"...Creating and Renewing the Church..."

Something's happening in our Upstate Region churches these days. More and more of our churches are seeking to creatively address the challenges that face our congregations in our "mainline" relatively more progressive denomination. The challenges of older congregations (and buildings) with aging and dwindling memberships that still desire to be faithful in mission are becoming increasingly pervasive across the UCC. Add to this the increasing challenge of our churches's ability to support qualified pastoral leaders and the stress in our congregations becomes even greater.

So, what's been happening? In short an increasing number of churches are taking a serious inventory of their life and mission and are coming to the conclusion that conducting business as usual is not working. More churches are considering doing ministry and mission differently.

Making Traditional Ministries New

At Plymouth Bethesda, Utica, the congregation has found a new way to renew a dormant outreach ministry of hospitality to the community. Pastor Tom O'Donnell reports that the congregation has entered into a mission covenant with "Kitchens With Missions (KWM), the nation's most comprehensive and most successful food service-base- training and job-placement program." According to its mission statement KWM provides:
1. comprehensive foodservice training, soft skills training, supportive services, targeted job placement and job retention efforts for those who historically have had barriers to employment
2. nutritious meals to disadvantaged and other targeted populations of the community and
3. a program that will eventually lead to self-generated revenues through food-service-based programs.

Doing Shared Ministry

In the Utica/Rome area three congregations are coming together through the leadership of Pastor Ed Townsend in what they are calling the Three Steeples Parish. Consisting of one UCC and two Presbyterian congregations the Parish has already sold one of the Presbyterian church buildings. While maintaining the other Presbyterian facility as a parish hall and mission center, this ecumenical shared ministry meets in the UCC building in Paris.

Plymouth-Bethesda already hosts St. James AME Zion Church in their building. Now negotiations are continuing with the Cornerstone Community Church to share the building. So, on any given Sunday there will be three congregations worshipping (two in the sanctuary and one in the chapel).

In Auburn St. Luke's UCC is moving along steadily and prayerfully with merger plans with Calvary Presbyterian Church. St. Luke's began their search process for a new pastor 3-4 years ago. The Search Committee went through the process of developing a profile, receiving ministerial profiles and interviewing potential candidates. But after an extended time found that it was difficult to find the candidate that they felt the congregation needed in a part-time position.

In the meantime it became clear that there were some other congreations in their neighborhood that were going through some of the same problems. At the urging of their interim pastor, Dick Scheffler, the Search Committee met with me last summer and decided to stop the search and pursue possible cooperative ministry with Calvary. Chances are that the Oneida Association will be able to welcome a new, merged congregation into our fold. Praise God!

In the Groton-McLean area the three churches on which I have reported before in this blog continue their growing "cooperative parish" model of ministry. The churches (Groton Community, Groton City and McLean Community) are worshipping together this summer, alternatelyon a weekly basis in each of the buildings with each pastor preaching in one of the other places. The pastors are in the process of developing more intentional ways to help their congregations to discern the future of the cooperative parish.

Honoring Transition Times

One of the most difficult times in the life of any congregation is the transition time between pastorates. Most churches want to the search process to be over as soon as possible. One problem with this very understandable desire is that this time of Transition is short changed. The new pastor is called and in place before the church gives itself the chance to move beyond the previous pastorate much less to consider fully where God might be leading them and whom God might be wanting to serve them. This has led to some very short-lived pastorates (believe me, I know!).

There are some churches that have decided to discipline themselves against the need to hurry. They are trying to make the most out of the time of transition to take stock of themselves as congregations and develop a new sense of the mission to which God is calling them.

The Search Committee of the Plainville Christian Church UCC was just about done with the church profile. So, they contacted me to meet with them in order to go over this final draft before it would go to the Conference office for distribution. We had a good discussion, I thought. I suggested some changes to the profile. I also asked them some questions about the church's mission, how they were dealing with the leaving of the previous pastor, what kinds of challenges they felt the church had. A couple of days after this meeting I was contacted separately by the chair of the Search Committee, Ken Landon, and the Interim Pastor, Paul Dreyer-Wiberg, both of whom asked for my thoughts on prolonging the interim time in order for the church to discern further about its mission. "God bless you," I said.

First Congregational UCC, Corning and First Congregational UCC, Ithaca have also been in an interim time. Their Presbyterian Interim Pastors David Asbhy (Corning) and Catherine Taylor (Ithaca) have been doing great work in helping their respective congregations to discover anew their sense of mission and to move to a place where they are ready to welcome whomever God will be calling as their new pastors.

In our UCC Statement of Faith we declare our belief that God "bestows upon us the Holy Spirit to create and renew the church of Jesus Christ." Praise God the new flames of the Spirit that are inspiring our congregations!

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

(Thanks to Jenni O'Neill for the "fire" photo taken outside of East London, South Africa during our UCCNY Mission Trip, August, 2006.)