Celebrating The Kid's Institute

For more than six years, the Kid's Institute has shared space with Shiloh Church as an arm of the congregation's community ministry. The Kid's Institute is a child care program that cares for children from post-toddler through students of junior high age. Hundreds of children have passed through the program, and the community has been well served through the partnership of Shiloh Church and the Kid's Institute.

 

On Sunday, August 4, 2013, Shiloh Church will celebrate the ministry of the Kid's Institute by including the families in the 10:25 service, including the sacrament of Holy Communion, and with a luncheon that will follow. Shiloh Church looks eagerly forward to welcoming the families the  Kid's Institute in both worship and fellowship.

 

The children of the Kid's Institute will share a song with the congregation and take part, with me, in reciting a scripture and poem that will form the foundation of Shiloh's intentional spirituality throughout the month of August. The text, Habakkuk 2:1-3, and the poem, "I Let Go of My Accumulations" were used as part of the worship at General Synod 29, held in June and July at Long Beach, California.

 

The partnership between Shiloh Church and the Kid's Institute also serves as an example of shared ministry and service that marries the efforts of churches with community resources. The relationship has sometimes been tricky, but Shiloh has been able and willing to sail through the rough waters of shared space and limited facility use to see service to extended communities and populations.

 

It is possible that Shiloh may even extend the model to incorporate other churches, as we are currently in talks with Christ Eternal Kingdom Ministries, a small African-American congregation that has lost its worship space, to welcome them to use the Shiloh facility. In this way, Shiloh demonstrates its belief that a church facility should and could be a community resource.

 

Shiloh celebrates the presence and the ministry of the Kid's Institute, anticipates a good relationship with Christ Eternal Kingdom Ministries, and looks for other opportunities to use its facility as a resource to its community. The congregation is fortunate indeed to be able to engage in such ministry.

 

See You Sunday!    

Back in the Saddle

It has, thus far, been a very strange July. It began with travelling to Long Beach, California for the 29th General Synod of the United Church of Christ. I was back at Shiloh for a week, then headed off for a week of vacation to Torch lake, in far northern Michigan.

 

The Michigan trip came about in a somewhat interesting manner. Last year, our daughter, Casey, served as president of the Sinclair Community College ASL (American Sign Language) Club. Part of that club's annual deaf community support is a charity auction, which Shiloh hosted. In order to support the deaf community, and to help out our daughter, we attended. Our intention was to bid on and buy something small, in order to lend our support.

 

During the posting of contributed items, we noticed a week's stay at a place called "Torch Lake," donated by another Sinclair ASL club-member family. We knew nothing about Torch Lake, but saw that the estimated value was around $1,500. We intended to bid on the vacation, maybe getting a great deal in the process.

 

To condense the story, I will tell you that Larry and Marilyn Jones, Larry and Janet Ferguson, and Lisa and I shared a week at Torch Lake for $550 (total, not per couple or per person). We appreciate the family that donated our week at "Memaw's Place" on Torch Lake, the Sinclair Community College ASL Club and the support of Shiloh Church, all of whom have made some time away possible.

 

Thanks to the remarkable staff here at Shiloh Church, church life went on pretty much as normal. Jay McMillen did a great job with worship and pastoral issue., Dick Van Tine is slowly returning to a part-time visitation schedule, Sid Manley has kept the facility running. Ashley, Judy, Mark, Martha, Aaron, Ken, John and a host of others, many volunteers, handled the thousands of details that face the congregation each week. Thanks to each of you.

 

I return to the office with a full calendar of upcoming meeting, events, wider church involvement, and some new visioning possibilities. After a week of deep cleansing breathing, it is again time to get down to the business of serving Jesus Christ in this community. I am looking forward to it.

 

See You Sunday!  

General Synod 29

The 29th General Synod meeting of the United Church of Christ was held this past week in Long Beach, California. As a delegate who represented the Ohio Conference, its Southwest Ohio Northern Kentucky Association, and Shiloh Church, I participated in a working committee of the national church setting, voted on a host of resolutions, and engaged in dialogue and worship with more than 4,000 participants. It was a tremendously challenging and energizing week.

 

Shiloh has already heard and read about the Vision Plan of the United Church of Christ, its Core Values, Bold, Inspirational Goals (BIG's), and the strategies through which the United Church of Christ may, in all of its settings, be faithful to this unified vision. What has surprised many here at Shiloh is less about the groundbreaking directions of the Vision Plan than it is just how far Shiloh is ahead of the curve. Already, this congregation has been, and is, actively engaged in ministries and missions that are reflected in the Vision Plan. Shiloh is already well advanced in conservation strategies, extravagant welcome and hospitality, pursuing increased diversity, concentration on outreach ministries and attention to issues of justice and peace.

 

There were fourteen working resolutions that were offered through the UCC Executive Council. I will simply list them here for your information:

1. Calling for the United Church of Christ to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, which authorized the genocide of Native People and the theft of Native Lands.

2. On making UCC Church buildings more carbon neutral.

3. Resolution against bullying and discrimination.

4. Opposing mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia.

5. Calling for an all-Church offering supporting the educational expenses of Members in Discernment, preparing for authorized ministry in the United Church of Christ.

6. Urging divestment from fossil fuel companies.

7. Advocating tax reform as Christian stewardship and public duty and advocating for funding to construct quality affordable housing.

8. The Unites Samoan ministries of the United Church of Christ recognized as n historically underrepresented group and a member of the Council for Racial and Ethnic Ministries.

9. To recognize the need for compassionate care and healing to our veterans.

10. Opposing actions that seek to undermine the status of women in society.

11. Restructuring of Conference Boundaries.

12. Call to respond to drug-related violence in Honduras that results from the illegal drug market in the United States.

13. Supporting compassionate and comprehensive immigration reform and protection of the human rights of immigrants.

14. Developing ecumenical relationship between the United Church of Christ and the United Church of Canada. 

 

I served on the committee that prepared the resolution that opposes mountaintop coal mining in Appalachia. It was a surprisingly complex issue that involved everything from employment possibilities to impact on local economies to arsenic and cadmium in the drinking water of those who live nearby mountaintop coal mining. After considerable editing and meaningful conversation, the resolution was forwarded to the plenary for action. Unfortunately, I flew back to Dayton before the vote on this particular resolution, arriving in time for my wife's 50th birthday party.

 

Readers of The Shiloh Insider will see much more information from the 29th General Synod of the United Church of Christ. I hope that you will be moved to celebrate being part of the United Church of Christ and proud that Shiloh Church is already living out the shared vision.