October 10, 2024

We had a wonderful Annual Meeting last weekend. For those of you who were able to attend, I hope it was a meaningful and inspirational celebration of 60 blessed years of the Central Atlantic Conference.  Above all else, it was my hope that God would be present and moving in the midst of our gathering. And I fully believe God showed up , in the engagement of our attendees with the presenters at the Congregational Vitality event on Thursday, the wondrous worship leadership of Rev. Mia McLain, the jaw-dropping liturgical dance offering from Baltimore Dance Tech, the congregation singing Mark Miller’s beautiful ‘Ready for the Miracles’, brother Herbert Mills singing (at my request) the gospel classic from the Clark Sisters “I’m Looking for a Miracle”, the stirring words from our General Minister and President Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, the palpable gratitude in the room at Overhills Mansion for the ministry of Marvin Silver. I could go on, but I was blessed by it all and hope, whether attending in person or online, that you were blessed by it as well.  Here I would like to publicly acknowledge the team who worked with me to plan and execute our gathering: Craig Peterson, Ka Lam, Jan Bauer, Patricia Davis, Antoinette Gatewood-Sykes, Karson Langenfelder, Roberto Fois, and Katie Penick. I also would like to thank our Conference staff, our Board of Directors, and volunteers too numerous to name here for their roles in making our Annual Meeting a success.

During the ‘Speakout’ session at our meeting, we heard from the Rev. Amanda Hendler-Voss, who serves as Senior Minister of the First Congregational Church of Washington.  Before Amanda came to bless our Conference, she was co-founder of Land of the Sky UCC in Asheville NC.  If anyone has spoken to me about where I spend my vacations, one would know that Asheville is a place that is near and dear to my heart. My partner Don and I have vacationed there for more than twenty years, visiting friends who moved there from across the country, meeting new friends, enjoying the vibrant food, entertainment and arts scene, and experiencing the beautiful scenery crowned by the graceful flow of the Blue Ridge Parkway through the city. In one of our trips, we visited Land of the Sky UCC and met Amanda’s co-founder the Rev. Sara Wilcox. Asheville is a beloved place where I have found renewal of body, mind and soul. It is hard to imagine, after being there six weeks ago, the devastation there, in surrounding areas of North Carolina, and other states impacted by Hurricane Helene, notably communities in our beloved Shenandoah Valley.

The destruction in Asheville punctuates the fact that the harmful effects of climate change are real and occurring with greater frequency. There appears to be no city, town, or village in this country that is immune from it. By the time you read this, Hurricane Milton will have made landfall on the western coast of Florida as a Category 3 or 4 storm, carving yet another wave of destruction among communities attempting to recover from Helene. Those who either deny or dismiss the harm caused by climate change, then speak untruths about the government’s response, are weaponizing both a disaster and global crisis for political gain at the expense of people whose lives and livelihoods are literally being washed away. God’s first command to humanity was to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it (Gen 1: 28a KJV).” The intent was for human beings to care and exercise compassionate care for the earth and all that dwell in it, not to exploit the earth for personal benefit at the expense of all that dwell in it. If we are to follow God’s command, it is our call to advocate, and next month vote, for a future where ours and future generations can dwell on earth in peace and in safety.

Yet in this moment, we are also called, as disciples of Jesus, to be people of compassion for those who are suffering and hurting.  Below this reflection in the newsletter, you may support the efforts of the United Church of Christ to help our churches and communities in the Florida, Southern, and Southeast Conferences affected by Helene. I also ask that you join me and consider ‘adopting’ Land of the Sky UCC and supporting the recovery efforts of this congregation to its members and surrounding community. You may contribute here. I know from my visit of Land of the Sky UCC that your donation will go far. Thank you in advance for your support of this and/or recovery appeals by the United Church of Christ, and may God bless and keep all who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene and those who will be impacted by Hurricane Milton. God help us all to be caretakers, not abusers, of the world in which we live.

Blessings and Shalom,

Freeman