As I sit in the airport awaiting my flight back to St. Louis, I am awash with gratitude for the week of being around our Global body of MCC.
Soon, we will host a debrief of General Conference with cake and snacks after worship with the great group who was able to come to GC to represent us, but for now, I wanted to write about some of my initial takeaways, especially in light of the chaos of these summer days.
First, some congratulations! Pastor Eli was approved for ordination! Details for his ordination celebration will be announced soon. Amanda Hellstrom and Eden Johnson completed the Readiness for Vocational Ministry Retreat, which officially welcomes them as in-care of the denomination en route toward ordination. This is a very exciting time of leadership development for MCCGSL!
During the awards ceremony, Cheryl Stockton received the Network Leader Award for her dedication to being a bridge between the local church and the global MCC, especially in her service as Network Leader for nearly a decade. And I (Rev. Lauren) received the Profiles of Courage Award for my work with Amber McLaughlin, who was executed on January 3, 2023.
“Come to me, all who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest.” Jesus speaks these words as encouragement to his followers, telling them his yoke is easy and burden is light. On the first night of the conference, we prayed into stones that we were handed on the way in. These stones took on the weight of our burdens — the pain of loss, of change, of injustice, racism, homophobia, fascism… During communion, we placed stones on the altar and were then handed feathers as a reminder that the work of following love is light, and if it’s not, perhaps we are clinging too tightly to things that aren’t ours to control.
During a time of communal lament, people spoke aloud their prayers, speaking of fear, of being lost, of feeling disenfranchised, of being alone, worrying about the planet, the church, about hatred, about fragility… Then, we took those feelings of being lost and were encouraged by stories of being found in the middle of loss. As it turned out, we were praying these prayers just hours before hundreds of people would be swept away in the flash floods in Texas. We ended our night like those did during the height of the AIDS epidemic, dancing and singing, holding each other and playing. Our grief was not an end, but a beginning, a fuel for our living.
This conference was a reminder to me that we are always in between being lost and found, being full of lament and also full of hope. It was a reminder for me of the importance of MCC, that can contain so many juxtaposing ideas, understandings, and emotions. It was a reminder that in this time of upheaval, grief, and fear that we need each other and - together - we are more than enough. MCCGSL, I am so grateful for you and our community. I am grateful to live in between being lost and found with you, and I trust we will find our way together.
In Gratitude of Creating Oasis with You,
Pastor Lauren