Re:
Rev. Carter opened devotion with hymn #191 ‘Glory to His Name” and
lifted up scripture from Exodus
Rev. Dr. Linda Beal called the conference to order and welcomed the body
to this week’s conference and business session.
Rev. Dr. Moses Edwards expressed concern with the many issues before the
conference and our communities both local and nation-wide. Edwards felt we, as ministers must continue
to keep the power of prayer at the center of our work because we are living in
serious times of conflict, confusion and violence. Edwards asked for volunteers to lead prayer
for the upcoming events that will shape our future direction with the: school
bond and school board members; county commissioners and other leadership
organizations in our community.
Reverends George Ellis, Nathan Parrish, Bishop Todd Fulton and Dr. Moses
Edwards led us in prayers.
(Minutes of the September 26th conference were taken but not
available for reading)
Brother Marcus
Wheeler, WFU Divinity Student is the Seminarian order of the Day. Next week is Women’s Preaching Day with Rev.
Edna West,
Rev. Nathan Parrish reported the Larry Fields Alternative
Education and Advocacy Committee starts the Friday mentoring program at
Rev. Parrish introduced Alexandria Milner intern at
Deltra Bonner, Organizer CHANGE announced the upcoming events: October 12, 2006 Delegates Assembly at 7pm at Knollwood Baptist Church; the Bus/transportation audit to take place after training sessions are completed in house meetings.
Chris Bauman announced his leaving to take a position with “United Here” as national union and organizing network. The change will be affective after the Delegates Assembly at which time Deltra Bonner will assume the lead organizer role and Sharee Fowler second organizer.
Rev. Edwards announced the Minister Conference would
support the upcoming school bond referendum and a news conference publishing
the news would be held today after conference here at
Sick Report
Community
Presentation(s)
Judge
Bedsworth, Candidate District Court Judge introduced himself as a candidate for
reelection and asked the conference to consider voting for him in the November
7th elections. Bedsworth says
don’t forget that judge positions are non-partisan and require a separate vote
be taken for each judge.
Sylvia Pinyan,
Representative Project Vote Smart, stated people from every political
persuasion and all believing in truth founded the vote smart project. If you need information on voting strategies
visit their website at www.votesmart.org.
Sharee Fowler,
Representative Domestic Violence Coalition reported a crisis in the home
because of domestic violence. Fowler
invited the conference to the Domestic Violence workshop with Rev. Al Miles on
Ted Kaplan,
Candidate for
Announcement(s):
Rev. Artis Smith reported Rev. Dr. JR Samuels’s retirement service would be in December.
Rev.
Kelly
says we live in a hyper-visual world.
Many professors of homiletics argue that in our video generation, over
stimulated by images--many of which are filled with violence, sex, materialism,
preachers must intentionally choose images that will provoke a response from
the hearers of our sermons….
As
essential as such a method is today, in the prophet Hosea’s ancient oracles we
have a grand example of a master poet.
His imagery is vivid. His verbs
are filled with motion and power. His
words demand our attention. The prophet
Hosea, God’s echo of truth, knew the power of an image. It
was Hosea who gave us imagery of our relationship to God as a healing garden in
chapter 14.
But here is the rub says Kelly. If we can learn the skills and gifts from the
prophet Hosea, we must also learn from his mistakes. For as talented and powerful as his poetic
skills are, his personal life was in disarray.
He found a metaphor he could not ignore in his relationship with his
wife Gomer, and imaged his relationship to her as God’s relationship to the
people of
Kelly shares
this with us because he believes that it is time for us to break the silence in
our churches about domestic violence. It
is not a joke of irreverent stand up on Comedy Central and BET. It is the pattern of people’s lives, like the
woman sitting in our pews, like the woman whose life was recently taken by her
husband breaking into the Women’s Shelter, like his sister for whom it took 14
years to free herself from an abusive relationship to the mutual, non violent
loving relationship she has today. For
years, we preachers have been part of the conspiracy of silence. It is our temptation to believe that
incidents of domestic violence are isolated and uncommon, when in reality good
church going folks, many of them pastors, have been beaten and doing the
beating, in their homes.
In closing
Kelly shares a couple thoughts: 1) can
you imagine Jesus using Hosea’s metaphor of domestic violence to explain our
relationship to God? Jesus, who preached
liberation to the captive, non-violent/non-cooperation with oppression, good
news to the poor, and raised up women among the leaders of his movement? I cannot.
I cannot imagine the Jesus I know encouraging women to re-enter the
relationship.
2) What about
Hosea? Perhaps, we must take on the role
of Gomer/Israel, but let us not fall back into the old pattern. Let us learn a new way to break free from
this cycle of violence—one that is built on compassion and peace, justice and
healing, love and wholeness. Let us be
bold to preach, using the power of imagery and metaphor—a word of liberation
not without critical reflection on their power and legitimacy for every person
in the pew.
Attendance –27 persons
Offering - $74.00
Membership
– 0.00
Adjournment (Prayer and Benediction)
Having no further business the conference adjourned with prayer and
benediction.