With a few weeks between us and National Gathering 2010, we are now able to include more diverse reflections on all that happened in San Diego, CA.  In addition, we've updated events and other opportunities, as we look to the fall of 2010. This makes for a pretty long Ripples.  But hope you'll agree that it is worth it and adds to the impact of National Gathering 2010. Do you have reflections on National Gathering 2010?  Send them to communications@ucccoalition.org.

When I was growing up, my grandmother, aka “Gran Gran,” would host quilting bees with her friends. A quilting bee was a purposeful gathering where everyone brought scraps and pieces of fabric from old clothes and other items. Then, as a group, they hand-stitched the fabric remnants into one beautiful (and very useful) garment. The newly formed quilt wasn’t complete until it was lined with fresh-picked and processed cotton for weight and warmth. Quilts were better for winter use than blankets. The blankets were not as heavy, and the varying fabrics seemed to make the quilt more durable than the single fabric of the blankets. And frankly, in my opinion, the blankets just weren’t as colorful and interesting.

For me, the quilting bee was a fascinating experience. Not only would I sit underneath the quilting horses and listen and ponder the meaning of the adult conversation, but I would examine each piece of fabric and think about what dress or shirt it came from. I was curious about who wore it and why it was discarded. To me each piece had a story. My Gran Gran’s quilts remind me of the UCC Coalition. The analogy is especially vivid as I reflect on the National Gathering, as well as our attempts to connect with varying other faith groups.

One definition of a coalition is the union of diverse things into one body or form or group—the growing together of parts. Another is an organization of people involved in a pact or treaty. Still another is an alliance of people, factions, parties, or nations. Those definitions sound a lot to me like the Beloved Community that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke about. He was quoted as saying that we are all inextricably linked in a fabric of mutuality. The description of a coalition also reminds me of the biblical account of Pentecost (Acts 2), where many different peoples came together and were miraculous bound together by their common experience of the Divine.

That is my hope for the UCC Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns. I am prayerful that we recognize and cultivate the opportunities to add to our group diverse perspectives and experiences. My local congregation pastor said in a sermon recently that unless a person is willing to “reach across the aisle” to engage someone with a different mindset, that person risks stagnation and myopic thinking.

I saw a good example of intentional connecting at another gathering earlier this summer when I attending the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) General Conference. The Fellowship participated with them, leading workshops, preaching at, facilitating, and assisting with worship services. The conference was spiritually enlightening and fulfilling. I was reminded of the zeal and commitment of LGBT people who hold on to faith practices in spite of former rejection from the church. It was also great to observe the partnership work that MCC and the Fellowship are embarking upon—including discussing cultural differences and how to relate to one another.

At our National Gathering 2010, we added to the fabric of our quilt. We celebrated the wonderful variety among us, with our theme setting the tone for appreciating the many faces of who we are: “Any body, Everybody, Christ’s Body.” We were blessed by the gifts our Disciples of Christ brother, Bill Thomas, who was a phenomenal musician and choir director. He was well-received and said he was blessed by the event. Youth and Young Adult participants also played an important part—which you have been able to appreciate through Jake's thoughtful commentary during the event. We had a wonderful discussion with three powerful women who made up the transgender panel, with audience members asking thoughtful questions in response. Panelists also shared powerful testimonies about their own UCC and UCC Coalition experiences. Many were blessed by the sharing from the differently abled among us. 

So, unlike an old blanket that is comfortable and familiar, we were working to stitch together the fabric of our various selves to create an eclectic and strong quilt. May we continue to look for more varied pieces to add, held together by the radically inclusive love of Jesus the Christ.

Gwen Thomas
Interim Executive Director

The rainbow flags are put away (but not in the closet), everyone has gone back to her or his respective United Church of Christ Conference and Association, and we eagerly await our next National Gathering of the UCC Coalition. None of us would pretend that this has been an easy time for the UCC Coalition. The economic turndown, difficult leadership decisions, and a generalized failing within most of Mainline Protestant Christianity to reach out to young adults have seemingly all been factors in making this a “tough” period in the UCC Coalition’s history.

I am a young member of the UCC Coalition, having thus far only participated in UCC Coalition events at General Synod in Grand Rapids and this year’s National Gathering in San Diego. I am, however, aware of the fact that the UCC Coalition's influence on the Open and Affirming position of my amazing home congregation, Plymouth Congregational UCC, in Fort Collins, CO, is immeasurable. I would not be in the UCC if it were not for its Open and Affirming Church movement. I would not be on a track toward pursuing an M.Div. after college. I might even be without a church home. Yes, the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns is going through a period of change. No, the UCC Coalition is not going away. Yes, it is still relevant and important.

I was wrapped up into some of the conflict at National Gathering by being nominated from the floor for the board and then losing. I will point out that within a few months, the UCC Coalition will have no board members who meet the UCC definition of Youth or Young Adult (under 30). The General Synod dictated that all church boards should strive to have at least 20% of every board meet that definition for Youth and Young Adults. I was pretty hurt by what I perceived as a rejection of Youth and Young Adult interests and entertained the idea of cutting myself off from the UCC Coalition for a while. I have since realized that despite its prophetic mission and its historic inspiration, the UCC Coalition is no more perfect than any other institution. It is up to you and me, as young and somewhat older young people of the denomination, to whole-heartedly support the institution despite its temporary weaknesses.

I am tickled to report that since National Gathering, they have appointed me as the board’s representative to the Council for Youth and Young Adults Ministries of the United Church of Christ. This is how I am going to continue in fellowship and support of this great group of people. That is all institutions are, after all—groups of people with historic connections. Please wrap your arms, hearts, and prayers around the UCC Coalition. I know that I am and that, thanks to the National Gathering, my dedication to the UCC Coalition and its call is ever stronger.

Jake Joseph
UCC Coalition Representative to the UCC Council for Youth and Young Adults

It’s been nearly a month since the National Gathering in San Diego, CA, and I am still trying to process what happened while I was there. As I was sitting on the plane to return to the Bay Area, my spectrum of feelings ranged from ecstasy to frustration. I looked down at San Diego from my window seat and thought that this was only the beginning of what we have to do. I was ecstatic that over 100 people could come together to further the rights of LGBT people in a church setting, yet frustration overtook me when I realized the exclusive undertones moving through the conference. Though it was unintentional, it was sensed by more than just me, which makes me believe that the United Church of Christ needs help in figuring out how to tackle the biases of the people that make up Christ’s body.

The theme of this year’s gathering was “Anybody. Every body. Christ’s body.” As I scanned the room where we all congregated each morning, it seemed as if a few diverse bodies were missing. As a young transman, I looked for people that I could identify with on these two fronts and found nothing. I did find a couple of other young people with no gender variance. While I did find a pretty good representation of other people of color, it seemed to be limited to certain age groups that I did not fit in to. This caused me to ask questions about accessibility to this event in general. I would not have been able to attend had it not been for my church—and I know that many churches are not in a place to be able to fund travel to this sort of event. Yet financial aid was so limited that I didn’t even know it was an option until it was all gone.

In many ways, I felt as outcast as I did in school while I was still trying to figure out my specific type of queerness. I felt people who didn’t know about my gender categorizing me as a gay man, while others discounted my comments because of my age. I felt like I was the diverse body at National Gathering encompassing color, gender variance, disability, youth, and low-income status. Someone else in my position might not have even tried to go, assuming that this group wouldn’t be representative of his, her, or hir specific needs.

That said, I’m glad that I did go. The UCC Coalition is moving forward so that all these intersections can be included. There was a panel dedicated to trans issues, where the newest UCC organization, the UCC GenderFold Action Alliance, was introduced. I think that having this organization working alongside the UCC Coalition will do wonders for the inclusivity of the UCC. Many people within the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community are still mystified by the illustrious “T” at the end of the LGBT acronym. This organization will help demystify them. Not only did we speak about the “T,” there was a panel dedicated to the inclusion of people with disabilities in the wider LGBT movement as well as the church. We seldom think about the intersection between disability and sexuality, but it needs to be brought to the forefront if the movement is truly to progress.

Overall, I met some wonderful people and made some new connections. The UCC spirit ran rampant throughout the entire event. I’m sure that if I had voiced my criticisms, they would have been taken into account for next year’s event. Although I did feel outcast at times, I never once felt unwelcome to the table. I would encourage everyone to go to National Gathering next year. We can make change only if we are in attendance.

Taj Smith

National Gathering 2010 included an optional pre-event border immersion experience facilitated by the Centro Romero (http://www.ucc.org/justice/centro-romero/). After crossing the border from San Diego, CA, participants had the opportunity to meet persons from both sides of the border, challenging many assumptions and beliefs. UCC Coalition Board member, Lydia York, reflects on her experience:

I expected poverty to look different on the other side of the border—to be marked with some sign of foreignness in culture or ethnicity or dress. But the woman who walked out of the unofficial shanty town near Tijuana looked just like anyone else from my New Jersey town, with a similar sense of fashion and a familiarly purposeful walk. Not only couldn’t I tell a legal from an illegal border crosser on the US side, but on the Mexican side, I couldn’t tell a Mexican citizen from a US citizen.

The town, however, was unmistakably alien to me, assembled from scrap wood and metal. Maybe not totally alien, because I could recognize pieces that might be considered expensive “authentic” antiques in the U.S.—a style that is so difficult to simulate: shabby chic meets classic roadside. I felt guilty enjoying the color palette and complex texture of the town. There were kids playing near the toxic runoff they had to bathe in. I realized I was afraid to touch anything, including the ground under my flipflops and the hand of the little boy who had come to greet us.

Towns like this one, without electricity, running water, sewage, schools, medicine, or political representation form all over the globe, even in corners of the U.S. But, we had just driven here on a day trip, through the busiest, most frequently crossed border in the world—between San Ysidro, CA, and Tijuana, Mexico. On the way down from San Diego we stopped in the parking lot of a high-end shopping mall to look at the border fences. It’s where I got my first concrete understanding of what a border is.

From my home in the Central Atlantic, national borders feel like lines on a map—two-dimensional and absolute. The line itself doesn’t take up any space, it only indicates the difference between one side and another. But, on the ground, the U.S. Mexican border takes up space—with geography and climate. In places, it’s five miles wide. So for us looking at the map, that zone (that’s really a region) doesn’t exist. But there it was, at the back of Nieman Marcus, marked by three separate walls. The first one was built in the 1920’s, about the height of a person, now rusty, corrugated steel, with wide openings built into it to accommodate the free flow of migrant workers that farmers relied on seasonally. A hundred feet behind it is the second fence from the 1970's, still quite substantial looking.  Finally, behind that one is the latest effort of U.S. engineering and technology, shiny and impenetrable—except that it stops abruptly every so often. From the air, the U.S. border patrol is like a god, selectively revealing and hiding [him]self—an absent presence that doesn’t have anything to prove, but needs to keep reminding us of that.

The more I looked at it, the more I came to realize that the gaps in this new wall, costing between $30 and $50 million tax-payer dollars per mile, are as important to the border's impact as is the wall itself. That unofficial Mexican town grew there in the runoff from the factories uphill because workers find opportunity there—in the border region where U.S.-owned maquiladoros pay workers an average of 50 cents a day. Transportation is too expensive for most workers, so they found and built shelter where they could. With insufficient regulation and enforcement, those U.S. companies dump lead and other heavy-metal bi-products of automotive and electronic production into their surroundings. Trucks make the short trip back across the border to store the finished goods in unmarked warehouses on U.S. land. I was afraid of the dust on my toes because, for a couple of minutes, I had been standing downstream.

Lydia York
UCC Coalition board member

The UCC GenderFold Action Alliance made its public debut at National Gathering 2010. Here is a short reflection from one of the participants in the founding retreat.

From May 7 to 9, 2010, I had the honor of joining a group of 18 other individuals from UCC churches all around the country in Cleveland, OH. We came together for the purpose of forming a representative body of transgender people to work with the UCC and the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns in advancing the cause of education and advocacy on behalf of gender-variant people within the church.

We utilized our time well, working diligently to accomplish as much as possible, and the result of both our aim and our efforts over those three days is perhaps best expressed by the mission statement that we developed during the meeting:

The weekend was powerful, inspiring, enlightening, and deeply spiritual, and I feel very blessed to have been able to attend. I met a lot of wonderful and passionate people.

The work we set out to do, however, is on-going, and our communications continue as we seek to give shape and direction to what began in Cleveland. I look forward to further participation with the group that met in Ohio and the many others who are joining in the work of the UCC GenderFold Action Alliance as it progresses.

Faith, love, hope,

Isobelle Fox
Member, The Gathering
San Angelo, TX