Business and Celebrations at Synod

Sunday and Monday the activity at the Twenty-Sixth General Synod has continued at warp speed.  On Sunday morning our youth slept in a little later than other days and then spent some time checking out downtown Hartford, including the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.  Sunday morning provided an opportunity for Synod folks to fan out across the city to worship in local churches.  Our youth were feeling a little "worshiped out" with a couple of worship experiences a day built into Synod, and so I think they appreciated the down time and the chance to worship only once on Sunday.  After lunch on Sunday we gathered for Community Worship Service in the Hartford Civic Center.  This was one of the centerpiece worship experiences of the Synod and it featured the preaching of the Rev. John Thomas, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ.  The worship included an inspiring mix of musical styles, the sermon from John Thomas, and beautiful liturgical dance.  After a dinner together at a local restaurant we attempted to go to committee meetings around the gay marriage, immigration, and climate change resolutions. However, the rooms were so full that it wasn't feasible to go.  I don't think Synod organizers planned for the large visitor turnout for the committee meetings and thus many of us found ourselves unable to attend.  I was impressed that so many visitors tried to attend committee meetings and I think the interest bodes well for the United Church of Christ.  In the future I hope there will be larger rooms to insure that visitors and assigned delegates will be able to attend committee meetings.  One good thing about striking out on committee meetings was that we were able to watch the final game of the College World Series as Oregon State University won to repeat as NCAA champions. 

Monday was the day when delegates dove into committee meetings and synod visitors fanned out across Hartford to participate in service projects, visit local historical sites, and generally, enjoy Hartford.  We ended up traveling by bus over to see the Hartford homes of Harriet Beecher Stowe, (the writer of Uncle Tom's Cabin) and Mark Twain.  We wandered around the grounds of the two homes and several of us took the tour of Stowe's home where we were once again reminded of the not-so-long ago realities of gender discrimination.  This came to the fore because it was mentioned along the tour that all of Stowe's contracts had to be signed not by her, but by her husband Calvin E. Stowe.  The two sites were very interesting and we could have spent much more time if we had desired.  If you are in Hartford I would recommend visiting Stowe's house and exploring her role in the abolitionist movement while you are here. 

Following our sightseeing we returned to sit in on the afternoon plenary session where the business of the synod was taking place.  I joined my 2030 Clergy Network colleague Emily Goldthwaite-Fries for a speak-out appearance where we spoke about the 2030 concerns about health care issues related to our coverage by the Pension Boards of the United Church of Christ.  We celebrated the recent news that oral contraceptives are now covered under our plan (finally!) and asked for input and support from synod attendees in further addressing issues related to health care that might be of special importance to younger families.  The plenary was alive with discussion about various resolutions and several actions were taken.  Please check out the Resolutions Scorecard for more details on actions taken by the Synod. The afternoon session also included a prophetic message from the Children's Defense Fund's Marian Wright Edelman in which she called upon all people  at the synod to fight for the needs of children, especially in the area of health care.  After a March for Peace around downtown Hartford and a break for dinner we returned for the evening plenary session and the youth and young adult worship which featured our own Chris Rorrer as a part of the interactive sermon event.