The United Church of Christ gathered this past weekend to celebrate the start of Pride month as part of the Love is Louder campaign, with 16 Ohio UCC churches participating and walking in the Pride parade on Saturday, chanting “Love is louder.” …This election year has triggered higher amounts of harmful anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation, so we must continue to believe in the work of honoring our bodies with soft space and mirroring our kin-ship to one another. Read More and keep an eye out for updates to the Our Faith Our Vote page.
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Read MoreOn June 18th, the UCC will launch its second Climate Hope card collection campaign that will build upon the success of the more than 8,000 postcards we delivered to the senior officials of the EPA last year. This year the art of 12-year-old Charlotte from Glenside, Pennsylvania will be on the cover of our Vote for Climate Hope Pledge Cards. Between now and November 1st, UCC churches from across the country will be collecting the pledges of those committed to voting their values in November. We know people are more likely to vote when (a) it is connected to a cause they care about, (b) they make a commitment to others vote, and (c) they get a reminder to vote near the time of the election.
Learn more at our online kickoff event on June 18th at 3 pm ET!
Read MoreAre you in the Phoenix area? Come watch this film!
Bad Faith Watch Party
Friday June 7th 7:00-9:30 PM
First Church UCC, 1407 N 2nd St, Phoenix, AZ 85004
The Arizona Poor People’s Campaign and First Church UCC, Foothills Christian Church, and the Arizona Faith Network are cohosting a film screening in collaboration with the Repairers of the Breach and the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. We invite you to attend this special screening of the new movie, "BAD FAITH - Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy."
Read MoreAs the attention of the world focuses on the 2024 elections, what will be the role of churches that embody the prophetic tradition of the Christian faith? What will preachers say from the pulpit? How will justice-centered ministries be called to act? These can be difficult questions to answer in the context of church cultures in which there is a fear of political conflict and polarization.
In this webinar, we will address these critical issues and questions with the help of our featured panelists. Dr. Obery Hendricks has authored both "The Politics of Jesus" and "Christians against Christianity," while the Rev. Dr. Leah Schade has authored both “Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide" and “Creation-Crisis Preaching.”
Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time on June 12th at 10 am AZ / 11 am NM&EP, still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it. Register now!
Read MoreSunday, June 23, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
First Church UCC Phoenix
1407 N 2nd St, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Join AFN for an afternoon of community service! Together we will pack heat relief bags for community members and cooling centers to hand out to those in need of heat relief.
Purchase heat relief items listed on the RSVP form linked below and bring them to our packing night.
RSVP FORM (includes additional details)
Not in the Phoenix area? You can donate funds for AFN to purchase items
Read MoreJoin this webinar on Thursday April 18 at 11 am AZ time / 12 pm NM & EP time.
The reparatory justice movement is gaining momentum in communities across the country. During this election year, it is vital that impassioned activists inject the need to create a culture repair into the ongoing political debates defining elections at the local, state, and federal levels. To help us with practical ways we can do this, we will be joined by Rev. Robert Turner, author of the new book Creating a Culture of Repair: Taking Action on the Road to Reparations. In his book, Rev. Turner provides an accessible guide for individuals and groups wanting to influence significant institutional action while also acting on their own to repair the effects of racial injustice in our communities, churches, and spheres of influence.
Following our conversation with Rev. Turner, we will provide essential points to emphasize at candidate town halls, rallies, community forums, and other campaign events in your community. Register here.
Read MoreFrom Rev. Talitha Arnold, Senior Pastor of The United Church of Santa Fe:
I’m writing to share an invitation from Sr. Joan Brown of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light to a special program (and breakfast) on "Faith, Climate, and Creation Care" next Tuesday, April 10, 8-10 am at First Presbyterian, ABQ. (If coming in person isn't an option, you can tune for the presentation piece at the link below).
Bishop Michael Hunn from the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande and I will share our reflections and invite conversation on questions around religion, climate, and religious leadership in our challenging times.
Read MoreIn recent months, we have seen international news coverage focus on what is happening in Gaza and Ukraine. While these crises are important to highlight and do need to be kept at the forefront of the news coverage, other conflicts in other parts of the world get less news coverage and are less well known. Our global partners are responding to various conflicts by meeting the needs of their communities in many ways including refugee response, emergency food and sanitation supplies, and cash assistance. Our partners are speaking, and we must listen. Read more here.
Read MoreOn April 17th at 3:30pm ET, join Gender & Sexuality Justice Ministries for the beginning of their new series featuring Advocacy 101 topics throughout the remainder of the year! For the month of April, they will move through the Love is Louder Tool Kit featuring Communal Care for Trans & Non-Binary Siblings. In this webinar, you'll be introduced to gender & sexuality terms, the issues in front of us today, and ways to cultivate communal care in your context. Register here.
Read MoreEverywhere we look in our culture you will find plastic. One place where you will not find plastic, however, is in the Bible.
This resource is designed to help congregations think more deeply about the ways that plastics impact our lives and God's creation. It is also intended to equip people of faith to take actions to address this epidemic in faithful and practical ways.
Download this resource to find stories of individuals and communities making a positive impact, sermon starters to spark meaningful discussions in your church, worship resources to unite in prayer and reflection, and actionable steps to address the plastic crisis in your life, community and, our world.
Learn more and see resources.
Read MoreIn preparation for Earth Sunday, a new resource has been produced to help congregations think more deeply about the ways that plastics impact our lives and God's creation. The title of this new resource is "Plastic Jesus: Real Faith in a Synthetic World." Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, April 10th at 1 pm ET as we hear from Derrick Weston, the lead author of the resource. Register now!
Read MoreJoin us on April 11th to learn more about how congregations can build an ecology of community safety that is rooted in care, investing in each other, believing in each other, and trusting each other and the rhythms and cycles around/within us. With our guest thought leaders and faith practitioners, we explore a “Ecology of Community Safety” guide to offer practical skills, psycho-social care practices, planning tools, and analysis of current conditions, all towards practicing new ways of creating safety within our own congregational contexts. Register here to watch the program live.
Read MoreFrom AZ Poor People’s Campaign newsletter:
Earlier this month, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) released a Public Notice that it intends to issue an Individual Industrial Recycled Water Permit to Resolution Copper Mining. The permit would allow Resolution Copper to deliver water obtained from the dewatering of their mine facilities at Oak Flat and near Superior to the New Magma Irrigation and Drainage District (NMIDD) where it would be mixed with water coming from the Colorado River via the CAP canal and used for irrigation.
A 30-day public comment period is open, ending on April 7, 2024. No public hearing is currently scheduled.
Please write a letter to ADEQ to extend the comment period and to ask for a public hearing.
Read MoreThe UCC's second annual Earth Summit on April 20th will feature celebrated author and activist Bill McKibben. He will deliver the Jim Antal Keynote Lecture with the title, "Energy from Heaven or Energy from Hell?"
The 2-1/2 hour summit will additionally feature a panel of grassroots leaders and a video showcasing the environmental ministries of our host congregation, The Church of Christ at Dartmouth College.
Register to join on Zoom!
Read MoreEverywhere we look in our society we find plastic. It surrounds our food, it makes up our technology, and it is a standard element in our household items. Unfortunately, it is also overflowing from our landfills, floating in our waters, and polluting our soil. More and more, we can even find it in our own bodies and those of other living creatures.
In preparation for Earth Sunday, a new resource has been produced to help congregations think more deeply about the ways that plastics impact our lives and God's creation. The title of this new resource is "Plastic Jesus: Real Faith in a Synthetic World."
Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, April 10th at 1 pm ET (10 am AZ; 11 am NM & TX) as we hear from Derrick Weston, the lead author of the resource.
Register now!
Read MoreTransgender Day of Visibility is on Sunday, March 31 (yes, coinciding with Easter!).
Here are some resources from the Open and Affirming Coalition of the UCC:
Welcoming Trans Children to Church
Trans Justice is Racial Justice Toolkit
Anti-Trans Legislation Brief
Read MoreHello AZIPL friends-
I want to invite you to join us for a Tucson-based Arizona Interfaith Power & Light meeting next Tuesday evening. I hope that you will join us if you are available. (See the attached flyer) Ris Ruiz and I will be attending, along with your Earth-caring counterparts in other congregations! It will be good to exchange ideas and share updates.
Melanie Beikman
Director, Arizona Interfaith Power & Light
(480) 540-9519
melanie.beikman@azipl.org
Read MoreBlessed Tomorrow will be hosting a faith climate forum on April 16th, and they are looking for host sites that will live stream the event. Each site that has at least 15 people registered will receive $450 to support refreshments and childcare or travel support. Learn more and register!
Read MoreApril is Earth Month, and for congregations, it can be a great time to further discern how to best answer our first calling as Christians: the caretaking of God's creation. Congregations can make a plan to make the most of the month. For Earth Sunday, the UCC has partnered with the UCC partnered with Creation Justice Ministries to produce an Earth Sunday resource on plastics entitled “Plastic Jesus: Real Faith in a Synthetic World.”
Read MoreTo help encourage election engagement, and to ensure voting happens smoothly in 2024 elections, the United Church of Christ Our Faith Our Vote Campaign is thrilled to continue our partnership with Power the Polls! Poll workers enable the nonpartisan process of our democracy, keep polling locations open and technology working, and help make every voter’s experience a positive and empowering one.
Will you consider signing up to be a poll worker today?
For more helpful resources on election engagement, please visit the Our Faith Our Vote website.
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