Some of you may remember back in the fall that I was honored to have my aunt, Yvonne Delk, come to worship while she visited me in my new surroundings. Well, this time, she will be back for all of us! For those of you who don’t know, the Rev. Dr. Yvonne V. Delk, is the first African-American woman to be ordained in the United Church of Christ. She was the head of the Office of Church in Society (now known as the Office of Justice and Witness) for 15 years as she served our National Church. Her ministry spans over 50 years and her involvement in our denomination spans her whole life. She has dedicated her entire being to social justice. As I said, I am honored to have her as my aunt, but I am THRILLED to have her visit us as a leader, a dreamer, and a visionary of our denomination. So, mark your calendars for Sunday, January 22, 2017! Rev. Delk will be our guest speaker that morning for worship. Then she will be our featured guest at a special forum on “The History of Freedom,” facilitated by me and Rev. Tom (insert cheers and applause)! This will take place right after church in the Friendship Room beginning at 11:30. Although we welcome her story, this will also be a time for any of you to ask questions about the denomination and the road to 2017 for the United Church of Christ. You can feel free to ask about race, culture, and even some early economic class struggles we have had to get through in order to still be a unified Church.