Worship at Annual Meeting

The worship at Annual Meeting was inspiring and enlivening.

Luis and Daniel from Iglesia Congregacional la Unida did a stirring Brazilian hymn...


The youth, true to the theme "Behold: Something New!" sang John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change


As a testimony to our commitment to extravagant welcome, and our living into the promise that No Matter Who You Are of Where You Are on Life's Journey, You Are Welcome Here - Linda Mervine and I concelebrate at the Communion Table. Why, you ask, is that such a test of our welcoming Spirit? She is a die hard Chicago Cub fan, I a die hard St. Louis Cardinal fan. At the table of the Lord we are one!



Friday's worship opened with a remarkable, moving, and truly inspiring performance by the youth Choir from our Tucson Marshallese church. I can't imagine a better way to open our worship experience.

More Reflections on Annual Meeting

These pictures will highlight some of the many magical moments at this year's Annual Meeting in Sedona.

This picture shows our outgoing and incoming Moderator. I can't say enough about the work that Alissa Marquis, from United in Santa Fe, did throughout this past year. I am eternally grateful for her leadership, and find it hard to say goodbye to her. But pass the torch she must, and to a fine leader himself - one Brendan Mahoney from First Congregational UCC in Phoenix.


Here are Alfonso Escarena and Luis Gonzalez. Luis is the organizing pastor of TOX (The Omega Xeneration) Ministries, a bilingual Hispanic new church start in Phoenix, nested at the Church of the Beatitudes, that announced: a.) they will affiliate with the United Church of Christ in the coming year and b.) they will multiply in the coming year.


And speaking of Affliating, here are members of two churches - Black Mountain United Church of Christ and First Christian/United Church of Christ in Las Cruces NM - in the very moment following the vote to affiliate both of these churches in the United Church of Christ. What an incredibily joy-filled moment this was! Blessings to them both, and to their pastors Jayne Hubbard and Linda Mervine.

Annual Meeting!!!!

I will post something different every day this week from the Annual Meeting. I really don't know where to begin, except to say that I had such high hopes for this year's meeting - and I believe we exceeded those.

From Alissa's opening the first Plenary on Friday afternoon...

To the closing worship with a remarkable choir and the preaching of General Minister and President the Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Black...



...things could not have gone better.

Enjoy a few pictures (more will come before the week is over):

A Full Day

Although much of the day, and of the week, quite frankly, is being spent in preparation for Annual Meeting, a couple of things interrupted that steady stream of tasks.

The first was an opportunity to speak at the Capitol urging our Governor to repeal what some are calling the most regressive Immigration Bill to come out of a state in quite some time.

While there, I ran into Randy and Noel, and Noel's mom - whom I met for the first time.


The other was a little less noble - at least in the eyes of many. And that was a baseball game in the early evening. And not just any baseball game. My beloved Cardinals are in town, and my son and I were there five rows back in the left field bleachers doing our best to root them on in a losing effort. Not to worry, my daughter and I will try it again tonight.


See many of you in Sedona in just a couple of days.

Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Black Installed!

What a glorious day we had in Chagrin Falls - a sleepy little town just outside of Cleveland.



This first picture shows a bit of the pageantry that was on display in a magnificent liturgy that had good preaching, wonderful music, and representative voices from all across the denomination, including our very own...



Josh Whistler, shown here at the reception following the Installation with Janet Leung. Josh is finishing up seminary at Iliff and serves on the Executive Council. Janet is the SWC representative to Wider Church Ministries. Not pictured, but also present, was the Rev. Tyler Connoly - our rep to Local Church Ministries.

And here is yours truly showing my own joy at the honor of sharing this moment with all of our friends from across the United Church of Christ, and especially with our new General Minister and President the Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Black.

A Big Day in Cleveland

My afternoon in Cleveland began with a meeting on the 9th floor of the Church House on Prospect. While there, a number of Conference Ministers test ran the video equipment that the National Offices are investing in with the hopes that the Conferences might also invest in them. What you see is a 'bridging camera' that is simultaneously linking four locations: two of them in Cleveland, one in Washington D.C., and one in Indianapolis. It is not hard to imagine how this could be used in the Southwest Conference both to improve our ability to connect across a huge geography and to reduce the costs of meeting expenses. Stay tuned for more on this....

Then, as the afternoon wore on into the evening, a party broke out at the Renaissance Hotel in Cleveland with about 500 of Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Black's closest friends. It just so happened that it was his birthday, but the occasion was actually part of the weekend of events surrounding his Installation (look for pictures from that later this weekend).

I had the privilege of attending the Ecclesiastical Council of a gentleman who is going to make an outstanding pastor: Craig Henderson. Lisa Sampson, who is a member of the Scottsdale Church where the Council was held, presided over the examination.

Craig is about to graduate next month from Lancaster Theological Seminary, and expressed a real passion for Worship and Education in ministry, and is looking forward to his first calling to serve a church in the United Church of Christ. His father was a teacher, and his mother a librarian - he loves to read!

We wish him well in his Search, and in his ministry, and will be proud to Ordain him when his call to a church is completed.

Arizona Ecumenical Council

I attended the annual banquet of the Arizona Ecumenical Council last night, and had as my guests my dear wife, Mimi, and the Rev. Jeffrey Dirrim and Kelley Kahlstrom from First Congregational UCC, Phoenix.

It was hosted by St. Patrick's in Scottsdale - a beautiful church, as you can see.


Here is the Rev. Jan Flaaten, the Executive Director of the Arizona Ecumenical Council, whose reflections both on how far we have come in ecumenism, and how far we have yet to go were important and insightful.

A Magnificent Easter Sunday!!!

This Easter was just magnificent!

The Sanctuary was festooned with lilies.

The Choir was in rare form.

Steve's sermon was moving.

The weather was gorgeous.

The pews were packed.

And I got to spend the morning in worship with my wife (pictured here with her good friend, Janie - with whom she sits every Sunday when I can't be there with her).

A Group with a purpose, just not a name

When I arrived almost two years ago, I began working with all the functioning Committees. Church Growth and Development was one that talked about the need to retool, rebuild, refocus. Which is exactly what they did.

And then about a month ago, a decision was made that the existing committee, many having served for almost five years, would make way for a whole new group.

That new group met for the first time today, and here they are: Brian, Butch, Joann, Theresa, Katrina, Carlos, and Noel.

What they did today was important - a whole new beginning for the Southwest Conference and our efforts at growth, development, and revitalization. Expect to hear something more from them at the Annual Meeting.

They are very clear right now about their mission and purpose - but they don't yet have a name. Stay tuned for more info.