Bienvenido a Miami
I'm in Miami, Fla. for the General Conference of the Brethren in Christ. For a small denomination, they've sure given me some sweet business travel opportunities. 2004 - LA area (well, Upland, Calif.) and now Miami.
Here's my reflection from last night's worship service, which is also featured on our official GC 2006 blog:
Wow. Worship on Friday night has divinely awesome. There’s this feeling, which I’ve been experiencing for this whole week, but which Warren highlighted tonight during his opening remarks.
Here we are: two distinctly different parts of the BIC who are “meeting” ostensibly for the first time, on common turf. General Conference and its traditions has been primarily Anglo for its entire life, but we’re in Miami now, so tradition and geography balance each other out.
Freddy, the worship leader is singing verses in Spanish and then English and everyone is fully embracing both. There is dancing, laughing, and smiles as wide as the Susquehanna. Here in this swanky, swanky hotel, the Latino suits and beautiful dresses meet the Central Pennsylvanian blue jeans and polo shirts and praise God together. It’s like heaven in here. When the Spanish comes up on the screen, the Anglos happily and eagerly sing it. And yet we do not do it for our brothers and sisters here; we do it for Jesus, for the love of this Savior we have all found.
Somehow, though we are all so different and have such varied experiences of what it means to be Brethren in Christ, we can feel it working. The first night is going ok; this is a marriage that will last, both sides of the family are running toward one another with open arms.
Eager, that’s what we are. This is not your mother’s General Conference, but this is our General Conference. And this is an event that won’t be forgotten; perhaps the first at which all parts truly felt fully free and welcome. How will we ever go back to Grantham, Collingwood, Upland, and Abilene the same?
5 Comments:
"smiles as wide as the Susquehanna"
nice.
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