Coming Together

It's hard to describe what its like when you get 450+ pastors in one church for the day. Well, there's the singing -- we do that really well. Then there is the eating -- unfortunately, we do that really well, too. Then there is the task of trying to get everyone in a seat and quiet: you may have guessed, we don't do that very well at all.

The preacher for the day was Rev. Vance Ross, presently serving as Associate General Secretary for the General Board of Discipleship in Nashville. Vance preached a powerful message during our opening service, about the importance of clergy coming together and keeping connected to one another. After the service concluded and the 10 minute break that looked like it would never end, Vance spoke a second time, this time expanding his message of coming together to encompass the whole church, and our commitment to being connectional.

I joke about the difficulty of getting these clergy in their seats and quiet, and the near impossible task of getting them back together after a break, but I do so half heartedly. The truth is, it was awesome to see people connecting with folks we don't see nearly as often as we should. To try and move people away from these important reunions to get them into a sanctuary to hear a message on coming together and maintaining their connections seemed, well, a little silly.

"It would be neat," I told someone that day, "if we could have one of these gatherings, and not have a speaker but simply have time for folks to come together and talk and renew their bonds of friendship with sisters and brothers in the covenant community of clergy." The problem, I will be the first to admit, is that many people wouldn't come. Everyone of us is so busy, everyone of us is so caught up in what we are trying to do for the Kingdom of God, that we just might not carve out the time to be with each other and be with God unloess we can convince ourselves that there will be a speaker there who will give us some new insight, hone some new skill, share with us some new secret that will make our work for Christ more productive.

Here is that gem that I brought away from yesterday's meeting: God saying to me, "I never called you to be in this alone. Come together. Get reconnected. Get recharged and renewed, and you will serve this kingdom much better."