By Rev. Dr. Davena L. Creer-Jones
Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow! Wow! We had a meaningful time of presence and travel over the last six weeks. Welcome back home, staff, Conference Delegates, Conference Council Members, and all those who traveled as representatives of Christ and the Conference. Thank you, NCNC UCC Family, for your lifted prayers as the Conference Staff traveled. We appreciate your patience in waiting for responses to telephone calls, text messages, and emails. MeLinda LaViene and I are currently in the office this week and next, so again, please allow us a few extra days to respond to emails and such.
Some of your other Conference staff are still out of the office due to Camp, other National Setting events, or simply enjoying some well-deserved rest… zzz! Rest, what is that? Rest often is more than sleep. It’s reorganizing your closet and office space after living out of suitcases. A nice massage, hmmmm, now that can also be rest, as one realigns their body for the days and weeks to come. A day at the beach, people watching, listening to the waves as they crash against the rocks, or sticking your toes in the icy water. Rest, Beloveds, because we have work to do in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
As for me, I cooked dinner for the first time in weeks; that was rest and a feeling of settling back home. For introverts who force themselves to interact with hundreds of people for 10-14 hours a day, for weeks upon weeks, rest is a quietness, “the be still and know”. However, you rest, please STOP and do so; we cannot be Disciples of Christ, Servants of God, Ministers of Faith with an empty cup. Amen, Amen!
We gathered as the Northern California Nevada Conference for our Annual Gathering on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at the City of Refuge UCC in Oakland, California, where the Senior Pastor is Bishop Yvette A. Flunder and Mother Shirley Miller.
A few days later, MeLinda and I flew to Atlanta, Georgia, to support and represent the Conference at the 25th Anniversary of TFAM (The Faith of Affirming Ministries) Convocation, as well as to celebrate the 70th Birthday of Presiding Prelate Bishop Yvette A. Flunder. This was our first time attending TFAM Convocation, and what a time we had in worship. I even joined the mass choir, and oh what a glorious moment it was. Powerful workshops that left you wanting more, informative conversations regarding the state of the world, and how we, as the LGBTQIA+ and collective Church, can both lament the times we are living in, and answer the CALL to ACTION!
It personally blessed my soul to witness the Holy Spirit through children leading prayer, reading scripture, bringing greetings, singing, laughing, and they even had their own All White Gala to celebrate Bishop Flunder’s birthday. The Sankofa Faith Children’s Initiative youth program was led by Minister Nubian Flunder and Bishop Andrea E. Vassell. Diverse children, teens, young adults, and specialists for children with autism had visibility and voice in every single worship. “Let the little children come unto me.” Amen. As much joy as it gave me to see these sweet children praise and serve God, I could not help but cry for the children who will struggle to have food, medical care, and clothing due to decisions made in the White House. Jesus be a Fence all around the Children.
Our next stop was Kansas City, Missouri for the ONA Gathering and the 35th General Synod. As Conference Representatives, we experienced our First ONA (Open and Affirming) Gathering. ONA is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the 1985 General Synod resolution calling for Churches to become Open and Affirming and transformative service for those who identify as LGBTQIA+. There are too many highlights to name, but one conversation I would like to share was facilitated by the Rev. Elder Carmarion D. Anderson-Harvey. She interviewed the Rev. Dr. Derek Terry, the Acting Executive Director of the Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ. Rev. Dr. Terry has put forth the challenge for Churches to re-engage in their commitment to a New program called ACT OUT– (Advocacy, Community, Transformation), asking churches to Come out of their pews, of their pulpits, and into the Streets, into the Movement.
The Delegates of Synod elected the Rev. Dr. Shari Prestemon as our Associate General Minister and Co-Executive for Global Ministries.
There were other resolutions that we will share in the weeks to come and more at our Fall Gathering in October.
UCC General Minister and President, Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson wrote, “Being in the Church requires courage. Courage to be co-creators with the Divine. Courage to speak the truth. Courage to be advocates for change. This courage remains with us as we accept the invitation to live ‘into the deep’ for the next three years and as we frame programmatic priorities for the church.” Rev. Dr. Thompson further shares the vision of the United Church of Christ over the next three years. “Six programmatic priorities were adopted, which will inform the work of the National Ministries: strengthening the church, leadership development, spiritual formation, reshaping the narrative, decolonization, and climate action.” As your conference minister, I say YES to joining the National Ministries to seek a just world for all. Will you join us?
The United Church of Christ turns 70 years old in 2027! Look at God. The next General Synod is scheduled for July 21- July 28, 2028, in Cleveland, Ohio. Save the date, see you there.
