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By: Conference Minister Diane Weible Hope. I agree with the newscaster who said that an Inauguration gives hope to a country in its most difficult time. No matter who you voted for. No matter how you are feeling of the events of the past weeks and months, I hope that you are feeling a sense of hope for the possibilities that lay before us. This morning I woke up to an email from our General Minister and President, The Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, that contained prayers and messages from two of our Ecumenical Partners. I want to share the words…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible “This is not us.” How many times in the past week have we heard this? It’s just not true. What happened on January 6 is very much, us. It is who we are at this moment.   I would hope that the meaning behind that statement is really, “This is not who we should be.”   That to me is a truer statement. It is not who we should be. Whatever got us to this place in our reality of what is the United States of America, the only way we can move forward is with transformative change that acknowledges the truth of…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible Yesterday was Epiphany. The day when we celebrate the star guiding the wisemen to the Christ Child. It is a day that we celebrate light coming into the world and the completion of the Nativity story. It was the 12th day of Christmas.    But it didn’t turn out as we had expected. There was little to celebrate and even less light apparent for much of the day as so many of us sat in front of our televisions and watched events unfold at the United States Capitol.   And, yet, it was Epiphany. A reminder that no matter how dark it gets; no matter how…

By; Conference Minister Diane Weible “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)   You may think it’s a bit early to be talking about New Year’s Resolutions, but I was in a couple of gatherings yesterday that got me thinking. People were talking about how eager they are for 2020 to be finished. All I could think of was that on January 1, we are still going to be in pandemic, and we are still going to have the racial and divisiveness issues we need to confront.    In a…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to attend worship at my home church, First Church Berkeley. During the Advent Candle lighting, Rev. Kelly Colwell made a beautiful connection to this tender time and the theme of this second week in Advent, Peace, when she invited all of us to “Shelter in Peace.”   Shelter in Peace.  During this season of Advent, I have set up opportunities for spiritual connection throughout my home. I have two Advent Candle circles; two Advent Calendars; two Christmas countdown decorations; and two electronic devotionals.  Each day, as I Shelter in…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible Friends, I know it’s hard. We are in the midst of Advent and when this pandemic began back in March, we had hoped that by now we would all be in our churches, worshipping together for this sacred season. As hard as it is to be apart, my message this week is simple. Please do not plan any in person gatherings this Advent and Christmas season. It is painful, I get that. We are all tired of not seeing one another; not hugging; not being able to see each other’s smile. We are lonely and…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible If you attended a week-long camp as a child (or, have served as a counselor or director at one as an adult), you know what I mean when I talk about “the Wednesday problem.”   I remember this especially in relation to my favorite church camp growing up—Camp Aurora. We arrived on Sunday afternoon, filled with anticipation—there was so much to do to keep us busy and so much to experience. We discovered new friends and old friends we had not seen in a year.  By Wednesday, however, we were tired and a little bit homesick. The week suddenly felt long, and we wondered…

By: Associate Conference Minister Daniel Ross-Jones I don’t remember why I was called to the principal’s office in first grade, but I still clearly remember part of the encounter. One of the administrative workers came on the classroom intercom loudspeaker to ask my teacher to send Daniel Jones to the office. I remember my teacher pausing for a few moments. She knew there wasn’t a student by that name in her class. But the mental wheels turned for her to respond that he’d be coming right away, and she told me to go see why they needed me in the…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible I write this the day after the election when the final results are not yet determined. By the time you read this, you may likely know who is projected to have won the Presidential race. I’m glad I am writing this before the results are known because what is on my mind and heart really has nothing to do with who will be the next President of the United States.    What is on my heart and mind is how painful this time is. I’m hurting because I never thought in my lifetime I would reach…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible Thank you to everyone who participated in Annual Gathering last Saturday. I left that meeting so grateful for the many ways Spirit was present.   We entered into brave conversations and deep discernment around four resolutions that will guide our justice work in this Conference. We made commitments to living out what it means to be anti-racist.   I received many emails in the last few days from members of our Conference saying how energized, proud, and encouraged they are about the work of Annual Gathering. I am excited that we passed resolutions that will focus on…