From the UCC Open and Affirming Coalition:
Join us Aug. 5-7 for our first National ONA Gathering since 2019! Our virtual event celebrate the 50th anniversaries of the ONA Coalition and Bill Johnson's ordination as the first openly gay man authorized to serve an historic Christian church as a minister of word and sacrament.
From Friday to Sunday evenings, our celebration will offer inspiring worship, powerful testimonies, and stories from our growing movement. We'll honor the past, lift up the present, and claim our visions for the future.
Read MoreWe had a great Pilgrimage to Batworld last night. Some of us met here at the Phoenix Batcave (near 40th St. & Camelback), hosted by Scottsdale UCC, and another group met at a bat bridge in north Tucson. Wonderfully valuable & vitally important creatures, yet very misunderstood.
Read MoreOn June 25, 1972, the United Church of Christ made history when William R. Johnson became the first openly gay man ordained to ministry in an historic Christian church. Bill’s ordination, by the Golden Gate Association in the Northern California/Nevada Conference, opened doors for a new generation of openly LGBTQ leaders in our church.
Read MoreJoin participants throughout the Southwest Conference for a 6-session online series for adults ages 55+. Topics include:
Read MoreCheck out some of the UCC digital programming coming up soon.
Read MoreWe invite you to plan with your families, church friends, or youth groups to find a bat colony location near you and gather around dusk on Friday, June 24, to be pilgrims, visitors and learners to the BatWorld. If that night doesn’t work for you, choose another.
But…why BATS?!
Read MoreRegistration is now open for a major United Church of Christ summit “to imagine a church alive and vital in the world.” It will be held Sept. 19-21, online and in-person in St. Louis.
Read MoreThe world of hybrid learning will be the focus of a two-day event for people who teach in local churches of the United Church of Christ.
“A New Turn: Hybrid Faith Formation” will take place online Wednesday, June 8, and Thursday, June 9. Its sponsor is the Association of United Church Educators. People can register here.
“The pandemic has shaken up everything we once knew about church ministry, and we are now facing a new turn,” said the event’s lead organizer, the Rev. Kim Nagy. She is minister of faith formation at Kent (Ohio) UCC and vice chair of AUCE’s Board of Directors. “This virtual conference will help leaders live into this new era of ministry.”
Read MoreCheck out the June webinars: Thursdays for the Soul, Bold Climate Action, and Juneteenth.
Read MoreDuring Pride month, three of our most popular webinars are on sale. For just $35, an unlimited number of members of your church can participate from their own computers or devices.
ONA 101 and ONA and the Bible are for congregations taking their first steps towards, or just curious about, an Open and Affirming Covenant.
Bending Gender is for both ONA and not-yet ONA churches: with transgender and nonbinary Americans under attack in many states, it's time for congregations to understand how to welcome trans and nonbinary seekers into their congregations.
Read MoreSince 2020, the Southwest Conference (SWC) has provided parish clergy access to professional coaching. Now the SWC is making coaching available to local church leaders, chaplains, committees, teams, and congregation members in the Conference! We have a coach on staff to make that possible.
Last month, Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons, our Conference Minister, completed 64 classroom hours of training for certification as an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Level 1 coach.
Read MoreThe SWC has been renting office space at the United Methodist Center since last summer. However, trustees for the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church (DSCUMC) will recommend the sale of the United Methodist Center at this month’s DSCUMC Annual Conference.
The DSCUMC notified SWC staff of the likely building sale in late March. Since then, staff has discussed our space and place needs considering information and feelings shared with Conference leaders in 2021. Many options were explored, including sharing space with several of our ministry partners. A plan that will provide stability while meeting our needs and stewarding our resources responsibly was recommended by the Conference Minister with staff support and reviewed by the Executive Board.
Read MoreThe position of House Manager is a live-in position managing day to day operations of a group residence. Hope House of Sedona (hereafter referred to as Hope House) is a transitional housing program providing temporary housing and support services for homeless children and their families living in the Sedona-Oak Creek School District.
Read MoreAs New Mexico’s worst wildfires on record continue to rage, area churches — some in close proximity to the fires — are pitching in on relief efforts.
The United Church of Christ Disaster Ministries team is offering grants to families already affected by the fires and inviting gifts to support them.
Read More3pm AZ / 4pm NM-EP on Sunday, June 12 at Toafa O Le Talalelei Samoan Congregation!
26831 N. 191st, Wittman, AZ
We’re excited to invite all in the Southwest Conference to attend the joyful covenant service to officially welcome our newest congregation, Toafa O Le Talalelei Samoan Congregation, as our newest church, along with Pastor Tula Maga!
Read MoreLast Sunday, May 22, we celebrated the culmination of Andrew’s 12-year journey to ordination!
Read MoreTraumatic events often lead people to feel they have lost control of their sense of safety. Here are resources on how to help children cope with the frightening news and their reactions. A resource for adults is also included.
Read MoreWe had some expected sadness when decided to cancel the event, but almost immediately it was followed was a explosion of new ideas and creativity around this theme. We immediately sensed God was doing a new thing, and leading us to a format that, rather than focusing ourselves on one trip at one time, that we were being led to empower multiple ways that many people and churches could experience and explore the meaning of Pilgrimage.
Read MoreIs there really that much for adults to learn (and un-learn) regarding sexuality? You betcha. Save these dates and watch for registration opening next month!
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