On my last day in Chicago as a UNITY Journalists of Color delegate, I had a choice: Go see U.S. Sen. Barack Obama address the closing ceremony of the conference or accept an invitation to visit his former church, Trinity United Church of Christ. Yes, the Trinity UCC that made headlines last spring because of past comments made by its retired pastor the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
As you may recall, Obama, member of the renowned Chicago institution, found himself on the defensive as some bombastic excerpts of Wright's sermons were blasted on TV and the Internet. I wanted to see what the big fuss the media made was all about - first hand. Well, no political drama during my visit. Wright was on a mission trip in West Africa. Obama's name wasn't event mentioned at church, even though he was back in town from his overseas trip, and was addressing participants in the UNITY convention, the quadrennial gathering of black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American journalists.
Wright's successor Otis Moss III made introductions then yielded the pulpit to a guest, Rev. Eugene L. Gibson Jr. of Memphis. His sermon "I learned it in the club," had the crowd laughing as he reminded them of a popular South Side joint called the "Clique." Gibson related his behavior at the club in the early '90s to scripture in Luke in which a son goes out on his own, makes mistakes, and his father forgives his transgressions. Gibson's delivery was unorthodox, but I got his message.
Once again, no fireworks. Just a wonderfully enlightening and engaging sermon that had the parishioners and guests, like me, hanging on every word. What I witnessed at Trinity was a beehive of activity beginning at 45 minutes before the 11 a.m. service, the second of three for the 9,000-member congregation. Worshipers get there early because parking is tight and the 3,000-seat sanctuary fills up fast. The crowd included dozens of out-of-town visitors from two family reunions.
There was a sprinkling of whites in the pews. Unlike last spring, these folks appeared to be UCC members visiting from other congregations, not reporters who came in looking for colorful sound bites from ministers. Trinity UCC follows liberal religious traditions, which made my visit an easy choice. I'm a member of one of the other liberal religious movements, the Unitarian Universalists or UUs. Garrison Keillor jokes that the acronym for United Church of Christ really means "Unitarians Considering Christ." What I experienced Sunday was a mainstream Protestant church and welcoming congregation, regardless of race or sexual orientation.
At Trinity UCC, I enjoyed the experience - even without any melodrama! It felt creative, friendly and for a few moments familiar. Yeah, I heard some strong social commentary, but the Word did not commingle with electoral politics. Later that day, as I boarded my plane back home, I had no regrets about my decision that morning. I made the right choice.
