An Important Message from Rev. Lorraine Ceniceros, Conference Minister

2023 began with me attending and/or participating in a half a dozen events across the UCC. Early March, while traveling to one of events, I contracted Covid and had to quarantine in my hotel room. The symptoms were not severe, but it has taken a few months to recover completely. I’m grateful to have experienced a relatively mild case and am mindful that not all are so lucky. 

In between the traveling and recovering from Covid, visits to our local congregations to preach or join in worship continued. It is a delight to visit and spend time with our worshiping communities across the conference. Pastors you are always invited to schedule me for a Sunday morning congregational visit by clicking here. Other meetings or conversation appointments can be scheduled here.

Recently I visited with Evangelical UCC in Marysville, Kansas to bring the Message and spend time visiting with the good people of the church. When delivering the message, I frequently invite the congregation into conversation with me regarding the scripture readings or focus of the message. On this Sunday the conversation turned toward love. Love of neighbor and love or acceptance of those different than us. This was not the cuddly, soft, romanticized, type of love we might tend to think of first, but a love that fosters curiosity and openness to those we might not understand or who come from a different culture than our own. A love that allows others to live their life with dignity and acceptance for who they are in an often-unaccepting society. This type of love is more difficult to stretch toward or foster than the love we feel for those who are familiar to us, because this kind of love requires us to recognize our unconscious biases and begin dismantling those judgements. Make no mistake, we all have those biases, those beliefs we’ve picked up in life. Views that might have served a purpose at some point. Unpacking and rooting out those long held prejudices is hard work because it requires us to take an honest look within to dig out the hardness of the world we’ve accepted and allowed to grow within ourselves. Friends, I believe underneath all of that is where the Living Christ resides.

Sunday’s service closed with the congregation singing They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love. Like you, I have sung this hymn many times, but this time the words below felt especially meaningful to me.

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,
and we pray that all unity may one day be restored.
We will work with each other, we will work side by side, 
and we’ll guard human dignity and save human pride.
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

Many in the KO Conference are working to actively be examples of the kind of love we sang about. Love that will guard human dignity and allow our siblings in Kansas and Oklahoma to feel dignity and pride in who they are. 

We live in frightening times. The Human Rights Campaign has tracked, in the first three months of 2023, the creation of 340 anti-LGBTQ+ legislative bills that are terrifying for LGBTQ people and their families. 150 of those bills would specifically restrict the rights of transgender people. 

To mark International Trans Visibility Day on March 31, 2023t the Rev. Traci Blackmon invited conferences, congregations, and pastors across the United Church of Christ to compose, send to the national setting, and post on our social media Letters of Love in support of our trans youth. We sent the word out to our clergy and letters, pictures, and drawings poured in. Our congregations, clergy, and young people made clear their messages of love, support, acceptance, and care for our trans youth. Folks, the church showed up in a powerful way to provide love and acceptance to youth who are receiving messages of hate and non-acceptance from our legislators and those who support the bills they are pushing into law. 

During this year’s Kansas legislative session several of our clergy provided written testimony and others traveled to the Statehouse to provide spoken testimony in opposition of the proposed legislative bills introduced by the GOP. Our very own Tobias Schlingensiepen, Senior Pastor of First Congregational UCC in Topeka, who is now also serving as a Kansas State Representative, is using his voice and presence in the Statehouse to oppose the ill written and hate filled bills. Rep. Schlingensiepen is also speaking out in the acknowledgment and support of our transgender siblings.  

The world truly looks dark for those who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, or those of us who have a family member, or know, or love a person in that community. As dark as the world seems, there are still good people who are fighting the good fight as they work to stem the tide of hate. Whether it is in the public sphere or in your little corner of the world, every effort counts.

As I offer my closing thought I’m going to ask you to stretch a little out of your comfort zone. I usually ask you to reach out and connect with each other because healthy, strong connections across the conference allow us to care for one another, cheer each other on, celebrate, and lament together as we grow more fully into the beautiful multifaceted gem we are as a conference.  

This month I’m going to ask you to connect with someone who is different than you. Talk with the neighbor who is not usually friendly. Compliment the adult or young person in the grocery market who has bright colorful hair. Be curious as to why rainbow colors are important to them, not to argue but in openness to another point of view. Show honest interest in those around you as you move through your day. As you do this may you feel connected to all as you share the light of Christ.

Many blessings as we walk this journey of faith together,

Lorraine

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