Yesterday was a strange day indeed.  I’ve already written about my feelings during the morning committee deliberations.  I continued to be bothered by the implications of that throughout the afternoon and engaged in many conversations with different folks about it. 

In the business sessions yesterday many of the resolutions passed quickly and easily.  There were some process issues where the Synod was not run well.  The nominating committee report and ballot were very poorly done and generated lots of confusion.  The church wants to be green and so doesn’t want to print lots of paper, but yet they are not effectively using technology and the internet.  Some less tech-savvy attendees are confused by not having paper.  The more tech-savvy are okay with that but are confused because the technology is not being used effectively and in the high speed way that many are used to.   This issue has come up time and again throughout the proceedings.

The big vote yesterday evening was on changing the constitutiona nd by-laws to implement a General Synod resolution from 2005 changing the way the churches authorizes ministers.  For some reason the floor debate kept returning to the issue which was really debated four years ago.  Amendments kept being proposed that kept generating the same debate by trying 2-3 different ways of amending one line in this huge proposal.  There were important other topics in the proposal which our conference, at least, wanted to discuss, but debate ended before those were ever raised.  I found it very frustrating.  Fortunately the changes must be approved by 3/4ths of the conferences, so we will be discussing it at our K-O annual meeting, and I plan on bringing a resolution to address some og my concerns in the proposal.

One of my concerns, and the one that its seems like a handful of folk share, changes the designation of “Students-In-Care” to “Members-In-Discernment.”  It was done because in the multiple path approach, not everyone is a student and it was considered patronizing to some folk.  The objections include the following.  “In-Care” is standard terminology across denominations and in seminaries.  It is a concept well understood by congregations and lay people.  The emphasis is on the community caring for the member and not on the member’s own discernment process, which is merely one component of the in-care process.  When I call my student-in-care about once a month, I not only ask about his discernment, I ask a whole range of questions about his studies, his spiritual life, his identity transition, his recreation, his relations with his family, his personal life, etc.  It is genuinely about care from a community during a time of transition and discernment.  This should NOT be lost.

My day closed by attending another 20/30 reception, this one hosted by the Pension Board, at which I had some questioned answered and stated some of my objections to some policies of the Board.

I may be boarding my flight soon, but there is much to write about this morning’s activities.  If I don’t get done, I’ll try to write it up this evening when I get home.

I need to write about the rest of today, but I am too tired. I may not get a chance to early in the morning, as I have to pack up before the first session. Maybe in the airport I can get some stuff done?

Okay, it really bothered me. Here’s the background.

The UCC is currently governed by four independent boards. There has been a multi-year effort to consolidate into one board, and the synod and various bodies of the church have expressed that desire. Recently the whole process was stalled when the Justice and Witness Board, which had previously approved, voted not to approve the consolidation because they felt that minorities would be underrepresented. I must clarify that the new single board would require that 50% of its make-up be from minority groups.

Well, it has caused a lot of upset and has been the major topic at synod. The Synod cannot now make the consolidation happen–the Justice and Witness Board will still need to vote for it. We can, however, express our desire.

The committee to which this topic was assigned drew hundreds of folk. The committee did its work diligently over two days and came back with a well thought out proposal that, if anything (in my opinion) errs on the side of just repeating the process of the last two years (of getting feedback from all the groups).

Another thing I must say, is that many minorities are for single governance. So, it isn’t like they are all of one mind.

During the meeting, those who are opposed to the plan held signs up (non-committee members cannot talk once official deliberation begins). One of the signs charged it was an undemocratic process. The other signs made similar sorts of charges. During pauses in the committee work, the opposition would sing protest songs.

I found the entire thing an attempt at intimidation and manipulation of a process that, if anything, bends over backwards to be deliberative. The committee (of well over 50 folk and including many minorities, including the chair) ended up unanimous with its proposal.

The weirdest moment for me came when the protestors sang, “We Shall Overcome.” I am not usually on the other side of that song. I’m usually with whatever group is advocating for their rights. I could help but feel that I was being called a racist. And that seemed manifestly unfair and itself an attempt to thwart the deliberative, intentional process.

The afternoon was filled with meaningful worship, as the Rev. John Thomas preached his final Synod sermon as our General Minister and President.  He talked, among other things, about realizing that if we are successful at some of our goals, it means losing our own privilege. 

The Cathedral of Hope, Dallas choir and orchestra performed. 

At the beginning of the service, all children and kids-at-heart were invited on-stage to play in the waterfall and pool that are on stage.  Yours truly had to participate of course.

After worship I skipped dinner and picked up some resources in the exhibit hall.  A book on congregational health ministries for Judy Hey and two copies of the new praise hymnal, one for Bill.  I also talked to the Pension Board about their benefits.

Then I grabbed a drink with some folks from Texas and we solved all the church’s problems!  And had a clear idea of what the UCC needed to be doing. 

Tonight the real nuts and bolts business resumed with committee meetings.  I was assigned to the committee discussing the resolution on a Justice Town Hall.  We had clear consensus that the underlying idea had some merit — getting more folk involved in Justice and Witness ministry and connecting the various settings of the Church — but that it didn’t need to be a Synod resolution and that the action it was calling for was something that the Justice and Witness Board could do already on its own.  We proposed taking “No Action.”

While in the committee meeting, I connected with the 2030 clergy group for the very first time and was invited to their reception following the committee meetings.  When I walked in and started meeting these folk, I was suddenly overcome with the feeling of “Finally, this is what I’ve been waiting for.”  I met lots of new folk and hope to form some good friendships.

Last year when the national media coverage of Jeremiah Wright and Trinity UCC erupted, the church’s national setting called for “Sacred Conversations on Race.”  They created a website, published materials, encouraged various activities in churches, etc.  Our own conferece passed a resolution asking for the conversations to continue.

This morning at the Synod was spent in such “conversations.”  There were a number of different sessions you could attend, each one focusing on a particular theme.  I went to the session entitled “Race and Immigration,” since immigration has been such an important topic in Oklahoma in recent years.

The presenter was the Rev. Dr. Daniel F. Romero who is a former conference minister of the Southern California Nevada Conference and who is now praciticing immigration law in Los Angeles.  Dr. Romero shared powerful stories of racism within current immigration policy.  He then shared a brief overview of America’s history of race and immigration.  He said that in many ways our history of immigration policy is our history of race.  He demonstrated how repeatedly in our history the fear of the outsider has been used to discriminate against various groups (in the 18th century it was the fear of German immigrants, for instance).

After lunch yesterday I walked across the Grand River to the park on the other side where the Synod was flying “God is Still Speaking” kites.  Then I visited the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum.  It is a competent museum, but not fantastic like the Truman one. 

Following lunch I attended a lecture by Ray Suarez, fomerly of NPR and now of PBS.  He spoke about the transition in America from urban neighborhoods to suburbs and the effects on churches.  It was an interesting analysis of shifting American culture and why suburban mega-churches have succeeded in the new culture better than traditional mainline churches.  In this new cultural environment there are no longer the array of neighborhood institutions which provide community and relationships.  The surburbs are actually intentionally designed to increase privacy and thwart relationship and community.  The large churches have, therefore, filled the gap by providing all the various activities and programs that used to be handled naturally in a neighborhood and by various institutions. 

I then perused a portion of the exhibit hall and bought a few more books (the package to be shipped home is growing!).  One is on loving language in a culture of lies.  I’m very intrigued by it.  Another incorporates and synthesizes liberation, postliberal, radical orthodox, Anabaptist (Yoder specifically), and Catholic Worker theologies.  It is written by a Spanish, Roman Catholic theologian who works with the poor in Madrid. I’m very interested to see how he synthesizes these various strands.

I heard the opening of Eric Alva’s presentation before heading over to Krista Tippett, host of NPR’s new program Speaking of Faith.  She spoke about the false assumptions that the mainstream media has about religion and people of faith.  One of those false assumptions, she said, is that belief is central for most people of faith.  The truth, she said, is that the way one lives, the practices one engages in, ritual and mystery, these are generally far more central to people of faith than belief is.

Following this presentation, Nance and I grabbed dinner at a Tapas restaurant.  I then spent a relaxing evening that included a nice long phone call with Michael, a good conversation with Kathy McCallie about the events of the day, a dip in the pool, browsing my new books, and then, later, drinks again with my friend Dan DeLeon.

Well, the Rev. Sam Askew just called about lunch and I’m off to join him.  Have a blessed 40th Anniversary of Stonewall!!!!!!!!

I’m up early for the Kansas-Oklahoma Caucus meeting.  But what a day yesterday was.

It began with morning prayers, filled with energizing music, and a speech by Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer-prize-winning Washington Post columnist and MSNBC contributor.  Robinson spoke about the current state of the African-American community in historical perspective.  He said that there never really was a single “Black America,” but it was once true that there was greater homogeneity.  Today there are significant new emerging groups; he focused on three.  The “transcendent blacks” like Oprah Winfrey, folks who sit at the heights of power and influence in a way that African-Americans never have before.  The new immigrant communities from Africa and the Caribbean.  He said that currently the most educated group of immigrants to America come from Africa.  The third group are mixed race people who identify as African-American and mixed race at the same time.  Robinson’s presentation will be helpful in our on-going Sacred Conversations on Race which the UCC has been engaged in the last year.

Following the opening session, I watched a little of Jason and DeMarco concert before heading to a workshop on creating budgets that inspire giving.  It was on a concept called a “narrative budget.”  The presentation itself was very poorly done, but I found the handed out materials to be interesting.  I want to do a little more looking into narrative budgets on my own.

I rounded out the morning by hearing Eboo Patel.  Eboo Patel is a member of President Barack Obama Administration’s New Faith Advisory Council. He is an American Muslim of Indian heritage and founder and executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based international nonprofit that promotes interfaith cooperation.

Patel spoke about the need for an interfaith movement in the way we have a racial justice or environmental movement and that every church needs to annually have interfaith projects like they have food drives and Habitat projects.  He said that we need to develop an interfaith framework, develop robust knowledge on the issue and our faith traditions’ history related to interfaith relations, and finally the skills to develop and maintain such a movement.

He spoke that the true contest in the world is between pluralists and extremists.  That really brought to focus our work in Oklahoma where consistently the same folk oppose gay rights, immigration, the Muslim community, etc.  There are those of us who believe in pluralistic, multi-cultural, diverse society, and those frightened by and working to oppose such. 

Well, I’m off to the caucus.  I’ll write later about yesterday afternoon, including an insightful speech by Ray Suarez.

At the luncheon I sat with Scott Gove, who is a member of Community of Hope in Tulsa and a young man planning on going into ministry. Scott is full of energy and quite talkative. At one point I saw Bill Johnson across the room and said to Scott, “Have you met Bill Johnson?” His eyes got wide and he said, “No, is he here?” and started looking around. He said, “He’s the reason I want to be a minister. Do you know him?” I said yes. “Will you introduce me?” Of course. After lunch we had to take lots of pictures so Scott could record the moment of meeting Bill.

Oh, I forgot to add that there are now over 800 ONA churches in the coalition. There were so many new ones this year they couldn’t spend time celebrating them. The goal is 1,200 by 2012.

From there it was off to the exhibit hall were I picked up a sack full of books in the $20 for everything you can fit in the bag section. I grabbed a handful of things to share with you when I return.

The first plenary handled mostly routine business. It was great to see K-O’s own Jane Tedder as assistant moderator. And the celebration of new churches was fun, especially because we have three in Oklahoma. It is quite clear that single governance will be the big issue we debate. We also learned, from Rev. Leslie Penrose, that the Justice and Witness Board discussed our eugenics resolution and has recommended it for passage.

Nance Cunningham met up with me at the plenary and went to dinner with me, Kathy McCallie, and other Oklahomans. We had a stimulating discussion of Christology.

The evening plenary included an introduction of our newly nominated General Minister Geoffrey Black and a celebration of Rev. Joseph H. Evans, our former General Minister, who died this year.

Evening worship was led by Rev. Otis Moss, III and the choir and dancers of Trinity UCC in Chicago. Rev. Moss preached a powerful sermon on the punctuation of God. I’m sure it will be on the UCC website; I encourage you to look. He said that only God can put periods and that humans always try to put a period on other people. But, in fact, we are commas and God is always putting commas. God is still working with us and still speaking to us. One of my favourite phrases of his was when he called God, “the Seamstress of the patchwork of our hearts.”

I rounded out the evening with drinks and catching up with my old friend Rev. Dan DeLeon, pastor of Friends Congregational in College Station, TX. Dan and I were Texas baptist youth ministers together.

Now, off to bed. An early start with worship at 8:30 in the morning!

BTW, I am taking pictures but forgot the connector cable. I’ll post them when i get home next week.

The morning began for me with a little reading before heading downstairs, where I ran into Rev. Sam Askew and Nancy Wolfe, both K-O folk. Nancy is currently VP of the Conference. After a chat with them, I headed out on a walking tour to take in the historic Hillside neighborhood.

I was struck by how much development and building is going on in Grand Rapids. Like most, all I’ve heard about Michigan is negative economically.

I observed an abortion protestor outside a clinic on the other side of the street. I reflected on what our conversation would have been had I been on that side of the street.

The Hillside neighborhood is filled with whimsical, Victorian homes, lovely little gardens, and cool shade trees. There is also an early Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie Style home which was impressive. None of them were open for tours on Fridays.

I head back through the Heartside district and was particularly struck by the Diocese of Grand Rapids and their Cathedral Square. Excellent landscape architecture has tied together there cathedral, offices, high school, bishop’s residence, and charities. It is a complex I would enjoy being associated with. Even the parking garage had nice design elements.

After a brief time of refreshing in the room, it was off to the LGBT Coalition Luncheon. Outside the ballroom I ran into a handful of friends, including Mike Piazza. I also, finally, met Kevin McLemore in person. During the luncheon I sat with fellow Oklahomans and Jo Hudson.

The speaker for the luncheon was Urvashi Vaid.  She spoke about zenophobia and homophobia and the current state of the gay liberation movement.  It was an inspiring speech about the work that lies ahead, particularly in buildling stronger coalitions for racial and economic justice.  She also powerfully argued that we are try to dismantle some elements of tradition because we have found a way to do some things differently.  I plan on reading some of her work after this.  If they post her presentation on-line, you should really see it or read it.

Tonight I had dinner, one-on-one, with Rev. Bill Johnson, who was the first openly gay man to be ordained by a denomination in the United States. Bill was ordained in 1972 by the UCC. He and I first met in 2006 and have been good friends since.

I followed that dinner with drinks with Rev. Kathy McCallie and Rev. Loyce Newton Edwards discussing the issues to be debated at the synod and goings-on in our Conference.

The big topic of discussion is the proposal for centralized governance. Should we eliminate the boards of the various commissions and create one board to oversee the entire church. Objections have been raised by racial minorities who are worried that they will be underrepresented.