1. Via a 4:47am e-mail message this morning, 10-16-20, to this writer you wrote:

“Good morning!
“I attempted to contact you by phkne and text message on yesterday.
You are being invited to the African Descent Strategy Team (ADST) Zoom meeting on this Saturday, October 17th to discuss Reformation Evangelical Lutheran Church (Chicago, IL).
In addition to sharing information that might be useful for the ADST to know regarding the status of Reformation ELCA, be prepared to respond to the following questions:

 “ 1.  What is Reformation’s plan to service its debt to MIF?   2.  What is Reformation’s plan to affect repairs on the building?   3.  Who is the elected Reformation Church Council?You will have 10 minutes to present to the ADST after which, there may be questions from those present. Afterward you will be invited to leave the meeting as the ADST continues its agenda.
“Plan to join the meeting at 10:00 am.  You will be admitted at that time.
The Zoom information is provided below.”
“Metropolitan Chicago Synod is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.“

  1. Please allow us to cut to the chase. I will not be joining your proposed “invitation” to Zoom meet 10am tomorrow morning with your apparently co-opted, phantom, and so-called “African Descent Strategy Team,” itself non-elected by a properly organized ministerium of African Descent clergy and lay leaders, and on crazy short notice to boot. Your said extremely short meeting notice “invitation” reads more like a ham-fisted, attempted call-on-the-carpet meeting, of Reformation’s duly autonomous congregation by presumed Synod bosses, rather than a “invitation” of serious colleagues (partners) in ELCA ministry (not to mention African Descent Ministries).
  2. As you should be aware, the ELCA constitution, according to the Office of the Secretary, incorporates all 4 forms of Church polity i.e., episcopal, connexional, presbyterian, and congregational. Accordingly, Reformation Church Chicago stands on its authority within the Church as an autonomous congregation with its very own autonomous model constitution, By-Laws, and House Rules. Our Said structure requires cordial and principled top-down and bottom-up collegial relations rather than authoritarian, Trump-like ordering about by presumed higher ranking clergy and laity exclusively.
  3. The above said, higher Church entities must request we organize (invite) them to meet with our congregation via proper special meeting notice (with no earlier than 10 days to two weeks advanced written notice). This assumes we agree to organize a joint special meeting as well as assumes we play a key role in outlining said meeting’s agenda.
  4. To date no such preliminary special meeting organizing has occurred. Thus, making a meeting with you, and your co-opted team, impossible except (and only) under our very own model written constitutional provisions and our very own theological congregational constitution’s calling. BTW, both our written and spiritual constitutions begin with recognizing our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ (by which we mean the historic African American/African World relationship with God thru Sweet Baby Jesus) as our congregational head.
  5. As we write, we have been reminded that today is the 25th Anniversary of the historic MILLION MAN MARCH/DAY OF ABSENCE MARCH ON WASHINGTON whose Mission Statement, was authored by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Professor/Chair of Africana Studies, CSULB. Said statement presented first and foremost challenges to ourselves as Black men and the Black community. We close by recommending that we of the ELCA African Descent Ministries faith-communities‘ clergy and laity concerned step-up to the challenge of principally relating to each other rather than attempting one-up-man-ship or less than principled relations.

EPILOGUE

12 And having been warned [by God] in a dream not to go back to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

The Flight to Egypt

13 Now when they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him.”

14 So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet [Hosea]: “Out of Egypt I called My Son. –Matthew 2:12-16 Amplified Version–

Respectfully submitted: Yours in the Authentic ELCA Diversity Unity Principle, Pastor Joel Washington (Khunanpu Sangoma), Pastor, Council President, and Development Minister, Reformation Church Chicago 10-16-20, Updated 10-18-20

APPENDIX A

Congregationalism refers to Congregationalist polity, a form of church governance based on the local congregation.

congregationalism, is a system of ecclesiastical polity in which every local church congregation is independent, ecclesiastically sovereign, or “autonomous“. Its first articulation in writing is the Cambridge Platform of 1648 in New England.

Congregationalism is distinguished from episcopal polity[1] which is governance by a hierarchy of bishops, and is distinct from presbyterian polity[1] in which higher assemblies of congregational representatives can exercise considerable authority over individual congregations.

Congregationalism is not limited only to organization of Christian church congregations. The principles of congregationalism have been inherited by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Canadian Unitarian Council. Most Jewish synagogues, many Sikh Gurdwaras and most Islamic mosques in the US operate under congregational government, with no hierarchies.

Most non-denominational churches are organized along congregationalist lines.[2] Many do not see these voluntary associations as “denominations“, because they “believe that there is no church other than the local church, and denominations are in variance to Scripture.”[2] -Selections from Wikipedia on Congregational Church Polity-

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