Who are We - The 1st Congregational UCC of Gaylord

(Based on Mt 5:14-16, Mt 13:24-30a, and Mt 25:31ff – 4/17/16)

Last week, we considered this crucial question of who am I? Who are you? We looked at it from an individual perspective and concluded that we are children of God – all of us, and all people everywhere – period. As I John 3 puts it: “See what love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!”

            This week, we turn to the corporate dimension of our identity. Today I want to explore who WE are, as the 1^st Congregational UCC Church of Gaylord. What is the particular and unique identity of this congregation, and how can we learn from and be guided by that identity? I want to approach this question by telling a few stories – true stories - of some incredible things that have actually happened right here in my seven months with you – identifying things! So who are we? Let’s look at this important question in three Acts.      

                                    ACT I - WE HELP PEOPLE IN NEED

            Act I. Scene 1 – Over in the Parish Hall… A homeless woman in her 60’s came by at about 8 in the morning. She had all of her earthly possessions in two garbage bags and a box. She had been at the Refuge the last couple nights, but needed a shelter option that was a bit more long-term for her. When our secretary Karla Hawkins arrived, she invited the woman in and asked her if she’d like a cup of hot coffee. She did and Karla made her one and then sat down and shared a cup of coffee with her. The woman explained to Karla that two very nice women over at the Refuge told her they would pick her up here and drive her all the way up to the Mary Margaret House – a 90-day shelter for homeless women up in Petoskey, about an hour’s drive each way. Before long, as promised, two gals from our church pulled up, loaded this woman with all her stuff in their car, and drove her up to get settled at the Mary Margaret House.

           

Act I. Scene 2 – Also at the Parish Hall… Two of our adult members – one male and the other female – sat at a table on a Tuesday afternoon with a high school aged girl with dyed blue hair. She had a baseball hat cocked sideways on her head and wore a hooded sweatshirt that was several sizes too big for her. They were all staring back and forth between a laptop and a math book. It seems they were struggling through some Algebra II problems. As I passed through the room, they asked me for some assistance on a particular group of problems and found that I was no help at all. So they labored on together. This scene, by the way, happened over and over again, as volunteers from this congregation were committed to helping this young high school dropout get her GED. They would not stop until she had it!

           

Act I. Scene 3 – At the Parish Hall. It was a Friday evening, and a crew from our church was working with some folks from a downtown business preparing a meal. The preparations began at about 3:30 in the afternoon. Some cleaned and then set tables, while others labored over the stove. At about 4:45, a steady stream of people came in. It was a colorful crew of guests. Some were homeless, some weren’t. Some were completely on their own; others were couples or even families. Some were black and some were white. Some were there to relieve their hunger; others to relieve their loneliness. At 5:00 sharp, Tony Dockery-Fobar welcomed everyone and led them in prayer. Then table-by-table, the guests came forward to receive a lovingly prepared, balanced meal. Later, the leftover food was distributed to any guests who wanted more.

            Who are we? We are, most definitely, a church who helps local people in need.

            ACT II – WE ARE A CHURCH THAT ASKS TOUGH QUESTIONS

Act II. Scene 1 – The pastor’s office… Back in October and early November, I preached a sermon series entitled “What Christianity Can Learn from Other Religions.” We spent a week each on Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam. I tried to honor each faith and celebrate its contributions to the world. Now, as you might imagine, in the current political climate, not everybody was pleased with my positive treatment of other religions in general and of Islam in particular. So one day, that following week, I welcomed a church member into my office, who questioned me – seriously, pointedly, and respectfully. We talked – well, mostly he talked and I listened for over an hour. It was a great conversation. It helped me, and I trust it helped him too.

Act II. Scene 2 – On any Tuesday during Lent, from noon to one p.m., our parish hall was filled with anywhere from 20-30 people, at least five of whom were either from other churches or from no church at all. That group, in addition to digging into some wonderful soup and bread, also dug into the scriptures, asking some incredibly challenging questions. What if “original sin” is not the only way to understand our origin? What if Jesus didn’t come merely to “die for our sins”? Could he have had a larger or different purpose? What if heaven and hell and the traditional understandings of them - are more distortions of God’s truth than manifestations of it? We didn’t always agree or reach consensus during these sessions, but we were always civil. We listened to each other, we raised additional questions, and we knew that our friendships with one another were far more important that a forced uniformity of belief.

Act II. Scene 3 – This one happened just last week, and it’s going to happen again later this morning, and every Sunday after coffee hour for the foreseeable future. Over at the northwest corner of the Parish Hall, about 12-13 folks entered into a discussion about the morning sermon. People shared what they were thinking during the sermon, what memories or ideas came up in them. Some shared tough struggles they were having trying to see others as children of God. “What about the members of ISIS and other terrorists who would harm others? Are we supposed to consider them children of God too?” “What about family members who continually mistreat us or even abuse us?” “What does drug or alcohol abuse do to someone’s child of God status?” Again, we didn’t all agree or see these complicated issues in the exact same way. But we sure were willing to roll up our sleeves and ask the tough questions together – always together.

            Who are we? We are, most definitely, a church that celebrates questions even more than answers.

           

            ACT III. WE ARE A CHURCH THAT OPENS OUR DOORS TO             EVERYONE – PERIOD.

Act III. Scene 1 – For almost two full years before I came here, this congregation undertook a very difficult but vital process. You worked through the United Church of Christ’s process to become an Open and Affirming Congregation. This “ONA” process, as it’s called, is an incredibly challenging one, but it’s particularly difficult in a small town like Gaylord, Michigan – a town that is almost exclusively white and known for being very conservative politically and theologically. This congregation took on this process, entered it faithfully, saw it through with the full knowledge that you would probably lose some members – which you did. And we will probably lose a few more. I have called upon and visited with several of the people who left this congregation over the ONA decision. I have listened to their opinions and understood them. But I have not tried to talk them out of their opinions nor talk them into coming back. Becoming an open and affirming church was absolutely the right thing for this particular congregation to do. Being as open as we are is not for everyone, and it’s clearly not for every church. But it IS an accurate reflection of who WE are and of what God has put US here in this town to be and to do.

Act III. Scene 2 – (right here in this sanctuary) – Every once in a while, we have a young man who shows up here to worship with us. When the weather is good enough, he often rides up to the door on a bright pink bike. He’s usually late. He can’t read, so we’ve gradually learned that it’s not a good idea to hand him a bulletin when he comes, for that makes him feel insecure, like he doesn’t belong. He feels that way in far too many other places in his life, so we don’t want him to feel that here. He has a really hard time sitting still, so he rarely sits through an entire service, and, yes, he can be a little distracting at times. He struggles with mental illness, but he’s not dangerous and poses no threat. When you ask him his name, he might say “Mike” one Sunday, and he might say “Fred” the next. I’ve even heard him say he doesn’t have a name. So many of us have learned to just say, “I’m glad you’re here! It’s good to see you!” He loves coffee hour and cookie time, and he’s a regular at the Friday evening community meal. But what’s most important is that he’s always welcome here, whatever his name is, and I like that!

            We are a church that welcomes all people – period.

            So who are we? We are a congregation that takes care of people in need, that asks tough questions as we wrestle with traditional theology, and that intentionally welcomes all people, no matter what problems or challenges being so inclusive may present. We have chosen to live as an unweeded garden, and while that’s a challenging way to live at times, it’s definitely the right choice for us. It’s not easy to describe our amazing little community to others. But it’s time we started to try, because we have something truly special here.

            Now some of you have wondered why we have to broadcast or advertise the fact that we are an Open and Affirming Church. Why do we have to put it front and center on our website or put up signs and certificates about it.” I think the answer to that is two-fold. First, we need to do that so that the very LGBT people who have been ostracized, excluded, and kicked out of basically every other religious organization, will know that they’ll be welcomed here. They won’t have to risk yet another rejection, walking into yet another unknown, unidentified church that might mistreat them! The other reason is that there are so many younger generation people and millennials who have written off all churches, often because of how closed most American churches are to people with any sort of differences or alternative backgrounds. Since the vast, vast majority of churches have taken such a negative stand toward our LGBT brothers and sisters, we don’t want anyone assuming that we have taken the same stand. Jesus said that we shouldn’t hide our light under a bushel, but rather put it on a stand. A big part of our light, of what we offer to the world, is our openness to people who have been rejected by other Christian communities.

            As many of you know, I’ve been taking a class for the last 13 weeks about the UCC. One of the most memorable lectures was from the pastor of an incredible UCC congregation in Montclair, NJ. She made the following statement that I think really applies to us. She said, “Far too many progressive churches hide the fact that they are progressive and open, and they do this because they are afraid to lose members. So they try and keep everybody happy.” The pastor continued, “We made that same mistake, especially when our membership numbers fell to their lowest level in years, because we felt we couldn’t afford to lose any more people. But what really helped our church turn the corner and grow was when we flew our rainbow flag, when we broadcast that we were open and affirming, and when we let it be known that we were asking the questions that everybody else was running away from. Sure we lost some members; but we gained far, far more when we celebrated our identity as a progressive church instead of trying to hide it.”

            Folks, the last thing the city of Gaylord needs is another milk-toasty, middle of the road, don’t-rock-the-boat kind of church. This morning we have reaffirmed and celebrated who we are – a church who cares about and serves those in need – a church that asks and wrestles with the theological questions that other churches just blindly accept – and a church that genuinely wants to welcome everybody, because we know that diversity will make us stronger. We are a beautiful, unweeded garden.

            I am so proud to be a part of this little but growing church. Are you? Then let’s get out there and tell people who we are and the amazing things that are happening at The First Congregational UCC Church of Gaylord, Michigan. Thanks be to God. Amen.