Wednesday, March 21, 2012

From left to right are my new friends from Beaumont, Texas:  The Rev. Pat Ritchie, St. Stephens Episcopal Church, The Rev. Vicky Peters, Trinity United Methodist Church, the Rev. Bill Manger, St. Anne Catholic, The Rev. Harland Merriam, St. Andrew's Presbyterian, the Rev. Nancy DeForest, St. Stephen's Episcopal, the Rev. Brenda Warren, Disciples of Christ, the Rev. Jim Fuller, Calder Baptist, Jeanie Miley (Lenten Lecture Series guest speaker) and the Rev. Sabine Lamar, Bethlehem Lutheran.

Forty-two years ago, bold and foward-thinking people in seven churches in Beaumont, Texas, began an annual tradition of gathering together for a Lenten Lecture Series. Each year, one of the churches hosts the gathering for all the churches, and the minister of the host church is responsible for choosing the speaker for the event. Traditionally, the event begins on Sunday night with a shared worship service and the first lecture, followed by similar services on Monday and Tuesday evenings in the host church.  Each night, different ministers read selected scriptures and take the lead in the services.  There is also a Women's Luncheon on Monday and a Men's Breakfast on Tuesday morning.  After each evening service there is a reception -- and do those Beaumonters know how to have a good time, especially with seemingly infinite trays of cookies available for as long as you're willing to stay and visit!

That Lenten Lecture Series is a three-day extravaganza!

This year, I was honored to be the speaker for that event.   I had no idea what I was getting into when I accepted Nancy DeForest's invitation, but I had the time of my life, and here is what impressed me about those three days in Beaumont.

The impressive Good News is that these seven churches are all affiliated with different denominations -- Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopal, Baptist, Lutheran, Disciples of Christ and Catholic -- and what is so incredibly wonderful about that is that the focus was not on the differences or on what was right and who was wrong, but on how happy they were to be together for this annual gathering of what I would call "like-hearted Christians."

I've been in the thick of things in a mainstream denomination for all of my life, but I haven't ever been involved in something like this.  It's been a long time since I have been in a gathering that had such energy and freedom, such enjoyment and friendliness.

I've been in some really tense denominational and church business meetings in the last many years, but it felt so good to be with people who didn't have a need to argue or fuss about who believed what or who didn't do right.

The above picture, sent by my friend Rev. Nancy DeForest, rector at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Beaumont, the host church for this year's series, captures what she called "a glorious moment in time to be remembered."  We -- the ministers from those seven churches and I -- had just processed out of last service, and the joy on our faces captures the spirit of the three day event.

In a time when the Christian church, in general, and churches in particular have a tendency to focus on our differences instead of our common beliefs and when those on the fringes have brought negative press to the Christian church, it was a great joy to participate with people who were more concerned about enjoying being together, worshipping together, encouraging each other and loving each other than figuring out who was right and who was wrong.

I left Beaumont filled with joy and hope and wondering what would happen if there were more gatherings of people who consider themselves to be followers of Christ who could maintain their own unique ways of worshipping, doctrines and beliefs and also, at the very same time, dialogue with each other and enjoy each other.

Why can't there be more of us coming together to celebrate together?  Don't we need each other -- especially now?

Wouldn't the world be a better place if we did more of that and less of......other stuff?

I left Beaumont thinking about how Jesus said that it was by the love we have for each other that we are known as his disciples.

I left that Lenten Series determined to spread the Good News that has been happening in Beaumont, Texas, for 42 years and with the hope that other groups of "like-hearted" people might be inspired to follow the example set  by this gracious and grace-giving group of people.

What a radical idea!

So it is that I celebrate these new friends and these unique, bold and loving churches who are strong enough to join forces with other open-minded, open-hearted people who worship under the same banner -- the banner of Christ.

For the leaders and the followers of those seven amazing churches-- I have the deepest respect, admiration and appreciation.

What about you?   Do you yearn for that kind of openness and celebration?

Do you long for a family of faith that has arms that can reach out to embrace each other, even if you're "different" from each other?

Is your heart open enough to kneel together and pray for forgiveness without having to point out how someone else at that kneeling rail is wrong?

Can you sing the hymns of another tradition and celebrate that there is enough music to go around?

What about you?  Don't you just long for the fellowship of others who are followers of the one who called us to love each other?

When my father would come in from an especially enjoyable time with a group of people, he would exclaim, "What a fellowship!", drawing on a line from an old hymn.

I left Beaumont singing that same line.

Thank you, faithful friends.  You're quite a fellowship!

Grace to you-

Jeanie