Scarsdale Congregational Church

Persons from the churches of the Westchester/Rockland District of the Metropolitan Association, UCC, gathered in our sanctuary at 4 PM on Sunday, September 17, 2000, to meet and welcome Rev. Geoffrey Black, newly-elected Conference Minister for the New York Conference, UCC. An informal reception following the service provided time for fellowship, as pictured here.

Rev. Jane Ann Groom, Interim Regional Conference Minister of the Metropolitan Association, UCC, introduced Rev. Black by reminding us of the fairy tales in which a handsome prince was turned into a frog who could not be transformed back to his "real self" until kissed by a trusting soul, usually a beautiful princess. She described Rev. Black as a Frog Kisser, a person who can bring about transformation.

Rev. Black asked us to consider the various setting of The Church and the interdependence of these setting:

• The local church - the fundamental setting in the United Church of Christ.
• The district - where we begin to see the opportunities to work together.
• The association and the conference.
• The national setting.

He suggested that we consider these settings on a flat plane, not in a hierarchy. And on that plane, each setting

• Speaks to each other setting.
• Hears each other setting.
• Influences and is influenced by each other setting.
• Supports and is supported by each other setting.

He noted that the afternoon's offering is going to "Food Patch of Westchester", an example of how churches working together in mission can be even more powerful than can be an individual congregation.

Rev. Black reminded us of the reading from John 17:20-21 where Jesus says, I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so the world may believe that you have sent me.

He believes this is a directive to participate in the ecumenical settings, as well.

Recalling a conversation with a man who had started his ministry soon after World War II, when "all you had to do was hang up a sign and the pews were filled," Rev. Black said, "Things have changed drastically. We must now be creative and energetic to proclaim the Gospel whose message is transforming lives."

Rev. Black said we must create and proclaim church as a place where race, gender and sexual orientation are not distinctions that matter, for these are not differentiations in God's sight. "We must be on a mission of reconciliation in this society where we are often on the brink of violence over race and sexual orientation," he urged. "We need a community of faith to witness to another way".

He told of his work with the Council of Health and Human Service Ministries (CHHSM) of the United Church of Christ at a time when CHHSM asked its member agencies to investigate their origins as groups affiliated with the United Church of Christ, ministering to the elderly, to children, to the disabled. Almost without exception, the groups learned they had been founded by religious persons who believed that God cares for people, and thus we must do likewise.

He said the tradition of helping others is also found in church formation, where most churches have been founded with significant help from other churches.

Rev. Black said he sought to be the Conference Minister in New York because this is a unique opportunity where he is the first of an entirely new staff whose mission it is to envigorate and inspire local churches. One of the challenges is to help churches find leadership.

He asked us to consider our support of the New York Conference in the context of our responsibility to Jesus That They All Be One, support that is responding to God's call to transform the lives of God's children

• Wherever they are.
• Whoever they are.

In the question and answer time that followed, the first question was whether Rev. Black had found anything that particularly caught his attention as he returned to the state of New York.

Rev. Black said he is acutely aware of how big is the state of New York. And until the new Conference Staff is in place, it is his responsibility to cover "the whole big state".

He said the conference is vibrant and healthy, in spite of the complaints we sometimes lodge. It has over 300 churches, over 60% of which are "small". It also has large, city churches whose pews are empty and whose endowments are withering under the burden of caring for these facilities. "But we'll figure out what to do," he said confidently.

John Werner, Chair of the Deer Hill Conference Center Board, said, "I can't miss this opportunity to tell Rev. Black that after ten years of operation, Deer Hill is about to be in the black."

Rev. Black recalled that Deer Hill had been managed by the Metro Assocation until "John and others" came up with a new way of thinking about this facility, made it into its own not-for-profit corporation, and demonstrated what can be done with

• A different way of thinking.
• Passion.
• Vision.

"What do you see as the future of the relationship between the Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ in the New York Conference?" was the next question.

Rev. Black was candid in his comments and assessment. He said the Disciples' region of which New York is a part has moved its offices from New York to Pennsylvania. The staff of the region is stretched very thin, and the distances make cooperation even more difficult.

He said that the United Church of Christ is an Open and Affirming denomination. The Disciples are having a very difficult internal struggle on the subject of sexual orientation. Their internal difficulties make it hard to have easy relations with the UCC, though the 2000 joint meeting of the New York Conference and the Disciples' Region "went relatively smoothly", unlike a painful meeting four years ago. "I think it will be awhile, but we need to be prayerful and open to cooperation," he concluded.

"Are there plans to sharpen our theological identity?" was the fourth question.

Rev. Black said he believes we should be clear about our identity as a multi-racial, multi-cultural church, even though it is more "comfortable" to be a monolithic church. He noted that African American churches that are monolithic are "growing by leaps and bounds". He also noted that the Unitarians are growing as they become increasingly clear about who they are. "I believe people are looking for diversity; we need to be clear about this goal, and I believe the goal is good."

He further observed, "we represent theological dialogue".

Another person asked for a personal conversation with Rev. Black, which he agreed to create. This person is concerned about the difficulties children have in expressing their spiritual life in prayer, in a code of ethics, in "anything spiritual".

Rev. Black said that parents need to be clear with their children about spirituality. They need to talk spirituality, they need to pray with them. When they do this, children will understand that it is OK to pray any place, any time.

Rev. Black was asked what he plans to do about the crisis in pastoral leadership.

He said much of the problem starts with us as parents who don't help our children see a call to the ministry as a legitimate life work, citing it as too uncertain, too low in pay. He said one of the results of this is that most of the people now going into the ministry are doing it as a second career.

Another person said that the diversity of the conference and association meetings and worship is very inspiring. This prompted Rev. Black to report he and the Conference Annual Meeting Planning Committee are seeking to have the June 2001 Annual Meeting in Rochester be a time of worship, fellowship and learning, rather than "three-fourths business meetings, as has been the tradition for twenty years." He concluded his question and answer time with an invitation to all, clergy and lay, to share in this time together in Rochester.