Calling On All in Our Southwest Conference: Connect Us with Your ASU Students!

We're making new connections and building relationships with students and faculty who have not previously been connected with the UCC. As we continue with this exciting new ministry, we need your help to connect ASU students who are UCC so we can include them in all we are doing and in the formation of the organization. If you and/or your local church know an ASU student, please connect with Andrew using the contact information below so we can connect with them! We are excited to now only include them in our ministry on campus, but to begin to be in connection now as we are working to support students who are sheltering and studying at home now and into the fall.

Andrew Ponder Williams

United Church of Christ Campus Minister for Arizona State University

Call or Text! (602) 386-0669

Every Thursday, First Christian Church in Las Cruces, NM gathers on Zoom to do a Spiritual Practice together. They do practices like: Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer, Christian Meditation, and Bible Journaling. But last week, they tried Scripture Doodling! Scripture Doodling is a way of studying scripture through art/creativity. Pastor Bethany read Hebrews 13:16 to the group, there was some discussion, and then the group was invited to "doodle" the scripture.

Ten churches, including First Congregational of Albuquerque are now officially supporting ABQ FaithWorks, which serves people who are homeless and marginalized. The agency is impacting lives far beyond what they dared dream. Since hiring Valerie Griego as the incredibly capable Social Services Coordinator last June, they have assisted more than 250 people.

On Juneteenth several of the children and youth from First Congregational in Albuquerque gathered throughout the day to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. They made chalk art on the sidewalk, created a "Say Their Names" mural and wrote dozens of victims’ names on the Lomas Blvd wall.

First Congregational in Prescott has a DACA Fund that receives donations throughout the year. The church celebrated with their "adopted” DACA student, Franceny, and her family over the good news coming from this week’s Supreme Court ruling. On a 5-4 vote, the Court ruled that the DACA program can remain in place. There are mountains yet to climb, but this week’s ruling brings relief and hope to 100’s of thousands of DACA families. Along with so many others, the church continues to pray for meaningful immigration reform leading to more compassionate laws and policies.

From Church of the Red Rocks: Due to the Covid-19 crisis, Chautauqua will not hold its summer assembly on the grounds for the first time in over 100 years. However, the silver lining in this cloud is that much of the summer assembly programming will be available on a virtual basis free of charge. The programming will be available on your laptop, iPad or other digital device, or by live streaming using several approaches. The season starts on June 27th and continues for nine weeks. Each week has a specific theme. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience Chautauqua before you might make a decision to go there sometime to experience it in person. It is free for the first ninety days with a charge of $3.95 a month thereafter. To view more about this opportunity, go to chq.org

Shepherd of the Hills' Pastor Rock has been developing a relationship with the Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Navajoland. The Navajo have been hit hard by the pandemic. The need for help is enormous among the Navajo peoples, and the Episcopal Church of Navajoland has a strong presence in some of the more rural areas on the reservation. Shepherd was able to write the church a $2,000 check from their Ministry at the Doorstep fund. With these monies, the church will be supplying clean water (for drinking and sanitation), soap, and feminine hygiene products to many Navajos.

Many of our churches are trying to educate themselves on racism in all its forms. I saw this in the Black Mountain UCC newsletter and thought it represented much of what I have read in many of your newsletters. –Holly

I cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.

– Ezekiel 37:5

“I can’t breathe.”

- George Floyd, 8:46

There couldn’t be a starker contrast between these words of God as written in Ezekiel and the words of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Those 8 minutes and 46 seconds where the breath of life given to George Floyd by his creator were taken away set off a wildfire of new consciousness in America. In this light, the BMUCC Spirituality Group discussed the question “How should we as Christians respond to the killing of George Floyd and to the systemic racism in ourselves and in institutions across our nation?”. The answers were not easy, but here are some of the ideas we discussed.

Be willing to at least consider that we are part of the problem. Most of us see ourselves as fundamentally good. We are quick to say things like “I’m not racist!” or “I have black friends or family!” And very often our contribution to the problem is not overt or obvious. To create an America where all God’s children enjoy equal safety and opportunity, we must ask ourselves some difficult and uncomfortable questions, but it is our duty as Christians to do so.
Listen to our black brothers and sisters. Seek and open our hearts to the testimony of African-Americas about their experience with law enforcement, employment, education, etc. Make an effort to understand the black perspective, but also realize that not every black person feels the obligation to explain these things to us. Every time you find yourself wanting to say “Yeah, but…”, just be quiet and listen.
Educate yourself. There are a multitude of resources out there, from curated lists of books on Amazon, to films and documentaries on streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. There is ample opportunity to seek information, seek understanding and start to think about how we can make a difference in the world.
Consult scripture. There is a strong biblical foundation for the fight to create equality for all. Jesus’ teachings were all about loving those who others despised. The fight for justice and unconditionally loving all of God’s children is a fundamental part of the Gospel, so if we seek to live more Christ-like lives, then we must embrace His teachings in this area.
Join the struggle. Find ways to make a positive difference. Join a peaceful march. Listen to a webinar. Bring the topic up with your friends and family. Confront racism when you hear it by saying “That’s not OK,” and open a dialogue. That might require a lot of bravery, but find a way to make a difference that is authentic for you and helps make the world a better place, no matter what that might be.