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Concord, CA 94520
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July 19, 2022
Dear Members of the Northern California Nevada Conference,
At the COREM Convocation a few weeks ago, I was clear to all gathered that they had come to the best Conference in the United Church of Christ. I meant it. I have been blessed beyond measure for the last seven years to have served in ministry alongside you. We’ve done some hard work together and we have had a lot of fun together too!
That is why this is one of the most difficult letters I have ever had to write. While I know that there is a season for everything and we are never apart when we are together with God, I have discerned that it is time for me to transition out of my role as your Conference Minister. My last day with you will be December 31, 2022.
Pandemic has played a part in this decision but not necessarily in the way you might think. The months spent alone and unable to visit my family made me realize how precious that time is. As my children grow and begin to have families of their own, I long to be able to be with them and share in those experiences. Likewise, my parents live in St. Louis and when I was able to visit them last year during my sabbatical, I realized I wanted to be able to visit more often and for longer periods than this position allowed. These are the sacred moments of life that I do not want to miss. These feelings of wanting to re-connect with my family became real to me when a dear colleague invited me to come alongside her and help her grow her coaching and consulting business. This will allow me to continue to support ministers and churches in similar ways in which I have been blessed in my work in this Conference. I believe that churches will need support as we reimagine Church going forward. I long to partner with our faith communities to become the strong, brave, vision-focused communities we are striving to be.
The last few years have been difficult for me on many levels. At times I felt like a clay pot in the Refiners Fire. It was the love of this Conference and the work I cherish in this place that got me through those difficult days. It was the journey with each of you that has encouraged and, at times, pushed me to not only survive and thrive but to grow and transform. The gifts you have given me are what I will take with me into the next chapter of my ministry. I will always be grateful for each and every one of you and the experiences we have shared together. I look forward to celebrating our time together even as we look forward to what is next. The Northern California Nevada Conference is going to amazing places, and I look forward to watching the next chapter in ministry unfold here in exciting ways and new possibilities.
With love and gratitude,
July 19, 2022
Dear Members of Northern California Nevada Conference,
It is with love, gratitude, and sadness that we share that the Conference Council has received and accepted Rev. Dr. Diane Weible’s letter of resignation from her role as our Conference Minister, and that her last day with us will be December 31, 2022.
The Conference Council has formed an ad hoc Working Group to work on our immediate next steps for a successful transition for our conference. We will have more information to share with you about this process very soon. We ask you to kindly keep us in your prayers.
On behalf of the Conference, we would like to express our deep gratitude for Diane’s extraordinary work and faithful service, especially for her leadership through all the storms we faced together. Our Conference Life with Diane in these past seven years has been like, “Ring around the Rosie … We all fall down.” Yet, how many more times we got back up together again! As Nelson Mandela inspired us, “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” We surely cherish this kind of enduring love we share for one another.
We are forever grateful for the Conference we are becoming, that is, becoming an Antiracism Conference. Under Diane’s daring vision, and with the support of our Justice and Witness Team, our Conference has not only passed “The Four Resolutions” in 2020, but also all four resolutions have been set in motion at both the local church and Conference levels. “The Four Resolutions” are: Taking action toward making amends for a colonizing past; Expanding our commitment to Antiracist Conference Camp Program and Outdoor Ministries; Antiracism and Racial Justice Formation in Local Churches; and Antiracism and Racial Justice Training for all Authorized Ministers. This is one piece of the work that Diane has helped us to begin, and that we will continue to commit ourselves to carrying forward.
Truly our Conference has been transformed into a stronger, bolder and vision-focused Conference; thanks to Diane’s visionary leadership and laboring in love with us.
While we are saddened by the news, we trust her wisdom in reconnecting with her family. We also respect her decision in her future ministries. May God bless her, her family, her new ministries, and all her next steps. May God’s countenance always shine upon her. May God’s love protect her against the storms that assail her.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Mei Wang
Conference Council President
Rev. Raygan Baker
Conference Moderator
