This past weekend, I went up with a group from my church and my parents to the Maine Conference UCC's Annual Meeting up at the University of Maine at Farmington. Overall, it was a good meeting. In the past, I'd would go to this with my parents and get "I changed your diapers when you were a baby." Thank God no one said that exact phrase to me this time but I did see people hadn't seen me in years. This year was good because there were an equal number of people who knew me as I am now from the seminary so this was great.
Friday night, my father and I thought it would be a good a idea to go grab a beer somewhere. We couldn't find a bar anywhere. In a college town. Do you see the irony here? Here's some more: according to a professor of the school I met, UMF is 75% women and their mascot is the "Beavers."
The major issue of the weekend was a vote on a resolution to authorize one of our commissions to "discern" on the conference becoming Open and Affirming. I spoke up and said we'd been thinking about this all my life and a vote to basically think about it some more is stupid and a waste of time. No one had the guts to back me up at the time (Though people told me privately afterwards they agreed with me) so the motion passed as is. Open and Affirming is a program started by the UCC to officially welcome people to our churches no matter their sexual orientation, race, body weight, number of fingers or whatever. About a dozen churches here in Maine are O and A. On the Conference level, I don't know any except Massachussets but I'm sure there are others.
Saturday night, a rock band from the local church performed at a dance. They called themselves a "Christian Rock" band but they played Classic Rock all night. The most religious song they played was "R.O.C.K. in the U.C.C." which I thought one of the seminary students came up with the YMCA-esque hand motions for but my boss says, if that's so, than it was her that ran with it...
Friday night, my father and I thought it would be a good a idea to go grab a beer somewhere. We couldn't find a bar anywhere. In a college town. Do you see the irony here? Here's some more: according to a professor of the school I met, UMF is 75% women and their mascot is the "Beavers."
The major issue of the weekend was a vote on a resolution to authorize one of our commissions to "discern" on the conference becoming Open and Affirming. I spoke up and said we'd been thinking about this all my life and a vote to basically think about it some more is stupid and a waste of time. No one had the guts to back me up at the time (Though people told me privately afterwards they agreed with me) so the motion passed as is. Open and Affirming is a program started by the UCC to officially welcome people to our churches no matter their sexual orientation, race, body weight, number of fingers or whatever. About a dozen churches here in Maine are O and A. On the Conference level, I don't know any except Massachussets but I'm sure there are others.
Saturday night, a rock band from the local church performed at a dance. They called themselves a "Christian Rock" band but they played Classic Rock all night. The most religious song they played was "R.O.C.K. in the U.C.C." which I thought one of the seminary students came up with the YMCA-esque hand motions for but my boss says, if that's so, than it was her that ran with it...
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