THE UNITED
CHURCH OF CHRIST - A RICH HERITAGE: At its biennial meeting in June, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the denomination, which was formed in 1957 from a merger of the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches. It was a marriage that many considered an anomaly, and even those who gave birth to the new church were hoping that it would be a transitional step toward the union of several mainline Protestant churches. The motto of the fledgling denomination was, "That They All Be One," echoing the words of Jesus for unity among all people of faith. While descendants of the same Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli, the two branches of the United Church of Christ were very distinct. The Evangelical and Reformed Church, the stream from which St. John's derives, was primarily German, originating in the Palatinate area of southern Germany. Because of the continuing wars of religion on the continent, many migrations brought settlers to eastern Pennsylvania where the German Reformed Church began in 1725 in Falkner Swamp near Boyertown. The denomination was presbyterial in organization, meaning that representatives from each congregation made decisions that were binding on each local church. The Congregational Churches were English, born out of the English Reformation and the Marian exiles who went to Germany and studied Calvinist theology. The Congregational churches traced their colonial-era origins to two English dissenting Protestant groups: the separatist Pilgrims, who arrived on the Mayflower and established Plymouth Colony in 1620; and the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who landed in 1629 and 1630 and settled Boston. As the name implies, these churches were congregational in polity, meaning that each local church makes decisions that are binding on that particular congregation, but covenant together with other churches in matters of mutual interest and concern. In trying to meld both traditions, the United Church of Christ meets every two years in a General Synod made up of representatives of the thirty-nine conferences. However, the General Synod cannot legislate; its decisions are only binding on local congregations as each church enters into an approving covenant. It is often said that the General Synod speaks to the church, not for the church. While each congregation has its own autonomy and is free to discern the movement of the Holy Spirit in its own life, it is important that we remain in dialogue with one another as we seek to understand God's intentions for our lives. The heritage of the United Church of Christ is not rooted in dogma, in strict adherence to creeds that constrict thought. We receive the historic creeds of the church as teaching tools of the faith. Just as the Bible must be interpreted in every age and every culture to provide light for our spiritual journey, so, too, must Christians ever be open to the continuing guidance of the Holy Spirit. This Sunday is Pentecost, the birthday of the Christian church.
We will be confirming nineteen young men and women into the faith.
Confirmation is not graduation. The certificates they receive
are not diplomas. Confirmation is a marking point in the process
of spiritual growth that will continue their entire lives. The
rich heritage of the United Church of Christ is that we are a
covenantal community where each person is responsible for the
spiritual formation and nurture of all its members. It takes
more than a village to develop individual faith; it takes the
entire Body of Christ.
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