YouCC & ME
March 2009
As you have no doubt read and heard, budgetary constraints have forced the Maine Conference to suspend the dissemination of MaineStay—our supplement to United Church News. Given this reality, the Conference’s Proclamation, Identity, and Communications (PIC) Committee has been rethinking how to keep churches informed as to what’s happening at the Conference level. So let us introduce you to: YouCC & ME. An obvious (we hope!) play on words, YouCC & ME will be emailed to all the churches and/or pastors in the Conference on a monthly basis. If your church does not currently have the possibility of receiving email, you will soon be receiving a phone call from a PIC Committee member to see if another arrangement can be made (perhaps a youth or Conference delegate in the church would be willing to receive the email and pass it on to the appropriate person). In this increasingly electronic world, we believe that new modes of communication need to be utilized, and we’re ready to help your church make those connections happen.
It is our hope that churches will regularly publish YouCC & ME as a bulletin insert, or as a column in their monthly newsletter. Each issue will feature a wide range of topics: letters from our Conference Ministers, updates from our Commissions and Committees, more information on items features in the All Conference Email, and other pertinent news and events, to name just a few. If there are topics or events that you would like to see us cover—or if you have any thoughts as to how we might better communicate with our churches—we would welcome hearing from you at any time.
Welcome to YouCC & ME!
The Maine Conference Proclamation, Identity, and Communications Committee: David Gaewski, Jeff Gallagher, Denise Goodman, Ben Haskell, Sue Stevens, and Diane Wendorf.
Conference Minister’s Moment
Jesus spoke and
taught about money more than any other topic. Repeatedly he linked the use and
misuse of one's economic resources to the condition of one's spiritual health.
Still, when I asked the twenty-five clergy that I met with yesterday how many
of them know the level of giving received by their church from each of their
parishioners, only a few raised their hands. The objection of some laity that
clergy would show preference to the larger givers is both an example of the
mistrust afforded to clergy as well as a barrier erected by laity to inhibit
the clergy from providing a full breadth of spiritual direction. Frankly if
alleged preference is given by clergy to any individual or group of parishioners,
it is a breaking of ordination vows and should be subject to questions of fitness
for ministry.
However, individuals with significant financial resources carry an added burden
to which clergy are called to provide spiritual direction. From those to which
must is entrusted, much will be required. While this does include other gifts
besides financial resources, it also includes the reality of wealth. Clergy
who are in any way prevented access of knowledge of the giving of church members
are unable to fully answer their call to minister to the needs of all. A fundamental
need in the Christian faith is the need to be generous, to give, to build up
the reign of God with all the gifts each Christian has been given.
Certainly, I know that these words I write are disturbing to some. Nonetheless
I do so in the context of speaking what I believe to be truth in the spirit
of love. I thoroughly understand the New England and Maine cultural norms around
speaking about money. Still, I hold as normative a scripture which repeatedly
is counter-cultural and calls God's people to new (and often uncomfortable)
places of faithfulness. As I was reminded yesterday, ministry (both ordained
and lay) is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. May we do
so with integrity, deep Christian love, and a passion for the Gospel.
David
Reverend David
R Gaewski
Conference Minister