As important as our common identity and beliefs are to our faith, warp alone does not make beautiful fabric. God gifts us each with talents, unique personalities and experiences that make up, what my home pastor once called, the unmistakable movement of God in our biographies. We are each called to add our distinctive colors and textures to the ministry of the Church. It is this colorful weft that binds us together as a community and allows us to share that faith in the world. Our challenge, however, is obvious.
Colors can clash.
Differing textures can tug and twist. As congregations and as a denomination, our commitment to honor God s colorful, creative pallet can pose serious, potentially divisive issues. I believe that the faithful response is one in which we each seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as dialogue continues. I was able to witness the power of this response in committee work at the 1999 General Assembly in a powerful way. The Holy Spirit has a remarkable capacity to shape and blend our differences in surprising ways.