Email messages, Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ

Welcome One Another
MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER & PRESIDENT, Advent 2004
November 30, 2004
By Nancy S. Taylor

“Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15.7) This message raced across the Mediterranean world in the middle of the first century. It arrived as news - startling and beautiful - heralding Christ’s extravagant welcome to all: insider and outsider, Jew and Greek, male and female, slave and free. Paul proclaimed that in Christ, God blasted through the socially stratified world of the first century and opened a new way, a broad highway, wide enough for all. Welcome one another: each other, the other others, even those others!

In affirmation of God’s extravagant welcome, the United Church of Christ will launch its first TV advertising campaign in December. Designed for those who do not feel welcome or whose experience of “Church” has not been good, the ads occasioned searching reflection and passionate conversation across the UCC. What do visitors experience when they enter our house of worship? How do we welcome the stranger? How do we help newcomers to feel at home in practices of prayer, Bible study, worship, ethical discernment and, last but not least, coffee hour?

Our ads will air at a time when newspapers are full of adverse stories about Christians. The hierarchy in one tradition is closing churches and facing sit-ins by parishioners; another tradition is bringing one of its clergy to trial because of whom she loves; the leaders of several traditions have lamented that homosexuality consumes their attention and threatens to break their churches apart.

In the UCC we are not of the same mind on many matters, but we prize our freedom to disagree in an atmosphere of spiritual discernment and respectful discourse. Nor are we innately more open-minded than others. In fact, we deeply engage in many of the disputed moral and social controversies of our time; but there is no hierarchy empowered to close beloved churches, remove trusted pastors, or demand submission to this or that behavior or belief. Instead, each congregation of the UCC calls and dismisses its own pastors, determines its own covenant, manages its own budget and owns it own buildings. Yet we also agree to remain in respectful covenant with one another as a Conference of churches who do indeed “confer”. It is this commitment to remaining in respectful relationship with one another that allows us to welcome all who enter our churches - whoever they are.

So the UCC is turning outward this Advent and Christmas - hitting cable and broadcast networks - to offer this invitation: "No matter who you are, no matter where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here". That message is as startling today as it was in the first century. Only God could have thought of such a wide and extravagant welcome.

The ads alone, however, will not bring visitors to our churches. We need to supplement them by our own words of invitation and hospitality to neighbors, colleagues, family and acquaintances. As the ads air, will you be asking those you know: “Did you see the United Church of Christ ads? That’s my church. Will you come with me?”

In this spirit let us welcome each other, the other others, and even those others.

Nancy S. Taylor
Minister and President
Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ

The colors of this season
MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER AND PRESIDENT
November 10, 2004
By Nancy S. Taylor

Friends: Greetings, grace and peace.

It feels as if we are caught in a defective kaleidoscope … refracting only red and blue: red states and blues states, us and them, winners and losers, Republicans and Democrats. During the long campaign season, the red, white and blue of our nation have been reduced to these two colors. To be honest, if feels like black and blue … a nation bruised, partisan, divided … the taste of the mud and mud slinging of the campaign season still in our mouths.

Thank God, then, for our God who calls us to a wider perspective! We do not have the luxury of seeing the world solely through a Democratic or Republican lens, let alone an American one. Ours is a God’s-eye-view, a perspective refracted through eternity, through the voices of the prophets, the experience of the Exodus, the Ten Commandments, the Good Samaritan and the Sermon on the Mount. From this perspective we are neither blue nor red, Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, Iraqi or American.

Jesus declared that God’s Temple is a house of prayer for all the nations. If our churches are any less than that - if they are American temples of either red or blue (or a battleground of partisan colors) - then we have failed.

Perhaps it is not without consequence that red and blue, when mixed together, make purple. Purple is the color of the liturgical season soon upon us, the season of Advent. Purple symbolizes penitence and calls us to honesty about ourselves and honesty before God. Purple calls us to our knees and to prayer … to confession, intercession and supplication and to listening for the voice of the Still Speaking God.

Here then is a challenge: How can your Church invite red and blue to come together and turn into purple? Might your Church Council or Board of Deacons reflect together about this and make a practical suggestion for the life and witness of your congregation? If anything can bring red and blue together, surely the ancient, spiritual act of penitence can. I can think of many things – personal, ecclesiastical and national – for which to repent. Can you?

Nancy S. Taylor
Minister and President
Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ

"Our God turned the curse into a blessing!"
MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER AND PRESIDENT
October 28, 2004
By Nancy S. Taylor, Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ

"Let the fields rejoice!" (I Chron. 16.32)
"Our God turned the curse into a blessing!" (Neh.13.2)

It is a beautiful day in Massachusetts. Last night's total eclipse of the moon (it was the color of alabaster), the reports of the discovery of diminutive ancestor-cousins in Indonesia, and our team's victory remind us that beauty, mystery and triumph are among the grand delights to which we earthly creatures are sometimes treated.

For Red Sox Nation these past 86 years suddenly seem little more than a slight, momentary affliction. Yet, the season of baseball has given us a gift beyond this victory: a neatly contained conflict that provided a blessed diversion from the unholy horrors of real warfare. These long and late evenings have been respite from the terror, famine, genocide and pandemic by which God's world is wracked. In a world in which we are called to bear the unbearable, a languorous stretch of nine or fourteen innings is a gift of Sabbath.

I am grateful for the image (still in my mind's eye) of the lovely green diamond, magically enhanced with a pair of socks. I give thanks for the boys of summer - victors and vanquished, shaggy and shorn - for the splendid joy of the game, for the sound of a bat well struck against a ball, for an epic battle that does not kill or destroy, and for a world in which good things happen to good teams.

Never mind that my British husband keeps asking, "Why does everyone insist on calling it the World Series?" Who needs that sort of perspective at such a time as this? It is enough to know that here, at the hub of the universe, all things work together for good for those who Believe.

Enjoy this astoundingly glorious day in New England. And, tonight, get some sleep. You've earned it!

Nancy S. Taylor
Minister and President
Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ

MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER AND PRESIDENT
October 4, 2004
By Nancy S. Taylor, Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ

Greetings, grace and peace. I am writing to follow up a previous email and to inform you that on October 3rd, I was called to be the 20th Senior Minister of the Old South Church , United Church of Christ, in Boston . I have cherished the privilege of serving this Conference of Churches, so I feel a sadness in leaving. I am convinced, however, that this is a wonderful affirmation of the local church and a true call. I will conclude my ministry at the Conference at the end of the first week of January.

Shortly, you will be hearing about the transition from Don Remick , the Chairperson of our Board of Directors. The Directors have met, talked and begun preparations and planning toward the transition to new leadership. Within a day or two, Don will send out an email updating you on their progress. Please hold Don and our Directors in your prayers as they assume this additional challenge and burden.

I have been quite overwhelmed by the outpouring of supportive, encouraging and understanding cards, letters, emails and phone calls I have received since announcing my candidacy to the Old South Church . Thank you for being so understanding of this call. As many of you have remarked, God can be intrusive and disruptive, mysterious and mischievous. Well, what is new?

In the meantime, I remain fully engaged as the Minister and President of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ (which, you may recall, is the largest and oldest Protestant denomination in the Commonwealth!) I look forward to continuing in this ministry through the first week of January.

MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER AND PRESIDENT
September 23, 2004
By Nancy S. Taylor, Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ

Friends: Greetings, grace and peace. It is with an array of emotions that I write to inform you that on October 3, 2004, I will candidate for the position of Senior Minister of the Old South Church in Boston. Should the congregation vote to call me, I will resign as Minister and President of the Massachusetts Conference, effective early in 2005. While I had fully expected that my term as Minister and President would have been longer, I feel I am responding to a deep and undeniable call.

This has been an extremely difficult and agonizing decision. I have devoted much thought, prayer, and conversation to this discernment. Increasingly, I have felt the tug of the local church: its community, the opportunities of pastoral care, of teaching and preaching, and I believe that my gifts and skills are best suited to such ministry. This is both a personal and professional decision. It concerns my own deep sense of vocation as well as personal and family elements.

My commitment to, and love for, the United Church of Christ are no less than they have ever been. I remain deeply and passionately committed to the work and vision of this extraordinary Christian tradition. I cherish the privilege of having served in this position and of serving the churches of the Massachusetts Conference. But in my heart of hearts, in my soul and in my bones, I feel I belong in the local church: serving as pastor, preacher and teacher.

In the United Church of Christ we do not "elevate" persons to the position of bishop (as some traditions do). There is, therefore, no intrinsic ecclesiastical reason to expect that conference ministers will remain so for life (or, until retirement). I have taken my turn in this ministry . and what a turn it has been:

- Together we faced September 11, 2001 and, in its devastating wake, ministered to one another and to our communities;

- We discovered the value of electronic communication as a means of experiencing our unity, resourcing each other, and praying and conversing from Pittsfield to Provincetown;

- Together, we hosted Freedom Schooner Amistad's visit to Boston Harbor and determined to deepen and widen our commitment to God's justice;

- The Lily Endowment granted us 1.5 million dollars for our innovative program, Developing and Sustaining Pastoral Excellence ;

- Together we have assumed the responsibility and challenge of being the largest Protestant denomination in the Commonwealth;

- The sexual abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church broke open and continues to take its toll on the Church. Confronted by the failures of the past and determined to do better in the future, we found ourselves ministering in the midst of our own lawsuits and disciplinary reviews; and we were instrumental in passing a new law that makes clergy mandated reporters of suspected child abuse;

- The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that same gender marriage is legal in the Commonwealth, inviting conversations and possibilities most of us had not imagined would be ours;

- The Conference joins the wider United Church of Christ in embarking upon the Still Speaking Initiative: a church-wide renewal effort, calling us to extravagant hospitality, deeper discipleship and more generous Christian stewardship.

The Massachusetts Conference is in excellent shape. We have a skilled and dedicated staff whose members are supremely capable of carrying on the ministries of the Conference through a time of transition. Our strong Board of Directors and the members of Conference Commissions and Task Forces continue to provide leadership, programs and ministries. Our Chair and Vice-chair of the Board of Directors, as well as members of the Executive Committee have been aware of my decision and have begun conversations and planning for a time of transition.

Should I be called to serve the Old South Church, I will, of course, also resign from my commitments to the national setting of the UCC and all other commitments related to my current position. I will maintain a discrete distance from all Conference work. At the same time, I pledge my prayers of support and good will to the next Conference Minister. I have discussed these matters with Tom Clough, Associate Conference Minister in the Metropolitan Boston Association. Tom is both supportive of my decision and encouraging of my candidacy.

Thank you, friends, for more prayers of support and expressions of kindness and encouragement than any one person deserves. Thank you for upholding my ministry for these past years. More importantly, thank you for continuing to uphold the ministry of the Massachusetts Conference and the United Church of Christ in these days of challenge and opportunity.

MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER AND PRESIDENT
September 10, 2004
By Nancy S. Taylor, Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ

"The Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind." (I Kings 19.11)

The author of I Kings asserts that God was not in the destructive wind that rent mountains. Admittedly, this remains a matter of dispute among biblical authors, some of whom assume that God is very much in, and responsible for, mighty and destructive winds. But the author of I Kings here represents the view of many modern theologians and Christians: God does not orchestrate destruction to this or that corner of the world. God is not in the wind.

Today we watch, helpless and horrified, as mighty winds of storm spin towards islands and mainland wreaking havoc, spreading terror, taking lives, destroying homes and property. Yet, God is not in the wind.

The BBC Caribbean service's reporter, Michael Bascombe, said Hurricane Ivan was "the worst in living memory". Most of the damage was inflicted on Grenada on Tuesday (90 % of all homes were affected), but downed communications meant it has taken time for the news to filter out. Just a few days earlier, assessing their work in the wake of Hurricane Frances, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross described it as the "largest disaster response effort in US history". Yet, God is not in the wind.

Where, then, is God? With those who suffer. With those who are grieving and wounded and afraid. God is also in the arms that reach out in assistance: in disaster relief efforts such as Church World Service. We are not, after all, helpless. Through the United Church of Christ, in partnership with other agencies and organizations, each of us can reach out with practical care. Congregations and individuals can directly help victims of these disasters. (See information below.)

On the eve of the anniversary of 9/11/01, a few days after the horrendous events in a Russian elementary school, as we pass the grim milestones of 1000 US soldiers and over 10,000 Iraqis killed since the beginning of the Iraq War, and in the midst of a season of hurricanes, we do well to remember Emmanuel: God with us. God is not in the wind or waves, not in the work of terror or terrorists, and not in bullets or bombs (theirs or ours). God is with us in suffering and redemptive love. To help make God's love visible, we can reach out with our prayers and dollars across this bruised and battered world.

Let us pray: God of compassion, you watch the ways of all of us and weave out of terrible happenings wonders of goodness and grace. Surround those who have been shaken by tragedy with a sense of your present love, and hold them in faith. Though they are lost in grief and fear, may they find you and be comforted; through Jesus Christ who was dead, but lives, and rules this world with you. Amen. (UCC Book of Worship, adapted)

To participate in disaster relief:
1. Pray for people who live in communities affected by hurricanes.
2. Send gifts made out to the Massachusetts Conference and marked in the memo portion "Emergency USA". Send to MACUCC, One Badger Road, Framingham, MA 01702

MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER AND PRESIDENT
September 3, 2004
By Nancy S. Taylor, Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ

On the eve of Labor Day weekend, we are invited to experience rest, a day off in honor of the American worker. Ironically, the holiday was born in turmoil and unrest over a hundred years ago and reflects our nation's struggles over labor, unions and class. Nevertheless, it comes as a delicious invitation for us to pause, perhaps watch a parade, hear a speech, join family and friends for a final summer picnic, and exult in the beauty of God's creation.

Because the cares and fears of the world are so much with us - because we are restless with anxiety - because we are beset by the daily round of bad news, conflicts and war - I offer these words from scripture as a blessing for each of you. Some of the loveliest verses of scripture are about rest. After all, in the beginning, even God did it.

"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, that they may rest from their labors ..." (Rev. 14.13)

"Jesus said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while'." (Mark 6.31)

Jesus called his disciples to rest and relax in order that they and he might better face the challenges to come. So may we take rest in order to approach the church's program year and face the cares and challenges of our world.

"Take Back Your Time" is a collaboration between the Massachusetts Council of Churches and the national "Take Back Your Time Day" organization. The aim is to draw attention to imbalances in work and leisure in American cultural life. The program offers a special opportunity for congregations to engage in theological reflection and personal practice relating to Sabbath observance. For information, a brochure, press release and bulletin insert (including spiritual reflections, social justice analysis, bibliography and ideas for follow-up) visit www.masscouncilofchurches.org and www.timeday.org .

MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER & PRESIDENT,
August 25, 2005
From Nancy S. Taylor, Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ

Greetings, grace and peace.

In Eats, Shoots and Leaves, her elegant little book on punctuation, Lynne Truss opens with this story:

A panda walks into a diner. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then takes a gun and fires two shots into the air. He turns to leave. “Why did you do that?” asks the confused waiter. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it onto the counter. “I’m a panda,” he says. “Look it up.” The waiter finds the relevant entry and, sure enough, reads the explanation: “Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

The comma is a highly significant punctuation mark. It can make a huge doctrinal difference, as Cecil Hartley pointed out in his 1818 Principles of Punctuation. Consider the difference between the following: “Verily, I say unto thee, this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise,” and: “Verily I say unto thee this day, thou shalt be with me in Paradise.”

The first version is how many Protestants interpret Jesus’ words from the Cross to the penitent thief (Luke 23.43): the thief will go straight to heaven with Jesus …this very day. The second promises Paradise at some later date and leaves Purgatory nicely in place for the Catholics.

Yes, a comma is highly significant. Consider the difference between: “Comfort ye my people” (please go out and comfort my people) and: “Comfort ye, my people” (cheer up, you lot; it might never happen).

So much depends upon the comma. That is part of what lies behind the UCC’s God Is Still Speaking Initiative and the phrase, “Never place a period where God has placed a comma: God is still speaking.” The Initiative calls us to humility – to a posture of listening, openness, and receptivity – to the voice of the still speaking God. The Initiative recalls the parting words of Puritan pastor John Robinson to the Pilgrims who set sail in search of religious freedom: “Remember, there is yet more light and truth to break forth from God’s holy word.” In other words, God is still speaking.

The Still Speaking Initiative – a denomination-wide effort to recall us to a vital, generous, deep, transformative and evangelistic faith – kicks off this fall. In anticipation of the nation-wide television ad campaign (scheduled to begin in Advent) the Massachusetts Conference and our Associations have planned the following events and resources. The dates and locations are listed in the box at right.

Still Speaking Fall Events in Massachusetts

CANCELLATION NOTICE: We have had a very positive response to the upcoming Still Speaking "Invitation, Hospitality and Follow-up Training Events." Simultaneously, we have heard a lot of confusion about the planned Still Speaking "Orientation Sessions" scheduled for Sundays, September 12, 26 and October 3. Because of the overwhelming interest in the Training Events, we have decided to focus on these, and to CANCEL the "Orientation Sessions".

Please erase these from your calendar and try to attend one of the five Still Speaking "Invitation, Hospitality and Follow-up Training Events" (see macucc.org/emj/invite.htm for details):

Invitation, Hospitality & Follow Up Training Sessions These are required for churches which choose to “opt-in” to the Still Speaking Initiative. Each “opt-in” church is asked to send a team of people who represent different constituencies (e.g., youth, deacons, ushers, council members, clergy) and who have the authority, ability and interest to integrate their learning into the life of the congregation. There is no financial cost to being an “opt-in” church … just the costliness of Christian discipleship and extravagant hospitality. Opt-in churches will be “boosted” on the UCC and Still Speaking Websites. If you do not have a Website, the UCC will make a simple one for you at no cost to your church. At these training sessions, you will learn how to prepare yourselves and your church for visitors. Go to ucc.org/stillspeaking to opt-in; Go to macucc.org/emj/invite.htm to register for a training session. If your church chooses not to opt-in in 2004, there will be opportunities in 2005.

All Saints Worship Services These are opportunities to gather in worship and celebration in the presence of the Still Speaking God. Each church is invited to send a bus-load of people to the All Saints Worship event nearest you. Association leaders have identified exciting preachers and are planning “knock your socks off” worship and celebration: great music, great hymns, powerful preaching, deep celebration as we come together to honor the saints of the past (local UCC saints as well as prominent national figures) and to celebrate the saints of the future: our children, grandchildren and youth to whom we are called to transmit an exciting, transforming Christian faith.

As August fades into September, as the air-on-your-skin feel of summer gives way to the feel of back-to-school, we know in our bones that “for everything there is a season.” (Eccl. 3.1) Is not this the season of the UCC’s renewal as a compelling, faith-filled, joyous, generous, extravagantly hospitable, transformed and transforming community of Christ’s followers? I believe it is.

August blessings to one and all!

Nancy S. Taylor
Minister and President, Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ

Conference wins signficant legal victory
MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER AND PRESIDENT
May 21, 2004
By Nancy S. Taylor, Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ

Greetings, grace and peace. I am writing to inform you that the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ won a significant legal victory May 18, 2004 when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in our favor on a First Amendment matter concerning religious freedom. What was at stake in the case was the UCC's ability to oversee ordained ministerial standing, without interference from the secular courts.

United Church of Christ Nationwide Special Counsel, Donald C. Clark, Jr. represented us and successfully argued the case. Don Clark is a great asset to the entire United Church of Christ …a good example of our OCWM dollars hard and effectively at work!

While we have tried to be circumspect and discrete about this case, the Boston Globe and the Eagle Tribune have not felt so constrained. They both recently published stories about the judgment: naming names, and referring to the more colorful aspects of the allegations. Therefore, I want you to hear from me what I believe to be the salient points.

First, no lawsuit is without pain or cost. Numerous persons were, and remain, involved: church lay leaders, UCC clergy, a Church and Ministry Committee, Association and Conference staff, the UCC Insurance Board and attorneys.

In brief, here is the situation: in 1997, John F. Callahan, an ordained UCC minister with standing in the Metropolitan Boston Association, was serving our church in Haverhill as an interim minister. About a year into the interim, the relationship between Callahan and the church began to disintegrate. I do not think it useful to attempt to characterize the breakdown of the pastor-parish relationship as there are varying perspectives, opinions and chronologies. I can tell you that Callahan resigned and that church leaders filed a formal complaint against him with the MBA Church and Ministry Committee. In 1999, the Committee initiated a disciplinary review process, which resulted in the suspension of Callahan's ministerial standing and established conditions upon which reinstatement could be sought.

Instead Callahan filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. Twice the agency dismissed his complaint. In June 2001 he brought suit against both lay leaders in the Haverhill church and against Conference staff. The case had been snaking its way through various courts until the Supreme Judicial Court took hold of it and, on May 18th, dismissed Callahan's complaints on First Amendment grounds.

Callahan tried to argue that, because we are not hierarchically structured, the process by which a Church and Ministry Committee and a local church disciplines ministers should be subject to secular court review. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that the First Amendment and the Massachusetts Constitution both guarantee the free exercise of religion and that this extends to congregational as well as hierarchical churches.

Justice Spina, writing for a unanimous Court, stated in part: "Today we hold that constitutional rights of religious freedom apply equally to congregational and hierarchical churches… we hold that congregational as well as hierarchical churches are entitled to autonomy over church disputes touching on matters of doctrine, canon law, polity, discipline, and ministerial relationships... To conclude otherwise would violate fundamental precepts of the First Amendment and the Massachusetts Constitution..."

And: "These great guarantees of religious liberty and equality before the law of all religions, are not confined to adherents of the Christian religion or to societies and corporations organized for the promotion of Christianity ...By the same token, those 'great guarantees' are not confined to adherents of hierarchically structured churches."

I wanted you to know that our congregational polity has received this affirmation and recognition from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. They have determined that we have as much right and reason as hierarchical churches to govern our own ecclesiastical affairs.

May I add a footnote in response to queries I have received: John Callahan's ministerial standing remains suspended. Others have asked about his association with a group of interim ministers. It is my understanding that he meets with clergy who gather for conversation and support. The group is not sponsored by any UCC entity and does not deal with ministerial standing or placement.

I ask that you hold in your prayers the leaders and members of the First Congregational Church of Haverhill, the members of the MBA Committee on Ministry, and the individuals named in the complaint, both defendants and plaintiff. Not one is outside the circle of God's care.

Faith Hangs by a Thread

Greetings, grace and peace in the name of Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church. I recently confessed to a gathering of clergy (at one of the six annual Days of Covenant that I am leading around the Conference) that my faith sometimes hangs by a thread. Heads nodded. The world's pain is palpable. The creation groans in travail. The news from God's world is too often of war, desperation, poverty, disease, terror and abuse.

But then we shared with each other our stories of hope. We pointed to shafts of light illuminating dark places. We named Christ's resurrection and the aching beauty of God's good earth. We heard of an adopted child who told her mother, "I love you more than the moon, stars and rainbows!" We heard of teen-aged confirmands articulating a clear and passionate Christian faith. We heard the story of a family whose loved one had died and whose tradition it is to sing their deceased out of the house. Surrounding the casket and holding their hymnals high, they loudly voiced the great hymns of our faith (to the consternation of the funeral director who prefers such moments to be shrouded in secrecy and silence).

We talked together of a hope that is beyond reason and of a faith that does not require proof. And as we talked, listened, sang hymns, confessed our sins, prayed for this bruised and battered world, and tasted juice and bread, our individual threads of faith intertwined together, thickening into strong cords, strengthened by our stories, illumined by the Gospel, and fed at the table.

We agreed that we will need each others' faith, good will, and hopefulness in the days to come: as we pray for the world's soldiers and for anxious families at home; as we corporately account for the abuse of prisoners and for a vexing war; as we continue to weep with, and for, the victims of child sexual abuse as yet more revelations come to light; as our governor attempts to reintroduce the death penalty; and as we pray and work for peace in our hearts, our nation, and our world.

That is not all. Monday, May 17, 2004 marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to end federally sanctioned racial segregation in the public schools. In the case of Brown v. the Board of Education , the Court declared, "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." While a terrible and costly inequality still exists, the ruling brought light, hope and the legal plumb line of justice to a world of privilege, prejudice and inequality.

Also, on Monday, May 17, 2004 , by action of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court , gay and lesbian couples will be legally entitled to wed. Across our Conference of churches there are those for whom this is a harbinger of the freedom, equality, dignity and justice God intends for all who inhabit God's creation. Many will reach out to support the commitment and celebration of these weddings; while others, equally sincerely, regard this as against the laws of God and are deeply disturbed.

Yet there is this: we are bound by covenant to God and to each other. None of us can say to the other, "I have no need of you." As a people determined to be an answer to Jesus' prayer ("that they may all be one"), we belong together. This is the unique witness of the United Church of Christ .a vocation of stubborn and faithful unity in Christ despite often profound differences.

Greetings, grace and peace. The UCC's annual National Consultation* was held last week in Cleveland . John Thomas, General Minister and President, led us in meaningful daily worship in Amistad Chapel. We spent the rest of our time in meetings: hearing reports, consulting about the mission and ministry of the UCC, addressing the deficit in the national setting and working on an exciting new initiative concerning discipleship, UCC identity and Christian stewardship.

All the while, in the words of the African American spiritual, we tried to keep our minds "stayed on Jesus". We asked: How can we be true to the Gospel? What is the still-speaking God calling the UCC to do, and be, today and tomorrow? If our financial crisis (experienced in local churches, conferences and the national setting) is symptomatic of a crisis of faith, how can we respond to Jesus Christ with hearts for God, deepened discipleship and generous lives?

You can imagine our delight, therefore, when during National Consultation, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that there is a 67 percent probability that God exists. Physicist Stephen Unwin , who was in Cleveland at the time, cheekily explains this probability in his book, "A Simple Calculation That Proves the Ultimate Truth." Using the Bayesian theorem, and with a twinkle in his eye, Unwin plugs in what he considers to be evidence for the existence of God (e.g., giving money to a church or charity with no thought of personal reward) and evidence against the existence of God (e.g. earthquakes, cancer, tornadoes). After considering six sets of evidence, his calculations run in favor of God's existence by a 2-to-1 margin. (If you wish to run your own version and set your own probabilities, Unwin's book includes a Microsoft Excel sheet for individual tabulation!)

On this Ash Wednesday, I am keenly aware that we are experiencing a time of dislocation and alienation. There is so much to be afraid of, so much that hurts, so much that is wrong in our nation and world. Even the release of a movie about Jesus is doing more to divide than to unite. In the midst of this, I am grateful for a church-going, theoretical physicist who, with deep faith and wry humor, reminds us that despite the daily news, there is more good than evil in God's creation, that love is stronger and more enduring than hate and that perfect love casts out fear.

With courage (and buoyed by a 67 percent mathematical probability of God's existence) let us enter this holy season of our life together with our hearts and minds stayed on Jesus.

*including the Council of Conference Ministers, UCC seminary presidents, Association of Conference Attorneys, our Pension and Insurance boards, Collegium of Officers, Ministry Team Leaders, United Church Foundation, Council for American Indian Ministries, Council for Racial and Ethnic Ministries, and Council for Health and Human Service Ministries.

The MA Supreme Court Ruling on Same-sex Marriage

Greetings, grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ the Head of the Church!

Yesterday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that there is "no constitutionally adequate reason for denying civil marriage to same-sex couples" and, therefore, that same-sex couples are legally entitled to wed. It is, however, unclear how this will work itself out in practice. Because there is significant opposition to this ruling by the Governor and the Speaker of the House among others, the debate and disagreement are not over.

Nevertheless, we have arrived together at a new moment in history. It is a moment that some among us greet with tears of relief and joy, while others greet this same news with dismay and objection.

St. Paul , who was intimately acquainted with the disagreements that enlivened the first century churches, encourages us to "rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." (Rom 12.15) But it is difficult to rejoice and weep at the same time! It requires a spiritual flexibility that strains our spiritual muscles. Yet that is what is needed. Indeed, that is what we have committed ourselves to in the United Church of Christ: to hear each other's joys and pains, to acknowledge that no one of us possesses the whole truth, to be challenged and informed by each other's convictions, life experiences and theological discernment.

While our Open and Affirming congregations and many others will be preparing for the new ministries and opportunities this decision may open up, others will be concerned about this development. Needless to say, the ecclesiastical freedom to which clergy are entitled will not be altered by this ruling. Our clergy, by right, have different criteria for discerning their willingness to solemnize marriages. Some only officiate at weddings of church members while others consider marriages an opportunity for evangelism. Some require premarital counseling, others do not. Some only preside over Christian ceremonies where the Trinity is invoked, while others officiate at inter-religious and non-religious ceremonies. We do well to celebrate the blessing of the wide variety of tradition and practice that our Conference of Churches offers to the people of Massachusetts , even while recognizing the pain our differences sometimes cause.

I have included (below) the press release I issued yesterday afternoon. I am keenly aware that I do not speak for the clergy and laity of the UCC in making this, or any other, statement. I am equally aware, however, that I have both a responsibility and a right to bring my voice to matters of public consequence.

The Massachusetts ' Constitution, says the Court, "affirms the dignity and equality of all individuals. It forbids the creation of second-class citizens." I am in agreement with this and with Justice Greaney's statement: "Simple principles of decency dictate that we extend to the plaintiffs [and to those who will follow them], and to their new status, full acceptance, tolerance, and respect. We should do so because it is the right thing to do."

In the last two days both Governor Romney and Archbishop O'Malley have claimed that this ruling defies thousands of years of tradition and precedent (one cited 3000 years, the other 5000). Like many of you, I am a student of the Bible and, therefore, a student of history. Thousands of years ago in many cultures, including those represented in the Bible, married women were the property of their fathers and then their husbands; polygamy was common; it was permissible to marry one's half-sister; women need not have been consulted in order to be married off. In other words, marriage has been evolving over these thousands of years. So it should have been. And so it still is. Surely tradition and precedent cannot serve as the only standard by which we measure what is good, right, decent and just. Over the years, the delegates to national and state meetings of the UCC have consistently used a different standard: fidelity and integrity in marriage and covenanted relationships for people of all genders, races, creeds, and sexual orientations.

After admonishing us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice, St. Paul goes on to encourage us to "live in harmony with one another." (Rom 12.16) This is no easy feat. This is the hard, spiritual work of disciplined Christians. This is the high calling to which we are called.

May God grant us the grace, wisdom and generosity of spirit to live in harmony with one another.

Commenting on the November 18, 2003 ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on gay marriage, Nancy S. Taylor, leader of the largest Protestant denomination in Massachusetts , the United Church of Christ, declared, "We have witnessed an extraordinary moment in Massachusetts ' history. The Court has ruled that the quest for civil rights for all citizens will not be denied, either by prejudice or religious doctrine. The right to happiness - to choose whom we love and to whom we will commit ourselves for the rest of our lives - is a fundamental civil right by virtue of our citizenship in this great nation. This ruling, therefore, is not about religious rites. Nor should it be. It is about civil rights."

Of the 427 United Church of Christ congregations across Massachusetts , 47 have declared themselves open and affirming of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. "This is a process of discernment, education, journey and decision in which some of our clergy and laity have engaged. The majority, however, are not so disposed. In the United Church of Christ, as in other religious traditions, the question of sexual orientation and sexual identity begets lively debate, biblical study and theological discussion," said Taylor . "As is typical of those in Free Church traditions, we are not of a single mind on this matter."

While some UCC clergy have been officiating at same-gender commitment ceremonies for years, Taylor stated that her staff is now hearing from clergy who are considering this for the first time. They are asking for information and education on how to officiate at same gender marriages. "Our clergy saw this coming and have asked for help in how to be prepared. We are in the process of responding to this request for assistance."

Over the years, the delegates to national and state meetings of the UCC have consistently voiced affirmation of fidelity and integrity in marriage and covenanted relationships for people of all genders, races, creeds, and sexual orientations. "Many of us welcome the opportunity to support same gender unions," stated Taylor, "by granting them the same respect, rights and responsibilities as heterosexual unions. The SJC ruling means we no longer have to operate with a double standard. Rights are rights and equal is just that: equal."

A Story Has Been Entrusted to Us
MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER & PRESIDENT
October 29, 2003
By Nancy S. Taylor

Freedom Schooner Amistad departed Boston Harbor under full sail on Sunday night. As we waved farewell to her crew, I reflected on her unique mission. She carries rare and precious cargo: a story of freedom, faith and courage. During her two weeks in Boston, Amistad and her crew shared this story with thousands of school children as well as the general public. On Saturday, she shared her story with over 8000 members of the United Church of Christ who gathered at FleetBoston Pavilion for a day of celebration, music, education, fellowship, worship, confession and recommitment.

Now that Amistad has sailed on to share her precious cargo with others, it is not enough that we wish her Godspeed. She has unloaded her cargo into our lives and her story is now entrusted to us. It is our responsibility and privilege to tell the story to our new member classes, our children and grandchildren, our neighbors and friends.

As Christians, we are beholden to the God of the Exodus, of Moses, Micah, Amos and Jesus. This God insists that justice and righteousness are inseparable, indeed that we cannot be righteous if we do not do justice. It is for this reason that the Massachusetts Conference has established a new Racial Justice Task Force. It is for this reason that we were challenged at our Celebration Day to continue the Amistad legacy by taking an active stand against racism. An array of possible next steps, including ideas for self-education, intercultural connection, justice action and next steps for your church can be found on the Amistad Resource Page.

Those who attended our Celebration Day saw the United Church of Christ flag flying from the schooner's foremast. Literally and figuratively, we have nailed our colors to this mast: we are a justice-seeking church. Beyond our many differences, we have this core theological commitment in common: we understand righteousness and justice as inseparable. This is a vast common ground on which to claim our unity as the United Church of Christ. There is room for all of us here … every single one of us: conservative or liberal, traditionalist or GenX, urban or rural, small or large church, rich or poor church. It is to this core theological commitment that we apply ourselves when we pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven, and as we work to eradicate the hells on earth that still exist for too many of God's children.

It is our best guess that 80% of our MACUCC churches participated in the mission of Freedom Schooner Amistad in one way or another. Our churches donated money, attended (or participated in or volunteered at) our Celebration Day, visited Amistad during her two-week visit to Boston, and/or offered worship and education focused on the mission of this floating human-rights classroom. Thank you, friends, for your remarkable support of this precious story, its legacy, and its challenge.

Like many of you, I feel as if I have come to know some of the heroes of the Amistad story. I hope and pray that from their home in heaven, they will have cause to feel as proud of us as we feel of them.

Nancy S. Taylor, Minister and President
Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ

Message from Minister & President as Chief Ecumenical Officer
July 31, 2003
Nancy S. Taylor, Minister & President, Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ

Friends: Greetings, grace and peace in these soft and lovely summer days. As the chief ecumenical officer of the Conference I want to inform you of some recent activities.

As you may have read, a "suspicious" fire broke out in an Islamic mosque in Quincy last week. Whether the fire was caused by an arsonist or is ever classified as a hate crime, the event has exacerbated the uneasiness of Muslims and Arab-Americans in the wake of September 11 and under the effects of the Patriot Act. I wrote a letter to Muslim leaders expressing our concern, love and prayers (below).

Additionally, I represented you at the Solemn Mass of Installation for the new archbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boston. I highly recommend to you the text of Archbishop O'Malley's sermon (available in its entirety in The Boston Globe online). In my estimation it was superb: biblical, theological, confessional, honest, and pastoral. My letter of welcome to the archbishop, assuring him our prayers and celebrating ecumenical cooperation, is printed below.

As is true for any large family, I am keenly aware that at this very moment, members of our own UCC family in Massachusetts are experiencing life in different ways. Some of you are facing medical crises (your own or a loved one's), while others are enjoying winsome days at the beach. Some of you are experiencing transitions in your jobs, families, or personal lives: endings, beginnings, or an unknown future. The US economy, the circumstances of life in Iraq, the desperate humanitarian conditions in Liberia, and horrendous flooding in India - among other concerns - weigh upon us all.

"We bring before you, O God, the troubles and perils of people and nations, the sighing of prisoners and captives, the sorrows of the bereaved, the necessities of strangers, the helplessness of the weak, the despondency of the weary, the failing powers of the aged. O God, draw near to us for the sake of Jesus Christ our Strength. Amen." (Saint Anselm, 1033-1109, from The New Century Hymnal)

Nancy S. Taylor
Minister and President, Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ

Greetings, grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ. On behalf of the United Church of Christ - the largest Protestant denomination in Massachusetts with 430 churches and 850 ordained clergy - I send our warmest greetings on the solemn and joyful occasion of your installation as the new Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Diocese of Boston.

In nearly every village, town, and city across the Commonwealth, the clergy and laity of our two traditions meet together and work side by side in an amazing and faithful array of ecumenical ministries. I celebrate this commitment to working together, praying together, and sharing in tender ministries to the most vulnerable in the name of Christ. I thank God that our priests and pastors, our chaplains, deacons, and laity find unity in having been called out as ambassadors of God's good news.

We are deeply grateful that the Roman Catholic Church is represented at the large, ecumenical table of the Massachusetts Council of Churches where Christ is host and we are guests. This table has been immeasurably enriched with the recent addition of the Greek Orthodox Church which, just last year, came in as full partners. I look forward to your support of and involvement in, ecumenical and inter-religious commitments and witness. Along with many others, I valued the role Cardinal Law played in the inter-religious response following September 11, 2001. It is my prayer that we may together build on that goodwill and commitment in further inter-religious initiatives in the future.

Please know that clergy and laity of the United Church of Christ in Massachusetts hold you in our prayers as you assume leadership of the Archdiocese of Boston. These are difficult and promising days for all of us, a time of kairos, a time ripe with both possibility and peril for the servants of the Church of Jesus Christ. May God be with us. May God help us all.

I welcome the opportunity to represent the United Church of Christ during the Mass of Installation and so to bring the prayers and hopes of these brothers and sisters to this solemn occasion.

May God bless you and keep you.
May God's face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May God look upon you with kindness and grant you peace.

Nancy S. Taylor
Minister and President
Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ
__________________________

Greetings in the name of the God of Abraham and Sarah, the One God whom we know by different names. I am writing to express to you my sincere sorrow at the news of a suspicious fire breaking out at the Islamic Center of New England. Please know that the clergy and laity of the United Church of Christ in Massachusetts - the largest Protestant denomination in the Commonwealth - send you our love and our prayers. We extend to you the shelter of our caring.

I can only imagine how vulnerable and uneasy you are feeling in these days following September 11, 2001. Please know that you are not alone in feeling outrage at the crimes against Muslims and Arab-Americans. With many other good people, I shudder at the stereotypes, the hostility, and the injustice that you and others are experiencing due to ignorance and fear. I grieve that you and your children do not always feel safe in your own home and country.

This note comes with my prayers for the safety of you, your children, and your sacred mosques. May the God of Abraham and Sarah bless you and keep you. Salaam.

Nancy S. Taylor
Minister and President
Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ

Last week the four Roman Catholic bishops in Massachusetts issued a pastoral letter concerning families. There is near universal agreement that it is increasingly difficult to hold families together and that we must do everything we can to support families and encourage their fidelity to each other and to the children in their care. What the bishops fail to recognize is that families come in every size and configuration: extended, nuclear, patriarchal, matriarchal, single mom, single dad, adoptive, foster, childless, broken, mended, and blended. Among these configurations of family there are many gay and lesbian people who, living in committed relationships with life-partners, are gifted parents. Yet, under current laws, we do not support these families; instead, they are denied the basic rights that most of us take for granted: health insurance benefits, access to pension and Social Security benefits, and automatic hospital visitation rights, among others.

Gay families are a part of the demographic landscape of the Commonwealth. As citizens they deserve the same rights, liberties, and protections afforded straight families. The singling out of one group for discriminatory treatment is never right.

The bishops urged Catholics to contact their legislators to advocate on behalf of House Bill 3190, the Marriage Affirmation and Protection Amendment, a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as being solely between a man and a woman. The bishops did so by stating that same-gender relationships wreak "irreparable harm" on marriage, yet they produced no evidence to support this claim.

Additionally, neither the case before the Supreme Judicial Court nor the constitutional amendment before the Legislature concerns religious ceremonies. Thus, even if the court were to rule that same-gender marriages were permitted under the state Constitution, no priest or pastor could be compelled to officiate at such marriages. The Catholic Church has every right to try to enforce its teachings among its own members, but I believe the question before the Legislature must be argued and decided on the grounds of civil rights, not Catholic, or any other, religious doctrine.

This week I will contact Legislators to inform them that the bishops do not speak for me. I assure you that I will also inform them that I do not speak for all UCC people in Massachusetts and that our 100,000 members represent a range of views. I will say that the United Church of Christ has been wrestling with questions of inclusion of gay and lesbian persons since 1969. Yet, while UCC people hold various perspectives on human sexuality, we have increasingly worked toward being a church of a wider welcome:

* In 1972, the UCC became the first mainline denomination to ordain an openly gay person (there is all the difference in the world between ordaining openly gay people and, as has been the practice in the Catholic Church with disastrous results, ordaining persons whose sexuality is necessarily in the closet);
* In 1985, the UCC’s General Synod encouraged churches and all settings of the UCC to be open to, and affirming of, persons who are gay, lesbian and bisexual and called upon all settings of the church to learn, study, reflect, discuss and pray about these matters.

I will inform legislators that, while our churches represent widely differing views on these matters, many are served by gay and lesbian clergy, and far more have gay and lesbian members. Many of these are devoted mothers or fathers in committed life-relationships who provide loving and supportive homes to children. I will tell them there are 45 UCC congregations in Massachusetts that are listed as "Open and Affirming," 452 such congregations across the country, and over 3000 Christian and Jewish congregations of various denominations and affiliations that provide welcome to persons of different sexual orientations.

The bishops urged Catholics to lobby the Legislature on behalf of Catholic doctrine, asking them to support House Bill 3190, which would amend the state Constitution. We don’t have bishops and we don't have an agreed upon doctrine of human sexuality, but we, too, respond to concerns facing our society from the perspective and convictions of our Christian faith. So I extend a very different invitation to you: I invite you to study* and discuss these difficult and important questions in your families and churches. If you have not already, I invite you to get to know and learn from gay families about their lives and struggles. No matter where we are in our efforts to understand and appreciate one another's family configurations, we are in covenant with each other in the United Church of Christ as disciples of Jesus and as children of God. Informed by your own discernment, convictions, and Christian understanding, I invite you to lobby your legislators and take other actions as the Spirit leads you.

Nancy S. Taylor
Minister and President
Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ

Tom Clough, Associate Conference Minister in the Metropolitan Boston Association
Susan Dickerman, Associate Conference Minister for Leadership Development
Dawn Hammond, Associate Conference Minister for Policy and Finance
Dale Hempen, Associate Conference Minister in the Southeast Area
Ed Hoyt, Acting Associate Conference Minister for Stewardship and Financial Development
Laura Lee Kent, Associate Conference Minister in the Central Area
Paul Nickerson, Acting Associate Conference Minister for Evangelism, Witness and Justice
Michael Penn-Strah, Associate Conference Minister in the Northeastern Area
Peter Wells, Associate Conference Minister in the Western Area

*If you seek additional resources for your study and discernment, I recommend you visit www.ucc.org and follow the links to justice/issues index/open and affirming.

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The MA Supreme Court Ruling on Same-sex Marriage