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Lay Delegate Jennifer Spears' report on Southeast Conference Annual Meeting, June 7-9, 2007, Atlanta , Central Congregational UCC
This was my second year attending a meeting of the Conference. I was present in June 2006 at the meeting in Birmingham , Ala. , and this year journeyed to Atlanta for my second Conference meeting.
THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2007
The conference for me actually began on Thursday. I was present for the Theology Among the People banquet and commencement ceremony. The evening began with a wonderfully prepared and catered meal in the dining hall at Central. Kathy Clark, TAP program director, introduced us to TAP facilitators and honored guests, among them Dr. John A. Thomas, president and general minister of the United Church of Christ.
She then proceeded to call each church by name and recognize and introduce each person present from that congregation. Carolyn Hayford, one of our students-in-care, and I were both present for this, since we are TAP participants at Garden of Grace .
Rev. Clark also introduced us to members of the group who were chosen to attend General Synod in Hartford , CT , June 21-26. Among them were Ginny Nixon, Martha Lammers, Cathy Lips, Jeanne Elrod and Vanessa Robbs. Vanessa is a 2006 TAP graduate, serves on the board of directors of the Southeast Conference as vice-moderator, serves on the TAP Advisory Committee and is a delegate to Synod from the conference. Ginny, as well as being a TAP student, serves on the TAP Advisory Committee. And Jeanne, also a current TAP student, is one of the six delegates to Synod from the Southeast Conference.
After dinner, we proceeded to the sanctuary at Central, where we enjoyed a message on “Equipping Prophets and Apostles” from Southeast Conference Minister the Rev. Dr. Timothy C. Downs, reflection and prayer from Dr. Thomas, and the commencement ceremonies themselves. It was a blessing to witness the TAP graduates of Midway Congregational UCC from Midway, Ga. , who had labored for 7 years to complete the course. They had persevered, even after 2 of their original students passed away during the courses. Dr. Thomas congratulated each graduate and helped present their certificates.
One of the Midway graduates, Deborah Robinson, read a moving tribute and remembrance to their two departed members, Gladys Harris and Lillie Gillard. The three ladies who graduated - Ms. Robinson, Dorothy Mosely and Sallie Richardson - were clearly beloved by all present with the knowledge of what they had endured to reach commencement.
In all, there were 11 TAP graduates recognized for 2007 - the 5 from Midway UCC, 3 at Victory UCC in Stone Mountain, Ga., and Community UCC and First Congregational UCC, both of Montgomery, Ala., with 2 and 1 graduates, respectively.
During the service, a total of eight ministers took part. Rev. Susan Mitchell of Sankofa UCC in Atlanta presented a liturgical dance, while Rev. Elizabeth Clement of First Congregational UCC in Atlanta delighted us with two soaring and emotional solos. Rev. Clement is also a TAP facilitator. We were also treated to trumpet music by Greg Holland and a virtuoso organ presentation by Michael Morgan.
The evening ended too soon with prayer over the graduates and a benediction, both by Dr. Thomas.
FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 2007
Opening day of the Annual Meeting. I fully expected a long, packed and activity-intense day and I was not disappointed. Registration began early, at 8 a.m., and a continental breakfast was available. And of course, there was plenty of hot coffee, of which I readily availed myself!
The meeting began at 9 a.m. with a Leadership Convocation led by Dr. Thomas on “From Respectable Religion to Evangelical Faith.” There was much food for thought delivered by our president during this time. He touched on a number of thoughts that tied the message together quite nicely.
Some of the observations he delivered are most noteworthy. He explained how the church has been seduced away from evangelical faith by respectable religion. “Evangelical” has been a term that has become demonized in the past few years and one that he urged us to reclaim.
And he urged us all to read Romans 12. It contains much sound advice.
He paused at this point and looked at us all quietly and said, “What is your only comfort in life?” He paused again, and said, “I belong to Jesus.” I was stunned at the simplicity of this, and realized its towering truth. “Do not be conformed, be transformed,” he continued. This does seem to be the understated mantra by which he and others within our leadership live. Again, a stunningly simple statement of outstanding brightness.
Other observations he made which have resonated:
o Hear, trust and obey - in life and in death;
o The church doesn't seem to realize how unethical conventionally respectable life can be;
o The church has been seduced by respectability;
o He is the first UCC general minister NOT invited to the White House (he shrugged his shoulders at this point and said, “Oh, well …” - he didn't seem disappointed in the least by this glaring omission)
o Too often, the Bible is used to uphold convention;
o Respectable religion does not want to stand out, while evangelical faith is odd and not bothered by being embarrassed;
o He is known as “The Spongebob Minister” due to having his picture taken with a Spongebob character in his office once, and the picture was used to represent him in a century-ending photo collage of ministry. He was quite able to poke fun at himself over this.
All in all, his message during this leadership segment was informative, casually delivered and the kind that makes you suddenly sit up days later and go “Wow! What did he mean by THAT?” It was indicative of the man that he is, both as a human being and as our general minister.
Following lunch on Friday, our afternoon convocation was led by the Rev. Dr. Edwin Aponte, vice president of academic affairs and dean at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Lancaster , Pa. The subject was “Globalizing the Sacred: Lation/a Theologies, Immigration, and Biblical Justice.”
I honestly had no idea what to expect from this session, and despite myself, I found I could not stop thinking about what he was saying. Dr. Aponte's area of scholarship specializes in the intersection of religious faith and culture, Hispanic/Latino religions, African-American religions, North American religious history, and congregational studies. He also utilized a relatively new book, “The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity” by Philip Jenkins, to establish his points. He also, though, cautioned us that he did have problems with some of the conclusions Jenkins had reached.
Among those conclusions:
o The era of Western Christianity is over, the era of Southern Christianity has begun (by Southern he means the Southern Hemisphere of Earth, i.e., Central America, Africa, Latin America);
o By the year 2050, only 1 in 5 Christians will be a non-Latino white person, the center of gravity of the Christian world will shift to the Southern Hemisphere (Aponte drove this point home by observing how Christianity had begun and dominated in the Middle East and Europe, then shifted to North America and is now shifting to the Southern Hemisphere);
o By 2050, of approximately 2.6 billion Christians, 633 million will live in Africa, 640 million in Latin America and 460 million in Asia ;
o Newer Southern Hemisphere churches preach: deep personal faith, communal orthodoxy, mysticism and Puritanism;
o Future dominant churches may have more in common with medieval or early modern European Christians.
He went on to talk with us about Christianity and Christendom, and the practice of Santo in various places, and how even that differs. He even used rock guitar star Carlos Santana as an example of cosmic spirituality. That puts me in mind of the young priest in the movie “Shoes of the Fisherman” who talked about the Cosmic Christ. I was a little surprised to hear such a parallel drawn but realized that Santana has long been a spiritual person.
Once again, we had been given a different perspective on the tried-and-true, staid way of “doing business” as Christians. It was some deep food for thought.
We adjourned for the afternoon around 3 p.m. and were free until suppertime while the Southeast Conference board of directors held its meeting.
The evening worship began at 7 p.m. with Dr. Thomas bringing the message, “This Old House.” He was of course using the old Bob Vila show of the same name to make his point. Once again, it was much food for thought and left us all spiritually enervated. We were graced by the Sanctuary Choir of Victory UCC, Stone Mountain .
After the worship service concluded, an ice cream social and birthday celebration in honor of 50 years of the UCC was held. Dr. Thomas blew out the candles on a birthday cake with 50 candles! What a wonderful testament to the humility of the man!
The quite long day concluded between 8:30 and 9 p.m. and everyone dispersed until Saturday.
SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 2007
The big day: memorial remembrances, worship, business meeting. It was to be another packed day, but one which I had anticipated and looked forward to for an entire year. Pastor Andy, lay delegate Richard Kiraly and myself were not able to stay for the business meeting in Birmingham in 2006 due to being so far away and having to get back to South Carolina to fulfill our obligations. This year, however, the closeness of Atlanta lent itself to a full involvement.
Garden of Grace was powerfully represented with almost 20 percent of our congregation present. Our music team, led by Mike Hughes and augmented by other wonderful singers from the Southeast Conference, formed a Conference Choir for Saturday morning worship and was over 30 strong! As well, Garden of Grace 's choir gave a presentation of Praise You!, which rocked the church with its soaring glory.
All the congregations which had lost members in the last two years were asked to come forward and read the names of those saints who had passed on from this veil. Pastor Andy evoked the names of our beloved friends and family Mike Wilson, William Stabler and Nancy Davis, all of whom we lost during the span of only 10 months in 2006. It was a sobering time and one which bore witness to the impact of these departed from us. One congregation, host church Central, had lost close to 20 members in the two-year span. The bassist sitting beside me confirmed that it had been quite a difficult time.
Our morning message was brought by the Rev. Donna Allen, who has just recently joined the faculty of Lancaster Theological Seminary. She also founded a “radically inclusive” church in Oakland , of which she and I spoke briefly after services concluded.
If we had been comfortable and relaxed in our seats before her message, we were abruptly awakened! This woman had a powerful message to deliver, and she didn't hesitate to use her persuasive manner to get her message across. She delivered in short, quick thrusts that had “Amen!” and “Tell it now!” emanating from the congregation. She used her tall frame and long arms to devastating effect, as well as the hardwood floor upon which she stood (amazing what boot heels can do on such a floor!). She was quite the mix of old-style camp meeting revivalist and black gospel preacher, one who you just knew could have preached for an hour or better. She brought her “No More Strangers” home to roost and had us all willing to go out and spread the Word by the time she finished. I have heard many public speakers in my life, but I am not sure I have ever heard anymore more effective than she was.
After services concluded, we all spread out to the various hearings that were being held, ones relevant to the upcoming business meeting. I attended a hearing chaired by Vanessa Robbs and assisted by Southeast Conference board member Jennifer Crane Moss in the appropriately named “Fireplace Room”.
The subject was the possibility of changing the meeting time of the annual Conference meeting from early summer (currently in June) to the fall. The main reason for this being put forward was due to the fact of how the budget of the SEC has been presented and approved. It got confusing at times, but what it boils down to is: The SEC, at each annual meeting, has up until now approved a budget halfway through the calendar year for that current calendar year. From January until June, the board (acting for the Conference) has been entrusted to do the right thing and spend the Conference money wisely, and the budget is then approved halfway through the current year, which grandfathers in expenditures already committed to by the board. This did not sit well with those attending the hearing, even though we all made clear that as much as we trust the board to act in a Christian manner, it is simply not good business. We all eventually agreed that this should remain in place for this year and be changed by the board for 2009. If the board presents a budget for 2008 and ahead of time for 2009 at the annual meeting in 2008, then we are utilizing good, sound business practice and looking ahead, not behind. This was part of the recommendation which Vanessa Robbs was to carry to the board.
Almost immediately, the consensus about shifting the meeting time was this idea would pose a number of logistical problems for delegates and those just wishing to attend Conference gathering. One issue that I raised right away was the distinct possibility of contending with college football games in the same town where Conference was being held. Some at first pooh-poohed this idea, but others quickly weighed in to point out that this was very real, that even procuring hotel rooms might be problematic in such a case. There was also the issue of traffic if, for example, we were in Tennessee and the UT Volunteers were playing, or we were in Alabama and either Alabama or Auburn were playing home games. Those present who didn't follow college and high school sports recognized the legitimacy of this point of view.
Also pointed out as a very real problem was the fact that schools would be back in session. And vacation times would be over, and folks who were delegates would quite probably not be able to attend. There were teachers present at the hearing who said they definitely would not be able to attend as their delegate duties prescribed if the meeting was moved to the fall.
It was the recommendation of those at the hearing that the meeting be kept in the first two weeks of June as the best time to meet and that the budget be presented for the next budget year at annual meeting. Vanessa Robbs promised to pass this along during the business meeting (which she did) and to the board when they meet next, in September I believe.
Business meeting, Saturday afternoon
Southeast Conference Moderator the Rev. Dorothy Gager called the business session to order right at 1 p.m.
Ministers were recognized, roll call was conducted and then the board of directors and General Synod delegates were introduced. The agenda and standing rules were adopted and the actual business got under way.
The minutes of the 40th Annual Meeting (June 2006, Birmingham , Ala. ) were presented and approved.
Then SEC Treasurer Jim Crabb presented the budget for 2007 and the outline of the process for the 2008 budget. He was also recognized for his service in this post, since he is retiring and a new treasurer is taking over.
We then heard from Nancy Chorpenning on recognition of Covenant Keepers and Strive to Tithe congregations. Garden of Grace was recognized as a Convenant Keeper and Pastor Andy Sidden accepted our plaque.
At this point, Ginny Nixon of Pleasant Hill Community Church in Pleasant Hill , Tenn. , presented the report of the Bylaws Committee. This process, which has been under way for more than a year, was presented for "test driving" last year, revising the outdated bylaws of the Southeast Conference and bringing it more in line with the national level. The revised bylaws had been available to view on the SEC website since June 2006.
Then came Speakout time, at which any member of the Southeast Conference has 3 minutes to speak on any issue not on the agenda. The business meeting was moving along very swiftly and it was becoming clear we were going to finish ahead of time.
Once Speakout was concluded, discussion of the annual meeting date was presented by Vanessa Robbs, and she highlighted the many points that had been made that morning. We also, at this point, heard the report of the Nominating Committee.
Next up was a report on the Capital Campaign from Rev. Susan Mitchell of Sankofa UCC in Atlanta .
Then came staff reports from Rev. Will Rabert (who is retiring from his position as director of the Disaster Assistance Relief Team), Rev. Cameron Trimble, Rev. Kathy Clark and Rev. Dr. Tim Downs. Cameron is the associate conference minister for church development, Kathy is associate conference minister and director of the Theology Among the People program and Tim is our conference minister, having just completed 11 years in that position.
(One joyful aside note ~ There was a new computer being given away to the church with the most members present. As Cameron pointed out, the only fair way to do this was base it on the proportionate number of the church's congregation present. And on that basis, the people of Midway Congregational were adjudged the winners! This choice met with wide approval and loud applause. The ladies of Midway who had just graduated TAP were sentimental favorites of everyone and they gleefully accepted this gift. As one member of Pleasant Hill observed to me, “Thank goodness! We don't need another computer!” Pleasant Hill almost always has the most members present at annual meeting.)
There was then a motion to accept the annual reports, which was seconded and passed. All the business on the agenda that required a vote was approved.
Various other business followed this, and we adjourned at 4 p.m., almost an hour ahead of the projected time!
OBSERVATIONS AND IMPRESSIONS
I must apologize for not making this report available sooner. Immediately after returning home from Conference, I was required to work a 7-day stretch at my regular fulltime job, and then had to prepare for my trip to General Synod. I was gone a week with that, and have, at the time of finishing this report, been home for a week and working once more. I am just now getting enough time to finish and forward this report, early on the morning of July 4th.
The entire process of Conference meeting in 2007 was so different than 2006. Things were not mystifying anymore, we were no longer the newest church on the block, and we had a number of contacts and friends to reconnect with during the meeting.
I know I was much more comfortable this time around and the fact that my hotel room was only about a mile or so away made for much easier travel.
Central Congregational is a beautiful church, set among woods and with an absolutely gorgeous sanctuary and pipe organ. I am sure the members of our choir who were present for the service enjoyed the atmosphere.
From the friendliness and helpfulness of the Central folks to the richness of being amongst other Christians going about the Lord's work, the work as a delegate from Garden of Grace to Southeast Conference continues to fulfill my soul and bless me with knowing I am representing my church in “tilling the field” in Jesus' name.
Church business might sound dull and uninviting, but I assure you it is not. On the Conference level, you see definitive results. The actions we take at the local level echo upward through Association, Conference and national levels. We in Columbia are “where the rubber meets the road.”
We are well-known already in the Southeast Conference for our work as a “5 for 5” congregation, from our giving to Our Church's Wider Mission ($3,589.00 in 2006) to Neighbors In Need ($497.00 in 2006) and being an Open and Affirming (ONA) congregation. We have made a significant impact within the United Church of Christ after just 14 months of official membership within this vibrant denomination.
And as I observed to several people at annual meeting, with 11 of our 120-member congregation involved in the TAP program, we can look proudly at the ratio of having right at 10% of our group involved in this lay ministry program. Although the Southeast Conference's TAP program does not directly lead to licensure as a lay minister, it lays most of the groundwork should a person choose to continue following that path. And those within Conference are very much aware of our participation in this program.
One item of which we all should be aware at this point: If I understand the process correctly, we are in a position to have THREE elected delegates to Conference each year, as well as our pastor, and once we pass the 150-member mark, I believe we are eligible to have FOUR elected delegates to Conference. I will check on this further just to be absolutely certain.
From meeting our president and general minister to TAP graduation; from leadership convocation speakers to worship services; from hearings to voting on Conference matters; to seeing old friends and making new ones -- the 2007 trip was one in which I saw how much everyone loved seeing us participate, and our enthusiasm for the work of the United Church of Christ.
It continues to be a journey which is fulfilling to the soul, and a blessing of immense proportions in the field of Christian ministry.
Respectfully submitted,
This 4th of July, 2007 ~
(Jennifer Spears, lay delegate)