Lord, be my Helper. You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.
- Psalms 30:10b-11

What better time than during this exciting period of resurging strength, communal growth, and resigned faith in the power of God over all things, that we bring joy and celebration to New Orleans, LA for the 47th Annual Meeting of the South Central Conference UCC. We have all felt the pangs of weather events over the last five years, including hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike; borne witness to earthquakes, tsunamis, and mudslides, and we continue to feel the human made pressures of war, economic collapse, and joblessness coupled with the resultant loss of savings, homes, and benefits. However, at the heart of it all is our perseverance and faith. Disruption and grief is coincidental to our human condition, but serves as keen reminders that our lives are special and that today is precious. How we live each tenuous day is likewise special and each day is a stepping stone of our eternal life.

Let this year’s theme, “Restoring the Dance”, promote you to share the blessings of life with one another, each with our own hardships, past and present, and our hopes and dreams for today and tomorrow.

Entreat no one as separate class, race, district, or sect, but as kinsman in Christ the Lord and God the Father. For unto all of us is granted life in God, and God within us, so let us
rejoice and rekindle our sense of the Dance.

The means to move, feel, listen, talk, and sing are each a blessing in itself, let us share them in one of the most captivating and changing places on earth; and learn how to prepare, preserve, share, and reshape our kindred souls by dancing with the Holy Spirit.