Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Monday at Synod
Monday was a very full day - committees finished their business in the morning, special lunches and dinners continued, sponsored by different groups, and in the afternoon and evening Synod business sessions moved forward. I went to a lunch sponsored by the seminary I attended, United Theological Seminary in the Twin Cities, MN, and had a wonderful time there and elsewhere catching up with staff, faculty, and fellow alumnae, many I haven't seen in the 6 years since graduation.
One of the highlights of the Synod sessions yesterday was Marion Wright Edelman's keynote address. The UCC website folks have now been able to catch up with the enormous work of posting video archives of some parts of the Synod events and speeches and I highly recommend watching Bill Moyers and Marion Wright Edelman first if you don't have time to watch it all. Go to http://www.ucc.org/synod/video-archive.html
While there are countless concerns about the state of our children in this country which demand our response, Edelman especially focused on an issue where we can effect change right now: health care for all children in the U.S. She shared powerful statistics along with heartbreaking stories of children who have died in this country, just in the last few months, after being unable to receive simple and inexpensive dental and medical services. We will receive offerings of letters to our representatives and senators tonight at our closing worship- and you can join us in calling or writing our elected officials. http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=healthy_child
I also wanted to share that we will be bringing home a Synod wrapup video, as a way to share a taste of what's been happening here, and a video report on the UCC's "Hope Shall Bloom" response to the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast and Florida, which our congregation has generously supported with financial resources. We still have an invitation to participate in person as well, individually or as a group, as the UCC is there for the long haul in disaster relief, and unfortunately a great deal remains to be done.
Along with catching up with old seminary friends, and others I've met in various places in the UCC, another great joy here has been seeing 3 young adults who Dave and I were camp counselors for, for many summers back in AZ. One is in seminary, one is a youth director at a UCC church, and one is working for the national offices of the UCC. We take all the credit for their accomplishments! Actually, none of it is us, we just share their great excitement about the justice, love, and hope of the United Church of Christ which continue to inspire us all in our life's callings, in both the church and the world.
Today is the final day of Synod - and we'll all head towards home soon... one more post will come later.
One of the highlights of the Synod sessions yesterday was Marion Wright Edelman's keynote address. The UCC website folks have now been able to catch up with the enormous work of posting video archives of some parts of the Synod events and speeches and I highly recommend watching Bill Moyers and Marion Wright Edelman first if you don't have time to watch it all. Go to http://www.ucc.org/synod/video-archive.html
While there are countless concerns about the state of our children in this country which demand our response, Edelman especially focused on an issue where we can effect change right now: health care for all children in the U.S. She shared powerful statistics along with heartbreaking stories of children who have died in this country, just in the last few months, after being unable to receive simple and inexpensive dental and medical services. We will receive offerings of letters to our representatives and senators tonight at our closing worship- and you can join us in calling or writing our elected officials. http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=healthy_child
I also wanted to share that we will be bringing home a Synod wrapup video, as a way to share a taste of what's been happening here, and a video report on the UCC's "Hope Shall Bloom" response to the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast and Florida, which our congregation has generously supported with financial resources. We still have an invitation to participate in person as well, individually or as a group, as the UCC is there for the long haul in disaster relief, and unfortunately a great deal remains to be done.
Along with catching up with old seminary friends, and others I've met in various places in the UCC, another great joy here has been seeing 3 young adults who Dave and I were camp counselors for, for many summers back in AZ. One is in seminary, one is a youth director at a UCC church, and one is working for the national offices of the UCC. We take all the credit for their accomplishments! Actually, none of it is us, we just share their great excitement about the justice, love, and hope of the United Church of Christ which continue to inspire us all in our life's callings, in both the church and the world.
Today is the final day of Synod - and we'll all head towards home soon... one more post will come later.
# posted by Petra : 10:23 AM
