Dear Friends in Christ
I have publicly mentioned my friend and colleague Michael Caine several times. Formerly, the Regional Conference Minister in the Metropolitan Region of the New York Conference, Michael is currently the transitional pastor (A.K.A. Covenant Minister) at the Old First Reformed United Church of Christ in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As many of you know, Michael was also a classmate of the Rev. Mr. Jim Hollister, the previous pastor in Norwich, when they both attended Colgate.
In the church blog the Rev. Mr. Caine recently wrote about a challenge he suggested to the Old First Reformed congregation. This is the question he asked: “Who Will Be Our Witnesses?” One parishioner suggested the church could use the fence in front of the building this summer to share the God Is Still Speaking message of the United Church of Christ.
Doing that could certainly be a witness. Graphic red and black posters and banners with the God Is Still Speaking message are available. Unquestionably these can provide a passerby a peek into the faith community and publicize the prophetic and progressive witness of the United Church of Christ which this national identity campaign provides.
Michael shared that plan with Ron Buford, the original architect of the Still Speaking Initiative. Ron said: “Michael, what do you think would happen if members share their personal stories with each other alongside the broader, overarching promises of the denomination?”
That certainly put a different spin on what real witness is about, wrote Michael. This is what he said in a church blog: “If we back up what, otherwise, may sound like the surprising, even ‘almost too good to be true’ invitation of the United Church of Christ (the invitation which insists God Is Still Speaking to us today) with real stories of real life from real people, our message of God touching the life of people (no longer sounding like just wishful thinking) could really hit home!”
Michael suggested that if the people of Old First started to share their own stories with one another, then it’s possible folks beyond that community might hear about this sharing and begin to perceive the same wonder and grace the people at Old First are starting to realize, just because they have started to share the stories with each other. A number of people have sent in stories to Michael and he has started to publish them in the church newsletter.
They are not stories about conversion or stories about big events. They are simple stories about relationship. Here are a couple of those stories.
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A woman who moved to Philadelphia with three small children. She needed a church, searched the yellow pages for a congregation and found Old First. When she arrived with her three children in tow, someone in the congregation invited this woman and her children to sit with them during worship. They became best of friends.
One person wrote: I don’t want to be the grumpy old lady music snob! I loved the Bernstein song in worship last week, but I’m guessing there were some whose response was “Um, that’s sort of different.” The next week after that one of the offerings featured drums. And next week, I know there will be something by Handel. I love a church where no matter what music you love, you might hear it on a given Sunday morning!
Yet another wrote that the initial welcome they received at Old First was warm and genuine. But the most wonderful moment during that first visit was when they realized that their family didn’t raise an eyebrow. Two-moms-and-a-daughter was no big deal at Old First. You can’t imagine how great that felt. They still appreciate and cherish this sense of belonging and “okay-ness.”
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I want to suggest God Is Still Speaking. And God speaks through us. Unless we speak out about how God is speaking through us, this Speaking God still talks but the voice becomes so small it is nearly silent.
We need to share our stories about God who still speaks. We need to share our stories about God who still speaks with each other. We need to share our stories about God who still speaks with the greater community.
I suppose the challenge is obvious. Do we believe God Is Still Speaking? Do we believe God can speak through us? Or do we think the voice of God is so tiny that it can barely be heard?
All the bright colored banners and fancy posters and snappy slogans won’t mean a thing unless they have something and someone behind them. That something is our story. That someone is you and me— us.
As another colleague of mine says: “See you in church!”
In Faith,
Joe Connolly
P.S. If anyone wants to submit some stories about God speaking through them in this church for the Newsletter, I would be happy to publish them.
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