Really??? The United Church makes the headlines again ...

This weekend, Globe and Mail Columnist Margaret Wente once again takes aim at the United Church of Canada, and dubs us and other more liberal denominations as irrelevant ...

My first response was "Really? Again?"

Then I read the article and I wondered yet again, why the media publishes articles about the United Church and manages almost EVERY TIME to interview people within this vast and diverse denomination, who are not really that reflective of the Church or its leadership.

There are those folks out there who do well at getting press coverage and getting their ideas and opinions out there, and in the process are deemed "reflective of the United Church." But when I read yet again, a clergy person who expresses a negative opinion of something as central and basic as belief in God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit I have to wonder what United Church they represent.

This past year, our congregations did a line by line study-conversation of the documents of faith that are part of the revisit and reframing of our beliefs as a Denomination. Over and over we commented on how the older pre-1968 words were problematic in embracing and reflecting our modern beliefs. But overarching that conversation was a firm and unwavering belief in God, and the basic tenets of the Church ... God, the Resurrection, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the transformative power of the Holy in our lives and in our world ... the words may vary, but the faith does NOT.

We spoke of the power and the necessity of prayer.

We spoke of the power and centrality of community.

We spoke of how our faith effects everything we are about as we live and move in our circles of family, friend and community.

We spoke of how what we believe colours and inspires our choices and actions.

We spoke of how being Believers motivates us to support the local food bank, offer support to our neighbours, opt to support outreach programmes and initiative, and be active and involved in our community.

We spoke of how living our faith means being open to sharing it with others through worship services, outreach dinners, weekly gatherings, the presence at the Farmers' Market and a dozen other things we do over and over and over ...

Is the Church irrelevant ... to some ... but as even Ms Wente notes, there is a spiritual hunger out 'there', and it our responsibility as a believing and vibrant Church to open our doors to new people, and invite them to become part of the conversation.

AND, I will go out on a limb and say BOLDLY and UNAPOLOGETICALLY, that 99% of that task rests on the shoulders of the Clergy. It is our responsibility as clergy to provide a passionate, enthusiastic, and faithful (not too mention Faith FILLED) leadership that inspires our people to dream and hope, and equips them intellectually, mentally, emotionally AND spiritually to go out  into the world and envision ways of sharing their faith.

It is NOT about the cult of personality that see Pastors drawing in waves of people enamoured by the prosperity gospel or some simplistic reading of the Scriptures, but rather it is ALL about COMPETENCE!!!

We need clergy who care about more than their pension and their next cheque.

We need clergy who are not marking the days to retirement.

WE NEED CLERGY WHO GIVE A DAMN!!!!!

Too many clergy are bland milque toast in their preaching and in their presence ... and too many clergy and leaders are SO steeped in the ways of the Church, that they are truly out of touch with the real world ... what we need is a diversity ... passion ... enthusiasm and a HUGE dose of living vibrant faith.

I can count on my facebook at least a dozen clergy friends who are incredibly competent and capable and amazingly passionate in living their faith - almost everyone of them begins and ends their work in prayer, and none of them undervalue the necessity of the Church to change and grow and embrace the leadership of the Spirit. They ARE believers and not surprisingly, none of them have ever been interviewed by mainstream media about what is wrong with the Church - and THANKFULLY, almost everyone of them is willing, able and courageous enough to express their take on what is wrong with the Church we all continue to call home.

I can speak only for myself, but I am willing to bet, that everyone of them continues to share in the ministry of this Church - This UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA, that we call home because everyday they encounter amazing people who inspire them and remind us that we are not dead yet, and that with the presence and love of the Holy Spirit Resurrections loom and bloom around us every single day.

Thanks for folks like Adam, Barb, Nick, Audrey, Phil, Clare, Cheryl-Anne, Darren, Brian, Bill, Bob, Gord, and dozens of others - the Untied Church of Canada is alive and well, and STILL living what it believes.

In short Ms Wente, and folks like David Ewart are WRONG.

The Church is still relevant - and our willingness to embrace social causes while living our belief with honesty and integrity and passion is what WILL change the WORLD!!!!

Stay tuned ... we've ONLY JUST BEGUN !!!!!

One day ... one glorious day:

This is Blake.

Reverend Blake Spencer, the pastor and minister at The Presbyterian Church in Pleasantville New Jersey.

In addition to being a Pastor, a father, a son, a friend and a fabulous person, Blake is also known as The Laughing Pastor, and blogs his reflections and thoughts about his life, his ministry and his journey of Grace and discovery ... AND, I am honoured to be able to count him amongst my friends!!

I wanted to offer this post today because I think Blake is an amazing person who has dared to stand up and speak out about his life and his experience in the Church. In the last few days Blake has lamented on Facebook about the bullying he is witnessing as our Presbyterian sisters and brothers meet in their General Assembly in the US ... Blake is being very open and honest about his struggle with the role and place of Gays and Lesbians in his home denomination, and the agony they are experiencing as they wrestle with this issue.

I see so many parallels to what my home denomination - The United Church of Canada went through over 30 years ago ... Congregations were torn apart ... friendships were ended ... angry words were spoken ... tempers flared ... and people repeatedly invovked the name of God to justify their ponts of view, and in some case to justify anger, hatred and non-faithful exclusion ... I remember well what I saw myself ... and I serve a Church that was devestated by the decision by the United Church to welcome self-proclaimed Gay and Lesbian candidates to ordination. The exact words were "Homosexuality in and of itself is not a barrier to ministry in the United Church of Canada."

Looking back over the last 30 years I can only offer a grateful "AMEN!!" to that decision and those bold enough to support it.

Our church hasn't been overrun with 'those kind of people' as some cried out ... but instead, our Church has become a place that is more aware and more sensitive to the bullying and the exclusion that we too often invoke in the defense of our faith. We have many wonderful and talented ministry personnel who HAPPEN to be Gay (or Lesbian), and who are able to be true to themselves, and no longer have to hide away in fear.

The United Church still has work to do, and despite our official policies as a Denomination to be open, welcoming and inclusive, we are still struggling to make that a reality in ALL corners of this Church we call home.

But from an official point of view, we've opened the door to including and celebrating the full spectrum of the human family by removing the barriers of colour, race, gender and sexuality from the dogma of faith - we recognize and celebrate and LIVE the fullness of being human!!

And for that I am thankful ...

I am also thankful for the courageous and faithful witness of people like Blake who have boldly stood up and openly shared their sexual orientation, and who have continued to share their gifts and calling of ministry!!

Our world, and the Church Universal and Catholic is a much better place because of the ministry and witness of folks like Blake ... and I am a better person for having folks like him in my circle of friends.

It's funny ... I would never introduce Blake as a Gay Pastor or a Gay Minister. Instead, I would introduce him as a Minister who happens to be Gay ... and I pray that one day I will live in a world and serve in a Church where we no longer have to make that designation.

I long for a day when we no longer speak of gay or straight ... but simply celebrate our commonality as the Children of God. With the leadership and guidance of folks like Blake, I truly believe it WILL happen before I retire!!!

And for that, I say a hearty and faithful: AMEN!!!!!

I'm proud to be Evangelical United Brethren (EUB)!!!

 
I'm proud to be from the lineage in the United Church of Canada that comes from the Evangelical United Brethren Church of Canada.

In 1968, the EUB joined with the United Church of Canada and became part of the tent, in which we all reside.

Along the way though, the UCC seemed to forget that we came, and it definitely forgot the promises that were made ... we're still waiting to see the shaking hands (above) on the UCC crest. And now, as I've noted previously, the UCC is getting ready to once again revisit and revise the Crest of the United Church, and it has forgotten (again) to include us.

This saddens me for two reasons. One is because a promise is still left unfulfilled, and those who were part of the joining of these two demoninations back in 1968 are becoming fewer and fewer in number. But the bigger reason this saddens me is because it is a constant reminder of the disconnect between the words we speak as a Church (Denomination) about inclusion and welcome, and the utter failure to really live those words in a meaningful way.

I look back on my experience in Theology College and remember with sadness the chapel service we led drawn from the Blue Hymn Book of the United Church, and resources in the 1969 Service Book ... we were immediately condemned for being "exclusionary and sexist" for our choices. Yet, one of our classmates - an older woman was feeling excluded by the gender-neutral and feminization of God, and the lack of traditional Hymns and prayers in our weekly chapel services ... thankfully the Rev. Dr Bob Bater encouraged and defended us in our choice. But the damage was done ... my sense of who the United Church was was in that experience forever tinged with a deep cynicism that has only been re-enforced in the 20 years since ...

Over and over, the Church has, in its zealousness to be open, welcoming, liberal and progressive forgotten its core roots and its core values ... we are A CHURCH. We are the body of Christ incarnate in the world. We are the very children of God called to care for ALL, not just a select few who make us comfortable and who stroke our ego.

As a fine and very wise EUB preacher once said to me - "We are NOT a warm pink fuzzy social club called to give people hugs and tell them it's okay ... we are the BODY of CHRIST Risen and Incarnate in the world. We are called to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable and to LIVE the Gospel."

I wonder if that's why the EUB remains the forgotten Fourth Partner of Church Union in the UCC??

We were too Germanic in our outlook, and too upfront in our insistence that faith is best live, not spoken ...

I wonder ... 

Can These BONES Live?????

The phrase keeps ringing in my head: "If there were more ministers like you, I'd actually come to church".

I've heard it a thousand times in my journey as minister. I've heard it in a myriad of contexts, but almost always from people who have found the courage to share with me the "WHY?" of their absence from Church.

Frequently, the reasons for this withdrawal has been struggles with hypocrisy, bad behaviour on the part of fellow church members, or just flat out power struggles that have left congregations and people devestated and in ruins.

Yet, over and over, I have also heard sharp rebukes to "tow the line" to "mind my p's and q's" and to "be more minister-like" ... and having been fired twice, and gone through a disciplinary process, I am left scratching my head in bewilderment at the inability of the United Church (and likely ALL mainstream Churches) to think and minister and LIVE outside the box.

Yesterday I read the posting over at Maritime Preacher entitled "Let Us Die" and I wanted to weep.

Too often the prevailing attitude in the Church - the United Church - is to maintain the status quo and to never take chances or risks. It's easier to quietly slip away, then to risk offending the old guard by reaching out beyond ourselves and trying something NEW.

That's where clergy like ME have a hard time.

I don't want the Church to die.

The Church is too filled with potential and possibility to simply let it slip away. I want to share the Hope and Joy that I have found in the Church. I want people to know what the transformative power of the Resurrection can really do. I want to throw off the shackles of tradition and dogma and instead let the winds of The Holy Spirit blow through and around us ... I want to stand in a place where we answer Ezekiel's question: "Can these bones live?" with a resounding "YES!!!!" Followed closely by a thunderous "HALLELUJAH!!!!"

Can these bones live?

From where I sit - YES they can!!

The only thing preventing them is a dogged determination to maintain the status quo and keep things the way they are on into AMEN!!!

What we need are MORE clergy like Nick, and Blake (aka The Laughing Pastor)  who are willing to speak up and speak out and boldly proclaim the transformative possibilities offered by the Holy Spirit.

I think, that if the Church, rather than trying to get folks like me to tow the line, instead asked itself if the so-called "line" was faithful to begin with, we may see more Spirit-filled growth in our congregations ... but then, at the end of the day that's EXACTLY what the powers that be are afraid of. The kind of growth that comes when the Spirit is allowed to move freely, is growth that threatens the status quo and the power of those happily entrenched in positions of privilege and THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE AFRAID OF.

You can't control the Spirit.

You can't control the Prophetic.

You can't stop GROWTH.

But you can make it inhospitable for those who dream of more ... fortunately, the Holy Spirit will never be thwarted, and in the face of hostility and reluctance and outright opposition, SHE WILL FIND A WAY!!!

In my thinking the phrase - "if there were more ministers like you," is a call to think outside the box not draw a target on those like me who dare to colour outside the lines!!!

Come Holy Spirit, COME !!!!

Another Voice in the Struggle ...

Today a discussion thread on Facebook about the present and future of the United Church lead me to offer the posting from earlier today, then I received a message from a ministry colleague in the Maritimes inviting me to check out his blog ... I had previously encountered one of Rev. Nick's posting via Facebook where he offered an open letter to the United Church writ large that named some of the realities we're facing and questioned why the status quo is being maintained when it so clearly isn't working ... as I read Rev. Nick's musings and postings I found myself exclaiming - AMEN!!!!

I had found another pilgrim on this faith journey who is feeling similar frustrations with the current state of the Church and who is being called by the Spirit to be part of something bigger than we can imagine ...

I also chuckled at the thought that his blog was called "Maritime Preacher" ... hmmm, Prairie Preacher approves, even though I have been more of the Highlands Preacher of late ... but Prairie Preacher was born on the Prairies, and the name remains ...

For now though - I would like to invite MY readers to check out the offerings of another cyber-scribe who has taken the time to share his wisdom and observations via his blog:

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT Maritime Preacher. 

Then come back and let me know what you think!!

--

The Reverend Lydia Gruchy - without a doubt she was a Preacher

The Reverend Lydia Gruchy was the first woman ordained in the United Church of Canada. In November 1936 she was ordained and began what would be a long and rewarding ministry in many corners of the Church, and she opened the door forever for a change in the Order of Ministry in this denomination. (to learn more about Rev. Gruchy click here)

This morning on my facebook from a friend and colleague in BC came the following notice, along with the request to spread the news far and wide:

Reverend Patricia Wotton of Winnipeg has written a biography of Rev. Lydia Gruchy and her impact on Canadian society, as well as the obvious impact on The United Church of Canada.

"With love, Lydia" is available directly from Wotton at dpwotton@shaw.ca or 204.897.0172.

Rev. Gruchy's "Golden years" at First United (White Rock) 1962-1992 are recounted, incl. her funeral service 22 April 1992 at First United.

This is a fascinating and "must" read for anyone who values the impact Rev. Lydia Gruchy had.... which actually cannot be overstated...

Please distribute this far and wide.

(CLICK HERE to visit the web page about Pat's Book and learn more about Lydia)

I'll be ordering mine shortly!!

A promise made is a promise to be kept ...

In 1968, the fourth Denominational Partner in the United Church of Canada came into the Union when The Canada Conference of the Evangelical United Brethren Church joined the fray.

According to the official history on January 10th 1968 through a formal Union inauguration held in Kitchener Ontario, we brought in (my background is proudly EUB), about 10 000 members, 58 congregations, 40 ministers and TWO FINE camp sites.

Since my days as a student at Queens' I have unrelentingly said "we are MORE than two fine camp sites" when it comes to the role and legacy of the EUB to and within the United Church of Canada.

Now with the imminent meeting of General Council this coming summer, it would seem the legacy of the EUB Church is about to be pushed farther out of our collective conscience as the United Church of Canada considers a proposal to alter the Church crest by including the four colours of yellow, red, black and white to reflect the First Nations' input to the United Church.

While I don't have any objection to the altering of the Crest to include the First People. I DO however, wonder why the FOURTH Denomination in partnership is still NOT represented on the Church Crest.

According to my sources (who unfortunately are no longer with us) one of whom was part of the team that negotiated the Church Union of 1968, there was a promise made to alter the United Church Crest by including the clasped hands (pictured above), which was and is the symbol of the EUB Church at the bottom of the crest. The Alpha and Omega symbol that is currently there was to be dropped and the clasping hand place there in its place. This would mean ALL FOUR partner denominations that comprise this United Church of Canada, would be represented on our crest.

We're STILL WAITING for that promise to be fulfilled.

It's been 44 years and the crest has been altered several times in the years since, but there has nary been a word offered about including the EUB symbol. AND now they are looking at yet another alteration to include the First Nations.

A good move I say - but let's make it a better move by INCLUDING the EUB symbol too!!

Afterall, a few years ago the Crest was altered to be bilingual to reflect the reality of Canada's heritage of French AND English speaking Churches, and now if we're going to include the First Nations, it is high time to ALSO include the Evangelical United Brethren Church, who brought far more to the United Church than just two fine camp sites.

We brought 10 000 members who continue to live and minister within this United Church, and even though some of our Congregations have closed up, any of the EUB'ers I've met (or that I'm related to), we remain proud of our heritage and our history, and we're STILL wanting that promise fulfilled !!!!

(Click here for The EUB Church on wikipedia)