President's Corner
by Minister & President Rev. Dr. Jim Antal
October/November 2006
 One of the most striking lines in all of scripture is Jesus’ Zen-like comment, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58) In these few words, Jesus reveals his profound loneliness and longing. He reminds us of one of those conditions of inestimable worth which many of us don’t reflect on: how much we value our sense of “home.”
Coming home to Massachusetts – and particularly returning to the community of UCC members, ministers and churches – has filled my soul with joy. As I write I have been here 10 days. On each of those days I have been reminded countless times that this is home. Your welcoming cards, phone calls, emails, and visits – along with the pastoral conversations I’ve had with many of you already – have filled my heart with gratitude.
From gratitude to generosity
When our cup overflows, it’s a good time to reflect on those whose cup is empty. As I have been the beneficiary of heartfelt hospitality, the plight of the poor gnaws within me. Jesus calls us to transform the energy of gratitude into generosity towards the least of these among us.
This connection happened for me yesterday when I received a “welcome back” phone call from a Board member of the City Mission Society in Boston. CMS is dear to my heart, as I served on its board 15 years ago. Since 1816, CMS has addressed the educational, economic and social needs of impoverished area residents – all of it with the support of the United Church of Christ – our churches and individual members. In a few weeks CMS will celebrate its 190th anniversary with a gala celebration at Old South Church (see article on B4). In this conversation, I apologized for being unable to attend because I’ll be out of town. But then it happened. The Board member invited me to make a $190 donation in anticipation of this anniversary. (I thought to myself: this is the kind of bold advocacy we hear again and again on the lips of Jesus.) She allowed me to extend my feelings of gratitude into generosity and justice.
Through our churches, our Associations and through the Conference each of us is invited to connect gratitude with generous giving. I encourage you to embrace these opportunities with a glad and joyous heart.
The road to Hartford
Another anniversary is on the horizon: the 50th Anniversary of the United Church of Christ. In June 2007, thousands of UCC members will gather in Hartford to celebrate a half-century of faithful ministry. Momentum for this celebration will begin on November 5, 2006 – All Saints Sunday – when all our congregations are encouraged to lift up the many and profound ways the UCC has witnessed over the years. Resources and ideas for your All Saints Celebration are available from www.ucc.org. And at 6:00pm on November 5, that same website will broadcast a webstreamed presentation – live from the Amistad Chapel at the national offices in Cleveland, Ohio. Consider gathering your congregation to view this event in a group by projecting the webstream with an LCD projector.
Here’s an additional invitation. I hope that dozens of you – perhaps even hundreds of you – will join me in June 2007 as I hop on my bicycle and ride to the 50th anniversary Synod in Hartford. Not only can we witness to our call to be stewards of all creation by cycling, we can also draw attention to our still-speaking God by wearing the new “God is still speaking” cycling jerseys available from www.uccwebsites.net/
stillspeakingcyclingteam.html.
How good it is to come home, to be called from gratitude to generosity, and to anticipate celebration!
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