Title: A LETTER FROM PAUL. . .

Jul 30th, 2006

Paul Goodman

Interim Senior Minister

Words From the Fountain:

Grace and Peace to you all in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Interim Tasks Part 4. This issue I address the fourth thing we will address during the interim period – Renewing Denominational Linkages.

Actually that work has already begun. Largely in the form of relationship with our Regional Minister The Reverend Susan Townsley, the church has received advice and council from her; she has directed the leadership of the church to various denominational resources. When a Search Committee is formed she will help to resource that process and advise them throughout their work. Our members Ralph and Cynthia Slater represent First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ at Fairfield West Association meetings and the Connecticut Conference Semi-Annual meetings, and Lorelle Foulds sits on a Connecticut Conference committee to oversee our responses to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina.

Why is this so important during the interim time? It is not unusual for a church to be heavily invested on matters internal. The corporate vision of the church may be focused on things that need to be done here within the walls of the church, in this community of Ridgefield. Yet, we are constantly reminded in Scripture that we are just a part of the larger body of Christ. Another part of that body to which we are connected is the Association (18 churches in the Fairfield West Association), those churches of the Connecticut Conference (of which there are 251) and the churches of the United Church of Christ (of which there are approximately 5,600). We share mission, support of organizations such as Church World Service, Church Women United, Heifer Project, Hope Shall Bloom (Hurricane relief), and many other church groups (across denominational lines) that do relief, evangelical and/or charitable work in this country and abroad.

The health of our external covenantal relationships is often a good indicator of the health of our internal relationships with each other. The words from 1John 4speak about the total health and interrelatedness of all of our relationships: 4:20Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

During the interim period we have the golden opportunity to work on all of our relationship within the church – locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. We are a people of covenant. The decision to join the United Church of Christ years ago (and as the denomination approaches its 50th birthday in 2007) brought us into a covenant of mutual ministry with others in the UCC as well as the wider church of Christians. We pledge to support through prayer, volunteerism and finances the work of the wider church. They pledged to hold us in prayer, provide resources to strengthen our ministry and mission, speak on our behalf to prophetic issues of the day, act on our behalf when people hurt. How faithful we are to that covenant is indicative of how faithful we are to our covenants with the people next to us in the pews, across the aisle or at the earlier/later service on Sunday!

Shalom