June
On May 18th, a large group of members from Redlands United Church of Christ joined in worship with San Bernardino First Congregational United Church of Christ. It was a fitting and symbolic way to begin our Sabbatical with a journey to visit our UCC neighbors.
The worship was inspiring with leadership from both churches, choral and handbell music, and a stirring message from Sally Burton, all under festive red decorations left up from Pentecost. Sally is a member of RUCC and has been the ministerial intern at FCUCC. She was preaching as part of her last Sunday in that capacity.
After the service, we joined in a big food-fest and many stayed for her Ecclesiastical Council. There were approximately 15-20 UCC congregations represented and many clergy as well. The questions were tough but loving, intended to get to know Sally better and help guide the vote on whether to recommend her for ordination as a UCC minister. Sally answered all the questions honestly and with a sense of the sacred. Sometimes, she answered kind of like Mark Twain who once said, “I was gratified to be able to answer promptly. I said, "I don't know.”
In the end, the vote was unanimous to recommend her ordination subject to a call. Sally’s humble response to the group’s standing ovation was “I love you” which I believe is one of the keys to her successful ministry. We will be blessed with Sally’s presence here during the Sabbatical to offer pastoral care, facilitate communication between the church’s areas, and participate in leadership in Sunday services.
This was also a special Sunday in another way. It was the beginning of the UCC’s Sacred Conversation on Race. Sally’s sermon focused on this important issue and a group of about 30 people gathered for discussion after lunch. The conversation was indeed sacred as we posed questions, asked about each others’ experiences and listened to stories that were as varied as the participants.
However, the sacred conversation is not a one-time event. It will live on as much as we nourish it in our church, in our communities, and in ourselves. It is not easy, as there is often pain and injustice just beneath the surface, and sometimes not even that deep. It can also be a challenge to take our conversation and turn it into a tangible and specific action toward racial justice.
What will you do to join in the sacred conversation? What will you help our church do? The threads of both conversation and action are there before us. We must pick them up and start weaving them together.
With optimism and hope,
Loring Fiske-Phillips
