Dear Ones: Here's a really good link for some of my readers who are interested in The First Congregational Church (a UCC--United Church of Christ church ) in Stamford, CT. The United Church of Christ is the church of Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Rev. Otis Moss and I needn't rehash that old news. http://community.ucc.org/forums/Topic4251096-1916-1.aspx
"INTENTIONALLY LIMITING OUR WELCOME"--A Thread Started By Jeff Fairchild
Some of Jeff's Comments Are:
"No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here, just as long as you are a "progessive" who meets the definition created by the LCM.It's great that the LCM created a center for church development, but it is a shame that it did so by intentionally placing a limit on who is welcome."--Jeff Fairchild UCC
"Where is the spirit that this denomination was founded to be a united and uniting church that brings together, supports, and encourages a diversity of views and belief? Where is the spirit that understands that applying labels like "progressive" or "conservative" or "moderate" or "liberal" to any organization or effort is to implicitly exclude those who do not wear the applied label? Where is the spirit that truly believes that all are welcome, rather than just those who fall within a predefined label? Where is the spirit that is unwilling to bounce fellow Christians from our denomination simply because they do not hold one narrow set of views/beliefs? Where is the spirit that demands to worship together under the label "Christian", without any additional label like “progressive” as defined by those who currently hold power in the national setting? I don't see any such spirit in the recent action by the LCM, I don't see any such spirit at the LCM created "Center for Progressive Renewal", and I don't hear that spirit in these forums with anywhere near the frequency of years past. Perhaps many have concluded, as I am about to, that the national setting of the UCC is a lost cause when it comes to such a spirit and have elected to focus their time on more promising efforts rather than continuing to tilt at this particular windmill." --Jeff Fairchild, UCC
"Steven and Grant,Thanks to both of you for speaking up. I wish that I heard more voices like yours, and I wonder how so many can sit silently on the side lines while the LCM takes actions that so clearly reject the vision of unity with diversity in this denomination. The LCM was the one body of the national setting that I thought might still respect and support and encourage the diversity of views/beliefs that are represented by our local churches. I see now that I was wrong".--Jeff Fairchild, UCC
"Deb,I know your thoughts are heartfelt, but God doesn’t put labels like “progressive” or “conservative” or “liberal” or “moderate” on people or organizations or efforts that seek to further God’s will, at least I don’t believe God does such things. However, I know that people do apply such labels with great frequency, and to no good end in my view. Such labels serve primarily to divide us into little groups and I do not in any way believe that dividing God’s people is any part of God’s will. There is no shortage of denominations to carry the “progressive” banner, but there is certainly a shortage of denominations to carry the unity with diversity banner in furtherance of the prayer that they may all be one. There is no shortage of denomination where voices of one particular label or another, including the “progressive” label, are heard, celebrated and nurtured above all other voices, but there is certainly a shortage of denominations where all voices, regardless of how they are labeled, are heard, celebrated and nurtured as equals. As for being “a progressive denomination working with other more moderate/conservative/traditional/whatever label you put on it as brothers and sisters in Christ”, I don’t see the national setting of the UCC setting any kind of shining example in that regard (was the bouncer advertisement an example? ). In fact, I don’t see the national setting of the UCC setting a shining example of working with the churches within our own denomination that might fall within your “other more moderate/conservative/traditional whatever label you put on it” category.Is God so fickle as to lead this denomination into creation 50 years ago with the purpose of celebrating, encouraging, nurturing and witnessing the ideal of unity with diversity, only to toss that ideal aside in less than one generation? If the UCC tosses that ideal aside, what witness (other than a witness of failure) will it be making to the world? It is easy for me to believe that people are so fickle, but much harder for me to believe that God is. How does applying the “progressive label” to the national setting and making it a place where so called “progressive” voices are heard, celebrated and nurtured above all others help you to pursue what you see as God’s justice issues?In my view, for centuries now, Christians have been busy dividing themselves into smaller and smaller echo chambers of likeminded thinkers. Can God really be saying, yes, please do more of that?"--Jeff Fairchild, UCC
I'm not by any means making fun of Jeff's comments, but sometimes it's so bad, you just gotta laugh! The UCC, like so many other churches today, are unraveling. TIME to move on, you know?
Reverend Barb Sexton
http://www.dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com/
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