Post Synod Musings #5 Music

I did not sing in the choir at this synod. It was the first time. I missed the call for choir members and when I spoke to the UCC minister in charge of the choir he said I could join but the rehearsal was at the same time as the United Black Christians lunch that I was to attend so I did not go. It was OK because they only sang one anthem not a lot a music like previously.

But I did go to the workshop which was the launch of the UCC's new praise hymn book. "Sing Prayer and Praise" OK you say praise music? It is not the usual praise hymn book it has some wonderful modern hymns one of which I have already sung as a solo at Grace United in Flemington.

Here is the UCC definition of praise music:

"Definition of Praise Music Praise music is a memorable, melody-based composition which is musically accessible without being simplistic; it has a fresh sound incorporating less-traditional rhythms and harmonization. Praise music makes one “feel” something with a goal of establishing a deeper relationship with God. It can move one to thought, action, and reflection based on the text or theme. The language of praise music is inclusive and accessible. It encompasses traditional religious vocabulary; explores non-traditional, contemporary images of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit; and draws from the rich imagery found within sacred Scripture. Praise music seeks to embody the covenantal values of the United Church of Christ: Justice and Peace, Multiracial/Multicultural, Open and Affirming, Accessible to All – as we seek unity; celebrate diversity; honor inclusion; hope for relational, loving communities; and explore multiple images and understandings of God.” ~Adopted by the Praise Song Advisory Team, Sunday, July 22, 2007"

Since they were running a sale on the books I purchase five, two of which I am giving to Holly and two for the music director at Flemington and one for me. They are paperback editions which just the music and the words. The full book with the accompaniment will be published later this year. Holly has already ordered the full book and I have also placed an order for myself.

Holly has already asked me to chose one of the pieces for a solo so I will sing the one I know already which is called "Dream God's Dream" and maybe learn a new one.

It is always fun to learn new music.

Jeannette Brown

Post Synod Musings #4 Health care reform #2

Margaret Tompsett spoke about the health care reform bill from the Doctors point of view. She urged us to take action on the single payer options. She gave the web sites. I believe one was Physicians for a National Health Program.

Here is the resolution that the UCC approved at General Synod. An Urgent Call For Advocacy in Support of Healthcare For All, as in H.R. 676 - A Resolution of Witness - Approved

Congressman Conyers came to synod to speak about this bill. I did not attend that meeting.

Jeannette Brown

Post Synod Musing #3 Healthcare Resolution

Since Margaret Tompsett will be speaking about the single payer health care legislation that is in congress, I thought I would post the resolution about health care that was passed at Synod.
We were asked to march for universal health care and some people did, here is the story:

Marchers spill into the streets in support of universal health care

Written by Micki Carter
June 30, 2009

Two hundred Synod-goers marched from DeVos Place to City Hall Monday afternoon and gathered in the shadow of Grand Rapids’ signature Calder stabile to demonstrate their commitment to universal health care.

Chanting "Health care now!" they wound their way through downtown streets on a path cleared by city police. Leading the15-minute walk was Mayor George Heartwell, a UCC pastor, and the demonstration organizers, Bert Perry of the Florida Conference and Peter Wells, an Associate Conference Minister from Massachusetts.

At the Calder, marchers were joined by Paul Mayhew, a Baptist minister and Kent County Commissioner who is also a mental-health activist.

"We've got a president who's committed to health care for all, but we have to keep him on task," Mayhew said. "We've got to get on the telephone to our Congressmen and the White House so everyone knows where we stand."

Perry introduced Barbara Baylor, the UCC minister of health care justice, who told the group "the UCC still speaks prophetically for health care for all. . . . Remember that two people die every hour every day due to the lack of health care."

Recalling the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho, Baylor led the marchers in a chant, repeated six times, "All the walls of health-care injustice came down!"

The entire event was staged in about 36 hours. Perry and Wells were chatting on Saturday, and "we couldn't believe that the UCC was meeting in the middle of a city and we weren't out in the streets making a public statement," Perry said.

She added that they immediately identified the issue they wanted to take to the streets of downtown Grand Rapids. "Quality health care should be available to all, and that's the issue on everyone's mind right now."

Perry and Wells recognized that they needed to enlist some local help and they knew just whom to call.

"When the mayor welcomed us to the city, he gave out his cell phone number and said to call him if we needed anything. So I called him," said Perry.

And he answered. "We called the mayor on Saturday," Wells said, "met with him on Sunday and marched with him today."

Here is the article about the resolution that was passed:

Single payer health care gets nod from UCC assembly

Written by Jeff Woodard
June 30, 2009

Citing both specificity and urgency, General Synod 27 passed without amendment Tuesday a resolution "Calling for the Support of H.R. 676 – Single Payer National Health Care Reform to Advance Health Equity for All and to Eliminate Health Disparities."

Mary Beth Cross, a delegate from the Nebraska Conference, said after a unanimous vote out of committee Monday that the time to rally is now. "This is a Gospel-mandated mission of faith for everyone to make sure that universal health care becomes a reality."

Several delegates expressed an urgency for action within the next four months, before another election cycle begins. They concurred that it was crucial for the resolution to support a specific action – H.R. 676, in this case – rather than a general endorsement of universal health care.

The resolution was submitted by the Council on Racial and Ethnic Ministries (COREM). Key among its proponents has been Barbara Baylor, UCC Minister for Health Care Justice.

"We lift up our (belief) that all persons deserve and must have quality, accessible, affordable health care and related social services – including mental-health service and full accessibility for the disabled," said Baylor.

H.R. 676 (the U.S. National Health Insurance Act) is a bill introduced by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan to create a single-payer, publicly financed, privately delivered universal health-care program. Its goal is to cover all Americans without charging co-pays or deductibles and guarantees access to the highest quality and most affordable health-care services regardless of employment, ability to pay or pre-existing health conditions.

In a "single payer" system established by the government, one entity handles all billing and payment for health-care services. The current system involves several thousand payers. Reports suggest that administrative waste accounts for roughly 31 percent of the money spent on health care.

I will look for a copy of the resolution and bring copies on Sunday.

Jeannette

Post Synod Musings #2 Michael Jackson?

OK. You are probably wondering what Michael Jackson has to do with Synod. Well nothing really except if you are a media hog like me, you can't avoid the news and my synod experience started when I was in the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago. I was waiting for the train to Grand Rapids when the TV that was tuned to CNN announced that Michael Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest and was in the hospital. I was not watching it, but I did notice they went on for almost a half hour about this story. Then when we got on the train the conductor who was African American stated that he was only in the hospital. Later on as the train moved on he made the announcement that Micheal was dead. The train car that I was in was full of people going to synod. I don't think there was any real reaction.
Then all that week, USA Today and the TV had stories about Micheal Jackson. It was the lead story. I wondered why all the fuss but I sort of listened. I looked at the photos of the young boy who I thought was cute change to the body he designed for himself and I wondered why he had to try to change nature. Would he have been such a star if he had the same body he grew up with? I look at his brothers and I can see what he would have looked like.
Well I started this blog because of the music. I could not avoid watching pieces of the memorial service for him. The song "I'll be there" got to me and also his favorite song "Smile". I go to church for the music.
Then Rev Al Sharpton said at the memorial service that Michael brought all races together. So maybe in his way Michael held a sacred conversation about race except he seemed not to like his race by changing the color of his skin.
Anyway I just had to get this off my mind before I went to bed tonight. I will go on to real musings about Synod next.
Jeannette

Post Synod Musings #1 Single Governance

I am still en route home from Synod. I made it as far as Washington DC. I missed my connecting train from here to Trenton NJ so I have time to muse. I would have made the connection except for the fact that the Red Caps were busy and they did not come to collect me until it was too late.
No matter, I am getting on a train that goes directly to Princeton Jct so that I will not have to change trains in Trenton and I have time to muse on this blog.

I received the following e-mail from John Deckenback our Central Atlantic Conference Minister. You have met him at Christ Church. I am copying it here without comment. That will come in further musings.

"Single Governance" for the national settings of the UCC was a major topic of conversation at the CAC Annual Meeting last month as we considered resolutions from the Catoctin and Potomac Associations.

This was also a major topic at the just-completed General Synod in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In the end a "substitute" motion was presented by a Synod Committee. Here is the final text as approved by the delegates:

1 SUBSTITUTE RESOLUTION
2 TOWARD UNIFIED GOVERNANCE FOR THE NATIONAL
3 SETTING OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

4 APPROVED

5 BE IT RESOLVED that since the dialogue regarding governance has surfaced historical
6 and present tensions regarding matters of race and ethnicity in our denomination, the
7 General Synod requests the Executive Council and the Covenanted Ministries Boards to
8 engage in further sacred conversations on race, especially around what it means to be an
9 anti-racist, multi-cultural, multi-racial church. This conversation would be separate from,
10 although possibly concurrent with, the discussion on governance in recognition that we
11 cannot heal relational issues through governance discussions, but we do need to move
12 toward reconciliation.
13
14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the General Synod requests that the Executive
15 Council appoint a Working Group with representatives from the Collegium of Officers,
16 members of the Executive Council, Covenanted Ministry Boards, Affiliated and
17 Associated Ministry Boards, the Council of Conference Ministers, and the Historically
18 Underrepresented Groups, to guide work toward Unified Governance in preparation for
19 action by the Twenty-Eighth General Synod. In consultation with the Chair of the
20 Executive Council, each of these bodies would identify their representative so that the
21 diversity of the church would be well represented in the Working Group.
22
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that General Synod requests that local churches,
24 Associations, Conferences, and Historically Underrepresented Groups engage in dialogue
25 and discernment regarding Unified Governance for the National Setting and report back
26 to the Working Group by Fall 2010. The Working Group, in a transparent way, will
27 document all information received and include it in the discernment process.
28
29 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Twenty-Seventh General Synod affirms the
30 principle of a Unified Governing Board as the basic governance structure of the national
31 setting of the United Church of Christ, based on theological reflection, and practices of
32 good governance that include strategic planning, resource development, and monitoring
33 and oversight, incorporating the principles and concepts contained in the Fall 2008
34 Governance Follow-up Team II proposal, in order to carry out faithfully the mission of
35 the church.
36
37 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the General Synod requests that the Executive
38 Council and the Covenanted Ministry Boards bring to the Twenty-Eighth General Synod
39 a proposal for a Unified Governing Board with changes in the constitution and By-Laws
40 necessary to begin implementation of a Unified Governance structure.
41
42
43
44 The above resolution replaces 10 resolutions sent to Committee at
45 General Synod. The Committee recommended “no action” on the
46 submitted resolutions.

Rev. Dr. John R. Deckenback
Conference Minister
United Church of Christ Central Atlantic Conference
916 South Rolling Road, Baltimore, MD 21228
410 788 4190 (office) 443 253 2343 (cell)

Jeannette Brown

Synod Day 5 Tuesday

Well this was the day! I decided I needed to sleep and then have my last swim in the pool followed by breakfast so I arrived at the Plenary session late, 9:30 AM, they start promptly at 8:30 AM! I arrived just in time to find out from my new friend that they were finishing the voting on Single Governance which was the most controversial business of the synod. They gave one committee all six or more resolutions which dealt with the topic of single governance. This committee looked at them all and came up with a new resolution which was a compromise. Here is the report that is on the UCC website:

Synod votes for a unified governance structure

Written by W. Evan Golder
June 30, 2009

Tuesday morning’s first order of Synod business was consideration of a unified governance structure for the national structure – and the motion was adopted. The effort required 49 minutes, with 29 speakers engaging in debate.

Currently, five different boards guide UCC policy and decision-making in the national setting. With this motion, General Synod affirmed the principle of a single, unified governance board.

GS27 asked the Executive Council and the Covenanted Ministry Boards to bring to General Synod 28 a proposal for a single governance board, along with necessary constitution and bylaw changes. That Synod is planned for Tampa, Fla., in 2011.

Conspicuous by its absence was any floor discussion of the issue that had attracted the most opposition prior to Synod: the concern of the racial and ethnic constituency groups about losing their hard-earned representation on the current governing boards.

After the vote, protesters gathered at microphones to request reconsideration of the vote so they could introduce a minority resolution. The moderator ruled the request out of order.

Now I was at the meeting and from what I heard, people were at the mike to present the minority opinion but the question was called before they could speak. Calling the question ends debate according to Roberts Rules and the delegates voted to end debate.

Well that's went the ruckus started and they wanted to reconsider the vote etc but according to Roberts Rules it was out of order. People are allowed to react to this at the center mike according to the standing rules of the synod and react they did. Minorities in the UCC, African Americans and Asian and Pacific Islanders felt that they were not a part of the original meetings about the new governance structure and wanted a pause so that all voices could be heard. I have a copy of the resolution that was passed and I will scan it or try to find it on the UCC web so that you can read it. One of most important things in this resolution that was passed is that the Sacred Conversations about Race should continue. I will write a separate blog about that in the future because of course, I have some opinions.

In fact there was another resolution about "Sacred Conversations about

Race" that was introduced and passed. It called for resources from UCC to facilitate these conversations:

Synod says Sacred Conversations on Race to continue

Written by J. Martin Bailey

June 30, 2009

The 27th General Synod requested the Justice and Witness Ministries covenanted ministry to take the lead in continuing the program of Sacred Conversations on Race.

The delegates called on conferences, associations and congregations to "establish, promote and encourage" the conversations.

The resolution, which passed without objection, had been proposed originally by the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference.

They went on to other business before lunch. At lunch time I decided to find the Bank of America ATM to save money and found a newly opened restaurant that served Mediterranean fast food. Greek and Israeli. I had lemon chicken soup and a Greek salad which was good.

After lunch the delegates concluded business. There are a lot of resolutions that they considered but I will highlight one here. The rest can be found on the UCC website. Here it is:

General Synod encourages diversity education in public school

Written by J. Martin Bailey
June 30, 2009

The experience of two UCC congregations in California prompted the denomination's General Synod to urge churches in assisting public school efforts to protect children and help them understand people of other races and sexual orientation.

The congregations in Hayward and Alameda have longed worked with their local schools and their pastors accepted invitations to participate in school programs designed to end bullying and harassment. Delegates learned that frequent taunts of "You're so gay!" has led to violence and to two suicides.

Those schools and several others in California have been targeted by "traditional values" groups following programs designed to create safe schools as required by state law. An organized campaign of intimidation has been directed at schools that have sought to protect children of gay and lesbian parents and children whose parents are immigrants or from a different country of origin.

The General Synod action, approved by an overwhelming majority after extensive debate, encourages public schools to develop programs that help to keep all children safe, and for churches to assist in appropriate ways. The resolution includes recommendations to local churches, Conferences and to national ministries.

The educational programs are to embrace students of all races, ethnic origins, genders, faiths, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, socio-economic classes, countries of origin, and their families.

During the debate Synod delegates listened to appeals that the California churches not expect nationwide support for programs designed to protect children of gay or lesbian parents, or that sexual orientation and gender identities be separated from racial and ethnic diversity. Attempts to modify the resolution failed.

The two UCC pastors have resisted the pressures that included personal threats and legal actions. Both Eden UCC in Hayward, Calif., and First Congregational UCC of Alameda, Calif., have supported their pastors, the Rev. Arlene Nehring and the Rev. Laura Rose. Their efforts have also been supported by their Conference Minister, the Rev. Mary Susan Gast.

It is my opinion that this resolution mixes apples and oranges. I agree that schools should have education programs about sexual orientation, but I also think they need to have programs that cover the racial diversity of the students so that they can understand the differences and similarities between races. That has not happened yet in some schools.

The evening ended with a worship service which ended Synod.

The next Synod will be in 2011 in Tampa Bay Florida. This was a switch from Hawaii due to the economy.

Jeannette