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by Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane, Editor
August/September 2006
It was the moment everyone at the Massachusetts Conference’s 207th Annual Meeting had been waiting for. After hearing Minister & President Candidate Jim Antal speak at Friday afternoon’s plenary session, answer questions taken from the floor, and then preach at Friday night’s worship, delegates were finally given a chance to officially nominate and vote following the service.
After the benediction, Dr. Antal walked through Abbey Chapel’s doorway and waited outside while Annual Meeting was reconvened by moderator Katrina Clinton. Board Chair Nancy Lawrence made a motion to accept the search committee’s recommendation to elect Antal. 
After a second, Clinton called for all those in favor of the motion and suddenly Abbey Chapel – normally filled with voices reaching high to the rafters – was painted in a sea of red cards reaching high to the ceiling.
In a resounding vote of approval, the motion carried unanimously. Antal was escorted back into the building to find himself surrounded by thunderous applause. His reaction was marked by gratitude with humbleness. “I did not come home to take a job,” he said. “I am responding to a call; a call to do for the common good.”
Antal offered gratitude to the search committee, Board of Directors, staff, and members. But he also acknowledged the grief that many were feeling about the recent changes in the Conference.
“Many of you have faithfully devoted endless hours sharing your views and listening carefully to the views of others. In this painful process, many have shown courage, many have engaged in dialog, many have prayed – seeking God’s consolation and insight,” Antal said.
“The challenges we face can be overwhelming,” he continued. “But we take courage because we do not labor alone. We have each other, we have the Church, we have people of good will the world over and we have our
God to fill our hearts with hope and give us the strength we need.”
There was an overview of the Rev. Dr. Jim Antal’s background and biography in the last issue of the Mass. Conference News, which can be found at www.macucc.org/ucnews. Antal’s comments to plenary and his sermon in audio and text format are posted at www.macucc.org
Antal will start serving as Minister and President September 1st. See part of Antal's address below ...
A portion of Rev. Dr. Jim Antal’s Annual Meeting address is below. For full coverage, go to http://www.macucc.org/207AM/audio.htm
I see a world:
where millions live in poverty, suffering from hunger and disease.
A world:
brought closer together by digital communications, yet whose citizens are increasingly fearful of other cultures.
A world:
threatened by global warming, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
I see a nation:
where the gap between the rich and the poor grows ever wider.
A nation:
where millions live without adequate health care.
where public schools and day care centers are undervalued.
I see a state:
with a long and noble history of being in the forefront of movements for
democracy and inclusion.
A state:
with a strong religious heritage, where many faiths have flourished
but where discord persists.
I see a church:
with a proud past, now struggling to find its role in an increasingly
secular society.
A church:
that respects the division between church and state, but also believes that Christians should be guided by conscience and that
government should be morally accountable.
A church:
that is on the road to greater vitality,
even if the next turn is not always visible.