(Update for April 2011 Institute)
Date: April 9, 2010 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Location:
Covenant Baptist UCC
3845 S Capitol Street Southwest
Washington D.C., DC 20032-1498
(202) 562-5576
Directions at:
http://www.cbcwdc.org/contactus/directionstocovenant.html
This Institute is part of a sequence of four Institutes that will be offered each year in History, Polity, Theology and Ministry of the UCC by the Potomac Association, following the guidelines prepared by History, Theology and Polity teachers on the essentials of a basic one semester course. (see the complete Essentials list). The Institute format is designed to serve the needs of persons who cannot enroll in a regular semester length seminary course to cover this material. The Institutes normally meet from 10 am to 4 pm on a Saturday, with the exception of the Polity Institute which meets on the Friday before the Central Atlantic Conference UCC from 10 am to 4 pm and requires Saturday attendance at the CAC Annual meeting at the University of Delaware.
Participants seeking formal evaluation for authorized ministerial standing are expected to do pre-Institute reading and assignments before coming to the Institute. Several weeks after each Institute participants seeking formal evaluation submit answers to a set of follow-up questions and participate in an hour conference telephone conversatoin with members of the Committee on Church and Ministry. An evaluation fee of $25 is required.
Observer participants (those not seeking evaluation) are strongly encouraged to do the advanced reading and assignments, but are not expected to make in class presentations or do other written assignments.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Required reading assignments may be downloaded from this website or from other websites on the worldwide web. Some materials are pdf files. To read these you will need to download Acrobat Reader (a free software). Required reading is indicated and optional readings are suggested. There are also practical field assignments in addition to readings and short presentations that need to be developed before the date of each Institute.
The UCC Institutes are enrichment opportunities for all members of the UCC who want to learn more about the history, polity, theology and ministry of the UCC. Lay leaders are strongly encouraged to attend. Everyone is welcome. NO PRE-REGISTRATION is required, however, please be in touch with the instructors about the pre-Institute assignments. Everyone should bring a lunch and make the commitment to stay the whole time.
INSTRUCTORS:
Barbara Brown Zikmund, retired church historian, seminary educator, UCC author beebeezee@verizon.net
Barbara Gerlach, retired co-pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ, Washington, DC, peace activist, artist gerlachmack@comcast.net
Rubin Tendai, retired pastor, most recently Interim Pastor at Peoples United Church of Christ, Washington, DC RUBDOT@aol.com
Aaron Wade, pastor of The Community Church of Washington, DC (a new UCC church start), he was a long time member of Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, IL aaronbernard@yahoo.com
GOALS FOR THE INSTITUTE
(based on the Essentials Document)
Participants will obtain knowledge of
- Origins, development, significant documents, major events, important persons in the four primary constituent traditions (Congregational, Christian, Evangelical, Reformed)
- Selected other traditions and/or groups within the United Church of Christ (especially, but not necessarily limited to, African American, American Indian, Pacific Islander/Asian American, Hispanic)
- Founding of the United Church of Christ
- Developments in the United Church of Christ from 1957 to the present
Pre-Institute Assignments
- Become familiar with an overview of UCC History by reading the Short Course on UCC History at http://www.ucc.org/about-us/short-course/
This online short history is also available as a small book, Margaret Post, History and Program of the United Church of Christ
Read more deeply in the histories of the four main denominations/groups that came together to form the UCC. Read chapters 6 and 7 in Louis Gunnemann, The Shaping of the United Church of Christ:
Gunnemann chap 6
Gunnemann chap 7
- All history is local. The Constitution of the UCC says that the basic unit of the United Church of Christ is the local church. Do some informal and formal “research” (online and by telephone) about the history of one UCC congregation and come to the Institute prepared to share information in a three minute report about one congregation. Prepare a one page description/outline to pass out (20 copies) We will do this sharing in small groups, so you will not hear reports on all the churches, but you can read the handouts later. Report on congregations in the Potomac Association: First Congregational UCC; The United Church (UCC and UMC); Lincoln Temple UCC; Bethel UCC, Arlington; Grace Reformed Church, Plymouth Congregational UCC, Westmoreland UCC, Bethesda, Peoples Congregational UCC; Rock Spring Congregational UCC, Arlington; Amistad UCC, Lanham; Chesterfield First Congregational UCC, Chesterfield; St. John’s UCC, Richmond; Christ Congregational Church UCC, Silver Spring; Seneca Valley UCC, Germantown; Emmaus UCC, Vienna. Go to their websites. Find something written about the history of that church. Interview a long standing member, or the pastor. On Saturday, April 9 pass out ONE SHEET OF PAPER to introduce your congregation to the INSTITUTE. When was it founded? Why? What traditions are part of its past? What was it before 1957, if it existed before 1957? Where is it located? Why? Was it always in the same place? How many members did it have ten years ago, twenty years ago, etc.? Have its racial or ethnic or socio-economic characteristics changed?
- Choose one chapter from one of the two volumes on Hidden Histories in the UCC:
Volume one of Hidden Histories
Volume two of Hidden Histories
Select one of the following chapters.
Afro-Christians
Armenian Congregationalism
German Congregationalism
Blacks and the AMA
Deaconess Sisters
Women’s Work and Woman’s Boards
Calvin Synod
Christian Denomination in New England
Karl Emil Otto
Chinese CongregationalismOR YOU CAN DEVELOP YOUR OWN TOPIC AND REPORT on women, racial, ethnic and theological subgroups in the UCC that are not in HIDDEN HISTORIES and make a handout to share about them. Possibilities are: Hispanics, Women, American Indians, GLBT, Ministers for Racial, Social and Economic Justice, Biblical Witness Fellowship, United Black Christians, Fillipinos, Samoans, Biblical Witness Fellowship. Go to http://ucc.org/education/polity to find additional resources online.
***PLEASE DECIDE SOON what chapter or group you want to study and report on. TO AVOID DUPLICATION, PLEASE EMAIL BBZ YOUR CHOICE. SHE WILL CONFIRM YOUR CHOICE, OR TELL YOU TO CHOOSE ANOTHER CHAPTER IF THAT ONE IS TAKEN. Make a ONE PAGE HANDOUT (20 copies). Choose something you do not know much about so that you can expand your understanding.
4. Look at several charts and timelines of pre-1957 UCC history:
Tree of the Christian Church
Protestant Family Tree
Origins of the UCC
Schneider chart of the History of the UCC
Historical Origins of the UCC
Go to the “God is Still Speaking” website and read the list of “UCC firsts”
http://www.ucc.org/about-us/old-firsts.html
5. In order to understand the events that led up to the formation of the United Church of Christ in 1957.
Read Louis Gunnemann, The Shaping of the United Church of Christ.
- Gunnemann Chap 5
Read the introductory essay in LTH VI about the UCC. LTH VI UCC Intro
Read Basis of Union with Interpretations - What has the UCC been doing since 1957? What do you know about that story? Look at the table of contents of the final volume of the Living Theological Heritage books (vol VII) LTH Table of Contents. Look at issues of UCNews archived on the web – browse at www.ucc.org/ucnews/united-church-news-archive-in.html. What do you say to people who want to know more about what the UCC has been doing since 1957? Come prepared to list the three most important things about the UCC in your judgment.
PRINT OUT AND BRING TO CLASS (we will discuss)
Synopsis of GS Actions 1957-2009
Time Line from the UCC@50 booklet
SUMMARY OF PRE-INSTITUTE ASSIGNMENTS:
- Read materials about the histories of the groups that came together to form the UCC. Choose one to report on.
- Prepare a brief history of one local UCC congregation.
PREPARE HANDOUTS ON ONE HISTORY AND ON ONE CONGREGATION. CONTACT BBZ TO TELL HER YOUR CHOICES (if they are already taken she will suggest alternatives) - Look at various charts and timelines to understand how the UCC fits into the history of Christianity and to become familiar with some of the people who have been part of its history.
- Examine the Table of Contents of the seven volumes of The Living Theological Heritage. Look specifically at Volume 7,
- Read about the history leading up to the merger or union in 1957. What were the issues? Why did it take so long for the UCC to be born?
- Read materials about the UCC since 1957 and decide what are the most important moments in its fifty years of existence? Come to the Institute prepared to share your list.
