October 2, 2009
The Rev. Geoffrey A Black, UCC general minister and president, was welcomed into his new office Oct. 1 by church members from across the country.
A noontime prayer service via teleconference offered prayers for Black and his new call to ministry. More than 180 phones participated in the 15-minute service, many of which were used by multiple persons gathered around a speaker or Skype-enabled computer.
The Rev. Henry Simmons, pastor of St. Albans Congregational UCC in New York hosted the event. Prayer leaders included the Rev. Peter Wiley, pastor of First Congregational UCC in Hudson, Ohio; the Rev. Riess Potterveld, president of Lancaster (Pa.) Theological Seminary, one of the seven seminaries of the United Church of Christ; and the Rev. Sharon MacArthur, pastor of Sycamore Congregational UCC in El Cerrito, Calif., part of the UCC's Northern California-Nevada Conference.
"I'm grateful to God for the spiritual support of so many people as I begin this ministry," Black told participants.
Here are the prayers offered at the service:
The Rev. Sharon MacArthur, pastor of Sycamore Congregational UCC in El Cerrito, Calif.
Holy God, God of many names, God of yesterday today and tomorrow,
We thank you for guiding us to this moment when your servant Geoffrey Black begins this phase of his faith journey as General Minister & President of this United Church of Christ building on the ministries of all who have gone before.
We give you praise for his many ministries that have lit Geoffrey’s path to this time and this new pilgrimage – ministries that included college chaplaincy, national program work and most recently, guiding the NY Conference...
We ask that you bless him – all that he is – all that he brings -
Bless his eyes – that they might see the world as you see your world...
Bless his ears that he hears as You hear
...that he sees and hears You in and thru the parishioner in the pews, the local church, associations, conferences, the national office, our partners in ministry, indeed all your world...that they be used fully for the ministry ahead...
Bless his hands that have served You all these years that Your love, tenderness, compassion, strength and bold wisdom guide them as they continue to care and guide,
Bless his heart and mind guided by the wisdom gained
through his passion for conference, local church, youth & young adult work,
through his care for students, seminaries, lay people, and
through his deep collaboration across settings and with many affiliated groups
Bless his love for family and for all your children that this love will find new and not yet imagined ways to weave together all that has been named along with the ecumenical, interfaith, interministry, intercultural ministries in new ways not yet imagined in the unfolding of the life of the United Church of Christ
Remind Geoffrey each day that he continues to be Your servant leader,
- that he is called to guide and lead and inspire this United Church of Christ....this united and uniting Church of Christ.
Remind him that these your people are called to be his partners and sojourners, that serving together we become the United Church of Christ you are hoping for...
Remind him that your joy and hope abounds...remind him to feel it, be filled with it and rejoice in this joy, in this hope...
May it be so...Amen.
The Rev. Peter Wiley, pastor of First Congregational UCC in Hudson, Ohio
Nationwide prayer for Geoffrey Black – October 1, 2009
In this time...
O holy, all embracing God – over all, under, in and through all –
we take a moment this day to pause.
We take time to be in awe of the day in which we stand...to give thanks for that which came before, and even more for that which now is, and most of all for the promise of what is yet to be.
We gather in spirit, both near and far, to surround Geoffrey Black, to pray your blessing upon his and our new beginning together...and to boldly commit to being partners with Geoffrey in the days and years ahead.
In this time...
We pray your blessing upon Geoffrey, that he may know your hand upon him, granting him strength to live faithfully in you.
So that when the world urges him to bend to its ways, he may always know you more fully.
And when those of us in his own community of faith push him into ways other than the fullness of your love for each one and for all people, even more, he may know the true depth and breadth of your love.
Bless Geoffrey and Patricia in this time of transition, in settling into a new home and community. In a time of renewing old friendships and the forming of new, grant them time of focus in the midst of chaos, calm in the midst of busyness, and peace in the midst of each new day.
And in this time we come in thanksgiving for the blessing bestowed on the whole of the United Church of Christ in Geoffrey.
For the wisdom of his years and the depth of his spirit brought to his new role – as pastor, college chaplain, New York Conference Minister, in the national setting – a richness of experience grounded fully in faith. We give you thanks for the sacrifice Geoffrey offers in his willingness to lead and in his commitment to care for and love the great diversity that makes up our communion.
And we come in thanksgiving for the ways in which Geoffrey will represent us in and to the broader church and beyond.
For his soft, yet clear voice.
For his passion for the left behind and disenfranchised, tempered by a love and concern for all.
For his deep clear faith, that also appreciates the variety of faith expression both within the Christian community and those who find God in other paths.
And so, in this time, we are so bold as to charge Geoffrey with the immense weight of leadership of the United Church of Christ.
We call upon him to know the importance of leading, while being so humble as to know that in everything he does he is acting on your behalf as servant to all.
We call upon him to speak boldly when needed, but always grounded in love.
We call upon him to help enable all the churches under his care, to be the full and faithful expressions of faith, as they need to be in the communities in which they minister.
And above all, we call upon Geoffrey to find the quiet to listen intently for your voice, that he may in good faith be about his calling to live in your extravagant love.
All this we pray, as we promise and pray to walk beside, support, and be present in ministry with Geoffrey.
O God, in this time, on this very special day, we pray your blessing upon Geoffrey and all who are a part of the United Church of Christ...and those who will find their church home within our many congregations.
All this we pray in your name.
Amen.
The Rev. Riess Potterveld, president of Lancaster (Pa.) Theological Seminary
Prayer for the First Day of Geoffrey Black's Ministry as General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ
October 1, 2009
Our God, we give you thanks for this day of new beginnings in the life of our beloved denomination.
We ask you to support Geoffrey in the days and months ahead that he may always be conscious of your spirit moving in the background and foundation of his life and work.
May he draw energy and inspiration from your deep reservoirs of spirit and also from the myriad prayers, good wishes, and blessings offered by people, across this land and around the world, who harbor great hope for Geoffrey's prophetic and discerning leadership.
Our prayers are also for staff members, Conference Ministers, and others who will work closely with Geoffrey on a day-to-day basis and who must accommodate the inevitable changes in direction and reorganization that come with any change of leadership.
Our prayers are with Geoffrey's family, Pat and their children, who must cope with the extended absences, pressures, and disruptions of life and relationship caused by travel for the sake of this sacred ministry
Our prayers are for all of us who carry responsibility for the diverse ministries of the church. May we support Geoffrey's leadership by applying ourselves ever more faithfully to that piece of the United Church of Christ that is in our care and keeping. May we act faithfully, justly, and with a keen sense for those actions that will strengthen the Body of Christ; and may Geoffrey, himself, be energized by the creativity and new life that he witnesses in the work of others.
We honor today and lift up in celebration and thanksgiving the years of ministry and faithful accomplishments of John Thomas. Let him drink deeply of our admiration and gratitude as he moves into new forms of ministry and service to Christ.
Our God, bless us in these days of new beginnings. Undergird us with the sense of adventure and hope that our church may play a special role in establishing the peace, justice, inclusiveness, and hope for which the world longs.
Amen
