Peace is Possible!

I just got home from another successful Peace Camp. I love the whole week but the last night is always my favorite. After the children spend their last time at the global village their parents and grandparents come for a program. Tonight our children stood on the steps of the church and sang "Building a Better World" with sign language. Then they taught the song and signs to their family members. We had ice cream and then we moved into the Fellowship Hall to watch the Peace Camp 2011 movie.

But a movie can never capture the magic that is Peace Camp. Watching the adults of our church become henna tattoo artists or teach children to make candles, Zen gardens, beads out of bread, airplanes, birdhouses, peace rocks or play the djembe makes me smile. Seeing children line up to write a thank you card or build a rainbow of words about how they plan to build a better world is priceless. Hearing a child say to a parent, "Come here I want you to meet someone I really, really like" and watch as he introduces his parent to one of the adults of our church.

Dawna announced tonight that the theme for next year's Peace Camp is "Passport to Peace." One child wanted to know if that meant we were going to travel around the world next year. On the suggestion pages one child wrote that they want glass blowing to be a craft. Peace Camp is such an amazing event that the children believe anything is possible....even peace!

Building a Better World

I haven't written on this blog for over two weeks. I came back from Annual Conference exhausted, disappointed, disillusioned, and disgruntled. I simply haven't felt like writing. Then tonight Peace Camp began. About 80 children showed up to "Build a Better World." When parents dropped off their children they were invited to join me for a reception in the Fireside Room to hear more about the church and why we do Peace Camp. Two parents from the church came to the reception to share what they love about this church. We had about eight Peace Camp parents come to the reception. It was an excellent idea that grew out of the Summer Series.

I was so proud to talk about what makes the La Verne Church of the Brethren special. I had excellent conversations with parents who trust us with their children. Now that the reception is over I keep thinking of things I wish I would have said. They should know we are going solar. They should know about the Celebration of the Arts. But most of all I wish I could convey to them how the people of this church make it so amazing.

Annual Conference

This past Tuesday night after a most distressing day at Annual Conference I got back to my room around midnight. I called Bryan because I needed to vent and cry. When I told him all that had transpired that day he said, "I am speechless." That is where I am. I can't find adequate language to share what Annual Conference was like this year. I can't square what happened there with what I tell people about the Church of the Brethren I love.

Some of the things about Conference were recognizable. The beautiful downtown setting:

The time with family and friends:

The large worship setting and a logo that called us to be loving:

But there was so much that was unrecognizable this year. There were several times in the business meetings that I felt that I had inadvertently walked into a Tea Party convention by mistake. We sang songs like "All Are Welcome Here," shortly after we had voted on upholding the 1983 paper on Human Sexuality that says that same sex covenantal relationships are unacceptable. One man came prepared with a different colored T-shirt for every day. On the front of the shirts was embroidered the word "Satan." He stood near the Womaen's Caucus booth embodying Satan, for some reason I never quite understood. When we talked about the paper on "Proper Decorum" a woman compared the rainbow scarves to wearing gang colors. During the conversation on Climate Change I found myself wanting to get up to the mike and simply say, "Seriously?" In the election for a moderator-elect two women were on the ballot. A man was nominated from the floor and won. On the rest of the ballot, all women who ran against men lost. On Tuesday night it was announced that a credible death threat had been made against a gay person at the conference. We sat and cried. What has become of us? What happens when we participate in something that is so counter to what we believe God requires of us? What has happened to the soul of the Church of the Brethren?

Since I have returned I have found myself in many conversations and email exchanges with people who did not attend conference. The prevailing question is: "How will we respond?" I am hoping that over the next several months we spend plenty of time in discussion, prayer and discernment. Unlike our denomination I hope we listen most intently to the voices of our lgbt members and the youth and young adults we so value.