God's Extravagant Welcome
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God's Extravagant Welcome
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2592 West 14th Street, Cleveland, OH 44113 |
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Get the Latest Updates in YOUR Email Inbox! Ripples - Holy Week 2009Life in Hi-DefThe Holy Week story stands out from its background: We are aware of the setting in Jerusalem, but our perspective on the story is through our Christian lens. We see Jesus in high relief through the events of the week: the parade and praise of Palm Sunday, the intimacy of Jesus’ dinner with his friends, the betrayal by one of those friends, and Jesus’ arrest, trial, conviction and execution. We feel the starkness and confusion when, after the Sabbath, Jesus’ friends return to the tomb and find his body gone. All of those events, however, we see through the end of the story: Jesus’ resurrection. Holy Week, with its tremendous heights and painful lows culminates in a celebration of God’s grace bringing life into emptiness. Jesus’ followers were so changed by their experience of the resurrection that they carried on Jesus' ministry of healing, truth-telling, and justice. They found the inspiration and strength to follow the path of love. Certain circumstances bring other parts of our life into high definition. When the frills fall away, we see the fundamental architecture of our lives. How do we make decisions? Whom do we seek for energy, comfort, and help? What are our priorities? These value-clarifying moments tend to come after a big change. Our lives are shaken into new forms by a new relationship, a new place to live, fresh grief, a birth. In this economy, all of us are making choices. We choose how to respond to challenges, how to help others, how to celebrate amid uncertainty. The sharpness of this moment can bring new ways of seeing our lives, and clarity about values. It’s rare that we know the duration of any particular one these high-definition periods. How much stamina do we need? How much insight can I handle? During Holy Week, retelling the stories of Jesus’ death and his friends’ grief, the losses recounted often connect with our own. We feel the grief of Jesus’ friends because we know what grief is like. As Christians, though, we experience Maundy Thursday and Good Friday through our knowledge and experience of Easter. Whatever loss we experience, we anticipate the pain redeemed by the resurrection. From death comes, not only life, but the abundant, enduring life that Jesus promises. The tomb is not empty because everything is gone; the tomb is empty because new life in God cannot be contained by something as small as the grave. Carl Richter, Pastor of First Congregational Church in Lorain, Ohio, says that, as Christians, we live not with the hope of new life, but with the anticipation of resurrection. Not simply wishing that our lives will improve, we expect that God’s spirit breathed into our circumstances will bring new life. May this season bring life and renewal to you. Easter blessings to you, by God’s grace and love— Ruth Garwood Growing BOLD Banquet to feature UCC President, John Thomas
United Church of Christ President and General Minister, the Rev. John Thomas, will reflect upon what The UCC Coalition's Open and Affirming movement means to the church on Wednesday, June 24, 2009, at 6:00 pm. You do not want to miss this historic address. More details on Growing BOLD programming are available at www.ucccoalition.org/programs/gathering/ Stay for General Synod where you can hear Urvashi Vaid speak at the Coalition's Synod luncheon on Friday, June 26, 2009, on the topic of what The UCC Coalition's Open and Affirming movement means to the national LGBT movement. More details on Coalition activities at Synod are available at www.ucccoalition.org/news/events/synod Less than a month until first Growing BOLD registration deadlineOur 2009 National Gathering, Growing BOLD, will be a celebration of Open and Affirming, an exploration of what ONA can be in its fullest expression, and an opportunity for worship, fellowship, celebration, and engagement. Join us June 22–25, 2009, in Grand Rapids, MI, to kick-off the week of General Synod. Act now to get your early registration discount! The $99 registration rate is available only through April 30, 2009. Register online at https://www.signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=ZZ2V6K7 Don't forget your hotel reservations! A discount hotel rate of $82 plus tax is available, if you mention this event. When calling the hotel, please call the local property at 616-957-1770 rather than the national reservation 800 number. You need to mention "GROWING BOLD" to receive one of our reserved rooms at the special room rate. Many more details are available online, including mail-in registration materials, schedule, confirmed speakers, and more: www.ucccoalition.org/programs/gathering/ Scripture Theme for Growing BOLDLet us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. 1 John 3:18-21 The Coalition is seeking Frequent-Flyer-Mile donationsThe UCC Coalition is seeking frequent-flyer-mile donations. We would like to collect frequent-flyer miles to help provide scholarship support to folks who may not be able to join us this year at Growing Bold in Grand Rapids, MI, unless they have some assistance. Please contact office@ucccoalition.org or 800-653-0799 to arrange for your contribution. We are also glad to accept cash contributions toward our Growing Bold scholarship fund. More volunteer opportunitiesVideo Advisors: The Coalition staff and our volunteers are delving into video recording for some small, targeted projects. We have started collecting short video clips but could use some support, particularly around format, audio sync, and file optimization. Assistance would be very occasional on an ad hoc basis. We would also love to have a volunteer who could do minor video editing (e.g., add an intro and closing slide) and monitor our efforts on YouTube and other video-sharing sites. Outreach caller: Our Growing BOLD conference has an exciting program, and we want to make sure that people know about it. Personal invitations are the best way for us to reach people. For someone who loves connecting by telephone, this is a great opportunity to extend awareness of the event and The Coalition. Phone calls need to be made by the end of April so that people can take advantage of the early registration deadline for Growing BOLD. Research assistant: We want to be able to direct people to our ONA churches, but we only have web addresses for some of them. Meanwhile, the Coalition’s database will be most effective if it is updated with other information as well. A detail-oriented person can work on flexible deadlines to gather this information from the web and from UCC data. Please contact the Coalition's national office at office@ucccoalition.org or 1-800-653-0799 to find out more about these opportunities! Don't Call Yourself Progressive If You Don't Support Sexual Justice
Debra Haffner writes on the Huffington Post about the growing rift between the religious left and religious progressives on issues of sexual justice. Let me be clear: You cannot call yourself a religious progressive if you don't support full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens, if you don't support women's moral agency regarding abortion, or if you don't support comprehensive sexuality education that gives our young people the life-saving information they need. But you won't hear certain self-described "progressive religious leaders" standing up or speaking out for these issues. Read her full article for yourself: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-debra-haffner/dont-call-yourself-progre_b_182909.html Important Youth Survey UnderwayAs part of the study process of Youth and Young Adult Ministries that the UCC is currently conducting, there is an online survey in which you may wish to participate. (http://uccyyasurvey.questionpro.com/). Please forward it to others you may know, whether youth, young adults, youth ministers, chaplains, those interested in being advocates for YYAs, etc. It will take 15–20 minutes to complete the survey. Massachusetts CelebrationsKathie Carpenter, MA Conference ONA consultant, reports on efforts in the Massachusetts Conference, including a statewide celebration, outreach in Provincetown, and delegations at Pride... The Spirit shone on the ONA Celebration Worship Service, called “We’re 90 in ’09,” when we celebrated the over 90 ONA settings in the MA Conference. Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, Conference Minister and President and a vocal justice and ONA advocate, inspired the congregation to the theme of Cornel West’s words that “Justice is what love looks like in public.” Read all the details at www.ucccoalition.org/programs/ona/who/list/ona_celebrations/200904/. New Regional Events SectionThanks to Mark Seifried for working to gather stories from our Coalition ONA consultants about what is going on around the country. To highlight this information, we have created a new Regional Coalition/ONA Efforts section on our Events page. You can check out our first listings (from Minnesota) at www.ucccoalition.org/news/events/. Please let us know what is going on in your area. You can reach us at communications@ucccoalition.org, if you don't already have Mark's contact information. Popular blogger highlights effort by ONA congregationPam's House Blend, a popular progressive blog, recently highlighted the efforts of Congregational United Church of Christ of Arlington Heights in collaboration with the Gay Liberation Network. The groups gathered to protest outside Peter LaBarbera's anti-gay speaking engagement in Arlington Heights, IL. Read the details for yourself at http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=10061. New ONA SettingsWelcome and congratulations to these recently declared ONA congregations!
The up-to-date list can be found here: http://www.ucccoalition.org/programs/ona/who/list/ Total active ONA congregations: 790 Note: We need your help to update our list of ONA churches to include website links. If your web link is missing, please contact communications@ucccoalition.org with updated information. Thank you! Coalition leaders supporting Jewish efforts to promote LGBT inclusionExecutive Director, Ruth Garwood, was part of the consultation convened in New York City by Jewish Mosaic and the Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation at Hebrew Union College. People from a wide spectrum of Jewish practice appreciated hearing about our experience with ONA. Mike Schuenemeyer, of the UCC Health and Wholeness Advocacy Office, participated in a session of the consultation held in Los Angeles. Read more about these efforts at jta.org/news/article/2009/03/12/1003364/synagogues-acting-to-be-more-open-to-gays. Coalition Staff on the Move: Tim BrownYouth and Young Adult Program Coordinator, Timothy Brown, participated in one of the UCC's focus groups for Youth and Young Adult Ministry. Five groups were convened to offer direction and feedback to the denomination about ministry with youth and young adults. This group met at the Massachusetts Conference Center in Framingham. Video clips from the focus groups are available online at video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKadfLT-a44. About "Newsbits"You'll find "Newsbits" in the lower left corner of our home page. It provides quick links to recent news items that may be of interest to Coalition members. We'll also be giving you the headlines in Ripples, but if you want to catch breaking news as it happens, just check our website regularly! www.ucccoalition.org Newsbits: NewsNewsbits: Organizing for JusticeUpcoming Coalition EventsOn the Road with TimOn the Road with Gwen
On the Road with Tim
Ecumenical ONA TrainingsThe Believe Out Loud Power Summit is an advanced training for leaders in the Welcoming Church Movement. Programming will include concrete skills-building in key areas of organizing and movement building, action-planning within our denominations and in partnership with local and state-wide secular efforts, dynamic worship, and visioning about the world we want to leave for our children. The Summit is scheduled for October 9–11, 2010, in Orlando, FL. Registration is free, but you are responsible for your own travel, lodging, and meals. To learn more, visit http://www.welcomingresources.org/BelieveOutLoud.htm. BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE CHURCH TRAININGS
See also http://www.welcomingresources.org/trainings.htm. Upcoming UCC eventsIn September, 2010, we have a great opportunity to take our National Gathering 2010 theme, Any Body, Everybody, Christ's Body, deeper. We can join the UCC Mental Illness Network and UCC Disabilities Ministries for Widening the Welcome: Inclusion for All, in St. Louis, MO, September 23–26, 2010. At least one out of four families in your congregation is affected by a mental illness/brain disorder or disability. What a great time to continue the conversation begun in San Diego, CA! You can learn more about this opportunity at http://www.moredomainsforless.com/wideningthewelcome/index.htm. The Association of United Church Educators (http://www.auce-educators.org) will be hosting their regional gatherings:
The UCC New Church Leadership Institute offers resources for UCC church planters, re-developers, and conference staff. Watch for a variety of training opportunities relating to church growth at growtheucc.memberlodge.org/Default.aspx. Upcoming event topics include:
Also:
The next General Synod of the UCC will be held July 1-5, 2011, in Tampa, FL. For more opportunities, watch the UCC calendar at www.ucc.org/calendar/. Regional Coalition/ONA effortsMore Upcoming EventsThe first annual FamilyFest event will be held at the Paris Resort and Casino, in the heart of the world-famous Las Vegas strip, August 6–8, 2010. Under the theme of “A Celebration of Life," we will come to celebrate our style, challenge our minds, restore our bodies, and encourage our spirits. FamilyFest will conclude with a gospel brunch on Sunday, August 8, 2010, with gospel music and a keynote by Bishop Yvette Flunder. For more information, visit www.familyfestlasvegas.com. PFLAG Northeast Iowa will be hosting a multi-state, multi-organizational event on the campus of Luther College in Decorah, IA. Achieving Marriage Equality in the Heartland: Lessons from Iowa will be held August 13–14, 2010. The conference will bring Midwestern PFLAG and allied organizations, faith-based groups, legislative leaders and policy makers together to explore how to expand marriage equality to our neighboring states, how to preserve marriage equality in Iowa, and ways to build alliances and support for achieving marriage equality throughout the heartland. For further information, contact Bill Musser at billmusser@hotmail.com. Sisters in a Strange Land: A Retreat for Christian Lesbians will be held at the Leaven Center in Lyons, MI, August 20–22, 2010. If you have been longing to connect with sisters who claim both their lesbian and their Christian identities, Sisters in a Strange Land is the place for you! To learn more, visit www.leaven.org/upcoming.htm. Sisterly Conversations 2010: Honoring Our Diversities will be led by Virginia R. Mollenkott and Mary E. Hunt, September 10–12, 2010, at the Kirkridge Retreat Center in Bangor, PA. Each year we gather at Kirkridge as lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender women and our allies. This year we will focus on honoring our community's great diversities of gender identities, lifestyles, political outlooks, religious and spiritual practices, races/colors, health issues, levels of "outness," etc. Our plenary and small-group conversations will be stimulated by presentations by Mary Hunt ("Bridging Women's Cultural Differences") and by Virginia Mollenkott ("Biblical Insights about the Otherness within Our Oneness"). For more information, please visit http://www.kirkridge.org/programs/current-programs/9/10-to-9/12/2010---sisterly-conversations---mollenkott-and-hunt-294-137.html. Families in the Desert, sponsored by the Family Equality Council, will be held in Palm Desert, CA, October 8–10, 2010. LGBT families from all over the country will come together for a weekend of community-building and relaxing by the pool. For more details, visit www.familyequality.org/desert. Regional Fellowship Meetings hosted by The Fellowship's Regional Administrators and local host pastors will be coming in Fall 2010. Watch for more details at www.radicallyinclusive.com.
The Human Rights Campaign will organize Clergy Call 2011 in Washington, DC, May 22–24, 2011. Check back for more details at www.hrc.org/issues/religion/9194.htm as the dates draw near. The Fellowship's 2011 Annual Convocation will be held in Las Vegas, NV, July 6–10, 2011. Save the dates! The 2011 conference of the Evangelical Network will be held in Austin, TX, July 7–10, 2011. Watch www.theevangelicalnetwork.net for more details. The Equality Federation calendar is another great place you might look for local events. Visit that calendar at http://www.equalityfederation.org/template.aspx?id=801. Job AnnouncementsSeeking Music DirectorFirst Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington, DC, is looking for a part-time Director of Music. Must be willing to expand our repertoire to include multicultural music and to work with the ministerial staff to include the children & youth more fully in the music program of the church. Full description at www.fccuccdc.org. Equality Federation Job AnnouncementsThe Equality Federation keeps an up-to-date list of openings in state-based lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy organizations. Please refer to http://www.equalityfederation.org/template.aspx?id=15. Scholarship ListingsThe Human Rights Campaign maintains a database of scholarship opportunities for LGBT and allied students. Review it yourself at www.hrc.org/issues/youth_and_campus_activism/8644.htm. |
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