Cecile Gilson's Presentation Feb. 26

For those of you who were unable to attend the Ecclesiasticl Council last Sunday when Cecile Gilson presented her faith story which is leading her to become a commissioned minister in the United Church of Christ, the link below will take you to a copy of her words on that occasion.  It's worth reading.

 

 

http://www.hillchurch.org/content/Cecile_Gilson's_Commissioning_Presentation.htm

Insights into Danish cartoon controversy

As protests, many of them violent, continue to shake the Muslim world in the wake of depiction of Muhammad in a series of cartoons, two religious scholars discuss the use of religious imagery in public places and in the media.   Ingrid Mattson is the director of the Islamic Chaplaincy Program and professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut; and Father Terrence Dempsey is the director of the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art and professor of art history and religion at St. Louis University. Read their responses to pbs's Ray Suarrez questions below..

 

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/religion/jan-june06/symbols_2-15.html

BONO'S REMARKS TO THE NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST 2/2/06

Check out this message that Bono delivered to the National Prayer Breakfast...

Thank you.

Mr. President, First Lady, King Abdullah, Other heads of State, Members of Congress, distinguished guests--

Please join me in praying that I don't say something we'll all regret.

That was for the FCC.

If you're wondering what I’m doing here, at a prayer breakfast, well, so am I. I'm certainly not here as a man of the cloth, unless that cloth is leather. It's certainly not because I'm a rock star. Which leaves one possible explanation: I’m here because I've got a messianic complex.

Yes, it's true. And for anyone who knows me, it's hardly a revelation.

Well, I'm the first to admit that there's something unnatural-- something unseemly-- about rock stars mounting the pulpit and preaching at presidents, and then disappearing to their villas in the South of France. Talk about a fish out of water. It was weird enough when Jesse Helms showed up at a U2 concert-- but this is really weird, isn't it?

You know, one of the things I love about this country is its separation of church and state. Although I have to say: in inviting me here, both church and state have been separated from something else completely: their mind. .

Mr. President, are you sure about this?

It's very humbling and I will try to keep my homily brief. But be warned--I'm Irish.

Continued here....
http://www.data.org/archives/000774.php

"Stillspeaking ad buy resurrected for Easter"

Reprinted from United Church News

In a statement released last night (Feb. 2), the Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, announced that the UCC's new ad campaign has been approved for airing during a three-week period over Easter.

In a letter immediately following the decision, Thomas wrote, in part:

"The Executive Committee of the Executive Council met Thursday afternoon, February 2, and voted to authorize the airing of our new God is Still Speaking commercial for a three-week period over Easter. This is made possible by gifts from individuals and congregations across the United Church of Christ, as well as grants from Local Church Ministries, Wider Church Ministries, and Justice and Witness Ministries "

"Fund raising will continue in the hope of raising an additional $1 million, which will enable us to extend airing the commercials through Mother's Day. A more detailed communication will be forthcoming, but we wanted to get this word to you as soon as possible following our meeting."

The announcement follows the November 2005 decision of the U CC's five-person Collegium of Officers to postpone the planned Advent ad buy when an ambitious fund-raising effort came up short.

Upon hearing today's decision, Stillspeaking Coordinator Ron Buford said, "I celebrate the opportunity for the United Church of Christ to continue reaching out to people who are looking for a spiritual home and a family they can call their own."

Buford said that focus groups recently previewed the new television ad. Initial reports show that the groups responded favorably to the new ad's message delivered with humor. "Expect fun things," he said.

According to Buford, members of the UCC Executive Committee of the Executive Council also previewed the ad prior to making their final decision, and reacted positively.

"We are grateful to everyone for the financial gifts, hard work, and imagination that have literally changed the perception of the United Church of Christ as a place of authentic welcome," said Buford. The Stillspeaking Initiative soon will announce strategies to raise additional funds to extend the approved ad schedule for an additional three weeks to take it through Mother's Day.

The UCC's "bouncer" ad campaign ignited a national controversy when it aired in December 2004 and March 2005. Since the initial December 2004 ad run, more than 7.1 million visitors have come to the UCC websites and more than 661,000 of those visitors entered a city name or zip code to find a UCC church near them.

Click here to make a contribution

Cecile Gilson's Call to Commissioned Ministry

Commissioned Ministry

The United Church of Christ recognizes that God calls the whole church and every member to participate in and extend the ministry of Jesus Christ by witnessing to the gospel in church and society. The United Church of Christ seeks to undergird the ministry of its members by nurturing faith, calling forth gifts, and equipping members for Christian service.

The United Church of Christ recognizes that God calls certain of its members to various forms of ministry in and on behalf of the church.

Commissioning is the act whereby the United Church of Christ, through an Association, in cooperation with a person and a local church of the United Church of Christ, recognizes and authorizes that member to a specific church-related ministry that is recognized by that Association.

A Commissioned Minister in the United Church of Christ is one of its lay members who has been called by God and commissioned for a specific church-related ministry.

From the Constitution of the United Church of Christ

Several years ago Cecile Gilson began to recognize that her work as the Program Coordinator for Justice/Witness and Wider Church Ministries of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ was a call from God. For her, the work of helping churches and their leaders bear witness to the compassion and justice of God in the human community was not just a job; she began to perceive it as a God-given vocation. So, in conversation with me, the Conference staff, and the members of our board of deacons, Cecile began the journey to have this "calling" recognized by the Windham Association of the United Church of Christ as a Commissioned Minister. That journey began officially in January, 2004, when Cecile asked our board of deacons to request the Windham Association to prepare a process that would lead to recognizing Cecile as a Commissioned Minister of the United Church of Christ. That process included a retreat at the Pendle Hill Conference Center (PA), a number of courses at Hartford Seminary (including a UCC polity course), readings, sessions with a spiritual director, developing connections with networks advocating justice issues in our state and nation, and maintaining a record and reflections of the various threads of this adventure. On Nov. 9, 2005 the Committee on Ministry and Church Standing of the Windham Association recognized that Cecile had successfully completed that process and voted to recommend to the Association that she be commissioned for this ministry.

What happens next is that the Association will gather at our church on Sunday, February 19, at 3:00 p.m., for an ecclesiastical council that will receive that recommendation and vote on it after Cecile presents a commissioning paper. If the council concurs that Cecile should be commissioned for this ministry, a commissioning service will be held in our church on March 26, at 4:00 p.m.

I rejoice that Cecile has officially completed this process. It has been an important journey for Cecile. This is the same journey (but with a different theme) that Debbie Pallatto-Fontaine completed two years ago. Our church can be rightfully proud that two of our members have elected to have their God-giving callings recognized in this manner. I know you will want to support Cecile through the last steps of this process. Please feel free to attend the ecclesiastical council on Feb. 19, and plan to be at the service celebrating her commissioning on March 26.

And, the latest news about Cecile's calling to support the justice and witness ministries of our church is that she has recently been appointed to be the Assistant to the Conference Minister, the Rev. Davida Crabtree. In that position she will be able to assist our Conference Minister with those ministries and activities. Obviously Davida, too, has also recognized Cecile's gifts and is looking forward to working with her in the coming years.

In God's peace,

Jamie Harrison