Pastoral Ponderings – April 2026

“Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, as well as the cloth that had been around Jesus’ head”. ~ John 20:6-7

Most of you know that we have been dealing with a leak from a broken pipe in the kitchen at the parsonage. Because it was in the wall, and in the back of the lower cabinets, the leak did not present itself until the cellulose insulation thawed out as the temperature got warmer, and trickled down the basement wall, which is where David found it.

It wasn’t until we found the leak, got a plumber to come to the house, and he opened up the wall, that we found we were going to need more extensive repairs than just a fixed pipe. By opening the wall, it exposed the truth of what was happening. And once that truth was found, we were unable to ignore the damage, and are faced with having to get the proper testing for asbestos, lead paint, and mold, tearing out the cabinets and counter top, and then opening more of the wall to find out exactly the amount of damage that was done by one little 3/4 inch slit in a copper pipe.

The truth is like that. Once it is out in the open, it can’t be ignored. Oh, we can try and sweep it under the rug, or hide it in a closet, but good luck with that. Eventually, someone will “trip” over the rug, or open the closet, and the truth will be exposed. Truth is tricky like that.

Oftentimes, the truth hurts. Or, at the very least, it stings. But it always finds a way of coming to the surface, and you know what? The truth will set you free!

Don’t believe me? Have you ever done something in your life—or said something to someone—that you didn’t want anyone to find out?

Maybe it was because you didn’t want to take the blame (even though you deserved to take it). Or maybe it was because the truth made you feel ashamed. Or maybe the truth proved you were wrong about something, or someone, and you didn’t want to believe it—be it good or bad.

What happens when you try to hide, or try to run away from the truth? How do you feel? Do you feel lousy? How do you sleep when you try to hide the truth? Are Guilt and Anxiety constant companions during this time?

But what happens when the truth comes out, and you have to face the consequences?

While it may sting for a little while, don’t you feel better having let it go? With the truth in the open, you don’t have to hide anything anymore, you don’t have to lie anymore, you don’t have to keep things bottled up anymore.

On that dark day we call Good Friday, Jesus was led to Golgotha—made to carry his own cross—and then nailed to it until he suffocated and took his last breath. And he did this willingly—because he knew the truth. He knew that his suffering would save humanity—for the rest of time. He knew the truth about how God’s Love covers everyone’s sins—if they but repent—if they turn back toward God and leave their old, sinful ways. (Which, by the way, must also be done willingly!)

Some 2000+ years later, we have the luxury (unlike the disciples and Jesus’ followers) of knowing this Truth. We know that in the midst of the valley of death, new life will rise again.

No matter what you are going through, remember that Truth. And remember that sharing the truth, even though it may sting, in the long run, will bring you new life.

God’s Truth— Love wins, and the unearnable Love of God is for everyone—no matter who, no matter what, no matter where. Go forth and spread that truth, don’t hide it!

Always Peace,

Pastor Heidi

Pastoral Ponderings – March 2026

“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment, heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.” ~ Matthew 3:16

 The Bible is filled with symbols, common objects, numbers and elements which represent deep spiritual truths.

Examples are:

Water for the Holy Spirit as well as for life Fire for purification or judgement

Light for God

Oil for the Holy Spirit and anointing

Bread for the life sustaining living Word of God Cross for salvation

Rainbow for God’s covenant Dove for the Holy Spirit Lamb for Jesus

Today, we use symbols to help us remember the Word of God. We use bread to symbolize the body of Christ, juice to symbolize the blood Jesus shed on the cross. We use water to remind us of our baptism, and that we are named and claimed by God.

During our Ash Wednesday Service of Ashes, those who attended received a rock. Biblically, a rock symbolizes strength and permanence, something we can rely on not to move.

But we received these rocks as symbols of the burdens we carry through our life. Some picked their rocks so they could fit in their pockets, keeping them close.

Some picked larger rocks to display in places they could see them. I picked mine—larger but not too large, so I could carry it with me in my bag back and forth to the church, or in my purse when I was going some place. It is heavy enough for me to remember it is always present.

What I have noticed, is that when I put my bag down, the relief I feel from not carrying it around anymore.

Each of our life journeys look different, and we carry different burdens. Some we have to carry, but many we do not. Through our conversations and our worship this Lenten Season, we will contemplate what burdens we are meant to carry, and what burdens we are not meant to carry. Here’s a hint, in case you don’t already know:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30.

So often we place unnecessary pressure or expectations on ourselves to be perfect, to know everything, to act a certain way, or live a certain way. But the reality is, those are not what we should be focusing on. All they do is cause undue stress, anxiety, and burdens. Instead, what we should be concentrating on is following God’s path, loving with grace and mercy, because God first loved us, and offers us grace and mercy. When we do, our burdens will become lighter, and we will live in the peace God created us to live in in the first place.

My friends, you are not the only one in this crazy and chaotic life who has burdens. All of us carry them. I pray you will join us this Lenten season as we walk this journey of self reflection together. Maybe together we can work on letting go of those burdens that we no longer need to carry. May it be so.

Always Peace,

Pastor Heidi

Pastoral Ponderings – February 2026

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. ”                        ~ Matthew 5:14-16

My family and I take several supplements daily, one of them being Vitamin D.

Vitamin D is important to the body. If the body is short on Vit. D, the body cannot absorb calcium properly to help maintain strong bones. It also supports immune health, and keeps muscles and brain cells working.

You can get Vit. D through some foods, mainly fish, like salmon, mackerel, and sardine (YUCK!). But the best way to get Vit. D is by sunlight. Unfortunately, given our geographic location on this planet, we can go several days, to even weeks without seeing the sun.

The sun affects us in more ways than just Vitamin D. If you are like me, the lack of sun can seriously affect your mood. Depression can set in, tempers can get dangerously short.

I can’t imagine living close to the Arctic Circle where they can get no sun at all in a 24 hour period for 60-67days every winter!

When the sun shines, I love facing it, with my eyes closed, of course! I love just standing in place, soaking up the warm rays, and allowing it to spread through my body. (Our dog, Nala, loves doing that as well!) The light warms my body, both inside and out.

The light of God shines on us in the same way—bright and warm. And it is always present, even when we can’t see or feel it.

Our world is gray and cloudy—mostly metaphorically speaking. It is filled with violence, hate, oppression, and fear. We can go days and days without seeing anything bright.

As people of God, we are called to be the light of the world. When the gray seems to blanket us like a thick fog, we are to shine. So, when you don’t feel or see the light of God, BE that light. DO something kind—smile at someone who isn’t expecting it. Look people in the eye when you talk to them. Call or text a friend or family member and tell them you are thinking of them. Send a card, or letter, or email. It doesn’t take much to be the light in the world. Just keep it simple!

Oh! And just in case I haven’t told you lately, or you need to hear it again—YOU ARE ENOUGH! GOD LOVES YOU, AND SO DO I!

Always Peace, 

Pastor Heidi

 

Pastoral Ponderings – January 2026

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”                             ~ Isaiah 60”1

Most of us know the first verse of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” But did you know there were three more verses?

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.

When the blazing sun is set, and the grass with dew is wet. Then you show your little light,twinkle, twinkle all the night.

Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. 

Then the traveler in the darkthanks you for your tiny spark.

How could he see where to go if you did not twinkle so? Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.

As your bright and tiny spark lights the traveler in the dark, though I know not what you are, twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.

The author wonders what the star actually is. Scientifically, we know that stars are massive bodies of superheated gas—mostly hydrogen and helium-which generate their own light and heat by nuclear fusion at their centers. We also know there are an uncountable number of stars which fall against a dark backdrop-the vastness of space.

In this season, we talk about light a lot. We intentionally add lights to Christmas trees and the outsides of our homes and properties. We have experienced the northern lights in our part of the country more this year than ever before.

Jesus was born as the Light of the World. Emmanuel broke into the darkness of a violent time, as an innocent baby, in order to shine the Light of God in the dark places.

After Jesus’ birth, the Magi followed a great star—we call it the Star of Bethlehem– from the far east to Bethlehem in order to find the new King.

One of the most interesting things about light is that you have to have darkness in order to see the light. Think about being in a room that is totally void of light. If you were to shine a tiny, pinpoint size flashlight in the room, you would see it because it is in stark contrast to the darkness that is already there.

Light is very important. We, like Jesus, are called to be the light to the world. To shine God’s love and light in all the shadowed places.

As we prepare to begin yet another year, where can you shine your love and light?  You can’t tell me there isn’t a small space that needs your light and love! With your light, and my light, and everyone’s light, we can change what is happening in our world! We can shine bright and bring hope and joy to all who need it—one tiny flicker at a time.

Always Peace, 

Pastor Heidi

 

Pastoral Ponderings – December 2025

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was not guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”      ~ Luke 2:6-14

“Do not be afraid.” An angel appears to Zechariah as he prays at the altar of incense, to tell him his wife—who was barren—was going to have a son, John the Baptist.

“Do not be afraid.” An angel appears to Mary, “because she found favor with God.” He tells her she is going to give birth to a son (without the traditional method of conceiving, by the way) and he will be called the Son of the Most High.”

“Do not be afraid.” An angel of the Lord appears to the shepherds in the middle of the night to announce the birth of Jesus. “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”

Don’t be scared—we have the best news EVER! I haven’t ever been visited by an angel like this—and I’m sure it was to scare me. But then there is that news of great joy for all the people. After the initial scare, wouldn’t you be at least a little curious? What kind of news would bring joy to all people—not just joy—GREAT joy? And not to just a few, but to ALL the people?

The news of GREAT joy for ALL the people is that God decided to come to earth in the human form, as a baby, tiny, vulnerable, crying and screaming, cooing and laughing. He came to bring us back into right relationship with God. To show us how to live so that we would be worthy of eternal life. To teach us that hope endures forever, that mercy, grace, and forgiveness are things we cannot earn, and that Love always wins. Even when we are scared. Even when we are in the lowest of the lows, the deepest valleys, and most oppressive times.

I don’t like being scared, but I do love good news. Is there a time in your life when you were scared beyond scared? How were you able to get over it? Did it come with news? Good or bad?

How did you react to the fear? How did you react to the news?

Every time the angel says, “Do not be afraid.” The news gets better. Barren Elizabeth. God’s favored one, Mary. And then, Jesus. And God wanted to share it with the lowly shepherds first, not those in power, but the ones who were despised. What a radical move, from a radical God.

As we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Baby Jesus, where can we show up in radical ways for those who need to hear this story? And as we prepare for the second coming of Christ, where do we need to share God’s radical love? To whom can we say, “Do not be afraid? I want to tell you a story that is filled with GREAT JOY for ALL OF YOU!”

In this season of preparation, be of great courage. Prepare yourselves for the moment the angels come to you. And in turn, be the angel for those around you. May it be so!

Always Peace, 

Pastor Heidi

 

Pastoral Ponderings – November 2025

“But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”                ~ Luke 11:28

While I was on my way to swim class one morning, Olivia Lane, DJ on The Message on Sirius XM, said something that will not leave my brain. She said, “It is not how many people you lead. It is not how many people follow you. It is not how many people you influence, or how much power you have. What matters is how quickly you obey God when God calls you.”

I tried for decades to run from God’s call. I was in no way, shape or form, going to become a pastor. I watched what it did to my mother, and to other friends, and I wasn’t going there. Until I had no choice. And by no choice, I mean God continued to clear my path, and lay every step in my lap, to the point that I could no longer ignore God’s call. And to be completely honest, I am so grateful every single day that I finally got out of my own way, and listened to God. I might think I know what I want, or what is good for me, but God knows. God’s ways are not my ways, and God’s thoughts are not my thoughts. (Thank HEAVEN for that!)

As we continue to move through our Changemakers worship series, each Sunday we are being challenged to think about what it means to be a Change-maker, and to think about where God is calling us to make small changes to make our part of the world a better place.

In the church, part of the challenge is thinking about where our passions lie. Is there something we see that needs changes, and are our hearts set on fire for that …… fill in the blank? Is there a ministry that we can begin, or collaborate with others, to bring God’s world to our world?

The other part of the challenge is in our giving financially to the church. Giving our first fruits back to God. We call this Stewardship. But what does that mean? And how does obeying God fit into this?

First, God calls us to give back to God that which is God’s in the first place. Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17, and Luke 20:25, read: “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”

The real teaching in this verse comes with the second part. It implies that humans are made in God’s image, and we belong to God. This means we are to obey God in everything we do, with our entire being—heart, soul, mind and strength, including worship, obedience, and resources—our wealth and time.

Second, when we (the church) use the resources that are entrusted to the church, we are to use them in a way that honors God, that builds people up, and doesn’t tear them down. By doing that, we obey God.

God places God’s call on each of our hearts, and those calls are different for each one of us. But each of our calls are not given in silos. Our calls, our gifts, are meant to be used in collaboration with those gifts and skills of the people around us, in order to fully bring God’s Kingdom to fruition.

Last Sunday, we held our Annual Budget Meeting, where we approved the Proposed 2026 Budget. While there wasn’t much discussion (there rarely ever is, and that can be okay), there is concern. We unanimously approved a budget that is 4.15% increase over the 2025 budget. We also approved the transfer up to $25,000 more out of our Special Donations Fund to cover any shortfall that we have at December 31.  Our current shortfall as of 9/30 is more than $9,000.

Now, I fully understand that there may be a feeling of conflict between giving to a ministry such as Share-A-Meal, weekly sandwiches, the Little Food Pantry, Student Success Store, Hope at the Brick House, or any of the other worthy ministries we have or support,  and giving to a general budget that includes overhead costs and salaries—specifically when the salaries make up about 74% of that budget. This is where the real challenge comes in—addressing the elephant in the room—are we obeying God’s call by having this staff—including a full time pastor? Is it our call—the call of Faith First Community Church– to continue moving forward in the way that we are, or are we being called in a different direction?

This is absolutely a legitimate question that we need to ask, and we need to discuss. And we very well may be obeying God’s call (spoiler alert—I whole-heartedly believe we are—but then again, I am the full time pastor!). If this is what we discern, then the next step is to figure out how we are going to make sure we meet our budget.

This is the point where each one of us must hold conversation with God. We must listen to what God has placed on our hearts. Maybe God has placed an idea about how we can meet our budget. Maybe God has placed the call to give more—or to pledge for the first time. Whatever it is that God is calling you to do, it isn’t how much power or influence you have. It isn’t how many people follow you, or how many you lead. What matters when God calls you, is how quickly you obey.

Always Peace, 

Pastor Heidi

 

Pastoral Ponderings – October 2025

“So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment. God helping us, we’ll stay true to all that. But there’s so much more. Let’s get on with it!”             ~Hebrews 6:1-3 MSG

If you didn’t read the scripture above, please pause here and read it. It’s okay…..I’ll wait…..

I love this version. It comes from The Message Bible. “Let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises and get on with the grand work of art.” This letter to the Hebrew church by Paul is a reminder that we are not supposed to stop growing our faith, that we need to move past what we were taught as children, into a more mature faith.

The reality is, growing in our faith is a life-long process. It isn’t measured like school—where you go up through a certain grade and then graduate.

Unfortunately, this is how we often see faith formation in our churches. We send our children to Faith Formation classes (Sunday School),  for some, we make them go to Confirmation or Baptism class, then youth group. But after that, it is seldom that we ourselves attend adult Bible Study or Faith Formation classes. We believe that worship is enough. But it isn’t.

Did you know that we have both Children and Adult Faith Formation classes on Sunday morning? Adults begin at 9:00 a.m., led by Sharon Perreault, and Children begin at 9:15 a.m., led by Jill Pepper.

Sadly, we don’t have many who attend either one, for obvious reasons. We just don’t have families with children and youth. So, we have decided it is time for a change!

Beginning in January, we will be doing Faith Formation differently. We will be holding Intergenerational Faith Formation. We—ALL AGES—will gather together in the Fellowship Hall at 9:15 a.m. We will begin with a little music, and then hear the story of the morning. This story will be told by different people, in different ways. Some may have others act it out with them, some may use puppets, some may tell the story using props. But we will all hear and witness the story together.

Following the story, we will break into our age-appropriate groups to discuss the story: Jill will lead the children, Sharon and Jim Perreault will lead the youth, and I will lead the adults.

Finally, when it is time to close, we will come back together to pray.

We are very excited to be trying something new, and hope that you will come to experience it once….maybe twice…

Until January, we will still have our Children’s and Adult’s Faith Formation classes. The adults are about to begin studying the Gospel of Mark.

Also, please watch for upcoming dates for other new Faith Formation groups:

*Youth Group

*Young Adult Group

*Men’s Group

When we make our baptismal vows, or vows for our children, we covenant to grow our faith in Jesus Christ. By joining us in Faith Formation groups, you are fulfilling that covenant.

So come and check things out. You never know what you might learn!

Always Peace, 

Pastor Heidi

 

Pastoral Ponderings – September 2025

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  ~  Ephesians 3: 20-21

I feel like I should call this “General Assembly Reporting”  – Part II. Last month, I talked about the resolutions for General Assembly, one of them being changes to The Design. (The Christian Church (DOC) equivalent to a Constitution.) I want to walk through this just a little, because it does affect our congregation.

BACKGROUND: Following several years of work by the Governance Committee of the General Board, along with opportunities for conversation across the church, the General Assembly meeting in Louisville, Kentucky in July 2023, adopted GA-2343, making significant changes to the Design of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. In fall 2023, the Moderator of the General Assembly appointed an Implementation Team, as called for in GA-2343, to work toward enacting these changes. Part of their work including reviewing the Design for any additional amendments that needed to be made in support of the changes called for in GA-2343. The proposed amendments to the Design include: • Clarification of the activities and meetings of the General Assembly • Changes to the membership of the General Board • Minor changes in wording and formatting to ensure consistency throughout the  document.

First, much of the language that was changed included simple words like “the” and “through”. Much of the wording change was from “representative” to “delegate” or “participant.” Those words more accurately describe who is attending General Assembly, and who can vote.

The parts which affect the local congregations most is under THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Membership and Participation. Item 39a Voting from congregations: “Each congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) shall be entitled to have three (3) voting delegates. These voting delegates from congregations shall be in addition to persons holding standing in the Order of Ministry.” (The last part means the pastor, who has their own voting privileges.)

Item 40 which states: “Voting members of the General Assembly, who are representatives delegates from congregations and regions, shall serve a three-year term of three (3) years with one (1) representative delegate being selected by the congregation and/or region each year. Terms begin January 1st of each year. No person shall have more than one (1) vote in the General Assembly, and no person shall vote in absentia or by proxy. Congregations and regions may name alternates to replace voting representatives delegates who are unable to attend.”

And finally, under MEETINGS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: “The General Assembly will meet at least one time every calendar year for an Annual Meeting, set by the General Board, of which the first two will be held digitally. These meetings will be held digitally. Every third year the Annual Meeting will be known as the Triennial Meeting and will regularly be a meeting to be held both in-person and digitally. The Triennial Meeting in-person meeting will be held at a time and place fixed by the General Board. Participants (voting and nonvoting) can attend the business sessions of the Triennial Meeting in person meeting digitally or in-person.”

Basically, each church now gets three voting delegates instead of two, and GA will move to meeting face to face once every three years, meeting online once a year for the two years in between.

How does this affect us? First, I want to say that I have not been good at encouraging participation in the wider church. And now that we have two denominations, it gets even more difficult. But what I am realizing is that if we are going to be who we say we are, and consider our roots to be in two different denominations, then we should probably understand the inner workings of these denominations. When people look for churches, especially the younger people, many of them do their due diligence into who the church they are looking at is and what they believe. That being said, it is time for us to stretch ourselves into the wider churches.

The United Church of Christ calls delegates for the Conferences, not individual churches, and the clergy with standing do not get a vote, unless they are representing the Conference. But there are other ways to participate in the wider church. I serve on the Eastern Iowa Association Advisory Council, and we need people. There are many Boards and Committees within the Association and the Iowa Conference which need people to fill.

For the Christian Church (DOC), we are now allowed these three delegates, each one serving a three year term, but one person stepping off each year. That way, each person would attend two virtual General Assembly gatherings, and one face to face gathering.

I know it is difficult to get people to sit on our Board, or run a committee here at our local setting. Every church has this issue. And yes, this is more.

But here’s the thing: stretching ourselves is part of stepping out and growing into our faith. By sitting on these boards and committees, or being a delegate to General Assembly (or General Synod, if you want!) you get to take part in a whole new level of ministry. We are all part of the Body of Christ, and it takes many people to make things happen. But even more, we are all called by God to love our neighbor, to serve one another, and to create God’s kingdom here on earth. We can’t do that alone. It takes many hands and feet. Will you be one of them?

Always Peace,  

Pastor Heidi

 

Music Bingo September 6, 2025

Faith First is having a Music Bingo night on September 6th, 2025!  Cost is $10 per person.

Proceeds will benefit Argrow’s House  and Christian Care.  Argrow’s House provides free services for women survivors of domestic and sexual violence.  Christian Care is a homeless shelter with support and resources as well as a meal for Iowa and Illinois Quad Cities.

There will be baked goods and drinks for sale.  Raffles and 50/50.

Call the church office at 563 391 5726 for more information.

Download our Music Bingo Flyer to give to your friends and family!

 

 

Pastoral Ponderings – August 2025

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Glory to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  ~  Ephesians 3: 20-21

As I grew up in the United Church of Christ, I attended General Synod a couple of times. Now having attended General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the two gathering are alike in some ways, and vastly different in others.

I went, assuming I would know a few of the people, but was amazed to find that I knew many people. Some of them I had met through the UCC! It was great catching up with people I hadn’t seen in years, as well as meeting new friends, that I look forward to catching up with in the future.

For the Christian Church (DOC), it is truly an assembly of the church—any pastor with standing in the DOC has a vote, and at this Assembly, every church has 2 voting delegates. (More if your have larger churches—but I still am unsure of what that “larger church” means.) We will circle around to this.

In the UCC, voting delegates are chosen by the Conferences, limiting the number of people who can vote, and meaning not every pastor, nor every church, has representation. In the Tri-Conference, there were 22 Iowa, 11 Nebraska, and 7 South Dakota delegates!

The other big difference, is that in the DOC, the resolutions are handed out before to every church, so that the delegates and pastors have time to go through them and understand them. In the UCC, the delegates are split up, each taking only one resolution, then once at General Synod, they meet and deliberate over the resolution. Then they take any recommended revisions to the person/group who wrote it, make the changes, and then it is taken to the wider body, where the voting members can vote on it. (Confusing, right?)

I do not have all of the background yet from General Synod, but understand there were some very heated discussions. I expected all of the resolutions that were presented prior to General Assembly to pass, which they did. Then we were given 3 “Emergency Resolutions” on Monday evening to be voted for on Tuesday.

An emergency resolution is one that was not able to meet the 180 prior to presentation deadline. I have no background on when these were written, and was unable to read them before they were presented. These three caused a little more passion than the rest, but in the end, all passed.

Now, my job (and Jim and Sharon’s jobs) are to bring these back to you and help you understand them. One of the things I haven’t been very good at in my ministry is helping you have a connection to our wider church, so that is something I am going to work on, starting now!

I have been trying to figure out how to share all of the “business” that happened with the resolutions without overwhelming you, because even I got overwhelmed! I am going to do a BRIEF summery, and if you are interested in hearing more, or if this Pondering is confusing to you, please reach out to me, (or Jim or Sharon) and we can help clarify.

Resolutions #1—Ratify Actions of the General Board (restructure General Board numbers and length of terms) PASS

#2—Commitment to Thursdays in Black Campaign: A Global Movement for A World Without Gender-Based Violence (By World Council of Churches to wear black on Thursdays to remind us that we need to take action against gender based violence when we witness it.) PASS

#3– Resolution Concerning Disability Justice and Inclusion in all Ministries within the Christian Church (Call for all churches to create ministries, missions, and buildings that are accessible to all, regardless of disability.) PASS

#4—Opposing Project 2025 and Other Policies That are Inconsistent With Our Commitment to Justice, Mercy, and Compassion for our Neighbor (encourages members and churches to read to understand Project 2025, figure out where it is inconsistent with Christian values (especially DOC values) get involved with justice organizations, putting their faith into action.) PASS

#5– Proposed Resolution to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Disciples Peace Fellowship and inviting Regions and Congregations to Recommit to the Work of Peace and Justice (Exactly what it says!) PASS

#6—Amendments to The Design (DOC Constitution) (Further explanation in the September newsletter) PASS

#7—Calling the Church to Affirm the Sovereignty and Self-Determination of Our Canadian Siblings (In response to hateful rhetoric toward Canada and its citizens—that we recognize they are their own country with their own ideals.) PASS

#8—Changes to Special Rules of Procedure for the General Assembly (To align with changes of The Design) PASS

Emergency #1—An Emergency Resolution Concerning the Moral Crisis of Federal Budget Priorities in the 2025 Reconciliation Bill (Passionate discussion) PASS

#2—Responding to the US Federal Government’s Attack on Immigrants, Migrants, and Refugees (VERY passionate discussion—additional time added) PASS

#3—Affirmation of the World Council of Churches call to “End Apartheid, Occupation, and Impunity in Palestine and Israel,” and of solidarity with Palestinian people as we struggle for an end to genocide (VERY PASSIONATE discussion—from both sides.) PASS

As I said before, I do not have the emergency resolutions, and were not able to read through them prior to voting, but I honestly believe that at the core of all of these resolutions is this: to remind us that our call is to love our neighbor, fight for justice, and remember that God is our center. So simple on paper, and so difficult to live out. Please take a moment to pray for all of these things, and all of us, as we continue to live into God’s call.

Always Peace,   Pastor Heidi