(Be)longing: Reflections on the October '22 Council Retreat from Jeff Tobin

This season in my life is a season full of firsts which started in 2018, when I accepted Jesus Christ. From day one I was filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit and quickly found a church and asked to be baptized. I proceeded to volunteer and serve on several ministry teams. Now here I am branching out beyond my congregation to serve our denomination on the Disciples LGBTQ+ Alliance AllianceQ Council.

I had to move outside of my comfort zone with meeting new people in a different state for the AllianceQ retreat in October, hosted in Marysville, Ohio, at Camp Christian. A truly beautiful and inviting campground that I hope to visit again.

The dictionary defines retreat as “a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director.” Another possible definition is “an act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable.” While I found the spiritual aspects of the retreat nourishing to my soul, and the fellowship very energizing, I hadn’t realized how much I needed to take a step back, withdraw and examine the difficult process of building a more inclusive church.

Meeting the other council members made me understand that I’m not alone in working to make our congregations more diverse. We spent time reviewing the history of AllianceQ and envisioning what the AllianceQ Council can become in the future. We are a justice ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) advocating for all people; dedicated to finding all the ways possible to make people feel like they belong.

Our focus and meditations were centered around the concept of (be)longing. On the last day of the retreat, Reverend Dr. Judy Alston led the closing worship service and during the homily, I heard, for the first time, someone who shares a story similar to mine. She conveyed a powerful conviction of “longing to be” – that the desire to belong is a deeply human emotional need, as well as a need for us to give acceptance. Close to the end of the message she made a statement that expresses what I’ve been feeling for some time: “God does not require us to hurt ourselves to please God. We belong to God and God accepts us.”

During my faith journey, I’ve been looking for others to accept me, to withdraw their judgment and condemnation, and to open their hearts and minds. Serving on this council I promise to advocate for this for everyone. I pray for our belonging to one another fully.

Grace & Peace,

Jeff

Jeff Tobin was elected to serve on the Council beginning October 1, 2022. At the Council Retreat, Jeff was elected as Council Secretary. Thank you, Jeff, for sharing your reflections. Pictured below are moments of work and play and prayer and worship.