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General Synod 2015 reflections from our delegates Dee Eisenhauer: Before I departed, I told my congregation I was “going to church in Cleveland.” And that’s the way the General Synod felt to me: like a true gathering of Church, from the worship to the ceremonies to the debates to the decision-‐making. The Synod reflected who we are as a church in our celebrations, our moral outrage, our very deliberate deliberations, our diversity, and from time to time, our unity.
Among the many experiences, I’ll call out a few items that were particularly interesting to me. First, the election of John Dorhauer. I was aware there were grumblings before Synod about the nomination of a straight, white, middle aged male to be the General Minister and President; many clergy women in particular were wondering if it wasn’t about time for a woman to serve as the GMP. Rev. Tracy Blackmon, one of the articulate people introducing Rev. Dr. Dorhauer, named the issues of racism, sexism, and hetero-‐normative privilege quite clearly and suggested that God was speaking in this moment to use what looks like “business as usual” to do the unusual. We may need a white, straight male that is committed to justice to “dismantle the house that privilege built.” John Dorhauer did his doctoral work on white privilege and its effects on the church, and called the UCC to naming and letting go of our “possessive investment in whiteness.” In his pre-‐election address he asked the church to do three things: A) Prepare to fail (because of our risk-‐taking and innovation); B) Clarify our mission; and C) Offer to God daily our “little toil of love” (a phrase from his favorite Emily Dickinson poem). He was elected by a large majority.
Second, the bylaws conversation: I thought the debate in the plenary session beautifully expressed the pros and cons of the Constitution and By-‐Law changes being proposed. I particularly appreciated voices that wondered if efficiency was eclipsing our traditions of covenantal collaboration. There was a sense from many who thought the whole church needed more time to consider the changes being proposed. In the end, while a clear majority supported the changes, they did not get the supermajority required (401 yes, 249 no, 23 abstaining). The United Church Board will go back to the drawing board, and time will be taken for further deliberation by every setting of the church.
I really enjoyed the keynote addresses, particularly those by Paul Raushenbush and Winona LaDuke. Raushenbush made such a compelling case for having our progressive UCC voice in the online conversations about world issues and theology that I joined Twitter on the spot, repenting of my curmudgeonism at least temporarily.
Finally, I commend the Synod organizers for putting on a big intergenerational dance the Saturday night of Synod. It was tremendously joyful and unifying, especially in bridge building across generations. I got to enlist a few compatriots in my current favorite game, dancing the truly ridiculous and eminently adaptable Chicken Dance to many different songs.
Thank you, PNWUCC, for sending me to General Synod; I tried to represent you faithfully.
Andy CastroLang: Synod is a lot of different things:
• It is the business of the gathered church members • It is the reporting of the General Minister and President’s work • It is the reporting of the Collegium of Ministers work • It is inspiring preaching from new voices; theological reflection; frequent calls
to prayer • It is the election of leaders, and good bye to others • It is the reporting of various ministries of the gathered church • It is sharp words of debate • It is worship with thousands, in different ways and with different faith
perspectives • It is study and dialogue with experts in a wide variety of disciplines • It is a dance for all ages! • It is cookies on every delegation’s table; your Pacific Northwest Conference
delegates made a tower of Starbucks cups to decorate our space, each cup in our tower had a portrait sketch of each PNC delegate, drawn by our very talented Vice Moderator, Scott Ward. (See photo)
• It is service projects (stuffing school packs for kids) and witness opportunities with our host city
• It is the hard work of talking through our differences, about our differences, accepting and acknowledging our differences, maybe even celebrating some of our differences.
So, yes, Synod is a lot of things, and this Synod was in some ways, more hard work than I expected.
Before Synod began I went to two pre-‐events: an ONA Coalition gathering and celebration of its 30 years of work, and a Conference Moderators Workshop. The ONA meeting was joyous and prayerful and fun! The Conference Moderators Workshop was full of learning and useful information. I have much to bring back to our Pacific Northwest Conference Board of Directors!
Synod brought many resolutions for the delegates to vote upon. I will note a few:
1.) There was sharp heated debate in two resolutions and their hearings about our relationship with the Israeli government. The delegates at Synod voted and took a challenging stand on divestiture from “ any direct and substantive holdings in companies profiting from or complicit in human rights violations arising from the occupation of the Palestinian Territories by the state of Israel”.
2.) The by-‐laws changes that were suggested by the UCC Board did not pass with the necessary 2/3rd vote. Debate and discussion both in the hearings and on the floor was intense. We will now be talking to the people of the churches for further dialogue and clarification before any more changes come to a Synod vote again.
3.) We also elected a new General Minister and President: the Rev. John Dohauer.
I believe that Synod is indeed, a “toil of love”. It was exhausting and exhilarating, it was rich and diverse and wonderful, with laughter and prayer, dialogue and argument and patience and care. I am honored to have been a delegate for the Pacific Northwest Conference and I am thankful to have gone in your name, and in the name of Christ. Please contact me at any time if you have questions or interest in other events of our 30th General Synod.
PNC Delegates: The Rev. Andy CastroLang The Rev. Dr. Dee Eisenhauer Ms. Katie Gilbert Ms. Jen Hagedorn Mr. Scott Ward Associate Delegate: The Rev. Mike Denton