Imagine What's Possible. UCC General Synod 2011 - 3

Sunday! Sunday!  Sunday at Synod!  Here are some highlights . . .

• Justice LED:  I spent some time with some other national and regional trainers for the Justice LED (Justice Leaders Engaging and Developing) program.  We had great a great discussion and also encouraged one another as we work to offer local church leader justice training as well as justice advocacy training for other settings of the church.  Interested in more information?  Get in contact with me!
• Communion Flash Mob:  The 2030 Clergy Network organized a simple, playful, welcoming and powerfully moving communion service right in the public area of the convention center.  Excellent.
• Worship:  OK -- confession time.  Worship was wonderful . . . and I also had one of those marvelous church naps during the service.  (You know -- the kind that you just can't seem to stop from beginning?)  I don't think I missed much, but I do remember some powerful words from our preacher, Rev. Laurie Hafner, "We need to stop thinking our ourselves as a dying denomination. We need to start thinking of ourselves as a movement of living water change!"  I also remember the chills I got when Sharon E. Scott sang 'When You Believe."  And I am reasonably sure that Gregory Chestnut, writer of the hymn "We Know that God is Speaking,"  will be getting some requests for permission to use the song in other church settings!  On a less positive note, however, and as a friend of mine noticed, the worship service conspicuously neglected to have many, if any youth or young adult leadership.  We can do better.
• Widening the Welcome:   I mentioned this movement yesterday, too.  I spent more time with some fellow WtW organizers. Please consider learning more about this movement.  Please consider coming to our second national event in September.  Join the movement:  Widening the Welcome.
• Local Church Ministries (LCM) Banquet:  We sang.  We laughed. We heard inspirational stories.  We ate great food!  Marcia McFee, our song and imagination leader, crowd surfed!  And I made some new friends and got to know other friends better.  Great banquet.

I think tomorrow is July 4th.  Business stuff begins at 8:30 am.  Fireworks to follow?