Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord s in this place - and I did not know it!" And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

                                                            Genesis 28:16-17

Dear Friends and Partners in the Gospel,

            Have you ever been in a place like this? An unexpected place where you were led to dream about God's dwelling in our world? It is in our tradition through and through to recognize that God is always in the unexpected places in our lives. Those who believe in this learn that life is more about adventure than it is about sticking to our plans. Sometimes, it is the very moment our plans go awry, when we are surprised by God who meets us on our way. We recognize these moments. They are the story again of Jacob, whose vision of the ladder into heaven came when he was running away from his responsibilities to a brother he had wronged, or the story of Moses the refugee, who was called aside in his wilderness journey by a flaming bush that was unconsumed. Was it not also the same story in a different place when two followers of Jesus in mourning met a stranger on their way to an inn at Emmaus and found their life's destination changed? What are the unexpected places in your life that have caused you to rethink your old convictions, or re-imagine the possibilities of your world, or see the people in your life in a different way, or become personally renewed?  

            "Unexpected places" was the theme of this year's General Synod of the United Church of Christ. Twenty-one delegates and many other visitors from Missouri Mid-South Conference churches represented us at the event held in Cleveland, Ohio, this past week. We will be talking in the weeks to come about the many actions taken by the Synod - votes on relationships and structure, the passing of a budget, the election of John Dorhauer as our new General Minister and President, and many resolutions of witness. But the theme itself had an importance of its own: we in the church are in a time of journey and surprise, when very little Is certain and change seems like the only constant. This is true at the denominational settings of our church - Association, Conference and Synod; it is also true within our congregations. Sometimes that frightens us, but what our faith tradition teaches is that such are the times and places when the people of God are given a way to see the world as we have never seen it before and discover God's calling in the unexpected places where minds are changed and new possibilities are born in the sharing of our dreams.

            Blessings on your journey in this exciting time.