National Open and Affirming Gathering brought together ONA activists from across the country. For some, it was an opportunity to learn that the United Church of Christ is not yet “100% Open and Affirming.” With 35% of our congregations certified as ONA, we have both room and moral urgency to grow. For others, National Gathering was an introduction to new voices as we began to imagine together what our movement could become over the next fifty years.
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September 15th, 2022 from 1:00-5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
(that's 10 am for Arizona, 11 am for New Mexico and El Paso)
Insurance Board is proud to present, “Creating a Culture of Safety in Your Ministry,” which is the theme of our upcoming Regional Workshops Series. With the various risks ministries face on a daily basis, such as: Active Intruder situations, Preventable Youth/Senior Abuse, Business Operations concerns, Financial Mismanagement and Cybersecurity threats, having a plan in place to mitigate these risks is critical. Join us and your local agent to learn more about how your ministry can build a culture of safety and take precautions to protect your congregation
Read MoreThe PATHWAYS Theological Education Board of Directors invites all questioning, curious people of faith to join their 6-week courses beginning Fall I (mid-August) and Fall II (beginning late September) (see website for details and registration links). The 12-week UCC Polity course runs three times a year beginning September 7, January 11 and May 17.
Read MoreJubilee is an introductory justice course for adults of any age who want to deepen their understanding of justice and learn practical organizing skills. Program participants meet weekly for skill and knowledge building workshops, spiritual reflection, and group discussion and support.
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Another day, another scam: impersonating clergy and emailing their church's office to request that their direct deposit go to a different bank account. This is succeeding and no one is the wiser until pay day and the pastor doesn't receive their direct deposit.
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ASDIC Circles provide you with an in-depth experience to better understand the ways race and racism operate in all of our lives. They will give you greater clarity of thinking, strength of relationship, and effectiveness of action in addressing systemic racism.
Circles are limited to 12-15 participants. Additional Circles will be added to the schedule (same days and times) if registrations exceed circle participation limits.
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Rapid response webinar offers help for churches facing threats from hate groups.
Read MoreIn the life of any organization, priorities and function change. Overtime the structure begins to show its age and needs to catch up with how we do things now and leave room to anticipate who we are becoming. We have outgrown our current structure. We are undertaking to create amended and restated bylaws for you to review and vote on at the next Annual Meeting. Our goal is to conclude our work by February 2023 to provide ample time for notice and discussion.
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Learn more and register for these UCC events: How to Grow a Movement: Invest to End Racism, UCC Summit, Clergywomen’s* Leadership Event of the Antoinette Brown Society, and the Partners in Building Event.
Read MoreAn invitation from the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center to:
Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders, a 5-day event that helps participants deal more effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict;
and a new one-day event called Restorative Conversations.
Read MoreA biennial event for women in ministry will be different this time, its organizers say.
The 2022 United Church of Christ Clergywomen’s Leadership Event, Sept. 27-29, will focus on “the intersection of race and gender and ministry.” The meeting will be in person in Decatur, Ga., with a vigorous online option as well.
The Rev. Tara Barber, who staffs the event’s planning team, said there are three new things this year:
The event will “de-center whiteness” and focus on the experiences of Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color.
It is deliberate about inviting cis women, trans women and non-binary people.
Online participants will get special, exclusive content.
written by Kay Klinkenborg, Church of the Palms UCC
“Anytime, any day in America, dial 988 to reach a mental health crisis worker” to talk about your feelings of despair, being suicidal or if you are a family member worried about someone you love. 988 is available to anyone experiencing mental-health related distress, substance abuse or any type of emotional distress.
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Learn about UCC digital programming coming our way.
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There are many ways we can be on a “pilgrimage.” You don’t have to be in top shape and able to walk long distances. Pilgrimage can describe any journey or process when we seek intentionally to experience and be transformed by the Holy while undertaking or living through experiences that can feel far from Holy! They are experiences that take us out of our comfort zones, knock us off balance, require us to sacrifice or endure great losses, make hard choices, function while out of control and vulnerable, invite us to entrust our wellbeing to strangers or even to God who feels absent.
Read MoreAll are welcome to attend Carson’s ordination in-person or to watch the livestream.
Congrats, Carson!
Read MoreTwo popular giving strategies that can help you to save on taxes next year and support our mission.
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Zoom Workshop: Wednesday August 3, 2022, 1-3pm AZ / 2-4pm NM-EP
Presenters: Donna Cavedon and Rich Doerrer-Peacock
We’re all aging! In addition to complaining about it (LOL), we can explore how we can enrich our senior years with opportunities to approach life more deeply and to make this stage profoundly fulfilling in its own way. Join us in learning more about the concept of elderhood which offers wise, sacred, and innovative new possibilities for this last stage of life. We'll also exchange our own ideas and experiences about how we can enhance life, for ourselves and others, as we continue to mature.
Read MoreRev. Dean Hokel and Rev. Drew Terry will be offering a "De-Centering Whiteness" 6-hour class for clergy. This is a basic course (via Zoom) that will employ a series of readings, videos, and small group discussions around issues of race in our culture and within one's own sense of identity and experience.
Registration is limited to nine people in order to maximize time that participants can share and explore deeply their own racial biases and identities, and discuss with each other.
Read More“The Holy Spirit informed me that I have a duty and responsibility to address the mental health crises through a pastoral response,” says Dr. Thomas. “I believe that am charged to provide my Cornerstone student interns to serve your congregation by supplying 7 sessions of professional, HIPPA compliant compassionate relationship counseling (family, marriage/couples, any relationship) at no cost to the client. The sessions will be conducted through our HIPPA compliant Video platform called Simple Practice.”
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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.
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