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Keep building the church the world needs

As I prepare to conclude my time with the Pacific Northwest Conference and step into ministry with the Missouri Mid-South Conference, I want to say this as plainly as I can: I love you, and I am deeply grateful for you.

Designated Conference Minister Phil Hodson

You have trusted me, partnered with me, and shown up again and again for the sake of the gospel. I have seen your courage. I have seen your willingness to try new things. I have seen your care for your communities and for one another. That has mattered to me more than I can fully put into words.

So this is my prayer for you as you move into your next chapter.

Stay clear about who you are.

Claim your progressive Christian theological voice without hesitation. The world does not need a quieter church. It needs a clearer one. It needs a church that speaks hope, that lives justice and that is rooted in real relationship—the kind of relationship the gospel calls us into.

I keep coming back to the line often attributed to theologian Karl Barth: preach with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. That’s not a metaphor for someday. That’s for right now.

Holy Week made that unmistakably clear. You proclaimed resurrection hope while also marking Transgender Day of Visibility. You showed up for youth who are paying attention to whether the church will protect them or not. You navigated the weight of the Supreme Court decision in Colorado and what it means for LGBTQIA+ young people and their safety. That is the work. That is the public witness of the church.

Keep doing that.

Do not retreat from the public square. Speak clearly. Act boldly. Offer a better vision of faith—one that heals instead of harms, includes instead of excludes, and actually reflects the love we talk about. That kind of witness is evangelism. People are not looking for perfection. They are looking for something real. When they see it, they come and see.

Here’s the other thing I want to say directly: this conference is shaped by the people who show up.

If you care about the future of this conference, be involved. Serve on committees. Engage with camps and outdoor ministries. Talk to your Board of Directors. Tell them what you need. Tell them what you hope for. Don’t assume someone else will carry that for you.

Your voice matters. Your presence matters. Use it.

I also want you to hear this clearly: You are doing good work.

I have seen it up close. I have watched you lead in hard moments. I have watched you stay when it would have been easier to step back. I have watched you care for people in ways that reflect the heart of the gospel. The Spirit is at work among you. I am confident of that.

Thank you for letting me be part of this season with you. It has been an honor. Truly.

I will carry you with me. I will pray for you, and I trust you.

Keep going. Keep showing up. Keep building the kind of church the world actually needs.

With deep gratitude and love.

 

Phil Hodson has accepted a call to serve as the intentional interim conference minister of the Missouri Mid-South Conference, beginning June 1. His last day serving as as PNC designated conference minister is May 31.

The PNC Board of Directors is in consultation with the national ministries of the United Church of Christ on next steps in conference leadership while the Conference Minister Search Committee continues its work.

 

Pacific Northwest Conference United Church of Christ News © April 2026

 

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