Fremont Niles UCC and DOC churches consider merger

     The UCC and DOC churches in the same Fremont neighborhood might merge.  But first they need to decide how to merge, in particular, how often to celebrate communion.
     The United Church of Christ (UCC) and the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ (DOC) have a lot in common.  Almost "cousins" in our history ("our" UCC predecessor, the Christian Church, and "their" Christian predecessors hung out together on the Kentucky frontier), since 1989 we have shared at the national level a formal Full Communion Ecumenical Partnership that encourages shared ministries in all settings.  We sponsor all our international mission work together (see www.globalministries.org).  At the local level there are partnership churches that represent both denominations in a town where a church of only one denomination exists.
     But this possible merger in Fremont would make two churches into one.  As Steve Kindle, the DOC pastor puts it, "We are so compatible.  Even our official mottos sound the same: ‘That they all may be one’ and ‘Unity is our polar star.’"
    The two congregations, Niles Congregational UCC, Fremont and First Christian Church DOC, Fremont, have been in discernment conversations for several years.  This Advent, they started a six-month "trial marriage," worshipping and living programmatically as one church.
     Part of the experiment has been to change the frequency and liturgy of communion.  Like many UCC churches, Niles celebrates communion once a month, while First Christian follows the DOC tradition of weekly communion.
     Like any marriage, there has been negotiation, compromise, surprise, and a whole lot of love.
     An early indicator of possible differences is simply the metaphors the respective pastors use to describe the six month period.  UCC Jeff Spencer used the marriage image, while DOC Steve Kindle likened it to “test driving an automobile.  We’re inviting our people to make a commitment that may well last beyond our lifetimes, so let’s take it for a spin and see how it runs.”
     The two congregations seemed to be cut from the same cloth.  “We’ve known about each other for years, of course.  We’re only a few blocks away from each other,” explains Doug Swint, a Niles Congregational Church lay leader.  “Over the years we found we were duplicating programs and urging our congregations and neighborhood to take the same position on issues.  It just seemed natural that one day we would wonder out loud why we were not doing the same work together.” 
      “What drew me into the discussion,” said Marilyn Singer of Niles Congregational Church, “is we both are known for social activism and we both are officially ‘Open and Affirming’ congregations who welcome gays and lesbians without question.  We say that no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here, and we really mean it.  We work together in feeding and lodging the homeless and advocate for environmental causes, just to name a few of the ways we actively work for social justice.”
      A newer member of First Christian Church, Ken Meyer, is very enthusiastic.  He reports, “I can’t believe how exciting it is to be a part of a dream that may become a reality.  We’re learning that well-meaning people, who may have differences and strong personal preferences, are willing to set them aside for the good of the community.  In both our churches, we wish to live into Jesus’ ideal of wanting to serve rather than be served.  When you find that in a congregation, you have found genuine Christianity.”
      No matter how much congregations may appear to be alike on paper, when it comes right down to it, there are always differences, some large and some not so large.
     For these two congregations the differences included worship time and style, building use, and the celebration of communion.  Besides the frequency of communion, there are some different understandings of the theology of communion between the two groups.  And the role of elder and minister varies as well in who serves the bread and cup.
     These differences have provided the congregations with many "teachable moments", in Spencer’s words.  After a month of weekly communion in the DOC style,  Spencer asked his congregation to reflect.  Citing the World Council of Churches’ groundbreaking work on shared theology of communion, he asked if they experienced it as thanksgiving, memorial, community builder, real presence, a foretaste of the heavenly banquet, or all of the above!
     “One thing that we learned is that we all like pausing to reflect as we receive the communion elements,” Jeff Spencer, pastor of the Niles Congregational Church, said.  “I think we’re all discovering a richness to and a deeper importance of communion through this experiment.”
     DOC pastor Kindle wrote to both congregations after the first 3 months that his folks had learned that worship could be meaningful without weekly communion, but that "we long to share with you our experience."
     The congregations each named an ombudsman to be available for folks to talk with about their concerns if they were uncomfortable speaking in a large group.  There have been multiple "town hall" meetings.  A team of UCC deacons and DOC elders will consider and suggest how to proceed with the communion question.  A comprehensive set of plans and documents about the whole process can be found at www.nccucc.org/groups/discern/discernment.html
     Following the trial marriage/test drive the congregations will vote in May on whether to continue the discernment process, with a final vote coming at the end of phase three.  Stay tuned!