Let’s Talk

By Conference Minsister Diane Weible. There are moments in time that cause us to pause. These moments are such that we feel deeply that this is our chance; our opportunity. They are moments that will not let us go and moments of which we should not let go.   The verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the man who murdered George Floyd almost a year ago, is one such moment. As I watched the news and read the emails and texts I received at the time the verdict was read, there were so many emotions and thoughts shared, word ranging from relief to “we must not let…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:21-22)  When we first moved from Japan to Hawaii, I was afraid to leave the house after dark. For 12 years I watched the news about the United States from our living room in Japan. The reports about violence in the United States convinced me that it was not safe. It didn’t matter that I had lived in the United States for the first 27 years of…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible It is Holy Week—our second Holy Week in the midst of pandemic.   Maundy Thursday has always offered me a reminder of the importance of community and covenant—the importance of The Table. Good Friday has always been a day of deep reflection for me. I stand in awe as I look at the cross and think about the sacrifice that Jesus made for me—for all of us. I also stand ready to receive the responsibility I carry to listen to God’s call in my life.   I have said this many times in recent years, but that Call…

In a season of despair, injustice, food, and housing insecurities during this time of Pandemic from COVID 19, it is a blessing to share some good news. As the COVID vaccines become more readily available and schools, places of business, restaurants begin to reopen. Many feel that things are turning around. And yes, for some things are turning around. However, as the NCNCUCC Disaster coordinator of the Conference Disaster team, we continue to receive requests that tell a different story of the needs beyond COVID-19. The California Wildfires have left so many people homeless, with food and basic necessities to…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, which was yesterday, and because all of us could use a reminder that we are never alone, I want to share a portion (the last two stanzas) of the Lorica of St. Patrick. Let us always remember that we arise this day and we find our strength and grace in the presence of Christ with us. Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible This coming Saturday, Conference delegates will gather for a meeting to discuss two important topics: Approval of the remainder of the 2021 budget and decisions regarding the stewardship of the Camp Cazadero property. As I write this, we do not yet have the necessary quorum of churches. We are close and I’m sure that by Saturday we will have the necessary 50% of our churches registered to meet our quorum requirement. I encourage you to read on if your church has not yet chosen its delegates to better understand why we need all voices at…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible  We have begun to hear more about additional vaccines that will soon be available and the belief that by the end of this year, we may be able to return to pre-pandemic activity, including some level of worshipping together in our church buildings. At the very least, the hope is that we will be able to be physically present with one another, even if we are masked and even if some of our traditions need to be modified. And, of course, some of that modification is a joyful acknowledgement that for many of our congregations,…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible A couple years ago at Annual Gathering, I preached a sermon in which I focused on a simple statement that has become my own personal mission statement. “Anything that diminishes or destroys the humanity of any other person is what I need to fight against.”   As we draw close to a full year of sheltering in place, we are all exhausted and grieving. Five hundred thousand deaths from COVID and economic peril for the most vulnerable in our communities has risen to a degree we have never seen it. There was a job report that…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible It’s time for us to think seriously about reparations. What better time than to invite discernment and reflection then at the start of Lent.  The “Making Amends” resolution approved at Annual Gathering is something that invited me to think about reparations in a new way and look for opportunities to engage in reparations to make a difference. This would not replace the important conversation our country needs to have about reparations, but we shouldn’t wait for someone else to do our work for us.   One of our ministers, Rev. Barry Cammer, sent me an article this week for the newsletter. His article connected with my own thoughts and took…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible.  If you have spent most of COVID alone in your home, you may find yourself talking to yourself more than you used to. I know I have. (Sometimes I even listen to what I have to say!) For those who live with others, you may still be struggling with a need for the variety of voices that surrounded your pre-pandemic. Hopefully, we also are talking to God and listening to the way Spirit is speaking to us. That is fundamental to our faith and our spiritual life.   Struggling with the solitude of just one voice, or a few voices, can…