No one who attended the Biennial Meeting in Washington/Union Missouri will ever forget it. From the gracious hospitality offered all the delegates by the members of St. Peter’s UCC in Washington, to the warm and tender expressions of love and appreciation offered to Gayle Engel; from the inspirational preaching and insightful Bible commentary of John Thomas to the more light-hearted moments around the dunk-tank at Camp Mo-Val; from the variety of styles in which we worshipped to the reacquainting of old friends and the meeting of new: this was a memorable weekend, and one which honored well our need to say goodbye to gifted leader.
 

John Thomas raising funds for Camp Mo-Val		Gayle Engel sharing a light moment at the Banquet in his honor.

Festivities began with one of the best attended Person in Ministry banquets we have ever hosted. It was held at the Robbler winery, and even the late afternoon thunderstorm that blew up did not dampen the spirits of those who gathered for the day to share food and laughter and wine. Mike Downs led an afternoon workshop on healthy practices for clergy, after which wine cellars were toured and wine bottles were emptied: a good time was had by all.
 

Friends gather at Robbler Winery for conversation...		and good food and wine for all.
Gayle enjoys a conversation with guest speaker Mike Downs from the UCC Pension Boards...		and Gayle and Donna enjoy fine food, good wine, and friendly conversation at the PIM Banquet.

Friday morning opened with the viewing of a truly inspirational piece of video entitled “What’s Right with the World.” So many people appreciated the call to a change of attitude that invites us to choose to examine our lives in such a way that we notice the blessings that are evident when we but open our eyes to see them. After the showing of the video, a panel of national leaders (including our General Minister and President John Thomas, our Associate General Minister Edith Guffey, and our Minister for Conference Relations Lorin Cope) addressed the delegates and spoke about what is right with the United Church of Christ.

Lunch followed, and having been well fed the delegates settled in for what would be a long afternoon of reports, deliberation, discussion, motions, budget approval, speak outs, speeches, presentations, announcements, elections, etc, etc. There was indeed much to be done in this afternoon of plenary, and the delegates hung in there well through the whole meeting. When the business session ended around five and the delegates were adjourned, it was discovered that rain had moved what was to be a celebration down by the river indoors, and all scrambled to find an open and empty seat somewhere in the church upon which to eat their evening meal.
 

We were well fed...		Support staff made us welcome...
We visited with various ministry representatives...		and we accomplished the business of the Missouri Mid-South Conference.

Lorin Cope followed dinner with a story that – unless you were there to hear - you would find hard to believe, but that kept us all in stitches. The story had a point, and what followed was his important insight into what the Transition time would bring for us all in the coming days.

We closed the evening with two simultaneous services of worship. In the sanctuary, Ralph Mason led a trio of musicians from Greater New Higher Heights UCC while in the Auditorium the Praise Band from Friedens UCC in Warrenton ushered in the spirit and made worship come alive. John Thomas’ sermon on this night was truly the work of a prophet and pastor, and many were touched by his words.

Saturday morning opened with a Bible Study led by John Thomas and focusing on the 51st chapter of Isaiah. Shirley Asmussen and Bob Atkinson set the tone for what would follow by doing an update of the Outdoor Ministries program and the Camp Capital Campaign. As this came to a close, delegates boarded one of the four busses waiting out front for them and trekked down highway 47 to spend the rest of the morning and afternoon at Camp Mo-Val. The weather could not have been better. While at camp, delegates: listened to an oral history of the camp offered by Ray Bizer; took a wagon ride around the camp; went on a walking tour of the camp; played various games and activities; shared a catered meal in the meadow under a large canvas tent; listened to or even played the drums brought by the African drummers from St. Paul’s UCC in St. Louis; raised almost $6,000 for the campaign by purchasing items needed to renovate the line cabins in an auction, or by choosing to dunk (or more accurately “drench”) whomever they chose – for a price, of course. The victims on this day included John Thomas, Gayle Engel, Kevin Cameron (his son could not resist), Karen Aitkens, Polly McWilliams, Bob Atkinson, Bill Kruell, John C. Dorhauer, et al. Dale Parson had a shield of protection around him: many tried, but none, succeeded, to drench him.
 

We ate...		we worked...
we walked...		and we rode...
we had fun...		and it was all for a great cause!

The highlight of the weekend had to have been Saturday evening – the banquet at which Gayle was honored for his years of faithful service. Words from colleagues throughout the years were heard: from the Conference, from the national office, from the Jamaican partnership, from staff, from family. A video of Gayle’s life in pictures was shown. Chris Grundy moved all with his inspirational music. Tears were shed, and laughter flowed freely. His own son Michael stood and proudly thanked his father for the love that he always had for them. He asked his father to forgive him and his brother and sister for the sermons they slept through, ‘as they forgave him for preaching them.” He finished by asking his dad if he remembered why it was time for his to retire: “Because,” he said, “after all these years of giving so much to the churches, you have nothing left that they want.” Gifts were offered, stories were told, and a letter from Gayle’s longtime mentor and friend Maneo Kataguri was read, a letter that called Gayle a “because of Christian:” one through whom others come to have faith because of what they do and who they are.
 

David Lyon, Moderator, with Gayle.		Edith Guffey, Associate General Minister, with Dale Parson, Associate Conference Minister.
Edith Guffey roasting Gayle.		Donna and Gayle Engel.

The goodbye was not complete, though, until the next morning when, in worship, Gayle preached an unforgettable sermon about the difficulties in saying goodbye, and the powerful meaning of that one simple word which, literally, means: God be with you. Gayle presided at the table with our new Interim leader Char Burch, and it did not escape anyone’s attention that we were in that moment very close to entering a new chapter in our collective lives. More tears were shed in a worship service that became a fitting ending to a ministry lived out faithfully among us for over 15 years, and countless others on behalf of the wider church. The service itself closed with a moving release of vows led by John Thomas and Dan Buescher (moderator of the Conference). After all the good byes were said in the Narthex following the service, after the last hymn had been sung and the benediction offered, after all the vans and cars were packed and the delegates began their long journeys home, only then did we realize that Gayle – who had given so much to us for so long – was no longer our beloved leader. We shall never forget him, and not one of us will live long enough to outlast his influence and legacy. Goodbye dear friend: and God be with you.
 

	The Engel Family, Elizabeth, Jeff, Gayle, Donna, and Michael Scott.