2016 Regional Assembly

Rev. Brain Frederick-Gray of First Christian Church of Scottsdale responds to what “Celebration, Celebración! Christ Among Us!” means to her, and all of us at our upcoming 2016 Regional Assembly, Asamblea Convención Arizona.

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I am excited for upcoming Arizona Regional Assembly because, well, I’m an ecclesiastical kleptomaniac.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I have a compulsion to rob churches. So don’t worry, East Mesa Christian Church, I’m not coming to Regional Assembly so that I can pilfer your communion trays or sneak away with your choir robes. 

When I say I’m an “ecclesiastical kleptomaniac” what I mean is that I love to steal ideas from other churches and church leaders so that I can bring them to the church I serve.

I used to say, “borrow ideas from other church and church leaders” but that really isn’t the right verb. It is not like I would ever say, “Wow! That is a really cool way that your church is welcoming visitors and helping them to feel immediately included in the life of your church. I’m going to use that for a couple of weeks and then it give it back to you when I’m done.” Or, “Oh, you have an innovative new way of doing Vacation Bible School that has the kids totally revved up? Well let me take that for one night and I promise I’ll clean it up before I give it back.”

No, I don’t just want to borrow ideas and best practices from other churches. I want to take those incredible ideas and best practices, put them to use at FCC Scottsdale, and see how those news things influence and shape us at the church as we strive to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, alive and at work in our world. I want to take your ideas, bring them back to the church I serve, and make them our own! Don’t worry, I always try to remember to give credit where credit is due. 

Here is the most exciting part about Regional Assembly to me: It is the single best place to hear about what other churches are doing, learn from their examples, and then bring those same ideas back to the local congregations that we love so dearly. Regional Assembly is like one stop shopping for an ecclesiastical kleptomaniac! (And yes, I know I should have said “one stop shoplifting for an ecclesiastical kleptomaniac” but I didn’t want to run the metaphor completely into the ground!)

We get to share our best practices and ideas in many ways. 

• There are the formal ways like Saturday afternoon’s workshop sessions when some of the very best and brightest from our Region will be talking about the things that they are most passionate about. Those sessions are ready made for taking an idea and running with it.
• There are the less formal ways, like the “30-second Celebration Video Clips” that our churches are putting together that will be shared throughout our worship services and business sessions. Those are just commercial-length snippets of ready-made congregational awesomeness.
• And there are the totally informal ways, like the side conversations that we have during coffee breaks in between sessions or during one of the many wonderful meals that we’ll share together. Those fellowship-building conversations are just ripe for the picking, filled with insights and innovative ideas. 

In fact, let me give you a little tip. 

The theme “Celebration, Celebración!” is just perfect for any aspiring ecclesiastical kleptomaniacs! 

Here is what you do: Walk up to anyone at Regional Assembly and say, “Hey, what are you all celebrating at your church?” Because chances are whatever they are celebrating is something that they are proud of, something they are doing really well, and something that is helping to bring glory to God all the while sharing the good news of the gospel. And that, dear friends, is the crown jewels right there. Those are the keys to the kingdom. If you are looking for the best practices that you can bring back to your church just ask somebody, “What are you celebrating?” and then steal that idea and bring it back to your congregation.

So I hope to see you at Regional Assembly. I look forward to hearing about celebrations and the amazing ways that your church is serving the loving, living God that we know through Jesus Christ our Lord. And, I look forward to bringing those ideas to life at my own congregation after I have stolen them! And, I’ll try to remember to give you credit.

Lori Tapia, of Iglesia Alas de Salvación and serving Pastora Nacional Interina (Intermin National Pastor) of Obra Hispana(Central Pastoral Office for Hispanic Ministries) responds to what “Celebration, Celebración! Christ Among Us!” means to her, and all of us at our upcoming 2016 Regional Assembly, Asamblea Convención Arizona.

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We have all this talk about creating unity, yet we fail to understand what scripture is speaking to us through the author of the letter to the Ephesians in 4:1-6. Here we are instructed “keep” the unity, not create the unity. We have been given this unity as a gift from God as we are all unity in one body through Christ. As I focus on the coming “Celebración! through and in Regional Assembly, I am reminded of the love of Jesus for all. I am moved to a greater understanding of who I am, who I am with others and who I am in Christ. It is this spirit of Celebration that excites me to deeper relationships, to greater understanding and to authentic love of my neighbor. It is precisely the fact that Christ is among us that unites us, not our own agendas, talents, skills or languages. It is the diversity represented in the Christ who died for an entire human race, for a broken humanity in need of redemption that we come together as one. I don’t believe that the brokenness of one faction of humanity is greater or lessor than another, and here, celebrating that we all come together with our own baggage, our own broken vessels that Jesus, the great potter, finds us, welcomes us, heals us, restores us and as one body, empowers us with authority to continue the work he began so long ago, preaching, teaching and healing all those who came to him. We are called to share the good news, and the good news at the center of my heart is that WE ARE ONE in the only one worthy, in the one who loves unconditionally and intentionally, and in our diversity as we all share the color of the blood of Jesus that has cleansed us, washing away the filth, paying the price for each of us without distinction. To be in a spirit of Celebration! Estar en un espíritu de Celebración! This is what my heart desires as I anticipate worshipping, celebrating and rejoicing in our diverse oneness in Jesus at this years regional assembly. Esto es lo que desea mi corazón en espera a esta asamblea regional, poder adorar, celebrar y regocijarnos en nuestra diversidad como uno en Jesus.

Rev. Abigail Conley of Chalice Christian Church responds to what “Celebration, Celebración! Christ Among Us!” means to her, and all of us at our upcoming 2016 Regional Assembly, Asamblea Convención Arizona.

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My first year of seminary, I ended up in the unofficial international students apartment building. My roommate was from Germany. The neighbors across the hall were from Bulgaria. The ones downstairs were from Afghanistan. The other downstairs neighbor was from Alabama, but he went home on the weekends so we never saw him.

That was the year I learned that Halloween is holiday unique to the United States. For all my knowledge of the cultural roots of Halloween, I had no idea it hadn’t developed in other countries. The people new to the country were eager to learn all about how to celebrate Halloween; they assumed I would be their guide.

It started with carving pumpkins, since this was one of the things my new friends had heard about. The request for me to teach them how to carve pumpkins came very early. Little did they know that I didn’t really grow up in a pumpkin carving household; my mother much preferred to let us paint pumpkins. Still, I knew the basic process, so told everyone what kind of pumpkin to buy, and got the appropriate materials for carving pumpkins.

On the designated night, we all gathered in my apartment so I could explain how to carve pumpkins. That was also the night I found out that conversations translated from English to German to Bulgarian and back take a really long time. The English preparation courses had not been sufficient for my Bulgarian neighbors; luckily, the man who was studying at my seminary had also studied in Austria, so he knew German. My roommate later complained that he spoke with an Austrian accent so she couldn’t always understand him well. She’d worked as a translator in London, England, so her English was impeccable. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that she spoke with the Boston accent of her English instructor. Luckily, the two Afghani men had no language barriers at all.

One of the translated conversations was simple, “Is trick or treating real?” After I assured them it was, I agreed to take my neighbors and their four-year-old son around to houses. They still didn’t believe it would work. Of course, it did. And of course, the four year old cried through the process.

My roommate’s birthday was October 30th, so the last addition to the Halloween festivities hosted by me was a birthday party, complete with an apartment decorated in black and orange. We had a Halloween cake instead of a birthday cake. In the end, I think their first Halloween celebrations were underwhelming for my friends, despite the jack-o-lanterns on their porches. I certainly could have done better all the way around with a bigger budget. Actually, the neighbors who were Christian were far more shocked by my artificial Christmas tree than anything to do with Halloween.

Several years later, I think of all the effort it took to make those relationships work. For the most part, those relationships really worked. I had just turned 23 when I met all of them, so I couldn’t provide nearly the help that I could now. Still, I could ask other people their questions, so I did. We figured out vaccines for their children and the English names of ingredients they needed for cooking. I assured them those pink service papers left by the cable guys were of no consequence and helped them decipher other documents they were handed. My church and I prayed for my two Afghani neighbors who were afraid to go home over winter break, lest they not be allowed to return; they missed their young children desperately. Together, we all sat patiently through the conversations that had to be translated multiple times.

Looking back, I think far more about my neighbors’ struggles than mine. Their willingness to ask for help still amazes me. In that wonderfully complicated living arrangement, we learned to accept what each had to offer. I’ll never forget sitting in my neighbors’ home, drinking espresso. I don’t like coffee in any form, and this particular version of espresso made anything that Starbucks has taste like water in comparison. Still, I drank, not knowing their custom was to always fill an empty cup, so I drank some more. I didn’t sleep for a solid day after that. I still smile when I think about it though, or run across some of the small gifts those neighbors gave me from their home countries.

That year, geography forced us to figure out how to live together, have fun together, and even celebrate together. Despite being forced by some computer algorithm, that small community was holy—holier than I’d ever imagined possible.

As our Regional Assembly/Asamblea Convención approaches, it occurs to me that we don’t really know how to celebrate together, at least not yet. We occupy our own spaces and traditions. We bring our own expectations. Yet, there is this hope that Christ is infinitely better than computer algorithms. Somehow, those algorithms managed to create something beautiful, holy, and treasured. How much more hope Christ brings!

“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)