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Minister
and President’s Message
A challenge to churches to claim their UCC identity
September,
2003
By
Nancy S. Taylor
In John Thomas’ Middle East Trip Journal the General Minister and
President of the United Church of Christ reflects on his recent pilgrimage
to the Middle East. Along with the other members of our UCC delegation,
John Thomas conferred with mission partners in Cairo, Jerusalem, Istanbul
and Beirut. They met with heads of state, consulted with the Armenian
Patriarch of Constantinople, and were accorded red carpet treatment
in Beirut by the General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches.
Since its birth in 1957 (from the joining together of four previous
denominations including the Congregational churches) the United Church
of Christ has earned respect as a valued ecumenical partner in the
complex swirl of religious, cultural and political turbulence that
agitate the Middle East. The United Church of Christ plays an important
role in the building of interactive and constructive relationships
that are the only hope for the reconciliation, healing and bridge-building
so sorely needed in that region.
As I read John Thomas’ journal, I reflected on the contrast between
how well the UCC is known in the Middle East and how poorly it is
known here... even here in Massachusetts where we are the largest
Protestant
denomination. It is estimated that 80% of the people in our UCC pews
in Massachusetts do not even know they are in a United Church of
Christ congregation. Thus, how can they celebrate their part in the
UCC’s
efforts in the Middle East or, for that matter, in Africa, Asia,
and across the globe? Do they know that John Thomas represented them
and
brought their prayers and best wishes to the suffering people of
the Middle East? Do they know that their mission dollars (through
Our Churches
Wider Mission, One Great Hour of Sharing and Church World Service
appeals) bring hope and Christian companionship to this troubled
region in the
name of the United Church of Christ?* When they read of violence
between Palestinians and Israelis, do they take comfort in the fact
of their
own presence represented by missionaries, Global Ministries personnel,
and mission dollars, all working to transform violence into justice,
brokenness into healing, and hate into reconciliation? When they
read of the threatened split in the Anglican Communion over the confirmation
of an openly gay bishop, do they know the UCC has already negotiated
this difficult, often painful terrain without splitting?
In Massachusetts we have worked cooperatively over the past couple
of years to learn about, reflect on, and claim the United Church
of Christ as the faith family to which we belong. Many of our churches
have added “United Church of Christ” to their outdoor signs. In some
cases this was done after an educational process: an exploration
into
the congregation’s historic past, hopeful future, and particular
Christian identity. To claim the name and identity of the United
Church of Christ
is not to lose precious Congregational heritage or polity (many churches
retain “Congregational” alongside “UCC” in their title, signage and
so on). Rather, it is to embrace something larger: a sweep and a
breadth envisioned by our forebears who believed that, despite differences
in language, ethnic identity, church polity, and favorite hymnody,
the UCC could and must witness to the unity of the body of Christ.
In these past two years we have publicly proclaimed ourselves as
“the largest Protestant denomination in the Commonwealth,” a statement
now
often repeated in the media. When the Freedom Schooner Amistad sails
into Boston Harbor on October 14th, we have yet another opportunity
to proclaim our UCC identity. Amistad will fly the United Church
of Christ flag from her mast; she is being hosted and sponsored by
the
United Church of Christ; it is the United Church of Christ who is
acting as the contracting authority. This is an opportunity, therefore,
to
share with our own parishioners and with the general public, the
name, identity, history, heritage and hopeful future that is the
United Church
of Christ.
It seems, therefore, particularly opportune for me to invite and
challenge every UCC congregation in Massachusetts to embark upon
an educational
journey to learn about the UCC. I invite you to review your identity
pieces (Sunday bulletins, outdoor signs, advertisements, newsletter
mastheads, letterhead, brochures, Web pages, and Yellow Page ads)
to assess whether they communicate a clear United Church of Christ
identity.
The people of the Middle East know and respect the UCC as a unique
and precious vessel of God’s good news to this troubled world. If
we want the people of Massachusetts also to know us in this way,
then
we must clearly and constantly name who we are, what we believe,
and how we experience the large-hearted, still-speaking God as the
United
Church of Christ.
*For instance, for decades the UCC has been working with the acclaimed
“Bethlehem 2000 Project,” the East Jerusalem YMCA (which includes a
vocational rehabilitation program for disabled persons supported by
One Great Hour of Sharing), Izmir (a school in Istanbul founded by
the American Board for Foreign Missions), and the Istanbul Interparish
Migrant Program (founded by two UCC members), among others.
