Information came via email today about registering for the closing, dissolving, final gathering of the NCNY Annual Conference to which I am affiliated. While I do not have a strong and close relationship with "my conference" at this point, I certainly do feel some sadness at its demise. It is, after all, where I got my start in the ministry. It is the "authorizing body" that "called me", encouraged me, interviewed me, ordained me. It is the organizational structure which I have served for a lot of years. It is a group of people with whom I worked and shared common interests and relationships.
The reason for the demise has to do with dissolving four previously existing units into one larger unit, (the Upper New York Conference), which supposedly will be more effective, have more power, etc. I do hope that the vision of creating this "new thing" lives up to the hype. For some of us, especially those of us who are retired, it is a significant loss. What was once "home" will no longer exist. We will melt into the background of oblivion and irrelevance. Perhaps that is to be expected.
It sort of reminds me of my "first retirement" after working for Cornell University for many years. I "retired" from there to go into the ministry. The old Roberts Hall building was being demolished and a new Roberts Hall building was being built. It seemed somewhat fitting that my "retirement" coincided with that change of buildings and re-orientation of the college quad. My Cornell years were associated with the old Roberts Hall.
I guess it is no different with the NCNY conference. My ministry years will be associated with that, rather than with the new structure.
Perhaps that is exactly as it is should be. (Still, it feels a little sad.)
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