2 Cor. 8:7-15

Mark 5:21-43

By Pastor Marcia Sietstra

June 29, 2003

Two weeks ago, several of our members, along with Phil and I, were in Spearfish, South Dakota for the annual meeting of our conference. If you’re new to our church, and even if you’re not so new, you might find out something about what the conference is by reading the insert in your bulletin sometime a little later. At the annual meeting, delegates from all the churches in the state gather, along with pastors, to tend to church business, to worship together, to visit, encourage and learn together.

It was a great weekend, and not just because we were able to pack everything we needed for my presentation into Phil’s convertible, and drive with the top down most of the way. It was a great weekend in many ways, and I want to share some of that with you this morning.

We approached the Black Hills at about 9:30 on Thursday night, about 3 hours later than planned because I didn’t get things done here at my office as early as I had anticipated. But how fortune we were to arrive so late! There was a thunderstorm over the hills that made for a lightning show and sunset like we have never seen before. It lasted for 45 minutes, and the sky was vivid orange and red, purple, blue, and aquamarine colored at times as the clouds swept across the horizon. The view kept changing, as we came up over each hill because we’d be seeing the storm from a different angle. I marveled that such a familiar sight as the sky could look so new and breathtaking. We were gifted with such surprises that night under the open sky in the convertible, that we decided the trip was a huge success even before we got there!

It’s not unlike the surprises of being the church, when you think about it. You go along doing things pretty much the same, day by day, and then suddenly one day you realize that something new is happening. Culture changes, a new generation has different ideas and methods, or different needs. And suddenly it’s clear that the church is changing too.

But on with my conference report. It began on Friday. Your delegates (*stand) were Tom Hoy, who was there with Cindy who is on the Conference Board of Directors; David Janke, whose wife Laurie was also there in her capacity as secretary to the Conference Board of Directors, (she also serves on the denomination’s Executive Council); Marian Serr was a delegate, and her husband Carl, retired UCC pastor and visitation pastor to our shut-ins here at Crestwood, was with her. Crestwoodians Joan Anderberg, and Bryce and Ina Hecht were also there. In fact, Bryce was recognized for 45 years in the ministry this year. We don’t see much of him and Ina, because he is currently serving as pastor at Winfred UCC.

Several from our congregation were elected to conference positions, including Lauri Janke to another term as secretary, June Kinder to another term on the Dow Rummel Retirement Village Board of Directors, Tom Hoy to the Conference Communications Committee, Pat Sundheim (newly licensed local pastor) to the Christian Education & Mission Committee, and Hillary Nelson to the Conference Youth Ministries Board. Hillary will be a high school senior, and is one of only a few youth from our association who were approved to join this youth board. Would you please give these delegates and newly elected persons a hand in appreciation.

I should also tell you that the youth succeeded in their fundraising $50,000 for Placerville Camp, by selling those water bottle we sold here, and doing a wide assortment of fundraisers, including dying pink the hair of the youth pastor at First Congregational, Norm Shomper. This fundraising was so important because an anonymous donor had pledged to match what they raised for the camp.

I spent two days of my vacation time getting ready to do a major presentation to the entire delegation on the first day of the conference. I was asked to explain why Crestwood had been invited to ‘jumpstart’ the new church to be built in SF, and to generate support among the delegates for financially supporting this new church in the next few years as the conference does a state-wide capital campaign. Most of you know a lot about this already, having had the opportunity to attend approximately 15 congregational meetings, small group discussions, workshops, and other settings to discuss this possibility over the past 3 years.

Anyway, I explained how much study we did to arrive at that decision, and how hard it is to leave a building we love, but that we recognized that our move to be the new church will help the conference and us in the long run, since the UCC should grow faster in one large building than in two small ones, and of course it will be more economical than maintaining two buildings and two staffs. We will be able to afford a new building and solve the parking shortage. The displays I made are in the narthe’ for you to see.

Here’s the important thing I want you to know: we got a lot of positive feedback from people after the presentation, comments like the one Dave Biebighauser told me: ‘Marcia, people are so impressed by what Crestwood is willing to do for the sake of the UCC in SF.’ Or this comment from a woman in a rural church: ‘We know our kids are moving to Siou’ Falls. Maybe they’ll go to the new church if it has a lot to offer their age group. Can I give you my son’s name?’ Or this from a member of the Brookings church: ‘It’s been over 12 years since we started and look at how we are still struggling financially. We can’t afford much programming. The way they’re doing it in SF is so much better. The days of starting churches from scratch are over.’ So I think we had a good start on the educational process that will take place this whole year, before the state-wide capital campaign begins next year. Tom Hoy spent considerable time at our display, answering questions, and so people are beginning to understand this building partnership between us and the conference.

One of our keynote speakers was Ron Buford. Ron is Director of Public Relations and Marketing for our denomination, at the national office in Cleveland, Ohio. Ron is a handsome, 40-ish, black man with a huge smile and enthusiasm that is contagious! He recalled growing up in a very conservative Church of God, where the pastor routinely preached on the threat of hell. At the age of 30 Ron had to leave that church, he said, because he felt hopeless and frightened by a faith built on fear. And the day he entered Plymouth UCC in Shaker Heights, he knew he had come home. The worship was open and encouraging, and the printed material said anyone could belong. It said that their central belief was Jesus’ great Double Commandment: Love the Lord your God with heart and soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.

It was the first time he had felt totally welcome, and so grateful to a God of love. It was the start of his relationship with this denomination, a relationship that has him actively involved in justice ministries as well as worship at Plymouth UCC. Plymouth UCC was ready to close 10 years ago when a young woman pastor asked its members if they were willing to reinvent themselves and reach out in new ways to a new generation. Today it has grown from 35 members to over 450 members.

Ron told us that one of the reasons he loves the UCC is because it exemplifies what our forefather, John Robinson told his Pilgrim congregation as it set sail for America from Holland. These Pilgrims forebears, who would later become the Congregationalists, who would later become the UCC, were told by Robinson: ‘Do not cling to where Luther and Calvin left us. There is more light and truth to break forth from God’s Holy Word.’ This belief, that there is more light and truth to break forth, is the reason the Pilgrims, their Congregational and UCC descendants, have taken many risks that have changed the course of human history!

It’s why the UCC is so often out there in front, leading the way among Christians and doing things first. On the UCC website you can read a list of their ‘firsts’, including:

‘ In 1773 5,000 angry colonists gathered at a Boston Congregational church, Old south Meeting House, to protest a tax and they started a revolution with the Boston Tea Party. Members of that congregation included African American poet Phyllis ?Wheatley and Benjamin Franklin. That radical congregation was a haven for free speech and assembly.

‘ In 1839 it was a group of Congregationalists who worked to free the Amistad captives, those slaves who had been kidnapped in Africa who managed to kill their ship’s crew, but were taken prisoner off the coast of mass. They were finally freed because Congregationalists found John Adams to plead their case in court. The church folks raised the money for them to get back to Africa. A first in human rights.

‘ It was our predecessor body that ordained Antoinette Brown, the first woman ordained to ministry in the modern era, in 1853.

‘ Go to the website www.stillspeaking.com to read about more firsts. A list is also printed and hanging on the bulletin board in the narthe’. You will find the UCC leading the way as early as the 50’s in civil rights, in the 70’s on the gay/lesbian issue, and early on so many other issues.

It makes me proud to be a UCC’er

It was Ron Buford who dreamed up the new logo: Never place a period where God has placed a comma’God is still speaking! It is love for God and our fellow human beings that puts us out there in front, working for justice’economic justice for the poor’social justice for the powerless’political justice for the oppressed.

God is speaking through the church in wondrous ways, and today I report to you that even though we aren’t sure what will happen along the road into our future, we can confidently head down that road. Because we know who we are following, and that is Jesus, who gives us clear guidelines in his compassionate teachings. Love God and your neighbor as yourself.

So let’s recommit to being a church on the move, to struggle to do the best work we can do, sometimes even against well-meaning Christians who disagree, even when it is scary and difficult, because it’s the right thing to do. We are carrying on a distinguished heritage. And we can be confident because Jesus has gone before us and shown us the way, and because God is still gloriously at work in the world, still speaking in and through us. Thanks be to God.