June 09, 2023
At the Service of Ordination and Commissioning, the New England Conference welcomed nine ordinands and eight comissionees.
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez, who serves the Upper NY Area, was guest preacher. In his sermon titled "What does this mean?" on Luke 4:14-19 /Acts 2:1-12, Bishop Burgos offered this advice and encouragement to the clergy class and all of us:
"I do not pretend to know everything there is to know about this subject," he said, "but through the story of Pentecost, and my life journey, I am learning that living in the fullness of Christ and experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit every day in my leadership includes ..."
First, remaining connected to the source of our faith and hope. Instead of envisioning your leadership flowing out of the latest leadership theory, I encourage you all today to envision your leadership flowing out of a deep and abiding relationship with God in Jesus Christ ...
Second, develop and practice the ordained spiritual disciplines. Disciplines deepen our spiritual life and empower our leadership. They keep us centered and replenish us when we go through challenging times.
Third, always seek to align with God’s purpose and vision for your lives and those you are called to serve. Always seek to serve God’s purposes first ...
Fourth, embrace change as a friend. Change is our calling. It is through new insights and ways of thinking and doing that we get to experience God’s regenerative power that releases us to do relevant and meaningful ministry in the world.
Read the full sermon here
2023 ordinands
Deacon
Maylis de la Fe-Rodriguez
Ashley Michele Benner Murphy
Elder
Kate Galop
Jordan Marcel Harris
John Herbert Domingo Lucy
Bumshik Min
Alicia Vélez Stewart
John Brooks Whitley
Welcomed from another denomination
JongWook Hong (elder)
Deacon
Thomas Anthony Andrew
Elder
Joanne Hus
Barry Alan Judd
Yuseong Kim
James Jeounghun Koo
Evan Reid McElreath
J.J. Warren
Welcomed from another denomination
Gil Pyo Lee (provisional elder)
Offering
Received for the Ministerial Education Fund
$4,391.11
Black Clergy Caucus
Page numbers indicate where the item can be found in the Pre-Conference Materials (including addenda)
CONSENT CALENDAR I – adopted
CONSENT CALENDAR II – adopted
RS-23-118 2024 Budget Resolutions – page 580 – approved
RS-23-212 Covenant Hills Visioning Team – page 81 – approved
RS-23-213 NEAC Divest From Fossil Fuels – page 83 — approved
RS-23-214 Fund Black And Urban Churches With Equity — page 83 — approved
RS-23-215 Cancel Conference Debt of Black Churches – page 84 — approved – as amended
Amendment – Expands the list of churches affected to 18 See the amendment text
See the complete list of churches
Amendment – To line 28 – add Board of Pensions to the groups creating the formal Jubilee Debt Cancellation Agreements
RS-23-216 Praying For Korea’s Peace – page 86 — approved
RS-23-217 Exploring Land Restitution – page 87 — approved
RS-23-218 Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion – page 88 — approved
RS-23-219 Re-Organizing the Connectional Table – page 90 – approved
RS-23-238 Endorsing A Strategic Vision Forward for NEAC – page 586 – approved as amended
2023 retirees Rev. Young Hwan Joseph Kim and Rev. Dr. Karen Munson welcomed the new clergy class with some sound advice, baseball analogies and a rousing musical tribute "Sweet Ordinands" sung to the tune of "Sweet Caroline.
Friday's opening worship service was led by the Asian and Pacific Islander Commission and the Korean Caucus.
As part of the worship, members offered a prayer in the Korean Tongsung Kido style. Tongsung, “cry out together loudly;” Kido, “pray.”
Take a listen:
The Rev. Dr. Becca Girrell received the 2023 Wilbur C. Ziegler Award for Excellence in Preaching. Dr. Girrell serves as pastor of the United Community Church of Morrisville, VT.
On Friday morning, Dr. Girrell preached on Acts 10 with a sermon titled “What’s Next?”
Calling Acts 10 “the height of drama in the early church,” she described Jesus’ followers, at this point about 10 years after Jesus’ ascension, as “largely underground and disorganized, still threatened and harassed.”
“… this fledgling church is at a critical crossroads: do they remain a revival movement within their Jewish faith, inviting others who were awaiting the Messiah to “come and see”? Dr. Girrell said. “Or do they draw the circle wider, extending the faith to include Gentiles, non-Jewish people, those who know nothing of their scripture, their God, their culture, and their people, even those awash in the power and destruction of Roman might?”
“Who will the church be? Who is in and who is out? Decisions have to be made. Lines are being drawn. Sound at all familiar?” she asked.
The answer that comes to Peter, Dr. Girrell said, is that “God has shown me I must call no person impure or unclean. Full stop.”
“It’s not about who God has or has not called pure,” she said. “It’s not about who we think God has or has not called pure. Peter has accepted that God might work through those Peter doesn’t suspect or even like, and Peter is done trying to figure that out.”
“And that’s where we need to be, asking God, ‘what’s next?’ Dr. Girrell said.
“… for all we have lost and will lose, for all the fear of the unknown, for all the temptation to fold in on ourselves and draw in close for protection, this is the time to ask not why now, but what’s next? She said. “Even now, the Spirit is doing a new thing, birthing a new movement. And so yes, this is precisely the moment to take another leap, and to draw the circle wide, and wider still.”
The Ziegler award is presented to someone “who demonstrates excellence in preaching the whole Gospel, addressing both personal and social salvation.” Each year’s Ziegler honoree is invited to preach at the Annual Conference session.
Watch the video
Read the full sermon
Much of CCORR's work this year has been conducting the required quadrennial anti-racism training; 10 sessions were conducted around the Conference. This year's training focused on intersectionality. A make-up session for those who missed the training will be held on Aug. 26, 2023 at a location to be determined. Please save this date if you have not had the opportunity to take this training; if you are serving a local church by virtue of appointment, assignment, or as interim this course is mandatory.
Chair Rev. Effie McAvoy said that five churches have reported on their work of researching their property's history with regard to redlining. She encouraged all churches to do this work outlined in RS-22-225 from last year's AC and said CCORR members are prepared to help churches in this work.
Be on the lookout for further conversation on intersectional Justice coming this fall. We will be delving deeper into our conversations on intersectionality with focuses on sexism/heterosexism, classism, ableism, and ageism.
In partnership with the UM Foundation of New England, the CoRR team has awarded grants for ministries that are living into the work of justice, ending systemic racism, and caring for the marginalized. Let's celebrate these ministries!
This cycle we have awarded:
En La Luch/The Struggle for Life in Medford, MA
Hearts for Social Justice/RIUMA in RI
The Maris Center, Salisbury, MA
Hispanic Youth Leadership Academy/HYLA, Boston
Finally, my siblings, remember that the work to end systemic racism is ongoing — it's not a “one and done.” It is a daily commitment to do “all the good we can, for whomever we can, whenever we can, by whatever means we can, for as long as we can.” Never forget that God loves you with an everlasting love. If anyone tells you differently they are LYING to you. GOD LOVES YOU.
