It's my first Synod

And I have to tell you

You gotta be here.

 

You gotta be here to see and hear how 

Prophetic voices are speaking into the darkness of our present times

And telling of the glory of God in Baltimore.

 

God's glory was streaming through the voices of those who gave testimony on Saturday. Our soon-to-be-Justice Ministries' Minister, the glorious Rev Traci Blackmon called us to step out onto the high wire of Justice-making.

There is yet more work and Word that God will say to us through Rev. Blackmon ---

 

Blackmon urged that we remember our plagued American history of marginalizing people of color and difference to the edges. In God's house, "Balconies create space but they do not make room."

 

Later in the Plenary,  the self-deprecating Love Warrior, Glennon Doyle,

shared her story of brokenness, grief and discovery.

With hysterical one liners  (and wearing great shoes),

Doyle shared how she discovered her own holiness 

On her own bathroom floor.

She recalled the biblical ethic of God's love that, thankfully,

"God does not do background checks ."

 

Last night, as Saturday's riches drew to a close, those of us attending the Evening Gala stood on holy ground. After dining on plates of chicken and cheesecake,

we listened to the booming, growling glory of The Rev Dr. William J. Barber II.

He summoned us to push forward out of the sanctuary 

into the public square

armed with only Pentecostal power and a bible.

 

"I've come here tonight recruiting" Barber said, 

As he cautioned ," Caesar still lives...

And we must learn a new language."

 

Friends, as a first-timer Synod convert

I'm told tonight's plenary will be another night of 

witness, heartbreak and hope.

You gotta be here.

And then we go forth.

The heavens are telling of the glory of God in our midst.

 

The Rev. Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager

Delegate, Southern New England Conference (Connecticut)