It was anything but "business as usual" at the 2016 Upstate New York Synod Assembly.  For the first time, the assembly gathered around a challenging topic: racial justice and race relations in our congregations and communities.  Focusing on the unity we have in Christ and the theme In Christ One New Humanity, the assembly sought to take the first step in a conversation about race relations and white privilege.  While it was only the first step, it was an important beginning.

 

The Rev. Dr. Cheryl Stewart Pero brought the theme of racial justice front and center for the assembly.  She serves as the director of the Albert "Pete" Pero Jr. Multicultural Center at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.  She was also the first African American woman to earn a doctorate in biblical studies and the second African American woman to be ordained in the Lutheran Church in America.

 

Rev. Dr. Cheryl Stewart Pero

Pero delivered the keynote address on Sunday evening, calling the assembly to remember that racial justice comes as a call from God, urging us to resist oppression of all people in order to witness to Christ's all-encompassing love and welcome.  She led the assembly through a mental exercise designed to introduce and illuminate the concept of white privilege in our society-a construct designed to maintain control over others.  She reminded the assembly that "racial justice is not for the faint of heart."

 

The Racial Justice Task Group worked tirelessly for the months leading up to the assembly.  They invited the entire synod to read The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, for which a book discussion was convened on Sunday afternoon.  They also traveled the synod, prior to assembly, leading workshops and book discussions through the fall, winter and spring.  They designed a groundbreaking resource for congregations to help them engage in conversations about racial justice and white privilege, which was introduced in small groups to the assembly on Monday morning.  Many of Monday afternoon's workshops also engaged the theme of racial justice.

 

Racial justice also surfaced in the business and service projects of the assembly.  On Tuesday morning, the assembly passed a memorial to the ELCA on the Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery (available in the Pre-assembly book, p. 22).  This motion asked the ELCA to officially reject the historical principle that the American Indian population had no property rights when European explorers came to North America, allowing the Europeans to lay claim to land as discoverers.  After some attempts to broaden the memorial to include native Hawaiians, the original memorial passed as written, including American Indian and Native Alaskan populations.

 

Congregations from all over the synod sent boxes, bags, buckets and barrels of aluminum can tabs to help provide camperships at our two outdoor ministry sites for racially diverse campers.  Thanks to two car loads full of the tabs, Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center and Vanderkamp will welcome the campers this summer.

 

Vice-President Mr. Thomas Madden and Bishop John Macholz

As assembly participants came to the registration desk, they were offered a ribbon and invited to place that ribbon on the cross in the assembly space.  With each ribbon varying in color and texture, the cross was transformed from a blank slate into an explosive tapestry.  It became the central symbol for worship on Monday evening-a sign of our differences being made one in the cross of Christ.  The baptismal font near the front featured ribbons in the colors of different skin tones.

 

Each conference was invited to bring a set of communion vessels to be used in worship-each one very different but united in purpose.  A wealth of hymns highlighted the theme of being made one in Christ.  The gospel reading of Jesus and

Rev. Hannah Benedict St. Mark's, Baldwinsville

the Samaritan woman at the well came to life in the dramatic reading of the Rev. Hannah Benedict.  Mr. Duane Keeler offered the first children's sermon in recent memory at synod assembly, and the Rev. Dr. Pero preached about how Jesus transforms spaces of exclusion and privilege into spaces where all are included.

 

A number of people were also installed into synodical positions as part of worship.  The Rev. Deborah Turley was installed as the new secretary of the synod and the Rev. Norma Malfatti was installed as the Director for

	Rev. Norma Malfatti

Evangelical Mission.  Newly elected conference deans were also installed: the Rev. Lee Miller II of Niagara Frontier, the Rev. Andrew Nelson of Hudson Mohawk, and the Rev. Laura Daly of Southern Tier.  The assembly was honored to welcome the Rt. Rev. Prince Singh of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester and the Rev. Amy Williams Fowler of the Presbytery of the Genesee Valley as ecumenical guests in worship.

 

The assembly, like all others, attended to business matters throughout the assembly.  The 2017 Mission Plan was adopted easily on Tuesday morning with no discussion.  A resolution changing the procedure for authorizing lay people to preside at communion was defeated after vigorous debate.  The current policy, which requires congregations to seek authorization from the bishop for properly trained lay people to preside, will remain in force.  A resolution asking the synod to prepare a study guide for all congregations about how to listen to sermons was also defeated.  A memorial increasing the compensation for conference deans was adopted.  A memorial regarding Islamic extremism came before the assembly on Tuesday morning.  After extensive amendments were made, changing the focus to extremism found in all religions, the memorial was referred to synod council and the bishop for further action.

 

Elections, on the other hand, were a straightforward matter since all of the

	Rev. Deb Turley Synod Secretary

nominees were unopposed in their races.  The Rev. Deborah Turley was elected as the new secretary of the synod.  And the outgoing secretary, Ms. Patrice Sampson Bouchard who chose not to run for a 2^nd term, was thanked for her four years of service.  The Rev. Krista Mendoza was re-elected to serve on synod council on behalf of the Southern Tier conference.  A full slate of nominees was also elected to serve on the Committees on Consultation and Discipline.

 

Bishop John Macholz

In his Bishop's Report to the assembly Bishop Macholz shared current realities as regards the synod's oversight of congregations and rostered leaders by hi-lighting some statistics for us including number of rostered leaders and congregations (169). More importantly he shared hopes, dreams and working realities for our future together as the church.  He lifted up the work of Rev. Norma Malfatti, our Director of Evangelical Mission who is working with us to explore possibilities of new ministries including new starts in Syracuse and Buffalo and new models for ministry. Other hopes underway include the addition of a part-time Faith Formation staff person, work with congregations using systems theory, the potential for sharing a regional Gift Planner with the New England and Metro New York synods, and increased ecumenical partnering. Bishop Macholz hopes to soon share a new direction and vision for our synod to help us grow in our witness of the Gospel and to learn to give freely from the abundance that God has given us.  

  

Every synod assembly has a time for celebrating together, and this one was no different.  We welcomed a number of guests, including Dr. Pero; the Rev. Dr. David Lose, president of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia; Ms. Molly Beck Dean, director of the ELCA Youth Gathering, as our churchwide representative; the Rev. Peter Cook, executive director of the New York State Council of Churches; and Dr. Ryan Cumming, program director of hunger education for ELCA World Hunger.  Lose brought news of the coming merger between the Philadelphia and Gettysburg seminaries, urging the synod to pray for the process and for the future of the church and its leadership.

 

Rev. Charles Greene 55 years of ministry

The assembly also recognized rostered leaders celebrating milestone anniversaries, ranging up to 65 years of ordained ministry for the Rev. Vernon Squire.  The Synodical Discipleship Award was given to Ms. Laurel McCurdy of Zion, New Hartford and discipleship awards were given by five of the seven conferences to Mr. Keith Barr of St. Paul's, Dansville (GFL); Ms. Judy Becker of Messiah, Schenectady

	Ms. Laurel McCurdy Synodical Discipleship Award

(HM); Mr. William Groeger of Emanuel, Corning (ST); Ms. Sylvia Lipsey of St. Timothy, Bemus Point (SW); and Ms. Elaine Smith of First English, Syracuse (CC).  Clergy new to the synod and interns were officially welcomed by the assembly.

 

The assembly celebrated its own cooperative efforts towards fighting world hunger in two ways.  The hunger appeal used the theme "God's Peace, Your Piece," complete with tie-dye and peace songs, to encourage congregations to share at least $450 with ELCA World Hunger.  The appeal hit a grand total of $40,000 at the close of assembly.  Bishop Macholz and his wife Lin also challenged assembly goers to "Knock the Socks off Hunger" by wearing crazy socks to the Tuesday morning plenary.  Over 200 people showed off their crazy socks, including a few bishops from other synods who participated remotely by sending photos of their socks.  The Macholzes and a matching donor will make a donation to ELCA World Hunger based on the number of participants.

 

The 2016 synod assembly closed with gratitude for what had been accomplished as well as a renewed commitment to what lies ahead for the Upstate New York Synod: growing more and more into what God has called us to do and be for the sake of the world.

 

Mission Expo Assembly-goers had the opportunity to explore the Mission Expo in a more leisurely fashion and learn about the many mission opportunities taking place throughout the synod. 



Pre-assembly opportunities were offered assembly participants filtering into the convention center on Sunday afternoon.  The Global Ministry Team had prepared several opportunities to learn experientially about access to clean water.  A towering pyramid of gallon jugs illustrated the average amount of water used by one person in the United States each day.  Sample snacks showed how much food can be grown with five gallons of water.  Hint: growing food requires much more water than you might think!

 

Others gathered with members of the synod Racial Justice Team for discussion around racial justice and The New Jim Crow by Michele Alexander which offered an added opportunity to  begin immersing in our theme focus on racial justice.