50 year vision for the United Church of Christ

I just found the blog for the 2030 Clergy Network of the UCC which is clergy of the UCC in their 20's and 30's. As I read their statement http://www.myblurredvision.com/blurred_vision_god_music_/2007/06/2030_clergy_net.html
it sounded very much like what I wrote below on May 19th under the title "yea for our club."

As a clergy of age 58 and 32 years in ministry, what was my 50th anniversary vision of the UCC? Not what we have. My vision really developed more 40 years ago of a church that focused on helping those who were part of it to be able to seek God's will in the midst of the world rather than telling them what God's will is. My vision was a church that helped to nurture its sisters and brothers in the Reformed tradition of the scriptures (which we have allowed the funadmentalists to co-opt that title of "Reformed tradition), rather than dissecting scripture to make it fit for us ideologically and intellectually. My vision was a church passionate for justice and so it had become more institutionally vulnerable and less presumptuous about itself rather than a church that lifts up its denominational name in advertising more than it does inviting people into the transforming experience of Jesus Christ.

I am reading McGrath's biography of John Calvin. We have so much to learn from this ancestor of our church tradition who led at a time that massive cultural, political, social and theological change was taking place. We spend too much time on the trees of Calvin rather than the forest of Calvin...in similar fashion that I see happening with the Apostle Paul. We make them into static historical figures and fail to learn from their experience of reaching out and changing at critical times in the journey of God's people.

Ironically, in the diversity of the UCC, I do not find a place in which to abide these days. And yet our local church is one of the most transforming, justice communities around...but we are more focused on the longer ancient tradition in shaping us rather than the more recent 25 years that are being honored at the UCC General Synod. The historical identity being honored in the UCC these days is called 50 years, but it is more so a 25 year history. As one who helped shaped the prophetic voice of this denomination, I hear and see more revisionist short term history than a long term honoring of our ancestors who have gone through more than we have.