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MARCH 2021 VOL 173 NO 1 HELP ME UNDERSTAND RACISM Another View An Interview with ARTHUR ROUNER GATHERING in the NEW NORMAL Published by the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches c o n g r e g a t i o n a l i s t o r g
Table of CONTENTS Features 8 An Interview with Dr Arthur Rouner ON THE COVER by the Rev Dr James P Nichols Barry W Szymanski is an award winning photographer His travels to religious and 11 12 Gathering in the New Normal medieval heritage sites prompted his reflections on modern England He respects the old and the new the ancient and the contemporary Justice by Rev Dr Barry W Szymanski Congregations grow stronger with MMBB from Szymanski s book A Congregationalist s Journey Photographs of Sacred and Secular 18 Help Me Understand by Ronald R Johnson England Contrasts of the Old and the New 20 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 Racism In America Another View by Nancy Hamilton 22 21 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 The photo of the Pilgrim s Tower London is Mrs Peabody by the Rev Justin J Nierer Racism in America Departments 4 OUR VOYAGE TOGETHER Come Sunday 6 14 16 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR NEWS FROM OUR MISSIONS Unbiased advice Competitive returns No cost personalized service Flexible affordable benefit plans PRAYERS AND NEEDS OF OUR MISSIONS 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 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 17 30 31 NECROLOGY PASTORATES AND PULPITS CALENDAR
Table of CONTENTS Features 8 An Interview with Dr Arthur Rouner ON THE COVER by the Rev Dr James P Nichols Barry W Szymanski is an award winning photographer His travels to religious and 11 12 Gathering in the New Normal medieval heritage sites prompted his reflections on modern England He respects the old and the new the ancient and the contemporary Justice by Rev Dr Barry W Szymanski Congregations grow stronger with MMBB from Szymanski s book A Congregationalist s Journey Photographs of Sacred and Secular 18 Help Me Understand by Ronald R Johnson England Contrasts of the Old and the New 20 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 Racism In America Another View by Nancy Hamilton 22 21 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 The photo of the Pilgrim s Tower London is Mrs Peabody by the Rev Justin J Nierer Racism in America Departments 4 OUR VOYAGE TOGETHER Come Sunday 6 14 16 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR NEWS FROM OUR MISSIONS Unbiased advice Competitive returns No cost personalized service Flexible affordable benefit plans PRAYERS AND NEEDS OF OUR MISSIONS 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 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 17 30 31 NECROLOGY PASTORATES AND PULPITS CALENDAR
C S ome unday OUR Voyage I TOGETHER n the mid 20th century Duke Ellington wrote Come Sunday which became a standard piece in jazz music and is also included in The United Methodist Hymnal The 1958 recording of it featuring Mahalia Jackson as the vocalist may be the defining version and is readily accessible on the internet Here are the words to this classic sacred song Ooooh Lord dear Lord above God almighty God of love Please look down and see my people through I believe that God put sun and moon up in the sky I don t mind the gray skies cause they re just clouds passing by Heaven is a goodness time A brighter light on high Do unto others as you would have them do to you And have a brighter by and by Lord dear Lord above God almighty God of love Please look down and see my people through I believe God is now was then and always will be With God s blessing we can make it through eternity Lord dear Lord above God almighty God of love Please look down and see my people through By Michael Chittum Executive Director National Association of Congregational Christian Churches I call your attention to it because it reminds me of an important spiritual truth As God s people we affirm that every Sunday is a remembrance of Easter Sunday We assert that the worship services on every Sunday are proclamations of God s victory in Christ over sin and death through the prayers songs and preaching that take place So as you look ahead to the celebration of Easter on April 4 2021 please remember that come Sunday every Sunday we proclaim the good news that Christ is Risen and that God will see God s people through Grace and Peace Michael God is NOW was THEN and ALWAYS will be 4 Meadowbrook Congregational Church in Novi Michigan is searching for someone to lead and inspire us into the future 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 mbccc org or see our Church Information Form through the NACCC Contact us at apply mbccc org
C S ome unday OUR Voyage I TOGETHER n the mid 20th century Duke Ellington wrote Come Sunday which became a standard piece in jazz music and is also included in The United Methodist Hymnal The 1958 recording of it featuring Mahalia Jackson as the vocalist may be the defining version and is readily accessible on the internet Here are the words to this classic sacred song Ooooh Lord dear Lord above God almighty God of love Please look down and see my people through I believe that God put sun and moon up in the sky I don t mind the gray skies cause they re just clouds passing by Heaven is a goodness time A brighter light on high Do unto others as you would have them do to you And have a brighter by and by Lord dear Lord above God almighty God of love Please look down and see my people through I believe God is now was then and always will be With God s blessing we can make it through eternity Lord dear Lord above God almighty God of love Please look down and see my people through By Michael Chittum Executive Director National Association of Congregational Christian Churches I call your attention to it because it reminds me of an important spiritual truth As God s people we affirm that every Sunday is a remembrance of Easter Sunday We assert that the worship services on every Sunday are proclamations of God s victory in Christ over sin and death through the prayers songs and preaching that take place So as you look ahead to the celebration of Easter on April 4 2021 please remember that come Sunday every Sunday we proclaim the good news that Christ is Risen and that God will see God s people through Grace and Peace Michael God is NOW was THEN and ALWAYS will be 4 Meadowbrook Congregational Church in Novi Michigan is searching for someone to lead and inspire us into the future 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 mbccc org or see our Church Information Form through the NACCC Contact us at apply mbccc org
Letters To The Editor Dear Marianne Thank you for the December issue It was excellent as usual with fine articles by Doug Gray Michael Glidden Ronald R Johnson Robert Hellam John Tamilio and Barry Szymanski Your note on p 11 took me a little by surprise only because I did not attend last June s virtual Annual Meeting and Conference I read that pursuant to a resolution from the Cadman Memorial Congregational Church The Congregationalist will run an article in each of the next 12 issues three years on the current global issue of racism and social justice The Cadman resolution is phrased as a request but its passage by the association makes it a virtual command to the editor My heart did a flutter For during my years as editor I was absolute captain of the ship I chose all the content and that was that Several who yet live can tell you that I guarded my prerogatives jealously In storms of controversy I felt the steadying hands of Joe Polhemus Henry Martyn Dexter and other precursors on my shoulders helping me hew to a true course BUT as Tevye would say on the other hand I never had formal guidance from the association on a topic of such magnitude Our whole society is plunged into a whirlpool of dissension on racism and its relation to social justice If one thing is clear it is that we must navigate this vortex in the coming years if we are to emerge as a whole society It is a tall order and the churches must play a part It has always been our way to discuss important matters intelligently What better venue for Congregationalists to discuss racism and social justice than around the kitchen table of Congregationalism By the kitchen table of Congregationalism I mean this magazine It is heartening that you pursuant to the will of the association will shepherd the publication of 12 articles on these subjects over the course of the next three years There is a question in my mind whether that will be enough But it is at least a start May God bless you for your willing spirit in this work and God bless the saints at Cadman Memorial Church for once again stepping up to show the rest of us a good way Larry F Sommers Madison Wisconsin 14 December 2020 Re Racism in America Tamilio December 2020 The opinion by Rev John Tamilio Racism in America makes a very unfortunate demand That the NACCC and The Congregationalist become involved in the current controversies regarding racial injustice and social justice in the U S This demand is based on false premises and would be disruptive if not destructive to the NACCC The demand seems to echo the theme of the 1619 Project which is an attempt to rewrite American history in order to restructure our American democratic system and devalue the never ending evolution and protection of human rights and values Rev Tamilio assumes that current events show that there is rampant racism in America That is not true Basing the assumption on little known fringe groups such as Hammerskins and American Renaissance does not make it true American society has made enormous advances in racial relations since WWII and it is unfair to claim that racism is institutionalized and deeply embedded in our psyche I consider this a personal insult to those of us who have lived through the years of fundamental changes in our racial consciousness What is true is that millions of African Americans have advanced in all aspects of American society particularly since the Civil Rights acts of 1964 American democracy works However many other African Americans have not advanced instead have languished in declining ghetto circumstances Well meaning but sometimes harmful Editor s Note Rev Tamilio did not demand that the NACCC and this magazine become involved in the controversies regarding racism and social justice in the U S The proposal to address the issue of racism in the magazine was submitted in the form of the Cadman Resolution at the 2020 NACCC Annual Meeting The resolution passed with 70 percent of the vote government policies have created economic dependency Daniel M Evans graduated 1959 from Pomona College was a Fulbright scholar in G ttingen Germany in 1959destroyed African American families discouraged black 1960 served 3 1 2 years as a U S Army intelligence officer fatherhood enabled gangs and created severe cultural in Germany and obtained his Jur Dr in 1967 from USC He has been a California attorney since 1968 practicing destruction Yes the crime rate is far higher in the black international business law ghettos of our big cities The police face far greater Shortly after the fail of the Berlin Wall he closed his law practice to teach in eastern Germany the former DDR complications to enforce order in these often lawless He taught all in German for one year at the University neighborhoods However these problems are not primarily in Greifswald and a second year as a Fulbright Guest Professor at the University Viadrina in Frankfurt an der due to racial injustice other factors are involved Oder the east German Frankfurt and at Greifswald He What we experience now is angry frustration by many returned to practice law in California but also taught for African Americans who have not escaped this ghetto 17 years in the College of Business at San Jose State University He malaise They want the same success and prosperity as is active in various civic affairs in South Pasadena everyone else In Los Angeles we experienced this in the California He served on the Board of Governors of the Congregational Foundation and was twice Moderator of Watts riots of 1965 and a few times since However in 2020 his local Congregational church this frustration has been adapted by others mostly not African Americans who agitate for a different American society a more socialist big government elite led society not necessarily based on Constitutional liberties These activists have co opted black ghetto frustration and are the cause of the violence we see today in places such as Portland Seattle Chicago etc These activists have managed to generate a na ve feeling of white guilt among many wellmeaning Americans who do not quite What wecomprehend experience now is angry frustration by many African Americans who have not the real dangers Antifa is a far greaterthis influence in the escaped ghetto malaise They want the same success and prosperity as everyone else In Los IAngeles we experienced this in the Watts riots of 1965 and a few times current disturbances than Hammerskins never heard However 2020 of them The serious problemssince that confront usinare not this frustration has been adapted by others mostly not African Americans who agitate for a different American society a more socialist big institutional racism but violentgovernment movementselite led for power society not necessarily based on Constitutional liberties These movements cynically using racial frustration for theirblack ghetto frustration and are the cause of the violence we activists have co opted see today in places such as Portland Seattle Chicago etc These activists have own power struggle managed to generate a na ive feeling of white guilt among many well meaning The NACCC should not compromise itself by a fight the Americans who do not quite comprehend the real dangers Antifa is a far greater word used in the article in pursuit of uncertain goalsdisturbances based influence in the current than Hammerskins I never heard of them The serious problems that confront on false premises of institutional racism I do not believe thatus are not institutional racism but violent movements for power and movements cynically using racial frustration for their own power struggle Congregationalists tend to be racist such a misguided fight would cause anger and The resentment be NACCC which shouldwould not compromise itself by a fight the word used in the article in destructive within the NACCC Yes we confront serious pursuit of uncertain goals based on false premises of institutional racism I do not believeBut that Congregationalists issues with theological significance the clarion call for tend to be racist and such a misguided fight would cause anger and resentment which would be destructive within the NACCC Yes we NACCC action to fight institutional racism involves the confront serious issues with theological significance But the clarion call for NACCC wrong issue The NACCC must resisttothis action fighttemptation institutional racism involves the wrong issue The NACCC must resist this temptation Sine 2 6 Evans cc Rev Michael Chittum Executive Director NACCC 7
Letters To The Editor Dear Marianne Thank you for the December issue It was excellent as usual with fine articles by Doug Gray Michael Glidden Ronald R Johnson Robert Hellam John Tamilio and Barry Szymanski Your note on p 11 took me a little by surprise only because I did not attend last June s virtual Annual Meeting and Conference I read that pursuant to a resolution from the Cadman Memorial Congregational Church The Congregationalist will run an article in each of the next 12 issues three years on the current global issue of racism and social justice The Cadman resolution is phrased as a request but its passage by the association makes it a virtual command to the editor My heart did a flutter For during my years as editor I was absolute captain of the ship I chose all the content and that was that Several who yet live can tell you that I guarded my prerogatives jealously In storms of controversy I felt the steadying hands of Joe Polhemus Henry Martyn Dexter and other precursors on my shoulders helping me hew to a true course BUT as Tevye would say on the other hand I never had formal guidance from the association on a topic of such magnitude Our whole society is plunged into a whirlpool of dissension on racism and its relation to social justice If one thing is clear it is that we must navigate this vortex in the coming years if we are to emerge as a whole society It is a tall order and the churches must play a part It has always been our way to discuss important matters intelligently What better venue for Congregationalists to discuss racism and social justice than around the kitchen table of Congregationalism By the kitchen table of Congregationalism I mean this magazine It is heartening that you pursuant to the will of the association will shepherd the publication of 12 articles on these subjects over the course of the next three years There is a question in my mind whether that will be enough But it is at least a start May God bless you for your willing spirit in this work and God bless the saints at Cadman Memorial Church for once again stepping up to show the rest of us a good way Larry F Sommers Madison Wisconsin 14 December 2020 Re Racism in America Tamilio December 2020 The opinion by Rev John Tamilio Racism in America makes a very unfortunate demand That the NACCC and The Congregationalist become involved in the current controversies regarding racial injustice and social justice in the U S This demand is based on false premises and would be disruptive if not destructive to the NACCC The demand seems to echo the theme of the 1619 Project which is an attempt to rewrite American history in order to restructure our American democratic system and devalue the never ending evolution and protection of human rights and values Rev Tamilio assumes that current events show that there is rampant racism in America That is not true Basing the assumption on little known fringe groups such as Hammerskins and American Renaissance does not make it true American society has made enormous advances in racial relations since WWII and it is unfair to claim that racism is institutionalized and deeply embedded in our psyche I consider this a personal insult to those of us who have lived through the years of fundamental changes in our racial consciousness What is true is that millions of African Americans have advanced in all aspects of American society particularly since the Civil Rights acts of 1964 American democracy works However many other African Americans have not advanced instead have languished in declining ghetto circumstances Well meaning but sometimes harmful Editor s Note Rev Tamilio did not demand that the NACCC and this magazine become involved in the controversies regarding racism and social justice in the U S The proposal to address the issue of racism in the magazine was submitted in the form of the Cadman Resolution at the 2020 NACCC Annual Meeting The resolution passed with 70 percent of the vote government policies have created economic dependency Daniel M Evans graduated 1959 from Pomona College was a Fulbright scholar in G ttingen Germany in 1959destroyed African American families discouraged black 1960 served 3 1 2 years as a U S Army intelligence officer fatherhood enabled gangs and created severe cultural in Germany and obtained his Jur Dr in 1967 from USC He has been a California attorney since 1968 practicing destruction Yes the crime rate is far higher in the black international business law ghettos of our big cities The police face far greater Shortly after the fail of the Berlin Wall he closed his law practice to teach in eastern Germany the former DDR complications to enforce order in these often lawless He taught all in German for one year at the University neighborhoods However these problems are not primarily in Greifswald and a second year as a Fulbright Guest Professor at the University Viadrina in Frankfurt an der due to racial injustice other factors are involved Oder the east German Frankfurt and at Greifswald He What we experience now is angry frustration by many returned to practice law in California but also taught for African Americans who have not escaped this ghetto 17 years in the College of Business at San Jose State University He malaise They want the same success and prosperity as is active in various civic affairs in South Pasadena everyone else In Los Angeles we experienced this in the California He served on the Board of Governors of the Congregational Foundation and was twice Moderator of Watts riots of 1965 and a few times since However in 2020 his local Congregational church this frustration has been adapted by others mostly not African Americans who agitate for a different American society a more socialist big government elite led society not necessarily based on Constitutional liberties These activists have co opted black ghetto frustration and are the cause of the violence we see today in places such as Portland Seattle Chicago etc These activists have managed to generate a na ve feeling of white guilt among many wellmeaning Americans who do not quite What wecomprehend experience now is angry frustration by many African Americans who have not the real dangers Antifa is a far greaterthis influence in the escaped ghetto malaise They want the same success and prosperity as everyone else In Los IAngeles we experienced this in the Watts riots of 1965 and a few times current disturbances than Hammerskins never heard However 2020 of them The serious problemssince that confront usinare not this frustration has been adapted by others mostly not African Americans who agitate for a different American society a more socialist big institutional racism but violentgovernment movementselite led for power society not necessarily based on Constitutional liberties These movements cynically using racial frustration for theirblack ghetto frustration and are the cause of the violence we activists have co opted see today in places such as Portland Seattle Chicago etc These activists have own power struggle managed to generate a na ive feeling of white guilt among many well meaning The NACCC should not compromise itself by a fight the Americans who do not quite comprehend the real dangers Antifa is a far greater word used in the article in pursuit of uncertain goalsdisturbances based influence in the current than Hammerskins I never heard of them The serious problems that confront on false premises of institutional racism I do not believe thatus are not institutional racism but violent movements for power and movements cynically using racial frustration for their own power struggle Congregationalists tend to be racist such a misguided fight would cause anger and The resentment be NACCC which shouldwould not compromise itself by a fight the word used in the article in destructive within the NACCC Yes we confront serious pursuit of uncertain goals based on false premises of institutional racism I do not believeBut that Congregationalists issues with theological significance the clarion call for tend to be racist and such a misguided fight would cause anger and resentment which would be destructive within the NACCC Yes we NACCC action to fight institutional racism involves the confront serious issues with theological significance But the clarion call for NACCC wrong issue The NACCC must resisttothis action fighttemptation institutional racism involves the wrong issue The NACCC must resist this temptation Sine 2 6 Evans cc Rev Michael Chittum Executive Director NACCC 7
An Interview with Rev Dr Arthur Rouner The Reverend Dr James P Nichols is pastor at First Congregational Church in Stanton Michigan He and wife Michelle have raised their three children By Rev Dr Jamey Nichols R etired from fulltime ministry 91 year old Arthur Rouner and his dear wife Molly continue to trust God for the gift each new day He remains as active as his health will allow and he continues to enjoy writing regularly for his blog located at arthurrounerministries com In anticipation of the 60th anniversary of his landmark work The Congregational Way of Life Dr Rouner sat for a telephone interview from his summer lakeside in Center Ossipee New Hampshire The following interview took place July 22 2019 8 JN Your book The Congregational Way of Life has been around quite some time now and I wonder if you were to write it again in this modern day is there anything that you might emphasize or deemphasize differently than you did 60 years ago AR Well that chapter in that book is called The Way of the Spirit and I have since had a very important Holy Spirit experience the baptism of the Spirit And I got to know in 1953 the English Congregationalists They have a very high doctrine of the Holy Spirit and I have spent most of the years since I wrote my book one way or the other trying to convince the Congregationalists who tended to feel that the essence of the Congregational Way was individual freedoms Freedom of local churches freedom of individuals to go and grow as they would rather than coming together in unity centering around the church meeting Jesus says where two or three are gathered in my name there I am in the midst of them and that s the foundation for that instrument of governance that was unique to the English Congregationalists It s what they brought to America and what really became foundational for our own founding documents and vision in the country The modern church is stepping back from the root basic biblical principles and working very hard to make it by church growth and accommodating to our society and being user friendly I think there s been a lot of selling out by what we ve been uniquely given by the Puritan movement JN If the Likes of Edward Winslow John Robinson Jonathan Edwards could speak to our Congregational churches of today how do you think they might grade the quality of our local churches and the manner in which we ve handled the precious heritage they ve passed to us AR I m sure Johnathan Edwards would feel we ve fled the true faith And of course he suffered for his attempt to be true to Scripture and to not go with a half way covenant in baptism but have children baptized by parents who both were Christians So he would see a lot to be desired I think John Robinson was a more winsome soul and I think that the Pilgrim churches were more open to the Spirit and would not be quite as hard They were all very much biblically founded but the Spirit at work does very surprising things and He leads people to change their minds And it s quite exciting to see that work But most of us have been much more influenced by modern fast moving devices and machines and agendas We don t want to take time for that The English Congregationalists would have their church meetings every couple of weeks and they would deal with issues If they couldn t come to unanimity they would wait to meet again and continue to meet until they came to contented unanimity whereas we have been willing to pretty much go with democratic principles and governance as it s come to be in America and say that if we win 51 49 that s fine But the English would say you can t call that the leading of the Spirit JN How would the Pilgrim forbears tend to define the term gospel and do you think that it s important for modern Congregationalists to have unanimity around its definition AR I think it IS important And I think we ve emphasized so much our diversity And we ve celebrated that I ve had people in my own church shorttempered with me because I tried to follow the Pauline leadership in bringing us to one mind in our relation with Jesus and his message and the whole message of Scripture that had to do with Jesus death and resurrection and his sending the Holy Spirit to give power to the churches for their work I wouldn t want to limit it to the evangelical crusade definitions necessarily and I think there s room for the surprises of the Spirit but I think giving one s life to Jesus is absolutely critical And the gospel is really good news of new life for me so that I can go on and have hope and can serve There s nothing better than that And the gospel is that we can be changed The gospel is that God loves us And he loves his whole creation and he sent Jesus to show us a way to not turn our backs on him but to turn toward him and come to him Jesus invitation over and over is come to me and don t be afraid I would love to see that accepted by all of our people joyfully and that it wouldn t have to be something that divides us I perceive that the NACCC has had trouble making up its mind so that one year they ll have more or less evangelical people giving the Bible lecture and the next year they ll have more liberal folks who are looser on that I think that we are meant to be together to be of one mind The Puritans wanted when their church meetings were done to say it seemed good to the Spirit and to us And they were satisfied that the Spirit had led them because they had found unanimity or near unanimity That was a sign of the Spirit s presence JN How is it that Congregationalists know that the spirit around which they are uniting is actually God s Holy Spirit of truth and not some other spirit of the age AR I would give a rather simplistic answer which is You just know It s like our forbears reporting It seemed good to the Spirit and to us The fact is when they look around and see who changed their mind and who was a part of the unanimity it s clear that this was not the people who brought their own ideas to fight for something very different happened It was I would say a winsome persuasive process that involved people being willing to change their minds that this was something Jesus was through his Spirit was calling them to do They would judge it by what they knew of Jesus his life and his teaching I think the spirit of the age is recognizable too I think we would know the difference that God would help us to know the difference That s a hope and prayer of mine Continued 9
An Interview with Rev Dr Arthur Rouner The Reverend Dr James P Nichols is pastor at First Congregational Church in Stanton Michigan He and wife Michelle have raised their three children By Rev Dr Jamey Nichols R etired from fulltime ministry 91 year old Arthur Rouner and his dear wife Molly continue to trust God for the gift each new day He remains as active as his health will allow and he continues to enjoy writing regularly for his blog located at arthurrounerministries com In anticipation of the 60th anniversary of his landmark work The Congregational Way of Life Dr Rouner sat for a telephone interview from his summer lakeside in Center Ossipee New Hampshire The following interview took place July 22 2019 8 JN Your book The Congregational Way of Life has been around quite some time now and I wonder if you were to write it again in this modern day is there anything that you might emphasize or deemphasize differently than you did 60 years ago AR Well that chapter in that book is called The Way of the Spirit and I have since had a very important Holy Spirit experience the baptism of the Spirit And I got to know in 1953 the English Congregationalists They have a very high doctrine of the Holy Spirit and I have spent most of the years since I wrote my book one way or the other trying to convince the Congregationalists who tended to feel that the essence of the Congregational Way was individual freedoms Freedom of local churches freedom of individuals to go and grow as they would rather than coming together in unity centering around the church meeting Jesus says where two or three are gathered in my name there I am in the midst of them and that s the foundation for that instrument of governance that was unique to the English Congregationalists It s what they brought to America and what really became foundational for our own founding documents and vision in the country The modern church is stepping back from the root basic biblical principles and working very hard to make it by church growth and accommodating to our society and being user friendly I think there s been a lot of selling out by what we ve been uniquely given by the Puritan movement JN If the Likes of Edward Winslow John Robinson Jonathan Edwards could speak to our Congregational churches of today how do you think they might grade the quality of our local churches and the manner in which we ve handled the precious heritage they ve passed to us AR I m sure Johnathan Edwards would feel we ve fled the true faith And of course he suffered for his attempt to be true to Scripture and to not go with a half way covenant in baptism but have children baptized by parents who both were Christians So he would see a lot to be desired I think John Robinson was a more winsome soul and I think that the Pilgrim churches were more open to the Spirit and would not be quite as hard They were all very much biblically founded but the Spirit at work does very surprising things and He leads people to change their minds And it s quite exciting to see that work But most of us have been much more influenced by modern fast moving devices and machines and agendas We don t want to take time for that The English Congregationalists would have their church meetings every couple of weeks and they would deal with issues If they couldn t come to unanimity they would wait to meet again and continue to meet until they came to contented unanimity whereas we have been willing to pretty much go with democratic principles and governance as it s come to be in America and say that if we win 51 49 that s fine But the English would say you can t call that the leading of the Spirit JN How would the Pilgrim forbears tend to define the term gospel and do you think that it s important for modern Congregationalists to have unanimity around its definition AR I think it IS important And I think we ve emphasized so much our diversity And we ve celebrated that I ve had people in my own church shorttempered with me because I tried to follow the Pauline leadership in bringing us to one mind in our relation with Jesus and his message and the whole message of Scripture that had to do with Jesus death and resurrection and his sending the Holy Spirit to give power to the churches for their work I wouldn t want to limit it to the evangelical crusade definitions necessarily and I think there s room for the surprises of the Spirit but I think giving one s life to Jesus is absolutely critical And the gospel is really good news of new life for me so that I can go on and have hope and can serve There s nothing better than that And the gospel is that we can be changed The gospel is that God loves us And he loves his whole creation and he sent Jesus to show us a way to not turn our backs on him but to turn toward him and come to him Jesus invitation over and over is come to me and don t be afraid I would love to see that accepted by all of our people joyfully and that it wouldn t have to be something that divides us I perceive that the NACCC has had trouble making up its mind so that one year they ll have more or less evangelical people giving the Bible lecture and the next year they ll have more liberal folks who are looser on that I think that we are meant to be together to be of one mind The Puritans wanted when their church meetings were done to say it seemed good to the Spirit and to us And they were satisfied that the Spirit had led them because they had found unanimity or near unanimity That was a sign of the Spirit s presence JN How is it that Congregationalists know that the spirit around which they are uniting is actually God s Holy Spirit of truth and not some other spirit of the age AR I would give a rather simplistic answer which is You just know It s like our forbears reporting It seemed good to the Spirit and to us The fact is when they look around and see who changed their mind and who was a part of the unanimity it s clear that this was not the people who brought their own ideas to fight for something very different happened It was I would say a winsome persuasive process that involved people being willing to change their minds that this was something Jesus was through his Spirit was calling them to do They would judge it by what they knew of Jesus his life and his teaching I think the spirit of the age is recognizable too I think we would know the difference that God would help us to know the difference That s a hope and prayer of mine Continued 9
Rev Dr Arthur Rouner JN In the introduction to your book you wrote that the contemporary church needs our Pilgrim and Puritan forbears in order to discover the truest meaning and purpose as Congregationalists Is that still true today AR I still believe that for sure I m sad that it doesn t seem to be happening I feel very much that our day of the church needs the congregational insight and the passion for the Spirit and for the leadership of Jesus through the Holy Spirit more than ever It s popular to say The times have changed We don t want to believe that the loss of members in our churches is because of some loss of spiritual fervor or biblical truth We want to say Well the young people are with their devices or they re following other people Actually there are many young people who really want churches that will take a chance that will risk that will challenge them and will call them to faith and call them to give their lives to serve the world which I believe was the Puritan vision The Church in the Gardens Seeking Forest Hills Queens NY full time settled pastor 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 We have celebrated our 100th anniversary as a loving covenant community Join with us as we recreate our beloved church for the 21st Century Business Na me Visit our profile Please go to the UCC Job Opportunities site oppsearch ucc org web default aspx Continued An Interview with JN You dedicate an entire chapter to The People of the Word What s the place of the Word in a proper congregational church AR I think it s the heart of the church s life And I think in our Congregational churches it s been symbolized by the carrying in of the Bible the Word of God and of ceremonially opening it on the pulpit for the people and to hear that word read and explicated And I understand the meaning to be that we are people who are living by the Word of Scripture that is gospel to us It s good news It s life and hope It s the message of the love of God shown to us in the life of Jesus and we are those who are trying to follow what he invites us to to follow Him to the cross There are people who struggle with the Word as we try to live by the Word We are people who correct our lives against the Word It is the guidebook for us JN If there was one final message you could preach to all American Congregationalists what text would you choose and what would be the theme of that message AR I ve been looking recently at the Gospel of John And of course that is a wonderful encapsulation of who Jesus is In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God Jesus was there at the creation He is in human flesh the spoken word of God He is God s word lived out in Jesus life and Jesus call to us I think if I had one last chance I would try to speak out of that ethos to the Congregationalists and say You are the people of the Word You are the ones who Jesus has said whoever will pick up the Bible and read that Where two or three gather in my name I am there You will be the people who are struggling to live that word to understand that word to understand Jesus and who he is and trying to accept his invitation to follow him Our times are just longing for that kind of Christian congregation to envelope them When people who come as strangers or walk into our midst they will feel the presence of the Spirit they will feel that they are welcome that they will find that they are in a learning community and they are in a sending community going out in all directions to live out this Word in the world And to witness to that wonderful love of God in Jesus brought to us through the Spirit There s no better time for the Congregationalists than right now if we could see that and be willing to offer that to our time Probably I would go to my grave saying that with that one last sermon Gathering in the NEW NORMAL F inding our Way in the Future That s the theme for the 67th Annual Meeting and Conference of the National Association for Congregational Christian Churches NACCC What could be more appropriate as we all adjust to and accommodate life during a pandemic Last year the appearance of COVID 19 threw plans for the 2020 AMC into chaos This time around NACCC was prepared for online as well as in person As a result the 2021 AMC will be held virtually on Saturday June 19th and Sunday June 20th complete with keynote lectures workshops the business meeting and more Of course it won t be the same as an in person gathering Catching up with old friends and making new acquaintances is an important part of the AMC But the virtual event will bring us as close as possible to normal with programming that is both edifying and uplifting The Congregational Lecturer The Reverend Dr Mary E Biedron is the Senior Minister of North Congregational Church in Farmington Hills Michigan and has been active in local statewide and national fellowships among churches affiliated with the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches for over 30 years She is a graduate of Methodist Theological School in Ohio earning her M Div in1999 and a D Min in 2015 Her dissertation explored the historical practice and contemporary possibilities for discernment in Congregational churches The Bible Lecturer David Clark PhD and his family moved to Minnesota in 1988 to teach at Bethel Seminary He has served in senior leadership in a church and at Bethel University from which he recently retired as Vice President and Dean of Bethel Seminary During his years as faculty he wrote eight books and dozens of articles And he contributed as a member of several boards including the national board of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship He now serves the wider church through consulting and public speaking Easy Does It Think of the virtual AMC as an adventure Imagine yourself attending a business meeting in your pajamas or enjoying a workshop from your patio Walk the dog during breaks Mute your computer and belt out your favorite hymns without the lady in the next seat giving you the evil eye There are countless benefits to being online True you won t get a view of the falls from the Spokane Skyride or dine at Mizuna but Jimmy John s will deliver and you don t need to dress up Join the virtual gathering We think you ll love it For more information go to naccc org Reverend Dr Mary E Biedron David Clark 10 11
Rev Dr Arthur Rouner JN In the introduction to your book you wrote that the contemporary church needs our Pilgrim and Puritan forbears in order to discover the truest meaning and purpose as Congregationalists Is that still true today AR I still believe that for sure I m sad that it doesn t seem to be happening I feel very much that our day of the church needs the congregational insight and the passion for the Spirit and for the leadership of Jesus through the Holy Spirit more than ever It s popular to say The times have changed We don t want to believe that the loss of members in our churches is because of some loss of spiritual fervor or biblical truth We want to say Well the young people are with their devices or they re following other people Actually there are many young people who really want churches that will take a chance that will risk that will challenge them and will call them to faith and call them to give their lives to serve the world which I believe was the Puritan vision The Church in the Gardens Seeking Forest Hills Queens NY full time settled pastor 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 We have celebrated our 100th anniversary as a loving covenant community Join with us as we recreate our beloved church for the 21st Century Business Na me Visit our profile Please go to the UCC Job Opportunities site oppsearch ucc org web default aspx Continued An Interview with JN You dedicate an entire chapter to The People of the Word What s the place of the Word in a proper congregational church AR I think it s the heart of the church s life And I think in our Congregational churches it s been symbolized by the carrying in of the Bible the Word of God and of ceremonially opening it on the pulpit for the people and to hear that word read and explicated And I understand the meaning to be that we are people who are living by the Word of Scripture that is gospel to us It s good news It s life and hope It s the message of the love of God shown to us in the life of Jesus and we are those who are trying to follow what he invites us to to follow Him to the cross There are people who struggle with the Word as we try to live by the Word We are people who correct our lives against the Word It is the guidebook for us JN If there was one final message you could preach to all American Congregationalists what text would you choose and what would be the theme of that message AR I ve been looking recently at the Gospel of John And of course that is a wonderful encapsulation of who Jesus is In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God Jesus was there at the creation He is in human flesh the spoken word of God He is God s word lived out in Jesus life and Jesus call to us I think if I had one last chance I would try to speak out of that ethos to the Congregationalists and say You are the people of the Word You are the ones who Jesus has said whoever will pick up the Bible and read that Where two or three gather in my name I am there You will be the people who are struggling to live that word to understand that word to understand Jesus and who he is and trying to accept his invitation to follow him Our times are just longing for that kind of Christian congregation to envelope them When people who come as strangers or walk into our midst they will feel the presence of the Spirit they will feel that they are welcome that they will find that they are in a learning community and they are in a sending community going out in all directions to live out this Word in the world And to witness to that wonderful love of God in Jesus brought to us through the Spirit There s no better time for the Congregationalists than right now if we could see that and be willing to offer that to our time Probably I would go to my grave saying that with that one last sermon Gathering in the NEW NORMAL F inding our Way in the Future That s the theme for the 67th Annual Meeting and Conference of the National Association for Congregational Christian Churches NACCC What could be more appropriate as we all adjust to and accommodate life during a pandemic Last year the appearance of COVID 19 threw plans for the 2020 AMC into chaos This time around NACCC was prepared for online as well as in person As a result the 2021 AMC will be held virtually on Saturday June 19th and Sunday June 20th complete with keynote lectures workshops the business meeting and more Of course it won t be the same as an in person gathering Catching up with old friends and making new acquaintances is an important part of the AMC But the virtual event will bring us as close as possible to normal with programming that is both edifying and uplifting The Congregational Lecturer The Reverend Dr Mary E Biedron is the Senior Minister of North Congregational Church in Farmington Hills Michigan and has been active in local statewide and national fellowships among churches affiliated with the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches for over 30 years She is a graduate of Methodist Theological School in Ohio earning her M Div in1999 and a D Min in 2015 Her dissertation explored the historical practice and contemporary possibilities for discernment in Congregational churches The Bible Lecturer David Clark PhD and his family moved to Minnesota in 1988 to teach at Bethel Seminary He has served in senior leadership in a church and at Bethel University from which he recently retired as Vice President and Dean of Bethel Seminary During his years as faculty he wrote eight books and dozens of articles And he contributed as a member of several boards including the national board of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship He now serves the wider church through consulting and public speaking Easy Does It Think of the virtual AMC as an adventure Imagine yourself attending a business meeting in your pajamas or enjoying a workshop from your patio Walk the dog during breaks Mute your computer and belt out your favorite hymns without the lady in the next seat giving you the evil eye There are countless benefits to being online True you won t get a view of the falls from the Spokane Skyride or dine at Mizuna but Jimmy John s will deliver and you don t need to dress up Join the virtual gathering We think you ll love it For more information go to naccc org Reverend Dr Mary E Biedron David Clark 10 11
Justice The author Rev Dr Barry W Szymanski practiced law for over 46 years retiring as an attorney in 2019 He 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 has served in many positions at the NACCC Email barry firstchurchtosa org By Rev Dr Barry W Szymanski J ustice is an elusive term However and unfortunately it seems to have different meanings to people We hear the word which is an icon of ideas seemingly tossed about a lot lately The Biblical concept of justice goes back thousands of years to the earliest of times Justice is unambiguously set forth in the Torah to be binding on every Israelite Jesus affirms the teachings of the Torah including the instructions on justice as recorded in Matthew s Gospel Jesus clearly tells us that he has come to complete the Torah the Law of God as he declares Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets I have come not to abolish but to fulfill Jesus lived and taught in order to bring to fruition what God requires of us And if we remember 12 that Torah not only means Law but also Instruction and Teaching then what Jesus tells us is this Do not think that I have come to abolish the Teachings or the prophets I have come not to abolish but to fulfill the divine Instructions What does the Torah the foundation of Jewish Christian thought tell us about this justice God demands of us These are just some illustrations of what is expressed in the Torah You shall not pervert justice You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great with justice you shall judge your neighbor And In order to live as God s people justice and only justice you shall pursue When people strayed from the laws of the Torah the prophet Jeremiah warns them Thus says the Lord Act with justice and righteousness and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed And do no wrong or violence to the alien the orphan and the widow nor shed innocent blood in this place The author of the Book of Proverbs advises us to Speak out for those who cannot speak for the rights of all the destitute Speak out judge righteously defend the rights of the poor and needy Perhaps the prophet who so unambiguously announces God s will is Micah Through him God reminds His people that He redeemed them from slavery in Egypt Then Micah memorably declares what God expects of us He has told you O mortal what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God In prayer the Psalmist proclaims to all that he praises the Lord all of his life Then he observes that Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob whose hope is in the Lord their God who keeps faith forever who executes justice for the oppressed who gives food to the hungry The Psalmist affirms that The Lord sets the prisoners free the Lord opens the eyes of the blind The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down the Lord loves the righteous The Lord watches over the strangers he upholds the orphan and the widow Centuries later when Jesus announces His ministry He applies the words of the Psalmist and of Isaiah to himself for he will be the One who administers justice In doing so Jesus follows in the paths of the great prophets who were pursuers of justice During Jesus ministry he encounters many situations which screamed out for justice Jesus is present when unfair and cruel religious leaders evidently did not obey the Torah nor the prophets who warned them they were not observing the laws of justice In one instance Jesus critically and sternly pronounces Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law justice and mercy and faith It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others We learn in the gospel that one day a lawyer entered into a discussion with Jesus about what the Law the Teaching of the Torah expects of us When the lawyer stated to Jesus that the Torah requires that You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself Jesus told him that he gave the right the proper answer But the lawyer was seeking wiggle room as to whom he should love and how much he sought limits to his love So he asked Jesus who are our neighbors In reply Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan What is the basis of justice Is there a bedrock Perhaps it is located in the very first chapter of the very first book of the Bible Genesis where we are told that God made us in God s own image after God s own likeness male and female God created us And God breathed the breath of life into us This is the very life of every man and every woman Bear with me again as I return to the Law of God The Torah where it is written You shall love your neighbor as yourself This important golden rule has guided all of us for thousands of years This golden rule was restated by Jesus when he preached His Great Sermon In everything do to others as you would have them do to you for this is the law and the prophets You and I know as we live our lives that Justice is elusive To achieve justice seems so very difficult Yet in scripture and through Jesus life justice remains one of the foundation stones of God s expectation for us with compassion and mercy two of the other stones When we look at Jesus own life as we strive to follow Him we see a just merciful compassionate and forgiving man Justice is fairness for all and that includes the oppressed for the biblical concept of justice is evident and far reaching And just as Jesus calls out the religious authorities of his own time and brings them to task for failing to act and decide justly I firmly believe that He is now examining our thoughts our words and our actions and what we fail to do The Book of Revelation the final book of the Bible tells us that after everyone had passed all were judged according to what they had done I apologize to my readers because after over 46 years of working as a trial lawyer I wrote lengthy legal briefs in order to win a case Through my legal training I make citations but in this article references to the scriptures themselves and add those citations below for those who want to go further in examining justice I offer the reference to anticipate any but s or what if s or the you don t understand real life which are the escapes that each of us make when we don t like what we read and hear In life we apply our own paradigms to others and that includes scripture Yet we must carefully read what the biblical authors intended when they wrote the books Every scripture passage should stand on its own in the bright light of the sun and not be stained by our perceptions Especially in the gospel we must really hear what the momentous words of Jesus mean study how His teachings are to be applied and then think say and do justice Note If you wish to read the passages in your Bible these are the ones I quoted and referred to in this article References to the Torah passages Genesis 1 2 Exodus 23 2 6 Leviticus 19 15 18 Deuteronomy 6 5 10 18 16 19 20 24 17 19 Additional Hebrew Testament authors Book of Proverbs 31 8 31 Jeremiah 22 3 Micah 3 Psalm 146 Isaiah 61 1 2 References to the Gospel Matthew 5 17 7 23 23 Luke 4 18 10 11 42 Reference to The Book of Revelation 20 13 13
Justice The author Rev Dr Barry W Szymanski practiced law for over 46 years retiring as an attorney in 2019 He 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 has served in many positions at the NACCC Email barry firstchurchtosa org By Rev Dr Barry W Szymanski J ustice is an elusive term However and unfortunately it seems to have different meanings to people We hear the word which is an icon of ideas seemingly tossed about a lot lately The Biblical concept of justice goes back thousands of years to the earliest of times Justice is unambiguously set forth in the Torah to be binding on every Israelite Jesus affirms the teachings of the Torah including the instructions on justice as recorded in Matthew s Gospel Jesus clearly tells us that he has come to complete the Torah the Law of God as he declares Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets I have come not to abolish but to fulfill Jesus lived and taught in order to bring to fruition what God requires of us And if we remember 12 that Torah not only means Law but also Instruction and Teaching then what Jesus tells us is this Do not think that I have come to abolish the Teachings or the prophets I have come not to abolish but to fulfill the divine Instructions What does the Torah the foundation of Jewish Christian thought tell us about this justice God demands of us These are just some illustrations of what is expressed in the Torah You shall not pervert justice You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great with justice you shall judge your neighbor And In order to live as God s people justice and only justice you shall pursue When people strayed from the laws of the Torah the prophet Jeremiah warns them Thus says the Lord Act with justice and righteousness and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed And do no wrong or violence to the alien the orphan and the widow nor shed innocent blood in this place The author of the Book of Proverbs advises us to Speak out for those who cannot speak for the rights of all the destitute Speak out judge righteously defend the rights of the poor and needy Perhaps the prophet who so unambiguously announces God s will is Micah Through him God reminds His people that He redeemed them from slavery in Egypt Then Micah memorably declares what God expects of us He has told you O mortal what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God In prayer the Psalmist proclaims to all that he praises the Lord all of his life Then he observes that Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob whose hope is in the Lord their God who keeps faith forever who executes justice for the oppressed who gives food to the hungry The Psalmist affirms that The Lord sets the prisoners free the Lord opens the eyes of the blind The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down the Lord loves the righteous The Lord watches over the strangers he upholds the orphan and the widow Centuries later when Jesus announces His ministry He applies the words of the Psalmist and of Isaiah to himself for he will be the One who administers justice In doing so Jesus follows in the paths of the great prophets who were pursuers of justice During Jesus ministry he encounters many situations which screamed out for justice Jesus is present when unfair and cruel religious leaders evidently did not obey the Torah nor the prophets who warned them they were not observing the laws of justice In one instance Jesus critically and sternly pronounces Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law justice and mercy and faith It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others We learn in the gospel that one day a lawyer entered into a discussion with Jesus about what the Law the Teaching of the Torah expects of us When the lawyer stated to Jesus that the Torah requires that You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself Jesus told him that he gave the right the proper answer But the lawyer was seeking wiggle room as to whom he should love and how much he sought limits to his love So he asked Jesus who are our neighbors In reply Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan What is the basis of justice Is there a bedrock Perhaps it is located in the very first chapter of the very first book of the Bible Genesis where we are told that God made us in God s own image after God s own likeness male and female God created us And God breathed the breath of life into us This is the very life of every man and every woman Bear with me again as I return to the Law of God The Torah where it is written You shall love your neighbor as yourself This important golden rule has guided all of us for thousands of years This golden rule was restated by Jesus when he preached His Great Sermon In everything do to others as you would have them do to you for this is the law and the prophets You and I know as we live our lives that Justice is elusive To achieve justice seems so very difficult Yet in scripture and through Jesus life justice remains one of the foundation stones of God s expectation for us with compassion and mercy two of the other stones When we look at Jesus own life as we strive to follow Him we see a just merciful compassionate and forgiving man Justice is fairness for all and that includes the oppressed for the biblical concept of justice is evident and far reaching And just as Jesus calls out the religious authorities of his own time and brings them to task for failing to act and decide justly I firmly believe that He is now examining our thoughts our words and our actions and what we fail to do The Book of Revelation the final book of the Bible tells us that after everyone had passed all were judged according to what they had done I apologize to my readers because after over 46 years of working as a trial lawyer I wrote lengthy legal briefs in order to win a case Through my legal training I make citations but in this article references to the scriptures themselves and add those citations below for those who want to go further in examining justice I offer the reference to anticipate any but s or what if s or the you don t understand real life which are the escapes that each of us make when we don t like what we read and hear In life we apply our own paradigms to others and that includes scripture Yet we must carefully read what the biblical authors intended when they wrote the books Every scripture passage should stand on its own in the bright light of the sun and not be stained by our perceptions Especially in the gospel we must really hear what the momentous words of Jesus mean study how His teachings are to be applied and then think say and do justice Note If you wish to read the passages in your Bible these are the ones I quoted and referred to in this article References to the Torah passages Genesis 1 2 Exodus 23 2 6 Leviticus 19 15 18 Deuteronomy 6 5 10 18 16 19 20 24 17 19 Additional Hebrew Testament authors Book of Proverbs 31 8 31 Jeremiah 22 3 Micah 3 Psalm 146 Isaiah 61 1 2 References to the Gospel Matthew 5 17 7 23 23 Luke 4 18 10 11 42 Reference to The Book of Revelation 20 13 13
News 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 from OUR SEAFARER S FRIEND MASSACHUSETTS Seafarer s Friend recently visited the crew of the Hourai Maru and met Master Rao and a few of the officers who were busy at work Because of loving ministry partners they were able to provide over 20 ditty bags as a belated Christmas present Items are always needed for ditty bags For the list of items please visit www seafarersfriend org MORGAN SCOTT TENNESSEE From Crystal Thompkins Morgan Scott Project for Cooperative Christian Concerns was able to help make Christmas a little brighter for the children in their area with the help of many donors and volunteers Toys stocking stuffers and toboggans hand knitted by several from all over the United States were given to children in Morgan and Scott counties of Tennessee A total 838 children received gifts this year God s people sharing their blessing with others make this program possible from the donors giving gifts and monetary donations to the volunteers organizing gifts and playing elves for families PANAMERICAN INSTITUTE The Itcel Ortiz family are grateful recipients of Christmas dinner and groceries Sadly the picture on the wall is of a young family member who passed away from heart complications Crew receives ditty bags A note from ECHO Hope is an action It is hard work At this ECHO training women are being equipped to prepare their community fields for planting in time for the upcoming rainy season PILGRIMS PRESENCE KENYA Geoffrey Lemoi Assistant Director of Pilgrims Presence was in a bad motorcycle accident which resulted in a broken leg A Juana Santos reports that their 2020 year of classes ended with the distribution of support for 50 families to buy enough food for a nice Christmas dinner and groceries to last about one week Last year was the 49th consecutive year of this growing ministry In 1973 they provided a couple of grocery bags to 4 families Juana sends along her appreciation for your extending a helping hand to Panamerican Institute s families As we reflect on 2020 we celebrate that there is much to see beyond the hardships In nearly four decades of serving the hungry this year we ve helped more families than ever before And in a year of economic disruption we give thanks for each person who has sacrificially given to bring life changing hope to families around the world We are grateful for YOU 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 Volunteers helps bring Christmas to Morgan Scott WORD ALIVE GHANA AND THE IVORY COAST Geoffrey Lemoi 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 The Reverend Charles Nyane Word Alive mission in Ghana and the Ivory Coast presents a thermometer to be used as part of their COVID 19 protocol 14 Word Alive churches are disinfected after use Donate at www naccc org Congregational Foundation PO Box 288 Oak Creek WI 53154 15
News 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 from OUR SEAFARER S FRIEND MASSACHUSETTS Seafarer s Friend recently visited the crew of the Hourai Maru and met Master Rao and a few of the officers who were busy at work Because of loving ministry partners they were able to provide over 20 ditty bags as a belated Christmas present Items are always needed for ditty bags For the list of items please visit www seafarersfriend org MORGAN SCOTT TENNESSEE From Crystal Thompkins Morgan Scott Project for Cooperative Christian Concerns was able to help make Christmas a little brighter for the children in their area with the help of many donors and volunteers Toys stocking stuffers and toboggans hand knitted by several from all over the United States were given to children in Morgan and Scott counties of Tennessee A total 838 children received gifts this year God s people sharing their blessing with others make this program possible from the donors giving gifts and monetary donations to the volunteers organizing gifts and playing elves for families PANAMERICAN INSTITUTE The Itcel Ortiz family are grateful recipients of Christmas dinner and groceries Sadly the picture on the wall is of a young family member who passed away from heart complications Crew receives ditty bags A note from ECHO Hope is an action It is hard work At this ECHO training women are being equipped to prepare their community fields for planting in time for the upcoming rainy season PILGRIMS PRESENCE KENYA Geoffrey Lemoi Assistant Director of Pilgrims Presence was in a bad motorcycle accident which resulted in a broken leg A Juana Santos reports that their 2020 year of classes ended with the distribution of support for 50 families to buy enough food for a nice Christmas dinner and groceries to last about one week Last year was the 49th consecutive year of this growing ministry In 1973 they provided a couple of grocery bags to 4 families Juana sends along her appreciation for your extending a helping hand to Panamerican Institute s families As we reflect on 2020 we celebrate that there is much to see beyond the hardships In nearly four decades of serving the hungry this year we ve helped more families than ever before And in a year of economic disruption we give thanks for each person who has sacrificially given to bring life changing hope to families around the world We are grateful for YOU 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 Volunteers helps bring Christmas to Morgan Scott WORD ALIVE GHANA AND THE IVORY COAST Geoffrey Lemoi 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 The Reverend Charles Nyane Word Alive mission in Ghana and the Ivory Coast presents a thermometer to be used as part of their COVID 19 protocol 14 Word Alive churches are disinfected after use Donate at www naccc org Congregational Foundation PO Box 288 Oak Creek WI 53154 15
NEEDSfor our Missions AND REQUEST CMFE Philippines PRAYER REQUESTS Please pray for CMFE Philippines which is engaged in an ongoing flood control project at their central office A Christian Ministry in the National Parks Colorado PRAYER REQUESTS Ministry Support Committee Member Dale recently died of an unexpected heart attack in Glacier National Park The community is grieving the loss of this joyful selfless and loving individual Another Ministry Support Committee Member in Glacier Shelby had a fourth surgery for her battle with cancer and the outlook is not strong We are praying to find creative ways to recruit team members for the 2021 season since typical procedures aren t possible during the COVID 19 pandemic NEEDS Two 2 Nest Cameras for their office because of security concerns caused by a break in and doors left open or unlocked Sending a care package to one of our 8 winter teams Fuel gift cards to send to our team members who must travel for their worship services and ministry Happy Life Children s Home Kenya PRAYER REQUESTS Thanks to God for protection of our children and staff throughout the pandemic season For God s protection for our mission and especially the school which have opened after being closed over nine months and trying to cope with the new normal For the children s health and well being For provision of food school uniforms books and tuition fees for our children at Happy Life and those from the community Most parents are struggling after job losses For God s favor upon our schools within the community For our candidate class to get ready for the final exam in March 16 NEEDS School books and stationery School uniforms Funds to complete the Phase One of our high school Funds to equip the high school furniture computers etc Food and supplies for both the schools and the rescue centers Funds to equip our Jesse Kay Satellite clinic Congregational Church of Myanmar PRAYER REQUESTS Please pray for the provision of Okkan Mission House and Yangon Grace children dining hall NEEDS Child sponsorships for 45 children Provisions for rural mission workers pastors and families Rice for mission families ECHO PRAYER REQUESTS Tensions due to terrorism and political instability are running high across West Africa Please pray for our West Africa Team based in Burkina Faso that God will grant them great wisdom in their travels to provide training in Burkina and throughout the region as borders begin to re open Continued prayer for God s grace within the ECHO Florida Team as we adjust to implement our new Master s Level Certificate elements into our long standing Intern Training Program Continued protection along with wisdom and discernment for ECHO s global Teams as we are receiving and seeking to respond to increasing requests for training and assistance that entail increased staff exposure during this pandemic Prayers for our Board of Directors as they continue to carry out their governance of ECHO s global work through virtual means during this pandemic We invite NACCC to pray with us for the more than 683 men and women from 70 countries who participated in our Virtual International Agriculture Conference on November 19th We pray that they will be blessed and encouraged and God will be glorified as they take the new knowledge and insights they gained and apply them to benefit the people they serve For a more detailed list please contact Julie Robie at jrobie naccc org NEEDS Panamerican Institute Mexico Continuing to raise financial support to distribute seeds Prayers for the several families who have COVID 19 and for around the world and provide hands on rural trainings them to have access to medicine which would enable them to throughout Africa and Asia We have ongoing needs to cover recover at home the financial costs ECHO embraces to train young people who have a heart to serve on the mission field through our internship program Necrology2 0 2 1 Rev Roger Olsen 1956 2021 The Reverend Roger Olsen 64 of Eclectic Alabama passed away December 28 2020 He was the pastor of Cedarwood Community Church in Wetumpka He also served as Director Counselor at Alabama Council on Compulsive Gambling and was a long time member of Gamblers Anonymous Olsen studied counseling at Auburn University in Montgomery and earned a degree in church relations from Liberty Bible Institute His interests included photography public speaking and of course preaching He is survived by his wife of 43 years Kimberly Olsen children Andrew Amber and Adam four grandchildren and his sisters Brenda Fuller and Cindy Gordon Wells Online condolences may be left at www linvillememorial com Rev Harald A Smedal 1936 2020 The Reverend Harald A Smedal 84 Pastor Emeritus of Saunders Memorial Congregational Church in Little Deer Isle Maine died November 5 2020 at his home in nearby Brooksville After graduation with a bachelor s degree from Boston University he entered the U S Navy and became an aviator flight instructor and safety officer proudly serving his country for over eight years Following a time as a navigator for Pan American Airlines Smedal earned his M Div degree from Bangor Theological Seminary While in seminary he began serving Saunders Memorial Church NACCC and the West Brooksville Congregational Church UCC remaining as pastor of both churches for thirty years following his ordination Upon his retirement from the ministry Smedal served as a teacher aide at George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill and at Bucksport High School He is survived by his wife Susan sons Gregory and Matthew daughters Mari and Katrina six grandchildren three great grandchildren and his sister Mari Morsell George William Linzey 1951 2020 Dr George William Linzey of El Cajon California passed away on August 21 2020 He was Pastor Emeritus of Lemon Grove Community Church Dr Linzey was a servant of God a chaplain for the US Navy and a Pentecostal Church of God Minister He completed a B A in Sociology Vanguard University Master of Divinity American Baptist Seminary of the West Master of Science in School Psychology National University and Doctor of Ministry Fuller Theological Seminary He served as a Navy Chaplain for 21 years including service on the SS RANGER Battle Group during Desert Storm 1991 and Senior Protestant Chaplain of the U S Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland 1992 He was the youngest chaplain to achieve the rank of Captain in the U S Navy Following retirement from the Navy he served as pastor of the Lemon Grove Community Church for 20 years George leaves behind one daughter Aria Drexler sisters Gena English Janice Mathis Dr Sharon Ackerman Vera Nelson and brothers S Eugene Linzey Dr Paul Linzey David Linzey and James Linzey 17
NEEDSfor our Missions AND REQUEST CMFE Philippines PRAYER REQUESTS Please pray for CMFE Philippines which is engaged in an ongoing flood control project at their central office A Christian Ministry in the National Parks Colorado PRAYER REQUESTS Ministry Support Committee Member Dale recently died of an unexpected heart attack in Glacier National Park The community is grieving the loss of this joyful selfless and loving individual Another Ministry Support Committee Member in Glacier Shelby had a fourth surgery for her battle with cancer and the outlook is not strong We are praying to find creative ways to recruit team members for the 2021 season since typical procedures aren t possible during the COVID 19 pandemic NEEDS Two 2 Nest Cameras for their office because of security concerns caused by a break in and doors left open or unlocked Sending a care package to one of our 8 winter teams Fuel gift cards to send to our team members who must travel for their worship services and ministry Happy Life Children s Home Kenya PRAYER REQUESTS Thanks to God for protection of our children and staff throughout the pandemic season For God s protection for our mission and especially the school which have opened after being closed over nine months and trying to cope with the new normal For the children s health and well being For provision of food school uniforms books and tuition fees for our children at Happy Life and those from the community Most parents are struggling after job losses For God s favor upon our schools within the community For our candidate class to get ready for the final exam in March 16 NEEDS School books and stationery School uniforms Funds to complete the Phase One of our high school Funds to equip the high school furniture computers etc Food and supplies for both the schools and the rescue centers Funds to equip our Jesse Kay Satellite clinic Congregational Church of Myanmar PRAYER REQUESTS Please pray for the provision of Okkan Mission House and Yangon Grace children dining hall NEEDS Child sponsorships for 45 children Provisions for rural mission workers pastors and families Rice for mission families ECHO PRAYER REQUESTS Tensions due to terrorism and political instability are running high across West Africa Please pray for our West Africa Team based in Burkina Faso that God will grant them great wisdom in their travels to provide training in Burkina and throughout the region as borders begin to re open Continued prayer for God s grace within the ECHO Florida Team as we adjust to implement our new Master s Level Certificate elements into our long standing Intern Training Program Continued protection along with wisdom and discernment for ECHO s global Teams as we are receiving and seeking to respond to increasing requests for training and assistance that entail increased staff exposure during this pandemic Prayers for our Board of Directors as they continue to carry out their governance of ECHO s global work through virtual means during this pandemic We invite NACCC to pray with us for the more than 683 men and women from 70 countries who participated in our Virtual International Agriculture Conference on November 19th We pray that they will be blessed and encouraged and God will be glorified as they take the new knowledge and insights they gained and apply them to benefit the people they serve For a more detailed list please contact Julie Robie at jrobie naccc org NEEDS Panamerican Institute Mexico Continuing to raise financial support to distribute seeds Prayers for the several families who have COVID 19 and for around the world and provide hands on rural trainings them to have access to medicine which would enable them to throughout Africa and Asia We have ongoing needs to cover recover at home the financial costs ECHO embraces to train young people who have a heart to serve on the mission field through our internship program Necrology2 0 2 1 Rev Roger Olsen 1956 2021 The Reverend Roger Olsen 64 of Eclectic Alabama passed away December 28 2020 He was the pastor of Cedarwood Community Church in Wetumpka He also served as Director Counselor at Alabama Council on Compulsive Gambling and was a long time member of Gamblers Anonymous Olsen studied counseling at Auburn University in Montgomery and earned a degree in church relations from Liberty Bible Institute His interests included photography public speaking and of course preaching He is survived by his wife of 43 years Kimberly Olsen children Andrew Amber and Adam four grandchildren and his sisters Brenda Fuller and Cindy Gordon Wells Online condolences may be left at www linvillememorial com Rev Harald A Smedal 1936 2020 The Reverend Harald A Smedal 84 Pastor Emeritus of Saunders Memorial Congregational Church in Little Deer Isle Maine died November 5 2020 at his home in nearby Brooksville After graduation with a bachelor s degree from Boston University he entered the U S Navy and became an aviator flight instructor and safety officer proudly serving his country for over eight years Following a time as a navigator for Pan American Airlines Smedal earned his M Div degree from Bangor Theological Seminary While in seminary he began serving Saunders Memorial Church NACCC and the West Brooksville Congregational Church UCC remaining as pastor of both churches for thirty years following his ordination Upon his retirement from the ministry Smedal served as a teacher aide at George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill and at Bucksport High School He is survived by his wife Susan sons Gregory and Matthew daughters Mari and Katrina six grandchildren three great grandchildren and his sister Mari Morsell George William Linzey 1951 2020 Dr George William Linzey of El Cajon California passed away on August 21 2020 He was Pastor Emeritus of Lemon Grove Community Church Dr Linzey was a servant of God a chaplain for the US Navy and a Pentecostal Church of God Minister He completed a B A in Sociology Vanguard University Master of Divinity American Baptist Seminary of the West Master of Science in School Psychology National University and Doctor of Ministry Fuller Theological Seminary He served as a Navy Chaplain for 21 years including service on the SS RANGER Battle Group during Desert Storm 1991 and Senior Protestant Chaplain of the U S Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland 1992 He was the youngest chaplain to achieve the rank of Captain in the U S Navy Following retirement from the Navy he served as pastor of the Lemon Grove Community Church for 20 years George leaves behind one daughter Aria Drexler sisters Gena English Janice Mathis Dr Sharon Ackerman Vera Nelson and brothers S Eugene Linzey Dr Paul Linzey David Linzey and James Linzey 17
HELP ME Understand I f I could introduce just one phrase into our common discourse it would be this Help me understand When Person A says something that angers Person B I wish Person B would refrain from hurling back an insult and instead respond by saying Help me understand As a philosophy professor it s my job to teach students to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of both sides of an issue Whatever the reading assignment happens to be we follow the same procedure I ask the class to tell me what the author is saying and to explain the reasons he or she gives for making that claim We usually don t get very far into it however before somebody blurts out Yeah but and I hold up my hand We re not ready to criticize the author yet I remind the class First we ve got to make sure we understand what they re saying and why This is the hardest part of the process My students are always quicker to refute an argument than to understand it but I don t let the class go in that direction until they ve demonstrated that they appreciate the author s point of view It s a human tendency to build straw men so called because they re lightweight and easy to blow away with a single puff of air but I insist that my students build the strongest possible case for an idea before I ll let them tear it down It s good intellectual exercise but there s another reason why I m adamant about this when we attack an idea we often end up attacking the people who hold that position We don t just dismiss their opinion we dismiss them I want my students to respect other people s beliefs and the people themselves as a knee jerk reaction Only after they ve shown such respect will I then let them state their reasons for thinking otherwise Please don t misunderstand me I do want my students to engage in critical thinking We scrutinize a philosophical position mercilessly in my classes We hold it up to strict standards of logic and evidence But before we begin evaluating anyone s philosophy I insist that my students treat it as a candidate for acceptance And I especially insist that we treat the author as worthy of respect But oh what a different world it is when I step outside the classroom How I wish I could hold up my hand and say Let s hear each other out first Then we can talk about why we disagree Or as I said a moment ago I wish we could all learn to say Help me understand 18 Ronald R Johnson is author of What Does God Do from 9 to 5 He has a Ph D in philosophy from Saint Louis University and teaches extension courses for Spring Arbor University in Michigan He is writing a biography of Lloyd C Douglas by Ronald R Johnson Follow up questions might be What exactly did you mean just now when you said X Perhaps I misinterpreted What are your reasons for believing what you just said Perhaps you have good ones that haven t occurred to me Why does this issue matter so much to you You re important to me and even if I disagree with you I want to understand the things you re passionate about Of course if we re going to ask for help understanding each other we must be sincere It s pointless to invite our friends to explain themselves if we plan to attack them when they re finished It will do us no good if we really mean Help me understand why you re such an idiot We won t make progress in our relationships unless we truly want a meeting of the minds In congregations all across the land however we have a habit of saying Let s agree to disagree This suggestion is usually offered when someone in our group makes a remark that sends a ripple of discomfort around the circle and someone else tries to smooth the ruffled feathers Let s agree to disagree is a nice way of saying This topic is off limits You think what you want to think and I ll think what I want to think and we won t talk about it anymore Although that s better than berating each other it s also dismissive of both the person who made the initial remark and the others around the circle who disliked it Granted it s better to agree to disagree than to have an open conflict that will hurt people especially in our congregations But it would be even better if we could talk to each other honestly and listen respectfully Here s an example Gail who is Caucasian has just put up a sign in her yard that says Black Lives Matter Her next door neighbor Jenna glances at it shakes her head and says All lives matter Gail s immediate reaction is to tell Jenna that she s missing the point but instead she takes a deep breath and replies Tell me what you mean by that You heard me All lives matter Yes I did hear you And I want to understand what you meant Jenna snorts I think it s pretty obvious But Gail waits so Jenna starts in she s tired of working her fingers to the bone down at the factory and getting little payback She s sick of having to weigh her words carefully just because someone might be offended She sees her society becoming increasingly friendly to people who don t look or talk or think like her and it makes her feel like she s on the outside looking in Enough is enough she says As Gail listens to her neighbor she realizes she has important work to do Perhaps someday she ll have a chance to tell Jenna why the Black Lives Matter movement is so important to her but the message will never get through until Jenna senses that her life matters to Gail And that s not something Gail can convey in a soundbite It can only be done over time over the back fence and perhaps over coffee Gail s not going to back down about the sign but in that moment she commits herself to the work of letting Jenna know that she matters too Of course it would be easier for Gail to tell Jenna to mind her own business She d have to buy a security camera to watch over her sign though And it would be awkward if she wanted to mow her lawn at the same time Jenna was pruning her petunias But still it would be easier than what she s setting out to do Building a relationship is hard especially for two people who have such strongly opposed views Gail is committed however As a follower of Jesus she recognizes what she s called to do This is the task we ve all been assigned whether we know it or not The greatest gift we can give each other right now is the sincere desire to understand one another We all need to be heard and seen and accepted especially in these troubled times We all need to know that we can count on someone to be there for us to respect us to care about us no matter what we do That s what s so upsetting about the current social malaise that even in our churches love and acceptance are increasingly becoming conditional What we re telling each other in effect is I will love and accept you only if you interpret the gospel or the political situation or our church s by laws as I do Where can people go these days to be accepted Isn t that the mission of the local congregation Isn t that why our doors are open Not just to tell people the good news of Jesus Christ but to demonstrate it And how else can we demonstrate it to people than by listening to them understanding what s important to them and appreciating them for who they are None of this comes naturally to us humans That s why we need philosophy professors and sometimes counselors to teach us the relevant skills But it s our calling If we just slightly change the word order as we re translating from Greek into English Paul says in the second chapter of his Letter to the Philippians verse 13 For it is God who works within you both to work for his purpose and to want to For each other s sake and for the sake of our society we need God to fill us with the desire to love and understand each other Or as Saint Francis says O divine Master grant that I may not so much seek to be understood as to understand That s the work to which we re called right now Is it possible to talk about substantive matters with people who disagree with us Can we understand and respect each other while holding opposing viewpoints I have over twenty five years of classroom experience that tells me the answer to both questions is Yes Of course as the teacher I impose ground rules I do a lot of gatekeeping I don t let students insult each other or me nor do I let them raise their voices We ll all have to lay down similar ground rules in our conversations with our neighbors We must not only treat others with respect we must insist on having their respect as well But the point is it s possible We can do this We just must want to do it And that may be the hardest part of all 19
HELP ME Understand I f I could introduce just one phrase into our common discourse it would be this Help me understand When Person A says something that angers Person B I wish Person B would refrain from hurling back an insult and instead respond by saying Help me understand As a philosophy professor it s my job to teach students to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of both sides of an issue Whatever the reading assignment happens to be we follow the same procedure I ask the class to tell me what the author is saying and to explain the reasons he or she gives for making that claim We usually don t get very far into it however before somebody blurts out Yeah but and I hold up my hand We re not ready to criticize the author yet I remind the class First we ve got to make sure we understand what they re saying and why This is the hardest part of the process My students are always quicker to refute an argument than to understand it but I don t let the class go in that direction until they ve demonstrated that they appreciate the author s point of view It s a human tendency to build straw men so called because they re lightweight and easy to blow away with a single puff of air but I insist that my students build the strongest possible case for an idea before I ll let them tear it down It s good intellectual exercise but there s another reason why I m adamant about this when we attack an idea we often end up attacking the people who hold that position We don t just dismiss their opinion we dismiss them I want my students to respect other people s beliefs and the people themselves as a knee jerk reaction Only after they ve shown such respect will I then let them state their reasons for thinking otherwise Please don t misunderstand me I do want my students to engage in critical thinking We scrutinize a philosophical position mercilessly in my classes We hold it up to strict standards of logic and evidence But before we begin evaluating anyone s philosophy I insist that my students treat it as a candidate for acceptance And I especially insist that we treat the author as worthy of respect But oh what a different world it is when I step outside the classroom How I wish I could hold up my hand and say Let s hear each other out first Then we can talk about why we disagree Or as I said a moment ago I wish we could all learn to say Help me understand 18 Ronald R Johnson is author of What Does God Do from 9 to 5 He has a Ph D in philosophy from Saint Louis University and teaches extension courses for Spring Arbor University in Michigan He is writing a biography of Lloyd C Douglas by Ronald R Johnson Follow up questions might be What exactly did you mean just now when you said X Perhaps I misinterpreted What are your reasons for believing what you just said Perhaps you have good ones that haven t occurred to me Why does this issue matter so much to you You re important to me and even if I disagree with you I want to understand the things you re passionate about Of course if we re going to ask for help understanding each other we must be sincere It s pointless to invite our friends to explain themselves if we plan to attack them when they re finished It will do us no good if we really mean Help me understand why you re such an idiot We won t make progress in our relationships unless we truly want a meeting of the minds In congregations all across the land however we have a habit of saying Let s agree to disagree This suggestion is usually offered when someone in our group makes a remark that sends a ripple of discomfort around the circle and someone else tries to smooth the ruffled feathers Let s agree to disagree is a nice way of saying This topic is off limits You think what you want to think and I ll think what I want to think and we won t talk about it anymore Although that s better than berating each other it s also dismissive of both the person who made the initial remark and the others around the circle who disliked it Granted it s better to agree to disagree than to have an open conflict that will hurt people especially in our congregations But it would be even better if we could talk to each other honestly and listen respectfully Here s an example Gail who is Caucasian has just put up a sign in her yard that says Black Lives Matter Her next door neighbor Jenna glances at it shakes her head and says All lives matter Gail s immediate reaction is to tell Jenna that she s missing the point but instead she takes a deep breath and replies Tell me what you mean by that You heard me All lives matter Yes I did hear you And I want to understand what you meant Jenna snorts I think it s pretty obvious But Gail waits so Jenna starts in she s tired of working her fingers to the bone down at the factory and getting little payback She s sick of having to weigh her words carefully just because someone might be offended She sees her society becoming increasingly friendly to people who don t look or talk or think like her and it makes her feel like she s on the outside looking in Enough is enough she says As Gail listens to her neighbor she realizes she has important work to do Perhaps someday she ll have a chance to tell Jenna why the Black Lives Matter movement is so important to her but the message will never get through until Jenna senses that her life matters to Gail And that s not something Gail can convey in a soundbite It can only be done over time over the back fence and perhaps over coffee Gail s not going to back down about the sign but in that moment she commits herself to the work of letting Jenna know that she matters too Of course it would be easier for Gail to tell Jenna to mind her own business She d have to buy a security camera to watch over her sign though And it would be awkward if she wanted to mow her lawn at the same time Jenna was pruning her petunias But still it would be easier than what she s setting out to do Building a relationship is hard especially for two people who have such strongly opposed views Gail is committed however As a follower of Jesus she recognizes what she s called to do This is the task we ve all been assigned whether we know it or not The greatest gift we can give each other right now is the sincere desire to understand one another We all need to be heard and seen and accepted especially in these troubled times We all need to know that we can count on someone to be there for us to respect us to care about us no matter what we do That s what s so upsetting about the current social malaise that even in our churches love and acceptance are increasingly becoming conditional What we re telling each other in effect is I will love and accept you only if you interpret the gospel or the political situation or our church s by laws as I do Where can people go these days to be accepted Isn t that the mission of the local congregation Isn t that why our doors are open Not just to tell people the good news of Jesus Christ but to demonstrate it And how else can we demonstrate it to people than by listening to them understanding what s important to them and appreciating them for who they are None of this comes naturally to us humans That s why we need philosophy professors and sometimes counselors to teach us the relevant skills But it s our calling If we just slightly change the word order as we re translating from Greek into English Paul says in the second chapter of his Letter to the Philippians verse 13 For it is God who works within you both to work for his purpose and to want to For each other s sake and for the sake of our society we need God to fill us with the desire to love and understand each other Or as Saint Francis says O divine Master grant that I may not so much seek to be understood as to understand That s the work to which we re called right now Is it possible to talk about substantive matters with people who disagree with us Can we understand and respect each other while holding opposing viewpoints I have over twenty five years of classroom experience that tells me the answer to both questions is Yes Of course as the teacher I impose ground rules I do a lot of gatekeeping I don t let students insult each other or me nor do I let them raise their voices We ll all have to lay down similar ground rules in our conversations with our neighbors We must not only treat others with respect we must insist on having their respect as well But the point is it s possible We can do this We just must want to do it And that may be the hardest part of all 19
RACISM IN A M E R I C A Another View By Nancy Hamilton E ver since I received the December 2020 issue of The Congregationalist I have been thinking and praying about the article by Rev John Tamilio III Racism in America A Theological Problem After much deliberation I have determined that I should publicly present another view Rev Tamilio begins his article There 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 My reading of history and my experience tells me this is not true Racism may seem to have grown exponentially but it s my belief that the current racism is worse now idea is due to the flourishing of the Internet and the 24 7 news cycle What once was racism discussed one on one in privacy has become racism discussed in Internet chat rooms Similarly domestic verbal emotional and physical abuse has always existed but in the shadows It has only been exposed in the past 30 or so years When something like racism or domestic abuse becomes more trendy it is natural to believe the problem is becoming worse My 20 personal experience tells me that as far as racism is concerned things are better now than in the past Let me present a few examples from my life I remember traveling through Central Texas to visit grandparents in the mid 1950s and stopping to have lunch in a small town I can recall vividly the gravel parking lot and the restaurant s two wooden screen doors As I headed for the nearest door my dad steered me toward the other one which led to the dining room for whites As I passed the other door I looked inside to see a room full of Black Negro back then families eating lunch Because the small town we lived in was in the middle of the country and had few black families this was my first experience with segregation On a different trip to visit my other set of grandparents sometime in the late 50s we made a visit downtown if you could call it that It was a hot day in the small East Texas county seat and I headed for a water fountain on the outside of the courthouse My grandparents had to gently point out that it was marked Colored Only and steer me to the water fountain on the opposite side of the building To give them their due my grandparents implied that the bubbler was special for colored people and that somehow I would be trespassing on their fountain if I drank from it not that the colored people couldn t drink from our fountain My paternal grandfather loved to watch the Gillette sponsored Friday night boxing matches so of course the whole family watched the 13 inch black and white TV with him I remember cringing when one fighter was hit and my grandfather explaining to me that Negroes have thicker skulls than white people so it didn t hurt him as badly as if he were white My maternal grandmother was not overtly racist and treated the colored lady who sometimes helped her around the house more as a friend than an employee yet when Alma finished work and left she would take the jelly glass Alma had used and put it in the trash It may help to understand if you consider that my grandparents generation was born in the late 1890s and was raised by parents who were born during or shortly after the Civil War Fast forward to the 1990s One day when I picked up my son at his very diverse high school in Texas he told me There s David David was a kid on his football team but one I d never met Where is he I asked Over there Mom There was a gaggle of boys waiting for the bus and I had no clue which was David After several cries of There Over there my son finally said He s in the blue jacket David was the only Black boy in a group of about 10 boys a fact that my son didn t feel worth mentioning Forty years separates those early memories from the later one In my experience racism has not grown exponentially As a country we ve made progress from whites only dining rooms and colored only drinking fountains to integration From Little Rock in the 1950s to high schools in the 1990s in which a boy s skin color is unremarkable As a society most of us have moved from seeing persons of color as the other to seeing them as persons To paraphrase Joyce Meyer we may not be where we want to be but thank God we are not where we used to be Further on in his article Rev Tamilio states Racism has trickled down to the masses I disagree Elites may look down on those of us who aren t the right color but it s my opinion that their attitudes are not the cause of racism among the masses As a technical and safety trainer I spent decades around blue collar workers and in my experience those masses really don t care what the elites think In my experience it s more likely that if those closer to the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder are racist it s because they a have a need to feel better than someone anyone and b find that people of color compete with them for the only employment opportunities open to them And nowadays the Internet provides fertile ground for such resentments to grow I also have a different point of view about the tentacles of racism that Rev Tamilio says have reached into the church and the congregational self segregation that he says does not reflect the shalom the wholeness that God willed for creation I believe that the same God who created both the giant sequoia tree and blue green algae values diversity as well as wholeness and realizes that people need to worship Him in a way that best fits their personalities culture and life experience I spent a number of years riding a bus to and from my work in downtown Houston along with people of all races and ethnicities After over hearing conversations among the Black ladies who were also regular riders it became obvious to me that after a lifetime of attending mainline Protestant churches and attending Sunday School from the age of three I only knew about Jesus but they actually knew Him in a profound and personal way and that their churches nourished that relationship We spiritual descendants of the Pilgrims as well as other mainline Protestants have sometimes been referred to as the frozen chosen for our rather staid and formal worship It is quite possible that a major reason people of color don t attend our churches is that our services don t meet their spiritual needs There s a reason Bishop T D Jakes Potter s House mega church has a membership of 30 000 and four locations If you watch his broadcasts you ll see that he brings the Bible directly to bear on people s problems Finally Rev Tamilio closes by saying 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 implying that our churches who do not engage in social justice cannot be either relevant or rooted in the faith However as the NACCC website puts it This is a tradition that has deep convictions based upon the Word of God as each person interprets that Word according to the dictates of conscience under the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit Since every Congregationalist possesses full liberty of conscience in interpreting the Gospel we are a diverse group of people united under Christ Our very small small town church in one of the whitest states in the Union has for years been providing Christmas Easter and back to school gifts for local children whose parents are incarcerated and since COVID distributes food for up to 150 children and over 100 frozen meals for elderly ill and shut ins every week Our Deacons Fund provides emergency help with paying utility bills and regularly provides funds to house people who are homeless We also regularly pre COVID put on free donation only suppers to raise money for community members who are facing medical bills loss of a home or other disasters In many ways our Nancy Hamilton a retired technical writer corporate trainer was raised in the Presbyterian church and attended UU UCC and American Baptist churches before joining The First Congregational Church of Searsport ME upon marrying Paul A former Deacon she is currently Clerk chair of the Missions Committee and newsletter editor church is the heart and soul of the community Please do not tell us that we are irrelevant or not rooted in the faith whose Founder said to feed the hungry clothe the naked visit the sick and provide for widows and orphans I do agree with Rev Tamilio when he says There is a problem in America It is ugly and it is evil That problem is not merely racism however It s also spousal abuse substance addiction and the countless other ways large and small we all fail to acknowledge that we and our neighbors are equally children of God The Spirit may move some to social justice However it also and the countless other ways large and small we all fail to acknowledge that we and our neighbors are equally children of God The Spirit may move some to social justice However it also moves some of us to reach out to a hurting and fallen world with a kind word and a hot or frozen meal 21
RACISM IN A M E R I C A Another View By Nancy Hamilton E ver since I received the December 2020 issue of The Congregationalist I have been thinking and praying about the article by Rev John Tamilio III Racism in America A Theological Problem After much deliberation I have determined that I should publicly present another view Rev Tamilio begins his article There 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 My reading of history and my experience tells me this is not true Racism may seem to have grown exponentially but it s my belief that the current racism is worse now idea is due to the flourishing of the Internet and the 24 7 news cycle What once was racism discussed one on one in privacy has become racism discussed in Internet chat rooms Similarly domestic verbal emotional and physical abuse has always existed but in the shadows It has only been exposed in the past 30 or so years When something like racism or domestic abuse becomes more trendy it is natural to believe the problem is becoming worse My 20 personal experience tells me that as far as racism is concerned things are better now than in the past Let me present a few examples from my life I remember traveling through Central Texas to visit grandparents in the mid 1950s and stopping to have lunch in a small town I can recall vividly the gravel parking lot and the restaurant s two wooden screen doors As I headed for the nearest door my dad steered me toward the other one which led to the dining room for whites As I passed the other door I looked inside to see a room full of Black Negro back then families eating lunch Because the small town we lived in was in the middle of the country and had few black families this was my first experience with segregation On a different trip to visit my other set of grandparents sometime in the late 50s we made a visit downtown if you could call it that It was a hot day in the small East Texas county seat and I headed for a water fountain on the outside of the courthouse My grandparents had to gently point out that it was marked Colored Only and steer me to the water fountain on the opposite side of the building To give them their due my grandparents implied that the bubbler was special for colored people and that somehow I would be trespassing on their fountain if I drank from it not that the colored people couldn t drink from our fountain My paternal grandfather loved to watch the Gillette sponsored Friday night boxing matches so of course the whole family watched the 13 inch black and white TV with him I remember cringing when one fighter was hit and my grandfather explaining to me that Negroes have thicker skulls than white people so it didn t hurt him as badly as if he were white My maternal grandmother was not overtly racist and treated the colored lady who sometimes helped her around the house more as a friend than an employee yet when Alma finished work and left she would take the jelly glass Alma had used and put it in the trash It may help to understand if you consider that my grandparents generation was born in the late 1890s and was raised by parents who were born during or shortly after the Civil War Fast forward to the 1990s One day when I picked up my son at his very diverse high school in Texas he told me There s David David was a kid on his football team but one I d never met Where is he I asked Over there Mom There was a gaggle of boys waiting for the bus and I had no clue which was David After several cries of There Over there my son finally said He s in the blue jacket David was the only Black boy in a group of about 10 boys a fact that my son didn t feel worth mentioning Forty years separates those early memories from the later one In my experience racism has not grown exponentially As a country we ve made progress from whites only dining rooms and colored only drinking fountains to integration From Little Rock in the 1950s to high schools in the 1990s in which a boy s skin color is unremarkable As a society most of us have moved from seeing persons of color as the other to seeing them as persons To paraphrase Joyce Meyer we may not be where we want to be but thank God we are not where we used to be Further on in his article Rev Tamilio states Racism has trickled down to the masses I disagree Elites may look down on those of us who aren t the right color but it s my opinion that their attitudes are not the cause of racism among the masses As a technical and safety trainer I spent decades around blue collar workers and in my experience those masses really don t care what the elites think In my experience it s more likely that if those closer to the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder are racist it s because they a have a need to feel better than someone anyone and b find that people of color compete with them for the only employment opportunities open to them And nowadays the Internet provides fertile ground for such resentments to grow I also have a different point of view about the tentacles of racism that Rev Tamilio says have reached into the church and the congregational self segregation that he says does not reflect the shalom the wholeness that God willed for creation I believe that the same God who created both the giant sequoia tree and blue green algae values diversity as well as wholeness and realizes that people need to worship Him in a way that best fits their personalities culture and life experience I spent a number of years riding a bus to and from my work in downtown Houston along with people of all races and ethnicities After over hearing conversations among the Black ladies who were also regular riders it became obvious to me that after a lifetime of attending mainline Protestant churches and attending Sunday School from the age of three I only knew about Jesus but they actually knew Him in a profound and personal way and that their churches nourished that relationship We spiritual descendants of the Pilgrims as well as other mainline Protestants have sometimes been referred to as the frozen chosen for our rather staid and formal worship It is quite possible that a major reason people of color don t attend our churches is that our services don t meet their spiritual needs There s a reason Bishop T D Jakes Potter s House mega church has a membership of 30 000 and four locations If you watch his broadcasts you ll see that he brings the Bible directly to bear on people s problems Finally Rev Tamilio closes by saying 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 implying that our churches who do not engage in social justice cannot be either relevant or rooted in the faith However as the NACCC website puts it This is a tradition that has deep convictions based upon the Word of God as each person interprets that Word according to the dictates of conscience under the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit Since every Congregationalist possesses full liberty of conscience in interpreting the Gospel we are a diverse group of people united under Christ Our very small small town church in one of the whitest states in the Union has for years been providing Christmas Easter and back to school gifts for local children whose parents are incarcerated and since COVID distributes food for up to 150 children and over 100 frozen meals for elderly ill and shut ins every week Our Deacons Fund provides emergency help with paying utility bills and regularly provides funds to house people who are homeless We also regularly pre COVID put on free donation only suppers to raise money for community members who are facing medical bills loss of a home or other disasters In many ways our Nancy Hamilton a retired technical writer corporate trainer was raised in the Presbyterian church and attended UU UCC and American Baptist churches before joining The First Congregational Church of Searsport ME upon marrying Paul A former Deacon she is currently Clerk chair of the Missions Committee and newsletter editor church is the heart and soul of the community Please do not tell us that we are irrelevant or not rooted in the faith whose Founder said to feed the hungry clothe the naked visit the sick and provide for widows and orphans I do agree with Rev Tamilio when he says There is a problem in America It is ugly and it is evil That problem is not merely racism however It s also spousal abuse substance addiction and the countless other ways large and small we all fail to acknowledge that we and our neighbors are equally children of God The Spirit may move some to social justice However it also and the countless other ways large and small we all fail to acknowledge that we and our neighbors are equally children of God The Spirit may move some to social justice However it also moves some of us to reach out to a hurting and fallen world with a kind word and a hot or frozen meal 21
Mrs Peabody and the CHOIR ROBES A Friendly Reminder I have received numerous correspondence from wonderful people from all over the country that have been enjoying the Peabody stories I have thought about why people seem to really connect with them and have decided that these simple stories of a church antagonist give them the reader permission to laugh and through that laughter they finally get to stand up to the bully that they might have faced in their own churches in some way The best way I have found to deal with Mrs Peabodys in my own life and ministry is to write about her and to laugh at each sentence each memory It has become my way of saying get behind me Satan when there hasn t been any other way to do so So please do not take her seriously remember that she doesn t actually exist and please continue to enjoy reading and laughing at her antics and the antics of those around her So now my friends sit back and enjoy Mrs Peabody and the Choir Robes Justin 22 I The Reverend Justin J Nierer is the lead pastor of Sandstone Congregational Church in Jackson Michigan He absolutely loves being a Congregationalist adores the NACCC and enjoys spending time with his wife Seneca and their son Wesley He can be reached any time via email at theoutreachguy hotmail com By Reverend Justin J Nierer m not musically inclined which is a nice way of me saying you don t ever want me to sing out loud in public for anything or anyone you want to stay friends with I simply have a terrible singing voice and have my entire life Now you might think I am overexaggerating but alas I have had multiple people tell me people that truly love me that maybe I can just hum a few bars along with everyone else singing If you ever attend an annual meeting for the NACCC you will never see me in the choir ever This is for reasons I have made perfectly clear in the paragraph earlier When you pastor a church though there is a good chance they might have a choir and when I was a pastor in Indiana they had a choir They had a large wonderful choir that sang a special hymn every Sunday and practiced every week Their director was a saint gifted beyond words The choir was definitely a source of healthy pride for the church so when an issue came up it was an issue that could not be ignored The issue was new choir robes The choir needed them The robes they were wearing were older than most of the members and that is saying quite a bit and the business that made them was no longer in operation The place where they were made was closed so the fabric could be used for the war effort and never opened again So of course if the choir needed robes if the church choir needed robes if the church choir of the church that SHE has attended her entire life needed robes Mrs Peabody was going to get them those robes and this is where Gloria VanStruck comes into the picture Gloria was Mrs Peabody s sister and if a house fell on our most intriguing church member her sister would show up looking for her shoes Gloria VanStruck was worse than her sister because Gloria VanStruck wanted you to know she was Gloria VanStruck She was married to Irving VanStruck who owned the local Ford Dealership You will never get stuck in a VanStruck was the cheesy motto plastered all over the place It was the largest dealership in the area and to say they were wealthy would be an understatement Now dear reader the following description of Gloria is not an exaggeration I have not taken any artistic license at all You will find yourself shaking your head You might even call me a liar to my face if given a chance because it is so unbelievable but yes she existed like this and I have never nor will ever forget her Mrs Gloria VanStruck was like something out of a movie Her hair was always done she always wore high heels her sunglasses were huge and she wore a mink coat Now this was no ordinary mink The first time I met her I had never met a person who wore an actual mink before I didn t think people actually wore mink coats anymore Plus this mink had heads Yes my friend tiny dangling mink heads that just hung there off the coat I had nor have ever since seen a coat like that The attitude was worse much worse She pulled up to the church one day in a Ford of course Her driver never knew anyone with an actual driver before or since got out and opened the door to let her out Her driver then ran and opened the church door which I had already opened for her but the guy literally grabbed the door handle from me I was half expecting him to bow as she passed He did not but I did notice that he never made eye contact with her Again this all actually happened I smiled held out my hand and said Hi I am Pastor I know who you are and you know who I am was her quick reply My mother my dear mother attended this church and my sister as you know does as well My sister said our choir needs new robes Now our choir was a surprise but I later understood that she considered us her home church even though they had not attended in 40 years or support us in any way shape or form I will buy the new choir robes how many do you need Twenty I answered would you like any more information or ideas would you like to meet with the choir director She looked at me as if I were growing a dandelion on the top of my head and said I will buy the twenty choir robes When we attended here as children the choir was much larger but twenty will have to do Expect them here soon With that the driver got up from his chair we hadn t even left the foyer spun around and opened the door for Mrs Van Struck who walked out got into her vehicle and that was that It s important to note that she asked no other questions there was no more discussion about the robes You need to remember that because it comes up again soon in our story About a month later a number of large boxes arrived at the church I had forgotten about the robes and so when the UPS guy brought in all these boxes and placed them in the foyer of the church I was a bit taken back I opened one up and almost fell over in shock There it was right there the ugliest choir robe I had ever seen Dear friend it was lime green with dark blue accents and somewhere there was a little brown I thought there had to be a mistake I actually thought that maybe this was just a large sample of robe fabric and we were to choose Anything to make sense of this this was really bad There really aren t words to describe how terrible these robes looked These green blue and a little bit of brown robes Also nothing in our church sanctuary was green blue or brown We had a lot of grays reds brass fixtures and light tan pews nothing and I do mean nothing would make these garments look like they belonged I noticed something else they were very heavy I would estimate that the robe I was holding the one robe must have weighed a good twenty pounds That night was choir practice What was I going to do Do I present them Do I hide them Yes I should hide them and figure out what to do I will hide them and no one will ever be the wiser I will hide them and and the choir director can show up early for practice and see me in the foyer staring at all these boxes and that s exactly what she did Susan our choir director looked at the robe then she looked at me looked at the robe looked at me and this went on for about a minute Oh no no no no this this is bad Pastor this is very bad Maybe if I put it on it will make more sense When she put it on she exclaimed How can it actually look worse and what is it made of this is so 23
Mrs Peabody and the CHOIR ROBES A Friendly Reminder I have received numerous correspondence from wonderful people from all over the country that have been enjoying the Peabody stories I have thought about why people seem to really connect with them and have decided that these simple stories of a church antagonist give them the reader permission to laugh and through that laughter they finally get to stand up to the bully that they might have faced in their own churches in some way The best way I have found to deal with Mrs Peabodys in my own life and ministry is to write about her and to laugh at each sentence each memory It has become my way of saying get behind me Satan when there hasn t been any other way to do so So please do not take her seriously remember that she doesn t actually exist and please continue to enjoy reading and laughing at her antics and the antics of those around her So now my friends sit back and enjoy Mrs Peabody and the Choir Robes Justin 22 I The Reverend Justin J Nierer is the lead pastor of Sandstone Congregational Church in Jackson Michigan He absolutely loves being a Congregationalist adores the NACCC and enjoys spending time with his wife Seneca and their son Wesley He can be reached any time via email at theoutreachguy hotmail com By Reverend Justin J Nierer m not musically inclined which is a nice way of me saying you don t ever want me to sing out loud in public for anything or anyone you want to stay friends with I simply have a terrible singing voice and have my entire life Now you might think I am overexaggerating but alas I have had multiple people tell me people that truly love me that maybe I can just hum a few bars along with everyone else singing If you ever attend an annual meeting for the NACCC you will never see me in the choir ever This is for reasons I have made perfectly clear in the paragraph earlier When you pastor a church though there is a good chance they might have a choir and when I was a pastor in Indiana they had a choir They had a large wonderful choir that sang a special hymn every Sunday and practiced every week Their director was a saint gifted beyond words The choir was definitely a source of healthy pride for the church so when an issue came up it was an issue that could not be ignored The issue was new choir robes The choir needed them The robes they were wearing were older than most of the members and that is saying quite a bit and the business that made them was no longer in operation The place where they were made was closed so the fabric could be used for the war effort and never opened again So of course if the choir needed robes if the church choir needed robes if the church choir of the church that SHE has attended her entire life needed robes Mrs Peabody was going to get them those robes and this is where Gloria VanStruck comes into the picture Gloria was Mrs Peabody s sister and if a house fell on our most intriguing church member her sister would show up looking for her shoes Gloria VanStruck was worse than her sister because Gloria VanStruck wanted you to know she was Gloria VanStruck She was married to Irving VanStruck who owned the local Ford Dealership You will never get stuck in a VanStruck was the cheesy motto plastered all over the place It was the largest dealership in the area and to say they were wealthy would be an understatement Now dear reader the following description of Gloria is not an exaggeration I have not taken any artistic license at all You will find yourself shaking your head You might even call me a liar to my face if given a chance because it is so unbelievable but yes she existed like this and I have never nor will ever forget her Mrs Gloria VanStruck was like something out of a movie Her hair was always done she always wore high heels her sunglasses were huge and she wore a mink coat Now this was no ordinary mink The first time I met her I had never met a person who wore an actual mink before I didn t think people actually wore mink coats anymore Plus this mink had heads Yes my friend tiny dangling mink heads that just hung there off the coat I had nor have ever since seen a coat like that The attitude was worse much worse She pulled up to the church one day in a Ford of course Her driver never knew anyone with an actual driver before or since got out and opened the door to let her out Her driver then ran and opened the church door which I had already opened for her but the guy literally grabbed the door handle from me I was half expecting him to bow as she passed He did not but I did notice that he never made eye contact with her Again this all actually happened I smiled held out my hand and said Hi I am Pastor I know who you are and you know who I am was her quick reply My mother my dear mother attended this church and my sister as you know does as well My sister said our choir needs new robes Now our choir was a surprise but I later understood that she considered us her home church even though they had not attended in 40 years or support us in any way shape or form I will buy the new choir robes how many do you need Twenty I answered would you like any more information or ideas would you like to meet with the choir director She looked at me as if I were growing a dandelion on the top of my head and said I will buy the twenty choir robes When we attended here as children the choir was much larger but twenty will have to do Expect them here soon With that the driver got up from his chair we hadn t even left the foyer spun around and opened the door for Mrs Van Struck who walked out got into her vehicle and that was that It s important to note that she asked no other questions there was no more discussion about the robes You need to remember that because it comes up again soon in our story About a month later a number of large boxes arrived at the church I had forgotten about the robes and so when the UPS guy brought in all these boxes and placed them in the foyer of the church I was a bit taken back I opened one up and almost fell over in shock There it was right there the ugliest choir robe I had ever seen Dear friend it was lime green with dark blue accents and somewhere there was a little brown I thought there had to be a mistake I actually thought that maybe this was just a large sample of robe fabric and we were to choose Anything to make sense of this this was really bad There really aren t words to describe how terrible these robes looked These green blue and a little bit of brown robes Also nothing in our church sanctuary was green blue or brown We had a lot of grays reds brass fixtures and light tan pews nothing and I do mean nothing would make these garments look like they belonged I noticed something else they were very heavy I would estimate that the robe I was holding the one robe must have weighed a good twenty pounds That night was choir practice What was I going to do Do I present them Do I hide them Yes I should hide them and figure out what to do I will hide them and no one will ever be the wiser I will hide them and and the choir director can show up early for practice and see me in the foyer staring at all these boxes and that s exactly what she did Susan our choir director looked at the robe then she looked at me looked at the robe looked at me and this went on for about a minute Oh no no no no this this is bad Pastor this is very bad Maybe if I put it on it will make more sense When she put it on she exclaimed How can it actually look worse and what is it made of this is so 23
heavy and hot I am just standing here and breaking a sweat Pastor Justin what are we going to do The choir started arriving and I thought to myself Well Justin you need to put on the big boy pants You are the Pastor of this church you love these people and you need to prepare yourself to go face to face with one of the most influential ladies in town and tell her she needs to take back these robes The choir came in one by one and one by one they looked at the new robes in absolute horror and disbelief No one said a word there was nothing to be said Many of them thought exactly what Cindy did at first and started putting them on While they were doing that one choir member entered and it was the one I feared the most Mrs Peabody who had been in the choir since the moment she was old enough to join walked over to where everyone was looked at the boxes looked at those wearing the robes and without saying a word or any facial expression at all put one on She looked at it on her looked at the sleeves saw how long it was lifted her arms a few times testing the weight I believe and then looked at me and did something I never would have expected Mrs Peabody started to laugh She laughed and laughed and laughed She laughed so much there were tears in her eyes She calmed down long enough to take the robe off and make a phone call The call went something like this Come to the church yes the church No drive yourself Yes now No I mean it you better be driving yourself and it s early evening so don t you dare be wearing your sunglasses She put her phone away looked at Cindy and said We should start practice The robes went back into the boxes the choir got into place with their music and they started to practice I never attended choir practice but you had better believe I was staying for this one A Ford with dealer plates pulled up to the front of the church and quickly found a parking spot I watched and sure enough Gloria got out of the driver side of the vehicle Truth is I was amazed she was driving I had this feeling that Gloria VanStruck didn t listen to anyone yet it seemed for whatever reason she listened to her sister Gloria entered the church and walked into the sanctuary where the choir was practicing She walked to the center of the aisle looked at Mrs Peabody and just froze her eyes into a death stare that made the temperature drop I would say at least 20 degrees in the room The song ended and Mrs Peabody put up her hand Cindy one second please Gloria the robes are hideous you need to return them Plus there is no way they can be worn by anyone who doesn t want to lose thirty pounds in sweat alone I picked those robes out myself they are stunning was Gloria s reply I Continued Mrs Peabody and the CHOIR ROBES stood there off to the side not entirely sure what to do Mrs Peabody was doing my job for me and they were sisters Do I stop this or do I just watch Well because of those involved and because I felt this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity I kept watching Plus Gloria was wearing the mink coat and I was fixated on all those heads of dead minks Why would anyone wear something like that Well I guess someone that thinks green blue and brown robes are stunning Gloria you do not have taste you never had taste and if you don t return those robes and allow us to pick new ones in time for Easter Sunday you will not be invited over for dinner and you and Irving can have it catered or get stuck at Denny s like a few years ago Now I would have loved to learn how the VanStrucks got stuck at Denny s but figured I would never know I just kept watching the exchange Fine but you better have duck you know how much I enjoy your duck With that Gloria VanStruck walked up to me and said Choose the colors you want any style or material you want and my sister will let me know Someone will be here tomorrow morning to pick up the returns Then Gloria walked out of the church Mrs Peabody turns to Cindy and says well I think I earned myself a solo After which she turned to me and did something she has never done before Mrs Peabody the thorn in my side winked and smiled 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 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 ______________________________________________________________________________________________ 24 Thank You For Your Generosity All Gifts Are Tax Deductible To The Fullest Extent Allowed By Law 25
heavy and hot I am just standing here and breaking a sweat Pastor Justin what are we going to do The choir started arriving and I thought to myself Well Justin you need to put on the big boy pants You are the Pastor of this church you love these people and you need to prepare yourself to go face to face with one of the most influential ladies in town and tell her she needs to take back these robes The choir came in one by one and one by one they looked at the new robes in absolute horror and disbelief No one said a word there was nothing to be said Many of them thought exactly what Cindy did at first and started putting them on While they were doing that one choir member entered and it was the one I feared the most Mrs Peabody who had been in the choir since the moment she was old enough to join walked over to where everyone was looked at the boxes looked at those wearing the robes and without saying a word or any facial expression at all put one on She looked at it on her looked at the sleeves saw how long it was lifted her arms a few times testing the weight I believe and then looked at me and did something I never would have expected Mrs Peabody started to laugh She laughed and laughed and laughed She laughed so much there were tears in her eyes She calmed down long enough to take the robe off and make a phone call The call went something like this Come to the church yes the church No drive yourself Yes now No I mean it you better be driving yourself and it s early evening so don t you dare be wearing your sunglasses She put her phone away looked at Cindy and said We should start practice The robes went back into the boxes the choir got into place with their music and they started to practice I never attended choir practice but you had better believe I was staying for this one A Ford with dealer plates pulled up to the front of the church and quickly found a parking spot I watched and sure enough Gloria got out of the driver side of the vehicle Truth is I was amazed she was driving I had this feeling that Gloria VanStruck didn t listen to anyone yet it seemed for whatever reason she listened to her sister Gloria entered the church and walked into the sanctuary where the choir was practicing She walked to the center of the aisle looked at Mrs Peabody and just froze her eyes into a death stare that made the temperature drop I would say at least 20 degrees in the room The song ended and Mrs Peabody put up her hand Cindy one second please Gloria the robes are hideous you need to return them Plus there is no way they can be worn by anyone who doesn t want to lose thirty pounds in sweat alone I picked those robes out myself they are stunning was Gloria s reply I Continued Mrs Peabody and the CHOIR ROBES stood there off to the side not entirely sure what to do Mrs Peabody was doing my job for me and they were sisters Do I stop this or do I just watch Well because of those involved and because I felt this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity I kept watching Plus Gloria was wearing the mink coat and I was fixated on all those heads of dead minks Why would anyone wear something like that Well I guess someone that thinks green blue and brown robes are stunning Gloria you do not have taste you never had taste and if you don t return those robes and allow us to pick new ones in time for Easter Sunday you will not be invited over for dinner and you and Irving can have it catered or get stuck at Denny s like a few years ago Now I would have loved to learn how the VanStrucks got stuck at Denny s but figured I would never know I just kept watching the exchange Fine but you better have duck you know how much I enjoy your duck With that Gloria VanStruck walked up to me and said Choose the colors you want any style or material you want and my sister will let me know Someone will be here tomorrow morning to pick up the returns Then Gloria walked out of the church Mrs Peabody turns to Cindy and says well I think I earned myself a solo After which she turned to me and did something she has never done before Mrs Peabody the thorn in my side winked and smiled 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 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 ______________________________________________________________________________________________ 24 Thank You For Your Generosity All Gifts Are Tax Deductible To The Fullest Extent Allowed By Law 25
Bananas for MISSIONS The Reverend Dr Chris Surber is pastor of First Congregational Church Naples Florida He is Executive Director of Supply and Multiply Haiti By Rev Dr Chris Surber I am totally bananas for missions It hasn t always been that way Oh sure my wife Christina and I were always willing to help Before we shepherded and served churches we d gladly contribute to an offering for a visiting missionary when they were in church If the pastor asked this young Marine to lend a hand in an outreach work project I would sacrifice some sweat and time for missions But there is a difference between a willingness to lend a hand and putting one s hand to the plow Luke 9 62 There is a difference between lightening the load a bit and carrying the heavy burden of a heart cry for the mission of God in the world Both are valuable Both are needed I m inviting you to reconsider missions through the lens of Matthew 28 16 20 with some of this missionary pastor s experience to help us see how to apply the words of Jesus I ll get to the actual bananas at the end Let s consider the last instruction Jesus gave the disciples on earth in four parts Here it is The Great Commission Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go When they saw Him they worshiped Him but some of them 26 doubted Jesus came and told His disciples I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you And be sure of this I am with you always even to the end of the age Matthew 28 16 20 NLT He Met the Disciples Verses 16 17 Jesus came to the disciples where they were That s important Our Lord meets us Take note that where they were was the very place Jesus had told them to go That s even more important Jesus as illustrated by His actions in this passage of Scripture is always present in the place He tells us to be Aren t you afraid to keep going to Haiti Weren t you scared to move your family to a place with such a bad reputation Why would you want to take a team of church members into Detroit s juvenile detention center It s dangerous Or my favorite Pastor you and your wife are irresponsible I ll pray for you Please do pray for me Pray for me and you to go so bananas for missions Pray that believers everywhere would realize that the safest place to be is wherever Jesus told you to go There are essentially three ways that we know where to go in terms of meeting and following Jesus The Bible is God s Word Get busy doing what it says about missions Get Started Here Psalm 96 1 3 I Samuel 12 24 Jeremiah 20 9 Mark 10 45 Acts 4 19 20 Galatians 6 9 I Peter 4 10 When we take God at His Word and obey it we ll find joy in serving the Lord We ll want more of the profound joy that comes from serving Christ and others and we ll do more of what He says The Church is God s witness Read missionary biographies Get to know modern missionaries Reflect Christ and learn from Jesus followers who are already bananas for missions The Holy Spirit is our guide That brings us to verse eighteen Jesus Empowered the Disciples Verse 18 I grew up in Central California I had friends who spoke Spanish I took Spanish in school Zapatos is my favorite Spanish word It s almost nearly the full extent of my Spanish vocabulary Shoes That s all I got I had long since given up on learning another language by the time I arrived in Haiti In my capacity I couldn t do it But whom God had sent a faith filled Haitian man into our lives He laid his hands on me and asked The Lord to give me the gift of language so that I could speak to his people and something happened It wasn t as spectacular as the scene described in Acts 2 1 13 but it was nonetheless miraculous At a rapid pace my entire family and I acquired the language We re still speaking the language and seeing miracles in our mission life And not just in Haiti Empowered disciples carry Holy Spirit power with them wherever they go Our Lord empowers disciples so that we can bring glory to Him He charges us up with passion and power He builds us up with faith and forges us into the instruments of His word work and way in the world It was Holy Spirit power that enabled the early martyrs It gave courage to the Reformers to bring the Church back to the Bible It is that same power that gives grandmas the strength to go to their knees in prayer for their family It fuels missionaries it feeds homeless at soup kitchens it teaches and reaches impoverished communities and it is available in this very moment to envision you and me He Commissioned His Disciples Verses 19 20 The missionary call is for every disciple today just as it was for those early disciples Christianity is the art of self replication Disciples make disciples who make disciples Their calling was and our calling is plainly evident The Bible states it The Church throughout history has proclaimed and lived it The Holy Spirit is calling us to participate today Go The missionary call is active I m not into missions isn t really a phrase that is biblically historically or actually available to Christians You may not be called to go personally but we are all called to participate in the going The call to participate in sending or going is for all of us It is cross cultural whether that means another country another state or around the corner There is no disconnect between global mission and local outreach They are two sides of the same coin Christians who are bananas for mission are awake to the needs of everyman for the truth of the Gospel and the compassion of Jesus In our going we share kindness James 1 27 We administer sacraments I Corinthians 1 17 We teach truth Brother and sister our calling is engagement with people on behalf of God and His eternal means of justice I love the way the late James Vernon McGee emphasized the eternal reign of Christ and the missionary call to proclaim it in his commentary on Matthew Matthew is the Gospel of the King Jesus was born a King He lived as a King He died as a King He rose again as a King And my friend He will be coming again to this earth as King of kings and Lord of lords Our commission has a cost and it has criteria The cost of being bananas for missions is in part letting go of our definitions of what it ought to be Jesus has already defined in His Word The Church has proclaimed it even when that proclamation produced their peril He Promised to be With His followers Verse 20 May I ask why you are buying so many bananas ma am That s what I asked her She was in line behind me at a local grocery story with an entire case of fresh bananas God was with me in His leading that day We sparked up a conversation that led to me a missions minded member of Mt Hope Congregational Church and a good friend who is an Elder in another church with a passion for missions and a degree in it from Moody to join in ministering to an impoverished area of Detroit the very next day There are opportunities all around us to become bananas for missions You may not be bold enough to talk to strangers in a grocery store but you can talk to your pastor about mission You may not have the courage to go into a park and pray for and feed a homeless man but it isn t about courage It s about empowerment Jesus promised to be with us We don t have any reason to be afraid Whether you re passing out bananas or something else there is a level of peace that comes with being a channel of blessing that is unfound elsewhere The safest place to for a believer to be is exactly where Jesus told us to meet Him C T Studd was one of seven Cambridge students who went to China as missionaries in the 19th Century He clearly understood the capacity that going bananas for missions has on the Christian and the Church He said The light that shines the farthest shines the brightest at home Friend churches that are bananas for missions work together That brings unity Christians that are bananas for mission work for the Lord That brings purpose United purposeful Christians change the world for Christ What are you waiting for Let s go bananas for missions 27
Bananas for MISSIONS The Reverend Dr Chris Surber is pastor of First Congregational Church Naples Florida He is Executive Director of Supply and Multiply Haiti By Rev Dr Chris Surber I am totally bananas for missions It hasn t always been that way Oh sure my wife Christina and I were always willing to help Before we shepherded and served churches we d gladly contribute to an offering for a visiting missionary when they were in church If the pastor asked this young Marine to lend a hand in an outreach work project I would sacrifice some sweat and time for missions But there is a difference between a willingness to lend a hand and putting one s hand to the plow Luke 9 62 There is a difference between lightening the load a bit and carrying the heavy burden of a heart cry for the mission of God in the world Both are valuable Both are needed I m inviting you to reconsider missions through the lens of Matthew 28 16 20 with some of this missionary pastor s experience to help us see how to apply the words of Jesus I ll get to the actual bananas at the end Let s consider the last instruction Jesus gave the disciples on earth in four parts Here it is The Great Commission Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go When they saw Him they worshiped Him but some of them 26 doubted Jesus came and told His disciples I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you And be sure of this I am with you always even to the end of the age Matthew 28 16 20 NLT He Met the Disciples Verses 16 17 Jesus came to the disciples where they were That s important Our Lord meets us Take note that where they were was the very place Jesus had told them to go That s even more important Jesus as illustrated by His actions in this passage of Scripture is always present in the place He tells us to be Aren t you afraid to keep going to Haiti Weren t you scared to move your family to a place with such a bad reputation Why would you want to take a team of church members into Detroit s juvenile detention center It s dangerous Or my favorite Pastor you and your wife are irresponsible I ll pray for you Please do pray for me Pray for me and you to go so bananas for missions Pray that believers everywhere would realize that the safest place to be is wherever Jesus told you to go There are essentially three ways that we know where to go in terms of meeting and following Jesus The Bible is God s Word Get busy doing what it says about missions Get Started Here Psalm 96 1 3 I Samuel 12 24 Jeremiah 20 9 Mark 10 45 Acts 4 19 20 Galatians 6 9 I Peter 4 10 When we take God at His Word and obey it we ll find joy in serving the Lord We ll want more of the profound joy that comes from serving Christ and others and we ll do more of what He says The Church is God s witness Read missionary biographies Get to know modern missionaries Reflect Christ and learn from Jesus followers who are already bananas for missions The Holy Spirit is our guide That brings us to verse eighteen Jesus Empowered the Disciples Verse 18 I grew up in Central California I had friends who spoke Spanish I took Spanish in school Zapatos is my favorite Spanish word It s almost nearly the full extent of my Spanish vocabulary Shoes That s all I got I had long since given up on learning another language by the time I arrived in Haiti In my capacity I couldn t do it But whom God had sent a faith filled Haitian man into our lives He laid his hands on me and asked The Lord to give me the gift of language so that I could speak to his people and something happened It wasn t as spectacular as the scene described in Acts 2 1 13 but it was nonetheless miraculous At a rapid pace my entire family and I acquired the language We re still speaking the language and seeing miracles in our mission life And not just in Haiti Empowered disciples carry Holy Spirit power with them wherever they go Our Lord empowers disciples so that we can bring glory to Him He charges us up with passion and power He builds us up with faith and forges us into the instruments of His word work and way in the world It was Holy Spirit power that enabled the early martyrs It gave courage to the Reformers to bring the Church back to the Bible It is that same power that gives grandmas the strength to go to their knees in prayer for their family It fuels missionaries it feeds homeless at soup kitchens it teaches and reaches impoverished communities and it is available in this very moment to envision you and me He Commissioned His Disciples Verses 19 20 The missionary call is for every disciple today just as it was for those early disciples Christianity is the art of self replication Disciples make disciples who make disciples Their calling was and our calling is plainly evident The Bible states it The Church throughout history has proclaimed and lived it The Holy Spirit is calling us to participate today Go The missionary call is active I m not into missions isn t really a phrase that is biblically historically or actually available to Christians You may not be called to go personally but we are all called to participate in the going The call to participate in sending or going is for all of us It is cross cultural whether that means another country another state or around the corner There is no disconnect between global mission and local outreach They are two sides of the same coin Christians who are bananas for mission are awake to the needs of everyman for the truth of the Gospel and the compassion of Jesus In our going we share kindness James 1 27 We administer sacraments I Corinthians 1 17 We teach truth Brother and sister our calling is engagement with people on behalf of God and His eternal means of justice I love the way the late James Vernon McGee emphasized the eternal reign of Christ and the missionary call to proclaim it in his commentary on Matthew Matthew is the Gospel of the King Jesus was born a King He lived as a King He died as a King He rose again as a King And my friend He will be coming again to this earth as King of kings and Lord of lords Our commission has a cost and it has criteria The cost of being bananas for missions is in part letting go of our definitions of what it ought to be Jesus has already defined in His Word The Church has proclaimed it even when that proclamation produced their peril He Promised to be With His followers Verse 20 May I ask why you are buying so many bananas ma am That s what I asked her She was in line behind me at a local grocery story with an entire case of fresh bananas God was with me in His leading that day We sparked up a conversation that led to me a missions minded member of Mt Hope Congregational Church and a good friend who is an Elder in another church with a passion for missions and a degree in it from Moody to join in ministering to an impoverished area of Detroit the very next day There are opportunities all around us to become bananas for missions You may not be bold enough to talk to strangers in a grocery store but you can talk to your pastor about mission You may not have the courage to go into a park and pray for and feed a homeless man but it isn t about courage It s about empowerment Jesus promised to be with us We don t have any reason to be afraid Whether you re passing out bananas or something else there is a level of peace that comes with being a channel of blessing that is unfound elsewhere The safest place to for a believer to be is exactly where Jesus told us to meet Him C T Studd was one of seven Cambridge students who went to China as missionaries in the 19th Century He clearly understood the capacity that going bananas for missions has on the Christian and the Church He said The light that shines the farthest shines the brightest at home Friend churches that are bananas for missions work together That brings unity Christians that are bananas for mission work for the Lord That brings purpose United purposeful Christians change the world for Christ What are you waiting for Let s go bananas for missions 27
Arthur Bill Rhoads legally blind is a retired US Army veteran and has been a singer songwriter all his life Bill a member of the Congregational Church of Menifee CA fears that morality in our country as well as the rest of the world is threatened He wrote this essay in light of racism and political unrest By Bill Rhoads W hen I first went to Germany in early 1956 at age 18 I was stationed with my unit part of the Army s 11th Airborne division at a kaserne barracks in Munich The Germans were not always friendly to GIs but I found that they tended to accept me maybe because I looked like them was interested in their culture and language and or because of my music They loved country music and yes I was doing this crazy music stuff then too Fraulein Fraulein look up towards the heavens Young and inquisitive when I could I d talk to people about the history of WWII how it came about how it could happen what it was like for them and how they were affected That s an interesting story in itself Few people predictably talked freely about it I think they were still in shock over the horrors of war I found that some of the older folks 30 to 50 were more open about it than the young 20 30 maybe because the young didn t understand and too were still in shock It seems that way to me looking back on it now and it had been only a little over a 28 decade earlier that the war ended Anyway one of the older Germans was our tailor who had a room in the same barracks as my unit I ll call him Arthur Arthur had a damaged left leg and I honestly can t remember if it was a war wound some accident polio or some other affliction that caused it I feel bad that I can t remember the cause but he had difficulty walking and used a cane I became friends with Arthur and spent time with him when I had a chance during the course of my duties My mother had taught me how to sew on a treadle sewing machine Arthur found that interesting and always wanted to show me things about sewing and tailoring I really wasn t that interested but he was a friend so I d try to listen and watch intently He auch also taught me some German language phrases which I would then try out on other Germans I met I m sure we enjoyed each other s company We talked some about Hitler and the war always skirting around the edge of the how and why and I didn t push those questions I liked this man and instinctively knew that I did not want to offend him Sometimes I could sense that the conversation would seem uncomfortable to him One day in our splintered and scattered time together I summoned up the courage to ask him directly how the lead up to the war and the war itself could happen He looked up from his sewing machine and I could see that tears had welled up in his eyes He raised his hand and covered them I saw a tear drop down on his bushy salt and peppered mustache It seemed to glisten and linger there for a moment in the light Ve dint know he said Ve dint understand Ve vere chust svept along We never talked about it again and remained friends until I was reassigned to another unit about a year later The reason I think about Arthur is that I saw him as such a good decent and ordinary man He seemed so honest direct and emotionally stable with a wonderful sense of humor I really liked him In truth he could have been my uncle or my father or grandfather I had no reason to doubt this good man or his sincerity Yet this good man along with hundreds of thousands of other good people were swept along with the terror and horror of Hitler s insanity that killed millions around the world The last time I was in Germany was in 1976 20 years after the first time and I was with my band I was talking with an older gentleman probably in his 60 s or 70 s at that time in a gasthaus tavern and hotel that I frequented Talking about the war he explained that they heard the Nazis were killing Jews but they couldn t believe it They said No this cannot be Deception and distraction were used very efficiently by the Nazis Many citizens had to have known but would not then or since admit it maybe out of shame self preservation or the pain of facing it I recall these incidents now because I see the parallels between what happened in Germany leading up to WWII and what is going on in our country at this time the deception the violence the division the dehumanizing of those who disagree with us I am also reminded of the words of so many wise counselors and leaders that I paraphrase here Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it Santayana Churchill A house divided against itself cannot stand Christ Lincoln The price of liberty is eternal vigilance Attributed to Jefferson All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing Mercer Preston City Congregational Church Gathered in 1698 Preston Connecticut Our Church Information Form is available at naccc org Visit our website at www prestoncitycongregational org Evil is evil Acceptance of evil promotes and multiplies it Where in this critical time in our history do you fit in God gave us a brain He intends us to use it for good and not evil He has also given us through our founding fathers and our brave protectors of freedom the most wonderful country in history Let s keep it and fix its many problems and work toward a more perfect union I ask you to not be swept along in evil but stand for good Learn live and teach The Golden Rule 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 29
Arthur Bill Rhoads legally blind is a retired US Army veteran and has been a singer songwriter all his life Bill a member of the Congregational Church of Menifee CA fears that morality in our country as well as the rest of the world is threatened He wrote this essay in light of racism and political unrest By Bill Rhoads W hen I first went to Germany in early 1956 at age 18 I was stationed with my unit part of the Army s 11th Airborne division at a kaserne barracks in Munich The Germans were not always friendly to GIs but I found that they tended to accept me maybe because I looked like them was interested in their culture and language and or because of my music They loved country music and yes I was doing this crazy music stuff then too Fraulein Fraulein look up towards the heavens Young and inquisitive when I could I d talk to people about the history of WWII how it came about how it could happen what it was like for them and how they were affected That s an interesting story in itself Few people predictably talked freely about it I think they were still in shock over the horrors of war I found that some of the older folks 30 to 50 were more open about it than the young 20 30 maybe because the young didn t understand and too were still in shock It seems that way to me looking back on it now and it had been only a little over a 28 decade earlier that the war ended Anyway one of the older Germans was our tailor who had a room in the same barracks as my unit I ll call him Arthur Arthur had a damaged left leg and I honestly can t remember if it was a war wound some accident polio or some other affliction that caused it I feel bad that I can t remember the cause but he had difficulty walking and used a cane I became friends with Arthur and spent time with him when I had a chance during the course of my duties My mother had taught me how to sew on a treadle sewing machine Arthur found that interesting and always wanted to show me things about sewing and tailoring I really wasn t that interested but he was a friend so I d try to listen and watch intently He auch also taught me some German language phrases which I would then try out on other Germans I met I m sure we enjoyed each other s company We talked some about Hitler and the war always skirting around the edge of the how and why and I didn t push those questions I liked this man and instinctively knew that I did not want to offend him Sometimes I could sense that the conversation would seem uncomfortable to him One day in our splintered and scattered time together I summoned up the courage to ask him directly how the lead up to the war and the war itself could happen He looked up from his sewing machine and I could see that tears had welled up in his eyes He raised his hand and covered them I saw a tear drop down on his bushy salt and peppered mustache It seemed to glisten and linger there for a moment in the light Ve dint know he said Ve dint understand Ve vere chust svept along We never talked about it again and remained friends until I was reassigned to another unit about a year later The reason I think about Arthur is that I saw him as such a good decent and ordinary man He seemed so honest direct and emotionally stable with a wonderful sense of humor I really liked him In truth he could have been my uncle or my father or grandfather I had no reason to doubt this good man or his sincerity Yet this good man along with hundreds of thousands of other good people were swept along with the terror and horror of Hitler s insanity that killed millions around the world The last time I was in Germany was in 1976 20 years after the first time and I was with my band I was talking with an older gentleman probably in his 60 s or 70 s at that time in a gasthaus tavern and hotel that I frequented Talking about the war he explained that they heard the Nazis were killing Jews but they couldn t believe it They said No this cannot be Deception and distraction were used very efficiently by the Nazis Many citizens had to have known but would not then or since admit it maybe out of shame self preservation or the pain of facing it I recall these incidents now because I see the parallels between what happened in Germany leading up to WWII and what is going on in our country at this time the deception the violence the division the dehumanizing of those who disagree with us I am also reminded of the words of so many wise counselors and leaders that I paraphrase here Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it Santayana Churchill A house divided against itself cannot stand Christ Lincoln The price of liberty is eternal vigilance Attributed to Jefferson All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing Mercer Preston City Congregational Church Gathered in 1698 Preston Connecticut Our Church Information Form is available at naccc org Visit our website at www prestoncitycongregational org Evil is evil Acceptance of evil promotes and multiplies it Where in this critical time in our history do you fit in God gave us a brain He intends us to use it for good and not evil He has also given us through our founding fathers and our brave protectors of freedom the most wonderful country in history Let s keep it and fix its many problems and work toward a more perfect union I ask you to not be swept along in evil but stand for good Learn live and teach The Golden Rule 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 29
Pastorates PULPITS Recent Calls Rev Shawn P Stapleton Minister Trinity Congregational Church Adams WI Rev Brian Fertig Minister Community Christian Church Citrus Springs FL Rev Dr Chris Surber Minister First Congregational Church Naples FL Rev Dr Mark McAnlis Minister First Congregational Church Cape Coral FL Rev Linda Farmer Lewis Minister Arbor Grove Congregational Church Jackson MI Rev Garry Fisher Minister Olivet Congregational Church Olivet MI Celebrating 122 Years of Service to the Lord Malta Montana Little White Church Our Pastor is retiring after 27 years We are seeking a full time pastor with strong faith who can nurture support and share God s Word and His love to our congregation Malta is a small rural community with just over 1900 residents in northcentral Montana famous for wide open spaces and diversity in landscape with a variety of wildlife and cultural history For more information go to naccc org click on the Open Pulpits tab or contact rnaj me com 30 CALENDAR Rev Rebecca Stith Associate Minister Amelia Christian Church Clayton NC Rev R Clifton Bailey Minister The Shandon Congregational Church Shandon OH Joe Hackett St Jacobi Congregational Church Richfield WI 2021 Ordinations SAVE THE DATES Rev Antigon Lowery Associate Minister First Congregational Church Akron OH 67th Annual Meeting Conference June 19 20 2021 Online only For information www naccc org Please check naccc org for updates Installation Rev Dr Mark McAnlis Minister First Congregational Church Cape Coral FL In Search Senior Minister Baleville Congregational Christian Church Newtown NJ Cambria Congregational Church Lockport NY Carmel Union Congregational Church Carmel ME Dixfield Congregational Church Dixfield ME First Congregational Church Interlachen FL First Congregational Church Wayne MI First Congregational Church Bloomfield NY First Congregational Church Little Valley NY Little White Church Malta MT 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 Intentional Transitional Minister First Congregational Church Salt Lake City UT Non NACCC Church Senior Minister Baxter Congregational United Church of Christ Baxter IA Congregational Church of East Sumner Sumner ME First Congregational Church in Pembroke Pembroke MA First Congregational Church Fremont MI Monadnock Congregational Church Colebrook NH First Congregational Church United Church of Christ Binghamton NY First Congregational Church of Morristown Morristown NY NACCC 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 Advertising Inquiries Carrie Dahm 800 262 1620 ext 1612 cdahm naccc org Subscription Inquiries Tracy Bernhardt 800 262 1620 ext 1615 naccc 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 accc naccc org Editor Marianne E King Publisher Carrie Dahm Contributing Editor Julie Robie Graphic Design Goes Studio Editorial Advisory Team Rev Dawn Carlson Rev Dr Barry W Szymanski Rev Dr Michael Glidden Claudia Kniefel Subscriptions Policy 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 53714 9998 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 53154 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 2020 The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches All rights reserved 31
Pastorates PULPITS Recent Calls Rev Shawn P Stapleton Minister Trinity Congregational Church Adams WI Rev Brian Fertig Minister Community Christian Church Citrus Springs FL Rev Dr Chris Surber Minister First Congregational Church Naples FL Rev Dr Mark McAnlis Minister First Congregational Church Cape Coral FL Rev Linda Farmer Lewis Minister Arbor Grove Congregational Church Jackson MI Rev Garry Fisher Minister Olivet Congregational Church Olivet MI Celebrating 122 Years of Service to the Lord Malta Montana Little White Church Our Pastor is retiring after 27 years We are seeking a full time pastor with strong faith who can nurture support and share God s Word and His love to our congregation Malta is a small rural community with just over 1900 residents in northcentral Montana famous for wide open spaces and diversity in landscape with a variety of wildlife and cultural history For more information go to naccc org click on the Open Pulpits tab or contact rnaj me com 30 CALENDAR Rev Rebecca Stith Associate Minister Amelia Christian Church Clayton NC Rev R Clifton Bailey Minister The Shandon Congregational Church Shandon OH Joe Hackett St Jacobi Congregational Church Richfield WI 2021 Ordinations SAVE THE DATES Rev Antigon Lowery Associate Minister First Congregational Church Akron OH 67th Annual Meeting Conference June 19 20 2021 Online only For information www naccc org Please check naccc org for updates Installation Rev Dr Mark McAnlis Minister First Congregational Church Cape Coral FL In Search Senior Minister Baleville Congregational Christian Church Newtown NJ Cambria Congregational Church Lockport NY Carmel Union Congregational Church Carmel ME Dixfield Congregational Church Dixfield ME First Congregational Church Interlachen FL First Congregational Church Wayne MI First Congregational Church Bloomfield NY First Congregational Church Little Valley NY Little White Church Malta MT 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 Intentional Transitional Minister First Congregational Church Salt Lake City UT Non NACCC Church Senior Minister Baxter Congregational United Church of Christ Baxter IA Congregational Church of East Sumner Sumner ME First Congregational Church in Pembroke Pembroke MA First Congregational Church Fremont MI Monadnock Congregational Church Colebrook NH First Congregational Church United Church of Christ Binghamton NY First Congregational Church of Morristown Morristown NY NACCC 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 Advertising Inquiries Carrie Dahm 800 262 1620 ext 1612 cdahm naccc org Subscription Inquiries Tracy Bernhardt 800 262 1620 ext 1615 naccc 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 accc naccc org Editor Marianne E King Publisher Carrie Dahm Contributing Editor Julie Robie Graphic Design Goes Studio Editorial Advisory Team Rev Dawn Carlson Rev Dr Barry W Szymanski Rev Dr Michael Glidden Claudia Kniefel Subscriptions Policy 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 53714 9998 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 53154 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 2020 The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches All rights reserved 31
8473 South Howell Avenue Oak Creek WI 53154 0288
