For if the punishment for say, murder is death, and that punishment is carried out by the community, then the community has murdered, and thus they now should face the same punishment, yet because they are the ones committing the crime of murder they tend to over look that they are doing so and live on to murder another day.

Yes, I know this is not the way many think of it. In part it may be the language we use, as we tend to not use the term murder when we refer to the act of the calculated, planed taking life of one who  has been accused and convicted of taking the life of another. We also tend to separate ourselves from the act, and not think of the aspect of our involvement. This post is mainly focusing on the communal murder described earlier in this paragraph, but I want to express that this is not the only form of communal murder we commit. There is also the communal murder committed by military and related action, by excessive police force, by our choosing to not eradicate hunger and extreme poverty, even though it could be done for a lot less then the communal murder done through acts of war, the deaths caused by us refusing to ensure all have access to basic life saving medical care… So when I describe numbers of how many communal murders I have been a part of it is in reference to just that type of communal murder and not the others, unless I state otherwise.

In some ways I am a lucky person, if I look at just the acts of the communities in which the governments represented me. In my lifetime, like all Americans alive in that time period we have communally murdered three people, and in the states where I was a legal resident of, I have been a party to 3 additional murders for a total of 6. The three state level communal murders took place prior to my having the legal right to vote, the the three federal after I had the right to vote. In addition to this I have lived while attending school and participating in internships and fellowships in states where additional communal murders took place, though my legal residence remained in a state where none took place. Summer 2004- I was in Ohio, during those three months: 3 communal murders, Once more in Ohio  for most of 2006, 7, 8, 9, and 10 for School, during the time I was in that state there were 14 communal murders. Thus through the governments that represented me I participated in 6 murders, three of them enacted once I had voice and vote, three before I had voice and vote, and was present in a state where I had no vote for an additional 14 for a total of 20 that I was present in the legal jurisdiction where the communal murder took place. Compare that to someone the same date as I who lived in say Texas their entire life- 489TX+3Fed for a total 491 (289 of them after age 18), I am lucky to have murdered so few (3,6, or 20 depending on how one counts… or 22 if one counts the 2 in Ohio that took place while I was not in Ohio, but while I still had belongings in a residence in Ohio). In my lifetime 1273 people have been communally murdered within the various legal jurisdictions of United States, 697 since I turned 18. Since it is possible for federal level law to end communal murder even in the states, my count could rise up to these numbers as well. I don’t have numbers for the rest of the world, but that will rise it even higher as a member of the Human family. I do not want to be a murder, and am very sorrowful that I have communally murdered so many… not to count the thousands, if not millions we have communally murdered during this time through lack of action, war…. This is not Okay.As a person of faith, I stand with clear voice saying this is not okay.

The first communal murder I have much recollection of, is the first of the three that took place in states where I lived. It took place while I was 10 years of age. I wasn’t physically there, but I do recall sitting in the living room, the TV on and watching the news as they talked about the man we were about to murder, as they showed the protestors outside, the governor’s refusal to commute the sentence… I don’t recall much details of the case or the man. I remember seeing pictures of where the death would take place… and things like that…

Here in Oregon our current Governor,  has just prevented the first communal murder in 14 years(scheduled for the 6th of Dec.) from taking place. In the last 49 years only 2 communal murders have taken place in Oregon, one in 1996, one in 1997. Both of these took place under the governorship of the same man who is once again our Governor, even though he himself was not for communal murder, and has described it as the hardest decision he has ever made and he expressed regret in allowing them to take place. However, he did not commute the communal murder, but postponed it stating no communal murders will take place during his time as governor, but that he feels that while he has the authority to commute all 34 who are waiting to be murdered by us to sentences of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, it is something that the voters must address. I hope that we as Oregonians will take this chance to step up, and say we will murder no more and end the practice all together. The Governor has stated that that is what he intends to push for, the elimination of communal murder sentencing, and instead life without parole being the option. (I find it interesting that Oregon has had at least two Governors who have allowed communal murder to take place whose personal beliefs and morals is that communal murder is wrong, our current Governor Kitzhaber [D] his past stint, and Gov/Sen Hatfield [R]… there could be others, I just know of these two, in in Kitzhaber’s case we know he has regretted doing so, and has said it will not happen again while he is Governor)

For those of us who follow Christ, the communal murder of Jesus son of Mary and Joseph so long ago should be reason enough for us to stand in opposition to communal murdering of those who have committed crimes. If it is not, then the communal murders of many of the first apostles and disciples should be, along with the laws against murder, the teachings of Christ, should be… I’m glad my faith tradition stands in opposition of communal murder, though I am sad it took us until 2000 to pass a world conference resolution stating we stand against it.  I am sad that in this act, as in many others, that while we are called to be prophetic we we late to the game and followed others to standing up for the worth of all persons. (In one of the whereas we indicate that we were not courageous to act prophetically until others did by stating “ A growing number of nations and faith groups including Catholic, Protestant, orthodox, Jewish, and other traditions have either already rejected or urged extreme caution in using the death penalty as a means of punishment or as a deterrent for violent crime.”) The binding parts of the resolution, are the resolves and so the resolves of World Conference resolution 1273 are: “Resolved, That we stand in opposition to the use of the death penalty; and be it further Resolved, That as a peace church we seek ways to achieve healing and restorative justice.”

May we have the courage and conviction to step forward and be prophetic, may we have the courage to act now, and not wait for others to lead the way. Let us embrace our eternal call to care for the world, to bring about healing and reconciliation. Let us stand with conviction that the Holy calls us to love one another and that “One being is as precious in God’s sight as the other” (Jacob 2:27 as quoted in resolves of WCR 1273) and bring an end to the suffering and pain in the world. Bring  an end to the communal murder that is described in this post, but also the communal murder we participate in through our actions and inactions though the means of world hunger, extreme poverty, lack of access to basic healthcare, proper sanitation, through acts of war, through violent use of force by police…. Let us stand with our sisters and brother of other faiths within the circle of all those who call upon the name of Christ, and in the larger circle of faiths of all who call upon the Holy, the Ultimate reality.., and upon the larger circles of all of humanity and all of creation, and heal our broken world…

Peace,

So, perhaps what I want to know is in depth detail of how things have changed. Have they changed in that now every ministry, budget line etc. is now categorized under one of the five, but beyond that all is the same, or has there been strategic changes to ensure  that the ministries of the church are actually living out the mission of the church in deed. Have we changed any program, gotten rid of any program, added any program due to these 5 initiatives? Are we taking time to actually ensure all resources truly are being used to their fullest for the mission of Christ. Are we re-aligning how we run various facilities of the church? Are we making the historic sites focus more on these initiatives 9allowing spiritual formation, discipleship formation, witnessing become a greater part of them, or just continue to run them as we have as educating people about history and PR for the church with the spiritual and discipleship activities secondary, a bit of passive witnessing and active witnessing even further down the line? Are we aligning the employees of the church with their giftedness and talents and the initiatives, and adjusting roles to better reflect the ministry needed in this world that we have been called and gifted to provide? Or have we just indicated that various former roles are still needed and justify them by saying they are under x y or z, without making sure they really are? I hope we re-evaluating, changing etc… but I just don’t know. the information I have seen publicly being shared, seems very surface level, glossing over and lacking depth of sharing what is truly going on. In many ways I crave and need more detail…

I got a bit more detail a couple days ago, but not really much… and it was the detail, and the lack of it, and the way it came, that made me start to think, start to reflect, and well write this post as a way for me to flush out the thoughts that are running through my mind right now.

Community of Christ HQ in the past year or so ahs sent me various mailings regarding giving. Some directed at me as an ordained minister, some more as a church member. They have focused on the financial side of things, more than other ways of giving… The most recent is no exception. I struggle with this, because while financial is important, so is the giving of time, talents, and other resources. If we focus to much on the financial giving, we may, and perhaps have, moved into a place where those in the pews feel all they need to do is show up and write a check. I know that is not what we are trying to do, the resources on discipleship formation clearly show that is not what a disciple is… but we send mixed messages when we focus on just one bit of stewardship.  I also ponder how much of our limited resources have been used toward encouraging increases in ones financial giving, compared to other aspects of ministry, and what impact have they had? Have they increased the giving by more than they cost, and thus allowed us to expand our ministry or not? Have they also led to people giving more of their time? have they helped lead people into living the mission of Christ closer to 24h/7d a week rather than 1h/1d a week? I don’t know, a doubt anyone knows, except for how it has impacted themselves.

It is also hard for someone like me, with little financial resources, trying to work one’s way out of some financial difficulties that are in part due to health and in part due to my sacrificial giving of self, time, and resources to the mission of Christ as expressed primarily through the church, and preparing myself for further ministry in and with this body of believers and get back on my feet, to be hounded with messages of specific dollar amounts to increase per week… I can’t do it. (I  would be in a much, much better financial position right now, and would probably fared better through some of my health issues,  if it was not for my time with Community of Christ Historic Sites). Yet, while I have not been able to increase by the numbers they toss around, my giving has increased significantly over the past two years, and NONE of it was due to the mailings, etc… but rather my response to the grace and love of Christ, my sense of calling, and evaluating what I could give…. But my greatest financial gift, is one that has been my years of education, to better prepare myself for ministerial service in and with the church. In my mind the cost of my M.Div, and most if not all of the B.A. is truly a sacrificial gift to the mission of Christ, to help empower and strengthen me in my ministry and witness of the church… But there’s no accounting of that in the church’s books, nor recognition of the gift… instead just “as a member”  or “as an ordained ministered” we seek to embrace the mission of Christ, this is what $10 a week more could do… But what about this is what 10 hours a month of volunteer service could do? this is what 10 hours of week engaging in Christ like ministry could do? Well inviting “ten people” or “helping 10 people be baptized” is mentioned on one page of sixteen pages of this newest mailing… and perhaps implied, but never directly engaged in the descriptions of the 5 mission initiatives and the church aligning to them, rather the focus in on the financial… Hmm, I just realized that financially, my giving of one week to serve as a counselor at camp, not counting my expenses, just the missed work… was over 1/2 the amount they asked me to increase my giving in a year, and as I did not serve as a counselor last year… perhaps I have gotten close, but again, no record, nor recognition (which I am okay with, except they keep hounding on the financial aspect rather than on the whole of stewardship so in a way seeming to de-value other needed and important forms of giving and stewardship). Perhaps as well I struggle as I want my church to be contacting me to say “hey, here are ways to utilize your gifts, talents, resources to live out the mission of Jesus the Christ, in and with your sisters and brothers around the globe” instead of “hey if you and everyone else in N. America increase giving by x a week, we can do x y and z…” in a way that seems as “others can” not “I and others can.”

Enough of that, lets get back to the 5 mission initiatives:

1. Invite people to Christ – 18.64%
2. Abolish Poverty, End Suffering – 14.04%
3. Pursue Peace on Earth – 7.61%
4. Develop Disciples to Serve – 38.57%
5. Experience Congregations in Mission – 21.14%

The percentages following each initiative is the percent of the budgeted world mission tithes giving that has been assigned to each priority. It is these numbers that give me some pause… though I must remember that this is the percentage of 51% of the budgeted income. Income from other sources make up another 49% and the mailing does not include how that 49% is divided up. Since 20 of that 49 is endowment support, and the Temple and its ministries fall under Pursue Peace on Earth, and there is an endowment fund specifically for the Temple perhaps  when we add in the 49% of total income Pursuing Peace is closer in its funding to that of other initiatives than the tithing portion alone indicates… But that’s the thing, we don’t know. All I know for sure is what has been shared, the amount of the 51% of income that comes from contributors that is budgeted toward each of these categories, and that if those levels are not met from giving directed at each initiative, then that given to “use where needed most” will go to fill it out, and then other income sources to try and make sure those amounts are realized…

So I have some problems, which may not be problems depending on how that other 49% is divided up, and what all falls under each of the 5, and how these %s will change over time. I believe in concept and description all five are needed, and meaningful. I however am worried about how we are (possibly) prioritizing/valuing the 5.

Yes, we need to help develop members (and others) on the path of discipleship so that they become active in the sharing of their time, gifts and talents… so that they are spiritually fed, and can feed others, to live in Christ focused ministry/mission 24/7 and not just show up to church once in awhile, not grow in relationship to Christ…. We need to have educated and trained leaders… (I would not have spent 9 years of my life in undergrad and seminary if I didn’t think so)… but should that receive more than the combined amount for the two initiatives that clearly are aimed at ministries focused on healing creation? perhaps it is needed at first, perhaps we need to train, educate, and empower people in their discipleship so they will respond and serve to embrace these needs… If these ratios stay the same over time and are truly this vast when we include the other 49% of income, we have a major problem. Community of Christ since it was founded in 1830 as Church of Christ, has been called to alleviating poverty and ending suffering…we’ve made a lot of mistakes, but it is a major part of our historical calling, our present calling and until the day poverty, hunger, suffering, war is no more a major part of our future calling… yet only 21.64% combined for these to initiatives…. Perhaps it could be explained by the other income sources, perhaps it can be explained in that many ways of using resources, many ministries could fall under several of the 5 initiatives so while Developing disciples get’s 38%, perhaps a significant part of that, and of the congregational ministries’ 21.14% could also be classified into Poverty/suffering and Peace?

Well, I’ve got to go rest a bit so I can go preside over a service in the morning… but I’m glad I wrote this, for while it may sound like a lot of complaining and concern 9which yes there is some) it has led to me see with new eyes the possibilities than when I started… Perhaps the division isn’t as bad as I thought once we add in the other income, and realize so many things can fall into various initiatives, and it seems they have chosen to let them fall in one or another… still I would like more detail of how we have “aligned” ourselves… what actual changes have transpired and are expected to happened due to embracing these initiatives?

How will we start to change the message from a focus on financial stewardship and giving to a holistic message of discipleship including all forms of stewardship and giving and not just monetary?

Peace,

More recently, as I continue to not be presented with a call, and I struggle with the office I am in, I find myself casting off the shackles that constrain me. I’m starting to allow myself to more fully embrace, and be aware of the embrace. One such move was a private act that I did at Bread for the World (will probably be mentioned in Pt3 of those reflections so no spoiling it here). others I have done for some time, particularly when I was serving as a chaplain in a hospital, though there I still limited myself a bit..

Tomorrow, I’ll push a bit, prod a bit. Nothing I will do tomorrow is against any official Community of Christ policy,  it won’t be the first time for most of what takes place, but it may push some comfort boundaries of some, push against some traditions, understandings of some. (Though much of what I will do that will push those I can find in official resources statements saying that it is perfectly fine for me to do these things). Though some of the pushing of boundaries would not be  so if I held the office which reflect my callings, gifts, and talents at this time and place in my life of ministry. Perhaps the largest push in this area will be the prayer that will conclude a sermon, which in and of itself could push (and rightly so) some comfort levels in seeking to propel the community into embracing the sacramental encounter, and the call of discipleship a bit further…

The thing is, I have come to realize law and policy while formed often with good intentions, do not always lead to good results and sometimes hamper needed ministry.. and I must start to embrace my calling and become for fully the disciple and minister I am called to be. Regardless of weather I have been ordained to the office of my current calling.

All are invited to worship with us at Tuality Community of Christ, tomorrow 3 July 2011 at 10:40am PDT. The table is open to all who wish to partake of the sacramental meal. Service planed by my mom. I will be preaching and also presiding over the service.

Peace,

No, the above is not what happened right at the end of the last post, for between then and this I went into another building, met more people and sat through an orientation session, which covered things I already knew by having been involved with Bread, and a little bit of new about the national gathering. But the above sets the stage for several of the experiences of Saturday and Sunday, well except for the food, typically just water, tea, coffee… was there not the cheese and fruit…

In this room with tables draped with many colours, centerpieces with beans upon them, I found myself one of many. I found myself in a few ways transported to the wonderful experiences of my seminary past. For I sat in community at the table, with people of faith, engaging, growing, learning in it. The preacher for our opening worship was Rev.  Dr. Frank Thomas. When I heard his name my mind went “why do I know him” and then I realized, he was the author of one of my seminary texts for one of the homiletics courses I took. They Like to Never Quit Praisin’ God: The Role of Celebration in Preaching still resides within my collection of books. The scripture text for his sermon was Matthew 6:11 “Give us this day our daily bread.” As he proclaimed the good news, as he expounded upon this text, he and the Spirit with him brought forth passion and inspiration, new insight and awareness, along with old.  As he explored the manna, talked of Moses and the people, about today and the needs of this world.  As he talked about the sharing with all and the non hording of food. Talk of the need to ask of the holy, not expect, not demand… many were moved.  As he preached and proclaimed the good news, as he challenged us, as he spoke of being prophetic as speaking truth to those in power AND truth to those denied power. He spoke of how it is US not me, not you not some of us, but all of us… (I wish I wrote this early and thus express more clearly his words than now several weeks out I can). It was a wonderful and powerful experience, as as Rev. Thomas spoke and I quoted him in a tweet saying “Capitalism deserves to be critiqued… [it] will never end poverty” I learned my friend from seminary had arrived as was present in the arena for she tweeted at about the same time: "capitalism will never end poverty" and that the faith community must humanize capitalism.

That’s all for an in-depth reflection I shall give of the services and sessions of Saturday, we had another one where the David Beckman, president of Bread for the World spoke, and also we spent time in regional groups (the reason for the coloured tables). Good things were said, I learned things, but I was also starting to wear down a bit after being up so long with so little sleep… It was after the Opening Worship as I was leaving the area to head out to dinner in another building I encountered my friend in seminary, we shared in conversation, meal often in the next few days… It was good to have a companion at the event that saw with eyes opened from a view similar yet different than my own, to digest and process all that streamed into my head that weekend.

At the close of the final plenary we went to “The tavern” for social time, an odd name for a place on a dry campus, and then with a few young college students we took a risky drive on a golf cart and walked around a Methodist seminary next to the Methodist University we were at. A Lutheran and a Community of Christ person, who had gone to a different Methodist Seminary now here one another one (which I think was not as nice of a campus, and much smaller than the one we had gone to). Then finally after all the explorations, I would find my self back at the dorm, my room, and to my surprise my roommate still not present… he never did show… and sleep finally arrived over 34 hours since I had awaken the morning before…

Till next time…

(sorry for the delay in these, I had meant to reflect on the whole gathering the week I had returned, but life sometimes makes one busy…)

Peace,