A final piece on General Synod 26. We were pleased and honored to enjoy our growing relationships with sister and brother Christians from Germany and southern Africa.
As reported in the first posting from Hartford, the New York Conference and the German Protestant Church of Hesse and Nassau officially entered into a covenant partnership agreement at our annual meeting on June 22. The delegation from our partner church in Germany remained in Hartford, however, for General Synod.
On Sunday, June 24, the German delegation met with staff and other leaders of the Conference to discuss plans for future ecumenical engagement. We have a tentative plan to send a delegation of New Yorkers to Germany in the spring of 2008. Plans are also in the making either for an exchange of youth delegates or a combined New York/Germany youth mission trip to southern Africa (or both) in 2009.
Besides these official meetings, it was good to meet up with various members of the German delegation in our travels in and around Synod. My wife Susan and I joined up with J.K. Boodley (from Ithaca) and Walter from Germany for lunch on the last day of Synod. Walter (on the left in this photo of our meeting with the delegation on Sunday) was about to join the rest of the delegation from Germany on their trip back home. But we enjoyed an hour over lunch to become acquainted.
Along with two other UCC Conferences, New York help to support the visit of the Revs. Prince and Cheryl Dibeela to Synod. Cheryl is the Mission Coordinator for the Council on World Missions (of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches) for southern Africa. Prince is the General Secretary of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa. It was a pleasure to meet these two wonderful church leaders.
The Dibeelas joined the New York Synod delegation for our early morning caucus on Monday, June 25. There was great interest among the delegates of their ministries. Bonnie Bates, pastor of our church in Madrid and convenor of the Conference Commission on the Global Church, and I accompanied them to observe the deliberations of the Synod Committee that was dealing with Immigration Reform. Part of their interest in visiting Synod was to learn the process that we use in our decision-making.
Bonnie and I (actually, the Commission on the Global Church) also hosted a luncheon with the Dibeelas, Conference staff and a few other leaders. (Prince and Cheryl are in the front row on the right, standing on either side of Claudette Spence.) This was one of the highlights of Synod for me. It was great to sit back and watch the quickly developed free flow of conversation about a wide range of topics.
Following up on the Conference Mission trip to Southern Africa in 2006, the Commission hopes to develop an ongoing relationship with the United Congregational Church of Southeran Africa and with our missionaries who work with the UCCSA. We are currently in the process of officially signing onto a missionary partnership with Dawn and Jon Barnes, missionaries living in East London, South Africa.
And finally, any report of General Synod 26 would be incomplete without mention of the volunteers from the churches of the Connecticut Conference that made our experience so comfortable and welcoming. Over 1,000 volunteers worked to welcome and guide us around the Hartford Civic Center and the city of Hartford. Not only that, but thousands more across the state provided cookies for us!
Now it's a tradition that the host conference provides cookies for delegates and visitors to Synod. (Except at Columbus, Ohio in 1997 when the Ohio Conference provided "Buckeyes", a devilish chocolate treat!) But the folks from Connecticut provided us with over 14,000 dozen cookies. Connecticut Conference Minister, Davida Foy Crabtree, estimated that that meant there were 2 dozen cookies per person at Synod! Thanks Connecticut Conference! (I feel lucky to have only gained 3 pounds are Synod. Probably, 2.5 of them were from the cookies, I'm sure!)
Blessings,
Rick Cowles
The New York Conference UCC
Monday, July 2, 2007
"Germans, Africans and Volunteers" (Let It Shine, Four)
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3 comments:
Hi Rick,
Your commentary about the Synod and Annual Meeting has been received with it's many blessings and a grateful heart. I could not go this year and your thoughtfulness in bringing your experiences and photos have been great ...and I didn't gain any weight at all!
I miss the music experienced at this kind of meeting ...so much more than just what John Wesley wrote. Could you please comment on what you experienced with the music this year?
Shalom,
Dolores Hemming
UCCNY Recognized Lay Minister
Delores,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, the music is almost always a treat at Synod. This year was no exception. The highlights for me were the American Youth Orchestra that appeared on the Hartford Civic Center stage just before Barak Obama. That meant that the children and youth in the orchestra (ranging in ages from 10-17) had a very full house. And, did they play! One of the pieces was a violin concerto with a 17 year-old soloist...phenomenal. Over 10,000 people jumped to their feet with cheers and applause when they were done.
Another musical highlight was the work of composer/performer Ken Medema. His specialty is composing musical responses speakers and other happenings at meetings like the UCC General Synod. His response to Marian Wright Edelman's speech was inspired, profound and challening (besides musically beautiful). By the end we were all joining in with "Stand up for the children!" on the last chorus.
Rick Cowles
Hi Delores,
The music was integral to many services and events. In addition to the two outstanding examples from Rick, some of my musical highlights were: Rachel Barton Pine, internationally known concert violinist; the Civic Center "congregation" singing in harmony the hymns of the Sunday afternoon processional; Kim and Reggie Harris offering and leading songs throughout two days between other events; Voices of the Pacific, Samoan Choir, combined from the Samoan UCC churches in Southern California/Nevada Conference; several different jazz and brass ensemble bands;
and the Femina Melodia Drummers.
It was thrilling to take part in singing with thousands of singers during many of the services or programs. We are truly a multicultural and multiracial church!
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