2008 National Gathering Report

The second biannual National Gathering of Faithful and Welcoming Churches was held at the UCC's "church house" in Cleveland, Ohio, and the adjoining Radisson Hotel, owned by the UCC. About 70 people from 12 conferences participated in the gathering. Click here to view pictures from the event. Faithful and Welcoming Churches is a network of ECOT (evangelical, conservative, orthodox, or traditional) pastors and congregations in the United Church of Christ.

Worship with Jim Heidinger

The gathering opened with worship Thursday night, including a message from Rev. James V. Heidinger II, Publisher of Good News Magazine, gave the address during the meeting. He shared encouraging stories from renewal efforts in the United Methodist Church, and declared, "The work of renewal is a necessary, right, and urgent work." To read Jim Heidinger's full address, including his five basic convictions, click here (PDF, 598k).

Open Forum with John Thomas

UCC President and General Minister John Thomas, now in the final year of his two terms in office, met with us Friday morning. John commended FWC for reminding the UCC of its "core theological convictions," and shared his perspectives on the Preamble to the UCC Constitution. He quoted Douglas Horton, who said that worship is "the happy balance of creativity and solidarity," and said that the UCC's history is one of seeking that same balance in matters theological.

Our archives indicate that during the drafting of our Preamble, the phrase "...and to preserve the historic faith from all error" was proposed and then omitted. For a manuscript of John Thomas' address, click here.

Roundtable with UCC Officers

Friday afternoon three members of the UCC's collegium of officers met with the FWC for a roundtable discussion, responding both to prepared questions that had been submitted in advance and to open questions. John Thomas was joined for this session by Cally Rogers-Witte, Executive Minister for Wider Church Ministries, and Steve Sterner, Interim Executive Minister for Local Church Ministries.

The theme of the session was following up on FWC's 2007 General Synod resolution asking for increased representation of ECOT perspectives in the wider church. Among the conversation topics and responses were the following points -

• As for increasing ECOT participation on various boards at the national level, most nominations come through the conferences. ECOT members should become active in their own conferences and then indicate interest in various areas of church.
• Questions regarding the UCC presidential search process should be directed to Dr. Henry Simmons, chair of the search committee or to the staff member facilitating the process. For more background and contact information, click here.
• John Thomas is willing to initiate an internal conversation about linking FWC with the UCC web page.
• Issues with ECOT pastoral availability are not just about ECOTs. There are currently 600 pulpit vacancies in the UCC, and only 200 pastoral profiles circulating. ECOT churches should nurture and help call ECOT pastors, working through evangelical seminaries such as Fuller and Gordon-Conwell.
• Questions about unfair treatment of ECOT clergy should be addressed directly with Church and Ministry Committees, conference staff, and, if necessary, conference Boards of Directors.
• National staff people receive 50-100 e-mails a day. Often a phone call will get better response, because "the phone doesn't ring as often."
• The theological position of the UCC is still that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior and head of the church. Ordination is up to associations, but John Thomas said he personally would have a hard time approving any candidate for ordination who did not affirm Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Workshops

Workshops provided the group an opportunity to learn more and interact in small groups. You can experience many of the workshops vicariously by following the links below.

• UCC Legacy - FWC Board member John Brown shared a "Power Point" to orient group members to the heritage of the UCC. To view the Power Point presentation, click here.

• Introduction to FWC - FWC Board member John Roberts gave an overview of the history of FWC and its goals on a Power Point presentation. You may also request a 20-minute DVD created by FWC President Bob Thompson that overviews some of this same material. To order this free resource, e-mail or call 828.328.6196, ext. 216.

• Christ for India - Rick Mortimer shared the ministry of this fine ECOT-friendly mission organization that FWC churches may want to consider supporting. For more, click here.

• ALPHA Renewal - FWC Board member John Wagner has found the ALPHA program very useful in bringing new life to congregations. For more on ALPHA USA, click here.

• Strategic Teams - Bill Boylan, pastor of Byfield Parish Church, and Jim Harrell, UCC team leader, shared their experiences and perspective of how ECOT churches in the UCC can participate through prayer, networking, and presence for renewal in the UCC. The congregation has a vision for developing an "Overseed" ministry of renewing congregations with ECOT leadership.

• Mainline Renewal Efforts - Serena Sargent, representing the Association for Church Renewal, gave a history of renewal efforts in mainline churches and an overview of the current scene. She was joined for the Q&A time by Jim Heidinger, Chairman of ACR. To view her PowerPoint presentation, click here.

• How Did we Get Here? - FWC Board member Steve Clifford shared stories from more than two decades of experiences with renewal efforts in the UCC.

• UCC Polity - FWC Board member Greg Kenney interacted with attendees and national staff members concerning the structure of the United Church of Christ.

• Tour of the Church House - Gwen Thomas of the Still Speaking Initiative and other national staff members hosted a tour of the Amistad Chapel and other key areas of the "church house."

West Side Hungarian Reformed Church

On Friday evening, National Gathering participants car pooled to West Cleveland, where a Calvin Synod congregation hosted our dinner and provided a program. Rev. Zoltan Kelemen, pastor of West Side Hungarian Reformed Church, coordinated the evening, which included generous portions of traditional Hungarian dishes, served family style. Then Rev. Kelemen shared a historical overview of the journey of Hungarian Reformed Christians from their homeland to America in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The Hungarian Reformed story is told in the stained glass windows of the church. Calvin Synod pastors also shared how this body became part of the United Church of Christ, still maintaining its ECOT distinctives as a separate conference of the UCC. Rev. Kelemen has posted an article about the FWC visit online.

Business Session

The Saturday morning business session allowed delegates to the National Gathering to help prioritize FWC's work in the next two years. Delegates first brainstormed possible priorities, then cast their votes for what's most important. Here are the top priorities commended to FWC's board from now through 2010, our next National Gathering -

• Recruit ECOT seminarians for UCC ministry from both UCC and non-UCC seminaries (see below)

• Plan for an active FWC presence at General Synod XXVII in Grand Rapids, MI

• Open a dialogue with national UCC office and conferences about finding ways FWC and other ECOT congregations can designate their giving to ECOT-friendly projects

• Assist churches looking for ECOT pastors (see below)

• Publish a regional or national FWC newsletter

Conversation with Dick Sparrow

Three FWC board members met with Dick Sparrow, Minister and Team Leader of Parish Life and Leadership, on Thursday afternoon prior to the opening of the FWC National Gathering. The purpose of the meeting was to explore ways to recruit, train, and place more ECOT pastors in churches that need them.

Rev. Sparrow urged us to think about recruitment of pastors as a local church-based process for prayer and discernment, and to encourage ECOT pastors considering the UCC to go through our system - local church membership, in care status, and use of the Parish Life and Leadership resources and placement system. This will be an ongoing and continued priority of FWC, encompassing two bullets among our top five priorities. Stay tuned!

Summary

The number one question I was asked on my return was, "How did it go?" For the most part, those who ask the question don't have time for the report above, much less the details on the web links.

So here's my short answer in two parts:

• First, our goal for meeting in Cleveland was to connect with UCC leaders, build trust, and continue to work on leveling the playing field for ECOT concerns in the UCC. We achieved all of that and more as we both listened to our leaders and shared our perspectives.

• Second, what I personally did not expect was a sense of renewed energy, passion, and vision for the future. A focus on recruiting, training, and placing ECOT pastors in UCC churches that want them is an achievable goal that can give focus to our organization moving forward. Pray with us and for us!

Bob Thompson, FWC President