The Congregationalist December 2020 : simplebooklet.com

OUR Voyage TOGETHER By Michael Chittum Executive Director National Association of Congregational Christian Churches Advent LOOKING TOWARD Established in 1849 The Congregationalist has been a notable presence providing resources for local churches promoting just causes defining and shaping the Congregational Way The Congregationalist has been published continuously since 1958 by the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches ENSURE THE TRADITION CONTINUES DONATE TO THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONGREGATIONAL CHRISTIAN CHURCHES O s we look toward Advent this year it seems that the themes of Advent hope peace joy and love are even more important for us all As you prepare your own heart to live in the reality of Advent this poem by Madeleine L Engle may speak to you May we remember that every Advent and every Christmas is a statement of personal commitment to receive the Christ child into our own hearts again God bless you Grace and Peace Michael Into The Darkest Hour It was a time like this War tumult of war a horror in the air Hungry yawned the abyssand yet there came the star and the child most wonderfully there It was a time like this of fear lust for power license greed and blightand yet the Prince of bliss came into the darkest hour in quiet silent light And in a time like this how celebrate his birth when all things fall apart Ah Wonderful it is with no room on the earth the stable is our heart Please cut and send to The Congregationalist NACCC PO Box 288 Oak Creek WI 53154 Yes Please use my our gift to support the Congregational Way through The Congregationalist Editor s Round Table 1 000 Henry Martyn Dexter Society 500 999 Edward Beecher Society 250 499 Elias Smith Connexion 100 249 Sustaining __________ Other A check is enclosed made payable to the NACCC Please Charge my credit card Mastercard Visa Amount ____________________ Card Number_______________________________ CVV Code ____________ Expiration Date _______ _______ Name _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________________________________________ City ___________________________________________________ State ___________ Zip ________________________ Phone ________________________________ E mail Address ________________________________________________ Church ______________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 Thank You For Your Generosity All Gifts Are Tax Deductible To The Fullest Extent Allowed By Law

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LEADING IN TIMES OF TURMOIL Doug Gray is a third generation Congregational pastor and Mayflower descendant He now serves as Pastor at the First Church of Squantum in Quincy Massachusetts He and his wife Cynthia promise their children Morgan Jordan and Caleb they don t have to be ministers Doug Gray has more than thirty years in the ministry He attended Princeton Theological Seminary and has served Congregational churches in New Jersey Illinois Wisconsin and Massachusetts by Rev Doug Gray First Church of Squantum Congregational T We are all leaders Whether we are leading our families leading our business efforts or leading ourselves we are navigating through some pretty wild times If all we had was the pandemic that would be enough If all we had was unrest over racial injustice that would be enough If all we had were the volatile politics of an election year that would be enough but we have all of these at the same time How do we lead ourselves our families our community and our fellowships through these tumultuous times I ve been reading Doris Kearns Goodwin s Leadership in Turbulent Times 2018 again along with my Bible reading and they have dialogued well together First know what matters and stick to that The prophet Micah asks And what does the Lord require of you To do justice to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God Micah 6 8 Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment in the whole Bible His response The most important one is this Hear O Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength Deuteronomy 6 4 5 The second is this Love 6 your neighbor as yourself Leviticus 19 18 Mark 12 29 31 Dr Goodwin draws attention to the early failures of Abraham Lincoln Teddy Roosevelt Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson and how these helped them decide what mattered in their own lives and set them on their course to greatness In this time of turmoil are we learning what really matters Let us stick to what matters most Second stay awake With so much happening the buzz of the internet news cycle is a little bit louder these days but still it can lull us to sleep like a loud air conditioner on a hot night Jesus said No one knows about that day or hour not even the angels in heaven nor the Son but only the Father Be on guard Be alert Mark 13 32 33 The point is not that Jesus is coming again and He is but that we are to be paying attention to the world around us following the signs looking for Jesus return and loving as Jesus would in the meantime Alive to the opportunities around them Goodwin points out both the chances our great presidents took and some of the ones they didn t In our own turbulent times are we paying attention When our family church community or nation needs us to get activated let us be awake to the need and seize the opportunity Third stay resilient in the face of shocks and setbacks The night Jesus was betrayed by one of His disciples when they were touched by the way He washed their feet and upset that Jesus said one of them would betray Him Jesus said to them Do not let your hearts be troubled Trust in God trust also in me John 14 1 As Jesus goes on through the chapter He talks about how He and the Holy Spirit will be with the disciples as they are living and loving and deciding and the disciples will have what they need when they need it Learning to trust God when things aren t going the way we expect or want is such a crucial part of growing deeper in Christ Goodwin writes More important than what happened to these leaders was how they responded to these reversals how they managed in various ways to put themselves back together how these watershed experiences at first impeded then deepened and finally and decisively molded their leadership Goodwin Leadership p xiii We have had some big shocks over the last few months and many of us have had huge setbacks personally and in business and we will undoubtedly face more challenges in each of our fellowships We are not in control of the virus or the setbacks we face collectively We could sink into depression or throw up our hands or just ask it all to stop but at the end of the day we still have to figure out school and work and family and church and community and nation and we have to figure these out together as best we can The legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden famously said Never let what you can t do get in the way of what you can Resilience helps us to stay focused on what we can do Finally let God raise us to greatness The hardest wildest times can beat us down or build us up Fortunately we do not face these times alone but with the very Spirit of God to guide us Paul would write Timothy For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands For God did not give us a spirit of timidity fear but a spirit of power of love and of self control 2 Timothy 1 6 7 Writing some four hundred years earlier Mordecai as he is trying to talk Queen Esther through the looming disaster of genocide says to her Do not think that because you are in the king s house you alone of all the Jews will escape For if you remain silent at this time relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place but you and your father s family will perish And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this Esther 4 13 14 With great courage and faith Esther finds God s greatness within her and saves her people In these times we are tempted to just do what we must to stay out of trouble to stay silent on the issues of the day If we are to make the greatest difference we can make we must not give in to these temptations but to talk and work together to reason and strive with each other and with God Goodwin quotes Abigail Adams writing her son John Quincy Adams during the American Revolution It is not in the still calm of life or the repose of pacific station that great characters are formed the habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties Great necessities call out great virtues Goodwin pp xiii xiv We are not alone Let us keep crying out to God for our needs and the needs of our families church community and nation God loves us In Jesus God died for us And through Jesus we know God can raise us again The other day I saw a keepsake with these words on it Tell your storm how big your God is That s the role of faith in these times After all it s not really us that leads through these tumultuous times it s God Almighty The God who over and over again hears the cries of His people sees their needs and cares enough about them to come down Exodus 3 So let us lean into these moments with greater awareness and resilience When opportunity comes may God find us ready to serve What does it mean to render to Caesar what is his and render to God what is His How a believer understands this text will to a large degree determine how they will approach matters of nationalism and politics as they follow Jesus Dr Chris Surber Matthew 22 15 22 is usually seen as essentially about paying taxes Author Chris Surber takes us deeper into Jesus meaning as he explores this well known scripture as well as its historical context and the crowd to whom Jesus was speaking A book by Chris Surber Available on Amazon com 7

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Goodbye SAYING The Reverend Michael Glidden Domino is Minister at North Deering Meeting House in Portland Maine He has been pastoring since 1993 Rev Glidden earned his Master of Divinity Degree in 1995 from Bangor Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in 2002 He was ordained in 2000 Mike lives in South Portland with his wife Rhonda by Dr Michael Wayne Glidden I received a call from my mother in the summer of 2019 She told me that my father is in the hospital The conversation was short and sweet I knew that I needed to see him You know what I mean by a gut instinct I had it Rhonda and I got in our car and drove the four hour trip to Bangor from South Portland I had feelings of fear ambivalence and nervousness as we walked into his room Dad recognized Rhonda but he didn t know who I was I didn t look or seem that different Or maybe I was I found this strange because we visit him a couple of times a year I knew something was wrong What was it My father was lying in the bed barely breathing and hardly able to hold a conversation His voice was between soft spoken and non existent I saw a form beside his table that mentioned palliative care In my mind I knew what would eventually come I had to ask another pastor to go see my dad because of my continuing discomfort around him Throughout my childhood my father was a figure that I feared rather than felt comfortable with My pastor friend told me things about my dad that I never knew To this day I m grateful that our paths crossed at Bangor Theological Seminary 28 years ago My father whom I ll call Charles adopted me in 1970 My biological father had been sentenced to life in prison for murder when I was two years old My mom was 21 and Charles was 35 when they got married Charles was an incredibly quiet person throughout my life I was able to get bits and pieces of who he was by just listening in when he would talk to someone else or be on the phone Yes I was an eaves dropper at a young age And was quite good at it Asking him questions was always out of the question Sometimes on a very rare occasion he would just volunteer stuff which I would listen deeply to because I knew that I might not hear much more for many months or years I m glad my memory is good because I never wrote down what he said 8 Charles grew up in rural Maine not far from where we lived He was a good student in high school graduating in 1951 I remember him telling me about one teacher who was blind but had a good range because when a student was out of line he was able to reach the child and give him or her a good shaking Maybe Dad was shaken He excelled in baseball which prompted a second look from Red Sox scouts while he was playing shortstop during his senior year of high school He had a couple of marriages in a short span Charles served in the Korean War as a Gunner s Mate aboard the USS Soley I could only get bits and pieces but my dad received severe sexual abuse while onboard the ship which gave him an anxiety disorder for the rest of his life and also made things rather complicated as a husband father and employee My dad was reserved to the point that he was very difficult to know One important piece of my formation came when I was 5 years old I remember him reading to me from a Jehovah s Witness Bible about the stories of Moses I can remember those JW books They were bright colored with a hard cover I can remember the image of Moses and his long straggly beard to this day His beard looked like it had been run through with an egg beater Sadly my religious formation would be put on hold until my later years in high school There was a picture of Jesus hanging in the den which I ran from every time I saw it Perhaps my fear of Jesus was due to my fear of Dad or maybe both my dads As a pastor I believe that confession is good for the soul Most of my childhood and adult years have been lived with a hole in my heart which has been slightly smoothed over Not knowing my biological dad as well as not really knowing Charles definitely left a mark on me as a person husband father and pastor It certainly has helped me to develop empathy I ve found my humor to be a fountain of healing in my life My grandmother would tell me as a boy that all things come out in the wash I never knew what that meant until very late in Charles life or at least that hole in my heart was smoothing By the pure providence of God I got to see Charles for Christmas in 2019 It was a wonder miracle in the making because I would have his undivided attention or at least that s what I thought would even speak to I wondered what the magic touch was Rhonda and I arrived early on Christmas Day My mother for Patrick I guess I can now add Rev Rhonda to the list let us in as we made our way to the living room Dad was Rhonda mentioned that since that pastoral call from sitting up on the couch His hair was in disarray Ironically Patrick in July my dad is more at ease and seems ready to his hair looked like Moses hair in the egg beater There face the unknown Patrick had a hand that made the bridge was a mountain of mail and papers that looked like an across a long divide God sends the right people at the right avalanche ready to crash Not a good combination with time and place Thank you Patrick all of his medical devices that were plugged in A dozen It didn t matter that my dad was quiet on the couch or or more oxygen bottles were near him A long tube was that he mostly conversed with my wife I now realize as a inserted in his nose He looked like a shell of the man that 52 year old man it s okay Sometimes we need to get out I once remembered or who would have been aboard the of the way and let others minister too I realize that I am USS Soley Rhonda came alongside and sat near him I m not indispensible God has many ways to reach people and blessed with having a wonderful spouse who comes by nurture and care for them in their last hours A good lesson pastoral care naturally Mom gave us both a gift a clock for me is that it doesn t need to be about me Seeing my dad that quotes scriptures on the hour Ironically I grew up in gave me the understanding that I m grown up now and need a non religious home The only mention of the Lord was to take ownership of my life and that saying a final goodbye usually in the form of a curse word Such a gift was quite is part of the life process Sometimes we just need to unusual Rhonda began to read each of the scriptures in let go a soft tone of voice to my father He didn t say anything but just sat there with a calm smile The smile seemed to take over the room Somehow I could see Rhonda as a minister s assistant but this may be a topic for another day However she was the minister at this God appointed moment She gave my dad a touch of grace His First Congregational Church of Fremont Michigan calm was very unusual from a man who was always on edge and ambivalent around women There is something to be said about the still A historically Congregational quiet voice of the Word of God on our hurting church we are biblically founded souls My dad was unresponsive for most of the and rich in tradition day until Rhonda began to engage him some more Rhonda realizes that visits sometimes We desire to carry on the need to be a little longer because it is often later reconciling ministry of Jesus that a person will begin to open up and that is Christ and provide a place where exactly what happened all may feel welcome loved and I really liked that pastor that came to encouraged visit me in the hospital said Charles Yes that was Michael s friend when he was in A half hour drive from beautiful seminary said Rhonda Charles quickly Lake Michigan s eastern shores replied What was his name Patrick said Rhonda with a smile I would later tell her with a chuckle that Patrick For more information was the only minister that my dad ever liked or Searching for a shepherd to lead our sheep Go to naccc org and click on the Open Pulpits tab or contact us at congosearch1 gmail com 9

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RECOGNITION IS DUE Butman Awards The Harry R Butman Award is given to an ordained minister who has served at least 10 years in an NACCC church The nominee must have demonstrated a commitment to the principles of Congregationalism The 500 award is intended to provide ministerial assistance to lift and encourage a minister T he recognition of one s peers is the highest form of praise so the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches NACCC is especially pleased to provide its members opportunities for recognizing ministers who have made special contributions to Congregationalism Excellence in Ministry Awards Annual Excellence in Ministry Awards are given at the discretion of the Vitality Ministry Council VMC Award nominees should exemplify personal commitment to the Congregational principles of faith freedom and fellowship Churches or individuals may make nominations Supporting documentation such as letters of support and or articles about the nominee may also be submitted to assist the VMC in its selection process 10 The Jeanette Butman Award goes to the spouse of a Congregational minister who has served an NACCC church for at least 10 years and has assisted his or her spouse in ministry The 500 award is based on need merit or outstanding achievement Deadline for submitting nominations for the Butman awards is April 30 2021 Award winners will be announced at the Annual Meeting Conference in Spokane Washington Joseph Jones Russell Sermon Award The J J Russell Sermon Award recognizes pastoral excellence in preaching related to Congregationalism Submitted sermons must focus on some aspect of classical Congregationalism and its relevance for today The sermon must have been preached can be preached any time from July 2019 April 2021 An applicant must be an ordained pastor who is serving an NACCC active member church of under 400 congregants Submissions must include the following 1 A copy of the Sunday worship bulletin at which the sermon was preached 2 DVD YouTube or website link of the sermon in its entirety visual and audio preferred 3 Full manuscript or a minimum two page outline transcript of the sermon 4 Send links and documents to Mrs Cynthia Hardy via email at cahlead2015 gmail com Please email Cynthia if you require a mailing address or for submitting a DVD The winner of the Russell Award will be announced at the Annual Meeting and Conference in Spokane Washington Winner of the award will receive 350 full registration to the NACCC Annual Meeting and Conference and a 50 percent discount on the room rate at the meeting Nomination Forms To obtain a nomination form go online to http www naccc org awards html All completed nomination forms and materials should be submitted by email to cahlead2015 gmail com AFrom Note The Editor I n 1989 President Jimmy Carter traveled to Milwaukee to lead the building of Habitat for Humanity houses in one of the city s struggling neighborhoods The Good Morning America television show was covering the event and one morning as I got ready for work I found myself watching an interview between an ABC reporter and President Carter In the middle of the interview Milwaukee Alderman Michael McGee an African American and a group of his supporters appeared in the background blowing whistles in an attempt to disrupt the interview They carried signs that read Missionaries Out of Milwaukee and Jobs Not Charity The reporter was a little thrown off balance by the unexpected demonstration but Carter appeared more interested in what the protestors had to say than speaking on national TV He calmly walked away from the interview to find out exactly what McGee had against the housing program The camera followed I don t recall any quotes verbatim but McGee objected to another once and done handout On behalf of his constituents he called for meaningful change change that would help the central city s black community lift itself out of poverty McGee cited the need for job creation better schools increased access to healthcare Charity might make help to assuage white guilt but it wasn t going to generate a real and lasting improvement in the lives of Milwaukee s poorest families In that slow southern drawl of his President Carter described how Habitat for Humanity was designed to promote dignity and hope in a better future by providing low income families good housing and an opportunity to own a home goals founded in Christian principles He explained that the prospective new homeowners were required to invest sweat equity in the project and demonstrate their ability to repay a very affordable mortgage Carter and McGee listened to what the other had to say Then something wonderful occurred Several of the demonstrators joined Carter s group and spent the day working alongside the builders The encounter didn t eradicate racism in Milwaukee but it offered us all an important lesson in listening truly listening to one another This summer during the 2020 NACCC Annual Meeting accomplished via Zoom the Cadman Resolution was presented and passed The resolution requests that the NACCC acknowledge and address the current global issue of racism and social justice To that end the resolution requested that the next twelve issues of The Congregationalist starting with this issue have an article on racism to awaken the consciousness of all member churches about the issue The resolution would seem especially timely considering our current celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower landing at Plymouth and our Congregationalist heritage as abolitionists and participants in the underground railroad But I know it has the potential for creating a schism among members of the NACCC Which brings me back to Jimmy Carter and Michael McGee two men who couldn t have been more different in their life experiences When McGee tried to make a shambles of the television interview Carter seized the opportunity to listen and learn Ultimately McGee did the same And in the end each man walked away with a better understanding of the other s point of view My hope is that over the next 12 issues we will truly listen to and learn from one another as we address racism in America If we can do that I believe The Congregationalist will meet the expectations of the Cadman Resolution in raising awareness and deepening our understanding Respectfully Marianne King Editor The Congregationalist 11

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What a CONGREGATION Can Become Ronald R Johnson is author of Small World and What Does God Do from 9 to 5 He has a PhD in Philosophy from Saint Louis University and teaches at Spring Arbor University He is writing a biography of the Congregationalist minister and best selling author Lloyd C Douglas by Ronald R Johnson W hat can our congregation or any congregation become There is much talk these days and much hand wringing about what it will take to attract and hold the interest of Millennials Congregations are inviting teams of specialists to study their behaviors and offer suggestions It is not uncommon for these teams to advise sweeping changes that include not only a revamping of the congregation s mode of worship but even remodeling of the church building I ve been involved in congregations that have made these kinds of changes trading an older crowd for a younger one or trying to at least In some cases the innovations have indeed resuscitated a church that 12 seemed ready to expire in other cases they just made a lot of people mad From the perspective of the Congregational Way however these churches seem to be asking the wrong question Instead of How can we reach and hold the interest of Millennials a more relevant question would be What can our congregation become This is a very different question for a number of reasons First this question takes as its starting point the people who are already here We who are gathered right now in this place are the congregation that God has planted at least for the time being A faithful Congregational view of this flock cannot and will not place less emphasis on certain parishioners just because they were born in the previous century Everyone who is here belongs Granted we take the Great Commission seriously and know that we must be eager to bring others into our group but the Great Commission is to all people not just those under thirty Nor is it intended as a revolving door Go and make disciples of the next generation then kindly step aside No this question begins with the current congregation however small in number or great in years Second this question assumes that who we are as a people at this moment is not who we are meant to remain God sees more in us than we may see within ourselves We are called into partnership with Someone whose compassion power and intelligence far exceed our own and we can t be in meaningful relationship with Someone like that without at least some of that compassion power and intelligence rubbing off on us Third this question challenges us down to the roots To change our liturgy or our style of music to conform to contemporary culture may be outside our comfort zone but the question I m asking goes deeper Forget liturgy or music for a moment What will God make of us if we yield our congregation to God That s the question We may find that God actually is calling us to update our style of worship or make major changes in the physical plant but those are minor details that are only peripheral to the main question Who could we become as a people if God had God s way with us Twenty centuries ago Jesus was handed a very unpromising mission field Judging from the importance of his message one would have thought that his Father would have sent him to the cultural center of his society Greece or to its political hub Rome Or if it was necessary for him to go to Israel then the province of Judea and especially the city of Jerusalem should have been the prime target But his Father sent him to Galilee where the people had an annoying accent to the Judeans at least and were looked down upon again by the Judeans for not being Jewish enough To this congregation if we can use such a word Jesus said You are the light of the world You re like a candle he told them And candles aren t meant to be hidden under a basket They re put on a candlestick so that they can give light to the whole house He was talking about them He spoke as though the eyes of the world were on these humble Galileans A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid he told them What a thing to say Jerusalem was set on a hill This message would ve played well in that city They would ve nodded in agreement They already had a sense of their own importance But Galilee Jesus spoke to these Galileans as though everything they did and said had historical no eternal significance It wasn t true Or at least it wasn t true before he showed up but it became true because he said it Just like the story in Genesis about light coming into being because God said Let there be light so now these Galileans would become known the world over simply because Jesus had called them the light of the world and the salt of the earth Some of us today if we are educated may be familiar with the names of Roman writers like Virgil and Livy and Marcus Aurelius or Greek writers like Plutarch and Eratosthenes but both learned and unlearned people have heard the names of Peter James and John Even Judas and Pontius Pilate are known today only because of their association with Jesus He was extraordinary He was the light of the world And he inspired some of those Galileans to become like him Jesus didn t dismiss any part of the population He challenged all of them to live extraordinary lives He spoke to dignitaries too of course but that s the point he delivered the same message to everyone even if their names weren t listed on the Social Register He treated them all like VIPs because they were When I say treated like VIPs I don t mean he pampered them or kowtowed to them I mean he recognized their ability to live noble lives that would matter in the larger scheme of things He knew that humble fishermen could become extraordinary Even tax collectors and prostitutes could rise to the challenge Jesus didn t tailor his message to reach a certain coveted portion of the population he spoke to ordinary people like you and me and told them they could change the world And through faith in him they did Back to the question I asked at the beginning of this essay I said we shouldn t inquire how we can reach Millennials and then do a makeover on our congregation to match our response Instead I said we should ask ourselves What could our congregation become if God had God s way with us Each local congregation is unique of course so your answer may of necessity differ from mine But I believe it is possible to give a generic answer too We can become extraordinary When Peter and John appeared before the leaders in Jerusalem those leaders said to each other These men have been with Jesus It was obvious He had rubbed off on them And Christ himself said to those who would follow him You will be perfect Matthew 5 48 Despite most translations the Greek word for be in this passage is not present imperative but future indicative he wasn t admonishing us to be perfect but promising us we will be Given the context he s saying that we will be made like him as he is like his Father What can we become as a congregation A group of people who are on their way to being more like Jesus And if we hold to that aspiration we will be extraordinary 13

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AND News NEEDS of OUR Josh Yarrow KEEP MOVING FORWARD A CHRISTIAN MINISTRY IN THE NATIONAL PARKS What has been left up in the air by NACCC missions during the pandemic Nothing but hands lifted in prayer and praise Using with permission a quote from Rev Harding Stricker MD Argentina Our way through the pandemic went from initial uncertainty and fear to resolute work and bold witness to the Gospel What we have learned can be said in three words Keep Moving Forward Every NACCC mission echoes Harding s sentiment The Pilgrim Center for Reconciliation PCR Minnesota responded to the deep tension in the Twin Cities by bearing witness to the pain of their brothers and sisters praying with them and partnering together to seek practical solutions for churches and leaders who serve vulnerable communities A PCR reconciliation work also continued in Africa pictured above during the pandemic bringing healing through Christ to broken minds bodies and souls my Kennedy from A Christian Ministry in the National Parks shares with a sad heart about a tragedy that occurred on their Glacier team One of the team members Josh Yarrow took an incredibly big fall on a hike near Logan Pass and died almost instantly Josh s loss has been felt widely across the Glacier National Park community as well as the Voyageurs National Park community where he previously served At his memorial his dad was able to share about Josh s love for Christ and extended an invitation for those gathered to know Him too News and Needs of our Missions is published quarterly with updates pictures prayer requests and a brief list of needed items It offers a snapshot of national and international mission activity so that you can see how each mission is doing and how your donations are being used If you would like to receive an email attachment when News and Needs is published please contact Julie Robie at jrobie naccc org Current and back issues are posted on the website www naccc org under the News for You tab National Association of Congregational Christian Churches Missions and Outreach Ministry Council PO Box 288 Oak Creek WI 53154 For a complete listing of NACCC Mission Projects or to donate see our website www naccc org and click on Missions Missionary Prayer Requests Jim and Sharon Powell and Peter and Faith Ndungu spend time having fun as they oversee Happy Life Children s Mission in Kenya The Maine Seacoast Mission keeps moving forward The Sunbeam returned to sea Meanwhile a tiny house is being completed for a veteran NEEDS OF THE MISSIONS IN BRIEF For a more detailed list please contact Julie Robie at jrobie naccc org Christ to the Villages Nigeria high lumen portable projector child sponsorships Fishers of Men Mexico bilingual workers to come serve in the homeschool Happy Life Children s Home Kenya mosquito nets food and medicine for children sanitizers and disinfectant Hosanna Industries Inc Pennsylvania home repair supplies Morgan Scott Project Tennessee personal hygiene items toilet paper laundry detergent canned meats Panamerican Institute Mexico laptops for students and child sponsorships Pilgrims Presence Kenya water filters Pokot Bibles sponsorships for young girls at risk medical supplies Word Alive Ghana drum set child sponsorships 14 God s guidance and wisdom to serve Him well careful observation of COVID 19 hygiene measures help for those suffering domestic violence and increased substance abuse financial loss food insecurity political instability rising prices for supplies and fuel ACCC Argentina Smooth transition to a new public accountant ECHO That the West African team have discernment and safety as they serve in Burkina Faso Mission Mazahua To send people with vision and passion to serve Christ and the mission Seafarer s Friend That they effectively put together programs to help seafarers in port and at sea and for a committee in the Maine area to help with implementing growth into other ports 15

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THE SPIRIT of Your Father Rev Dr Robert Hellam W hen I began writing this sermon we were still in the middle of the coronavirus panic I almost always prepare a sermon several weeks ahead of the Sunday when I will preach it That gives me plenty of time to look at it during the week before that Sunday smoothing it out and correcting typographical errors as best I can making it sound more like natural speech than just something written down On the day I started writing this my prayer was as it has been every single day that not one more person in the world would be infected and not one more person in the world would die from the virus Naively I thought that by the time I preached this sermon the crisis and the panic would be over How are we doing today I read the following scripture See I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves Beware of them for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me as a testimony to them and the Gentiles When they hand you over do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say for what you are to say will be given to you at that time for it is not you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you Brother will betray brother to death and a father his child and children will rise against parents and have them put to death and you will be hated by all because of my name But the one who endures to the end will be saved When they persecute you in one town flee to the next for truly I tell you you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes A disciple is not above the teacher nor a slave above the master it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher and the slave like the master If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub how much more will they malign those of his household Matthew 10 16 25 16 Matthew 10 16 25 The Reverend Dr Robert Hellam is senior pastor at Church of the Oaks in Del Rey Oaks California In addition he served as a chaplain captain with the California State Military Reserve from 2011 through 2015 with prior active duty as an enlisted man in the U S Navy Bob earned his BA in English and his teaching credential from San Jos State University his Master of Divinity degree from Western Seminary and the Doctor of Ministry degree from Trinity Theological Seminary Bob is a member of the Monterey Bay Colony of the Society of Mayflower Descendants the Nims Family Association the Plapp Family Association and American Legion Post 591 He lives in Seaside California with his wife Connie This Gospel is not as fast moving as Mark In the book of Matthew Jesus has just now called His twelve apostles together By the halfway point in Mark s Gospel Jesus is just about ready for the final journey to Jerusalem but here in Matthew things are still getting started Now Jesus is sending the Twelve out to preach the Gospel throughout the towns probably only the towns of Galilee avoiding for now any communities of Gentiles or of Samaritans Probably the best known of Jesus words in this passage are these Behold I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves We know that Matthew probably wrote his Gospel about 25 or 30 years after the resurrection Many scholars have pointed out that Jesus words here seem to be a warning not so much for the time when He was speaking but to the future Church since the persecution of later decades had not yet begun at the time of this speech At the time Jesus was speaking John the Baptist was still alive and active and so far even he was being reluctantly tolerated by the authorities Unfortunately some of the scholars seem to think that Matthew was writing a bit of fiction putting words into Jesus mouth for the benefit of his readers as if Jesus couldn t see into the future But if we believe the Bible to be the Word of God we know that Jesus really did say words either identical to what Matthew wrote or very close to them and Matthew wrote them down from memory with the aid of the Holy Spirit Jesus of course was very far seeing He knew that persecution was going to happen to His Church and He knew that it would be severe He tells us in John s Gospel that He is the Good Shepherd John 10 11 Now He is talking as a Shepherd to His sheep But He is not talking only to the twelve men who are gathered before Him at this time He is also talking to the whole Church of every era in Christian history He is talking to us Look at today s society which has become largely Godless I m not on Facebook but people who are Facebook subscribers tell me that if a Christian posts anything on that platform it is very likely that a large number of name callers and ridiculers will respond in very unkind terms I have occasionally dropped a comment into various other online forums and experienced the same result For example on the Sunday before I started writing this sermon an editorial cartoonist drew pictures of several groups he called Covidiots meaning people who weren t responding correctly in his opinion to the coronavirus outbreak One of those groups was a congregation of Christians entering their church building on Easter Sunday That was on the GoComics Website that I subscribe to so I registered a protest in the comments section and I was informed by some stranger that I am an idiot Are we sheep among wolves It often feels that way But Jesus says we are to make the best of our sheep like characteristics We are to be as harmless as doves or as innocent as doves When so many Christians simply knuckled under to the governmental orders not to attend worship in person on Sundays they certainly were doing their best to be harmless Many of my pastor friends obeyed those orders immediately and I respect their decision They were trying to be good citizens and to help protect people from the virus But being innocent is not enough Jesus tells us We are also supposed to be wise Was it wise for virtually all Christians to cooperate so willingly and so uncritically to the government dictates Or were those few who continued with regular church services wise to obey Hebrews 10 24 25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day drawing near Were we wise to assert our First Amendment rights to practice our faith and to assemble peaceably This is not the time for either group to denounce the other As the Apostle Paul told us we are to speak the truth in love Ephesians 4 15 Innocence yes but also wisdom Truth yes but also love But what lessons can we learn from our recent experience One I would suggest is that we have been conditioned to forget that we are free citizens of a republic with certain Godgiven rights that we have by nature and not by the gift of the government The immediate reaction of so many pastors and other Christians to comply with the so called lockdown should give us pause Some pastors who insisted on continuing with regular worship were confronted by police officers and some were fined I m glad to say that has not happened here Only two state governors as I recall insisted that religious services were essential functions that should not be forbidden How does this compare with our Congregational ancestors back in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries at the beginning of our movement Under the rule of the English monarchs everyone was required to pay tithes to the Church of England whether they believed in it or not and they were required to attend the services of that church Everyone who lived in the neighborhood of a Church of England building was by law a member of that church There was no choice involved If a person did not attend Church of England services there was a legal penalty fines or imprisonment and sometimes death One historian says The first Congregational church in the reign of Elizabeth I was formed in 1567 by a company of Christian people in the Bridewell district of the City of London by Mr Richard Fitz The privations they endured in prison with the death of their pastor and deacon made no change in their convictions or in their purpose to maintain them under all conditions Immediately therefore on their liberation from bonds they resumed their meetings in Whitechapel Street Immediately they resumed their meetings They knew that they would be punished by the government but obeying the Bible s command not to neglect meeting together was more important to them While they were still in prison they composed what we would call their church bylaws and they titled the document The True Marks of Christ s Church The late Harry Butman one of the Continued 17

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THE SPIRIT of YourContinued Father important leaders and scholars of our National Association called that document a cry from the dungeon Dr Butman wrote very movingly about a similar document from another Congregational church of that time calling it a yell of rage a cry in the night a lament for the death of those whose only offense was their faith for the old and sick taken out of prison a few hours before the end and left to die on the sidewalk These dungeons must have been foul beyond belief in the cruel years when nameless Congregationalists coughed out their tubercular lungs unjustly jailed uneased by a doctor s skill uncomforted by the touch of a kinsman s hand There is a terrible reality behind the familiar declaration that our freedom is bought with blood Many Congregationalists died in prison Many ministers were executed No wonder our Pilgrim forebears decided to escape to the Netherlands and eventually to New England Even there even in America often the British government placed restrictions on their freedom to worship as they chose In the twentieth century the courts of our own government upheld the supposed right of the old association of Congregational churches to sweep all of our churches into the United Church of Christ even though under our system the national association had no such power over local churches and most of our churches did join the UCC just as our most prominent pastors and churches had all joined the Unitarians a hundred and fifty years earlier In the last century it was only the courage of a few brave leaders that led to the formation of our own National Association of Congregational Christian Churches We are the heirs 18 of people who were amazingly brave in the face of government persecution and religious persecution The same was true of the Twelve Apostles and of the early Church in general Jesus predicts in this sermon s text Beware of men for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake In the coronavirus crisis some jurisdictions were providing hotline telephone numbers for citizens to inform on one another for not staying home or for not wearing masks in public or for not practicing social distancing There was no audible protest from most churches Was Jesus prediction being fulfilled Did it happen in some cases that brother would deliver brother and the father his child and children would rise against parents It is clear from some of the nastiness on social media that Jesus words are true when He said You will be hated by all for my name s sake Does that widespread dislike of Christianity in America today help to explain the government s unquestioned assumption that they had the right to close churches Now the precedent has been set Despite the clear Christian heritage of this country witnessed by the Mayflower Compact and the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights and the statements of our Founders and of later Presidents like Abraham Lincoln most Christians and most churches have accepted the false idea that the government has the right to close down our churches or to limit our activities What will be the next excuse Will it have to be something as serious as a deadly virus or could it be some other reason that derives more from the widespread public dislike of people of faith The same apostles that Jesus spoke to on that day all but Judas went on to do what Jesus commanded not just on that day but for the rest of their lives to bear witness before governors and kings for Jesus sake All but John died violent deaths executed either by governments or by hostile mobs simply because they were preaching the Gospel and even John had to endure torture and imprisonment and exile Jesus warned them in very simple terms and in a very logical manner If the authorities were going to persecute Jesus and eventually put Him to death they would show the same hostility toward His followers If they would ridicule and demean Jesus for example by saying that He was a tool of Satan they would have the same disrespectful attitude toward His Church The churches in America have tamely put a terrible weapon in the hands of local and state and Federal government agencies This time it was used mostly in good faith with the aim of protecting the vulnerable from a terrible illness a deadly plague that killed tens of thousands of people But what have we done Separation of church and state is a clich that has been often misused What it is supposed to mean is that the government has no power to limit or to forbid the activities of the Church Do we still believe that Jesus reassures the apostles that they will have the power and authority of the Holy Spirit that He will help them in any conflict with the powers that be When they deliver you over do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour For it is not you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you What we do need to remember is that we the Church still most certainly have the power of the Holy Spirit to help us through all circumstances He helps us to say the right words at the right time He helps us to stand up under personal trials He helps us as a church to stand up to unjust and illegal government actions All we need to do is to trust Him and to call on Him Amen MINISTRY Not Solely for the Ordained Clergy Anymore M any things are changing in ministry today and what we know now is that ministry is not solely for the ordained clergy anymore Many people in the local church possess gifts and talents that are relevant for ministry in the local church Pastors often need lay associates who can help with ministry responsibilities and some churches without pastors would love to have a lay minister leading their small flock Fewer people are going into seminary and many churches are facing the difficulty of maintaining a full time pastor We also know that many people are drawn to ministry roles and activities Some have pastoral care interest teaching interest even preaching interest More than ever the door is open for lay people in the local church to be trained in ministry After years of discussion and prayer the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches NACCC Lay Ministry Editorial Board has completed a makeover of the current NACCC Lay Ministry Training Program and is rolling out a new program to begin offering an online virtual program in September 2021 The Reverend Bruce Pound Lay Minister of the Remer Congregational Church Remer Minnesota says As a lay minister myself the Lay Ministry Training program is extremely near and dear to me With so many tiny churches with dwindling budgets I really feel that the lay ministry program is a life saver for many of our tiny congregations Patty Smith a student of the present Lay Ministry Training program says When God puts it on your heart to go into ministry God doesn t let go After attending an NACCC meeting I knew I had to do this training It was the best decision I ever made It has been fantastic for me In the old format students worked by self pace with a mentor Under the new plan there will be classes led by qualified clergy and church leaders of the NACCC who will bring their training and expertise in ministry to the lay students attending their class Students will be in a cohort and will be learning alongside others from across the NACCC at the same time Plus they will still have mentors in the local church or community to help support them in their study The new course will be broken into three levels each level lasting one year and containing 10 sessions of learning The different levels will help meet the needs of a rapidly changing church landscape Level 1 is DISCIPLESHIP and is designed for the individual who says I want to deepen my walk with Christ Level 2 is LAY LEADERSHIP and is designed for the individual who wants skills to more fully serve in ministry leadership of a local church Level 3 is PASTORAL LEADERSHIP and is designed for the individual who really wants to have the clergy resources necessary for pastoral leadership The new NACCC Lay Ministry Training program will begin its first course scheduled for September 2021 in Old Testament and New Testament Biblical Studies and will run for four months The class will be taught by NACCC Congregational Foundation for Theological Studies CFTS Dean the Reverend Dr Charles Packer Pine Hill Congregational Church West Bloomfield Michigan Other first year instructors are the Reverend Norm Erlendson First Congregational Church Stonington Connecticut teaching Theology and Church History and the Reverend Chris Surber Mt Hope Congregational Church Livonia Michigan teaching Living Out Our Faith in Missions and Evangelism Instructors will present material through a virtual platform and allow for online discussion between students and instructor Instructor syllabi will be made available two months prior to the start of each new class Registration information will be available after January 1 2021 on the NACCC website www naccc org For more information contact Laura Wright NACCC Office in Oak Creek Wisconsin at 414 865 1614 lwright naccc org or Polly Bodjanac Pilgrim Congregational Church Green Bay at 920 655 3597 pollybodjanac gmail com Class fees will be set at 100 per session Financial support will be made available through generous donor scholarship programs available through the NACCC Vitality Ministry Council CO AUTHORS Polly Bodjanac is a licensed lay minister at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Green Bay Wisconsin She currently serves as the Administrator of the revised NACCC Lay Ministry Training Program She grew up at FCC Royal Oak graduated from Olivet College and joined PCC Green Bay in 1984 The Reverend Dr Stu Merkel has served Faith Community Church Franklin Wisconsin since 2009 He studied at Fuller Theological Seminary earning a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry He has served Congregational churches of the NACCC for over 30 years in Wisconsin Connecticut Illinois and California He has been an instructor for the Wisconsin Lay Ministry Training program since 2011 19

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RACISM IN AMERICA AMERICA A Theological Problem The Rev John Tamilio III Ph D is pastor of the Congregational Church of Canton Massachusetts He is also a visiting Associate Professor of Philosophy at Salem State Universityd his undergraduate alma mater Dr Tamilio holds graduate degrees from Northern University Andover Newton Seminary and Boston University He has conducted post doctoral research at Harvard University as part of its Ministry in the Vicinity Program His first book Blind Painting Poems was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Letters in 2003 He is a frequent contributor to The Congregationalist By John Tamilio III Ph D T here is a problem in America It is ugly and it is evil It has grown exponentially since the first slaves were brought to Virginia from Africa in 1619 We have seen it flourish over the last decade The problem is racism Racism is a pandemic more widespread than COVID 19 that exists in individuals and at institutional levels We must ask ourselves why black people are six times more likely to be sentenced to prison than white people who commit the same crime 1 Why is it that one in three black males born today can expect to spend time in prison 2 Is it because they are more apt to commit crimes as the white supremacist claims or is something else happening These are some of the questions I pondered this summer when a resolution from the Cadman Memorial Congregational Church came before the 66th Annual Meeting and Conference of the NACCC which took place virtually over Zoom Noting that Congregationalism has a history of advocating for social justice the resolution calls for this publication The Congregationalist to have an article on racism in the next twelve issues to awaken the consciousness of all member churches about racial injustice in the United States The resolution encourages churches and regional associations to submit articles denoting how they have been led to support the movement of social justice and equity in our society and culture It came as no surprise that one third of attendees voted against the resolution and five delegates abstained I am not suggesting that those who opposed the resolution are racists Their objections had more to do with a hallmark of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches i e we do not take stands on sociopolitical issues nor does the National Office dictate policy to local churches Local churches can engage in social justice issues if they wish but the wider body that is the NACCC does not make such blanket proclamations In the above referenced article Zakiya N Jackson claims that the war against black bodies is the result of a narrative that began with the slave trade The narrative is that black people are inferior they are less than their white counterparts in every way be it intelligence or worth Such stereotypes persist today becoming part of an often unspoken national subconscious Another way of thinking about racism is that it perpetuates untruths In the introduction to his book America s Original Sin Racism White Privilege and the Bridge to a New America Jim Wallis writes Untruths that we believe are able to control us dominate us and set us on the wrong path Untruths are burdens to bear and can even be idols that hold us captive not allowing us to be free people who understand ourselves and the world truthfully 3 Satan works with untruths Jesus on the other hand uses the truth to set us free 4 By refusing to address this issue as a national body of churches we perpetuate this narrative It is not enough to hide behind our bylaws and claim that this is a sociopolitical issue and that we as the NACCC do not get involved in such things With all due respect to those who subscribe to this view such thinking is erroneous There is certainly a sociopolitical dimension to racism but as the people of God we are irresponsible if we fail to see it as a theological issue as well In fact racism is a theological issue which means that it is also a moral issue The Bible makes it clear humankind is made in the image of God the Imago Dei There was a time when people claimed and some still claim that men are created in the image of God whereas women are created in the image of men This is also bad theology Genesis reads So God created mankind in his own image in the image of God he created them male and female he created them 1 27 NIV Being created in the image of God is not about gender It isn t about race either All human beings regardless of race and ethnicity are intricately sculpted in the Imago Dei If you open the New Testament and turn to Galatians 3 28 you read those familiar words from the Apostle Paul There is neither Jew nor Gentile neither slave nor free nor is there male and female for you are all one in Christ Jesus In other words there is no distinction between us based on religion economic status or gender One could also add race ethnicity or ability to the list God who is love loves us all unconditionally We are all children of the same Father in heaven The problem is that the above distinctions and others have been used by us to construct barriers that make us feel safe from those who are different But the Church is the one institution that needs to topple those barriers or at least challenge them Paul was telling the believers in Galatia that when they were baptized they were incorporated into Christ in a way that transcends all human distinctions 5 The same is true for contemporary believers Having been baptized into Christ we are a new community one in which the distinctions created by race whatever they may be are overcome Religions have had to deal with racism in the recent past One need only think of Wade Page who opened fire in a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek Wisconsin home of the National Offices of the NACCC on August 5 2012 killing four parishioners and wounding six others Page a member of the neo Nazi group Hammerskins was fueled by anti Muslim rhetoric Three years later on June 17 2015 Dylann Roof entered the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston South Carolina killing nine Bible study attendees and injuring one other Roof a neo Nazi and white supremacist developed his views in the wake of the Treyvon Martin shooting Both men and their crimes are featured in the 2018 Netflix documentary Alt Right Age of Rage That same documentary highlights organizations such as American Renaissance the online white supremacy magazine founded by Jarod Taylor and the rhetoric of Richard Spencer the anti Semitic conspiracy theorist who was one of the neo Nazis who spoke at the infamous Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville Virginia in August 2017 Both Taylor and Spencer give an air of respectability to the movement they are educated clean cut well dressed articulate men whom one could see lecturing in a university classroom or prosecuting a hate crime in court Taylor and Spencer show us that it was once easy for us to dismiss racists as mere good ol boys wearing white hoods and spewing intolerant diatribes from the back of an old beat up Ford pick up truck Racism is fashionable in many circles It has been institutionalized at all levels of society and has been embraced by many in the corridors of power It has trickled down to the masses and is justified by the media s insatiable focus on crimes committed by young black men One of America s earliest blockbusters D W Griffith s Birth of a Nation 1915 had the same objective Racism is embedded deeply into our psyche as individuals and as a nation Its tentacles have reached into time honored institutions the church is one of them The Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr said that the most segregated hour in America is 11 00 am on Sunday Sadly this is still the case in many congregations Zenitha Prince writes About eight in 10 American congregants still attend services at a place where a single racial or ethnic group comprises at least 80 percent of the congregation according to findings from the most recent 2012 National Congregations Study as cited by the Pew Research Center 6 Granted this is due to many reasons one being self segregation but such division does not reflect the shalom the wholeness that God willed for creation It is not enough to worship God in our comfortable sanctuaries justifying the way the world is The Gospel at its heart is countercultural and calls us to use our prophetic voices especially when culture runs contrary to the Gospel The Gospel also establishes an ethic to which followers of Christ subscribe we are to love one another as we love ourselves and treat others as we wish to be treated Jesus did not posit a caveat this doesn t apply to race Neither should we If the NACCC and her member churches want to remain relevant and true to our roots we need to fight the good fight against racial injustice 1 Zakiya N Jackson Responding to the War on Black Bodies from Leaven 24 3 2016 138 2 Ibid 3 Jim Wallis America s Original Sin Racism White Privilege and the Bridge to a New America Grand Rapids Brazos Press 2016 xix 4 See John 8 32 5 Russell Pregeant Engaging the New Testament An Interdisciplinary Introduction Minneapolis Fortress Press 1995 350 6 Zenitha Prince Eleven O clock on Sundays is Still the Most Segregated Hour in America from The Louisiana Weekly online June 15 2016 20 21

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GMC Announces Book Of Worship THE Along WAY Calling A New Pastor In The Midst Of A Pandemic W hen the nine person Pastoral Search Committee at the First Congregational Church of Yarmouth Yarmouth Port Massachusetts began its task of calling a new pastor in April 2018 no one could have imagined the final few months of the search process would take place during the Covid 19 Pandemic Just as the committee was narrowing down its choices in order to make the final decision the virus hit our shores and restrictions were placed on social gatherings and churches were ordered to shut down The committee had to become creative on how to meet and make this important decision during this new normal time Because we felt uncomfortable trying to hold socially distanced gatherings ZOOM quickly became our salvation for safe efficient meetings In addition we conducted interviews utilizing the same online tool In normal times the committee members would have visited the candidates respective home churches to hear them preach However as churches were shuttered and members were to shelter in place the internet again became our salvation The churches of our finalists were conducting online services or meditations which committee members virtually attended Because of travel restrictions for out ofstate travelers our finalists were introduced to the church plant via a virtual tour created by two committee members After having reviewed 25 Minister Information Form applications and holding at least 58 meetings with about 20 being via Zoom after the shutdowns the committee voted to recommend the calling of Pastor William Vaus to the congregation Pastor Vaus has most recently served the Stowe Community Church Stowe Vermont He was born in Sleepy Hollow New York and grew up in La Jolla California His degrees include a Bachelor of Arts in drama from University of California at San Diego and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary Pastor Vaus has served churches in California the Carolinas Pennsylvania and West Virginia and is a published author of 13 books several centering on C S Lewis He and Becky his wife of 32 years have three adult sons After the decision was made to call Pastor Will it was still necessary for him to preach before our congregation and the church to conduct a Special Congregational Meeting at which to vote Although churches had just been allowed to resume services at this time many of our congregants were still staying socially distanced and not attending services We had to again become flexible and creative on how to include our whole congregation in the process In mid June a service was recorded in our own Sanctuary with Reverend Vaus preaching This was then made available online through the church website Mail in ballots along with detailed directions on the new procedures were sent to each member of the congregation On July 12 2020 the filmed service was shown as our regular Sunday worship service for all who felt comfortable attending in person Following the service the Special Congregational Meeting was called to order and the vote was taken For those not in attendance in the Sanctuary the meeting was made available via ZOOM A total of 99 ballots were cast and tallied and William Vaus was voted to serve as the new Pastor of the First Congregational Church of Yarmouth established in 1639 and God s shining light on the hill located at 329 Main Street Route 6 A Yarmouth Port MA Services are held each Sunday at 10 00 AM Visitors are always welcome First Congregational Church is a member of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches and the Massachusetts Association of Congregational Churches Submitted by Sue Shields Pastoral Search Committee First Congregational Church of Yarmouth The Growth Ministry Council is currently assembling a Book of Worship for use by NACCC churches Some of the orders have been completed namely the Order for Baptism and the Order for Holy Communion The sections that contain Calls to Worship and Pastoral Prayers is also near completion The NACCC s Growth Ministry Council helps encourage and support the congregations of the National Association of Congregational Churches NACCC in their mission of faith and discipleship If you would like to peruse these resources please contact Dr John Tamilio III Chair of the GMC and he will send copies to you He can be reached at revdrjt3 yahoo com Center Congregational Church S ometime around September 19th a massive tree fell on the back of Center Congregational Church in Atlanta It was discovered Sunday morning when the Reverend J R McAliley III and staff arrived to set up for services How it didn t cut through only angels can tell Even neighbors who stopped by had no idea how it happened said Rev McAliley it was barely noticeable from the front of the building It took most of the day but the more than 13 000 lb tree was removed on Monday It was so heavy the crane operator needed to change his entire tackle to lift it A preliminary assessment of the damage indicated the need for a new roof The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches and Congregational Foundation are seeking a dedicated and committed Executive Director The Board of Directors of the NACCC has appointed a Search Committee made up of nine church leaders and ministers from across the country to assist in filling this essential position For a position description and details on how to submit your confidential application contact Laura Hamby at nacccsearchcommittee2020 gmail com or 831 325 9615 We ask our member churches to keep the search process and the important work of this committee in prayer Search committee members Dawn Carlson Laura Hamby Patrick Hunt Claude Johnson Jodee Lord Emily Miller Todd Justin Nierer Jacob Poindexter Jim Waechter and ceiling Initially Center Congregational suspended in church worship services but continued to podcast the service Soundcloud com Formed by God s Word from home as the building was restored The podcast now has regular listeners in Brazil and Philippines in addition to the congregation s home bound COVID 19 didn t stop us we began in person services 07 June and this tree will just be a speed bump said Rev McAliley We do have folks that are not comfortable with gatherings but our attendance is still holding steady and we have the podcast https www centercongregationalchurch org Search underway for Executive Director Are you looking for an opportunity to support the work of the National Association through your vision encouragement partnership oversight and leadership Mission To nurture fellowship among Congregational Christian Churches and to support ministries of the local church in its community and to the world all in the name of Christ Rev William Vaus 22 23

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Worship Necrology2020 TENSION ENSION By Rev Dr Barry W Szymanski Reverend Mark E Rustin The Reverend Mark E Rustin pastor of the Carmel Union Congregational Church in Carmel Maine died of pancreatic cancer on September 3 2020 He was 72 Rustin was a native of Old Town Maine and was educated in Old Town public schools the University of Maine and Bangor Theological Seminary He was ordained to the Congregational ministry in 1985 After an early career in law enforcement and as a small business owner he was initially called as lay pastor of the Veazie Maine Congregational Church Following his ordination he served NACCC churches in Warren Hiram and the North Deering Congregational Church in Portland where he was pastor for 26 years Upon his retirement from the Portland church he was named as its Pastor Emeritus Having moved with his wife LaVerne to the Bangor area he assumed the part time pastorate of the Carmel church shortly thereafter Rustin served in many capacities in the Congregational Christian Council of Maine including Executive Secretary South Region Ambassador Moderator and Treasurer He served for many years on the summer staff at the CCCME s Camp Winniaugwamauk in Brooksville Maine and was a member of the Host Committee for the NACCC Annual Meeting when it met in Gorham in 1985 and in Portland in 1993 Passionate about social issues he spoke at Maine legislative hearings regarding a judicial appointment criminal justice matters and gay rights legislation He was an active member of the Masonic fraternity for 26 years successively serving as an Assistant Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Maine as Grand Secretary from 2012 2016 and as Grand Master from 2018 to 2020 Rustin is survived by his wife LaVerne son John and wife Kaitlyn three stepchildren and their 24 spouses 10 grandchildren and several greatgrandchildren his sister Diane Rustin and two nieces A graveside memorial service was held on September 7 in Old Town with Rev Rustin s longtime close friend Rev Douglas W Drown of Saunders Memorial Congregational Church in Little Deer Isle Maine officiating followed by a Masonic tribute Reverend Richard D Liles The Reverend Richard Douglas Liles died on August 11 2020 He was a Christian minister most of his life primarily serving as youth minister and shepherding congregations in Plainfield Illinois Wauwatosa Wisconsin and Hutchison Kansas He served on the Executive Committee of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches from 1996 to 2000 Following his retirement Liles was a substitute teacher for elementary schools in Colorado Springs Colorado for a while His son Jason wrote Richard was a man completely devoted to his family He taught hugged drove healed listened to cared for and advised us Most of all he loved us He is survived by his wife Joni sons Jason and Patrick daughters in law Lisa and Nicki four grandchildren and his three younger siblings Reverend Dr Steven A Peay The Reverend Steven Peay died on August 31 2020 in Milwaukee Wisconsin He entered the novitiate of St Vincent Archabbey Latrobe Pennsylvania and after professing vows as a Benedictine monk earned an MA in Systematic Theology and later his MDiv from Saint Vincent Seminary He was ordained to the priesthood in 1982 Additional studies included an MA in Classical Rhetoric Communication at the University of Pittsburgh and PhD in Historical Theology at Saint Louis University Peay joined the faculty of Saint Vincent Seminary as assistant professor of Homiletics and Historical Theology and served as Academic Dean Peay eventually left monastic life and the Roman Church serving First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa as assistant minister 1995 1999 and senior minister 2002 2010 During that time Peay was an active member of NACCC serving on the Library Board 1995 1999 CFTS 1998 2002 2001 Annual Meeting Program Committee and Nominating Committee 2002 2004 Peay authored the brochure What Do Congregational Christians Believe and co produced with Rev Shawn Stapleton a DVD of worship resources Peay inaugurated the Congregational Symposia and hosted the symposia in 1998 and 2006 at First Church of Wauwatosa Previously an adjunct professor Peay joined the regular faculty of Nashotah House Theological Seminary in 2010 was Director of Field Education in 2011 and Academic Dean in 2012 He was elected Dean President in 2014 until his health required him to step down in 2017 Peay was preceded in death by his parents Willard and Doris Peay He is survived by his wife Julie and stepsons Jeremy Strandt and Matthew Strandt A private funeral was held in Milwaukee on September 5 2020 B ecause many churches have temporarily suspended in person worship or severely curtailed the number of people who can attend a service perhaps only by reservation a growing tension has arisen as to what is a worshipping congregation People who would rather not walk into a church will quote Jesus when he said Whenever you pray go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret and your Father who sees in secret will reward you Their opinion is that we don t need a building in order to pray On the other hand there are those who would rather worship in church their desire is to pray in the house of worship Their opinion is that God s House was built to honor and lead us to God They hold that when Jesus told us that You are the light of the world it is not just us living as Christians but also a congregation which has constructed a prominent church as a reminder that God resides among us We realize this when we see the spires of churches throughout our villages and cities So whether we pray in a room alone in secret or worship together it is important to ask Who are we who follow Jesus the Christ Hans Urs von Balthasar a Swiss theologian d 1987 wrote that the significant question we ask of Jesus Who are you must also be turned back on us He writes that the question Who are we is continually and of necessity being addressed to Christ s ambassadors and we cannot take refuge in some anonymous radiation leaving the answer to Christ and the Holy Spirit von Balthasar makes it clear that because we are Jesus followers we serve as His lights his witnesses in and to this world Through our baptism and our Covenant we have a personal commission we belong to Christ Some might perceive there is tension between praying at home and praying in a church The key to resolving any envisioned tension is to grasp that as we pray to God we are the Body of Christ Whether we pray alone in our room on a walk in our neighborhood together with services on the Internet or attend worship services in a church building we are praying as church At this time some acutely feel tension but they shouldn t We are in a time of a pandemic Covid 19 has different effects on individuals Some who have tested positive seem to have had no problems Others have experienced days even months of significant distress Others require hospitalization and have lasting effects Yet others have died For everyone s safety many congregations have temporarily suspended in person Sunday Worship It is important to realize that whether alone or together we remain a worshipping congregation which reverences God using all of our tools to pray and follow Jesus We can be the light of the world without endangering ourselves and others We are in this together and will work through this in the spirit of St Paul who wrote If then there is any encouragement in Christ any consolation from love any sharing in the Spirit any compassion and sympathy make my joy complete be of the same mind having the same love being in full accord and of one mind Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility regard others as better than yourselves Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus A reflection based on Matthew s Gospel chapters 5 6 and 28 and St Paul s Letter to the Philippians chapter 2 The author Rev Dr Barry W Szymanski graduated from seminary in 2006 and was ordained a Congregational Minister that same year He has served in two churches the last twelve years at the First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa serving as the Associate Pastor of Pastoral Care He retired as an attorney in 2019 after practicing law for over 46 years He has served in many positions at the NACCC Email barry firstchurchtosa org 25

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2020 CALENDAR SAVE THE DATES Pastorates PULPITS Recent Calls Rev Ryan Ramsey Senior Minister First Union Congregational Church Quincy IL Rev Bette M Bond Senior Minister Second Congregational Church Warren ME Rev Brandon M Patterson Senior Minister Amelia Christian Church Clayton NC Rev William J Vaus Senior Minister First Congregational Church Yarmouth Port MA Michael Carter Transitional Minister First Congregational Church South Paris ME Rev Sonia Dunbar Senior Minister Peacham Congregational Church Peacham VT Rev J Eric Hickman Senior Minister First Congregational Church Hudson MI Please check naccc org for updates Associate Minister Amelia Christian Church Clayton NC First Congregational Church Mansfield OH Intentional Transitional Minister Cambria Congregational Church Lockport NY First Congregational Church Salt Lake City UT Non NACCC Church Senior Minister Congregational Church of East Sumner Sumner ME First Congregational Church in Pembroke Pembroke MA First Congregational Church UCC Whitman MA First Congregational Church Fremont MI Monadnock Congregational Church Colebrook NH First Congregational Church of Morristown Morristown NY Installations Ordinations Rev Brandon M Patterson Amelia Christian Church Clayton NC Pastor Robb Tarr Gahanna Community Congregational Church Gahanna OH Rev William J Vaus First Congregational Church Yarmouth Port MA Rev Joel K Boyd First Congregational Church Marshfield MA The Church in the Gardens Seeking Forest Hills Queens NY Contributing Editor Julie Robie Graphic Design Goes Studio NACCC 8473 South Howell Avenue Oak Creek WI 53154 naccc naccc org Editorial Inquiries Marianne E King 800 262 1620 ext 1624 editor naccc org Editorial Advisory Team Rev Dawn Carlson Rev Dr Barry W Szymanski Rev Dr Michael Glidden Claudia Kniefel Advertising Inquiries Carrie Dahm 800 262 1620 ext 1612 cdahm naccc org Articles and editorials in The Congregationalist are by the authority of the editor and do not necessarily reflect policies and opinions of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches The NACCC reserves freedom of expression to its authors as well as freedom of opinion to its readers Copy deadline for each issue is noted in the previous issue s Calendar section Letters to the Editor are welcome All letters may be edited for clarity and length We regret we cannot publish or respond to all letters The NACCC reserves the right to refuse any advertisement To discontinue receiving the magazine contact Tracy Bernhardt at 800 262 1620 ext 1612 or email naccc naccc org One subscription is provided free of charge to each individual requestor who is a member of a church in fellowship with the National Association One complimentary Newcomer Copy will be sent to any person one time only upon request by a church in fellowship with the National Association A subscription to The Congregationalist is provided free of charge to each church in fellowship with the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches and one to each accredited theological seminary on the magazine s mailing list Single copies may be purchased from the National Association office for 3 75 plus 3 20 to cover shipping and handling We seek and gratefully accept voluntary donations to help keep this magazine in print Donations are tax deductible except for the first 15 of donation per subscription received by the taxpayer per year The Congregationalist ISSN 0010 5856 Postage paid at Madison WI 537149998 Published quarterly by the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches 8473 S Howell Ave Oak Creek WI 53201 0288 Periodicals postage paid at Madison WI and additional mailings offices POSTMASTER Send address changes to The Congregationalist 8473 S Howell Ave Oak Creek WI 53201 0288 The Congregationalist Online Our Web site congregationalist org features PDF files of the current issue plus back issues and a searchable index of all articles Each new issue is posted on the Web when the printed version is mailed so you can read it online days or even weeks before the printed copy reaches your mailbox Enjoy SUBSCRIBING CANCELING MOVING Email us at naccc naccc org The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches Mission Statement To nurture fellowship among Congregational Christian Churches and to support ministries of the local church in its community and to the world all in the name of Christ full time settled pastor Senior Minister 26 Publisher Carrie Dahm 2020 The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches All rights reserved In Search Arbor Grove Congregational Church Jackson MI Baleville Congregational Christian Church Newtown NJ Community Congregational Christian Church Citrus Springs FL First Congregational Church Interlachen FL First Congregational Church Little Valley NY First Congregational Church Naples FL First Congregational Church Wayne MI First Congregational Church Bloomfield NY Oakwood Heights Community Church Staten Island NY Olivet Congregational Church Olivet MI Orthodox Congregational Church Petersham MA Preston City Congregational Church Preston CT Stafford Springs Congregational Church Stafford Springs CT Tinley Park Community Church Tinley Park IL Tipton Community Congregational Church Tipton MI Westchester Congregational Church Colchester CT Editor Marianne E King Subscriptions Policy to provide our congregation energy to move past hurts and clarity to communicate better with one another They will remind us how relationship matters our relationship to others as siblings in Christ to God and with the community beyond our walls The pastor will work with our community to reconcile and revitalize the church Preston City Congregational Church Gathered in 1698 Preston Connecticut We have celebrated our 100th anniversary as a loving covenant community Join with us as we recreate our beloved church for the 21st Century Our Pastor is retiring after 36 years We are seeking a full time dynamic pastor with a strong faith who can nurture support and share God s Word and His love to our allaccepting congregation Business Na me Visit our profile Please go to the UCC Job Opportunities site oppsearch ucc org web default aspx Our Church Information Form is available at naccc org Visit our website at www prestoncitycongregational org 27

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The Congregationalist December 2020

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