Highlights from the State and National UCC
In wake of ‘Steeples’ announcement, Stillspeaking hearing enthusiastic responsesWritten by staff reports
July 11, 2008
The UCC's Stillspeaking Ministry is receiving favorable feedback to an announcement on June 10 that it plans to return to the airwaves in September with the heartwarming "Steeples" ad, if donations from individuals and churches will make it possible.
"Having viewed the ad, I think it sends a wonderful, positive message… excellent PR work," emailed Hans Bader, a member of Trinity UCC in Waynewboro, PA. "I will definitely contribute to have this ad come to fruition."
The Rev. Paul Whitmore, senior minister of Southport Congregational UCC in Connecticut, said he affirmed the decision to air a "positive, non-controversial ad."
"Thank you," he wrote. "We could use more of these [ads]."
The Rev. Ron Ruggles, pastor of Zion UCC in Central City, Ill., and St. Peter UCC in Centralia, Ill., said he welcomed the news. "This announcement comes just in time for me to present the ad to both of my church councils and see if we can generate some support," he said.
The Rev. Felix Carrion, Stillspeaking coordinator, said the responses have been enthusiastic, and he is confident that the denomination's widespread support will be validated by fundraising efforts, which were launched yesterday and will continue over the next two months.
"This effort is going to require the commitment of every church, every member, if we are going to raise sufficient money to saturate the public with our message of God's love for 'all the people,'" Carrion said.
Contribute to the fundraising effort.
Conference Extends Invitation to Fall Annual Meeting: Oct. 17-18 in Bridgeport
HARTFORD -- The Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ has issued an invitation to the Fall Session of the 141st Annual Meeting, which will be held October 17-18, 2008, at Central High School in Bridgeport. The theme of the meeting is "Nurturing Generosity." 06/13/2008
http://www.ctconfucc.org/news.php?story=606
Thomas to Bush: 'Not in My Name Will You Justify Torture'
by J. Bennett Guess
United Church of Christ Press Release
CLEVELAND (06/27/2008) "Today I join many in saying to my President, 'not in my name,'" said the Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, in a widely covered news conference held on June 25, 2008. "Not in my name will you justify torture and allow it to be used."
As a representative of the UCC's national setting, Thomas is part of a diverse coalition of 200 high-profile religious leaders, government officials and military officers who are calling on President Bush to ban torture.
Thomas spoke to multiple reporters from national media outlets, as did the Rev. David P. Gushee, president, Evangelicals for Human Rights; Alberto Mora, former general counsel to the U.S. Navy; Retired General Paul J. Kern, who led the internal Army investigation of abuses at Abu Ghraib; and Douglas A. Johnson, executive director of the Center for Victims of Torture.
"To call for an end to torture is not to be naïve about the very real threats we face," Thomas told reporters. "It is, however, to attest to the truth that no threat is so great as to justify our surrendering the most central values of what it means to be a Christian."
The bipartisan, interfaith coalition includes former national security and defense officials from the Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Clinton and both Bush Administrations, as well as leaders from Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths.
The leaders' call coincides with ongoing debate over U.S. treatment of prisoners and comes on the heels of a Supreme Court decision upholding the right of habeas corpus for detainees at Guantánamo.
The group's statement calls for the President to adopt an executive order affirming principles including legislative and judicial oversight of detention and interrogation of prisoners, as well as an end to waterboarding and other practices generally held unacceptable by the international community.
"Though we come from a variety of backgrounds and walks of life, we agree that the use of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment against prisoners is immoral, unwise, and un-American," the statement reads. "Our President must lead us by our core principles. We must be better than our enemies, and our treatment of prisoners captured in the battle against terrorism must reflect our character and values as Americans."
Delegates to the Connecticut Conference's 2006 Annual Meeting overwhelming voted a resolution "To Abolish Torture Now -- Without Exceptions." More recently, the six Conference Minister in New England issued a Pastoral Letter calling for the abolition of torture.
The complete text of Thomas' remarks follows:
I am the Rev. John H. Thomas. I am the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ and it is my honor to be a signatory to the "Declaration of Principles for a Presidential Order On Prisoner Treatment, Torture and Cruelty." Torture is an issue of deep importance to military leaders and to all who are concerned with insuring national security. But, at its heart, torture is a moral issue. Christians believe that all people, by the very fact of their creation, are endowed with the image of God, a source of dignity and worth that cannot be erased by thoughts or behaviors, no matter how reprehensible or dangerous. Just as my colleagues today will tell you that torture cannot be justified on strategic grounds, I tell you that torture cannot be justified on moral grounds, for it so demeans, so diminishes, and so denies the presence of God's image in a person as to be a violation of the very intention of our Creator.
We do live in a dangerous world. Those who would injure the vulnerable, those who would attack the innocent, do need to be restrained, brought to justice, and punished. To call for an end to torture is not to be naïve about the very real threats we face. It is, however, to attest to the truth that no threat is so great as to justify our surrendering the most central values of what it means to be a Christian. My faith teaches me that human life is sacred, even if that life is embodied in a person who considers him or herself to be my enemy. Such a faith challenges me to see the sacred even in the face of the enemy, to honor the integrity of God's image even when the person who bears it is threatening to me. Today I join many in saying to my President, "not in my name." Not in my name will you justify torture and allow it to be used.
I speak today not only as a church leader. I also speak as the father of a son currently serving with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan. With parents across the country I worry about my son's safety, and am deeply concerned when the use of torture by the United States could be used as justification for the use of torture against him or his fellow soldiers. Even more, however, do I fear how policies of our own government on the use of torture could place him not just in physical peril, but also in moral peril, making him complicit in acts violating his own faith.
As a citizen of the United States, it is shameful to live in a country that refuses to categorically ban torture. As a Christian, I am compelled to speak out against anything that denies and disgraces the integrity of the divine image planted within each human being. As a father, I plea for a ban that will help protect the physical safety of our children and, even more, that will protect them from agonizing and impossible moral choices. It is time to say, “not in our name.” It is time to ban torture.
Clergy and Lay Leaders Tackle Universal Health Care
by Ken Esposito
KILLINGLY (06/01/2008) -- On April 13th, people attending an Educational Forum in Killingly, Connecticut heard President Robert Smanik of Day Kimball Hospital say “our health care system doesn’t just need tweaking or improvements. The system is broken!” Furthermore, he declared we need a “popular uprising” to allow major changes to bring adequate medical attention to Connecticut residents. Many others agreed. The event was chaired by Rev. Alice O’Donovan, sponsored by two local Interfaith Ministries Associations and organized with the help of local UCC clergy.
Eleven days later, over 30 parishioners and residents of the Coventry community heard similar statements from the president of Windham Community Memorial Hospital and from a local doctor. They were attending a community forum held at First Congregational Church of Coventry and sponsored by the Coventry Clergy Association. Afterwards, Rev. Bruce Johnson, who was instrumental in organizing the forum, called it informational and very motivating.
On, April 27th, 45 people from nine congregations in the greater Hamden region came together at a “Health Care 4 All Potluck,” spearheaded by leaders from Spring Glen Church. They shared food, discussed the health care crisis, and planned future actions to involve more people in creating an affordable health care system for Connecticut.
Since January, eleven other UCC affiliated congregations have hosted educational forums attended by hundreds of parishioners. At these forums, people talked about their values and shared stories about their own experiences. Like the fellow parishioner whose family member, even though he had health insurance, had to sell his house in order to continue paying for chemotherapy treatments once he had reached his lifetime limit. Or the small businessperson who struggles to offer employees health care benefits and not go out of business. Or the family doctor who has not given himself or his staff a raise in three years because of rising costs and decreasing reimbursements. They also shared their vision about a health care system that reflects their values - one that would provide affordable, quality care for all. And, after hearing of the opportunities and actions they personally could take to create change, many committed to make this vision a reality. Other congregations are planning future educational forums, either as 2nd hour events or joining together with other congregations to sponsor evening or Sunday afternoon sessions.
Ken Esposito, Congregational Organizer for the Christian Activities Council, Universal Health Care Initiative, is available to help congregations interested in learning more about this issue or organizing and participating in forums. He can be contacted at 230.994.3366 or espositoww@earthlink.net.
Our Korean Partnership:
Sacred Journey 2008 Comes to Connecticut!
July 24 – August 7
SHARON (06/01/2008) -- Every two years, the Conference’s Korean Partnership Committee and our covenanted church partners in South Korea have an opportunity to visit with one another. This summer, it is our privilege to host a delegation of youth and adults from the Kyung-Ki Presbytery who will come to the Connecticut Conference to visit their partner congregations.
Play a part in welcoming this year’s visitors from South Korea, as we broaden understanding and appreciation for each other’s culture and faith traditions. Our guests will:
- stay with host families from partner churches,
- attend Silver Lake Conference Center, and
- do some touring of the summer sites and attractions of Connecticut.
Youth who will be entering 9th-12th grade can sign up for Silver Lake’s Sacred Journey conference, July 27-August 2. The conference co-dean is the Rev. Gordon Rankin, a Sacred Journey veteran with years of experience with the Partnership Committee. Sign up at www.silverlakect.org.
For more information about Sacred Journey, please contact codean, the Rev. Chang Ho Jun, at 860.487.3534 or 860.690.0472; or changhojun@sbcglobal.net; or Jim Morgan at 860.761.7123, or jimm@ctucc.org.
God is still speaking, ®
For more information, follow the link to the UCC website: http://www.ctconfucc.org/index2.php
