You know when your church is on the right track when the usual donated Palm Sunday flowers are replaced by a large assortment of bags and packages of donated food for the hungry.
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JPANet: Fight Mass Incarceration
As followers of the One who proclaimed freedom and release to the prisoner, it is incumbent upon us to work to build a justice system that honors human dignity and allows for the possibility of redemption of all people. Call on your senators and representatives today to urge them to pass the sentencing reform package to build a more equitable and just world for all.
Read MoreHope House of Sedona OPENS
Hope House of Sedona is open after 3 1/2 years of planning and work! A ribbon cutting was held at the new house on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. This is what happens when a local church catches a vision, partners with city and other religious neighbors, and connects with a builder whose immigrant history guides his life to give more than he receives.
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Title 42 ending: What can the church do to help?
The United Church of Christ welcomes the Biden administration’s decision to end the inhumane Title 42 policy which has been used to deny the rights of asylum seekers. This decision needs to be the first step toward ending other discriminatory US policies, such as the Migrant Protection Protocols, that intentionally marginalize immigrants. The United Church of Christ is committed to welcoming the stranger with dignity and empowering both migrants and the communities they seek to integrate into. A just transformation of the refugee and asylum system is needed to elevate the wholeness of all persons, extending hospitality and protection to those who are among the most vulnerable.
What does this mean practically? What can I do to help?
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Getting Ready for Earth Sunday
This month we have two Earth Day-related digital events!
"Getting Ready for Earth Sunday: Resources for Congregations"
Wednesday, April 13th, 1 pm ET
and
"The Faith of Prophets: Lessons for the Climate Crisis"
Saturday, April 23rd, 10:30 am ET
Join the UCC at Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2022!
The United Church of Christ is one of the over 40 sponsors of the annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice. This year, Ecumenical Advocacy Days will be held virtually April 25-27! The conference theme “Fierce Urgency: Advancing Civil and Human Rights” will inspire us to work to protect and expand voting rights in the U.S. and human rights around the world.
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Justice Leadership Program – next program starting this fall
The Justice Leadership Program is wrapping up its first online 6-month Jubilee program (with five participants, four from UCC) and now is the time to apply for the autumn program. Jubilee is an online program for adults of any age who want to integrate faith and justice work in their lives in a meaningful and transformational way. Program associates meet monthly to deepen their faith within a community of their peers while learning skills for systemic change-making.
Join the fall program to be informed, equipped, and empowered to act for justice!
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JPANet: April Newsletter
Read the April newsletter of the Justice and Peace Action Network, UCC’s grassroots advocacy network composed of individual members and local UCC congregations across the country.
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JPANet: Join us to Fight LGBTQ Discrimination
The Equality Act would provide federal nondiscrimination protection across key areas of daily life, including employment, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally-funded programs, and jury service. It is a much-needed fix for the current uneven patchwork of state nondiscrimination protections.
Right now the Equality Act has passed in the House of Representatives but is still pending in the Senate. Please take action and urge your senators to support the Equality Act.
Read More500 showers in first year of Church of the Palms' shower trailer ministry
"...the shower trailer has been successful because of the vision and generosity of our patrons, a faithful and hard working cadre of volunteers and support from our partner churches and cities."
Read about how the shower ministry has grown since the first shower in February 2021 at the Salvation Army Church in Surprise.
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Common Tables: Interfaith Prayer Luncheon
Tuesday, March 29, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Arizona time
Rose Garden, Arizona State Capitol, 1700 W Washington St, Phoenix
The Southwest Conference is a co-sponsor for this event.
Join us to gather together to build relationships, connect, pray, and call for collective action to heal our world.
Rincon Congregational Ukraine relief benefit raises over $27K
Rincon Congregational UCC's Ukraine Emergency Relief Benefit Concert last Saturday was a HUGE success, raising over $27,000 for Ukraine relief!
Their church accompanist, Dr. Alex Tentser, who was born and raised in Kyiv, pulled together this concert with members of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. The audience numbered in excess of 350 people, PLUS those watching (and donating) online.
Read MoreUkrainian Refugees in the US - How you can help
The Biden administration intends to admit 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. Rev. Irene W. Hassan, Minister for Refugee and Migration Ministries Global H.O.P.E., breaks down what that means for our ministries in the church and how we can gather to support and affirm this decision.
Read MoreA Cataclysmic Invasion on the Heels of a Global Pandemic
If vertical and centralized powers can threaten to destroy, people’s power can protect, resist, rebuild, and nurture life. Let us hope that this would also be a moment for our generation to reject the fascination with power and violence, kleptocracy, and ideologies of superiority based on skewed anthropological theories and the glorification of narcissistic leaders.
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JPANet: Take Action to Support Maternal Health
Please join us in urging Congress to take immediate action to pass the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act. Our country is failing to protect mothers and pregnant people because of a failure to adequately address racial and health disparities across the board. It is an abject moral atrocity and can be turned around with the right investments and political will. Your voice is needed as a person of faith to help reverse the course on maternal mortality.
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UCC Earth Week Event: The Faith of Prophets—Lessons for the Climate Crisis
To answer the urgent call for action today, this special online Earth Week event will focus on what the Hebrew Prophets can teach us as well as what prophetic actions are currently being taken. The event will consist of three parts: an opening keynote, a panel discussion, and a suggested action for congregations to take in their own community.
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Allan Mestel
Title 42 Vigil in Washington, D.C. today
Today Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons, Conference Minister for the United Church of Christ in Arizona, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas issued the following statement calling for the immediate end of Title 42.
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JPANet: Stop the Pollution in Hawaii: Tell Congress to Close Red Hill
The Red Hill Watershed and Aquifer Initiative Act (WAI) introduced in both the House and Senate would permanently close the facility, and requires the Navy to cover all cleanup costs associated with spills in the facility’s lifespan. The bill would also reimburse state and local entities for expenditures made in response to the public health threat it imposed, and replace the facility with water treatment and quality-testing facilities. Passage of this legislation would not only benefit the people of Oahu, but would also set precedent for action in other communities impacted by hazardous underground storage tanks at other military installations in our nation and abroad.
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Restore Asylum Now Rally
From the ACLU:
In solidarity with Los Revolucionarios (migrant-led organizers) in Nogales, Sonora, we are marking the infamous 2-year anniversary of Title 42 with a rally calling for its end! Join us at Phoenix's ICE Field Office on Monday, March 21 to demand the Biden Administration restore asylum NOW!
Read MoreJPANet: Take Action to Support Our Ukrainian Siblings
As people of faith, we must do what we can to support Ukraine directly by supporting this Ukraine Relief Fund, as well as advocate for a robust international humanitarian response.
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