GA Moderator’s Message Neither Meek Nor Mild

by Ray Waddle

As Nashville Presbyterians discovered recently, Rick Ufford-Chase, moderator of the General Assembly, can preach an Advent sermon with charm and humor, but his message is neither meek nor mild.

The good news of the Gospel is often unpleasant news for North American Christians and other "people of privilege," he says. New Testament themes of remembering the poor and taking risks for the faith test the comfort level of American habits of belief.

"It's hard for us to hear, but it is demanded that we listen," Ufford-Chase declared at Second Presbyterian Church in Nashville, where he was guest preacher during a Sunday in mid-December.

Elected moderator last summer to a newly designated two-year term, Ufford-Chase is visiting church after church, hoping to engage Presbyterians in a broader vision of faith, one that embraces Third World suffering, multicultural experience, non-violence, economic fairness and spiritual renewal. (He writes an internet blog at www.what-Isee. blogspot.com, exploring various issues.)

His convictions are forged by nearly 20 years' mission work on the U.S.-Mexican border, where he founded the organization BorderLink. It arranges border trips for Americans to see Mexican poverty and working conditions up close.

Nearly 1,000 people participate annually. BorderLink hopes these encounters with the details of real poverty — child beggars, open sewage, a 48-hour work week at $1 an hour — will stir prosperous Christians to protest economic policies that allow Americans to find bargains at the mall because of sweat-shop labor abroad.

"Imagine a household economy where every kernel of corn matters," said Ufford-Chase, based in Tucson, AZ."We as a people of privilege have to lift up that reality and face it. That's a painful, powerful theme to address."

At Second Presbyterian, he preached from the Advent passages in Luke, notably Mary's song of praise, the Magnificat, when she learns she will give birth to the savior. She says, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior ... He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty."

Ufford-Chase paused and declared: "Luke is not for sissies."

"Yes, it's a challenge to say, 'I want to participate with Mary in that stable.' What will we do?"

Ufford-Chase said Scripture points the way, inviting believers to "take risks, let go of our privilege and enter into the world of the lowest of the low" in everyday ways and at levels of public policy. It's the "worst sort of lie," he said, to believe we can take all the benefits of the global economy without taking any responsibility for the global community's basic need of economic security and fairness.

That motion of "letting go" in order to be faithful is akin to a child stepping off a high diving board for the first time: "When we let go we find it's the most terrifying thing, but also the most thrilling. We are called to something that frightens us to death but offers us the greatest joy," he said.

The Rev. Stacy Rector, a minister at Second Presbyterian, said Ufford-Chase's election was a refreshing development. "He offers a passionate message from the Bible, even if it's an uncomfortable one."

"People are drawn to that," she said. "The idea is: Mission isn't something we 'do' as Christians; it's who we are. Have compassion and mercy in daily life, which will then impact all sorts of things — politics, economics — in a world that's more and more stratified yet also getting smaller."

She admitted it's easy to feel overwhelmed by world problems and hard for believers to know how to go about making a difference. But don't overlook what local congregations are doing, like letter-writing campaigns and short-term mission trips. She noted the national church is calling on members to boycott Taco Bell until the company improves working conditions for its migrant tomato-pickers in Florida.

"It's hard for us to hear, but followers of Christ need to critique the structures that keep people poor," she said. "I'm thrilled Rick was elected moderator."

Ray Waddle is a writer and columnist in Nashville.