What Is the UCC?
I can't tell you how many times I've been asked what my denomination is; when I respond that it is The United Church of Christ, I am greeted with blank stares. I usually wait a second, then say, "Congregational." The head nods. Aaaah. When I served a church in suburban Boston my elderly aunts would simply say in their matter-of-fact tones, "This is our niece Marlene. She is a Congregational pastor." End of conversation. Okay, so here is my dilemma. I love my denomination and I want people to know what denomination I serve; but I also want to be in conversation with people!! I often lump us in with other mainline denominations - i.e. we're like the Presbyterians or the Methodists. That seems to strike a chord as well. But, why is our "product recognition" so poor?
I think the primary reason is that we are a very young denomination. In fact, June 25th, 1957, is the date that the UCC was born. That makes us only 45 years old this month. When every seminary student has to read the American Christianity Bible by Smith, Handy and Loetscher, we read about the Baptists and Disciples out on the frontier with their "farmer-preachers," and the Methodists with their circuit riders, and then the Presbyterian, Lutherans, Congregationalists and Episcopalians who came to organize parishes and secure pastors. Not until page 589 of a 611-page book do we get introduced to our United Church of Christ.
So it is understandable that we aren't so widely known, but that means we have work to do! In honor of our 45th birthday, I suggest that we all take the opportunity to learn a little bit about our denomination--and then pass what we have learned along to others as the occasion arises. Here are my ideas:
1. For those who are computer literate, log on to www.ucc.org for denominational news or www.ucc.org/ucnews to read the United Church News. Or, check out our new church website at www.uccpasadena.org which has links to wider UCC sites.
2. Pick up a copy of the Introduction to the UCC, a very brief pamphlet that is on the table just outside the church office. It contains a very concise overview of our denomination.
3. Order a copy of the UCC calendar (8½ by 11 inches spiral bound). It contains a lot of info about the UCC, plus the weekly lectionary. Order by calling 800-537-3394.
4. Occasionally ask Nate Lewis about the General Synod that is happening next summer in Minneapolis. Nate is the Moderator of the Synod which meets every two years. We hope to have a group that travels to witness this largest gathering of UCC folks for worship, business and education. Plan to join us and see our wider church in action!
5. Let Jake or myself know if you would like to help us plan an Adult Forum on our UCC Statement of Faith. We read it together last week in worship and it can be found in our hymnal and in the pamphlet Introduction to the UCC.
6. Plan to attend one of our two Association meetings that take place each fall and spring. Look for flyers of the fall meeting at the end of the summer. You will certainly find things about our denomination that you will admire and appreciate.
I'll close by sharing with you two things that I deeply appreciate about the UCC. First, I love the balance between our local church and our wider denomination. We are in a covenantal relationship with one another, which means that we are in relationship with each other, willing to open ourselves to a collaborative partnership. And yet, "the basic unit of the life and organization of the UCC is the Local Church." (The Constitution and Bylaws, p. 3). This means that we at FCC can always make decisions that honor our history and our church's needs--taking stands on issues, calling pastors and leaders, organizing our local church leaders are examples. I appreciate the balance of autonomy and partnership that our denomination affords us.
Secondly, I appreciate the fact that we continue to learn and grow as a denomination--making partnerships and alliances with other denominations, addressing new needs as they arise so that we continue to be a church which honors tradition and contemporary life. We take seriously the words of our Preamble which state that it is "the responsibility of the Church in each generation to make this faith its own in reality of worship, in honesty of thought and statement, and in purity of heart before God." (Ibid., p. 2) That lets me know that as our world changes our denomination will address the new needs that will arise.
I invite you to celebrate the history of the UCC and take this opportunity to learn more about who we are and what we stand for. The next time you are asked, "What Church do you belong to?" you can say, "The United Church of Christ," and then you can go on to tell that person one or two things that you love about your Church.
Rev. Marlene W. Pomeroy
