Minnesota Orientation by Sapphire McKnight

The orientation for the Minnesota delegates of the General Synod was a thrilling experience for me, and definitely captured my interest. I have been to Minnesota’s United Church of Christ (UCC) annual meeting before, but from what I have been told the general synod will be on an exponentially grander scale! I have yet to fully grasp the concept of a national gathering of UCC members and clergy people.

At the orientation I met just a small handful of the three-thousand-plus people who will be attending – those of us representing Minnesota congregations. We paired up to get to know each other a little bit. I spoke to a woman from southeastern Minnesota. Like me, she was raised in a conservative faith tradition that left her hating the church. We both agreed that if anyone had told us five years ago what our faith and activity in the church would be like now, we would have laughed in their faces.

I love this kind of one-on-one sharing and discussion. I only wish I could have more time for this! I love hearing about people’s life journeys. I am so excited to talk to people at the general synod and learn about their lives and their faith.

We had the opportunity to Skype the nominee for General Minister and President. He told us about his ideas for working with post-modern faith leaders and how he wants to walk the walk of the gospel of extravagant welcome by working to make the UCC reflect the diversity we advocate for.

When he was telling about his journey from training to enter the catholic priesthood (talk about coming from unexpected places!), to joining the Lutheran church, to finally becoming a UCC minister and performing the first legal same-sex marriage in Arizona, I wondered about my own calling to ministry. I was so moved by his story about clergy people of multiple faiths standing outside courthouses holding signs that read “We stand ready to marry you!” Thinking about it still gives me chills! I wonder where the social issues that are still unresolved today will be by the time I start my career – be it in the church or elsewhere – and if I will ever have the opportunity and honor to do anything comparable to that first wedding in Arizona.

Another reverend spoke to us passionately about the Israeli-Palestine conflict. It gave me perspective of just how far our church’s wider ministry can reach when we work together. We can truly change the world. Because of my experience with the smaller scale Minnesota conference, I wasn’t aware of how externally focused general synod is. Yes, there are by-laws and church politics to discuss. We are doing so much more than I imagined, though! I am so proud of how we as a faith community are working to make a positive global impact. I am so honored to be a part of this!