Pastor’s Word

by Rev. Dr. Dale Azevedo,  Sr. Minister

Tomorrow, Thursday, I leave for General Synod 2023.

What is General Synod, you ask?

Unofficially, General Synod is the national gathering of the United Church of Christ (UCC), our parent denomination. It brings together lay and clergy delegates representing all conferences from around the country to discuss issues and make decisions on the present state of the world and the future of our denomination.

Officially, General Synod is a biennial gathering of representatives of conferences chosen from local churches of the United Church of Christ. Resolutions and pronouncements are brought for consideration to General Synod by groups and members of the church. When passed, resolutions and pronouncements become the witness of the General Synod and are commended to all members of the United Church of Christ for consideration. ¹

This year there will be roughly 700 delegates representing all 36 regional conferences. Of those 700 delegates, 99 of them will be from the Southern New England Conference (SNEUCC), our conference, and four of those are from the Rhode Island Association, our association.

This General Synod has a few key highlights to mention.

• First, we will be electing our next General Minister & President. The Office of the General Minister & President is responsible for administration and common services for the National Setting. The Office of the General Minister & President oversees the finance office, human resources, legal counsel, and strategy and planning, in addition to philanthropy, research, technology, marketing. and communications.² The nominee for next General Minister and President is Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, who presently serves in the national setting as Associate General Minister for Wider Church Ministries and Co-Executive for Global Ministries and has previously served ministries in Florida and New York.

• Another highlight is a potential change to the UCC by-laws shifting General Synod from a biennial to triennial event. Since the UCC’s inception in 1957, General Synod has met every other year. The proposed change to meet every third year is recommended in an effort to address two main concerns: the overwhelming time commitment required of our national staff to plan, organize, implement, and follow through with the event as well as the increasing cost that the gathering passes along to our area conferences and associations. The hope is that by meeting every three years it will increase administrative efficiency while reducing costs.

• The final highlight for Synod 2023 is the presence of Nadia Bolz-Weber as the event’s keynote speaker. Rev. Bolz-Weber is well known as one of the most influential and innovative pastors and theologians in the modern generation. She is an ordained Lutheran and the founding pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints.

General Synod is also filled with numerous other tasks and opportunities.

• Worship is always a key component of any regional or national gathering of the church. It is powerful to gather along with 700-1000 people who are all intentionally engaged praying, learning, and singing together. There is a reason many people flock to megachurches. There is something Compelling about being a part of a large group unified to one purpose. And when praising and serving God is that one purpose, all the better.

• Next to worship, discussing and voting on resolutions is probably the next most important order of business, and takes up the majority of our time. This year we will be discussing 15 different resolutions covering topics from abortion as healthcare to discrimination of native peoples to encouraging a plant-based life. I have been appointed to the committee that will be discussing and moving on a resolution entitled Closing the Digital Divide: Calling on the United Church of Christ to Seek Digital Justice and Inclusion.

• And what is a UCC gathering without service and social witness? Our Synod service project this year is building Period Packs. Although it rarely garners public notice (perhaps for sexist or cultural reasons) lack of access to menstrual hygiene is a major issue within many populations around the world and even in our own communities. We will be working with Church World Service to prepare and distribute these kits. Additionally, we will be holding a Prayer Walk and Vigil at the Indiana Statehouse. The vigil will include music and brief remarks led by UCC leadership as well as representatives from the Indiana-Kentucky Conference, including two UCC Indiana State legislators.³

All in all, General Synod will prove to be an exciting, inspirational, exhausting, boring, and powerful week for me. I will return to the office on Thursday, July 6, and look forward to worshiping together the following Sunday. I will also follow up this blog with my post-Synod reactions the week after I return. In the meantime, please hold me and all those attending in your prayers as we do this important work and witness.

May God’s blessing be with you, and us.

1. https://www.ucc.org/who-we-are/about/general-synod/inclusive-language-general-synod/#:~:text=General%20Synod%20is%20a%20biennial,and%20members%20of%20the%20church.
2. https://www.ucc.org/what-we-do/office-of-the-general-minister-president/
3. https://generalsynod.org/prayer-walk-and-vigil

by Rev. Racquel Ray

Associate Minister of Congregational Life

Have you ever wondered why ‘women in ministry’ is such a divisive issue among Christians?  Have you questioned why certain denominations exclude women from serving as clergy?  Have you thought about why so many biblical women are depicted as prostitutes?  Have you been enthralled by stories or sermons about Mary or Elizabeth?  Have you ever gotten confused over the ‘Marys’?  How many are there, anyway?!  Have you wondered what the ‘Children of Hagar’ means?  Why is Eve blamed for the Fall of Man?  Why are so many women unnamed in the bible?  Have you been outraged by Christian division based in gender bias?

At a recent BCCUCC Deacons meeting, Rev. Dale offered a reflection on women of the bible sharing an article from Woman’s Day magazine. (SULLIVAN, 2022).  The article, 20 Amazing Women in the Bible to Learn From and Admire, gave a brief paragraph about twenty biblical females.  Each Deacon was asked to read the stories and choose a biblical woman whose story stood out to them.  The group was asked to share their choice and why they chose that character.

It is clear to me, as it was to our Deacons, that each of us has a favorite female biblical story.  Our favorites come from fond childhood memories of stories from church school, confirmation, or worship.  Many have fond memories of Mary, the mother of Jesus, from either the Nativity story of Christmas or from an upbringing in another denomination that venerates St. Mary, the Blessed Virgin.  Many of us can identify with the story of Lazarus’ sisters, Jesus’ friends, Mary and Martha.  Some will identify as, “I’m a Martha” who tend to be busy at church rather than quiet and contemplatively studying Jesus’ words as a ‘Mary’ would.  Many of us admire the courage of Miriam or the faith of Elizabeth, or the fierceness of Deborah.  And, someone asked the question, “Were there ever any female pastors/priests in the bible?”

The answer is YES.  There were female elders in the early church and throughout the biblical narrative of God’s people.  There have been and continue to be female leaders in churches since.  And there will still be female leaders in the church to be revealed in the future.

So, why are recent news reports highlighting the Southern Baptist Convention and their bias to exclude females from the role and title of Pastor?  And why would the SBC exclude any church that has female leadership from their membership?  And, why would they chose to exclude a church with over 20,000 members, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California?  The denomination argues that women in pastoral roles is not biblical.  And, although they had been ordaining women since 1964, they stopped doing so relatively recently in 2000 (Wikipedia, 2023).  When my 8-year-old heard the news report, she said, “What about Mary?”

Beloved, if an 8-year-old can understand this so should we.  The biblical her-story is clear.  From Eve to Mary, to Martha and Mary, and to the female disciples at the cross, the tomb, and into the ministry of the early church including the Acts of the Apostles, women are equal participants in the ministry.  The early church saw profound mysticism and writings from St. Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, and Hildegard de Bingen.  Modern leaders have been seen in St. Teresa of Calcutta, Dorothy Day, Sarah Coakley, Evelyn Underhill, Barbara Brown Taylor, and Karen Armstrong.  And we currently have amazingly strong female leadership in many Christian denominations including Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, Rev. Traci Blackmon, Rev. Dr. Velda Love, our Area Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Patty Kogut, Rev. Dr. Sarah Drummond, Founding Dean of Andover Newton Seminary at Yale, and the incoming UCC President Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson.  Rhode Island is home to dozens of very gifted women in pastoral and chaplaincy ministries.  I’m sure you can add to this brief list!

The Congregational Church which has merged into the United Church of Christ first Ordained women beginning with Antoinette Brown Blackwell in 1853.  The Church of England Ordained women in March 1994.  The Episcopal church began ordaining women in 1975.  In 1970 the Lutheran Church began ordaining women. The Presbyterian church began female ordinations in 1956.  A list of the timeline can be found on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_women%27s_ordination

Women have been in pastoral ministry throughout history/her-story.  So, why is there so much controversy surrounding the question of women in ministry?  Is there a reason why women are excluded?  Is there an untold story?

Join Rev. Dale and Rev. Racquel as we tell the stories of 11 female leaders through the Women of the Bible Preaching Series this summer.

July 2     Eve – Racquel
July 9     Sarah and Hagar – Dale
July 16   Jochebed and Miriam – Dale
July 23   Deborah – Racquel
July 30   Ruth – Dale
Aug 6    Hannah – Racquel
Aug 13   Esther – Racquel
Aug 20   Mary and Martha – Dale

by Rev. Racquel Ray

Assoc. Minister of Congregational Life

I am not a pacifist. Try as I might to change myself through prayer, worship, contemplation, study, and reflection, I still believe in the value of confrontation and defense when needed. I am not one to ‘turn the other cheek’. I am more of a New England sports fan in the ‘mess around and find out category’. That is to say, I won’t seek out conflict but, if conflict finds me or a loved one or a congregation member or a community member I will engage in the defense of the vulnerable. Every time.

As a nation, we will observe Memorial Day this weekend. Memorial Day is a day of honor and remembrance for those who died in service to this country and those who are counted as Missing in Action. Veterans Day is in honor of those who have served in Military service. Armed Forces Day is for those who are still serving in uniform. Memorial Day is also a time to remember and honor those Veterans who have died in the past year.

Yesterday, I attended the Veterans Administration’s annual Memorial Service at the VA Hospital Chapel. I was reminded of the sacrifices of our local Veteran population and their loved ones and caregivers. I attended to remember George Bolton. Chaplain Rev. Rotunda East read the Roll Call of the deceased, including George. Attendees were invited to come forward as the names were read, light a candle in remembrance, and receive a carnation. I received three carnations. One was for Rose Marie, one was for a friend, and one was for me in memory of my family military service members who have died.

I have several loved ones interred in National Cemeteries across this country. My father-in-law is in Riverside, CA. My father is in Arlington National Cemetery. My grandparents are in Exeter. I have ten family member Veterans in the last two generations and each generation before has at least one.

When Chaplain East read the Roll Call, she reminded the congregation that the tradition of the Roll Call goes back hundreds of years. At each military formation the names of those present are read and each member responds ‘present’ or ‘here’. When Roll Call is read on the battlefield, there is silence following the names of those lost in battle. The silence for the deceased is profoundly visceral; sad, somber, sobering, and memorializing. And, as TAPS is played and the memorial flag is folded and presented in a military funeral, that feeling is re-lived in my body, mind, and spirit each time.

War is hell. There is no question that we would all rather have peace. And many of us in the Christian context have spent our lives trying to attain and maintain peace. And the fact is that war, violence, and conflict remain.

There are those among us who truly are pacifists. Some can truly follow Jesus’s mandate from Matthew 5:38-40, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.” I admire this greatly.

However, I believe in the Thomistic ‘Just War’ morality, and that Christian service calls us to defend the vulnerable. Jesus also calls us to altruistic service. The praxis of altruism is seen in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. John 3:16 is often quoted to illustrate the argument for God’s love. And Matthew 20:8 informs us that Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many”. I am often reminded on Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day of John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” A true altruist will also do the same for their enemies.

Volumes have been written about war and peace. The balance between the two is global and timeless. And that is not an issue I will solve in my lifetime. I can only say that for me, in my Spirit, the Christian mandate to serve even to the point of sacrifice informs my call.

This Memorial Day, remember those who have died in service to this country. Remember the loved ones who are still with us. Remember the Veterans among us who witnessed the hell of war, losing friends, innocence, and peace. And remember that as long as this world still has conflict some of us will be in harm’s way in response to our call to serve, support, and defend the most vulnerable among us. As 1 John 3:16 states, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren”.

by Rev. Racquel Ray

Assoc. Minister of Congregational Life

In October of 2021, I wrote my first blog for Barrington Congregational Church, UCC on the importance of the presence of children within our congregation. That blog began with, “Children’s presence in the community has been acknowledged from Jesus to today. However, at times, the church failed to recognize the importance and contributions of children in its mission. Here at Barrington Congregational Church United Church of Christ, our young folks are integral members of the community. This is in keeping with the Gospel message.” Today, that reality is alive and thriving at our church.

This week’s Youth Group gathering was SO FUN and SO HOLY and SACRED that the joy expressed on Monday night bubbled over into conversations at a Tuesday early morning rowing group, our staff meeting, and church office conversations. The joy from Monday night is still felt throughout the community conversations all the way to today – Thursday! And, I wanted to tell you all about it!

Youth Group meets every Monday night with few exceptions during the church program year which follows the school calendar. When there is no school, there is no Youth Group. We also scheduled a few weeks away around holidays and school breaks to better support kids and their families as they transition back from those vacations. This year we have 28 gatherings.

When I wrote that first blog 18 months ago, we did not have an active Youth Group. Now, we have 17 young people who have cycled in and out, around and through our group. There are usually a dozen or so with us on Monday nights and they have the flexibility to come and go as needed to support theatre rehearsal, cotillion classes, soccer practice, homework, and family schedules. We meet for ONE hour, serve a simple dinner – usually pizza, and we close with a circle of prayer each week.

You may have heard me say that this is an energetic group! They range in ages, gender identities, abilities, and families. As a whole, they can speak several languages, solve the rubics cube in under two minutes, and speed read. There are artists, athletes, actors, and academics in the group. Those with photographic memories and some with audiographic memories. They are neurodiverse and creative. They have older siblings, younger siblings, friends, and families that they bring with them – OFTEN.

Our Youth have been inviting each other to church, inviting their friends to church, inviting their relatives to church, and making sure their parents bring them on Sundays and Mondays. They text each other to see who is coming to church! And some of them share the same classrooms at school – where they now have church peers to count on when they need support.

The Youth Group parents and chaperones have built a community of support around this ministry! They carpool to bring several families’ kids at once. They help clean up. They visit with one another and bring younger siblings – who beg to participate. We now have a ‘Jr. Youth Group’ with several younger siblings joining regularly.

We’ve exhausted our pizza budget! We ran out of crafts! We use all the leftovers from coffee hour, holiday candy, and church events. We play on the playground, play basketball in Fellowship Hall, we use the stage, we use the kitchen, and we run up and down the halls playing various games throughout our meetings. We fill the building with noise, energy and life! I, personally, get in over 6,000 steps on my fitness device in the one hour!

You may have heard me say, “Children are woven into the fabric of our communities whether neighborhoods, schools or churches. As promised through the Baptismal Covenant the church has received children into the body of Christ. Children are not the future of the church. They are the NOW of the church; full and present members of the Body of Christ.”

There is a formula to church growth, to building the Body of Christ, to loving our neighbors. I believe, one part of that success formula is to nurture children, Youth, and families. As these young people grow up, they will be the confirmation candidates, the graduates, and eventually…way down the road, the newlyweds, new parents, and baptismal parents.

This work is HOLY and SACRED, and it’s messy! Loud! It is kinetic and creative. And, church, I’ve got to tell you – it is AMAZING! The church has a unique obligation to children; to acknowledge, accept and accompany young people (and their parents). And that is visible on Monday nights. And this is the work of the Gospel; finding creative, relevant, and impactful ways to centralize our youngest members.

As our program year closes in a few weeks I would like to commend our FFAYM programs to your attention. As our children and youth are vital to our community, we need your support in our Church School and Youth Ministry efforts. Jubilation Sunday on May 21 will celebrate all of these efforts: Church School and all of its teachers, adult chaperones for weekly Youth Group meetings, O.W.L. facilitators, Confirmation Mentors, and the Sing and Celebrate Children’s Choir. Please prayerfully consider whether God is nudging you to help out? Your ministry on behalf of our younger members will be a great gift to our church! Registrations for next year – including adult volunteers – will begin on Jubilation Sunday!

by Rev. Dr. Dale Azevedo,  Sr. Minister

I have to admit it. I was salty. Last Saturday was my birthday and I was required to spend all day at a church training in Connecticut.

You see, I’m a delegate for General Synod.

General Synod is the bi-annual denomination-wide meeting of the United Church of Christ. Every two years clergy and laity from across the country gather to worship, celebrate, and conduct the “business of the church”. This year’s Synod will be held in Indianapolis, IN, from June 30 – July 4. And, yes, I was elected as a delegate attending on behalf of the Rhode Island Association of the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ.

And our training was scheduled for all day on Saturday, April 22.

Shortly after I registered for the training it was announced that those who could not make the training were invited to an online version that would take place at a later date and consist of a two hour Zoom presentation. Why was I spending 6 hours in training while driving over an hour each way ON MY BIRTHDAY when I could easily have chosen the quick and comfortable two hour training from my Lay-Z-Boy? As the day approached I became crankier and crankier about how I was going to spend my “special day.” This was exacerbated by the fact that I had convinced myself that no one in their right mind would sacrifice an entire day by choice and I would be only one of a handful of fools to attend in person. This undermined my primary reason for going, which was getting to know the other delegates from our region.

So, yes, I was salty.

I was also wrong.

Saturday morning I got up early, put on my big-boy pants, and headed out to Connecticut. When I arrived, I was greeted by a room full of people, roughly 72 to be more accurate. 72 of our 99 delegates were committed enough to take a day out of their lives to attend a training in support of their church and its denomination. The training was also very fruitful. Worship was uplifting and meaningful. Presentations were relevant. And I got to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Rarely am I ever so happy to be wrong.

As we get closer to General Synod, I will share more details about the expectations I hold, and after, the experiences I have. General Synod is a big deal. This year we will be discussing 15 different resolutions covering topics from abortion as healthcare to discrimination of native peoples to encouraging a plant-based life. We will also be electing a new General Minister and modifying our by-laws. I have previously attended Synod in 2015 (Cleveland) and 2017 (Baltimore), both times as a visitor. It is a pretty awesome (and at times, boring) experience. It truly helps us to recognize the great differences and similarities we share as a denomination. Worship is often top-notch and the keynote speakers are national names that provoke deep thoughts about the role and nature of the church.

Prior to last Saturday, I was not only regretting my decision to attend the training, but I was also regretting my decision to be a delegate. I was thinking about how difficult it would be to be away from BCCUCC another week and to be away from my family. And for what? To sit in a giant convention center for 12 hours a day listening to reports and contentious debate? No thank you! But attending the training last weekend reawakened by respect for the process and my appreciation for the ~1200 people who will be attending Synod along with me. I now look forward to attending AND to sharing my experiences with you.

Lastly, you may not know this but the SNEUCC is looking for young people to attend Synod as a part of our Youth at Synod delegation. This is an opportunity for 13 to 18 year old UCC youth to join a special youth contingent who will travel together from southern New England to Indianapolis to attend many of the proceedings at the event as well as participate in other wonderful opportunities. Scholarships are available if any of our youth are interested. And while you may not be able to hang out with me the whole week, I promise we’ll cross paths at least a few times and, if I’m allowed, I’ll take you out to dinner while we’re there! Let me know if you are interested!!

So how did I spend my birthday? I spent it hanging out with 72 of my “closest” friends sitting around discussing church polity. And I enjoyed every minute of it!

by Rev. Racquel Ray

Assoc. Minister of Congregational Life

Last week, my colleague wrote that he was troubled; troubled about the realities for LGBTQ+ communities, especially among children and youth. I am also troubled. My heart is heavy for the senseless and violent loss of life in the epidemic of school shootings. Most recently, the tragedy at the Covenant School, a private Presbyterian school co-located with its sponsoring church in Nashville TN on March 27, 2023, has really broken my heart. That same day, there were active shooter threats called in to Barrington High School.

Immediately, as the live news coverage broke on that Monday, some outlets began talking about the types of weapons used, some began discussing legislation, some began with mental health, and others led with the need to ‘harden’ soft targets – like schools and churches – with defensive weapons.

We’ve heard all the arguments about ‘good guys with guns’ stopping ‘bad guys with guns’. We’ve heard the history of the shooters’ family of origin, mental wellness, encounters with law enforcement, and previous encounters within their academic settings. And then, at some point, we hear the 911 calls and watch news coverage of the grief and memorials. We may hear from some family members and how precious their loved ones are – were.

I gathered with our Youth Group that night, Monday March 27. Each week we end our hour together with a prayer circle in the Meditation Room. We light a candle, sit in a big circle (which is growing weekly), and share our joys and concerns within a simple evening prayer liturgy. That night, our Barrington kids were shaken by the school shooting and by the real-time lockdown that occurred at Barrington Schools when the threating calls came in. Authorities later learned that the calls were a hoax, were made to several local schools, and that there was ‘no credible threat’ to our students.

However, I can tell you, our kids were deeply affected. In the building, the lockdown started at a time when kids were transitioning between classes. They all knew that routine lockdown drills occur at pre-planned times when kids are seated in classrooms. This small element of transition added additional chaos to the response. Kids scrambled to find shelter in the classrooms. They barricaded the doors as they have practiced since the historic Columbine shootings in 1999. For students, this was NOT a drill. This was real and carried all of the immediate fear and trauma that a school shooting would. They shared those post-traumatic responses at Youth Group. They were afraid.

A week later, after our kids had some time to process the previous events, they were still affected. As they shared stories, I learned of a student faced with an unthinkable situation. When students barricaded themselves into BHS classrooms, there were still a few kids in the hallways. Our kids had to face the moral trauma of trying to decide if those in the hallways were shooters needing barriers or were they the next victims needing protective entry? These are the same impossible determinations that military members face when determining ‘friend’ or ‘foe’; it’s rooted in split-second judgements and results in life-long moral injury. Kids. On a Monday. In our safe schools. In our great town.

Some of our kids were carrying anger and shame that some of their split-second decision making, of them or their classmates, were based in racial profiling or outward appearance. A kid in the hallway who chose to wear ‘all black’ that day was determined to possibly be the shooter and was not permitted into the safety of the barricaded classroom. Students and teachers will live with those moral injury causing decisions for life.

And, we were fortunate. Our schools did not actually have an armed person on campus. No one, ‘good guy with a gun’ or ‘bad guy with a gun’ was actually shooting. But, I have had to take a second, third, fourth look at my children each morning to memorize their outfits – in case I would have to identify them in the event of an actual shooter. Some kids and I would imagine teachers are not able to return to their classrooms as a normal PTSD response to an abnormal situation.

In Tennessee, the home of the Covenant School, three legislators are facing expulsion from their elected posts in the legislature because they could no longer keep silent about the need to do something about gun violence. Watching the news coverage of their outbursts, shouting and waving signs, I could recall the Palm Sunday Procession, the crowd shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God! Hosanna!” Surely, if these leaders do not cry out, perhaps the stones will?!

Weekly, my co-pastor and I meet to discuss our trajectory as a church. We pray for our congregation. We plan liturgies. We project long-term plans. When we are troubled, as he was last week and I am this week, we share those burdens. And we ask God for direction. Often, with help from the Holy Spirit, we realize that the response falls to us, to Barrington Congregational Church, United Church of Christ. With a spectrum of congregations across our sweet town, we are often the prophetic voice. In partnership with Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman, and our other clergy colleagues, we are often on the precipice of social justice issues.

As a United Church of Christ congregation, we are often called to action. As UCC pastors, we are avowed to our Marks of Ministry and the call to live the love and justice of Jesus. Blessedly, we also have an autonomous choice not to get involved. Morally and Spiritually, I don’t feel as though we actually do have a choice. WE MUST DO SOMETHING!

I’m a veteran. I have carried – and shot – an M-16 weapon. I have seen the destruction from one of these weapons. There are rarely survivors from these weapons because they are specifically designed to be efficiently destructive. I cannot comprehend what these weapons would do to fragile bodies or why we would need them outside of war. I certainly wouldn’t want to see them used in schools or our church – not by attackers or for defense.

As we gather on this solemn day of remembrance, this Maundy Thursday, the day of Holy Week devoted to the re-membering of the Body of Christ, the body broken, the blood spilled, for us, let us remember that what we do for the least of these we also do for Christ, the ONE who freely offered his body and blood, ONCE and FOR ALL, as a perfect sacrifice. Let us remember that we are now the Body of Christ. He has no hands but ours, no feet but ours, no speech but ours, and no voice or vote but ours. Surely, if we don’t cry out for the least of these, creation itself will!

by Rev. Dale Azevedo, Sr. Minister

I Am Troubled

Last night, I went to bed troubled.

I have two rules at bedtime:

1. Don’t look at your church email before going to bed.
2. Don’t read the news before going to bed.

Doing either of these tasks before going to bed rarely, if ever, ends well.

And of course, I periodically break these rules. Last night I broke the latter. I read the news. And the result was predictable. I was deeply upset.

The news item that triggered me was an AP report on Governor DeSantis expanding the Parental Rights in Education Act, which is more commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. That bill greatly restricted schools and educators from discussing sexuality and gender issues with students in kindergarten through third grade. This report indicated that DeSantis is working with the state Board of Education and state Education Department to expand the bill to also cover grades 4-12.

How can schools not cover sexuality and gender issues with teenagers in this day and age when teen suicide and mental health issues are only increasing year over year. Gender and sexuality are, and have always been, at the forefront of teen stress and mental health (even when all those issues were still tightly locked away in the closet).

I don’t understand how such a large portion of our population chooses to deny that queer folk exist and always have. Ostracizing them, despising them, or discriminating against them does nothing to make our society a better, healthier place. It only causes pain, suffering, and historically, violence.

Of course, none of this is new. The news article told me nothing I didn’t already know or haven’t experienced in my life. Humanity is hell bent on alienating and dehumanizing the sections of our own population that are most vulnerable. It is our human condition. It is our sin. This goes for racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, sexism, and anti-immigrant sentiments that are all prevalent in our midst.

What set me off last night wasn’t that this was new. It was my feeling of impotence.

I feel incapable of enacting change, of making a difference. I have spent my life trying to make the world a more loving, more compassionate place. And it’s only gotten worse.

That is why I was so upset last night. I cannot impact what is happening in Florida. I cannot impact what is happening on a national scale. I cannot impact what is happening globally. Now, I know there are those who disagree with that fatalistic attitude, but I wouldn’t have listened to you last night. It all just felt hopeless.

This morning I woke up with a thought. In my fatalism I thought, “I can’t make a difference in the big picture. I’ve been trying my whole life and things are only worse than when I began. I can only impact my immediate sphere of influence. What difference does it make if our church is a safe place for society’s outcasts or downtrodden when the world is still so hostile and violent toward them?” And that’s when it hit me:

Our church IS a safe place for some of society’s more vulnerable people. Our church NEEDS TO BE a safe place in the midst of the harsh and challenging world. If the world isn’t going to change for the better, we need to double-down on our efforts.

Is having rainbow doors outside church enough?

Is having LGBTQ+ leaders and teachers in our congregation enough?

Is using inclusive language and celebrating God’s amazing diversity in our community and with our children enough?

Or is there something more we can be doing to live out our identity as an Open and Affirming congregation? Is there more we can do to alert the broader community that we ARE a safe place for those who feel vulnerable? Is there more we can do to live out this calling MORE FULLY in our actions and not just in our words?

There must be.

And maybe the time is now to do it.

I Am Going to Take Action

This is what I am going to do:

• Last spring Racquel and I discussed starting a support group for parents of trans children. Do you know we have at least 3 families in our church whose children self-identify as part the trans community? Yet somehow 10 months have passed and nothing has happened. Today, I am committing to exploring this idea further and see if there is a healthy and effective way we can move forward in supporting families with trans children.
• Did you know there is only one nonprofit organization in Rhode Island specifically dedicated to meeting the needs of LGBTQIA+ youth? It’s named Youth Pride Inc. Today, I am committing to reaching out to Youth Pride Inc. to see how we might be able to partner in this vital ministry. They have resources and leaders that I (we?) can learn from.
• We don’t have an Open and Affirming Team anymore. That team came together and performed incredible work helping our church grow into being the welcoming church we now are. But they disbanded years ago. Today I am committing to reestablishing an Open and Affirming Team in the church that will seek to explore new ways we can be truly Open and Affirming in our faith community in all the glory that designation stands for. If you are interested in joining me in this endeavor, fire off an email to me.

What does any of this have to do with Jesus?

I almost didn’t write this blog. I had another blog already in mind that focused on our recent explorations into overhauling the governance structure of our church. That one would have been easy to write. This one felt “wrong” because it doesn’t directly focus on Jesus, or faith, or church. It focusses on the lives of LGBTQ+ youth.

But in the end, I decided to go ahead with this blog. Because, to me, this IS at the core of our faith. How many times does God command the Israelites care for the most vulnerable in their midst? More than I can list here. How many times did Jesus stop what he was doing to help those in need or care for someone who was hurting? It is the heart of his ministry! In Bible times, these folks were the disabled, the widows, the children, the sick, the immigrant, the foreigner, and the poor. It’s amazing that 2000-3000 years later these groups are STILL at risk. Only the designation has now grown to include those of different faiths, different skin colors, different sexual orientations, or gender identities. Anyone we can put down, anyone we can count as “other”, anyone we can blame for society’s ills (except ourselves), we demonize and subjugate. God doesn’t stand for that. Jesus wouldn’t accept that. And yet so many do it in His name.

So, in the end, to me this IS a matter of faith. This IS a matter of church, and God, and Jesus. Because it is what God calls us to do.

And so, I will do.

Breaking the Rules

I said at the start that anything good seldom comes from breaking my bedtime rules. It appears I was wrong about that. If I hadn’t broken my rules last night this blog wouldn’t have happened. If I hadn’t opened up the AP app last night, I wouldn’t be taking these actions. But I did. And I am.

So, maybe I was wrong. Maybe something good did come out of breaking the rules. Maybe the Spirit was at work then…and is now…

by Rev. Racquel Ray

Assoc. Minister of Congregational Life

We know the familiar stories of miraculous Biblical healing. God “restored the fortunes of Job and gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10). The prophet Elijah healed the widow’s son.  Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood, the paralytic, the blind man, lepers, demoniacs, and more. Scriptures say, “large crowds came to Him [Jesus], bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them” (Matthew 15:30).

Biblical customs of holiness defined differences between clean and sacred and unclean and profane. Disability was prescribed as profane or unclean and was a result of sinful behavior. The disciples asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind (John 9:2)? Having a disability, such as blindness, was seen as a result of sinful behavior and could be avoided with righteousness. Further, it was understood that the sins of a parent could be seen in the disabilities of the children.

Theologians in the middle ages such as Gregory of Nazianzus claimed that both abled and disabled people had equal portions of the divine image and therefore everyone could be healed. This theology made space for bringing the sick, disabled, and marginalized into the Christian community by creating orphanages, respite homes, and hospitals. However, it also created a dynamic binary of “abled” and “disabled” that has permeated churches and society for hundreds of years.

Spiritual revival in our current generation is well documented. Dennis J Bennett’s book Nine O’Clock in the Morning[i], Healing[ii] by Francis MacNutt, PhD, and The Healing Light[iii] by Agnes Sanford document a season of church revival and Spiritual and miraculous healing. Disability and illness are treated as a problem to be healed. Perhaps the faith of the healed or the faith of the healer were strong enough to merit God’s grace and miracles. Often, when healing doesn’t occur in these instances, perhaps the faith of either party is questionable? The theodicy of God is questioned; ‘why does suffering exist’.

When Christians face illness, we often hear poor theological explanations such as Paul’s encouragement to the church in Corinth. Paul writes, “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also prove the way out so that you may be able to endure it!” (1 Corinthians 10:13). To paraphrase, God will not give us more than we can handle. This also is not helpful to the one who is suffering.

While we love people who identify as differently-abled, but we don’t actually make our church spaces available by being accommodating and accessible. Many churches don’t have accessibility for folks with mobility assistance devices. Think of the elevette in our church. We can offer assistance to church guests but, will it fit a large wheelchair? Can a person with differences turn their wheelchair around in the elevette? Or bathroom? Can church goers access our spaces without assistance? Is our signage clear? Do our automatic doors work?

How about learning differences? Visual impairment? And hearing impairment? Don’t church services assume that folks can sit still for an hour, read, listen, sit and stand as custom prescribes?

Recently, I’ve been confronted with the reality that I have permanent nerve damage from a dental procedure. I’ve been in speech therapy for about two years to work around a profound slur and drooling. A few months ago, I learned that my ability to swallow was also affected. During a recent Communion service, I noticed that I was having trouble swallowing the communion bread. I worked with my healthcare team, Rev. Dale, and our Deacons to figure out an accommodation. We now have a glass of water on the table with the sacred communion elements. After I eat the bread, I will need to take several gulps of water to wash down the bread.

I wasn’t ready to share my disabilities publicly because of the lack of public understanding around disabilities based in millennia of poor theology. However, how many of our members, friend, guests, and family members are experiencing similar challenges?

Rather than ignoring my differences, I have learned to accept them and learned to advocate and accommodate. There are many members of the congregation and community with many forms of differences. With our youth, I refer to them as ‘super-powers’. What does it look like for our congregation to embrace folks with differences? Do we accept water on the Communion table? Do we update our elevette and signage? Do we build on the good work already begun with hearing assistance, large print bulletins, and ramps and doors?

While healing is possible, not everyone is healed. And how we accept, accommodate, and provide access for differences can mean broadening our understanding of opening God’s doors to all. In the case of Jesus and the blind man, “Neither he nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered, “He was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3). May the works of God be visible among us as we learn to accommodate and accept our differences.

[i] (Bennett, 1970)
[ii] (Francis MacNutt, 1974, 1999, 2002)
[iii] (Sanford, 1947, 1972)

by Rev. Dale Azevedo, Sr. Minister

Who celebrates Lent?
Lent is a season in the Christian Year. As such, it is celebrated by Christians. However, not all Christians celebrate Lent. Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics, and many Protestants celebrate Lent. Mainline Protestants (Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and such) are the most likely churches to celebrate lent. Baptists less so. And non-denominational, Pentecostal, or mega-churches, are even more unlikely to recognize the season. These latter communities are less likely to adhere to the Christian year at all (outside of Christmas and Easter), let alone the specific season of Lent.

What is Lent?
As I stated above, Lent is a season in the Christian year. It encompasses the 40 days leading up to Easter. And it is a season of self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and works of charity.

Lent generally begins on Ash Wednesday. I say, “generally,” because in Orthodox traditions Lent begins on Clean Monday. Regardless of when Lent begins, it always lasts 40 days. However, each tradition counts those 40 days differently. In Protestant churches, Lent is the 40 days before Easter, not counting Sundays. In the Catholic Church, Lent is the 40 days before Easter, not counting Holy Week. And in the Orthodox tradition, it is the 40 days from Clean Monday until Good Friday. Of course, this is further complicated when we take into account that the Orthodox church celebrates Easter during a different week than its western counterparts. No wonder we can’t keep all this straight!

When did Lent become a thing?
Lent was not always a season or practice in Christianity. There are references early in Christian history of a time of fasting before Easter. However, these observances were much shorter, lasting either all of, or only a portion of, Holy Week. There are also references to a time of preparation for new initiates into the church in the days or weeks leading up to Easter. However, scholarship in recent years has drawn these references into question. Either way, while it may not have resembled our season of Lent, there does appear to have been some time of personal preparation and spiritual observance in the days leading up to Easter.

The oldest reference to a 40 day fast period prior to Easter is found in the records of the Council of Nicaea (325 C.E.). These references imply that such a practice was already taking place in some communities by this time and not an original decree of the council. Based on other historical records, it is commonly believed that by the end of that century most Christian communities were observing some kind of fast in the 40 days leading up to Easter.

Finally, the word Lent is believed to be derived from the Old English word lecten, which is a reference to the season of spring. It is surmised that since the 40 days of fasting took place during spring in the English speaking world, a shorter version of the word lecten, Lent, eventually became associated with the practice.

Where is Lent practiced?
Lent is practiced wherever Christians are, both globally and personally. There are Christian communities around the world that observe the season of Lent. It may be more rare to find Christians in the far east than here in the west, but they are there. And undoubtedly, some of them celebrate Lent. Individually, Lent can be observed wherever we are. We observe Lent in church, in our homes, and all throughout our daily lives (work, school, running errands, etc.). Lent is not restricted to sacred places or times. Depending on how we celebrate Lent, it can be anywhere and everywhere.

How is Lent observed?
Lent is observed in many ways. As I mentioned earlier it is a season of self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and works of charity. For recent generations there has been a common practice of “giving something up” for Lent. This can be chocolate, cursing, alcohol, etc. This practice serves two purposes. First, it harkens back to the days of fasting for whole meals. When we give something up, we miss it, and that feeling of loss reminds us both of Christ’s suffering and of our desire to draw nearer to God. It serves as a simple and constant reminder to stop, pray, and think of God. Second, giving something up ought to help cleanse us physically or spiritually. We are better people if we give up something that otherwise would drag us down.

However, “giving something up” isn’t the only way to observe Lent. In recent decades I have heard a lot more about people “taking things on,” instead. This can mean taking on a new exercise routine or diet, taking on an act of charity or helping someone out each day, or taking on practice of daily prayer or scripture reading. The options for taking things on are just as endless as the options of giving things up, but the end result is the same: finding an observance for the season that not only helps you grow as a person, but also draws you closer to the God you love.

This leads us to our final question…

Why do we celebrate Lent?
The main purpose of Lent is to deepen our relationship with God. All of the practices we undertake, all of the things we “give up,” all of the observances we “take on,” should all lead us to a closer sense of God with us. God wants nothing more than to live in communion with us. Yet, so much of what we do in life pushes God away. We make poor choices. We neglect ourselves and our neighbors. We chase after false idols. And in the end, we feel bad; physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Lent is about helping us to feel good again, on all these levels. Lent is about renewal and rebirth. Only it acknowledges that before we can feel that, before we can experience that, we first need to prepare ourselves for it. We need to cleanse ourselves, removing so many of the things that drag us down and providing room for the things that lift us up. So if you are struggling this season, or even if you just want to feel even better than you already do, consider observing a holy Lent. Consider making something new a part of your life this season. Consider joining us for worship and seeing what blessings God has to offer. Amen.

by Rev. Racquel Ray

Assoc. Minister of Congregational Life

God is always speaking to us. Sometimes, God’s messages are obvious. And sometimes, God whispers. Often, these messages are incredibly subtle. In a recent conversation with some clergy colleagues, we called them “God Nudges”.

How often have you had a thought to visit someone, or make a phone call and it turned out to be exactly the right thing to do at the exact moment? In ministry, I have often been called to a certain place, person, or event and later came to realize that I happened to be there precisely at the right moment. And, came to realize that it wasn’t me at all but the One who ‘sent’ me. That ‘nudge’ is often God.

This inner voice can be referred to as the Holy Spirit, God, our conscience, intuition, and many other terms. Each person may come to their own understanding of what that gut feeling is – or whom it is. For me, and for many of my colleagues, that Nudge is God. The still-speaking God we often talk about in the UCC is the One who sometimes directs our steps toward others in need – at just the right time.

Recently, a colleague was supporting people in hospice and had the urge to visit them on a particular day. That meant rescheduling the day around the visits which they did. The visits were profound and brought the minister to a place of growth, providing just the right prayer and words, in just the right moment. And, as you may predict, the people passed away within a few days afterwards – at a time when the minister would not have been able to make it.

The nudge – to rearrange the day in order to make the time to make the visit – to do the hard work of ministry in just the right time is easy to ignore. We are often so busy with our lives, schedules, meetings, appointments etc. that we can miss our subtle cues to service. We can be easily pulled away from the subtleties of intuition. We can miss or dismiss the nudge.

Listening to the nudge from God requires our vulnerability and reaching out to others in need exposes both us and the other person. And yet, that is precisely where God asks us to be. We are bare before the other person in sharing that ‘God placed it on my heart to call you’ or ‘God told me you could use a visit’ or ‘You won’t believe this but….’ We often minimize the still small voice of God directing our steps and when we say it out loud to others it seems like we’re revealing a deep secret – “God said…” We also lay bare another’s vulnerability when we know that they need help and we are there to provide it. Further, standing bare before God and vulnerable to others can draw us to profound humility. How awesome is it that God would use us in such a way?!

Often, when asked, “How are you?” people will reply, “I’m fine. How are you.” Rarely will the other person say, “Funny you should ask. I just prayed to God for help. And here you are.” Because, it feels so uncomfortable to admit our vulnerabilities and theirs, we often answer the questions politely. I remember being taught as a child to just answer that I was ‘fine’ because no one really wanted to hear otherwise when I wasn’t.

Can you imagine our community if we each had the ability – including time, intuition, and inclination – to respond to the God Nudges we receive? And can you imagine our responses to others who come to us when we needed them the most? What would our dialogue look like?

Responding to God’s Nudges may come easily for you. Yeah, you! You’ve come to lean on God’s subtleties and have arranged your listening heart to hear from God. That’s awesome! I’d love to hear ALL about it. And maybe, you’re reading this with sighs and eye rolls thinking that God doesn’t talk to people. That’s also awesome and I’d love to hear ALL about it.

For myself, many of my colleagues, and many of you God Nudges are how you measure your day, your week, month, or year. Responding to them and finding ourselves in just the right place at the right time can bring profound joy and the humbling realization that it wasn’t me but the One who sent me all along.