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| Michael Ciba |
I’ve told many folks in Connecticut that my encounter with the United Church of Christ began in 1982, when the wife of the pastor of the church just up the street knocked on our door on a hot July evening. She welcomed us to the neighborhood and invited us to church and the rest, as they say, is history. In the 25 years since that encounter, I’ve learned much from churches that we have been a part of:
From St. John’s United Church of Christ in Bensenville, Illinois, I learned how a small, aging community could become a surrogate family to a couple in their twenties and their two small children, a thousand miles away from their families of origin.
From Southwood United Church of Christ in Raytown, Missouri, I learned how a local church can encourage adults to grow in faith, use their gifts in God’s service, and, occasionally, discover a call to ordained ministry.
From St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in St. Paul, Minnesota, I learned how a “big” church can open its doors and its heart to walk with a student through seminary and ordination.
From Gustavus Federated Church in Gustavus, Ohio, I learned how a church in a rural community can involve people from different generations in mission and ministry.
From Mill Plain Union Church in Waterbury, Connecticut, I learned how a diverse community of city-dwellers and suburbanites can discover how to use their individual gifts in the service of the community.
From the 45 churches of the Valley Northwest Region I’ve learned many of these same things, and much more. I’ve learned how churches and pastors can challenge each other to greater faithfulness in the service of Jesus Christ, and how the collective wisdom of a community gathered in the spirit can build on the strengths of individual members and overcome limited perspectives.
I’ve learned to appreciate the remarkable testimony of communities of faith gathering week after week to hear God’s word, to praise God, and to share in the sacraments of the font and the table. I’ve learned how tough times can call forth hope rather than despair in people of faith. And I’ve learned that churches appreciate their relationships with other churches, their association, the Conference, and the national church.
In the Gospels, those who follow Jesus are often referred to as “disciples,” a word that means “learner.” Our faith is dynamic not static. We are called to be learning more and more and to be teaching one another. May we continue to learn together as we grow in faith and faithfulness.
