by Kelle Barr | Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette

Saturday July 04, 2009, 6:48 AM

KALAMAZOO -- Leaders of local churches who attended the recent United Church of Christ national convention in Grand Rapids cited the election of a black man as president of the denomination, a rally for universal health-care coverage and a move to change the UCC's governing structure as key actions of the event.

The Rev. Geoffrey Black was elected general minister and president of the 1.1 million-member UCC by delegates to the General Synod, which was held June 26 to 30 at DeVos Place.

Black, who is the second African-American man to serve as UCC president and the first elected to a full four-year term, is the administrator of the denomination's New York Conference. He will take over the new position in October upon the retirement of the Rev. John Thomas.

"This is a very significant development," said the Rev. Matthew Laney, pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Kalamazoo, who attended the synod with about 65 church members. "A lot of great things happened to our congregation under John Thomas, but Rev. Black is hailed as someone who can really bring unity and focus to the church."

Black will take over a denomination known for social justice and acceptance of gay couples and clergy. But it is a denomination that also faces continuing membership losses, including an exodus of many following a vote by its 2005 synod recognizing gay marriage.

"The big bleed is over," Black said. "The churches that couldn't live with that have made their way out of the denomination."

Though some continued decline is likely, Black said he believes the trend can be reversed by churches also welcoming immigrants, single parents and people of color.
UCC representatives from all 50 states converged on DeVos Place for the 27th national meeting of the UCC, whose national offices are in Cleveland. About 3,650 people participated in the national gathering, Laney said, and about 4,500 attended a Sunday worship service.

Health-care concerns

On Monday, about 200 UCC members marched down Michigan Street to Calder Plaza calling for universal health coverage. "We want the world to know we believe universal health care should happen now," Black said. "All the gifts of medical science are gifts of God, and all of God's people should have access to them."

Leading the march was Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, an ordained UCC minister. In an interview before the synod began, Heartwell said he appreciates the UCC's strong social stands, diversity of beliefs and its motto that "God is still speaking" -- in other words, God's revelations did not end with the Bible.

Streamlined structure

One of the most significant actions by the synod, according to Laney, was the decision to shrink the denomination's governance from five boards down to one.

"The five-board structure has been criticized for lack of cohesion," he said. "It makes sense to streamline it, and I think this will be a positive thing."

But the Rev. Scott Oberle, of Portage UCC, who came to the synod with about 30 church members, expressed concern that the move could reduce diversity in the governing structure of a denomination with a wide spectrum of differences.

"The UCC is very diverse racially, sexually and economically," Oberle said. "Also theologically. We have progressive Christians, traditional mainline Christians, conservative Christians and even fundamentalists."

Laney said he is confident that the move can be accomplished without a loss of diversity. "It will take careful structure, but I know that all voices will continue to be heard after this restructure," he said, citing the UCC's commitment to social justice. "We take bold stands because of our faith."

Racial reconciliation

For both Oberle and the Rev. Gail Holman, of Phoenix Community Church UCC in Kalamazoo, a denominational resolution on race carried a particularly relevant message. It urged UCC members to continue to foster racial reconciliation and take steps to end racism.

As part of their own effort to reach out to people of other races, both Oberle and Holman are members of the Northside Ministerial Alliance.

Oberle said his church is always looking for new ways to bring black and white people together in worship. "We have shared worship and a couple of meals with Fresh Fire AME Church," he said. "We have taken action to work against racism, and we will continue to," Oberle said. "We're always trying to reach across racial divides to find faith connections between races."

Holman acknowledged that making those connections can be difficult for her congregation. "About 80 percent of the people who go to Phoenix are gay or lesbian," she said. "And since most black religious leaders consider homosexuality a sin, they tend not to be open to working with us."

Still, she persists with hope for the future. "They let me join the Northside Alliance so I do have my foot in the door," she said, "and that's a step in the right direction."