Frozen Chosen? Which Flavor?

Yesterday at lunch I tried to joke with my roundtable group (which included no less than 4 other denominations) that one thing I valued about this conference was the ability experience a community outside the "frozen chosen."  I was met with confused stares and several cries of, "I thought WE were the frozen chosen!"  So I finally had to settle for the idea that at least I got away from MY frozen chosen for the week!  This truly was one of the greatest benefits of this conference.  Every night I got to decompress with a group of 10 people of mixed denomination, politics, gender, and race as we shared our stories of call and our reactions to the day's workshops.

Remarkably, throughout 4 full days the conversations never focused on our differences (except for a few memorable instances of someone apologizing for pain inflicted on another by his or her community), but instead we were able to relate out of our tremendous commonality.  I can now claim as friends folks that live all over the country and opinions and experiences that span a wide spectrum.  I have shared food and conversations with African American Southern Baptists, Latin American Catholics, Ethiopian Orthodox, and even some other Episcopalians.  This whole experience has been uplifting and energizing, and it gives me hope to see the energy embodied in the group of young leaders in the church.