Rev. Geoffrey Black |
Rev. Geoffrey Black, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, was the February 2 presenter at the Interfaith Lunch Series sponsored by the Office of Spiritual Life and Intercultural College Community Task Force of Defiance College. Black shared his personal faith journey from his roots in a Baptist church in Philadelphia to his choice of UCC as |
| his spiritual “home.” He also explained the inclusive approach the UCC takes when it builds relationships across denominations. |
| Black explained that the dynamic Civil Rights period helped to shape many mainstream religions, including the UCC, which already had a history of activism in the abolition, suffrage, and union movements. He said that since the 1970s, the UCC has been about “discovering where God might be leading us,” a process that has led to a proactive and |
Rev. Jan Bechtel |
“radical inclusiveness of all people.” This is the reasoning behind, according to Black, the acceptance and support of gay and lesbian people in the UCC ministry.
During the discussion portion of the presentation, Black answered questions about the goals of the UCC, which includes “creating a just society on earth [as] a way of striving toward the realm of God” and keeping the church in touch with the realities of current and future life in the world. He gave examples of the church’s willingness to dedicate decades of work toward the recovery of Haiti and his current “listening tour” to get a sense of the needs of youth and the ways in which the concept of “congregation” is shifting from a building to an internet environment.
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Black was asked for advice on positive ways of supporting diversity at Defiance College, and he discussed the balance between honoring diversity and maintaining core values. He and Jan Bechtel worked through a quotation that resonated with the participants: "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things, charity." |
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The next Interfaith Lunch encounter will be on Tuesday, February 9, in the Serrick Center. All are welcome at this noon brown-bag gathering, where Mark Gordon, President of Defiance College, will discuss his Jewish faith. |
