Neichelle Guidry

Summer Fellow 2008, First Congregational Church Berkeley

When I reflect upon this summer, one of the first words that come to mind is love. The first reason that I recall this word is because from the moment I arrived to my site, First Congregational Church of Berkeley, I was met with an overwhelming spirit of love. Coming from the African-American Church tradition, I was both excited and nervous about spending the summer in such a different terrain. I was curious what it would be like to minister before a new congregation, and was eager to see how my gifts may –or may not- have translated. Upon attending my first service, my guards were immediately released when the congregation welcomed me into the life of their community. Hugs, phone calls, e-mails, meals, visits, and outings made me feel as if I was a part of the body. The love was palpable and very real, and was eventually the thing that made it so difficult to depart.

Time in reflection with the other area fellows and with my supervisor, Patricia de Jong, helped me to contextualize many of the lessons I learned in my first year at Yale Divinity School. Discussions of progressivism and how I was growing as a human, a Christian, and a minister, made me realize just how much I was growing. So, the process of integrating what I was learning into what I already believe(d) began. As exciting as this should be, it has proven to be difficult, and to be a journey that can be isolating and spiritually lonely. The blessedness here, again, is that I never felt that I was alone. On days that I felt that my growth was taking me from the God of my youth, the people of FCCB and the Beatitudes Society, by their presence and encouragement, consistently reminded me of God's nearness during that period. The opportunities to minister in song, word, and even in dramatic interpretation of the Scriptures, were priceless. This experience opened up Sunday morning worship as a sacred space to cry out for the marginalized and abandoned, and to be moved to discomfort with the privileges that stop me from being a voice for them.

In all, I would not have been blessed with such a gracious and humbling experience with the Beatitudes Society. It was blessed with very warm moments with our group leader, Del Brown, who impacted my life in such a gentle, yet lasting manner. It was blessed with dinner with Rev. Sylvia Vasquez, whose work in San Francisco is turning the tides for some of the city's homeless citizens. It would have been impossible to grow and to be stretched this summer. Most importantly, however, it would have been impossible to feel as if I wasn't accompanied by many people of faith. Because of this, I would consider this a summer of love.

Strengthening the progressive Christian network for justice, compassion, & peace