This week's author is Cecile Gilson, Assistant to the Conference Minister for the Connecticut Conference, UCC.
And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
It is early morning and the disciples are gathered together in a state of unknowing. The ground has been taken out from under them. Their leader, mentor, teacher and friend, indeed the very heart of their existence, has gone. No one was quite sure what the next steps might be.
Imagine their surprise when suddenly the Spirit fell upon them and they spoke in languages they did not know. They suddenly knew that they could no longer hide the truth which they had come to know. Jesus was calling them to share the story of love and compassion that he had shared with them. They knew what they needed to do, and felt empowered to do just that.
In some ways that is what the last eight weeks have felt like to me and, I suspect, to a great many others within the Connecticut Conference. Our beloved leader, mentor, teacher and friend is embarking on a journey that takes her away from our midst. What do we do now? What is expected of us? How can we continue to tell the story when the storyteller is moving on?
Over the last two weeks we have celebrated the ministry of Davida Foy Crabtree. We have shared the stories of her passion for justice and her love for this United Church of Christ. Now we need to tell that story ourselves. We can no longer hide in that room because the spirit of a new journey is upon us.
Our Pentecost is here and, like the Disciples, we must go out and act like we are filled with new wine. It is what the "teacher" requires of us.
Leader and Teacher, send your Holy Spirit upon us. So fill us with love and compassion that we cannot hide it; so fill us with life-giving truth that we must share it. In this season of Pentecost, make us truly the Church of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Please remember:
the family and friends of Phil Meiman, father of Anne Hughes, co-Director of Silver Lake Conference Center; he died on May 16;
the family and friends of Phillip Fidler, father of the Rev. Bridget Fidler, pastor of First Church of Christ, Congregational UCC in Suffield; he died on May 8;
the family and friends of Vera Foot Barker Phillippi, widow of the late Rev. Karl Phillippi, who died on May 8;
the family and friends of the Rev. Hank Tuttle, who served the Congregational Church of Marlborough in the early 1950s, who died recently;
the family and friends of the Rev. Elinor Carolyn Reynolds Bradley, pastor of the First Congregational Church in Millinocket, Maine, and a graduate of Yale Divinity School, who died on May 10;
the family and friends of Grace Gingles Morgan, former Director of Caring Ministries of the First Church of Christ in Wethersfield and spouse of the Rev. Donald W. Morgan, pastor emeritus of that church, who died on April 28;
the family and friends of the Rev. J. Merlyn Bilhorn, pastor of the Road Church in Stonington from 1976 to 1994, who died in December;
the Connecticut Conference and the Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree, on her retirement: looking to the future with gratitude for her faithful ministry and trust in God's care for her and all the churches of the Conference;
residents of Tennessee affected by severe flooding along the Cumberland River;
the family and friends of Mary (Bishop) Sherman, daughter of the late Rev. Newell Bishop, who died on April 25;
residents of the Gulf Coast affected by the disastrous oil rig failure, the families of the workers who died, and all those seeking to contain the well and protect the coastlines;
the Rev. Noel Velez, former Minister of Hispanic Ministries in the Connecticut Conference, hospitalized in Florida;
members and leaders at churches that suffered damage in the storms of March 13 or 29-30:
Colchester Federated Church,
Westfield Congregational Church UCC in Danielson,
North Greenwich Congregational Church UCC,
Second Congregational Church UCC in New London,
First Congregational Church UCC in Norwalk,
First Congregational Church UCC in Stamford,
Congregational Church of North Stonington UCC, and
First Church of Christ UCC in Woodbridge;
residents of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island who were displaced or suffered losses due to the storms of March;
Elizabeth Naylor, daughter-in-law of the Rev. Robert Naylor, pastor of the Second Congregational Church UCC in Greenwich, who is being treated for lymphoma;
the Rev. M. J. Hinchliff, pastor of First church of Christ, Congregational, UCC, of East Haddam, who is being treated for cancer;
the Rev. Marcia C. Eveland, pastor of the First Congregational Church UCC of Ansonia, who has suffered a seriously broken wrist;
the Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree and her spouse, David, and their daughter Elizabeth, who suffered a stroke on December 12 and is undergoing rehabilitation;
the Rev. Nancy Allen, associate minister of Immanuel Congregational Church UCC in Hartford, as she undergoes cancer treatment;
the people of Haiti amidst the devastation of the earthquake, the people who seek to aid them, and those who grieve for their losses;
this nation, that it may continue its difficult work to end the practices of racism;
the Conference's partners working for peace in Colombia amidst violence;
the leaders of this nation, that they may meet the challenges of the day with insight, wisdom, and compassion;
those suffering due to the ongoing financial woes of the nation, be they struggling to meet an unaffordable mortgage, confronting the loss of a job, or working to find just resolutions to the crisis; and
those serving or living in war or conflict zones around the world, or where terrorists have struck, particularly in Afghanistan, Iraq, Colombia, and the Sudan.
To be added to the prayer list, please send an email to Rev. Eric Anderson at: webmaster@ctucc.org.
Torrington
Center Cong'l Ch., Inc.
IN The Rev. David Buchan
PE The Rev. Raymond L. Shoup
MM A. O'Brien
CE Ms. Karen S. Albanese
Torrington
United Cong'l Ch
P The Rev. Rhonda D. Myers
Trumbull
Trumbull Cong'l Church
P The Rev. Matthew B. Braddock
CE Ms. Selina Tiesler
Trumbull
Unity Hill, UCC
P The Rev. Judith M. Cooke
PE The Rev. Harold C. Smith
Union
The Cong'l Ch of Union, CT. Inc.
P The Rev. Robert R. LaRochelle
PE The Rev. LaVerne M. Kelson
Unionville
First Ch. of Christ
IN The Rev. Wendy Sue E. Kissa
PE The Rev. Stoddard B. Williams
To read previous editions of the Spirit Calendar, visit:
http://www.ctucc.org/fido/spiritcalendar/
To learn more about or subscribe to the Spirit Calendar, visit:
http://www.ctucc.org/fido/
The Spirit Calendar: May 17, 2010 by Cecile Gilson, Assistant to the Conference Minister
