Our very first photo submission of the summer is a special one: Sharon, Ellen and Mark visited the Supreme Court just one week before Sharon and Ellen’s marriage was fully recognized by our nation. It is so ordered! Hallelujah!

You can read more from leaders of the United Church of Christ about the marriage equality decision here (national leaders) and here (regional leaders). The UCC has played an important role in the struggle for marriage equality and equal rights, including our affirmation of equal marriage in 2005, organizing efforts in several states, and a particularly visible role in the North Carolina supreme court case. Here at WCUC we embraced an Open and Affirming covenant in 1999.

Congratulations to Sharon and Ellen — and to all of us! Please share your own summer adventures, near and far, by sending photos to our office.

One of my favorite parts of the Bible is from Luke 10: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” I want to show God my love by sharing my testimony with you today.

I remember doing a webpage for earth science class at CCHS. One of my first links was a picture of the Chinese Bible Church in Lexington, MA. It made my dad happy that I showed how I believed in Jesus and accepted him in my journey and announced my faith as a Christian. I remember I had wanted to join in taking communion for a long time.

About three years ago, I was hospitalized for low oxygen saturation. The doctor gave me a diuretic to drain excess fluid from my body. A strong dose of diuretic made me fall into a deep sleep that caused carbon dioxide retention in my blood. I was brought to the ICU for treatment. My dad thought I had suffered severe damage from the carbon retention and would never wake up. But I believed in myself and I never gave up.

After I woke up in the ICU, my dad found the hospital priest. Both my mom and my dad witnessed my baptism. When Father David from St. Mary’s Church baptized me, I felt joy and relief. God’s Spirit changed me from the inside and beyond. I could not care about how I looked. I knew it was God’s work all along.

Moving to a new environment and living on my own was a new challenge. I cried and was nervous at the beginning but I was also excited to take a big step in my journey. I am very grateful to God that a new apartment was prepared for me that is close to everything I need, a library, a Laundromat, the 99, but especially West Concord Union Church, where I feel God’s at home.

I came to West Concord Union Church for the first time on September 7, 2014. I will always remember taking communion here for the first time. Very quickly I met Pastor Hannah, Maureen and Melissa who invited me to Sunday Fellowship. I came to my first Sunday Fellowship meeting that same afternoon and I have been coming ever since. I love coming to Sunday Fellowship for worship, singing, and sharing joys and concerns with friends. I love hearing the bible stories there because it helps me understand God’s Word more. I really enjoyed coming to the Sunday Fellowship Christmas Dance because I have always loved socializing and having dinner with friends. But the best part of my time with Sunday Fellowship so far has been playing Joseph in the Christmas Pageant.

Thank you mom and dad for caring and loving me. Dear God, I know you have sent your Holy Spirit to live within me forever. Thank you God for all you have done for me.

When we looked for a church, I wanted a church with a commitment to Bible studies. I found one church within a reasonable driving distance. They offered several Bible studies—Jeremiah and Job caught my eye. One difficulty: the church didn’t want us. I asked someone in the office if the church was welcoming to all folks.

“Of course, ” she said.
” That includes, ” I said, ” a lesbian couple.”
” I’ll have the pastor speak to you.”

I received a pleasant email from the assistant pastor who explained that a number of congregants would be uncomfortable. He told me that he’d pray for us to find the right church. Of course, he added, we wouldn’t ask you to leave—but you wouldn’t feel comfortable.

I wrote him back and thanked him for the email and for his prayers. I, too, would pray for the right church and for the doors of his church to truly be open— for everyone.

We hoped to find a church home where other gay and lesbian folks broke bread, shared communion, and talked about their faith walk. The churches we found that fit that description left Jesus at the door.

We returned to West Concord Union Church where we once attended an evening Bible study and Sunday services.

What did we find? People not only remembered us, but also went out of their way to welcome us as individuals and as a couple.

After a chance meeting with Priscilla at L.L. Bean we joined the Wednesday morning Bible study. What, I thought, did I have in common with this group? I learned that Edna’s peregrinations included all the continents save for Australia. She probably wondered what she had in common with me— the intrepid armchair traveler.

We did share tales of the Bronx—and of our accents.

Every woman in that group carried an inner spirituality and love of God—each path a bit different, but a palpable faith.

Within the past two years two of the women passed away.

A Wednesday morning group still meets. The studies vary with church members taking on more of the facilitating.

I joined an imperfect church filled with people who try to live the gospel, who celebrate diversity, who welcome Christ into their church and into their lives.

The Holy Spirit finds the pews comfortable.

My life has been a delight! And I thank God for that. I had a warm and loving up-bringing with a wonderful family – Mom, Dad and a brother, Herb, whom I just visited this week in Chicago. Growing up with a great appreciation of nature and family involvement in our church contributed a great deal to my journey after I left home.

My early summers were spent in Michigan living with my maternal grandparents. That is where I came to love the woods and the water, trees and flowers, the moon and the stars. An Aunt took me on walks in the woods over to lake Michigan – pointing out signs of wild life, identifying birds, gathering fungus to write on when we got home. I was aware that God was the Creator of all that I was seeing and learning.

And then there was Camp Miniwanca. It too was in Michigan and had a huge influence on my journey.   I think of it warmly and a huge gift to me in my growing up! As I grew older it was wonderful to tell my parents how important it was to me, and needless to say, that pleased them.     Miniwanca challenged campers with I DARE YOU to STAND TALL – THINK TALL – SMILE TALL -BE TALL!!! And to live our lives in a Four-fold way of life, balanced MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, RELIGIOUSLY AND SOCIALLY. (hold up the emblem) MPRS!     Think about it….isn’t that good advice for 12 – 14 year olds?   Wadjepi, my Christian Ideals leader, was a huge influence for my teen-age years!   I have little idea now of what we talked about except that his very being had a positive effect on my life, and I know that he believed that God gave us this magnificent world to enjoy and to care for, and that Christ gave us the example of a exemplary way to live our lives.

A lot went on in my journey through high school, college, working, marriage, and children….and then…..

In 1965 we came to WCUC….a good number of years after Michigan! And here is where I began to think more about my faith. Being a Deacon several times, serving communion, running Adult Ed with Forster Freeman which opened up the participatory and bonding experience with others on the journey,   all deepened my understanding of a faith to live by and to share with others. Both Julia Freeman and Jim Keck helped me in obtaining access to my inner self through meditating, expressive arts, movement and prayer….I was open for change….

This Church with its wonderful Covenant that Hannah read this morning – its warmth and caring – its openness to change – its acceptance of diversity – its participation together – Christians, on a journey, living and learning together – has influenced my journey in so many ways. I know that Jesus and God are here with me and with all of you. This Church has been here for me in the past – in the present – and I’m sure will be in the future. I give thanks, and I pray that I may continue to learn and share with all of you as my journey continues to unfold.

“Joshua ‘fit’ the battle of Jericho, and the walls came a tumblin’ down.”

That was one of my favorite bible songs growing up in a Southern Baptist Church. But I didn’t see many walls come down as we struggled with racism. It was a tradition for our military high school band to attend church with the captain, but when I tried to bring our newly integrated band to church, I hit an unexpected wall. Church leaders informed me, using a racial slur, that our black members would never be welcome.

The Presbyterian Church I attended at Duke included mill workers and professors; blacks, Asians, whites, young, old. It was a lively diverse community where Ephesians 2:14 was lived out: “Christ has broken down the dividing wall.” As my call developed, reaching beyond and healing divisions that divide became a dominant theme.

In 1970 we opened Logos Bookstore in Harvard Square, pioneering new ways to build bridges to a questioning and skeptical generation. My pastoral ministry focused on church transitions, helping folks see with the eyes of the heart that Christ has truly demolished the walls that tend to divide congregations and society.

For 16 months now I have struggled to hear anew God’s call in retirement. The theme seems to be BEYOND WALLS – with three directions so far.

First, through Concord Prison Outreach I am exploring going beyond prison walls, seeking to create safe places for the incarcerated to find new identity and purpose in life.

Another wall we all face is the denial of death, and our culture’s unwillingness to engage in healthy family conversations about end of life issues. We had a great Adult Ed series on this topic, and I have worked with The Conversation Project and am pursuing other possibilities to encourage a healthy discourse, planning for a good death and good, humane process of dying.

Third, given the racial tensions and staunch political resistance to dealing with a more humane immigration policy, we must continue to actively and creatively pursue and embody justice, peace, and reconciliation.

God is at work; still speaking, and continuing to break down walls that divide. Just look around; you can see the evidence right here in our midst. Thanks be to God.