Overview of UCC General Synod 33
July 11-18, 2021
by David Fielder, our FCCOWT Delegate
Last month, I had the honor to participate in UCC General Synod 33 as a delegate from the Southern New England Conference. This was my first experience of Synod. Every two years the United Church of Christ gathers as one body to worship, discuss and vote on resolutions of concern to our denomination, approve the denomination’s budget and leadership slate, and meet members from other UCC churches. Members of the United Church of Christ, including 715 delegates and nearly 2,000 visitors gathered virtually instead of traveling to Kansas City as originally planned.
The Synod theme was “Rooted in Love,” based on Psalm 1:1-3: “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”
As with our church during the pandemic, Synod organizers had to find new ways to do everything, from voting to worship. And, like our experience at FCCOWT, there was a learning curve…and technical hiccups. Under the circumstances, the first virtual Synod was an impressive technical and organizational feat.
All the Synod business was conducted through meet.ucc, a special web-based platform that allowed delegates to watch and discuss resolutions, follow changes made to items of business, and vote. Moderator messages such as “please mute yourself,” and “please vote when your voting panel becomes available” were a familiar refrain. Delegates also smiled at the occasional off-screen whisper, when technology didn’t do exactly what the moderators or speakers expected.
During the eight days, the delegates:
· Discussed and voted on eleven resolutions on theological and social issues
Joined in three worship services
Listened to impressive speakers including John Dorhauer, Valerie Kaur and Adam Taylor and Traci Blackmon
Reelected Rev. Traci Blackmon as Associate General Minister
Attended workshops on issues facing our congregations
Participated in a variety of optional events
Discussed and approved the UCC national level budget.
Resolutions
In four plenary sessions, Synod Delegates debated and passed 11 resolutions, including two racial justice resolutions (Reform of Bail Bond System and Declaring and Responding to Racism as a Public Health Crisis), and a resolution on the climate crisis that provided a very detailed list of actions that UCC congregations are urged to take. Most resolutions passed by overwhelming margins. The two most controversial were the Declaration for a Just Peace Between Palestine and Israel, and the Resolution Encouraging an End to 128 Years of War Between the United States of America and The Hawaiian Kingdom. (Details of the Synod resolutions and actions can be found here.)
Speakers
UCC General Minister and President John Dorhauer, in his state of the church address, declared that he serves a “denomination on the move.” The UCC is relevant to “a world that is looking for a body fully committed to a love that seeks a just world for all.”
A summary of the speeches by Rev. Dorhauer’s, Rev. Traci Blackmon, Valerie Kaur, and Rev. Adam Russell Taylor is offered here.
General Synod 34
General Synod 34 will be hosted by the Indiana-Kentucky Conference, scheduled for the summer of 2023 in Indianapolis. Even if plans call for a return to Synod in a convention center, UCC planners believe that hybid technology offers the potential for an even more rewarding Synod, able to reach those who can travel as well as those who may not be able to attend in person.
For those interested in more details about Synod 33, including the resolutions and Synod speeches, click here.