Annual Conference Video Report 2007 CLICK HERE Windows Media Player Required   A Letter from the Chair of the Conference Committee on Reconciliation

I am very excited to accept the role of chair for the Conference Committee on Reconciliation for the Cal-Nevada Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church (CCOR). The Mission of CCOR is “to uplift the lives and ministries of all of God’s children. Through educational programming, annual events, and community networking, we strive to help all persons understand their sacred worth in the eyes of God and the church”. This is a passion of mine because of the love and support received from Wesley UMC in Fresno.

We (my partner Russell Leavitt of eighteen years and my four children) are eternally grateful to have had a reconciling church that accepted us as a family. With full custody of four children (three girls and one boy) from two failed marriages, our lives were very hectic and complicated. Acquaintances and some extended family members from our evangelical background told us that our lives of “sin and debauchery” would surely damage the young eager minds and hearts of our children and bring great suffering and condemnation to our household.

On the contrary, our multi-racial, blended household provided a stable, nurturing, supportive family environment in which our children have thrived. Although our experience was not without challenges, our oldest daughter has graduated from college with a B.A. from California State University, Northridge, Our son graduated from UCLA and will receive his Master of Fine Arts from California Institute of Art this spring; our middle daughter is a dean’s list junior at Clarke Atlanta University and our youngest daughter, 16, looks forward to a basketball scholarship to a world class college. We taught our children “to not leave the world the same way they found it”. This has gone a long way in fueling their achievements. More importantly than their career and educational success, they know they are loved and come home to “recharge their batteries” regularly.
 

This would not have been possible had it not been for the great support of our pastors and the church family. As a direct result of our reconciling congregation, our children grew up participating in a variety of church activities such as children’s church, youth group, choir and youth camp while choosing to be active in the social justice movement. My partner and I both feel a compulsion to give back to others some of what God blessed us with through a truly “open hearts, open minds”, community of faith. Therefore, CCOR is part of our pay back or pay forward.

My personal goal is to promote a church environment such as the one we enjoyed, for other non traditional families. I am humbled and honored to serve as chair of the Conference Committee on Reconciliation. We have an excellent hardworking committee this year and look forward “to not leaving the UMC reconciling movement the same way we found it”.   

If I can be of service to you or your congrigation as a speaker, facilitator or even share our musical production about my own reconciling experience "Chasing the Wind" CLICK HERE for the video demo, Just let me know.  Send me an email at  dspiva@ceedtv.com.

God Bless You.

 

Derrick Spiva PhD.