"Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two..."

Mark 6:7 

 

In the Diana Butler Bass book, Christianity after Religion is this wonderful paragraph:

 

"Jesus did not walk by the Sea of Galilee and shout to fishermen, 'Have faith.' Instead, he asked them to do something: 'Follow me.' When they followed, he gave them more things to do. At first he demonstrated what he wanted them to do. Then he did it with them. Finally, he sent them out to do it themselves. They discovered that proclaiming the kingdom was not a matter of teaching doctrine; rather, the kingdom was a matter of imitating Jesus' actions. Jesus did not tell them to have faith. He pushed them into the world to practice faith."

I love the way Bass reminds us that proclaiming God's realm is a matter of imitating Jesus' actions in the world. It is this action in the world that is the foundation of the upcoming Conference-wide program, Michigan 2 x 2.

Michigan 2 x 2 is a program in which each one of our churches can participate. It is quite simple: find a mission partner in your community with which to affiliate, and then keep track of your engagements between March 31 and May 19, 2013 (Easter - Pentecost). It could be an organization that you already support; or it might be an agency or program with which you have wanted to try something special. Either way, imagine what extra good work you could do during this time. Then, keep track of your actions - cans donated, hours spent, people encountered, lives changed, etc. The Conference website will post the results and we will celebrate our faith in action and all the work that we can do - 2 x 2!

We will be looking for some lead congregations who want to begin early and get us off to a running start. If your congregation would like to lead in this way, please be in touch. Otherwise, start thinking about your community mission partner and begin planning for a special effort.

I know this program will be a great success because each one of our churches is already active in mission and outreach. It will be good for us to see how significant our cumulative efforts are state-wide.

With you on the journey,

Campbell Lovett

 

 

Dear Michigan Conference Clergy and Congregations:

I have received word from Plymouth United Church of Christ in Detroit and the Senior Minister, The Rev. Dr. Nicholas Hood III, of a very special event on November 11th to which we are cordially invited.  On that Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at Plymouth, The Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Black, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, will preach at a service of worship for the wider-UCC community.  This will be an opportunity to hear more about Dr. Black's vision for the UCC and to speak with him first hand regarding where he feels the Lord is directing the path of our denomination.

I am excited about this opportunity to hear Dr. Black's vision for our beloved church.  I so appreciate the hospitality of Plymouth UCC and Dr. Hood, and I look forward to sharing in fellowship and conversation with many of you on the 11th.   

Sincerely,

Campbell Lovett

Conference Minister