via The Arizona Republic: United Church of Christ helps promote unity
Originally published 9/27/23
Faith Matters Rev. Rock Fremont Guest columnist
United Church of Christ helps promote unity
The task set before us seemed promising, if not a little daunting; host an Afghan refugee family, making sure they had everything they needed to acclimate to life in America. I am so proud to serve as Senior Pastor at Shepherd of the Hills, a United Church of Christ (UCC) Congregation in the heart of Phoenix in Arcadia. Ecumenism, that is, the work of promoting unity among the world’s Christians, is foundational to my work in the church.
If you were to Google the UCC, you would quickly discover that we are a United and Uniting Church, which blends five streams of Christian tradition to form our denomination. What you may not be able to discern as quickly, without getting to know us in person, is why this matters so much and is so foundational to everything we do; bringing people together is our 'thing' Knowing that we couldn’t take on this hosting alone and shouldn’t attempt to do so — my church reached out to communities of faith in the Arcadia area to see how we could share in the good work to be done.
We contacted our friends at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints, the Community of Christ and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.
This consortium of Arcadia Communities of Faith worked hand in hand with Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest to take on hosting a family of ten Afghan refugees: Mom, Dad and eight children. Our communities worked together to assist this Afghan family with everything from securing their monthly rent and finding work, to administering English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, riding the bus, and helping connect to after-school programs for the kids. We journeyed alongside this Afghan refugee family for over a year before they connected with family in another city and relocated to seek new opportunities. We wish them every success as they seek to achieve their dreams and have since begun hosting another Afghan refugee family of four, helping them acclimate to life in America.
The Faith Communities involved learned a lot during our journey alongside this family, but one lesson that is reinforced every time we come together to do good work is that from our faith to our traditions, to the values which we hold dear, we have so much more in common than that which separates us, first and foremost being our deep concern and care for those who have been pushed into the margins of our society. We look around, see a need, and address it. This is the way that we do church; by being church.
Many are familiar with “The Golden Rule,” a perennial truth across many faith traditions: “Treat others as you would like others to treat you.” This ethos informs our life and ministry. We hear so much about separation and divisiveness, and though we know deep down that we are stronger together than we are apart, if we aren’t in relationship with others, we rarely get to put that into practice. One of my favorite spiritual leaders is Mister Rogers, who, when advising children how to deal with scary news, said, “Look for the Helpers.” If you’re feeling disconnected in your life, I would urge you to look around, see who is doing good work, and join in.
