September 23^rd, 2024



Dear Presbytery of Detroit,

Traditionally, the role of story teller for a congregation is relegated to the preacher. There are all sorts of good reasons for this. Ministers of Word and Sacrament all called into ordered ministry to “serve as preachers and teachers of the Word, they shall preach and teach the faith of the church, so that the people are shaped by the pattern of the gospel and strengthened for witness and service” (G-2.0501). They also serve at font and table where they “shall interpret and “show forth” the mystery of grace in word and action…” (G-2.0501). Preachers are well known for their ability to use words (and sometimes a lot of them… speaking as a preacher who on more than one occasion had a parishioner start frantically tapping at their watch when I went on too long!)

In this last year, serving as your Stated Clerk, I’ve learned a secret. There is another person serving in our midst who is an incredible, and important, story teller:

The Clerk.

Whether the Clerk of Session or the Stated Clerk of a Presbytery, Synod, or General Assembly, this person has been entrusted with documenting some of the most important moments in the life of our churches. They record the witness and actions of a group of disciples who are seeking to be faithful to the good news of God’s love and mission for the transformation of creation and humanity.

During my lunch, I’ve taken to reading through the minutes of the Presbytery of Detroit going back close to 85 years. I give thanks to previous Stated Clerks, and Presbytery of Detroit support staff, who painstakingly scanned all of these in to be digitally accessed on our website. I’ve focused on significant historical events in our community, nation and world and learn about how the Presbytery of Detroit responded (and in some cases didn’t respond) to what was happening around them.

These learnings have also led me to ask deeper questions about our history as it pertains to the institutional and individual expressions of racism of in our presbytery. The stories of many of our churches, and presbytery, are silent about past atrocities, that distort historical facts, spread racial prejudice, and ignore the history, cultures, traditions and positive contributions of those exposed to racism and discrimination, including people of African descent. There are names of churches, pastors and leaders who are unlikely to be found in history books. There are a few exceptions who achieved notoriety, but most of these names recorded in minutes went about the work for civil rights with little recognition.

First, I would invite you, Presbytery of Detroit, to reach out to your Clerk of Session and thank them for the important work they do!

And together ask questions about the history of your own church.

When did the church begin and under what circumstances?

What story is always told about this beginning and imagine what stories aren’t being told?

How does that beginning fit into the larger context of historical events?

Who has been entrusted with telling the history of your church?

What voices are missing from that story?

What elders from a congregation or Presbytery can we ask to tell us stories that haven’t been written down?

Choose an event in history with a focus on race (it could be local, national or global) ask the Clerk to help you find the Session minutes from that time. How did your church respond, or not? In what ways are these decisions reflected in the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of the church today?

What resources or support does your community need to begin to tell a new story that points “beyond itself through word and work to the good news of God’s transforming grace in Christ Jesus its Lord”? (F-1.0301)

As we begin this process of learning about our congregational stories, we discover the ways the Presbytery, through our connectional system, is also responsible for telling these stories. My hope in the months to come to share the stories I uncover. I recognize that in many instances, especially for our black or immigrant congregations, as a white woman raised in the dominant system of white Presbyterian-ism, these aren’t my stories to tell. I recognize I have the structural power in my role of Stated Clerk, to frame narratives from my perspective. Stories hold so much power and I invite those who have not historically had the opportunity to share the stories of your congregation, to do so here. Drop me an email or a phone call, let’s come together in relationship and share the stories that have shaped who we are and have the opportunity show us who God intends the church to be.

Peace,

Melissa