We have arrived in Providence after a flight from Phoenix with a stop in Chicago. Harold Armbrust shuttled us to SkyHarbor beautifully... we recommend his service. Leaving home and starting this journey was a big moment for us, for sure.
Our row-mate on the flight to Providence was Joel, a 15-year-old from Indiana on his first-ever flight. He was a bit nervous, and he was excited about every part of the flight. He was good company ... until we overheard his cell-phone call to his aunt: "I had a good flight. This old couple sat with me..."
In terms of my sabbatical: I am aware of the role Roger Williams played in the Pilgrim drama. In 1632, 12 years after the Mayflower landing, it was he who (in my opinion) embodied the true Separatist spirit and refused to adopt the 'exclusionary' Puritan ethos from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He fled to what is now Rhode Island, and treated the Native Americans here with respect. He was a strong proponent of a separation between civil and religious authority. He also believed in welcoming diversity as an expression of the greatness of God. These are lessons worth breathing deeply into the early 21st Century!
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It sounds as if Roger Williams would have been UCC, if it had been around back then. Maybe his example planted the seed in those who came later.
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