by Kayla Berkey | published on Oct 15, 2024
With the election approaching in a few short weeks, the United Church of Christ has resources full of ideas and guidance for staying engaged and spreading love in the days up to and beyond November 5th.
“There is no better time to learn about critical election issues and join the movement towards justice,” said Rev. Michael Neuroth, director of the UCC Office of Public Policy & Advocacy in Washington, D.C. “We hope these resources guide and inspire all to vote with love for our neighbors both here and abroad, for a just peace, for repair and reconciliation of the brokenness of our nation. In doing so, we collectively uplift the United Church of Christ’s vision for a just world for all.”
The UCC Our Faith Our Vote website is chock-full of multimedia tools to support congregations and community members in election season – many are rounded up below.
“As people of faith, we must ensure that all are able to exercise their God-given right to a voice and a vote. In an election season plagued by fear and misinformation, the Our Faith Our Vote campaign provides accurate, practical, and faithful resources to help ourselves and our neighbors participate in this sacred democracy,” Neuroth said.
1. Vote Faithfully Sunday Worship Resources
These worship resources hold a wealth of materials to empower congregations with a hope-filled vision on the Sunday before Election Day. They include liturgies, prayers, music, readings, and a recorded sermon by General Minister and President Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson. “We gather in praise and celebration that the God of justice and peace will guide us through this significant moment in our democracy,” one Call to Worship reads. Get the Vote Faithfully Sunday Resources
An Oct. 31 webinar will focus on how churches can prepare for the days on and after Election Day.
2. Don’t be Scared, be Prepared! What to Expect in the 2024 November Election
Coming to you in the form of a written guide complete with scenarios and an upcoming webinar, this resource shares how churches can prepare for the days on and after Election Day, covering topics like election security and ballot counting, combatting misinformation, and promoting a safe and accessible election. Read the Guide | Register for the Webinar
3. Our Faith, Our Vote Resource Toolkit
This toolkit is packed with easy-to-digest resources for faith communities around voting: from one-page overviews of UCC perspectives on hot button issues, to basic guidelines for church political engagement, to creative ideas for getting young people involved. Get the Toolkit
Breath prayers are part of the Election Spiritual Care Package from Join the Movement Toward Racial Justice.
4. Election Season Spiritual Care Package
This Spiritual Care Package of Join the Movement Toward Racial Justice offers a curated space of meditations, poems, and stories for finding groundedness and assurance of each person’s belovedness in a season filled with language and anticipation that can cause fear, rage, and grief. Find the Spiritual Care Package
5. Issue Education Resources and Blog
Find a collection of one-pagers covering where the UCC stands on a wide variety of issues including gun safety, immigration, economic justice, and disability and mental health justice. And visit the Our Faith Our Vote Blog for reflections from UCC leaders covering topics that include election accessibility, trans rights, and affordable housing. Explore Issue Education Resources | Visit the Our Faith Our Vote Blog
Pray along with forty days of prayers as the nation prepares to go to the polls.
6. Forty Days of Prayer
Join the Forty Days of Prayer that began Sept. 22 and continue through Nov. 3 – the Sunday before Election Day. Find the full collection of prayers or follow along on the UCC Washington Office’s social media. Prayers were written by Rev. Karen Winkel and Rev. Amber Henry Neuroth for the UCC Potomac Association. Find All Forty Prayers | Follow Along on Facebook
7. Vote With Love Graphics and signs
Find free downloadable graphics designed for flyers, banners, website banners, and Zoom backgrounds, and use them to encourage others to vote with love. Plus there’s still time to order a Vote With Love yard sign from UCC Resources. Get Vote With Love Graphics |Purchase a Vote With Love Yard Sign
Pray along with forty days of prayers as the nation prepares to go to the polls.
8. Our Faith Our Vote Civic Engagement Center
A one-stop website for voters to check registration status, find their polling location, learn local election dates, and request an absentee ballot. Visit the Civic Engagement Center
9. Be Prophetic, Not Partisan Video
Find quick tips on navigating election do’s and don’ts in the recorded Be Prophetic, Not Partisan webinar with a UCC News summary of the main points and video of the conversation. Find the Article and Webinar Recording
10. Stay Tuned…
More information about a virtual Election Day Prayer Service is coming soon.