Looking through the Lens of the Belhar On October 18, a group of 14 pastors and lay people participated in "Looking through the Lens of the Belhar," a seminar sponsored by the School for Christian Living and Serving and the Regional Synod of New York.
Though hoping for a bigger turnout, president of the School for Christian Living and Serving Mike Sweeney says the conference was a positive experience. "The most important part for me was the interaction between the people that attended and the new ground we broke as far as reconciling," he says.
The conference was led by E.J. Emerson, pastor of Reformed Church of Keyport in Keyport, New Jersey. "She covered the entire Belhar and how we can apply the confession to everyday life," Sweeney says. "We got down to the basics of what racism is, what difference is, and what hostility and fear are. We took it down to the basics so we could build it up from there."
Sweeney feels that the Belhar Confession contributes something very important to the life of the RCA. "Even though we know we should be doing these things, history proves that we always don't do them. We need to confess that this is what we're supposed to be doing so we can make a statement. This is who we are." The RCA will be voting on adopting the Belhar Confession as a new standard at General Synod in 2009.
The focus of the conference was on helping people understand the Belhar Confession and its value for the church. "We really wanted to bring it to the grassroots, to the congregations--to have them get out there, take a look at it, and learn."
The seminar was held a second time on November 1 at First Reformed Church of Jamaica in Jamaica, New York.
Posted 11/21/08
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