On December 7th I received the right hand of fellowship at Trinity UCC in Chicago. It’s been a while in coming and the true irony is that a couple of things happened this last year that pointed me towards Trinity. During all the time that Reverend Wright and this very amazing church have been under fire, the congregation never lost sight of exactly what was happening. This group never doubted their pastor, his work and the church’s mission. December 7th was the 47th anniversary of the Church and
Reverend Wright, now retired and in the capacity of ‘Pastor Emeritus’ preached all three sermons including the new member one at 6:00. The place went up for grabs when ‘the Rev’ as he is referred to by every member of the church came to up to preach.
I’ve been going to service most Sundays since August. Two weeks ago Reverend Moss, the new pastor gave a sermon on the importance of adult men being mentors to young men. He then called all the men in the congregation up to the altar, young and old, made them pledge to be involved as mentors to the young men there. Then he had them turn to the man on either side and introduce themselves. That day 25 men
joined the church. It was amazing to watch the power of a collective vision.
Trinity constantly reminds its members that it is not a ‘pew sitting church’. It lives, grows and thrives because it’s members are involved in a variety of ministries. When you join, you are required to pick at least one ministry. I have chosen the ministry of Kujichagulia or special needs. Its primary goal is to aid and assist those with physical challenges or special needs and to educate the congregation on those needs. My
second choice was the prison ministry which requires writing letters to men and women in prison.
I know that for many years I have been a reluctant Christian, a peripheral Christian and many times a judgmental Christian. I am glad to say I am now a pro-active Christian, looking forward to what God’s
got planned for me.