pride
n 1: a feeling of self-respect and personal worth…

Pride is what comes to mind when I think about the joy of ministry at Middle Church. This month marks the one year anniversary of Gordon Dragt’s retirement after 20 years of ministry. July 1 will mark the one year anniversary of my succeeding him as Senior Minister. The eighteen months that I spent working with Gordon were some of the most satisfying of my entire career…certainly of my ministry. He is a great leader, a great friend. I miss him…

And…This has been a remarkable year! Our church is growing. New people are coming; older members are staying or coming home. More and more of us are taking advantage of educational events. More of us are doing our ministries—leading worship, helping with programming, caring for each other. We are giving at a higher rate. Worship is changing our hearts. We are doing more outreach and mission. Our core values—welcome to all, just as they are when they come through the door; celebrating the arts; being boldly inclusive of all without regard to sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, gender, or theology—these remain the same as we move to grow deeper in faith and wider in our outreach to God’s people in the city and in the world.

I am so proud of you! The writer of Proverbs tells us that pride goes before destruction. I believe the writer meant arrogance, not the kind of pride that is defined above. We can feel good about ourselves, and proud of what God is doing in the midst of us. I am proud of our leaders, I am proud of our staff. I am proud of you and proud to have the privilege of serving you. I love you!

When I think of pride, and Middle Church, I also think of our commitment to the full inclusion of all people in the life of the church. As you may know, I came to study the incredible community that is Middle Church. I met with many of you in focus groups. The love and care and intentionality with which Middle welcomes members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities into the full life of our congregation is so normal for us, we might not be aware of how much the Church is struggling with this issue. Gay ordination, whether or not clergy can dismiss gay people from their congregations, whether or not the LBGT communities can join in marriage or in civil union, whether or not gay families are recognized—these issues still threaten to split some denominations. In our own church, Ann Kansfield’s ordination is up for a decision this June. She is clearly called to ministry, yet her marriage to her spouse Jennifer has some people unsure about how to proceed. Affirming her ordination, many fear, will force the Reformed Church in America to face the question/conflict just underneath our surface: do we as a denomination believe homosexuality is a sin or not? Pray for Ann and Jennifer, pray for the group of churches in New York making this decision, and pray that the Church will be guided by God into new ways of thinking and being.

Several months ago, our leaders asked me to hold some conversations on the issue of homosexuality and Christianity. The time has come for us to do so. This month, my preaching will address this important topic. I believe that God loves each of us, just as we are, and that our sexuality is a gift from God. I am proud that Middle stands there, and I will be preaching to illuminate why we stand there—what our theological grounding is. I will also host a two-part conversation from 1:00p-3:00p on June 4 and June 18: The Bible, The Church and Homosexuality: Where Do We Go From Here? It is just a start, but I want us to talk with each other about what forms Middle’s theology, and how can we take a leadership role in the Church, as the faithful wrestle with what seems obvious to many of us. On June 11 there will be a very special Pride Month celebration, with Frog and Toad, new compositions by Bil Wright and Russell Suggs, lay participation, dance and a ritual of affirmation of our special selves. I Have Always Loved You will be part of our celebration of Gay Pride.

On June 25, we will, as we have for years, have a float in the Pride March. Freeman Palmer and the Jerriese Johnson East Village Gospel Choir will praise God in song; our family will stand with our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered family-members as we march, dance, chant, and celebrate God’s wonderfully diverse creation all along the march route.

I am so thankful to the Float committee, which has been working diligently to raise money for and design a float that makes Middle proud. The brunch in early May raised more money than ever before. Even more exciting than that, for me, was to watch new members of our community join older ones to work on a project and forge relationships. Reflecting on the experience, Steven Thrasher shared the following in an email; he gave me permission to share it with you.

I want to close with a reflection on two thoughts that fused in my mind and have left my heart feeling very full at the end of today. Jacqui emailed earlier that ministry is a joy; indeed. Arden said at the end of the auction, "Thank you for supporting our church - and this IS OUR church. It's what we make it." With these thoughts, I felt like I experienced the true joy of ministry for the first time, and as I looked at Arden, giving her all and claiming Middle as her church after just a few weeks, it made me own it and feel responsible to it with a pride beyond what I've experienced in my ten years here. I feel so proud to be part of Middle and what we are all building. I can't thank each of you enough, through a lot of hard work and laughter, for giving us all the chance to know and love each other a little better this week. I'm so excited about the float, and proud to call you all my brothers and sisters. With love, respect and pride, Steven W. Thrasher

Indeed, ministry is a joy, and I am so proud of all of you, all of us, for the way we are doing church together.

I love you!
Jacqui

Click here to read past messages from the Senior Minister

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