Annual Meeting

Are you bilingual / multilingual? We need your help!

Are 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.

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Annual Meeting delegate session: April 13

Annual 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.

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2024 Annual Meeting registration is OPEN!

2024 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.

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Executive 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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Introduction to AntiRacism Dialogue Circles – ASDIC & Conference Leaders

Introduction 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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Welcoming Neighbors: Journeying with a family from Afghanistan

Welcoming 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.

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O.W.L. Info Sesh: Older Adults Emphasis

O.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.

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Engaging the World As An Elder

Engaging 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.

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Pilgrimage: An Invitation to Creating and Creative Formation and Transformation

Pilgrimage: An Invitation to Creating and Creative Formation and Transformation

In this workshop we’ll share our plans and multifaceted purposes for our adventure (July 15-20, 2022 at Bishop’s Ridge Camp and Retreat Center, just south of Santa Fe), details for participants and registration info, and how churches can support this experience at home through meditation, prayer, sacred conversations, and even personal pilgrimages or “pilgrimages in place.”

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