Last Sunday I attended the United Church of Christ of Seneca Valley, which further amazed me at how wide the diversity is among the UCC as well as making me realize that I’m likely much more high church than I thought before. The UCC of Seneca Valley is probably liberal to moderately liberal and on the lower end of the high church spectrum and a bit higher than Bethesda. Seneca Valley had a choir with choir robes, but also struck me as it was the first time that I had seen a guitar used in the same service as a robed choir. The pulpit was also upon a raised platform at the front and the majoirty of the service liturgy was conducted by a liturgist instead of the pastor, Rev. Carolyn Roberts. Another UCC first that I encountered was the presence of a blank page in the bulletin with the header sermon notes. Nothing wrong with that and in fact I think it is a wonderful idea and if anything was surprised that more UCC churches (or at least the ones that I’ve seen) do not do so likewise.
Rev. Carolyn Roberts sermon was on the social justice with emphasis upon the church’s part in the civil rights movement. While personally I would have spend a bit more time talking about the Biblical basis for engaging in social justice, her sermon was still good despite being from a stronger liberal perspective than I’m accustomed to. Although her main point of how anger toward social injustice alone is useless without also presenting an alternative and better way of doing things really stood out to me as a powerful message. As all too often I think the church just like politicians are quick to complain and make an outrage about things but without proposing a better way of doing things. Sure it is safer to just get angry and complain about the need for change but unless one has a vision of change for something better it is questionable how much if any good one will be able to accomplish in the end.
