Faith & Works Bring New Life

In 2013, Louisville officials delivered an ultimatum to St. Peter’s United Church of Christ: repair your spectacular, though dilapidated, turn-of-the-century German Evangelical church building -- or we will close it down.

Pastor Jamesetta Ferguson, Senior Pastor of St. Peter’s, and her leadership team had spent years patching up the building for a growing 165-member congregation in the local Russell community. Beecher Terrace, a 760-unit public housing development built in 1941, is directly across the street from St Peter’s.  Beecher gained national recognition in 2014 when PBS’ Frontline reported that one of every six residents spends time in prison each year.

St. Peter’s is an anchor in a neighborhood plagued with poverty and violence. The church serves over 1,000 local residents through 12-step meetings, food and clothes distribution, child abuse prevention education, volunteerism, Summer Enrichment Programs and employment, on-site childcare, nutritional and exercise programs. Recently, the church founded Molo Village, a Community Development Corporation which envisions the church as a shelter, a place of transformation, a place where families care for each other as they are nurtured and taught through education, community service and healthy living.

In 2013, with rehabilitation no longer a choice, Pastor Ferguson turned to the Church Building & Loan Fund’s Partners In Vision (PIV) program. PIV was created to assist congregations make the most of their undeveloped resources – in many cases, land or property – and help them bring to life projects that are sustainable, innovative and mission-driven.  Help also came from master architect Hal Kovert, founding partner at Kovert Hawkins Architects, which has served southern Indiana and northern Kentucky since 1985.

When Hal, a member of St. Marks UCC in New Albany, learned of the challenges facing St. Peter’s, he provided pro-bono architecture services throughout the project. “St. Peters serves a different membership than the one I grew up in. I have empathy for people who want to make improvements and accomplish more, but for some reason are getting stuck.” Hal’s work, financing from the Church Building and Loan Fund, and PIV consultant services enabled St. Peter’s to move to a leased, temporary space while it works with PIV to plan for bold, transformative partnership and ministry opportunities on the original church site.

St. Peter’s timing couldn’t be better. The city of Louisville recently decided to turn Beecher Terrace into a mixed-income community funded in part through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. The city has asked St. Peter’s to not only rebuild its church building, but help create a new way of life in Russell. St. Peter’s and Molo Village are working with Partners In Vision consultants, AIM Development Group, to develop part of its vacant land into a new mixed-use building that will serve local residents.

Hal’s contribution has given a new lease on life to St. Peter’s and the neighborhood it serves.  His generosity exemplifies stewardship and is an example of how UCC volunteers can extend their giving beyond tithing and impact the broader network of churches and communities.

What is "Church"?

This Easter, I looked up “church” on Google and found over 239 million results.  Because computers and smartphones are more sophisticated now than ever, the results from a Google search are both location- and device-specific.  From my home office desktop, the first page of my search resulted in a list of nearby churches (or at least those churches that know how to optimize their websites. Nine pages in, my church was nowhere to be found).  On my phone, our church was the third “hit” on the list of results.  It really bothered me to see the big Baptist church in the neighborhood at the top of the list (even though that Baptist pastor is a friend of mine).   Forty six feet from where I’m standing, why isn’t our church at the top?

What was more interesting about my search for “church” was that regardless of the device, every search yielded the following result somewhere in the top ten:  “a church building, often simply called a church, is a building used for religious activities, particularly worship…”  Those words were accompanied by a picture of an all-white, New England-style chapel.

You would think that result would make me happy, given the work that I do. As much as I love church buildings however, my little unscientific research project underscored how far we have strayed from what Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 “…upon this rock I will build my ekklēsia.”  Certainly, Jesus was not talking about a building. And I doubt that he had in mind the twisted meanings of “church” today.

People have been abused by “church”, welcomed by “church”, oppressed by “church”, affirmed by “church”, frustrated by “church”, embraced, rejected, loved, neglected, saved or maligned by “church”.   The “church” at once blesses marriage between any two people, and also says that there can only be marriage between man and woman. The church condones violence, condemns violence, commits violence and advocates for peace. No wonder so many people claim to be ‘spiritual but not religious’, or ‘Christians who don’t believe in organized religion’. Why would anyone want to associate with folks who can’t figure out who the hell they are?

In a recent board/staff retreat of the Church Building and Loan Fund, we embraced the reality that spaces and places that facilitate ministry today must be created from  a renewed understanding of “church” that is not building-centered.  In the spirit of sankofa, the church must go back so that we may go forward.  No, not back to ‘old-time religion’ and antiquated ways, but back to the vision of the beloved community that Jesus called forth in his first century conversation with Peter.  “Church” is NOT a building.  “Church” is God’s people, sharing the Good News of Jesus with all of humanity, until all creation is overcome with God’s love.  That is the “church” that the spiritually hungry are searching for. Worship can no longer be what we do.  Worship must be who we are.  Let the church say, “Amen”.

Good Friday? Really? Really.

Today Christians everywhere celebrate Good Friday. The irony in that thought is one that has always intrigued me.

Think about these words: “celebrate Good Friday”.   In some church traditions we do not have funerals.  We “celebrate a home-going”.   Whenever I preside at a “home-going” I find myself explaining this for non-church goers.  “I know most of us are sad today, but we are not here to mourn a death, but to celebrate the life of our dearly departed friend and loved one. We are here to celebrate a home-going!  Somebody say “Amen”!”

Of course, there is a little amateur psychology in changing the tone of a funeral service.   But the idea comes straight from the theology of Good Friday.  We mark the day of the horrific assassination of the Son of God by calling it “Good”.  We know his death and suffering were the outcomes of fear and injustice.  But we also know that Jesus came here to die.  And in his ugly death, all of Creation obtains access to eternal life.  Oh yes that is good.

Whenever I talk about the Mainline Christian tradition, I say that we are in the midst of a “Good Friday” season.  It looks like death and decline. But in truth, God is doing a new thing in our midst; God is not through with us yet.  It is Good Friday!  Hallelujah!

Questions for Reflection

·       How might church leaders think, plan and lead differently if we changed the language of decline to a conversation of resurrection?

·       How is God calling all settings of the church to live into a Good Friday season?

·       How do we imagine and envision the future of the church on the other side?

Living On Mission

Rev. Dr. Patrick G. Duggan

In her opening remarks a few days ago, a television news reporter said that most New Years’ resolutions are forgotten by January  20^th.  This made me think about all the energy we put into marking a new year; the parties, the meals, the tallying of accomplishments and failures, the self-reflection and spiritual inventory, tax planning and charitable giving, and yes, the resolutions.  We start the year believing that big changes are ahead and we are going to make them happen!

A conversation with a Chinese friend of mine shifted my context for thinking about the New Year. He reminded me of how the Chinese have celebrated the coming of each year for about three millennia longer than Western cultures.  He poked fun at the sense of self-importance we Westerners have about OUR new beginnings.  He reminded me that we are not really that resolute about our resolutions.

What should we be resolute about?  Eating less?  Saving more?  Eliminating debt?  Exercising?  All of these are good things to do.  Maybe, on the other hand, what we followers of Christ should be resolute about is living on mission.  Imagine if over 200 million Christians (the approximate number of Americans who claim Christianity) were to decide this year to be intentional and focused about living out the Gospel.  The surge in love, peace and healing would be beyond measure. The change would be phenomenal. It would be like living on earth as it is in Heaven…

Questions for Reflection
What resolutions have you made this New Year?  How are you doing so far?

What can we do to more fully live into our beliefs and live out our faith?

What tangible results _working with other people, in accordance with Jesus' mission_can you make happen this year? 

Mud-on-The-Wall, Okey-Doke?

When I was a teen, we used to call it the “okey-doke”.  Whenever someone was tricked into believing something that was a deliberate distraction, we would say “You went for the okey-doke.”

Muhammad Ali used the “okey-doke” to take boxing to a new level.  Real boxing fans know that while Ali was fast, quick and deceptively powerful, much of his technique was borrowed from Jersey Joe Walcott.  Ali’s new twist was all the mouth before the match.  Everyone except Howard Cosell thought Ali just had a big mouth.  All the other sports writers derided Ali because he would not shut up.  But every fighter from Sonny Liston (“too ugly to be the champ”) to Joe Frazier (“It’s not Joe! It’s a gorilla.”) to ”rope-a-dope” George Foreman, lost their battles with Ali BEFORE they actually got into the ring.

President Obama’s opponents initiated a political destruction strategy that was launched immediately after his inauguration in January 2009.  The strategy reminded me of another saying from my past as a corporate salesman:  “If you throw enough mud on the wall, some of it has to stick”.  The country endured a four-year, steady drumbeat of anti-Obama messages, many of which were half-truths or bald-faced lies.  Obama is not a U.S. citizen. Obama is a Muslim.  Obama and the Democrats have caused the recession.  The economic stimulus strategy failed.  There is no evidence of climate change or global warming.  Financial regulatory reform is anti-business.  Americans don’t want health care reform.  The United States of America was founded as a Christian nation, and must be true to its founding faith.  Islam is evil and the source of terrorism.  The list went on and on.

Obama supporters seemed to be stymied by the ugliness and the persistence of this campaign.  A number of well meaning Americans believed these messages.  Others did not, but were influenced by the tumult the messages generated, believing that given the vitriol and fervor of the messengers, there must be something wrong with President Obama.   If you throw enough mud against the wall, some of it has to stick. 

Fortunately, most of America did not go for the political destruction okey-doke. President Obama won re-election decisively and was inaugurated today for his second term.  While the pundits predict that his presidency may yet be mediocre, the President’s supporters are sure that his best days are ahead.  Perhaps the real okey-doke is the smoothness of Barack, blazing his way forward into transforming America to 21st century greatness while letting his opponents think he’s fighting with them.  My guess is, they are so wrapped up in Obama-hating that they won’t realize that they, too, will win.  Okey-doke!

Grown Folks Politics

To listen to the news reports on Election 2012,  you would think that President Obama stood around whistling while Mitt Romney lost the election.  They cite the vulnerability of President Obama because of the slow  economic recovery, record levels of debt, the so-called "failed" stimulus plan,and the fact that no incumbent except Roosevelt has been re-elected with an unemployment rate higher than when they entered office.  They cite the damage done to the Romney campaign by the extended Republican primary season, denial of facts, and Hurricane Sandy.

If I ask some of  my preacher friends,  they say that the victory of One Named Blessed (the definition of "Barack") was caused by  a 'mighty wind' sent by God to sweep the enemy away.  They say that the result was forewarned when God dispatched a hurricane at the beginning of the Republican convention.  All the signs in Heaven made Election Day's outcome clear, they say.

Heavenly intervention notwithstanding,  there  are discernible realities here on earth that explain President Obama's re-election.

President Obama had one of the most superb political campaign organizations in the history of the United states.  They met or exceeded the fundraising of the far more deep-pocketed Romney and friends.  Anticipating the nastiness that the Romney campaign was preparing to unleash, the Obama campaign took the fight to their opponent, releasing adds about Bain Capital weeks before Romney television commercials.  By maintaining field operations for the President's entire first term, they wielded a vastly superior voter turnout operation.

Applying a key ancient battle tactic of Sun Tsu's "The Art of War" Obama campaign strategists ensured victory before the the first vote was cast.  They defined the field of battle. They duped the Romney campaign to focus their efforts in the so-called "battleground states."  It is true that the election was decided in those states, but the Romney campaign may have had greater success if they had developed an original strategy.  Romney's failure to consider alternative approaches to defeating an incumbent President demonstrated a glaring lack of creativity and  an ignorance of history.

President Obama did not just win the election. Republican leadership did too much to lose it.  They ignored the reality of present-day demographics of our country.  It is mind-boggling to imagine that a party leadership would bank its political fortunes on appealing exclusively to one declining demographic.  Romney wasted hundreds of millions of dollars on television commercials that inflamed the hopes and fears of that one demographic. This is the reason for the outpouring of disappointment, dismay, and despair among so many Romney voters.

Unquestionably, a number of those who voted for Romney hold genuine concerns about the economy, national debt, the cost of health care reform and President Obama's ability to turn these huge problems around.  On their own, these are legitimate arguments for questioning the effectiveness of Barack Obama's first term as President. The President himself admits that more could have been done to strengthen the economic recovery.

The fact is, Romney chose not to allow these arguments to stand on their own. He embellished the criticism of the President's policies with  innuendo about the President's religion, patriotism and character.  He denigrated the President's supporters as un-American, burdens to society, seekers of government entitlements.  He painted every Obama administration accomplishment as less than impressive, a failure, attributable to the Republican-dominated Congress or the result of President  Bush' policies.  Everything Obama was labeled as wrong, failed, un-American, anti-American, alien, or evil.

The Romney campaign zeroed in on the fears of white America while insulting or ignoring the concerns, hopes and fears of Americans from other racial and ethnic backgrounds,  LGBT Americans, and young Americans.  The Romney campaign was a years' long repetitive chant that said "Elect Mitt Romney because we're mad as hell about everything "Obama" and we're not going to take it anymore."  That may have worked for a Hollywood movie, and maybe for the America of 30, 40, or 50 years ago.  Not today.

President Obama's margin of victory in the Electoral College was overwhelming (332-206), and in the popular vote, decisive (almost 3 million).  But President Obama's victory was not an overwhelming mandate. Almost half of voters did not support the President.  As flawed as it may be, huge swaths of the American populace believe in the vision of our country that Romney touted.

But there is a ray of hope _nay, an entire rainbow of hope_ that can be discerned from President Obama's re-election.  Those who voted for President Obama  _over 62 million people_ proved that the right to vote is the greatest privilege of our democracy.  They proved that money is not the only powerful force in American society.  They exemplified the hope, the essence, and the spirit of our foundational principles;  that all people are created equal with certain inalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  They proved that the American dream is not the exclusive domain of people from any single racial group, economic class, gender or sexual orientation.

On Election Day 2012 the majority of voters proved that Americans are not a collection of voting blocs that can be objectified, courted, ignored, bought, lied to, insulted, dismissed, wooed, or bullied.   As the population of the United States has become more diverse than ever, voters proved that ours is the most durable, healthy and  dynamic democracy in the world.

My prayer is that more white people come to realize that they have not lost America.  Rather, the country that was once a cute baby has grown up into the most attractive adult in the world.

Seven Reasons Why Black Clergy Support President Barack Obama

A recent news story stated that African American religious leaders are likely to encourage members of their congregations to stay home on Election Day rather than choose between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.  The article suggests that the African American church would turn its back on hundreds of years of political engagement because:  a) President Obama supports marriage equality, and b) Though Romney is against marriage equality, little else in his political agenda appeals to African Americans.

Major media cannot legitimately claim to understand the aspirations of the black community, but the article raises an interesting question about African American religious leaders.  Do Black clergy as a group believe that the next occupant of the White House is not an important matter to their congregants?   

Here are seven reasons why most African American clergy in fact, support President Obama:

1.       Barack Obama understands the beauty and strength of the ethnic and cultural diversity of the United States of America. Barack Obama is a walking example of the ethnic and cultural diversity of our county.  He embodies in his genetic make-up black, white, immigrant, native born, mid-Western, urban, and Islander.  He grew up in a working class family and is now financially successful.  He was raised by a single mother and by grandparents.  He has walked the streets of urban poverty and earned a law degree with distinction from one of the finest universities in the world.

2.       Barack Obama understands the opportunities, risks, dangers and nuances of American foreign policy. Having lived internationally, Obama understands the idiosyncrasies of different cultures.  He is clear about his convictions yet comfortable communicating across racial, ethnic and cultural boundaries.  He knows how to assert American values without unnecessary offense to our allies around the world.  He is clear about defending American interests and is not afraid to act decisively to protect them (i.e., the elimination of Osama Bin Laden and other notorious leaders of Al Qaeda). No American President has committed more resources to the security of Israel.  Few have kept foreign policy promises as well (removal of troops from Iraq). 

3.       Barack Obama brought the economy back from the brink of disaster to a period of sustained growth.  When he took office in 2009, our economy was losing 750,000 jobs each month.  Since taking office, Obama has presided over the creation or saving of 4-1/2 million jobs.  His policies saved America’s banking industry.  He rescued the auto industry and saved 1 million jobs.  Housing starts are at their highest point in two years.  Wealth creation in America is at its highest in history.  It can be argued that the economy could be improving more rapidly, but at best, such an argument is conjecture.  Yes, the poverty rate is higher than ever before but the growth in U.S. poverty dates back to the 1990s.  The growing number of poor people who have access to health care is strengthening the safety net for low income Americans, making it possible for them to save money and increase their productivity.  The data proves what the rhetoric tries to deny: President Obama’s economic policies are working.

4.       Barack Obama believes that women are equal partners in a democratic society. The President believes that women cannot be denied the right to make their own health care choices.  He believes that women have the right to equal pay for equal work.  He has appointed women justices to the Supreme Court, and to high-ranking positions in the Administration.  As the husband of an educated and accomplished wife and father to two daughters, President Obama has an intimate understanding of our country’s need for both women and men to participate fully in the American dream.

5.       Barack Obama understands that the vast majority of African Americans work, care for their families, pay taxes, and are fierce American patriots. The civil rights movement was nearly 50 years ago and yet there are still forces in our society that promote the idea that African Americans are a drag on American progress.  Indeed, facts don’t seem to matter when perception is clouded by racism, fear and ignorance.  The vast majority of African Americans are working and middle class people with the same values as other Americans.  Any candidate for President that does not know this is woefully ignorant of the people he is campaigning to serve and has dim prospects for knowing how to develop policies that get at the real causes of poverty in our country.

6.       Barack Obama has demonstrated the resolve, tenacity, and inner strength to make tough, unpopular decisions regardless of the polls.  He pushed for Health Care Reform because it was a part of his 2008 campaign platform and it was the right thing to do.  With no political upside and much political risk, he committed U.S. forces to assist the Libyans in the civil war that ultimately ousted Muammar Gaddafi.  He attempted to bridge the divide between Republicans and Democrats despite publicly stated commitments by Republican leaders to do everything possible to make his Presidency a failure.  Obama’s support for gay marriage presented no political advantage, endangered the support of some in his base, but he did it because he believed it to be the right thing to do.

7.       Barack Obama understands the distinction between personal faith and his responsibility as the leader of the most successful democracy in the history of the world.   Barack Obama is President of the United States of America. As such he is the commander-in-chief of the most powerful military in the world, the most powerful elected official in the free world, and the chief executive of the most renowned democratic government and society in the world.  Any policies that an American President advances should certainly be guided by his/her moral and religious beliefs but not set forth to impose those beliefs on the electorate. The United States is not a church nor is the President a pastor.  An American President must protect the constitutional and human rights and freedoms of all citizens, whether or not their religious values are the same.

History reminds us that the legislation of moral behavior was one of many tools used to repress the freedom of African Americans in American society.  Regardless of personal, religious or widely held moral views, Black clergy ought not to be counted among those who support policies to restrict the freedom of persons in a democratic society today.

African Americans will vote in large numbers in November and will play a key role in deciding the winner of the presidential election.