Pastor’s Word

By Rev. Joe Zarro, Interim Senior Minister

As I get ready for my first Sunday at BCCUCC, I’m reminded of the quote from the great Stoic philosopher Seneca – and the 90s alternative band Semisonic – “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” This is the nature of change, transition and new beginnings. Some of us are going through more routine transitions in our lives, such as summer break giving way to school and fall. Others are going through bigger changes and transitions: Personally, I just moved across the country and am starting a new call. And collectively, as a church, we are in a season of transition after the long and faithful service of Rev. Dr. Dale Azevedo. This is my beginning as your interim minister, but many of you have been experiencing loss and transition since his retirement announcement in January. The transition starts well before the interim minister arrives.

I’m excited and honored to be a pastor and leader during this time of change. Throughout this process you’re going to hear a lot about how this is an opportunity for creativity and new possibilities, for Resurrection and New Beginnings, but first I want to name and honor the endings that come with every new beginning. This is why my approach is not to shake things up right away, or act like the expert with a tried-and-true handbook. I want to listen and learn, and understand what makes BCC unique, and what are its authentic and faithful hopes for the future. This is why these Welcome Meetings are important and I’m grateful for those who have already signed up (visit calendly.com/jdzarro to schedule a short meeting with me or write me an email/call).

We are an Easter people, and I have deep faith in the power of Resurrection and transformation. I know God is living, moving and still speaking, and uses these times of loss and change to bring forth something new. God will use this transition for the good. But it is also wise and healthy to acknowledge the endings that come with each new beginning.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Joe

By Rev. Joe Zarro, Interim Senior Minister

Life is full of “hellos” and “goodbyes.” My ministry has seen 3 settled calls, and 5 cross country moves. As a field education supervisor, I’ve welcomed and sent 8 student ministers out to new ministries. Like most people, I enjoy the hellos a lot more than the goodbyes, but I have learned to accept both as an important part of our spiritual journeys. If you follow the Spirit where it leads, it’s going to take you places and change your life over and over again.

After a difficult set of “goodbyes” in California, I’m very much looking forward to the joyful “hellos” here in Barrington Congregational Church. I’m excited to be your incoming interim minister, and believe I will be able to serve you faithfully and effectively. I don’t see myself as the expert coming in with answers and guidance – I do have a lot of experience and ideas, but first I want to soak up the history, culture and dreams of this church. Most importantly, I want to meet you and get to know you.

One way you can help me with that goal is to sign up for a 15-minute “Welcome Meeting.” These can be in-person or online or on the telephone (that’s my order of preference). Please schedule these meetings for Sept. 2 or later, as that’s when I start full-time at BCC! The easiest way to get on my calendar is to schedule online at calendly.com/jdzarro (this is a great way to set up a meeting anytime!). If there’s not a time that works for you, if you aren’t sure how to use the scheduler, if you prefer a home visit, or have another special concern, just email me at joe@bccucc.org, or text/call 310-658-0443. You can also call the church office during office hours, and Sara will help you schedule a time with me.

The goal of these Welcome Meetings is really simple: to hear a little of your story, what you love about BCC and your hopes for the future. It’s a lot of ground to cover in 15 minutes but we can always schedule a follow-up! I may be the interim, but we will be together long enough to invest in knowing each other, and I can’t shepherd the church as an institution until I meet the true church – the people. So I hope you will take the time to say “hello!”

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Joe

By Rev. Racquel Ray, Associate Minister of Congregational Life

Today’s weather report reminds me of an important leadership tenet, “Mariners should consider altering plans to avoid possible hazardous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe wind and waves.” In times of transition or turbulence, it is good practice to steer a steady course. Now is not the time to make radical changes.

Our church was looking forward to the new governance structure and the “Year of Engagement” in 2025. Instead, here we are on the eve of June in the middle of a leadership transition. Some of our governance structures are still incomplete, engagement less than what we dreamed, uncertainty ahead. Now is the time to pause.

Next week, our Governing Board and Ministry Coordinators will spend some retreat time team-building and visioning. We are fortunate to have Sarah Whiting with us to facilitate a workshop on “Thriving in Transition”. Sarah and her family have been regular guests in our congregation for several years. She brings deep expertise as a facilitator, strategist, and coach for organizations working to innovate, build alignment, and live out their mission more fully.

As we honor our history, assess our present, and envision our future, we are reminded to remain in port (keep coming to church), seek safe harbor (continue to pray), alter course (pivot as needed), and secure the vessel (keep routines consistent) to remain prepared for any ‘hazardous conditions’.

I shared with our Deacons this week a helpful blessing written by Jan Richardson.

STAY by Jan Richardson*

I know how your mind
rushes ahead
trying to fathom
what could follow this.
What will you do,
where will you go,
how will you live?

You will want
to outrun the grief.
You will want
to keep turning toward
the horizon,
watching for what was lost
to come back,
to return to you
and never leave again.

For now
hear me when I say
all you need to do
is to still yourself
is to turn toward one another
is to stay.

Wait
and see what comes
to fill
the gaping hole
in your chest.
Wait with your hands open
to receive what could never come
except to what is empty
and hollow.

You cannot know it now,
cannot even imagine
what lies ahead,
but I tell you
the day is coming
when breath will
fill your lungs
as it never has before
and with your own ears
you will hear words
coming to you new
and startling.
You will dream dreams
and you will see the world
ablaze with blessing.

Wait for it.
Still yourself.
Stay.

*This blessing appears in Jan’s book The Cure for Sorrow: A Book of Blessings for Times of Grief. It appears also in her book Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons.

By Rev. Racquel Ray, Associate Minister of Congregational Life

I just heard the news. Our Catholic Church cousins have elected a new Pope. According to NPR news, U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected pope, the first time an American has led the Roman Catholic Church. Provost, 69, chose the name Pope Leo XIV.

It is with celebration that the church welcomes another Spiritual leader. And, American Catholics are feeling a sense of pride and gratitude as well as a renewed sense of call and commitment to their faith.

As a faith leader, I am sending prayers of fortitude, wisdom, and discernment for Pope Leo XIV. And I celebrate with Americans around the globe in acknowledging what an honor, privilege, and responsibility this moment holds. Living in Rhode Island, graduating from Providence College, and serving a congregation with several previously Catholic members, I join with global Catholic cousins and understand what a historic moment this is.

No matter your opinions on church denominations and patriarchal traditions, I think we can all acknowledge that the Catholic Church has done a superb job of holding a standard for 2000 years. It is that standard, held by the Catholic Church, from which all Protestant denominations deviate in degrees. Their standard enables our protest – from 1517 through this very day.

My personal theology holds a great deal of distance between Catholic Church hierarchy and patriarchy. However, I can honor their historic rhetoric and theological patristics and matristics. As the Catholic Church embraces their new leader, may we remember and honor our own church lineage trajectory which moved away from the patriarchal hierarchy. And may we share our prayers for all faith leaders as the Spirit moves among us all. Amen.

by Rev. Racquel Ray, Associate Minister of Congregational Life

The Easter story reminds us that better days are always ahead of us. When I was serving as a senior living Chaplain, one of my most endearing residents would always say, “Oh, well! Better days are coming.” No matter the difficult situation she was facing ~ and there were many in her complex medical and social-emotional history ~ she always had hope that things would get better.

As the crowd gathered on the shoreline at Osamequin Nature Preserve on Easter Sunday, the birds were riotous; the wind ebbed aided by the sheltering pines that whispered throughout the service; the resident osprey observed us in curiosity and sang along with us; and the sun rose. We could all feel the warmth and light as we watched the sun come up over the horizon.

I know I am not alone in feeling an overwhelming sense of hope and purpose in that moment. With over fifty neighbors gathering in an outdoor ecumenical community, we shared communion with one another, communion with creation, and Communion with the Divine. Truly, we were embodying the mandate to Love God, Love Neighbor, and Love Self. We shared the Bread and the Cup and so much more.

After the service a neighbor asked if we could offer outdoor services more often throughout the year. Another neighbor wept complete awe and overwhelm at the beauty of the embodied experience. And, another neighbor shared that this was their only annual church attendance because it was kinetic and accessible.

We are in a pivotal time. We are experiencing uncertainties around the world and around our common life together. It is common in times of uncertainty for people to become reactive and impetuous. It is easy to make decisions in haste when we are feeling this way. I’m reminded of Peter, warming himself by the fire and denying Christ in reaction to the woman’s inquiry, “Aren’t you one of His Disciples?”

Times of uncertainty and change also bring opportunities! This is a time to come together, to vision, to dream, and to hope. What ministries can we resurrect? What community partnerships can we grow? How can we engage young people? How can we care for one another? How can we care for ourselves? And how can we support our church?

Inspired by that Easter Sunrise service, I’m renewed and recommitted to spending more time outside. I’m inspired to find new ways to have church outside and explore our communities’ green spaces. I’m looking forward to seeing what new ideas and inspired ministries emerge over the next few months. I’m excited about looking over that horizon to see what is dawning for our church! The sun will still shine and better days are coming.

God is good…
All the Time!
All the time…
God is Good!

A month back, I mentioned in worship that it was about time I preached on this refrain. I went so far as to suggest making it my final sermon on April 27th.

Well, that’s not happening.

First, I was struck with a different inspiration that I felt called to share on my final Sunday. Second, I couldn’t let go of the nagging feeling that I had ALREADY preached on that now familiar litany.

And, sure enough, I have. With a small amount of digging, I was able to find my sermon entitled “God is good…All the time?” from January 15, 2023. Here is a link to it if you’d like to watch that sermon. (Please, just be sure to ignore the post-covid quarantine calico goatee I was sporting which, on camera, strangely resembled an early 1970’s Burt Reynolds mustache.)

Anyway, back to the point at hand…

Since preaching on the theological quandary of whether God is good all the time was off the table, I thought I would focus my last blog on that instead. So here it goes.

The difficulty, of course, with stating that God is good all the time is that it can be hard to accept when things aren’t going well. In fact, some folks flat out reject the idea. They ask, “How can we declare that God is good at the same time that we see horrific things happening in the world, or are experiencing personal hardships in our own lives?” They just don’t see the two as compatible.

As Christians, we generally believe that God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. In simplistic terms this means that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present. This leads to the logical argument that if God knows about our suffering, has the power to change it, and is present while it is happening, then how can we argue that God is good if we continue to keep on suffering?

If God is truly good all the time, wouldn’t a good God put an end to the suffering? Wouldn’t a good God change the circumstances that lead to our distress? Especially when that misery seems undeserved, widespread, or arbitrary? If God is truly good all the time, then why do bad things happen to good people?

This logic leads many people to believe that either God isn’t omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, or quite simply, that God isn’t good. Taken to the extreme, these questions lead people to reject faith and God altogether.

Of course, the logical outlined above makes a few assumptions that are seldom addressed: namely that “good” is defined as “whatever benefits me (or someone else) best” and that we are able to clearly see and understand the depth and breadth of what is truly happening in any given circumstance.

The logic that a good God would not permit suffering assumes that we know what is good, or the greatest good, in any given circumstance. This is simply not the case.

What opened my heart to a different understanding is what I experienced in the summer of 1995.

That summer I had the privilege of attending worship at an AME Zion congregation. That two-and-a-half-hour-long service impacted me in a number of ways. First was the idea that worship could last 2.5 hours and still be enjoyable. Second was the role of prayer and music in liturgy. And third was the idea that faith is often about perspective. This latter realization means that one’s faith often depends more on one’s perspective, than it does on God’s action or inaction.

That service we first heard the call and refrain: “God is good…all the time…all the time…God is good.”

I later discovered that this saying had long been a tradition in the historically black church (which is the tradition that the AME Zion church is rooted in and continues to be a part of). That saying has a clear foundation in segregation, oppression, and slavery. It has been a refrain shared through ages of suffering.

If anyone has a right to complain about God’s goodness, it is those who have lived through generations of suffering and horrific abuses at the hands of others. And yet, it seemed that those who had suffered the most, and had the most to complain about, where the ones who found strength in the idea that God is good even when terrible things are happening to them and the world.

There is a power in a faith that can stand in the face of the direst oppression and still remain strong, believing that even although things look grim now, God and God’s goodness will ultimately prevail.

In fact, this is the Easter message. This is the point of the resurrection. This is the experience of Paschal Mystery¹. This is Christianity: that even in the darkest of times we have faith that God, and good, will triumph in the end.

This is why I begin every service with “God is good…”. Not because I believe in some Pollyanna where life is wonderful all the time, but rather because I want to remind myself (and you) that even on those days, perhaps especially on those days, when life doesn’t feel wonderful, the promise remains that God will ultimately succeed, and we will overcome.

This faith is a gift. The author of Hebrews writes, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”² The belief that goodness will ultimately win, or that God has already won and people just don’t realize it yet, is a powerful idea. It gives us the strength to carry on when we want to quit. It reminds us that all we do makes a difference, even if we cannot see it now. And it challenges us to live into the vision of what we believe, a vision of love, equality, righteousness, and goodness.

It can be so hard to accept that God is good all the time, especially when we are hurt or hurting. But doing so reminds us that God’s goodness, God’s state of being, isn’t dependent on us and our happiness, but rather transcends it. God isn’t good because we are happy, rather we can be happy because God is good!

¹ The Paschal Mystery refers to the events over three days of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the promise they hold offer on the redemption and salvation of humanity.
² Hebrews 11:1 (NRSV)

by Rev. Racquel Ray, Associate Minister of Congregational Life

There’s a garden just outside the window of my church office which is sheltered from the harshest weather. The spot is warm and sunny and gets enough morning sunshine to interrupt the slow, gradual spring. The daffodils are defying their cousins around town and are in riotous full bloom!

These glowing yellow blossoms remind me to NOT lose hope! I recently heard a friend say, “I’m so depressed!” with all of the news, politics, gloomy weather, and general ‘unknowing’ that many of us are experiencing. Everywhere I go, no matter what the event or conversation is supposed to be about, it inevitably turns to politics. People are really worried!

It seems to me that the church has a role to play here in our current society and our collective anxiety. We can be the voice of the prophetic. We can have a voice at Town Hall meetings, School Board meetings, Library Board meetings, the RI State House, and the national dialogue. My voice may be singular but OUR voice is hundreds! Our church may be singular but OUR CHURCHES are many. Our Association may be small but our Conference is 600 churches! What does it look like when 600 churches organize and take action?!

I am reminded that there is ALWAYS something that the church can do! We are the house of HOPE! Like the life-giving symbolism of my office daffodils, there is new life out there. If you are out there fighting for the marginalized – come to church for rest and renewal. If you are looking for a way to help – come to church for inspiration. Bring your friends. Bring your neighbors. Organize. Act.

Some may say, they are not anxious; everything is going just as they expected and wanted. Great! Those folks can stop reading here and contentedly pray for the rest of us who are struggling!

Some of us are anxious about the current administration and efforts to reduce spending while cutting vital programs. Some of us work in the non-profit sector where grants are no longer available. Some are connected to the federal government and are losing co-workers and questioning directives. Some are worried about social security and the future of our income.

As a church, we can organize. Following the example of those who lead change during the Civil Rights Movement. We also can impact our community through peaceful protest, boycott, and advocacy at every level. Using the God-given gifts that we have, we can make a difference. There is a correlation between anxiety and action. When we act, our anxiety decreases and conversely anxiety can call us to action! Consider your gifts and put them to good use?

The Rhode Island State Council of Churches https://www.councilofchurchesri.org/ is beginning the work too. Last week, I attended a large event organized by the RISCC. Stay tuned for upcoming and ongoing events and opportunities to get involved, take action, join a larger collective voice, and be heard!

I have been invited to help with the UCC Disaster Ministries, Emotional and Spiritual Care Response Team. The ESCR joins in our denomination’s efforts “Responding to the call of our faith, UCC Disaster Ministries supports holistic community recovery, by engaging supporters, volunteers and partners to focus on preparedness, emergency relief and long-term recovery.” Disaster Ministries Contact List – United Church of Christ

When a disaster occurs, the ESCR activates a response team to be present with survivors to rebuild communities. We are caregivers to caregivers and provide ongoing support as those communities restore themselves to wellness and wholeness. The commitment may be a few days per year or a few hours per month but will allow me to use my gifts as a veteran, chaplain, and pastor to have a positive impact in our larger world. It also adds BCCUCC to the larger national community of the UCC connecting our ministries. You will hear more about UCC Disaster Ministries as we take a Moment for Mission on Sunday March 30^th while considering a collection for One Great Hour of Sharing.

Think National (or Global). Act Local. Get involved in the solutions around the local community. Share your gifts, be bold, speak up. Then, come to church for renewal and strength – and HOPE. See you in Church!