The Congregationalist June 2021 : simplebooklet.com

Table of CONTENTS Features 4 5 6 Congregations grow stronger with MMBB When clergy and staff feel secure about their future they can focus on and rejoice in what every church does best connecting its community to God Unbiased advice Competitive returns No cost personalized service It can be hard to talk about money MMBB is here to ease the burden by working with you and your church or faith based organization to help navigate these important conversations We work closely with pastors church leaders Flexible affordable benefit plans and other decision makers to craft customized affordable and flexible plans that benefit everyone We re experts in the financial side of ministry That s the MMBB difference Let s begin this journey together plans mmbb org 800 986 6222 The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board 2018 8 10 13 15 16 20 24 New Executive Director ON THE COVER By Art Ritter A live butterfly is attracted to Chris Surber s butterfly stole Butterflies and Angel Wings By Rev Dr Chris Surber Overcoming Divisiveness By Rev Dr Patrick F Hunt Psalm of Lament By Casey vanderBent A Sabbatical for Your Pastor By Lawrence H Balleine Pilgrims on the Earth By Larry Sommers New Lay Ministry Program By Rev William D Bill Mulholland Brother Hill By Dr Michael W Glidden CFTS 10l By The Reverend Dr Charles Packer Ministry of the Clown By Dr Michael W Glidden Departments 14 18 19 22 26 27 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR DONOR THANK YOU NECROLOGY NEWS NEEDS AND PRAYERS OF OUR MISSIONS PASTORATES AND PULPITS CALENDAR EDITORIAL STATEMENT All content in The Congregationalist appears by the authority of the editor We reserve freedom of expression to our authors and freedom of opinion to our readers Except for service information clearly sponsored by the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches NACCC or its component parts content does not necessarily reflect policies and opinions of the NACCC Neither The Congregationalist nor the NACCC has a creed or holds positions on social or theological issues but we recognize the authority of each local church to do so for itself if and as it wishes and we encourage thoughtful and respectful discussion of our agreements and differences

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Executive Director by Art Ritter Vice Moderator and Chair of Board of Directions O n April 15 2021 the Executive Director Search Committee and the Board of Directors announced the selection of the Rev Dr Ashley Cook Cleere as the new Executive Director of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches NACCC The selection was made after a national search process numerous interviews and thoughtful deliberation Jodee Lord chair of the Search Committee said We were excited at what we learned about Rev Dr Cleere through the interview and through conversations with her references She is passionate about and experienced in the NACCC Ashley is a leader who is willing to be part of the team She is a reliable and good administrator but also a visionary and innovator Jodee explained that the committee was particularly impressed and excited by the comments to questions related to visioning that the Rev Dr Cleere presented to the committee during the process She was a unanimous choice of the Search Committee Ashley s personal resume most recently included work as Chaplain Director of Church Relations and Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Piedmont College Her role at Piedmont included strengthening ties with the NACCC promoting student recruitment to establish a more diversified student body and partnering with students faculty staff and community organizations to effect change in the college community While chaplain Ashley worked 4 with budgets and goals personnel selection and evaluation fundraising and programming Ashley has also served as Interim Senior Pastor at Central Congregational Christian Church in Atlanta GA Founding Minister at Covenant Congregational Church in Demorest GA Minister of Congregational Life at South Congregational Church of Hartford CT and Pastor of First Congregational Church of Etna in Pittsburgh PA She is a graduate of Hamilton College Union Theological Seminary and Columbia Theological Seminary At the time of Ashley s selection in April she was serving as President of the Board of Governors of the Congregational Foundation As President she was a voting member on the NACCC Board of Directors and served from 2017 2020 Other work included serving as a member of the Nominating and Annual Meeting and Conference Committees Missionary Society and Congregational Foundation for Theological Studies CFTS Rev Art Ritter NACCC Board of Directors Chair stated We are excited about the choice of Ashley Cleere as the new Executive Director Her experience within the NACCC will be helpful as we deal with the unique issues of our time and we look forward to her leadership in helping us define and work toward a bright future We are grateful for the excellent work of the Search Committee In speaking with Ashley she shared I m delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with NACCC stakeholders as the Executive Director This past year we marked the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims arrival on this continent amid a global health crisis echoing our forebears spiritual fortitude Together we can build on past accomplishments with a renewed resilience to shape the next century of Congregationalism The members of the Search Committee and the Board of Directors ask that everyone keep the Rev Dr Cleere in prayer as she officially began her new position on June 1st Her selection will be on the agenda for ratification by the Delegates at the virtual Annual Meeting and Conference on June 19 2021 Butterflies AND OUR New T ANGEL S WINGS AN By Rev Dr Chris Surber he voice of God reverberates in the flap of butterfly wings as much as His glory resounds in Heavenly sounds when choirs of angels sing Natural revelation that is the discernable fingerprint of God in His creation speaks the language of the soul It is discernable to those sensitive to it be they theologians in ivory towers or three year olds with pockets full of frogs in mud puddles I had what I can only call a St Francis of Assisi experience I have had them before In my Easter sermon I told the story of a few years ago when God sent clarity to me in the form of a thousand colorful fluttering flying dragon flies over my head as I walked my dog along a winding prayerful treelined path Then the entire congregation joined me on the lawn for a butterfly release The most amazing thing happened The very last of those painted lady butterflies decided to make a friend of one of the fabric butterflies on the stole that a friend made for me just for the occasion That precious creature stuck around for nearly half an hour moving from my stole to my hand for the last several minutes of our serendipitous encounter I was able to introduce the butterfly to several church members before it flighted away into a beautiful Southwest Florida beam of sunlight I had spent the bulk of the passion week watching films and reading books about St Francis This was my first butterfly release and I was searching for inspiration and biblical themes to anchor the event in God s truth I found it Where others may choose to see coincidence in my time spent with the beautiful creature I see meaning I choose to live an inspired life because in so doing I set my spirit in balance with the God of creation who often speaks in the flap of butterfly wings The creative voice of God echoes in creation Genesis 1 1 Romans 1 20 Acts 14 17 Deus dixit God has spoken God has spoken through the Apostles and Prophets in Sacred Scripture through the mouthpiece of Israel and the Church and through the wonder of beauty of the created order The Reverend Dr Chris Surber is Pastor of First Congregational Church of Naples Florida and Executive Director of Supply and Multiply Haiti St Francis is quoted as having said A single sunbeam can drive away many shadows Brothers and sisters let us attune our souls in the frequency of the light of God which shines from Heaven upon the single most widespread recording of the voice of God May we walk awake to the fact that God s voice may still be heard in the flap of butterfly wings just as much as in the ruffling of the feathers of the winged creatures that surround the throne of God 5

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O V E R C O M I N G T he first eighteen years of my life were extremely perplexing I was in a quandary not only about the meaning of life but why there was so much disparity surrounding the racial makeup of this country I was a teenager in the 1960s and witnessed the events going on in the civil rights movement The question WHY dominated my thinking Why was there such turmoil and violence Why were the standards so vastly different between white America and Black America Ultimately I asked the question of why I was born Black I was at a point in my life where I detested it Life had shown me that being Black was a dangerous thing I was born in Uniontown Pennsylvania which is located on the Mason Dixon Line dividing line between the North and South in the Civil War When I was about the age of five my brother and I went into the wrong area of town near some woods where we saw a fire burning through the trees We went to investigate There were men standing around a burning cross and when they saw us I heard the words Get the N That was the first time that I heard the N word I didn t know what it meant except that I knew we had to run We escaped through a corn field Years later after moving to New Castle Pennsylvania a significant event occurred when I was fifteen years old I was falsely accused by a woman who claimed that I had assaulted her even though I had never seen her before The police arrested me in my home and proceeded to 6 D I V I S I V E N E S S The Reverend Dr Patrick F Hunt has been the pastor at Heritage Congregational Church in Berea Ohio for the past fourteen years He is married to Linda Hunt and has three children eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren Pastor Hunt has been in the ministry since 1969 He attended Youngstown State University Moody Bible Institute Liberty University and earned his doctorate from the Master s University Divinity School in Evansville Indiana He has served churches in Chicago Illinois Davenport Iowa People s Community in Berea Ohio and finally Heritage Congregational Church He has served in ministry with Youth for Christ in Davenport Iowa and in Cleveland Ohio from 1974 to 1992 as well as the Athletic Director at Berea High School from 1992 to 2007 He also is the Berea Police Department chaplain and has provided counseling and care to officers and their families By Rev Dr Patrick F Hunt harass me unmercifully I was placed in jail and was questioned for three straight days concerning something about which I had no knowledge I became so mentally exhausted that I confessed to the crime Upon my confession the police added a number of other charges allegedly committed by someone that fit my description after which I recanted my confession After a year of court appearances the woman who made the original accusation came back to the police and admitted that nothing had happened to her at all She just wanted to have fun with a colored boy She passed away very shortly after that Subsequent to this event I added extreme anger and hatred to my confusion After much questioning and counseling I learned that my way through all of this was through forgiveness and reconciliation Forgiveness doesn t declare that what people did was right or fair but it did relieve me of the burden of hatred recrimination and revenge Today it is evident that those same divisions around race in our country are still very deep and pronounced The reality is that the church suffers as a result of these divisions and other diversities as well That is true because we allow racial and other differences to become divisive but it does not have to be so In our association our diversity is demonstrated in our theology our political viewpoints social understanding and racial experiences It seems very appropriate to say then that the subject of reconciliation is very timely From beginning to end the theme of scripture is the story of God reconciling man to Himself He has consistently provided a means by which He was restoring mankind into a right relationship to Himself 2 Corinthians 5 18 19 ESV 18 All this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation 19 that is in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation The scripture however does not stop with our relationship to God There is a further expectation that our reconciliation to God would be followed with the necessity of man s reconciliation to man It is not an exaggeration to say that our relationships to God and man are the most important thing in life which is made manifest in what Jesus calls the two greatest commandments in the Bible They have to do with right relationships first toward God and then toward one another Mark 12 2831 ESV 28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another and seeing that he answered them well asked him Which commandment is the most important of all 29 Jesus answered The most important is Hear O Israel The Lord our God the Lord is one 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength 31 The second is this You shall love your neighbor as yourself There is no other commandment greater than these Whenever you see broken relationships toward God in the family or in the church you know that it is not pleasing to God God is in the business of reconciling broken relationships Jesus recognized that difficult relationships would be a significant part of the kingdom which He established with mankind in the form of the church He addressed it initially with the choosing of His disciples There are two in particular who draw my attention as being unlikely choices to become disciples of Christ They are Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot I would have to say that these were two very curious choices in that they demonstrated vastly different ends of the spectrum of life Simon was a tax hater Matthew was a tax collector Simon was an opponent of Rome Matthew was a servant of Rome Herbert Lockyer describes the Zealots in this manner The Zealots stood alone and were always ready to resist even with arms the pretensions to Roman power At one time the Zealots were a great power in Jerusalem and exercised a deep influence on state affairs Having no law they became a law unto themselves finding in their aims and ambitions justification for their infamous Jewish Wars 1 The Zealots considered it treasonous to pay taxes to a foreign king and so would have been abjectly opposed to associating with anyone who was associated with Rome and most certainly a tax collector However it was not just Zealots who vilified tax collectors Nearly all Jewish society in the time of Jesus viewed tax collectors in a similar way Tax collectors were the most despised people in Israel They were hated and vilified by all of the Jewish society They were deemed lower than Herodians Jews loyal to the Idumean dynasty of Herods and more worthy of scorn than the occupying Roman soldiers Publicans were men who had bought tax franchises from the Roman emperor and then extorted money from the people of Israel to feed the Roman coffers and to pad their own pockets 2 Can you imagine the nature of the conversations as these two men walked along the road together with Christ as they ministered together and later became part of the foundation of the church the Body of Christ Lockyer wrote this as an observation about these men Men were divided from each other by a wide deep gulf of thought and feeling and even of impassioned hatred Yet the publican and the zealot clasped hands and joined hearts at Jesus feet In the furnace of His love these opposites were welded together It was a picture and prediction on a small scale of what would come to pass in the greater Church where walls of partition were to be broken down where national antipathies were to be crucified and buried with Christ and rise again transfigured into the glory of a uniting faith and charity 3 Many barriers can divide us from other members of the Body of Christ and our differences may be widely divergent theologically politically racially and otherwise One of the best ways to stifle Christ s love in our local church and throughout the NACCC is to be friendly with only those people we like As was true with the disciples our Lord wants to weld us together in the furnace of His love and enable us to look beyond the barriers that might divide us We are compelled by the Gospel of Christ to not allow those differences to dissuade us from the service of the Master We need to come together in genuine dialog to begin to understand our various perspectives and we cannot allow our prejudices to prevent that discussion Romans 12 9 19 ESV 9 Let love be genuine Abhor what is evil hold fast to what is good 10 Love one another with brotherly affection Outdo one another in showing honor 11 Do not be slothful in zeal be fervent in spirit serve the Lord 12 Rejoice in hope be patient in tribulation be constant in prayer 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality 14 Bless those who persecute you bless and do not curse them 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice weep with those who weep 16 Live in harmony with one another Do not be haughty but associate with the lowly Never be wise in your own sight 17 Repay no one evil for evil but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all 18 If possible so far as it depends on you live peaceably with all 19 Beloved never avenge yourselves but leave it to the wrath of God for it is written Vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord 1 Herbert Lockyer All the Apostles of the Bible Grand Rapids Zondervan 1972 163 2 John MacArthur Twelve Ordinary Men Nashville Thomas Nelson 2002 151 3 Lockyer All the Apostles of the Bible 166 7

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Psalm of Lament The Reverend Casey vanderBent lives in St Croix Beach Minnesota with his wife Teresa He has served churches as settled pastor interim pastor and or conflict consultant in Minnesota Michigan Ohio and now Iowa where he is currently serving as the Intentional Transitional Pastor for First Congregational Church of Spencer Iowa He has served the NACCC continuously for over 20 years in various volunteer capacities as well as serving as our Interim Executive from 2013 2015 He currently serves as our Minister to the Retired Clergy of the Association a position he has cherished for most of the last 15 years for COVID 19 By Casey vanderBent Casey vanderBent offered the following on March 14 during worship at First Congregational Church of Spender Iowa to commemorate one year of pandemic lock down The Reverend vanderBent notes that many were moved and several asked him to be sure it was shared and published specifically mentioning The Congregationalist The deadline for the March issue of the magazine had passed but the message continues to be relevant as we grapple with our journey toward a life without COVID L ast Wednesday our faithful brother in Christ Matt reminded me that this coming week is the one year anniversary of this church and so many other places closing down in response to COVID 19 He suggested some kind of honoring of that milestone including words of thanksgiving for the ways that God has helped us in the last year I agreed but was unsure of what to do until yesterday morning at about 4 30 when Matt s words of both grief and hope reminded me of the Psalms and specifically the psalms of lament The Psalms broadly speaking are a conversation with God The laments are a specific kind of psalm with a specific pattern an exercise in voicing grief and claiming hope The 8 form provides an opportunity to be completely honest with God about how we feel and what we ve been through It is a chance to vent Secondly and more importantly it affirms the fact that even though we may be really ticked off at God or at the world or at our circumstances we still trust in God s presence and blessings in our lives Or more broadly it reminds us of what grounds us where we find hope of a real and sustaining kind The general form has an Introduction O God help me Then it moves on to describe the Situation Complaint This is what is wrong or bad or unbearable often using exaggerated language like I weep on my bed all night long The Lament always concludes with Confession Praise Trust But you are my God and I will trust you to be with me always Psalm 13 bears this pattern It begins with How long O Lord Will you forget me forever How long will you hide your face from me How long must I bear pain in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all day long It concludes with But I trusted in your steadfast love my heart shall rejoice in your salvation And so guided by Matt s inspiration and the Spirit s help I offer this Psalm of Lament for COVID 19 How long O Lord How long will You allow this darkness to enfold us How long will You ignore the cries and prayers of Your children Day after day we struggle under the burdens of fear and loss Night after night we call out to You in our distress but still the darkness persists Our hearts ache with loneliness and we yearn for the touch of loved ones Our souls cry out in anguish for all who have been lost Over half a million in this country alone missing from their families lives Missing from our lives We yearn for a return to normal for the opportunity to gather freely for the intimacy of closeness and of touch and even the simple pleasure of seeing a whole face We mourn for the loss of community and for the isolation especially devastating for our elders and for our children We grieve the divisions amongst us arguing over who is right when we should be unified in our shared experience We are tired Yet through it all we know that You are God Through it all we see Your hand in the kindness of strangers reaching out to each other Through it all You have guided those caring for the sick and dying those serving faithfully on the front lines those searching for solutions those bringing light in the darkness For You are a God of hope You have promised never to forsake us A It is You who places in our hearts the desire to reach out in love to those around is It is Your Spirit that gives us the strength to endure and even more to thrive It is Your Son who taught us that we are loved and showed us how to love As an end to this darkness draws nearer it is You O Lord that helps us to hold onto the lessons of this time that assures us that we have never been alone that binds us together in a loving community and that sends us forward more committed than ever to be Your presence in the world Praise God for the light Praise God for the love Praise God for all good things Praise God G i f t that keeps on Giving Donating to The Congregationalist Endowment is one way to insure that the magazine will be published for years to come Your contribution today will directly increase the value of the current Endowment and guarantee that funding support to The Congregationalist continues in perpetuity Help us to keep you your church members and future audiences connected to Congregationalism Donate at www naccc org Congregational Foundation PO Box 288 Oak Creek WI 53154 9

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A SA SABBATICAL for Your Pastor Pastor I By Lawrence H Balleine was pleasantly surprised I had completed twenty two years of ministry and had heard of a few pastors who had received a sabbatical but I had not expected to be offered such a fringe benefit After all I reasoned to myself while scanning the document This is a rural community Among the membership are dairy farmers who have not missed a day of milking their cows in five or more years But there it was in black and white a provision for a sabbatical in the call to become the pastor of Zwingli Church I immediately felt a surge of appreciation for my predecessor He had been the first to receive a sabbatical from Zwingli Church thereby making it possible for me his successor to receive such a benefit And here is our proposed compensation package that will be a part of the official call papers said The chair of the church s Administration Committee as he handed me a sheet of paper filled with data I quickly scanned the items base salary housing health insurance pension etc All appeared reasonable and fair until I noticed the last item of the package A twelve week sabbatical following the completion of six years of service Lawrence Balleine is a 1975 CFTS graduate and past contributor to The Congregationalist Now retired he served as a pastor with Congregational and United Church of Christ congregations for over forty years Why a Sabbatical There is a rhythm to all of life that includes times of activity and rest The heart has a diastolic and systolic mode One when the heart is pumping working and another when it is resting Music includes times when notes are being played and others when they are not Even God rested Early in Genesis at the end of the first creation story are these concluding words Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all their multitude And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation Genesis 2 1 3 NRSV God saw the importance of resting when provisions for Sabbath were established in the commandments given to Moses In fact of the more than six hundred laws found in the Hebrew scriptures the basic law on Sabbath makes the Top Ten list Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy Six days you shall labor and do all your work But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God you shall not do any work you your son or your daughter your male or female slave your livestock or the alien resident in your towns For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that is in them but rested the seventh day therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it Exodus 20 8 11 NSRV Most clergy work on the Sabbath For many it is their busiest day So another form of Sabbath is essential The purpose of clergy sabbaticals is found in the term itself sabbatical Our words Sabbath and sabbatical derive from the Hebrew verb shevat meaning ceasing from work Whereas Sabbath connotes one day of rest weekly sabbatical is meant to be an extended time of rest restoration and renewal Although some would joke that clergy work only one day a week and are off the remaining six days many conscientious pastors tend to work six days each week And some routinely do not take at least one day a week away from their pastoral responsibilities Moreover a substantial amount of a pastor s work time is often devoted to pastoral care Being with members and friends of his her congregation at times of death illness or other crises ranging from marital and family dysfunction to attending to folks dealing with life altering decisions Although pastors are well advised to not take over another person s problems pastors frequently follow Paul s advice to bear one another s burdens And the line between taking over another s problems and bearing one another s burdens is sometimes razor thin Plus a congregation s reluctance to entertain new ideas or to adopt programs or emphases a pastor considers necessary difficult to getalong with members and conflict within the congregation can be extremely taxing for a pastor and his her family Thus the potential for burnout is significant And a sabbatical often helps in the prevention of such physical emotional and spiritual exhaustion How the sabbatical brings renewal varies from person to person For one it might mean significant reading for another travel is the ticket Some may find conducting research on a particular topic to be relaxing and a means of renewal Others may spend time with a monastic community where they devote themselves to silence and prayer Others may discover renewal by volunteering at a mission site Productivity is not the goal of a sabbatical rest renewal refreshment and recovery are among the desired results of this time away And yes the sabbatical is not so much time OFF as it is time AWAY from the psychological and emotional rigors of pastoral ministry A Partial List of the Benefits of a Sabbatical 1 The sabbatical period is not merely for the benefit of the clergyperson It can also be a time of growth and renewal for the congregation As the congregation learns to live without its pastor for a while the pastor s absence often becomes an opportunity for the emergence of untapped lay leadership 2 Similarly unless the congregation hires a full time replacement for the time the pastor is on sabbatical this temporary absence of the pastor allows the congregation to assume additional responsibilities so that all the necessary bases normally attended to by the pastor are covered Assuming and carrying forth these responsibilities often results in a new learning curve for the congregation 3 The sabbatical by definition is an opportunity for the sabbath provision in the Hebrew scriptures to be practiced kept observed by the congregation and the pastor 4 The pastor returns with some new perspectives and with fresh ideas that often prove to be helpful to the entire congregation 5 The pastor returns rejuvenated refreshed and rested 6 Thus the sabbatical can help to prevent burnout The Sabbatical Decision The congregation s decision to offer its pastor a sabbatical may be made at the time of his her call and be a part of the call papers contract It can also be a decision of the church council at some point during a pastor s ministry It is helpful if the recommendation to offer a sabbatical comes from someone other than the pastor such as a personnel committee a pastor parish relations committee the board of deacons or the council If the decision to offer a sabbatical is made by the church council that decision should be made at least a year and preferably two prior to the start of the sabbatical Determining the length of the sabbatical six weeks twelve weeks six months etc and the amount of time the pastor must serve prior to the sabbatical five six seven or more years should also occur at the time of the decision to offer a sabbatical Continued 10 11

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for Your Pastor Pastor Organizing for the Sabbatical It is important that the congregation form a sabbatical committee nine to twelve months prior to the beginning of the sabbatical period Some functions of this committee include 1 Monthly reminder to the congregation of the upcoming sabbatical period This means the dates of the sabbatical should be established well in advance 2 Regularly inform the congregation of the purpose and benefits of the sabbatical prior to the actual sabbatical 3 Answer questions that the members of the congregation may have regarding the sabbatical 4 Arrange for pulpit supply and or other pastoral type duties for the sabbatical period This may be done in conjunction with the church council 5 Plan and execute a send off event for the pastor just prior to the start of the sabbatical 6 Inform the congregation of the pastor s activities during the sabbatical period This presumes the pastor will keep in touch with the sabbatical committee at regular intervals during the sabbatical Some insist that a pastor if he she is truly on s sabbatical need not be obliged to have any contact with the congregation However keeping the congregation informed allows the congregation to feel more a part of the entire sabbatical process 7 Plan and execute a welcome back gathering for the pastor when he she returns 8 Evaluate the sabbatical period for presentation to the church council and or the congregation at the next annual meeting following the sabbatical Funding the Sabbatical It should be understood from the beginning of the sabbatical process that the pastor s salary and other compensation continue throughout the sabbatical period Additionally there may be costs for those covering for the pastor in his her absence For example a congregation may desire contract with one or more persons to lead worship services during the sabbatical period The stipend for this person should be a set amount per worship service plus 12 Continued A SABBATICAL any mileage involved And although a substantial amount of caring ministry may be carried out by volunteer members of the congregation there may be instances calling for processional pastoral services Thus a contract should be established with such a person who will be paid an agreed upon hourly wage plus mileage Many congregations fund their sabbaticals by annually placing an amount of money in an escrow account This amount is a part of the annual church budget Thus if a congregation contributes 1500 a year to this escrow account and the sabbatical is granted after six years of service 9 000 would be available for the sabbatical period The congregation and pastor may also explore grant programs specifically designed to fund clergy sabbaticals Among them are the Lilly Endowment and the Louisville Institute Although an extensive application process is a part of these programs and the competition for the grants is keen these two funding sources award significant grants that generally cover the entire cost of a sabbatical Even if one is not chosen to be a recipient of such a grant the application process helps both the pastor and congregation clarify the goals and plans for the upcoming sabbatical period Note The applications for these two grant programs are due several months prior to the planned sabbatical Rules of the sabbatical 1 First and foremost a pastor shall agree to serve the congregation granting a sabbatical for a minimum of one year following the sabbatical This ensures that the sabbatical is not used as a time of exploring possibilities for a new call Neither will the congregation terminate its relationship with the pastor for at least a year following the sabbatical 2 The pastor will make a report to the official board of the church regarding the sabbatical no later than one month following the sabbatical period 3 The pastor will be available to address groups within the church regarding the sabbatical A Personal Testimonial I enjoyed a twelve week sabbatical after I had completed thirty years of pastoral ministry including eight with the church offering the sabbatical Thankfully we received a grant from the Lilly Endowment It covered both my expenses for the sabbatical period as well as the expenses incurred by the congregation related to the sabbatical Seven of the twelve weeks of my sabbatical were spent on a road trip during which I drove the entire 2 000 mile length of U S Highway 41 This is a road that begins on the shoreline of Lake Superior at the tip of Michigan s Upper peninsula and extends to Miami Beach Florida I intentionally spent forty days plus holy days on the road to accomplish the trip in a time frame equal to the season of Lent My goal was to write a reflection for each day on the road and to turn these reflections into a book of Lenten devotions I am pleased that I was able to meet this goal Although this may sound like a rigorous plan for a sabbatical meant to be a time of rest and renewal I found the driving and the writing extremely relaxing Maybe because these activities were my choice Moreover the sabbatical gifted me with emotional and spiritual renewal and upon its completion I was re energized to complete my final ten years of fulltime pastoral ministry This last decade of ministry was with the church granting me the sabbatical Thus I was able to serve an 18 year pastorate with the folks of Zwingli Church Yet the most significant benefit I received from the sabbatical is that it gifted me with a new or restored vision wherein I began to look at life contemplatively Although I had driven many sections of Highway 41 s 2 000 miles prior to the sabbatical looking contemplatively at my surroundings each day allowed me to see that which I had previously overlooked For as I was observing my surroundings with child like eyes and rediscovering the wonder of it all I came to see God working in many profound and miraculous ways even in the common ordinary events of daily life Thus it allowed the ordinary to become extraordinary and the common to become profound And I became acutely aware of those well known words I once was blind but now I see Seeing these things in a new way I was experiencing a gift of grace and it was amazing On previous drives along Highway 41 the road was a means to an end It existed to take me to a predetermined destination But throughout the sabbatical journey every mile of the road became a new adventure confirming the Reverend Lynn Hough s observation of a century ago Life is a journey not a destination PILGRIMS ON THE EARTH H By Larry Sommers eritage Congregational Christian Church Madison Wisconsin cleared out its Prairie Road meetinghouse March 6 of this year to permit sale of the building later in the month A convivial spirit prevailed as members masked for COVID consigned hundreds of items to a large dumpster and lovingly packed others into a PODS container for the church s future use Divestiture of our 1990 built meetinghouse has become a joyous not painful experience We have taken an asset which had become a burden passed it along to a new church of another denomination and spun off our thriving Little Pilgrims Daycare as a separate non profit which will continue service on site under a rental agreement with the new owner church Now free to pursue our calling where the Spirit takes us we move into a wilderness phase of our journey led by moderator Sue Carter and intentional interim minister the Reverend Dr Gerald B Krupp As we piece together our new normal we sense it will involve a renewal of Christian witness under our time tested church covenant and a move to new quarters perhaps temporary where we can worship God together in person as soon as circumstances permit We look forward to renewed and continued growth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit Heritage members Larry F Sommers and Sean Spindler carry the church s sign from the old meetinghouse to the POD container for temporary storage Photo by Susan Zerwick 13

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Letters To The Editor Not surprisingly the December 2020 and the March 2021 issues of The Congregationalist have prompted many to do some serious thinking about racism in America Equally not surprising is that there appears to be much emotionalism about the subject as well The resolution directing that The Congregationalist have articles on racism throughout the year began with controversy at the 66th Annual Meeting and Conference of the NACCC in 2020 In a Letter to the Editor March 2021 Mr Evans expressed his own personal insult at an article written by Rev Tamilio December 2020 and suggested others may also feel insulted at the Reverend s words Mr Evans warned that if the NACCC becomes involved in such a controversy as contentious as race the result will be disruption and perhaps destruction of the NACCC In that same issue Ms Hamilton took the Reverend to task as well citing several areas where she disagreed with the Reverend s analysis One is free to disagree but we must remember that disagreeing does not mean one s point of view is more valid than another s not that Ms Hamilton made such a claim Disagreeing comes easier than understanding but more about that later It is Mr Evans remarks that caused me deep concern Clearly if Mr Evans point of view is shared by other members of the NACCC then the potentially destructive controversy has already begun Such contentiousness need not be the result of the NACCC addressing such a fundamental problem in American society Can we not address the issue without divisiveness and hurt feelings 14 It behooves all of us to follow the advice of Dr Johnson March 2021 He suggested we add another phrase into our common discourse Help me understand Help me see where you are coming from Help me see why you believe what you believe Help me understand what life experiences or observations have led you to believe what you believe or what life forces have shaped your thinking Or in the words of St Francis paraphrased grant that I will seek more to understand than to be understood We must stay grounded in our common humanity and in our love for each other as children of the one God Discord and disagreement are easy What is most challenging at times is listening with an open heart and mind Defensiveness and attacking comes naturally to us Homo sapiens Humility in words and actions are the real challenges Incendiary language should play no part in our discourse about race Racial dog whistles neither Let us remember the words of that famous hymn Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me and Open my mouth and let me bear gladly the warm truth everywhere Let the discussion about racism in America continue Strive to understand each other s points of view Resist defensiveness and contentiousness Challenge those hurt feelings And by all means let s keep the discourse civil and loving And by the way will a person of color speak to the issue Paul Robinson Ph D psychologist 31 year member of The First Congregational Church of Mansfield Ohio A NEW LAY MINISTRY TRAINING PROGRAM By Rev William D Bill Mulholland I completed the Old Lay Ministry Training Program in August 2020 and have been the pastor of the Yoked Parish of Becket Massachusetts for over one year The parish contains two churches the Becket Federated Church and the First Congregational Church Being a newly minted program graduate I would like to share my thoughts about the old program along with some significant opportunities that I see in the new Lay Ministry Training Program to be launched this September I bring the perspective of one who completed the prior lay ministry program and that of the current pastor of our two churches I am also a member of the NACCC Lay Ministry Training Program Editorial Board My previous career was in academia as a professor Dean of Life Long Learning and finally Vice President for Community Education at a community college I learned a lot in my journey through the Lay Ministry Training Program and it prepared me well to be a practicing minister and pastor I do have to say that I find the new Lay Ministry Training Program to be a hurricane of fresh air and I expect that the completion rates will be significantly higher than the old program The problems that I experienced in the old program were as follows it was totally self paced you re on your own with the clock ticking a 2000 word essay early out of the gate and miles of reading with no discussion group I was very fortunate to have had a wonderful mentor Reverend Kevin Smail who coached and had me behind the pulpit and performing pastoral duties on a regular basis His leadership made the difference in my being able to complete the program in two years A person entering the old program having been out of college for 30 years or more would find it overwhelming The new Lay Ministry Training Program will be delivered on a distance learning platform with a real instructor Technology makes the program accessible to rural areas like mine The students are placed in a cohort class with 10 sessions delivered each year for three years It includes mentors that can advise and provide encouragement The new program is very conducive to students being able The Reverend William Mulholland is Pastor of the Federated Church and First Congregational Church of Becket and Director of the Becket Praise Team a contemporary praise music group that has recorded seven CDs He is retired from 27 years at the local community college having served as Vice President for Community Education and Workforce Development Dean of Life Long Learning and Professor of Business Mulholland is a veteran of the Vietnam War to form their own study teams either in person or through technology This can be a powerful attribute for fellowship encouragement and helping team members learn The team setting allows all learning styles to come into play A team member who helps another gets to assume the role of teacher for the moment Those who teach learn twice Completion rates will soar Our two churches in Becket were formed two decades before the American Revolution One of our churches houses a Paul Revere bell and still has the horse and buggy stable alongside the church We are however a very aging community having very few children with membership small compared to years past Affording a paid full time minister is extremely challenging for churches like ours and the Lay Ministry Training Program is an answer to prayers A pastor from our church in 1806 stated I fully believe that this church is appointed in the province of God to survive until the end of time This new Lay Ministry Training Program will help make that happen 15

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Let me tell you about I my pastor grew up in Calais Maine which is on the Canadian border of St Stephen N B The natives pronounce Calais as Callus the rough parts on the hand signifying the hard character of the people This part of Maine is considered Down East despite being Up East on any map I lived right off Route 1 the famous highway that goes from Maine to Florida My road was called The Hardscrabble Road because it was an old logging road a century earlier Our old 1973 singlewide trailer was positioned about a half mile up on a one mile road Growing up in the 1970s and 80s I didn t see a lot of diversity Calais is 99 Caucasian with two Native lands nearby For the most part my childhood was a time of isolation and spending time with people who were ultra conservative libertarian along with a rugged Yankee individualism and had a slight taste for moxie I had never met a person of color until 1987 when I was 19 years old Until that point we all looked alike thought alike dressed and ate alike and breathed the same smog from the mill It was spring when I met Reverend Evangelist Till He was an African American Southern Pentecostal traveling evangelist that had finally settled down right outside of St Stephen N B Canada I met Brother Till at a house church that my future wife and in laws were attending He was about 6 foot 2 inches and weighed nearly 350 pounds His rugged exterior was unlike his soft and tender heart Brother Till had 16 By Dr Michael W Glidden a voice that could shake the cedar shingles off any home in Down East He always carried around a 20 pound King James Version Bible with half the pages falling out wherever he went He had become quite a celebrity with his fiery preaching as a guest minister in churches as well as tent meeting events in homes throughout Washington and Charlotte counties Brother Till quickly in an informal manner adopted me as his parishioner and I looked up to him as my personal pastor and at least for a season a father figure to me My pastor baptized me at Round Pond Charlotte Maine that spring The ice had barely cleared and the bloodsuckers were thick as Reverend Till my future wife Rhonda and her immediate family gathered Brother Till held me under the water until he was convinced that I was saved in the Name of Jesus and then proclaimed me full of the Spirit I wondered if I were going to drown in the Spirit as he kept me under the water He had a prophesy of sorts that Jesus would use me for His glory in the future Brother Till wouldn t see this call on my life unfold because he would pass away at a young age from a heart attack around the time that I entered Bangor Theological Seminary His heart attack affected my own approach toward self care to this day I will say that a lot of my spiritual and pastoral formation came from the few times that Brother Till and I were together Our favorite spot was always at the McDonald s in Calais His order was always the same two large Big Macs two large fries one large Coke and an order of cookies He always insisted that I have the same order and he always bought me my meal He believed in spending time with others over a meal because these opportunities were important for getting to know one another His Southern roots ran deep with good Southern comfort filled cooking always in excess Eating with my pastor reminded me of the grace of God that wants to continually feed us beyond our fill I joked with Pastor Till that his food always found a way of landing all over me as he demonstrated an image of the overflow of divine crumbs Brother Till didn t care who was around His voice could wander around McDonalds and find its way out into the parking lot I ve been told during my 30 years of preaching that my voice can be loud and booming He told me about growing up in Mississippi amidst great poverty while showing me the 10 inch scar around his neck from a fight in a bar due to the color of his skin The scar spoke to me of the sins of humanity a wound that reminded me of another s pain and suffering for humanity He talked about his younger years in a Southern world that was hostile to him He spoke of things that I had never heard of burning crosses and white hooded people marching along He migrated to Maine because he wanted to be a free man and be accepted as he was and is As great of a preacher as he was Brother Till mentioned that he didn t have a lick of education He was grateful that I was getting educated and he lamented the fact that his was in the school of hard knocks I believe that sometimes the best way to learn is to engage the world and reflect on what occurs I was learning more about the sins of the world being with Rev Till than reading about it in any book I know he really wanted to get to know me He supported me in my quest to get a degree In fact in the spring of 88 he insisted one day in coming to college with me We took the one hour commute from Calais to the University of Maine at Machias on a back road Route 191 Traveling that road was like riding on top of a million slipping and sliding bottles We traveled in our old Corsica that I thought would never make it with a tank holding about five dollars in gas and lopsided with a 350 pound man on the right side Brother Till spent the day following me around to my classes He was inquisitive when he met the music professor asking him about his life and what his interests were in music My pastor helped me realize the importance of being a good conversationalist and being inquisitive with others tools that would help me later in ministry As I witnessed Brother Till following me around the campus I realized the importance of presence and interest in being with others another tool in the shed for future ministry My pastor also demonstrated to me the importance of accepting everyone unconditionally as he conversed with and engaged different types of people much different than the folks I knew on the Hardscrabble Road The ride back home seemed like an eternity We were both tired from the day at school but that didn t stop my pastor from sharing more nuggets of truth that have shaped me to this day The road no longer seemed like a million slippery bottles but more like a ship sailing into the sunset as I listened to the pastor pour out his heart to me about the racism that he encountered in my dear old hometown People would call him racist names The police for no reason would pick him up He Seeking Full Time Minister Meadowbrook Congregational Church Novi Michigan is looking for someone to lead and inspire us into the future The Reverend Dr Michael Glidden is Minister at North Deering Congregational 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 thought that he was a second class person Racism has a way of affecting a person s mind body and psyche Listening to his story I could tell that the pain of racism was much deeper than the scar around his neck As he dropped me off at my home he had a big grin gave me a bear hug and called me his brother in the Lord Suburban Detroit church family is looking for a nurturing and energetic minister to replace our retiring minister We seek a dynamic spiritual leader who can join us in expanding our church family Novi is a growing safe and diverse community with a top rated school district and many nearby cultural opportunities We desire an inspirational and motivated person with a vision to grow our church in many ways including youth and family activities music and community outreach How will you guide our welcoming and inclusive Congregational church into the future To learn more about us visit our website www mbcccc org or see our Church Information Form through the NACCC Contact us at apply mbccc org 17

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Thanks T he National Association of Congregational Christian Churches wishes to thank our Editor s Round Table members who supported The Congregationalist with a contirbution of 100 00 or more in Fiscal Year 2021 April 1 2020 March 31 2021 Henry Martyn Dexter Society 1 000 and above James Benson Richard Derham Margaret Hoats Robert Karla Mall Sylvia McCormick Edward Beecher Society 500 999 Edith Bartley Glenn Mimi Biedron Claude Joyce Dunn Laura Hamby James Henson Chuck Chris Murphy Jim and Sharon Petrie Ron Rudd Bob Suzy Stoyer Elias Smith Connexion 250 499 Ariel Castillo Jeff Sharon Dillon Robert Constance Hellam Jim Hopkins Andrew Kathy Irish Mark Liane Jensen Charmaine Jones Donald Marilyn Rauschl James Leanna Rogers Sam Lucy Shinozaki Jerry Rebecca Turner Art Lee Wallach 18 Sustaining Members 100 249 Linda Anderson Kenneth Arnold Randy Nancy Asendorf William Barbara Barnes Charles Barr II Joy Baumgartner Neil Linda Bennett Donald Penny Bentley Sharon Beringson Beth Bingham Philip Mary Biondi George Michelle Blair Jack Marleah Boesch Roger Janice Bowers Eric Dorothy Britcher Beth Brooks Jillian Bruss John Buscemi Marria Casner Michael Vicki Chittum Norm Marcia Christensen Joseph Judy Clarke Jean Colegrove John Steele Cook Harold Covill Robert Mary Davis Evangelical Congregational Church Dan Carol Evans Martha J Fee First Congregational Church of Elkader First Congregational Church of Toulon Colleen Foster C George Fry Sherry Glab Craig Goodlock George Grof Charles Hall Paul Nancy Hamilton Robert Harloff Jim Ann Harris Randall Linda Hase Roger Mary Hawk Clarence Jean Heerema Heritage Congregational Church of Berea Kennie O Neal Hodo Philip Wonda Huggins Neil Sharon Hunt Leatha Johnson Maryam William Jonas Johnathan Jones Greg Jurewicz Bob Claudia Kniefel Sharon Kohls Paul Laederach Will Lange Jim Larson Janet Wilson Douglas Lobb Lewis Caryn Long Thomas Janet Lovell John Karen Lukens James Veronica Mann Edward Martin Bruno Mauer David Marsha McMurray Richard Kay Miller Todd Robert Morris William Sharon Muller Holly Myers Don Nash Bernie Alberta Nichols Old Stone Congregational Church Charles Packer Ted Marlene Pendleton Edward Kathleen Peterson Varn Liz Philbrook Robert Christina Potter Phil Peg Read Alicia Paul Riedy Carolyn Rinehart Lynn Robertson Columbus Sanders Diana Silvestri Alex Skeete Bob Barbara Smith Larry Joelle Sommers John Peg Stephens Dianne Stone Marion Stowell Barry Sue Szymanski John Cindy Tamilio The Congregational Church in Summerfield Jerilynn Titsworth Brian Trask William Van Lue Christine James Walker Craig Barbara Walker Jim Cindy Walsh Joe Shaaron Walton Alicia Clement Watson Edgar Suzanne Wheeler Leland Witting Steven Barbara Woods Sharon Wozencraft Warren H Danielson 1924 2021 Warren H Danielson passed away January 19 2021 in Portland Michigan He was known as the first spouse of First Congregational Church of Portland and more recently First Congregational Church of Lake Odessa while his wife of 26 years the Reverend Dr Marilyn Danielson pastored both of these churches Danielson attended many NACCC Annual Meetings and enjoyed participating in the Michigan Conferences and the Pastors and Spouses meetings of the Central Michigan Association of Congregational Christian Churches and Ministers He will be greatly missed by his extensive blended family and friends He is survived by his wife Marilyn Danielson daughters Nancy Steckler Dennis and Lori Beregszaszy Joe and his step children Andrea Allen Steve Dr Bruce Saint Annabel Virginia and Thomas Saint Jamie He is also survived by eight grandchildren and one great grandson many nieces and nephews in laws and friends Memorial contributions may be made to the First Congregational Church of Lake Odessa or Lansing Ionia Area Hospice in honor of Warren Reverend Mary Miller 1942 2020 The Reverend Mary Frances Miller born on December 29 1942 died on May 12 2020 in Oakdale California at age 77 Mary was a longtime associate pastor at Church of the Oaks in Del Rey Oaks California The earliest mention of Mary in the church history is from January 12 1992 announcing that she would be the guest preacher on the following Sunday during a time when the church was between senior pastors Mary was ordained November 12 1993 at Plymouth Congregational Church in Fresno California She was later appointed an associate pastor at Church of the Oaks a position that was largely honorary since Mary lived in Fresno Plymouth Church had folded and Mary needed another church in our association to recognize her as a Congregational minister She continued to live in Fresno doing mostly nursing home ministry there with some financial support from Church of the Oaks She often visited Church of the Oaks to preach and to sing Mary was an excellent singer of Christian hymns and songs and she was a recognized recording artist Mary is remembered fondly for her sweet spirit and for her bombastic sense of humor Editor s note Notification of Rev Miller s passing came in 2020 but wasn t received due to a technical error We apologize for the lateness of this necrology 19

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CFTS 101 The Reverend Dr Charles Packer Dean of the Congregational Foundation for Theological Studies may be contacted by phone at 1 800 262 1620 extension 1613 or 734 755 4131 and by email at drcapacker gmail com By Reverend Dr Charles Packer I n 1865 Congregational historian Henry Martyn Dexter wrote the book with the mouthful of a title Congregationalism What It Is Whence It Is How It Works Why It is Better Than Any Other Form of Church Government and Its Consequent Demands While this article will not seek to be nearly so ambitious as Dexter in his volume the hope is that some of the questions raised and explored by Dexter about Congregationalism in general might be engaged with regard to the Congregational Foundation for Theological Studies What It Is The Congregational Foundation for Theological Studies CFTS is a ministry of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches NACCC that seeks to nurture individuals from member churches who pursue seminary education in accredited institutions among the American Theological Schools ATS with the goal of serving as ministers in Congregational NACCC churches upon graduation CFTS strives to offer academic financial and spiritual support during the years of study toward the Master of Divinity degree The Master of Divinity program is considered to be the standard for preparing for pastoral ministry 20 Whence It Came When the NACCC was being formed in the midst of the merger of most Congregational churches with those of the Evangelical and Reformed tradition to become the United Church of Christ UCC those electing not to enter the merger deliberated the very important concern of the training of clergy to lead the congregations that did not have the benefit of the historically Congregational seminaries that were now part of the UCC While there was consideration about forming a strictly NACCC seminary it was discerned that a more prudent path to take would be to invest directly in students education rather than in the construction and maintenance of classrooms and offices and in faculty salaries It was reasoned that there were perfectly adequate accredited Christian seminaries providing quality instruction throughout the country Students could attend the seminary of his or her choice according to their sense of calling to a particular school The diversity of viewpoints and perspectives available at these seminaries was perceived to be a strength in the formation of ministers for Congregational churches Recognizing that what would be missing by students not attending a dedicated Congregational seminary was coursework in Congregational history governance and other topics CFTS would generate programming to meet this need Along with a variety of workshops and learning opportunities every CFTS student was and is required to participate in the Boston Seminar in Congregational History and Polity during their time in seminary Taking place in greater Boston and Plymouth Massachusetts during the summer CFTS students spend a week immersed in the New England roots of North American Congregationalism hearing lectures visiting sites of relevance to the background of Congregationalism discussing practical matters related to Congregational ministry and doing research in the Congregational Library for a major research paper on an approved topic All travel expenses for these events are covered by CFTS Why It Is Effective The CFTS model of encouraging seminary trained ministers for Congregational churches has produced dozens of ministers over several decades who have served many communities throughout the country for many years and even entire careers Because the objective of the program is to develop well rounded clergy for NACCC member churches there are a number of aspects of the program that are designed with that purpose in mind Attendance at Annual Meetings and Conferences Ministers Convocations and Congregational Symposia is required of students in significant part to foster collegial relationships with NACCC ministers fellowship with member churches and friendships between other CFTS students Pilgrim Partners are assigned to each CFTS student to be a source of spiritual guidance and mentorship during the educational process Pilgrim Partners are experienced Congregational clergy who have agreed to meet regularly virtually or in person with students during their years in seminary to listen and offer personal feedback as appropriate and needed In order for students to have practical experience in pastoral contexts students must complete 1 000 hours of supervised ministry and or Clinical Pastoral Education prior to graduation from CFTS The post graduate grant system was created in 2010 to give limited financial support during students time in seminary and significant assistance in the early years of graduates service in NACCC churches If a student takes a call to an NACCC congregation within five years of graduation from seminary he or she is eligible to receive a substantial grant for each of up to three years Students in the program regularly report that they feel highly supported throughout their time in seminary by CFTS and in dialogue with students from different Christian traditions indicate that often the assistance given by the NACCC is far more than that offered by other denominational systems and organizations Its Consequent Demands Sustaining the CFTS program and giving the support that it does for students requires a partnership with member churches CFTS is a blessing to churches of the Congregational Way and needs to be blessed by them To accomplish this many churches and individuals among the NACCC have done and can do several things Recommend members of congregations who display gifts and inclination for ministry to the program Contact the Dean of CFTS if it would be appropriate to initiate a conversation with someone in an NACCC church who might have questions about CFTS or Christian ministry in general Hold the CFTS program its Dean the volunteer CFTS Committee that oversees its policies and work and the students who hope to one day serve one of our many churches in ongoing prayer for progress and success Create a scholarship to aid students while they are receiving seminary education that can be administered through CFTS All it takes is contacting the Dean to find out how that can be done A student receiving a scholarship from a church may one day serve as that church s minister When an NACCC church is searching make it a priority to consider CFTS graduates for pastoral positions CFTS graduates have spent many hours not only getting ready to put skills into practice but they have devoted much energy and effort into becoming distinctly Congregational ministers to serve Congregational churches Unfortunately with many Congregational churches getting smaller in number there are far fewer individuals available to heed the call to ministry For those who do the CFTS program affords churches additional assurance that candidates have a clear understanding of the Congregational Way This is not an exhaustive explanation of CFTS but it strives to offer an overview for those who may not be familiar with its existence or its benefits or who are not aware of newer aspects of how it functions It is always helpful to contact the Dean of CFTS with any inquiries or to connect prospective students with the program It is a unique approach to nurturing those who are called into pastoral ministry and its vitality and potential is truly shaped by the interest and active support of the member churches of the NACCC 21

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News Needs and Lolita enjoys lunch in the square request from our Julie Claassen with the wood delivery FISHERS OF MEN MEXICO Fishers of Men ministries rejoiced with the recent delivery of much of the wood needed to prepare for the pouring of the first floor ceiling of the new main house at Refuge Ranch in central Mexico Lord willing we will pour the ceiling before the rainy season begins in July making this next stage of building a reality and more importantly a tangible hope for children in need of a family Needs The Refuge Ranch homeschool needs volunteers to work with elementary junior high and high school children in English Knowledge of Spanish is helpful for relating to the children and explaining concepts Volunteers can serve anywhere from several weeks to several months to even several years according to how the Lord leads and provides Room and board are provided for volunteer services Prayers We are grateful to the Lord for His faithful provisions throughout the COVID pandemic and for continued health for all those directly involved with Fishers of Men Please pray for the next stage of construction of the main house at Refuge Ranch the pouring of the first floor ceiling before rainy season starts in July May the Lord continue to bring to our family at Refuge Ranch those children that He knows need a family Pray for continued unity among the staff at Refuge Ranch From Julie Claassen Director CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF MYANMAR Due to the political crisis in Myanmar the Congregational Church of Myanmar Mission has been faced with many unspeakable difficulties which include finances safety for the workers and mission property as well as safety for the Grace children We are living under the military ruling of martial law Due to daily demonstrations in Yangon no one has been able to go outside for work since February Our small church is a safeguard for some mission families who have no safety and no food We are feeding 25 30 members daily As Myanmar Mission efforts are being served by indigenous missionaries most are from Chin State Over 30 missionaries have gone back to their native land for security reasons Our Okkan Pastor and his family also moved to a safe place for a while Needs and prayers Congregational Church of Myanmar needs relief efforts sponsorship of Grace Children and five mission workers support Please pray for our Mission families and needs From Rev Sa Do Founder 22 The ministry of the Congregational Church of Myanmar continues at a home gathering For more information on NACCC missions or to donate please contact Missions Administrator Julie Robie at 800 262 1620 or 603 642 7270 or email jrobie naccc org 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 please visit our website www naccc org and click on Missions Outreach MISSION SCHOOL OF HOPE CAMEROON Food is one of those things we cannot do without For the children in our school lunchtime is the best part of school We feed the children in school since many of them trek for so many miles to and from school During the lockdown period due to the pandemic life became very difficult especially for our community members who must go out daily to look for what to eat To reduce hunger our team came up with a strategy to supply food to our children at the different village squares since we held open air classes at the squares Lolita a girl in the fourth grade said When I saw the cooks coming to the squares my joy was inexplicable and I couldn t wait to get a plate of the delicious food since I had not eaten since morning The challenge we had was that we ended up feeding more children than planned We thank God the children are back in school From Rev Charles Sagay Director SEAFARER S FRIEND MASSACHUSETTS We continue to serve the seafarers that come to our ports Because of the pandemic they are still unable to come to shore and there are times when we can t board the ship We still go to every ship that docks in the ports we serve and we present them with a Goodie Box This box is filled with chocolate oranges and chips Within the box are also devotionals Bibles books to read and puzzles We supply each box with contact information if they are needing counseling spiritual encouragement and friendship Needs and prayers Seafarer s Friend needs financial donations to help with supplies for the boxes or care packages of supplies that can be included in the boxes For instructions please visit www seafarersfriend org and click on the donate box Please pray for the seafarers Seafarers check out their Goodie Boxes CHRIST TO THE VILLAGES NIGERIA Needs and prayers The mission has several needs A high lumen portable projector that can be used during the daytime presentation Laptop computers Restroom for the Alpha Elementary School Shao Restroom for Omega High School Shao Missionary Children Sponsors An off road vehicle the present one is wearing out and much is being spent on maintenance On March 21 the Asociacion Civil Cristiana Congregational Argentina held its Annual Assembly during which a new secretary and a new treasurer were elected The assembly ended with prayer Pastor Matthew stands amid the cashew trees that were planted in remote villages as a source of income Matthew is 6 1 The trees are coming along nicely Pastor Matthew asks that you pray for wisdom for the leadership of this ministry safety from all danger and political instability provision to meet the needs of the mission divine grace direction and divine provisions Please pray for our faithful staff and that churches will grow in the Lord and all good works Give thanks to God for the work He is using Christ to the Villages to perform in Nigeria for all the partners and supporters God s blessing on them And thanks and prayers for NACCC and MOMC Pastor Matthew Oladele Christ to the Villages in Nigeria ministered to teenagers in Shao and co sponsored an event on sexual purity 23

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Ministry of the Clown The Reverend Dr Michael Glidden is Minister at North Deering Congregational 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 Glidden I I ve enjoyed clowns since I was young I remember being four years old and having an inflatable Bozo the clown If you punched Bozo he fell over and bounced upright My parents would take me to the carnival in Calais Maine in the early 1970s Smokey s had the greatest show on earth The rides smells and flashing neon lights kept me thrilled for the two hour visit My favorite moments were when a clown appeared The clown didn t offer cotton candy or popcorn He didn t escort me to the Ferris wheel He just walked around or stood juggling a ball or two Clowns were also part of the parades in Calais which were rather simple The floats were predictable the Calais High School band marched along Main Street I once participated in a parade along with the Boy Scouts We marched with flags across the International Bridge while bracing the strong gale But the highlight of the parade was the clowns They were goofy funny and entertaining The funniest scene was a clown walking an imaginary dog on a leash I was scared to touch that invisible dog for fear of being bit My father had a simple transistor 24 radio that was held together with duck tape My love of clowns was so strong that even the song by Judy Collins Send in the Clowns sent a chill up my spine in the late summer It was 1978 and we were sitting on the deck enjoying a can of Moxie the official soda of Maine The image of the clown was juggling my heart He would reappear many years later Several years ago a few of us pastors got together to discuss paradigms of ministry I spoke about the rotter tiller reminiscing about my teen years when I helped my grandfather prepare the garden in the front yard The tiller goes up and down the rows of soil slowly breaking it up to receive the good seed I pondered sharing Christ with others and how the tiller had become for me a new paradigm Another member of the group shared from one of our readings and what he read took me back to Bozo the Clown and how the clown could be seen as a pastoral metaphor The clown image began to unlock Our pastors group talked about the dynamics of a circus I ve been to a few over the years and the circus is highly specialized It s amazing to watch a three ring circus with multiple and various acts perform with harmony And each performer the tiger tamer tightwire artist event the ringmaster is an expert No amateur can do what they do No amateur would dare to enter a cage full of tigers Gazing up high at the tight wire one witnesses a breathtaking balancing act that is absolutely breathtaking The ringmaster s practiced voice presence and decorum adds drama and coherence to the show The members of our pastors group agreed that clowns are of a different nature They re in the show but not of the show Clowns appear but don t do anything that requires specialized skills They walk around dance or juggle balls Their painted faces are silly Yet even though they re a mystical backdrop to the show clowns are still a crucial piece of the performance People come to see the clowns Not doing much is what makes them alluring A thread between clowning and pastoral identity emerged In many of the cities towns and villages where I ve served in pastoral ministry the paradigm of the clown is real I ve met many in those communities who are professors physicians and lawyers all highly specialized with amazing status in the community My experience is that the status of a pastor alongside all these professionals is much like that of the clown The church isn t viewed with sophistication The pastor is seen as a highly educated person but many wonder what exactly he or she does Exactly how does one quantify ministerial competence Something my wife jokingly said got me thinking Her words were simple yet profound She said that clowns don t really need to do anything but make you happy I thought about what she said for quite awhile Pondering her words I realized that clowning is similar to presence Clowns just show up They energetically bring joy to people s lives Several years ago I got word that a fellow pastor was dying We hadn t been that close over the years The words shared between the two of us had been few I wouldn t say that we had a strained relationship it was just that we never connected His final words to me got me thinking about my pastoral identity I m so glad that you are here I ve been waiting for you said the dying pastor He didn t have much time left He was hallucinating describing to Rhonda and me in great detail that he could see smoke and fire and hear people hollering for help As we just sat with him his anxiety turned to calm as he reached for my hand to hold It was the last time I saw him I can remember his Cheshire grin as I waved goodbye Was I the foolish clown that sat beside him It was his grin that spoke to my calling And then there was another encounter For a year I was a volunteer ship visitor in Portland Maine I was with the head chaplain as we approached the gate to phone in for a visit The protocol included having one of the port workers come and open up the gate for us This fellow was highly agitated and upset that we both disrupted his work He needed to stop and walk a distance to let us in As he approached the gate he hollered I m sick and tired of you guys coming here clowning around Yes he said it I m not sure if his choice of words was intentional subliminal or prophetic Both of us always wore a hat hard and dressed in rugged clothes We didn t look pastoral but we always acted pastoral when we engaged the port workers or ship personnel But we were both not part of the sophisticated part of the crew We didn t have specialized knowledge of the oil lines or the vessel operations We just showed up to bring the joy of the Lord After a few minutes he apologized and let us climb the ladder to visit with the crew The metaphor of the clown is a paradigm shift for pastoral identity and ministry For me the clown is a breath of fresh air that breaks up the monotony of life Clowning as an act can break the tension allowing a new perspective to be birthed in any situation that seems to be stagnant Clowning allows us to be silly often seeing the side of something that has been neglected or needs to be nurtured The clown shows up like the jolly old fool to remind all specialists that they are still human Searching for a shepherd to lead our sheep First Congregational Church of Fremont Michigan A historically Congregational church we are biblically founded and rich in tradition We desire to carry on the reconciling ministry of Jesus Christ and provide a place where all may feel welcome loved and encouraged A half hour drive from beautiful Lake Michigan s eastern shores For more information Contact us at congosearch1 gmail com 25

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Pastorates PULPITS In Search Senior Minister Recent Calls Rev Brian K Ingraham Baleville Congregational Christian Church Newton NJ March 21 2021 Installations Rev Dr Chris Surber First Congregational Church Naples FL February 27 2021 Rev Dr Mark McAnlis First Congregational Church Cape Coral FL April 11 2021 Ordinations None Cambria Congregational Church Lockport NY Carmel Union Congregational Church Carmel ME Dixfield Congregational Church Dixfield ME First Congregational Church Interlachen FL First Congregational Church Toulon IL First Congregational Church Wayne MI First Congregational Church McCook NE First Congregational Church of East Bloomfield Bloomfield NY First Congregational Church Little Valley NY Little White Church Malta MT Maple Hill Community Congregational Church Maple Hill KS Meadowbrook Congregational Church Novi MI Mount Hope Congregational Church Livonia MI Oakwood Heights Community Church Staten Island NY 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 Associate Minister First Congregational Church Mansfield OH Plymouth Church Brooklyn NY Intentional Transitional Minister 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 Baxter Congregational United Church of Christ Baxter IA First Congregational Church Fremont MI First Congregational Church of Morristown Morristown NY Holiday Island Congregational Church Holiday Island AR Non NACCC Church Senior Minister CALENDAR 2021 Subscriptions Policy SAVE THE DATE 67th Annual Meeting Conference June 19 20 2021 Online only For information www naccc org NAPF HOPE Virtual Conference June 20 27 2021 For information https www naccc org youth1 html NACCC Online Prayer Circle Thursdays 2PM Eastern 1PM Central 12PM Mountain 11 AM Pacific For Zoom link https www naccc org now trending html 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 53154 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 Editor Marianne E King Publisher Carrie Dahm Contributing Editor Julie Robie Graphic Design Goes Studio Published quarterly by NACCC 8473 S Howell Ave Oak Creek WI 53154 0288 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 Subscription Inquiries Tracy Bernhardt 800 262 1620 ext 1615 naccc naccc org 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 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 2021 The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches All rights reserved To discontinue receiving the magazine contact Tracy Bernhardt at 800 262 1620 ext 1612 or email naccc naccc org McCall Community Congregational Church McCall ID 26 27

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The Congregationalist June 2021

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