Cheri Dennis - General Synod 35 Reflection

“When he finished speaking to the crowds, [Jesus] said to Simon, ‘Row out farther, into the deep water, and drop your nets for a catch.’ ” Luke 5:4 (CEB)

This Bible verse was the basis for the theme of the recent 35th General Synod of the United Christ – “Into the Deep.” And there certainly were times when all the 625+ delegates waded into deep water discussing resolutions. But as you can see from the picture on the left, we also indulged in food and fellowship. I’m sure by now that many of you have heard the story of my quick packing job before we took off for Kansas City. For some strange reason, I (who has never even been late for a flight), was sure that we were leaving on the evening of the 10th, so I was shocked when Marilyn Hasegawa, also a delegate to the conference showed up at my door at 7:30pm on Wednesday, the 9th and announced, “Your ride is here!” Thirty minutes later, and hearing God laugh at all my carefully laid out packing plans fly out the window, I was standing in the TSA line at the airport. I’ve never had to pack so quickly in my life. I guess I could say that God pushed me into the deep water and said, “Swim!”

God has a way of doing that and God did that at this General Synod. The resolutions the delegates voted on covered shallow water and deep-water issues. The shallow water issues (the ones that are relatively easily resolutions to approve) passed with little discussion. Two of those resolutions joined the UCC in United States in full communion with the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland and the Iglesia Evangelica Unida de Puerto Rico. The deep-water issues, however, took much prayer, listening, and tough debate. These were mostly about the UCC’s response to social justice issues; one such as the resolution to “denounce all acts of the U.S. Government and the State of Israel that contribute to a continuation of the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

We talked a lot, listened a lot, sat too long, and ate too much. Yet, at the end of the day, many of our delegation met in the hotel bar to talk story – some of the younger ones until early morning hours. We talked church and politics, theology and faith. We shared stories from our families and our churches, laughed together and worried together about our country and “solved all of the problems of the world if folks would only listen to us!” These evenings truly were food for the soul. The delegation returned to Hawaiʻi with a renewed sense of hope for the larger church and each of our individual churches. May we all learn how to swim in deep waters!

Blessings, Pastor Cheri