical partners ? I
dare say all of them ? are facing the same kind of challenges."

On population changes: "A lot of places where we used to be the hub of
town, there are no more people there."

On church growth: "As much as numbers do count, that's not the primary
goal. The goal is to be faithful. But, still, we need to push
ourselves to grow. We need to be able to talk about our faith and,
when we are effectively articulating our message, there are people out
there who are ready and willing to receive it."

On the UCC's future: "There is definitely a need for a church like
ours. We are a small denomination but we are an important voice in the
life of this country. I am a firm believer that this church has a
future. We just need to reach out and take hold of it."

On Monday (Nov. 23), Black met for an hour with Paul Monteiro,
religious liaison for the Obama Administration, during which he
offered the UCC's willingness to assist on issues of mutual concern.
Black, who referred to President Obama as a "member of the UCC
family," also asked Monteiro to assure Obama and his family of the
church's ongoing prayers.

Black concluded the day with visits to Capitol Hill where he presented
more than 20,000 UCC health care petitions to the offices of Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), as well as the names of Maine
petitioners to the staff of Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who is
considered a pivotal swing vote on health care reform.

In his visits to Senate offices, Black was joined by the Rev. John
Deckenback, Central Atlantic Conference Minister, the Rev. Kwame Osei
Reed, Associate Conference Minister for the Potomac Association, and
Sandy Sorensen, director of the UCC's Washington Office.

Deckenback served as host for Black's trip to the Conference.