After the congregation learned about General Synod's actions this past summer, it invited as many of the General Synod delegates from this area as possible to attend a meeting at St. John's on August 8, 2005, to which all members of local congregations were invited. The meeting lasted for several hours and included a healthy exchange of ideas.
A special meeting of St. John's congregation was called for September 7 to discuss the General Synod resolution "in support of equal marriage rights for all", a copy of which was enclosed with the call to meeting. Discussion at this meeting moved even beyond just the resolution about equal marriage rights and lifted concerns about the dominant political agenda of many of the resolutions. At the meeting, after much prayer and discussion, a ballot vote was conducted. The vote was 3 per cent in support of General Synod, and 97 per cent opposed.
The congregation also authorized the church council to draft a letter to John Thomas, with a copy to be sent to the Missouri Mid-South Conference Minister.
This letter was submitted to the congregation at its quarterly meeting on October 16, 2005. It received unanimous approval for transmittal to John Thomas, the President and Gayle Engel, Conference Minister, UCC.
It reads as follows:
Reverend John Thomas
General Minister and President
United Church of
Christ
700 Prospect Avenue E
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Dear Reverend Thomas,
We the church council of St. John's U.C.C of Cappeln, MO speaking on behalf of our congregation, write to you to respond to the resolutions passed by the 25th General Synod in July, 2005. We believe the overall tenure of the agenda assumed a far too political stand It calls into question the basic premise and purpose of our religious affiliation and assumes that the views of the membership of the worldwide U. C. C. organization can be reduced to a simple political platform.
Regarding the topics addressed by the Synod, including issues surrounding Social Security privatization, the nomination of Supreme Court Justices, the internal politics of foreign nations, prisoner reform, and the economics of the fast food industry, all of these have their proper venues and necessary people and procedures responsible to determine their outcomes. We do not believe however that clear consensus exists within our church body to enact resolutions that commit the resources of the U C. C. without alienating a significant, possibly a majority, of the U. C. C. membership.
One resolution of particular interest and concern is the one entitled "Equal Marriage Rights for All. After serious, respectful, and prayerful discussion this congregation feels there to be a direct and inseparable policy related to core religious beliefs. We find no biblical foundation for the adoption of the resolution attempting to redefine this ageless institution. further, we find every biblical basis, which questions the defeat of the resolution declaring that marriage is between one man and one woman.
The observation made through our membership was the apparent lack of any responsibility of the voting members of the Synod to represent the view of those they represent. This has left the congregations of many U.C.C. affiliates disenfranchised with both the process as well as the objectives of the conferences and national U. C. C. leadership.
We as a congregation disagree with the U.C.C. taking the path of a political agenda versus strengthening the bonds of faith and spirituality in our church and we question why the Synod did not focus on initiatives to identify and promote a less secular approach to promoting the compassion and love of Christ. It is our hopes that, as our leadership, the Synod should in the future find ways to promote the good works of the U. C. C. by leveraging our differences without abandoning our faith.
In the fellowship of Christ,
The council of
St. John's United Church of Christ
Cappeln, Missouri
