Almost 500 representatives from the 300 churches in the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ were on campus June 10-12 for the conference's annual meeting. Details...
The conference, comprised of churches throughout North Carolina and eastern Virginia, holds its annual meeting at Elon every third summer. Several delegates stayed in campus housing during the meeting, and meals were served in Harden. Elon was originally founded by the UCC, and has maintained its historical ties to the church to this day.
“Elon is always a wonderful place and it’s great to see all the growth of this great university,” says Mike Hooper, head pastor of the First Reformed United Church of Christ in Lexington, N.C.
Panel sessions were held in McCrary Theatre, while workshops were scheduled in Moseley Center and the Center for the Arts. The main theme for this summer’s gathering was justice and its relevance to topics such as sexual orientation, women’s rights and racial considerations in today’s church.
“Our goal is just a better understanding of everyone’s point of view and a consideration of what actions the majority wishes us to take,” says Ronald Barlow, a conference board member from Peace United Church of Christ in Greensboro. “It’s been very enlightening.”