Our Annual Meeting planning team would love to hear your ideas! Please fill out the form. THANKS!
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Annual Meeting
Welcome our incoming SWC leaders!
Welcome and congratulations to our newly-elected Southwest Conference leadership!
Read MoreAre you bilingual / multilingual? We need your help!
We're crowdsourcing some help with a multilingual call to worship at our upcoming Annual Meeting! If you will be attending in person, are bilingual or multilingual, and would be willing to participate, please be in contact ASAP with our Bridge Associate Conference Minister, Rev. Leslie Etheredge at acm-cocam@uccswc.org.
Gracias. Merci. Дякую. Danke. धन्यवाद। Salamat. ありがとう。 Cảm ơn. Misaotra. Hvala. Благодарам. Mèsi. Asante.
Read More2024 Annual Meeting updates & reminders
At the 2023 Annual Meeting, we heard you loud and clear about wanting a more hybrid experience. So by popular demand, our 2024 Annual Meeting will be nearly 100% available BOTH online and in-person! To accomplish this, we’re trying out an event platform, Whova. It’s handling our registrations, agenda, live streams, voting, and more!
Read MoreAnnual Meeting delegate session: April 13
Attention all Annual Meeting church delegates and SWC clergy:
Please don’t miss the information session and delegate orientation on Saturday, April 13 at 9 am Arizona / 10 am New Mexico & El Paso. Mark your calendar NOW.
The first hour will be a training session about Annual Meeting in general (for first-timers and a refresher for others) and about using the Whova platform which will be our ‘hub’ for the Annual Meeting, for both in-person and remote attendees.
The second hour will be an information session about the budget/resolutions to bring up any questions/comments that the Executive Board needs to discuss at their April 18 meeting.
We all want this completely hybrid model of Annual Meeting to be successful and that requires that we all learn how do our part!
If you aren’t registered yet, go here now and join the party.
Read More2024 Annual Meeting registration is OPEN!
Join us April 25 - 27, 2024 at Shepherd of the Hills UCC in-person or online!
At the 2023 Annual Meeting, we heard you about wanting a more hybrid experience. So by popular demand, our 2024 Annual Meeting will be nearly 100% available BOTH online and in-person!
To accomplish this, we’re trying out an event platform, Whova. It’s handling our registrations, agenda, live streams, voting, and more!
We encourage you to register early (by March 17) to take advantage of the early bird pricing. You’ll be invited to download the Whova app on your mobile device to fully experience the Annual Meeting whether you’re onsite or remote.
Read MoreExecutive Board recommends Dr. Toni as settled Conference Minister
The Executive Board is very pleased to announce that on Thursday, February 22 at an executive session, they unanimously voted to recommend to delegates of the 2024 Southwest Conference Annual Meeting that our Transitional Conference Minister, Rev. Dr. Toni Hawkins be called as our settled Conference Minister!
Registered delegates will vote on this measure at our Annual Meeting business session on Saturday, April 27.
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Planning our 2024 Annual Meeting—want to join the team?
Have you ever attended an event and thought that it might’ve been better with YOUR special touch? Do you have gifts that you could bring to a planning team that would make a large gathering feel more polished or go more smoothly or be more organized or simply BETTER?
Or maybe you’re an event planner and already have pulled off successful gatherings!
The Southwest Conference staff is putting together a planning team for our 2024 Annual Meeting. Our theme is “Expanding the Table: Creating a Tapestry of Voices and Experiences” to be held April 26 & 27 at Shepherd of the Hills UCC in Phoenix, Arizona.
Read MoreSWC Annual Meeting Planning Coordinator position open
After bidding a fond farewell and sending well wishes to our Annual Meeting Planning Coordinator for the past several years, Karen Richter, we are now in need of another individual to plan, organize, and execute our Annual Meeting.
View the job description here.
Please pass it along to anyone you think would be a great fit! If that’s you, please apply!
Read MoreSome Installation Highlights of Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President
These are some highlights and well-wishes from Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson's October 20, 2023 Installation at Lakewood Congregational Church UCC, in Lakewood Ohio. She is the 10th General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ.
The full recorded livestreamed service can be found here.
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Leadership Development Through Family Systems program
From Lombard Mennonite Peace Center:
We would like to invite you to sign up for our Leadership Development Through Family Systems program.
Why might this program be suitable for you? Leaders today face many challenges. In this time of increased anxiety and stress, we need leaders who focus on their own integrity, functioning, and the nature of their presence rather than look for quick-fix solutions or fancy techniques. In this program, you will be challenged to invest in your own emotional maturity and functioning as a way to enhance your sense of calm and differentiation of self. You will have the opportunity to build a cohort of like-minded leaders facing similar journeys and challenges.
Read MoreWorkshops at Annual Gathering
Attending the Annual Gathering? Here’s the workshop information you’ve been waiting for, including an “Unworkshop” - check it out.
Read MoreAnnual Gathering survey for non-parish clergy
The Southwest Conference staff, along with Annual Gathering Coordinator Karen Richter, have the planning well underway and we need feedback from clergy in non-parish settings.
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Sr. Lika's workshop
Learn about the daily work and life of La Casa Misericordia from Sr. Lika. Learn from members of the Cruzando Fronteras steering committee how you and your church can support ministry to our with our migrating neighbors. The SWC partners with the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona and the Grand Canyon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in this ministry.
Read MoreIntroduction to AntiRacism Dialogue Circles – ASDIC & Conference Leaders
Many people and organizations want to come together across racial and ethnic lines, but they don’t know how to get started. ASDIC grew from a desire to be such a catalyst. ASDIC helps individuals and organizations do the difficult work to understand and deconstruct the deeply embedded and painful stories of race in our society. Our mission is to bring people together to build community, while also developing the knowledge and skills to effectively address racism, through shared study and dialogue. ASDIC is dedicated to the vision of a racially just society, supporting individuals and organizations as they Learn, Reflect, Transform.
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Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI)
Conference staff and standing committee members were the first participants invited to complete the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). SWC clergy with standing, moderators, treasurers, and other church leaders are being invited to participate in a second round. The IDI assessment will help the SWC recognize our underlying developmental orientation (collective starting point) as we seek to build our conference's intercultural competency. Trainers from ASDIC will walk us through what the IDI tells us about ourselves.
Read MoreWelcoming Neighbors: Journeying with a family from Afghanistan
A conversation with Ken Heintzelman (Shadow Rock, Phoenix) about sponsoring a family from Afghanistan. Hear about how connections from the congregation brought the Elham family to our attention, the drama of their journey from Afghanistan and Beijing, and our work with Lutheran Social Services.
Ken will also share a bit about encouraging family autonomy and good boundaries with church volunteer leadership.
Read MoreO.W.L. Info Sesh: Older Adults Emphasis
with Karen Richter
Information session for Our Whole Lives Adult and Older Adult curricula with the SWC’s OWL trainer Karen Richter. We’ll take a peek at OWL values and program assumptions with an emphasis on the curriculum for older adults (55+).
Workshop will include information for congregations on a conference-wide series coming this fall.
Is there really that much for adults to learn (and un-learn) regarding sexuality? You betcha.
Read MoreEngaging the World As An Elder
with Rev. Dr. Donna Cavedon and Rev. Rich Doerrer-Peacock
Our focus in this workshop is unearthing an old concept called “Elderhood” and reintroducing that idea into our world today. While aging is a physiological process that happens to everyone with the passage of time, “eldering” is not. Elderhood is a result of intentional practices and spiritual deepening as one chooses to let go of various roles and achievements, and move more deeply into soul healing and life integration.
This is a topic of importance for those who are retired, those on the cusp of retirement, and those who are curious enough to explore more about what it means to be an Elder in our world.
Read MoreSharing Pilgrimage Stories: Reflecting on Trips Already Taken
Facilitated by Rev. Tom Martinez
In keeping with our theme of Pilgrimage, this workshop is designed to get folks reflecting on trips you've already taken. This would, of course, include intentional pilgrimages to sacred sites, as well as trips that only through hindsight have proven to be important steps on your spiritual journey.
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