One day as I was driving I got stopped at a red light. A truck next to me was full of four guys. The guy closest to my window started waving at me and asked me to roll down my window. Now generally I don't do this but decided to humor the guy. The guy was in need of directions to a gentlemen's club. I leaned out my window to inform him that he had just asked a minister (female minister at that) for directions to a gentlemen's club. He immediately went red in the face and started to say that they weren't going to go watch. His friends had been there last night and had left his wallet (like that's really any better). I was nice and gave them directions to the other side of town and then said I'd pray for them. It's not like I hide the fact that I'm clergy, there's a big clergy sticker on the back window. When you're asking for directions to the gentlemen's club please consider who you're asking. What an interesting encounter with those in this world.
For years now, I have heard in preaching and clergy circles about being political in sermons; the good, the bad and those who state that church shouldn’t be political. There are workshops, books, and podcasts talking about politics in the church with a variety of opinions. What do people mean when they make the statement that the church shouldn’t be political? The IRS has the most say about the rules for the separation of church and state/politics. If your church wants to be tax exempt, there are rules: don’t endorse any candidate or party, if you allow one party to use your space, other political parties also must be allowed to use the space, etc. The UCC’s general counsel, Heather Kimmell, has a webinar on this topic if you’d like to hear a more detailed explanation which can be found on the UCC’s YouTube channel. Churches have gotten “creative” in how to get around this, often partnering with another non-profit group to give support to a particular group. The UCC is proud to claim...
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