Linda says I don’t talk about it enough.  It’s a part of my/our life that is joyful, exciting, and energizing.  It’s not that I want to hide it from anyone – it’s just that I am keenly aware not everyone at Corinth shares the passion.

Linda and I were away the last weekend of October for two reasons.  First, Linda’s niece was married in Lancaster, Pennsylvania October 25.  It was wonderful to be part of the family celebration.

On the way back, we spent two days in Arlington, Virginia, at the biannual board meeting for the Association for Church Renewal (ACR).  I am on the board of ACR because I am President of Faithful and Welcoming Churches (FWC) of the United Church of Christ (UCC).  ACR meetings also include spouses of board members and other representatives of participating organizations.

FWC came into being four years ago to encourage UCC members who identify themselves as ECOT (evangelical, conservative, orthodox, or traditional) to stay in the UCC.  The UCC needs more ECOTs.

I started attending ACR meetings because I didn’t think FWC should be flying solo in the work of renewal.  In March 2008, when the board formally incorporated, they asked me to serve as Secretary.  This year, when the Board Chair stepped down, they asked me to accept that role. As convener of meetings, the time commitment should be no more than when I was Secretary.

Here’s why I am excited.  ACR has committed itself to calling a new generation of ECOTs into mainline ministry.  At this meeting, we began planning in earnest for a conference at Elmhurst College near Chicago, IL, August 6-8, 2010.  In addition to encouraging ECOT pastors and laity in mainline churches, we want to connect with college students, seminarians, and others who might be open to career ministry in mainline churches.

The event is called “Answering the Call: New Life in the Mainline Church.”  We’d love to have you come, and would covet your prayers whether you attend or not.

If God is nudging you, share this vision with us!  As Linda and I look back on thirty-plus years of ministry in the UCC, we realize how God has used us at Corinth and other congregations.  What would happen if a new generation of young pastors shared that vision and calling?  Only God knows.