UCC pastor’s public battle with cancer ends
Read his blog at http://www.hellbox.org/donel/
“Bright Wings is the record of a journey, one of many undertaken in a lifetime,” wrote McClellan, pastor emeritus of First Congregational UCC in Bellingham, Wash., describing the purpose of his blog. What began as a medium to share information about the status of his health with friends and family soon became an online spiritual journal read by thousands, even by many who had never met him personally.
At 1:58 p.m. on the day of his death, McClellan’s final post was released. It was entitled “The pastor’s last sermon.”
“Who is to say to where I have gone when I depart this breathing physical body?” McClellan wrote. “‘I’m gone’ suffices – and contains within its finality the hope of another meeting … .”
McClellan was one of the early founders of Ecunet, one of the first ventures into online communication by religious groups more than 25 years ago.
Andy Lang, the UCC’s former web manager, described McClellan as an internet “pioneer.”
“It goes back to long before the ‘Internet’ when a small, and visionary, subculture of ecumenical pastors created a new means of communication for the church,” Lang said via email. “They were the pioneers, and I think online communication in the UCC owes a huge debt to them, and especially to Donel.”
A March 27 story in The Bellingham Herald about McClellan’s ‘bold testament’ can be read here:
Categories:
United Church of Christ News
Related News
Congregations, communities invited to become ‘Apartheid-Free’ through new campaign for Palestinian rights
On a recent trip to Palestine and Israel, the Rev. Allie Perry was part of a delegation that...
Read MoreUCC celebrates Pride 2023 with special events, programs and resources for churches
For many years, June has been a time to celebrate the diversity of God’s LGBTQ+ children....
Read MoreUCC receives $10,000 grant to pilot youth mental heath program
As Mental Health Awareness Month draws to a close, a new opportunity for the United Church of...
Read More