In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3:28

Here’s a new one in the “Rebekah and Derek go to church” series. Sunday morning we joined Andrew, Alicia and Mr. T. at Midland’s United Church of Christ.

The congregation is enthusiastic, active in the community, genuinely diverse and very intentional in its outreach to folk who often experience difficulty finding their home in church.

Alicia’s beautiful voice is already part of the most excellent choir, and the open-spirited welcoming atmosphere is a good fit for Andrew too.

Rebekah and I always enjoy attending worship when we travel – most especially with family (Alicia’s parents were there too) and with so many good people across the rich tapestry of denominations that make up the Christian Church here in the USA.

The UCC church is also a unique facility architecturally, representing a classic early 1960’s mid-century design. I would enjoy the opportunity to photograph all the sanctuaries built during the post WW2 economic boom here.

During worship (which was well-attended) it occurred to me how much unnecessary energy some religious folk devote to demonstrating that they must be right and other church bodies wrong. But isn’t it obvious that, at its heart, the Jesus story is a simple invitation for each one of us to be reconciled to God?

Yesterday’s message was a clear reminder that our fundamental mandate is love, and that all of our intention and our energy would be best served putting love into practice.

There is really nothing about our differences that is anywhere near so compelling – DEREK