Reflections - Immerse Yourself—One General Synod Experience - Delegate Rev. Doug Fauth

While I re-acclimate after nearly three weeks away for General Synod and vacation, I want to share with you just a bit about my experiences as a Wisconsin Conference delegate at the UCC General Synod held in Grand Rapids in late June. This is more than a “what I did this summer” essay. I think it’s important that members in all UCC congregations have at least some sense of connection with the wider church.

In an official sense, the General Synod meets every two years to give direction to the national UCC for the next two years, and speak through resolutions and proclamations from church perspective to the issues and concerns of our time. But General Synod is, in reality, an incredible experience that has many facets beyond internal church business and ’politics’.

The General Synod experience is about worship and singing and dancing with more than 3,000 in ways traditional and extraordinary. General Synod is exhibits and vendors (a la trade shows), shared meals, and being inspired by great speakers, musicians, and artists. General Synod is a “family reunion” of (in my case) many, many old friends and making new friends (although it was nice to run into Audrey & Chris and Chris’ brother, as well as Marlea and her mother a few times!). General Synod is a celebration of being “one” with a diverse group, most of whom have never met before, but with whom we are kin across the miles.

Of particular note, we elected New York Conference Minister Rev. Geoffrey Black as the new General Minister & President. Rev. Black will be the UCC’s second African-American General Minister & President. We had a very fond, joyfully tearful, bon voyage celebration of Rev. John Thomas‘ decade as UCC General Minister & President. We dealt with some very complex, controversial, but necessary restructuring and streamlining of the boards of the UCC, with some painful tensions around representation of racial and ethnic minorities. We approved broadened definitions of paths to ministry. And we were introduced to the new “praise” hymnal supplement (I have one copy) which I think it could prove a rich addition to our worship life.

Resolutions dealt with a range of issues: single-payer national health care (the committee I was appointed to); re-negotiation of NAFTA; climate change; ending human trafficking; comprehensive HIV prevention; issues around Iran; examination of the role of UCC predecessors in the “eugenics movement” –a late 1800s-mid 1900s movement involving “improving” the gene-pool (so to speak); and a resolution affirming diversity/multicultural education in public schools particularly around LGBT education.

All this said, my most powerful personal experience was an encounter with a waiter at a Grand Rapids restaurant--a gay man who, in an off-work chat, asked me about the UCC because of all the Synod-related customers he had served. Their joy and friendliness and relaxed, open attitude was so unlike the “church people” he had known, especially growing up in the much more conservative “Christian Reformed” denomination that dominates Western Michigan. By the end of an hour-long conversation with him, about the UCC and saying a lot about our congregation as an example, he seemed determined to make his way to the “ONA” UCC congregation in downtown Grand Rapids, and eager to check out www.ucc.org. When we parted he said, “If we meet again, I think there’ll be a good chance I’ll be a member of the United Church of Christ, too!”

I left General Synod thinking about so many things, grateful for so much, filled with joy, and accepting that, even if my being a delegate was only to encourage a waiter to check out a local UCC congregation and find a different example of “being Christian”, that was more than enough to make it a good trip and a worthwhile extension of my ministry, your ministry, and OUR ministry, together and at a distance.

In the end, I’m more convinced than ever that, to have a truly ‘complete’ experience of what it means to be ‘church’, everyone should make an effort at some point to attend an event like General Synod at least once, whether as a delegate or visitor.

Pastor Doug