Here We Go!

I found a seat for the opening worship service up in the balcony of Dimnent Chapel, and had the opportunity to look upon the gathered people with a sense of awe and wonder.  And one of those Ah-ha moments came when we sang together that third verse of John Calvin's I Greet Thee Who My Sure Redeemer Art:

"Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness, no harshness hast thou and no bitterness; O grant to us the grace we find in thee, that we may dwell in perfect unity."

Written in 1545, those words in particular struck a chord for me in regard to the strong emphasis of the Belhar on this wondrous reality of all coming together "as a community of believers who have been reconciled with God and with one another" (from Belhar).

What an amazing connection over the centuries of one of the founding parents of the Reformed Church to an emerging voice of who we are and what we believe!

My bags are packed...

Well, my bags are packed----almost. I am trying my best right now to tie up any loose ends here at church before I head off to Holland tomorrow. The downloaded workbook has been reviewed, and as Elwood Blues once said, "We're on a mission from God!"

Now I hope that General Synod doesn't become like a crazed car chase through the streets of Chicago as in the Blues Brothers movie, but I do hope that we take on that attitude of seeing Synod as part of our mission of fulfilling our calling as servants of Christ in this world. May all that we say and do and think work towards building up the kingdom!

Checking in

Wow, I am finally entering into the blogosphere! I am Scott DeBlock, and I am thankful that Terry DeYoung asked me to participate in this adventure. I am pastor of the Niskayuna Reformed Church in Niskayuna NY, right between Albany and Schenectady. I have been here over 13 years, and before that I was pastor at First Rochester. It's hard to believe that I graduated from Western in 1988 with my M.Div, and I recently earned my D.Min from New Brunswick in 2008, so I have experienced both RCA seminaries in my training.

This will be my fifth General Synod as a delegate. (Albany, Milwaukee, Sioux Falls, Pella, Holland). It was truly a gift for me to be a delegate that voted for the Formula of Agreement, and now I have the hoped for privilege of ushering in the Belhar. I also look forward to times of open discussion on issues around congregational revitalization and looking for ways to build strong, collegial covenantal communities that work at the congregational and classical levels in order to further the Kingdom.

And yes, I also look forward to playing some golf, seeing some old friends, and sitting on my cousin's porch watching the world go by and attempting to solve all problems! Joy and Peace, Scott