The United Church of Christ Mental Health Network is pleased to offer a new set of resources to help congregations and other community-based organizations address the mental health effects of trauma on children.
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UCC at ASU August update
From Andrew Ponder Williams:
Every Thursday evening at 6:30pm in the month of August we are offering our new Zoom group for all young adults. We have young adults from across California, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas signed up. We specifically are creating a space to support people just out of college who are looking for meaningful community and spiritual engagement.
Contact Andrew for more information: andrew@desertpalmucc.org.
For ASU specific ministry we have a full plan prepared for on-campus/in-person ministry this fall. We can't wait!!
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Upcoming SWC 7 for 7 Campaigns
These SWC special offerings are the “7 for 7” offerings that qualify churches for year-end recognition.
SWC Mission Fund Special Offering – Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021 – Goal: $10,000
Sow the Seed Special Offering – Sunday Feb. 20, 2022 – Goal: $11,000
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Rev. Susan Valiquette installation
Hope to see you at First Church UCC Phoenix on Sunday, November 7 at 3 pm MST!
Read MoreUCC included in $5M study of COVID and the church
Documenting the Pandemic: UCC included in $5-million study of COVID and the church. See how your church can take part.
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UCC at ASU update
From Andrew Ponder Williams:
Every Thursday evening at 6:30pm in the month of August we are offering our new Zoom group for all young adults. We have young adults from across California, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas signed up. We specifically are creating a space to support people just out of college who are looking for meaningful community and spiritual engagement. Contact Andrew for more (andrew@desertpalmucc.org).
For ASU specific ministry we have a full plan prepared for on-campus/in-person ministry this fall. We can't wait!!
Read MorePastors appreciate stewardship resources; ‘Rooted in Love’ now available for fall campaigns
How do you build an effective stewardship campaign? Ask a pastor who has done just that.
That’s what the United Church of Christ OPTIC team did when it came time to develop this year’s stewardship theme materials.
Read MoreUCC Mental Health Network Synod wrap-up and thank you
On behalf of the MHN Board of Directors and officers, I want to thank you for your support and prayers — we could not do this important work without a community of people who also believe in providing safe and loving places for people with mental health challenges, substance use disorders, neurodiversity, and other brain disorders.
Read MoreTap into our UCC General Counsel's wealth of knowledge
UCC General Counsel Heather Kimmel now has a dedicated page on the UCC website. She's including a blog of her most-asked questions, and it already has useful information on it (leasing church property and copyright compliance). Check it out here.
Read MoreThere is a clergy debt crisis in the United Church of Christ
At General Synod, the Pension Boards and the National Setting of the United Church of Christ launched Securing the Future: Financial Justice for Ministers, a campaign to raise $3 million to expand the Ministers’ Financial Vitality Initiative (MFVI), an innovative Pension Boards program that is changing the lives of UCC authorized ministers across the country.
The initiative is making a noticeable difference, providing UCC ministers with $10,000 each to help pay down their debt, including $1,000 to seed a retirement account, along with the support of both financial advisers and a cohort of peers facing similar money issues.
Read MoreValerie Russell Lecture
Update from Michael Curry
“It is my heartfelt hope and prayer that as we slowly begin to heal and prepare to rebuild a life that was once comfortable and familiar to so many of us, that we will begin to find and feel a renewed sense of hope as we reenergize ourselves for the work of ministry that God is calling us into.”
Read MoreSaying "Goodbye" to the 917
Friday, July 23, the sale closed on our almost 10-year Southwest Conference Office building. We received our asking price of $850,000 with no contingencies from a local couple who owns temporary rentals in our Coronado neighborhood, and are wanting space for community gatherings and various meetings.
Read MoreGeneral Synod updates
General Synod 33 wrapped up yesterday! Here you’ll find links to news items from the week.
Read MoreOur Whole Lives (OWL): upcoming sessions and a training event
Karen Richter is excited to share some new Our Whole Lives opportunities for students and facilitators. OWL is a set of comprehensive sexuality education curricula for multiple age ranges, focused on a set of core values: self-worth, sexual health, responsibility, and justice & inclusivity.
Read MoreReport to the church from the United Church of Christ Board, July 2021
Update from the national board meeting.
Read MoreNew mailing address for the Southwest Conference office
As we prepare to move to our new office location this month, please update your records with our new mailing address. Thanks!
Southwest Conference UCC
P.O. BOX 44968
Phoenix, Arizona 85064
Read MoreGeneral Synod this week!
Here are many things that the General Synod folks would like you to know about!
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"The 917" is listed for sale
Visioning and Discernment Guide Plans for Using SWC Resources
“We are extravagantly welcoming and affirming follower of Jesus called to embody God’s unconditional justice and love in the world.” For more than ten months the Southwest Conference (SWC) Executive Board and our standing committees have been discerning how best to use SWC resources to live more fully into our mission. This discernment work came in response to the conference-wide SOAR visioning summit held just before the COVID19 unleashed its devastation in the U.S. While we have been responding to the pandemic, we’ve also been anticipating its impact, asking God’s Spirit to show us the way forward in a world and a Church we know will be radically different than anything we’ve experienced.
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