— Covenant, Hospitality, and the Expanding Identity of the United Church of Christ
Let me introduce you to my book, That We May All (Finally!) Be One. This is a book about how we are organized and constituted as the United Church of Christ. It’s also about hospitality and covenant, two themes that keep turning up in the life of the United Church of Christ and that hold the core of our identity and the hope for faithful discipleship.
With our diverse cultures and histories, with our organizational autonomy and individual freedom of belief, our UCC identity is complex. Our unity is not always apparent, because it is not unanimity. We seek a unity where we are neither homogenized, standardized, or reduced to lowest terms. We are called to a unity that holds dear all of our independent voices, welcoming our various attitudes and styles as absolutely necessary to the full spectrum of the faith.
Throughout the book you will find examples and comments from many voices, as well as stories—both biblical and personal. You will be invited to contribute your own examples, comments, and stories along the way, because our different stories, heard and told in an atmosphere of hospitality, can strengthen our covenant and unite us.
Mary Susan Gast
What People Are Saying …
“When people ask me to define the UCC, I am overwhelmed. How can we capture this complex faithful community that honors difference and upholds unity? Gast insists…” (continued) —Barbara Brown Zikmund, UCC historian, seminary leader, and educator
“Gast addresses tensions that lie at the heart of every united or uniting church.” (continued) —Randi Jones Walker, author of The Evolution of a UCC Style: Essays in the History, Ecclesiology, and Culture of the United Church of Christ
“Does not sugarcoat or downplay the tensions and stresses to our unity.” (continued) —Roy Mosley, UCC layperson
“The book is helpful for many reasons, particularly its concise model of the how the UCC works.” (continued) —Dakota Brown, UCC Member in Discernment
“The book speaks directly and penetratingly into not only the ‘who we are’ but the ‘how we are who we are’ of UCC members and ministry….” (continued) —Jerry Bolick, Buddhist teacher
Let me introduce you to my book, That We May All (Finally!) Be One. This is a book about how we are organized and constituted as the United Church of Christ. It’s also about hospitality and covenant, two themes that keep turning up in the life of the United Church of Christ and that hold the core of our identity and the hope for faithful discipleship… (continued)…
What People Are Saying …
“When people ask me to define the UCC, I am overwhelmed. How can we capture this complex faithful community that honors difference and upholds unity? Gast insists…” (continued) —Barbara Brown Zikmund, UCC historian, seminary leader, and educator
“Gast addresses tensions that lie at the heart of every united or uniting church.” (continued) —Randi Jones Walker, author of The Evolution of a UCC Style: Essays in the History, Ecclesiology, and Culture of the United Church of Christ
“Does not sugarcoat or downplay the tensions and stresses to our unity.” (continued) —Roy Mosley, UCC layperson
“The book is helpful for many reasons, particularly its concise model of the how the UCC works.” (continued) —Dakota Brown, UCC Member in Discernment
“The book speaks directly and penetratingly into not only the ‘who we are’ but the ‘how we are who we are’ of UCC members and ministry….” (continued) —Jerry Bolick, Buddhist teacher
